Dec. 18th, Week Seven

The Blue Jays had to go a few players short yesterday but they had a great game just the same. A great game but also a comical one as most of the other team's goals were the result of "assists" from some of our players. I feel very fortunate with this team in that I don't have any problems getting the kids to focus on playing rather than crying, wandering around the field, rolling on the field, playing tag, etc. Even the youngest of our players, Diego, Eileen and Wyatt consistently follow the action. Diego aggressively attacks the ball and has multiple goals this session. Eileen and Wyatt have both mastered the concept of cherry-picking and regularly station themselves in front of the opposition goal waiting for a chance at a shot. I have Austin who has good ball handling skill and can deliver with either foot. I have Ashley, Dominic and Ethan who all play so aggressively that they usually account for a bunch of goals in any given game. And finally we have Samuel who's lightness of touch on the ball is beautiful and who has a great understanding of the field and the flow of the game. So, with this embarrassment of talent we've handled every team we've faced easily. Then we have yesterday's strange game where we faced a team that had one player who knew what was going on while the rest of her team spent the game rolling around on the carpet and despite that the Blue Jays were dramatically out-scored. Over and over again our kids were bringing the ball back from the other side's goal all the way to our goal and basically teeing it up for a shot from the other team. Each time I gently reminded the team that we needed to keep the ball at the other end but as it continued to happen it did start to seem funny, like it was just one of those days when things are going to go strangely. Despite the score this was a really good day for the Blue Jays because while they were delivering the ball to the opposition for easy shots they were doing it while trying to control the ball, while trying to dribble. In each case where one of our kids got turned around and brought the ball from the other end down to ours they were just doing what I've asked them to do, which is to try to carry the ball out of the crowd into the open and then find the goal. I hope they all maintain that frame of mind (dribble first, clear second) as they go on. If they do they'll be a step ahead of most players they face.

What a day for the Sharks! I had anticipated that Coach Benson's team would be the toughest challenge the Sharks would face all session. I get to watch a lot of games and I'd seen the White team deal with all of their opponents as handily as our Sharks have. With that in mind I talked to the team before the game and tried to impress on them that this team we were facing was going to be tough to beat and so they all needed to stay focused on the ball throughout the game. Man, did they! I believe the final score was six to four and in the last quarter our defense really saved us as Coach Benson's son Nico seemed poised to go on a tear, but with Austin in goal the Sharks all fell into defense mode and held them off. Our first goal came from Sam who persisted in trying to beat Nico off the dribble and despite the size difference between the two of them Sam resisted the urge to start trading elbows and instead kept "playing skinny" trying to slip around the taller players and never conceding the ball. We also had a great blast from Noah R. that threaded through the other side to find the net. Austin had his second goal of the session and is now a genuine midfielder, harassing the opposition at both ends of the field. That brings us to the Star of the Game, Elizabeth, who had a fantastic hat-trick of goals (3) that were all put in at close range and with authority. Elizabeth isn't always the most graceful ball handler but she is so tenacious and more and more plays with a great understanding of the flow of the game and with great anticipation of where she needs to be.
We had such good play from everyone in this game! Noah S. was all over the field and certainly assisted on at least one of Elizabeth's goals. Noah has great understanding of how the players need to stay spread out rather than chasing the ball. Aiden was great, especially in defense for us as were Kendall and Collin. Collin did his best job yet of staying focused on the game and Kendall was very tough for us in goalie, facing down some hard shots. Karolyn played beautifully in defense despite her complaints that she doesn't like playing defense and Jackson had developed his own style as a sort of sweeping midfielder. He likes to hang out at the 18 and keep the ball contained near the other side's goal. He doesn't get as many shots as I'd like but it's clear that he's thinking about where he needs to be to be effective.
Great work Sharks! One game to go!

Real Madrid v. Sevilla, Sunday at 2:50 PM on ESPN2.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. Be safe.

Dec. 4th, Week Five

The Blue Jays played beautifully this week despite a long Holiday layoff and put in at least ten goals (not counting the ones they scored on their own side!). Diego and Austin lead the way with at least three goals apiece and they were joined by Samuel, Ethan and Ashley who each had at least one. Wyatt put one in the wrong goal but he had gotten turned around a bit in midfield so as far as he knew he was simply on the attack and so it was a great effort just the same. The kids were, again, responding well when I tried to get them to spread out and play in position away from the ball. That's a slow process but these kids are improving every week.
Thanks to the Marshall's (Austin's family) for the snack. The Creech's have snack next week and we play at 8:00 AM again. I arrive early to set up the fields so I'll be ready to practice by 7:50 if you want to show up early for some extra practice.

