Monday, September 26, 2011

Saturday, Sept. 24th. Rainy Day Soccer.

My apologies to the Tigers and the Thunder for missing your games.  I hear they were good ones.  Coach Stacie was really impressed with how the Thunder comported themselves and I hear they had a 3-0 victory.  There were goals for Carson, Juan and Molly.   Molly!  What a transformation she's made since the beginning of the season.  She always works hard at practice on picking up the basic skills but in the games she has of late become so aggressive in getting to the ball.   We've seen from the very first game the difference in play between aggressive, confident players like Brooke and Juan who are engaged in the game constantly and players whose interest ebbs and flow with the game so that sometimes they clearly know what's going on but other times...  Well, Molly has definitely made the jump into that upper group  and with her speed and length she will become a formidable player.  I also hear we had excellent work in keeper again from our solid corp of goalies.   Great game Thunder.  Thanks Coach Stacie.

This week was the much anticipated meeting of the Polar Bears and the Sharks.  Coach Chris and I were really expecting the Bears to have a good game this week because they've been showing so much improvement over the course of the session and they have, as a team, developed a really good work habit at practice.  They generally show up and get down to business and that is a wonderful thing.  Carson is our leader in that respect.  He always arrives at practice or at games focused and ready to go.  But while there was a lot of very good individual play from the Bears they were, overall, overwhelmed by the attack of the Sharks.  Mason did his best in defense and we had good keeper play from Dylan, Carson, Micah and Jeremy but the Sharks are a more experienced team and they have of late begun to really play like a team so you see a lot of cooperation, a lot of ball movement and a lot of anticipation from them.  They're hard to stop. (See more on their performance in the post below.)

Ava and Ashley both played brilliantly on the attack for the Bears with some fantastic runs into Shark territory.  Ashley managed to get completely through the defense on one beautiful run and just missed the goal with an excellent shot from about three yards out.  These two girls are an interesting contrast.  Ashley has great natural touch on the ball and is developing her ball handling skills rapidly but her interest in the game is sometimes on and off.  Ava on the other hand is still working on developing some basic skill with the ball but her intensity during games is amazing.  It's like she can't see anything but the ball.  And she's fearless!  We are going to try to have these two on the field together more from now on as I think they can both be good influences on the other.  Everyone on the team can learn from watching Ashley's precise attention to controlling the ball and everyone can learn from the example that Ava sets in terms of  focus.  She hears that whistle blow and it's game on!

I want to say  that I was really impressed with how the Bears kept their heads up and kept playing hard without showing any real frustration.  And they did this in a game where some of the Sharks were rudely running their mouths about the score.  I apologize for that and it won't happen again.  The Bears know what it's all about.  You love the game so you keep playing and give the other side all you've got.  Well done Bears.





Now...about those Sharks...

Of course, the Sharks had another good game and I'll talk about that in detail in a moment but first I've got to nitpick a little bit.  Two things were happening during this game that I don't like.  First, I heard that there was some trash talking going on.  Second, as the game went on they got to be kind of sloppy on their throw-ins and corner kicks.  I'll work on that second problem at practice by covering the basics of those situations again.  As for the trash talking, I want to talk to them and nip that in the bud.  Here is what I love about these kids: they play with shear joy.  They love the game and as someone who still plays soccer too I have thought while watching them sometimes that nothing could be more fun than to be five again and get to play with this team.  So, given that that is the character of this team, that they trust each other and play more freely and cooperatively as a team than even most of the U8 and U10 teams I have coached, I want very much to guard against any kind of arrogance creeping in.  Here is what I will say to them at practice this week regarding having respect for their opponents:

             Sometimes when we talk about playing the game we say "that team really gave us a game" or "we really gave that other team a game this week".  Now, think about what that means, that "they gave us a game."  When we face another team on the field and they play hard they are giving you something, a great gift, a game of soccer, which is something you really love, right?  The other team did not come here to stand around while you put on a show.  They didn't walk onto the field to simply hand you a victory.  They came to play and they love the game too and they will play you hard even if they lose.  They are giving you a game without caring about the outcome and that's something you should be grateful for and should respect.  When we walk through the line at the end of the game and say "good game" you should mean it and you should be thinking "thanks for playing.  I love playing so thanks for playing with us."

I don't know for sure which of the Sharks were doing the talking and it doesn't matter since, given their dominance of the competition, this thing is bound to appear sometimes.  I'll let you all know how my conversation with them regarding this goes.  Both of these little issues point toward what we need to be re-enforcing for the future development of this team.  In less than a year most of them will move up to U8 and will suddenly be facing kids who are more than a year older than them.  If they are going to continue to compete well they will need to be disciplined as a team and they will have to be at times precise and at other times creative to make up for what they will suddenly lack in size and speed.  They are as a group already years ahead of schedule in terms of understanding the nuances of how the game flows and what to do on restarts like throw-ins and other set pieces.  Samuel had an easy goal in this last game because he understood what was happening on a throw-in for the other team better than the players on that team did.  That sort of thing will continue to be an advantage for the Sharks when they face competition that is physically tougher.  So, that's why I'm nitpicking.  I don't want them to rest on their laurels and then find themselves next August having to catch up to the teams they face.  I want this entire Fall/Winter season to be about preparing for the move up.

