Monday, August 28, 2017

Girl Power Now

     When I write one of these posts I like to have my general observations of my team's play and development organized around some narrower observation, some small detail of a game or a training session that, I think, in turn will bring the overall picture of where the team is now into sharper focus. I'm not having much success though in finding such a theme for Girl Power right now.  The obvious observation is that not only is this a new season for Girl Power but this is in fact a new team, a team yet to develop a consistent style of play or character.  Among the players who left our roster last season there were a couple who really dominated our play, who set the tone for us as a high-energy attacking side.  As we saw in Saturday's game returning players like Jolie, and Zoe are happy to dash boldly into the space left open by those departures as are our new players like Sophia. But right now there's a quality of recklessness and exploration to all these efforts.  It will take time for this team to find it's rhythm and style, to get really acquainted with each other so that we can see better anticipation and cooperation.
     The team isn't without some continuity of character though thanks to our returning players.  Eileen, Ava and Peyton all know how to play that strong full-back wing role that I like and so our style of play will still tend towards a fully committed possession-dominant attack.  Natalie's casual confidence in the keeper spot helps us in that regard too as she knows our attack begins wherever we regain possession and that informs her style of play.  With the help of the core group of returning players I have no doubt that this new Girl Power will become a skillful, aggressively attacking side that plays with a real joy and creativity.  In fact we're already seeing that so I'll let that be the loose theme for these early observations: "joy and creativity".

     In no particular order:

>At training last week I worked with the team on a "pull-back-play-behind" move that is basically a combination of a pull-back with an immediate Cruyff turn.  Izzy's efforts at it were nearly flawless from the start so I made a point of telling her that if she could pull that off in game situations she'd be able to get around anyone.  I say that sort of thing to players all the time.  "Oh, you're so good at that...I want to see it in the next game...that's you're move!"  Sometimes they follow through...usually they need more prodding.  But Izzy got to Saturday's game itching to try her move.  She even asked me prior to kick off if it was okay for her to try it.  "What!  Of course it's okay.  I insist!"  Lucky for me I was just yards away from her when she did break that move out and she was nearly successful on that first try.  After the game her attitude was still overwhelmingly positive.  "I almost did it...the ball just got stuck on my heel."  That's the attitude we want to foster, that desire to play fearlessly and creatively, even to show off a bit.

>Jolie is joyfully imposing herself on the game, seemingly filled with energy following her long injury layoff.  For the first 20 minutes of Saturday's game she was everywhere across the attacking half, getting on the ball over and over again.  Watching her play you can clearly see how happy she is to be back on the field.

>Zoe is testing her ball striking.  It's been a long road to get her to the point where her technique is approaching an effective consistency but I think we're almost there and it was wonderful to see her making shot attempts from outside of ten yards Saturday.  I think we had her for three such attempts and while they weren't thunderous strikes they were solidly struck.  She's putting in the work.

>So much good communication going on on the field Saturday.  I love that and I'm really trying to consistently encourage the players to be constantly engaged with each other in the game, to chat, coach, admonish, demand, whatever, just be connected.  With Sophia and Lauren the team has two players who are never shy about communicating with their teammates.  Lauren is good at both letting her teammate with the ball know where she is and at delivering the ball when a teammate calls to her.  And with Sophia I think I have a true field general.  She's constantly offering direction to the team and doing so in the right "coach's" tone of voice.

>Julia, Kennedy and Jayden gives the team a defensive solidity we haven't had before and these are all players, along with Lauren and Sophia, who recognize the opportunities for creating attacking play that can be had when your central defenders can possess the ball rather than booting it.  That being said, I have to admit that Julia's ability to crush a moving ball has certainly saved our bacon a few times!

>Finally, I want to note, if it's not obvious from the parent's side, that the girls are really enjoying playing together.  They are working hard at training and playing hard for each other in games and they all show up just itching to play.  I'm a lucky coach.




Monday, August 14, 2017

The Percolators

     At a Fusion coach's meeting in the spring, right after tryout week, one of the other coaches commented to me that "Girl Power will probably be stronger than ever." I appreciated that but I also knew it probably wouldn't be true, at least not immediately. The players we were able to bring into the club after tryouts are all excellent prospects but soccer is a team sport and a team's quality is never just the sum of all the individual players' skills. A team has to develop a bond and an understanding of how to work in concert and that takes time and a lot of game experience. With that in mind it's obvious that Girl Power will need some time to figure themselves out.
      At that meeting the same coach then asked me about the Ninjas and without hesitation I replied that I thought they would probably come into the fall season as a very strong team. It's a squad filled with athletes and they have developed a wonderfully strong connection with each other. Their first appearances together in the spring season were a bit rough but by the end of the season they were looking like a real team. The individual commitment of players to developing their skills was showing results too and with the benefit of some game experience the Ninjas were starting to show that they could work together effectively. Also, they had become, by the end of the season, a really focused squad in training with a real desire to improve rapidly.
     So I wasn't entirely surprised that the Ninjas looked so strong in their first game. I wasn't even surprised that they were able to outplay Girl Power. What I didn't expect was the ferocity of their attack, the constant pressure they were putting on their opponent and the skill and intelligence with which they created so many scoring chances. The Ninjas were a multi-dimensional barrage of offense! Shots coming from everywhere! Well organized and energetic, their defensive play was outstanding too.
     The two teams had fared very differently against the ISC team we met for those friendly matches. Girl Power lost too but they kept the match much closer throughout and they did manage some goals. What so impressed me from the Ninjas Saturday was that they seemed to have really internalized everything they could learn from that friendly match and took the field against Girl Power and played like a new team. It was like something had suddenly switched on for them. Not only was their attacking play expansive and at a high tempo but their defense was intense, even imperious. They simply would not concede a goal without a fight.
      That is something I've experienced before in coaching, that sudden improvement in a player or team where different things they've been working on suddenly come together, suddenly become who they are. At halftime I told the Ninjas that they seemed to have been "percolating" on their skills over the summer months. Rather than coming back from the summer break needing to knock the rust off they actually seemed stronger than they were at the end of the spring season, like they'd all made some leap forward. I know there was some skills training and endurance work going on during that time for some of the players but the overall improvement in their performance was still amazing. As a coach I accept that a lot of the work I do with players requires me to patiently allow them to slowly build their skills. Progress on the technical side of things is necessarily incremental. But on the tactical side, in the players' ability to work effectively together, there can be sudden change as if many pieces of a puzzle had suddenly fallen together. That's what I felt I was seeing on Saturday from the Ninjas and it was awesome.
     While Charlie and Annabelle were setting the tone early, firing shots in at Beanie, it was Kylee who actually broke through with the first goal of the game.  She received a brilliant crossing pass from Cameron G. that found her practically standing on the penalty spot and from there she easily put it away.  That was followed by a goal for Annabelle and then one for Megan.  Mehrin and Charley combined for the real peach of the game when Mehrin sent a perfect corner kick right onto Charley's feet for an easy re-direction from just a yard or two out.  Erin put in the game capper off a nice pass from Charley.  Those are the scoring highlights but we had excellent play from everyone.  While Ashley, Addison and Ellie didn't get on the score sheet themselves they did amazing work just controlling our possession of the ball throughout the game and helping to create all those chances.  And our newest player, Jade, came up big on defense throughout the game and also was involved in some shooting chances.  Great first game for her.