I don't know if you can tell from outside the glass the extent to which the Sharks are playing as a team. Of course they still have their moments where they get in each other's way but they also have so many moments where they cooperate and anticipate and whenever anyone scores a goal they all yell and scream. I watch a lot of soccer games and I can tell you that that really separates them from other teams their age and I'm lucky to have a group where every player is so engaged in the game and so aware of how their teammates are playing.
They didn't get a great game out of their opponent this week, which was a shame 'cause the Sharks were ready to go. They warmed up with good discipline and then came out strong with an early barrage of goals with Sam and Elizabeth playing beautifully as a tandem. They each got their goals. Elizabeth's came on a smart tap-in when she was in just the right position covering the goal for a rebound and then Sam had three goals including one blast that flew over the goalie's head (lucky for the goalie) and another where he crossed over the goal going to his right and then hooked a right footer back in to the near corner.
Jackson played well in goal for us for three quarters sporting his fabulous Bafana Bafana jersey but unfortunately he didn't get tested much. His highlight moment was a pick-up he made early in the first. After gathering the ball Jackson took the time to really scan the field to find the right direction for his outlet pass and found Sam open on his right.
Noah Roach lead the offense for us in the second and fourth quarters and he is really getting back into his old form with some speedy ball movement to go with his powerful kicks. Austin was showing some speed too. On one of his patented streaks up the side line Austin was a blur and then made a great turn in to the goal with his shot getting stopped by the goalie. Next week we might go with Austin in as a midfielder to give him more opportunities to score. He and Luke both seem very comfortable playing the entire field, covering on defense and then taking advantage of offense opportunities when they see them.
Karolyn and Kendall were great in defense as usual and Karolyn even pushed the ball up into the other team's side a few times.
The highlight of the game came after a hand-ball call against Aiden. He had dropped back into a great position to defend the goal but then lost his head for a moment and reached down for the ball as though he were the keeper. Luckily the quarter ended a moment later and I could see that Aiden was on the verge of tears over the mistake he'd made. When I knelt down to talk to him the rest of the team gathered around and I could see that they were concerned about Aiden. I explained to Aiden that he'd made a little mistake that every one has made before and I looked to the rest of the team and said "right, everybody has done that before, haven't they?" and the kids all nodded in agreement. Aiden immediately seemed over it and then he played great the rest of the game. These are some great kids. They make a great team.

November 20th, Week Four

If it hadn't been for a little accidental opponents-goal defending from Eileen every one of the U4 Bluejays would have managed at least one goal this week. Eileen had managed a nice goal early in the game by being in position right in front of the goal when Ethan brought the ball in from the corner. After that she wanted to stay in that spot permanently and so when Wyatt got his chance at a goal Eileen was there to block it. Oh, well. I know Wyatt will keep trying as he clearly loves to play. Everyone else got in on the fun too and seeing Ashley so completely engaged in the game was awesome.

The U6 Sharks (that's it, we're sticking with "Sharks") managed a thrilling 2-2 tie with a last minute equalizer goal from Elizabeth that really saved the day. The team was playing with so much energy that they were getting in their own way a bit. But by the second half we had one goal from Sam that he put in after some very nice foot work and Austin was single handedly keeping the other team pinned in their half by striking up the sideline every time they sent the ball back into our defense. Austin had two shots on goal that were really good attempts and after each one he charged back to his defensive position. We also had great goalie play from Kendall, Aiden and Jackson and the overall effort was so good that I was really dreading taking a loss and then Elizabeth charged in and made the goal we needed. Great work Sharks!

November 13th, Week Three

The U4 Bluejays had an excellent game with goals coming from every direction. We had goals from Samuel, Ethan (at least two for him), Diego, Dominic, Austin and Eileen. That was Eileen's first ever! Wyatt had a great game too. They all played with great enthusiasm and energy. I was also very impressed with the way the kids were playing spread out on the field. I was trying this week to work with them on being in the right position when they don't have the ball and everyone responded to that very well. You saw Samuel, Dominic and Eileen all have success by positioning themselves to get a shot on goal rather than simply chasing the ball around. That's a big first step for them that will lead to some real team work. There was also a lot of patient ball handling, especially from Ethan, which would explain his goal scoring.
Thanks to the Dressmans for the snack this week. The Estradas have snack next week and our game is at 10:30 (what luxury!) on field B.

