The Tsunami get their game face on!

The Tsunami rolled to an impressive 3-3 tie in this week's game. We had great play from everyone and every team member showed great energy and complained when I took them out to rest (those are the complaints I like to hear). I want to note the excellent goalie work we got from Nick and William. Those guys are solid.
Erin had two goals including one that really had to thread the needle to find the goal but Erin let it fly like she knew it would go in. Avery had our third goal. She really showed everyone her skills in this game. I also have to mention the throw-in from Olivia that led to one of Erin's goals. It was about the best throw-in I've ever seen.

I want to thank Amy and Chris Holthaus and Lisa Roedig for their help in last week's practice. It really helped and everyone seemed to be playing their positions with more confidence this week, especially our defenders.
We'll practice this Wednesday then take a weekend off for the holiday and get back to it on Wednesday the 9th.
Click on the image below to see more photos from the last two games and from the U4 and U6 teams. Thanks to Nancy Roether Miller, Mike Ramsdell and my dad Wayne Michels:

Tsunami

Saturday is Picture Day!

This coming Saturday the 29th we will be squeezing the taking of team pictures in between games. Always a thrill. Here is the schedule for each team:

U4 Photos to start at 9:20...Game at 10:00.

U6 Photos to start at 12:00...Game at 12:15.

U10 Photos to start at 10:40...Game at 11:00.

I will pass out the order forms at practices and on Saturday there will be a tent set up where you can place your order for pictures if you're interested.

Lightning Safety

Sorry U10 Players and Parents for ending practice so abruptly yesterday but when it comes to lightning there is no gray area. If we see lightning or hear thunder during practice or a game we will stop and seek shelter immediately regardless of how benign the weather seems generally. If you're interested you can find more about lightning safety at the NOAA website. Saturday's weather forecast looks great. See you then.

August 15th

U4
A very good game today, especially since we got Karolyn and Zach involved (with some help from their dads). Zach even had a goal. Luke and Eileen both had great games and Noah "The Hammer" Roach pounded in three goals including an effortless left footer. Thanks to Noah for the snack.

U6
The Blue Jays had another strong performance with three goals. Owen had the first one and was followed by Nate who drove the ball in thanks to a perfect pass from Madeline. In the second half Alex scored off an assist by Owen. There was lots of passing today!
Kendra had a breakthrough day putting to use the ball skills she's been working on in practice.

U10
The Tsunami were a bit overwhelmed this game by the other teams efforts to take advantage of the offside rule and "trap" our offense (We'll be working on that in practice this week). I felt that we were much less organized as a team than in our first game. We played in a bit of a panic. I'll try to address that in practice too. Keep doing those ball handling drills at home. It pays off.

USA v Mexico. 3:00 PM on ESPN.

Opening Day

The first day of the session was a great success and there are many people to thank for that. Thanks to Andrea Sipple, Tod and Stacy Kielborth, Tim Cahill, Lori Thomas, Dave Schaffer and Tim Sutter for getting the fields set up for game day. Also my personal thanks to Ben Lighthall, Roz Forshe and Chris Michels for their help in managing the teams. And thanks parents. All of the kids showed up ready to play and all three games were great fun.

U4 I was thrilled with how much of an actual game this turned out to be. The kids were really moving the ball all over the field. Karolyn Lighthall had an especially good game and showed some real toughness and determination. Noah Roach showed some amazing skill and enthusiasm and Jill Riedmatter would have played the whole game if I'd let her.

U6 I feel lucky to have a group of players this strong and I'm hoping that playing together will allow all of them to develop rapidly. Kendall and Kendra, our youngest players, were completely engaged in the game and I see them improving with every game and practice.
It was great to have Ethan back on the team and despite some head gear problems he was in the thick of things all the time.
Kaleb had a breakthrough game in that he had a greater focus and determination to get to the goal than we've seen before. His goalie skills didn't get tested much but he took his opportunity on offense to shine.
Alex's goalie skills did get tested and he showed his quality repeatedly. The dude can play that position! And can he throw it!
Justin was strong in the field with some big kicks and throw-ins, and at least one assist.
Owen had a good game too and showed grace and endurance. He had a lot of shots on goal that were blocked but he did get an assist on one of Nate's goals.
Which brings us to our star, Nate Griffith. This little guy loves the game and he goes at it full tilt, taking on bigger kids and driving the ball right through them.
Great game all around.

U10 This was such a good game with both teams playing really well. I was most impressed with how the kids dealt with the heat. They all showed great toughness. Olivia and Lauren were very impressive despite having been away from the game for a while. Erin was her usual strong self with a pair of goals and an assist on Avery's beautiful goal. Helen had a great game with one especially thrilling drive to the goal. Justin came on strong in the second half with two good attempts. And William has developed into a great (and tireless) player since the last time I coached him.
The stand out player of the game was Maddie Griffith who played her usual energetic midfield despite the heat. Just so you know, Maddie is playing up a division. She could be in U8 but Avery, Erin and Helen couldn't play without her so she had to move up to U10 with them.

Laws (rules) of the Game highlights.

It is going to be hot and sunny this Saturday so please remember the sunscreen and the water. I'll be picking-up the snack this first week. Everyone's been great at practice and I know opening day will be great fun.

A few things you might want to know about the games:

U4 will play 3 versus 3 with no goalies. Games will be played on half of the U6 field that we've been practicing on and we will be using small pop-up type goals.
U4 games will be divided into 4 equal 5 minute quarters with 2 minute breaks between each quarter. There will be free substitution meaning I can take players on and off the field as necessary. I will also be on the field with the team during play helping them.
Players may wear running shoes, soccer cleats, indoor soccer shoes or any athletic shoe but no baseball or football cleats that have a toe cleat will be permitted. Shin guards are mandatory and must be covered.
Players may not have in ear rings or be wearing any loose necklaces or bracelets or any sort of hard barrett or hair band.

U6 will play 6 versus 6 with a goalie. The goalie will be permitted to handle the ball within the goalie box.
U6 games will be divided into 4 equal 6 minute quarters with 2 minute breaks between each quarter. There will be free substitution and I will be on the field with the team during play.
Players may wear running shoes, soccer cleats, indoor soccer shoes or any athletic shoe but no baseball or football cleats that have a toe cleat will be permitted. Shin guards are mandatory and must be covered.
Players may not have in ear rings or be wearing any loose necklaces or bracelets or any sort of hard barrett or hair band.


U10 will play 9 versus 9 with a goalie. The offsides rule will also be in force.
U10 games will be divided into 2 equal 25 minute halves with a 3 minute break between halves. Unlimited substitution will be permitted although there will be only specific times when a substitution can occur, i.e. whenever play has stopped and we are in possession of the ball.
Players may wear running shoes, soccer cleats, indoor soccer shoes or any athletic shoe but no baseball or football cleats that have a toe cleat will be permitted. Shin guards are mandatory and must be covered.
Players may not have in ear rings or be wearing any loose necklaces or bracelets or any sort of hard barrett or hair band.

U6 Chose a name too!

They are The Blue Jays.



I'll be bringing a snack sign-up sheet to practice Thursday. Once it's filled in I'll add that to the Game Schedule.

U10 has a name.

At our first U10 practice we got one very important task taken care of. The players chose a team name. I like the choice because it has a certain ambitiousness to it. And I think they'll live up to that name given how hard they worked at the first practice.
At this Wednesday's practice I expect to work the Tsunami hard again on their ball handling and throw-in drills. I'd also like to get in some game situation practice, especially for my goalies, and to do that I'd like to extend practice by an extra half hour. If you can't stay past 7:30 though that is not a problem. See everyone Wednesday night.