Now we can get on to the game highlights.  The first thing I noticed was that no one complained about the weather.  I'd just come from coaching a U8 game where I thought some of the players, boys included, were going to cry if they had to play in the rain.  Ridiculous.  The Sharks were, as usual, ready to play.  Next, during warm-ups something interesting happened.  I had them in the circle ready to take some warm up kicks and I noticed that they were huddling together and talking a bit and then suddenly everyone was tucking in their shirts.  Not everyone went along but most did and suddenly they looked like a professional side.  I suspect it was Elizabeth who suggested this "tidying-up".  Finally, as I was getting the starters on the field with Jagger in keeper first Jackson turned to me as he was heading to the bench and, sounding very much like Arthur Fonzarelli, he tapped his hands on his chest and said "Jagger?  What about the professional goalie?"  Coolest kid in the room, no doubt.

They did play very well and there was lots of ball movement, lots of great spacing and position play.  Sam E. and Elizabeth were making brilliant moves with the ball.  Sam A. and Austin were just impassable when they dropped into defense.  I mentioned Samuel's easy goal off that throw in.  Diego had a goal too and so did Jagger!  That's three goals from our four year-olds!  What impressed me the most, as it always does, is the extent to which the kids cooperate and anticipate each other.  We still have instances of them fighting each other for the ball and that sort of thing but overall they all seem to be headed in the same direction.  Again, looking to the future, that ability to cooperate is what will separate them from other teams. 

Anyway, listening to them talk and joke with each other prior to the game and then seeing how they play as a team, it's just such a weird contrast.  They are at times just normal little kids and then they are strangely mature in the way they play as a unit.  At practice this week when we broke up into teams to scrimmage Jackson announced that his team was Team USA and he would be Tim Howard.   Thinking about that and thinking about how these kids are so advanced and yet still just kids playing a game made me think of this:




Friday, September 23, 2011

Eddie Pope Shows off the Tekk Trainer

I'm not trying to sell anyone on buying a Tekk Trainer rebound net but you should definitely go to the website and view the video of former US National player Eddie Pope using the thing.  It's pretty awesome.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Practice Is On.

Hey, Tigers and Polar Bears,  we'll still be practicing tonight.  Dress warm and expect the field to be a bit wet.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

September 17th. Crazy busy.

I apologize to everyone on the Polar Bears and Tigers teams for not being at the games.  I was covering for another Coach who had to be out of town.  My thanks to Coach Mike Seng and Coach Chris for covering for me.  I heard the Tigers game was a great success but that the Polar Bears were a bit disorganized, especially the boys.  Coach Chris is suggesting that for the next game we start all the girls together for a quarter to see if they can teach the boys a thing or two.

The Thunder had another great game with continued improvement, especially on defense, where the work they've done in practice is really paying off.   So many of the kids are developing a good sense of where they are on the field in relation to the goals and the ball.  As a result they are more effective on defense because they know where to position themselves.  We had great work in keeper again from Maddie, Zychik, Parker and Logan.  Logan was especially tough and really picked-up the pace, getting his outlet passes and goal kicks off in a real hurry.  The Thunder are still trying to find their rhythm on offense although they may have added a few new weapons this week.  Molly is suddenly showing herself to be an aggressive player with a strong desire to get to the goal.  Christian was also showing some good focus and really has surprisingly good ball control.  If these two can begin to cooperate with Brooke and Carson we might get something going.

The Sharks had a fabulous game and I have to say that I really like getting to watch video of the games because it allows me to see things that I might have missed at the time.  Case in point:  the startling revelation that McKenzie has suddenly turned into a real player!  She nearly had a goal early on and then later in the game she made a great save that nearly led to a goal and then had another great shot of her own that was a brilliant "turn and shoot".  She probably got that move from Jackson since, as you'll see, he seems now to have made that sort back-to-the-goal shot his specialty.  Watching the video I also got to see that Luke seems to have taken some of our work in practice very seriously.  We've been working a lot on running sideways (shuffling, as Coach Mike says) so that the kids can move laterally while still keeping themselves facing the ball.  Apparently Luke likes this mode of movement so much he just wants to use it for every situation.  You'll see that early in the video.   Jackson had two goals.  Elizabeth had one and two assists.  Austin was awesome although his best shots didn't find the net.  Diego got a goal (one that McKenzie would have put in if Diego hadn't been there).  Sam had a great goal on a little cut move he made to get to the open side of the net.  That one should count as an assist for McKenzie since the save she made set it all up.  Samuel played brilliantly.  Trey was great, although he didn't get challenged much while in at keeper.  Sam Atkins was playing some great defense.  He has a unique way of playing so as to avoid any pushing and shoving and handball calls.  You'll see that in the video too.  About halfway through look for an amazing move that Sam A. makes to collect the ball and then turn and shoot quickly.  Jackson intercepts that pass and then tries to make a shot of it himself. It all happens very fast and is amazing.
Well, enough talk.  Let's roll the tape.