The U6 Strawberry Shark Shakes (they keep changing the name)were an unstoppable force this week with the most balanced attack that they've managed yet. Luke and Austin anchored our defense again and did a beautiful job. Sam lead our offense early with some amazingly cool headed ball handling. That seems to be becoming the style of our team as Elizabeth and Jackson seemed determined to try carrying the ball through the other team's defense rather than just blasting the ball. Elizabeth still does have a visciously powerful kick though and she showed it off a few times. Jackson's improvement in ball handling is remarkable and he told me that it is a result of him practicing at home "in the garage". Karolyn and Kendall both had good turns in goal for us. Collin came on strong in the last quarter and definitely saved us a goal on one defensive stop he made. Noah S. was tearing around the field as usual but was definitely showing more of a sense for the field as he ran ahead of his teammates on two occasions looking for a pass. Noah R. capped off the day for us with a beautiful goal from the top of the key. After taking a shot from the right side of the goal Noah continued across the goal to the left and picked-up his own rebound, blasting in a beautiful left-footer that actually curled a bit to find the low corner of the goal. Awesome stuff. If the team's ball handling prowess continues to develop we might want to try another name. Forse possiamo cambiare il nome della squadra di nuovo al Azzuri.



Thanks to Noah R.'s dad, Pat, for the snacks this week. Sam's folks have snack next week and we play at 8:00 AM. I'll be here by 7:30 if anyone cares to show up for some early practice.

Fal/Winter 2010 Week Two

Your U6 Strawberries went to one and one on the season taking a one nil loss in a very close and well played game. The two Noahs along with Jackson and Elizabeth led our offense most of the game and they played tirelessly. The other team maintained their defensive positions throughout the game very well so our best chances at shooting on goal were always in crowded situations. A bit of passing would have helped for sure. We'll try to work on that at practice. Elizabeth and Noah S. both made some really impressive runs that ended with shots on goal but the other team's keeper was always there. Jackson, Elizabeth, Aiden and Kendall were all very strong in keeper and I was especially pleased with the thoughtfulness they each showed when passing the ball out to their teammates. The stars of the game were Luke and Austin who, again, showed that they are an impenetrable defensive tandem.
Thanks to the Sengs (Austin's folks) for the snack. Noah Roach has snack next week.

The U4 Blue Jays had a brilliant game thanks to Samuel's four goals and the amazing transformation of Ashley into a constant offensive threat. Samuel's first goal came off a shot from the outside of his right foot, a beautiful and creative blast. His last goal was from half court! Ashley got off to a good start in warm-ups thanks to some encouragement from her dad and then once on the field went right for the ball with real vigor. Ultimately she was rewarded with a goal and an assist in a great performance. The assist was on a goal that Dominic put in. We were joined for the first time by Wyatt and he seemed to be enjoying himself immensely, laughing out loud every time there was a kick-off. I think he likes soccer. Eileen, Austin and Diego each played really well too, chasing tirelessly after the ball. I think Diego had at least one tackle. Eileen made a great defensive save after chasing down a loose ball that was headed right for our goal. Great work Blue Jays. Thanks to Diego Lakkis and his Mom for the snacks. Dominic Dressman has snack next week.

If you have a moment please take a look at this post from earlier in the year in which I placed a video showing kids running a change of direction drill that I like to use in practice. Get your player to watch the video if you can and then if you have opportunity to practice at home a bit be sure they try this drill a few times. This drill teaches an absolutely essential basic skill.

October 30th, Fall/Winter 2010 Week One

This session brings us a nearly new line-up and a new team name. Your U4 team are The Bluejays. We saw lots of really great play including some very skillful ball handling from this group of players. Our returning players, Austin and Eileen, led the way, especially during practice with great energy and focus. Samuel, Ethan, Diego and Dominic jumped right in and showed themselves all to be more accomplished players than I'd have expected. They all played with lots of enthusiasm and had a great time. Samuel and Ethan are especially adept ball handlers already. This will be a fun group to work with and I'm looking forward to helping each player build on their skills.
The snack schedule is mostly filled with just the last two dates still open. The Lakkis family (Diego) will be handling the snack next week and we play at 10:30 AM on field A.

The U6 Sharks picked-up where they left off with just one hitch: they didn't seem to think that their light blue shirts are the right color for "Sharks" so they wanted a new name. Among the many suggestions the silliest was "The Strawberries", from Elizabeth I think, and when I repeated that one back to the whole team with some embellishment ("the smelly, rotten, moldy blue strawberries?") it instantly won wide approval. So, your U6 powerhouse will now be known as The Strawberries. Fierce, huh?
Well don't be fooled by the name. These kids can play. While we did loose a few players from last session we picked-up four new teammates who showed right away that they will fit right in with the team's energetic style. In the first quarter we had Jackson in at keeper sporting a stylish keeper jersey to go along with his excellent play. He had three powerful clearing kicks that sailed over the attacking players and put our forwards right back into position to go at the other goal. Two of our new players, Noah Roach and Noah Steinmann led the way up front with help from Collin. Noah has played for me before and is famous for the power of his kick, left or right. He showed plenty of power in this game as well as his speed. But his partner, little Noah Steinmann, was just blazing fast and seemed to be everywhere at once. He also played with excellent intelligence, seemingly always aware of which direction he needed to be headed in. Collin balanced the two Noahs by smartly maintaining his position in the middle of the field. Karolyn and Kendall rounded out the side playing fullback for us. While they let their enthusiasm take them out of position frequently they did play with a lot of energy and Kendall was in the thick of things constantly.
In the second quarter Luke and Austin jumped into the fullback positions and were just impenetrable. They played smartly as a tandem, covering the field and anticipating the action. Luke even struck out into offense when the situation was right. Austin never let the ball get past him and, as he pointed out to me several times, kicked the ball a lot! Sam, Elizabeth and Aiden were in offense for us and they began pressing the other team immediately. Elizabeth played so toughly, crashing into the crowd to get to the ball and Aiden was right there with her. Sam moved elegantly in and out of traffic with the ball stuck to his feet and eventually got through the other side's defense to score.
In the third Elizabeth went in as keeper so Jackson could play in the field and she was tough as nails making a couple of great stops and being very patient in making good outlet passes. Jackson played a very smart midfield/striker position, repeatedly allowing the Noahs to take the ball up one side or the other and then dashing up the middle for his chance to drive a pass in. Noah and Noah played fiercely without getting a good chance at a goal but that's how it goes some times.
In the final quarter we had goals from Aiden and Sam both getting us to a nice 3-3 tie. Collin was solid in goal for us and with Luke and Austin's help kept the other side from getting ahead late.
Just a great game all around. I wish we had more practice time because this is such a great group with so much potential. Oh, well, we'll do the best we can with the time we have. The snack schedule is filled out, thanks. Thanks to Karolyn's mom for picking-up snack this week. Next Saturday we play at 9:40 again on field A and Austin's folks are getting the snack.

Fall/Winter Indoor Session I

The new session begins this Saturday, October 30th. U4 plays at 8:00 AM and U6 plays at 9:40. A link to the complete schedule for all divisions is in the menu to the right. I won't be coaching U8 or U12 this session. Good luck everybody. Have fun and play hard.

Next session starting soon

The Fall indoor session will begin the weekend of October 30th with games on Saturday for the U4, U6 and U12 divisions. While U8 and U10 games will be on Sundays those divisions won't begin their session until Sunday November 7th (due to the 31st being Halloween.) Coaches will be picking up their rosters and schedules this Friday evening and should be contacting families over the weekend. I don't know yet if we will be getting any practice time indoors.

USA Women's Soccer V China

Tonight you can watch the US Women play against the Chinese National side on ESPN2 at 7:00 PM. Of course you shouldn't switch over to the soccer until the Reds have finished beating the Phillies.

Week Seven: Fall Weather, Great Soccer

Sorry I missed updating the blog last week. My schedule has been very hectic.
We had really perfect weather for soccer this week and everybody played with a lot of energy. I want to remind everyone that registration for the first indoor session has started and you can sign up on line or in person this coming week at Richardson Road. I will be coaching U4, U6 and U8 again. I'm not sure yet about U12/13.

The U4 Blueberries had their best game yet with the most consistent level of participation we've seen. Everyone stayed involved the entire game. Carson was our most active player and he had a couple of goals, including one off of a nice corner kick from Eileen. Carson will be missing the last game. Good luck, Carson!