See everyone this week at practice.  Let's hope the weather is good.  Dress warm!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Polar Bears and Tigers Too.

I'm sorry I had to leave in the middle of the Polar Bears' game.  I had to go get my picture taken with the Tigers.  Picture day!

Coach Chris told me that the...umm...let's say...geographical confusion that the Polar Bears were experiencing early on continued for much of the game.  That's okay.  Having a team that is anxious to go but just doesn't know where to go is a good problem to have compared to having a team that isn't particularly anxious to get moving.  The Polar Bears want to get to the goal so now we have to work in practice on ways for them to develop more field awareness.

And I'm happy to say that this week's game was also a step forward for the Tigers.  We didn't get complete participation but we were close and everyone was involved a bit.  Every step, no matter how small, is a good one and gives us something to build on.  I like what I'm seeing.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Clash of the Titans! Sharks v Thunder.

What a great game!  I was really thrilled with how well the Thunder played.  They had especially excellent play from their goalies in this game.  Almost every player on both teams seemed completely engaged.  Let's just go straight to the tape now and I'll comment later on what the two teams showed us.  (Update:  Here is the HD version.)





The moments of great individual play that we managed to get on video speak for themselves so I won't summarize the whole thing but I do want to point at a few moments that really stand out for me.  Obviously you can't miss the amazing delicacy of Sam E.'s touch on the ball and the way he combines that with a nearly perfect awareness of where he is on the field and a brilliant imagination for finding a way to the goal but at 0:40 in the video while you see Sam playing the ball confidently right along the touch line note what Samuel is doing, shadowing Sam without crowding him, waiting to see how the play develops.  These two don't communicate with each other vocally the way Sam, Elizabeth, Austin and Jackson do but they still make a great tandem as Samuel is already anticipating Sam's moves and getting himself into position.  You'll notice on Sam's second attempt he gets a nice little pass from Trey to get the ball around Parker on defense.  Then see what Trey does.  He continues to Parker's right to get to the goal and get the rebound.  Very smart.

Maddie made some great stops on a couple of those efforts from Sam and then Zychik came in to face Elizabeth and stopped her at least three times too.  Eventually though Elizabeth gets through and I want you to notice the poise she shows in settling the ball to her feet at about 0:53.  Just amazing.  Zychik makes a great stop on that first shot but then Elizabeth gets a couple past him.  She's tenacious.  I'm sorry the video didn't capture how excited Zychik was as he made one stop after another.  He went on to have a great quarter in the field too.

At 1:39 you see Jackson beginning a break away run with a beautifully delicate first touch on the ball.  You can see by the way he leans over the ball on that touch that he's already seeing the field ahead of him and is calmly staying in control despite the open lane to the goal.  Parker stops the shot though with a tough grab right at Jackson's feet.

1:50.  This is amazing.  Note how early on Jackson sees the play developing and breaks decisively away from the pack.

At 1:58 you see the Thunder setting up for a throw-in.  Juan and Brooke have a good sense of what's going on and are looking for the pass even if they aren't in the best position for it.  But look at Jackson and Sam.  See how comfortable they are with the routine of covering on re-starts like this.  Then at 2:25 we see Elizabeth "poaching" on a goal kick.  Maddie and Molly are ready to receive Logan's kick (he had a great game in goal) and Elizabeth streaks in, volleys the ball off her hip and then makes two quick moves to get in for a shot.  Only Jagger crashing in unexpectedly could stop her.  Anyway, in both instances you see players who have gotten past having to learn the re-start plays in the game and now they are seeing those situations clearly and understanding how to take advantage of those changes in possession and turn them into opportunities.   That comes with time and experience and the Thunder are already off to a good start.

Near the end we see two fast breaks from Austin with the last culminating in a goal.  Again we see a player who has gotten to the point where he can recognize plays developing and react quickly.  Just great stuff.

I'm sorry I didn't capture more of the Thunder's offense on video.  Brooke, Carson and Juan really were having some great runs but needed a few good bounces that they didn't get.  Right at the beginning you see Juan playing some excellent defense, keeping his body between the ball and the goal.   I saw great play from everyone in this game.  Molly saved one goal with her speedy and thoughtful defense.  Look for that at about 2:14.    I didn't get everything on video but was watching everybody and you all played wonderfully.  Thanks for such a great game.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Rainy Weather.

Thunder and Sharks families,
My plan for today's practices is to wait and see what the weather is like at practice time.  I was at the fields on Tuesday night and they were still so dry and hard that I think they would have to take a lot of rain to get sloppy.  If it isn't actually raining this evening I expect we'll go ahead and  have practices.

I will be at the fields starting at 6:00 PM.  If the fields are unplayable or it's pouring rain we'll cancel.  If you don't feel that you  want to take the chance of coming out that is perfectly fine.  If it's raining at your house near practice time then just call it a day and stay home.

Remember to arrive early for Picture Day this Saturday.  Our photo time is 11:00 AM but you should get to the fields about twenty minutes prior to that so you can get your order forms taken care of.