The Sharks had their best game of the session with strong performances from everyone. We had excellent play in at goal from Elizabeth and Kendall among others. Out in the field Kendall had a bit of a breakthrough game, playing with more determination than ever before. She finally started to bring some of the great skill she shows at practice to the game. Kendall had at least three genuine chances on goal but each time was a bit unlucky.
Sam E. had his best game since moving up to U6 and after three straight goals plus another couple of good attempts I actually had to take him off the field to let the other team get back on their feet. Sam has been doing such a good job of bringing everything we work on in practice to the games and it seems like every week he adds some new move to his repertoire. Sam Atkins had a great game for us too, taking on most of the striking duties while Sam E. was on the bench. Sam A. is still working on his ball handling but he already has a huge kick.
Finally, I'm thrilled to say that the Sharks were jubilant and gracious in victory sharing a sincere hand-shake with the other team at the end of the game.

The Warriors got their groove back playing against the Light Blue side this week. Nate and Will combined for our first goal and from then on the Warriors kept the pressure on most of the game. It was a good return to form but I tried to remind the team after the game that while they are playing with a lot of energy and a lot of good communication they still aren't being patient enough with the ball. We spend almost all of our practice time working on ball control and yet as a team they rarely manage to execute that basic skill. There is far too much "kick-ball", where they wildly kick the ball away as soon as they get near it. We'll just keep plugging away at that at practice.

The Strikers had a fantastic game as a team coming up just short in a 1-2 loss. The star of the game was Isabel who scored our lone goal and who has dialed her game up several notches since the beginning of the session. Iz shows amazing confidence now while dribbling the ball and seems confident that she can get around anyone. Lydia is another player who has really turned her game up lately, playing with great energy throughout the game.
It was great to have Meaghan back from her injury lay-off. She played wonderfully, like she hadn't lost a step. Sam was great in defense for us showing great patience and poise handling first touch and then moving the ball forward for her team mates. Everyone else played really well too. They played as a team and were really working to back each other up. Great work strikers!

Week Five

Pictures are behind us. Thank you all for your patience. NKYA has begun registration for the fall indoor session which will begin in mid-October. I anticipate coaching U4, U6 and U8 again. You can register online at NKYA.com or on Saturdays at the games through October 9th.

The Blueberries had a good game this week, as usual. Madison was particularly sharp this week and Carson and Austin were also very much in the game. Eileen made a great corner kick that led to a goal from either Carson or Madison, not sure who touched the ball last.
I want to assure all the parents at the U4 level that we are just taking the first steps toward learning the game and having your kid get spooked and not want to come out onto the field, even for game after game, is not unusual. The whole point of the U4 division is to just get the kids used to the idea of playing soccer, get them used to wearing the gear and being on or at least near the field. At this age level there is no pressure on the kids to play competitively even though you may see a kid or two on each team who appears to "get it" more than the others. It's all part of the process, so just keep showing up and eventually even the most recalcitrant kid sees the other kids having fun and, naturally, wants to join in.

Your U6 Sharks were positively on fire this week. We had early goals from the two Sams and lots of great play from everyone else. After his first goal Sam E., who had received the ball on a nice pass from Jackson, came back to the circle and told Jackson "this time I'll pass it to you so you can kick it in." That's a big step and I was glad to see it
We had good turns in goal from Sam A., Luke, Kendall and Jackson. The highlight of the game was a simple play on defense by Karolyn. At one point the opposing team got the ball and headed down the side line into our end. Karolyn turned immediately and sprinted back toward our goal, not toward the ball, and without ever taking her eyes off the ball got into position to help the goalie defend. Brilliant stuff!

The Warriors played to yet another tie and currently are in a tie for second in their division. From my perspective it looked like the Warriors were in control of the ball most of the game but we did catch a break when the other team's one good shot on goal bounced off the post. As for our own shots, while there were a lot of them none were very convincing. At practice we will definitely work on being more patient and taking a few more steps toward the goal before shooting. Will was the star of the game with two excellent quarters in as keeper. Kaleb's turn in as keeper was also a brilliant display. Kudos to Kaleb and Justin both for taking balls off the nose and managing to keep on playing.

I'm always very pleased with the intensity of my practices with the U13 Strikers. The kids always work hard and seem to improve on their fundamentals every week. But in the games we don't get consistent intensity from everyone. I'm not sure what the problem is but we'll just keep working in practice to develop those fundamental skills and hopefully we'll have a game soon where everyone is in sync.

See you all Saturday.

September 11th, Picture Day Schedule

This week is picture week and here is the schedule:

U6 Sharks Photo at 8:30 AM Game at 9:00 AM

U4 Blueberries Photo at 9:45 AM Game at 10:00 AM

U8 Warriors Photo at 10:55 AM Game at 12:00 PM

U13 Strikers Photo at 11:50 AM Game at 1:00 PM

As you can see there will be some overlap for me and so I will be needing help from everyone to make this run smoothly.

Change of Direction Drill

Here is video of kids working on the change of direction drill that we've been using in our practices.

Week Three

I was worried that last week's loss would be a tough one to come back from for the Strikers but on Tuesday they practiced well and seemed in really good spirits and on Saturday they showed up ready to play and anxious to get on the field. Samantha arrived with a new set of goalie gloves and was ready to get in there and try it again. She did a great job in the first half and then spent the rest of the game in at fullback and did some really great work there, especially with some great throw-ins.
The Strikers found the goal early off a great set piece from the corner in which Helen put a fabulous kick right in front of the goal where Taylor could step to it and drive it in. Later in the first half we got our second goal from Bryce who was showing off his ball handling in this game.
We had great play in goal from Keegan who made some fierce diving saves for us. Despite the fact that we lost our defense was really the highlight of the game as the Strikers managed to play with a lot of poise and composure, maintaining their positions and working solidly as a team. Isabel, Meighan and Hailey got the defensive play started in the first half and were great together. Meighan is a tough competitor who doesn't give ground easily. Isabel is tireless and has a great ability to anticipate where the ball will be moving. She seemed always to be in the right position. Lydia gave us great play in defense and, especially in the second half, dealt with some fierce elbow throwing from the Red team. She handled it with a cool head. Anna was strong for us both in offense and defense. In the first half she got close to the goal a couple of times and had a few shots go wide. She runs with the ball with such confidence I know another multi-goal game is coming up for her.
Meighan took a spill in the first half and landed on her right hand awkwardly. Her wrist started swelling immediately and so she sat out the rest of the game and left early so her Dad could take her to get that wrist looked at. I haven't heard from him yet how she's doing. I want to say that I was impressed with how Meighan handled the whole thing. Given the amount of swelling I would guess that her wrist was really hurting but she seemed as calm as she could be about it. Tough kid.

Practice for the Sharks on Monday prior to this week's game did not go smoothly. The kids showed up with lots of energy but very little focus. Probably because the weather was so good and they'd all been in school that day they just had energy to burn. After some stern warnings that I might have to separate them into two teams, the real Sharks and the goofball Sharks, they settled down a bit and got some good work done. Then on Saturday only real Sharks showed up and they played beautifully.
Austin lead the way on kick-off with a lot of energy and determination to get to the goal but some confusion as to which goal he needed to get to. I was thrilled to see him so engaged. He has a great kick and will easily score some goals if he keeps his head in the game. We had two goals from Sam E. early on with lots of energetic support from everyone on the field, especially Karolyn who continues to play like a tasmanian devil, crashing into the action fearlessly. We had good goalie play from Elizabeth in the first quarter and she had one really good stop to save a goal. In the second quarter Braden came in and led the Sharks in their now trademark huddle. Their strategizing didn't lead to a goal but they certainly had a lot of good attempts including a shot from Sam A. that went wide left by less than a ball's width. Brandon was great in goalie making a couple of really good stops.
Luke was in goal for us in the third quarter and he held his own making at least on solid stop when challenged. Jeremy, like Karolyn surprises you with his fearlessness and he always stays close to the action. And at the start of every quarter he always wants in. Jackson was good in the field for a couple of quarters but when he came in at keeper in the fourth he was brilliant. He had three great stops where he really had to take the ball right off the attacking player's foot. Then on the last of those he made a beautiful outlet pass right down the middle of the field that really should have lead to a goal. Great work all around for the Sharks. See you at practice Monday.

The Blueberries had their best game yet with lots of engaged play from everyone (despite the presence of the Kona Ice truck). Carson was the star with a long run down field to make a goal. I know there is a lot of running on and off the field and the kids rarely look like they get the whole picture of what the game involves but this group is doing just fine. That includes the kids who aren't even sure they want to be on the field. Just showing up every week with the gear on is part of the process.

After a wonderful practice session early in the week I was expecting the Warriors to come out with an impressive performance and they did not disappoint. Before noting the individual highlights I want to say that every player brought great enthusiasm and energy to the game Saturday and that is a carry-over from their practice. These kids, as a group, are a more serious team at practice than any I've coached. They really know how to get to work.
Whitney lead us off with an early goal to get things rolling. Not long after Will nearly put in an incredible header for a goal. Missing just wide left, Will got enough on the ball from some twenty feet out to have easily put it in the back of the net. It was a great shot.
Nate delivered our second goal when, in the second half, he recovered his feet and the ball after getting knocked down using a move that looked part ninja, part break-dancer then dribbled to his left and kicked a low shot that the goalie did grab but then fell across the line with. Great effort on the goalie's part but also a great goal for Nate.
Dakota was fabulous for us in keeper during the last quarter, making some great stops and delivering a couple of really well placed goal kicks to get the offense re-started.
The big highlight of the game was a play involving Olivia and Whitney and you may not have even noticed it. Both girls play with a tireless energy although Whitney has been playing since she could walk and Olivia is new to the game. In the last quarter, when some of the Warriors were getting heavy feet Whit and Olivia were still going strong. We had a couple of throw-ins in a row where Whitney couldn't find an open teammate to get the ball in to. On the next ball out Olivia, unprompted by me, ran to the touch line and took the ball from Whitney then told her to go down the line. Olivia then made a quick throw-in that landed right where Whitney needed it. It didn't lead to a goal but that heads-up play easily could have. I would say that in every practice we work on two things. One is some basic set of ball handling skills which we work on till the kids are bored with it. The other is developing in them the ability to see the whole field as they play, to know where the ball, their teammates and their opponents are. It looked to me Saturday like Olivia may have taken a huge step forward in that area.

No games next Saturday. Enjoy the Holiday.

Strategy Frenzy - The Sharks Make a Plan

Thanks to Kori Blackburn, Braden's mom, we have photo documentation of the Sharks attempting to "out-plan" their opponents. This could be this session's moment of Soccer Zen: we begin to learn how to do a thing by pretending to do it.

Week Two

The Warriors had a blast today playing in the rain. That's an experience I'm sure they'll remember. I was talking to one of our defenders when our goal was scored and I couldn't get verification from anyone I talked to as to who scored it. Nate or Whitney seemed to be the consensus. We had great play from everyone and including some bold play in keeper from Whitney, another fabulous header from Nate and great work in midfield from Cody, Owen, Conner and Dakota. I am moving practice up to 7:00 PM starting this week to accommodate school day hours.

Your U4 team is now The Blueberries and they had a great game. A little more organized and involved overall this week. Carson managed our lone goal and I was thrilled with the way everyone played.
No practice Monday night.

The U6 Sharks had a good game in terms of their activity level but we did have some trouble with staying focused on the game. You may have seen some of the kids huddling up before kick-offs to formulate a plan of attack. I'm thrilled to see them doing that and bonding together as a team but I have to tell you that from what I could over-hear the plan seemed to consist of "take the ball that way and don't let the other team have it". Generally a good idea. Apparently at some point Braden shared the plan with a player on the other team because after they scored on us one of the Red players came up to Braden and, with a bit of taunting in his voice, said "hey, you know why we were able to get a goal? 'Cause we brought the ball down here and didn't let any of you guys get it."
The game highlight was the fierce play of Karolyn, who is amazingly competitive when she gets going.
Practice this week will be at 6:00 PM instead of 6:30.

The Strikers had a tough time of it today facing a team that seemed a bit older and more experienced. But despite the score we had valiant efforts all around. After a tough first half in goal Samantha came back in the game as a defender in the second half and played wonderfully including making some great throw ins. Anna, Isabel and Taylor were relentless throughout. Taylor took a volley off the head and kept going. Helen played great in at mid, especially in the first half taking a nasty spill while trying to drive the ball up the field. Keegan came in as keeper for us and was solid as a rock. Bryce joined us in his first game back and played with his usual amazing energy showing signs of developing a good attack in cooperation with Anna and Taylor. Meighan, Lydia and Haley were great in defense. Meighan especially was really getting the hang of working the throw-ins up the field and Lydia bounced back strongly after taking a hard shot right to the stomach. I know such a lopsided loss is hard to watch but your Strikers never gave up and kept pushing right to the end.

Week One

I want to start by thanking all the parents for helping me and the players in dealing with the heat. The weather really was oppressive and many of the kids seemed apprehensive about playing but in every game once the whistle blew the kids threw themselves into it with gusto. They should all be proud of the way they handled such tough conditions.

Game Highlights

The U13 Strikers began the game looking like they would dominate throughout, possessing the ball confidently for the first ten minutes or so and keeping it in the other team's half. Anna and Isabel did great work taking the ball into the other side relentlessly but before we could get a goal in Coach Hallenkamp's Yellow side surprised us with a goal on a breakaway that took our defense unaware. It was a good shot from about ten yards out that was too close to the post for Samantha to reach. I was worried that the tone of the game would change at that point but I needn't have been. The Strikers answered quickly with goals from Isabel, Anna and Keegan in the first half along with two more excellent shots on goal from Taylor. Meighan played great defense for us in the first half alongside her fellow fullback Lydia as they both tried to get the hang of "trapping" the other team offsides. Samantha did some great work in goal and she should be proud of the hard work she's done trying to learn that position.
Helen did some beautiful work in at midfield and showed some real toughness in dealing with the other side's strikers. Hailey subbed in for us on defense in the first half and seemed a bit apprehensive at first but as she warmed up she did some great work and had a couple of really nice clearing kicks to stop Yellow's offense.
In the second half we had Keegan in goal and he put up a shut-out. He had great help from our defensive line including Samantha in at center fullback. The Strikers went on to score three more times with goals, I believe, from Anna and Lydia. I apologize for missing the last five minutes but I had another game to get to. Thanks, Coach Julie, for taking over for me. What a great first game. We've got a strong foundation to build on as we go into practice this week.

The U4 Blue had a bit of trouble keeping a full team on the field this first game. I think the kids were really feeling the heat and didn't have as much energy as you'd expect. But all in all it was a good day for them. Jackson managed a goal for us and the look on his face when he turned to look for his dad after putting the ball in was priceless. Austin and Eileen gave us the most minutes and both of them had some good attempts at scoring a goal. Isabella and Madison needed some encouragement to get on the field but they were out there and that's a good first step. I'm sure that by the end of the session I'll have trouble keeping them off the field. Thanks to all the parents for your patience and support and for all the enthusiastic cheering for both teams.

Our U6 Sharks had all the energy you could ask for despite the heat. But despite that energy they were a bit disorganized in their efforts. Most of the kids have just transitioned from U4 to U6 and so now they have to get used to having more players on the field and to facing a goalie. Obviously we'll be working in practice on taking some steps toward playing more cooperatively as a team. That is my top priority for this age group and I think this particular group of kids has great potential.
We had outstanding goalie play from Jackson in the first half of the game. He is fearless! He had two great stops that he followed with beautiful outlet passes that Tim Howard would be proud of. Later in the game we had good goalie play from Brandon and Sam A. Our other Sam (Sam E.) had a rough time transitioning to the U6 game. In his last session of U4 Sam was accustomed to scoring at will thanks to his speed and ball handling skill. But outdoors you've got a field that plays a bit slow compared to the indoor turf and then there's the matter of having to get past a goalie. After the game Sam E. came up to me and said "coach, I'm never gonna score a goal." I've watched Sam play a lot and I'm certain he will score more than a few goals before the session is over especially once we get him and Elizabeth, Zak and Luke to cooperate more on their attacks. And watch out for Karolyn to be part of that offense too. She really turned it on in the last quarter for us and did some great work defending.
I'm really looking forward to practicing with this team and I expect great things from them. Thanks to Todd Wiehe and Ben Lighthall for coaching help.

The last game of the day was a titanic struggle between Coach Meyer's Yellow side and your U8 Blue Warriors.
This was a hard fought game from start to finish with the deciding lone goal coming off the fleet foot of Nate Griffin who also contributed the most unexpected header I've ever seen. By the time this game started the heat was really getting excessive but the kids handled it in good spirits and were anxious to play.
We had great play from everyone. There was great defense from Maddie, Olivia and Cody. Great work in goal from Kaleb, textbook midfield play from Conner and Owen and lots of relentless striker play from Will, Dakota, Whitney and Nate. It's surprising that we only had the one goal given the way these kids kept driving the ball into the Yellow side over and over again. But you have to keep in mind that Coach Meyer's team was relentless as well and we're lucky that none of their many shots on goal found their way in.
It was an excellent game played with a lot of energy in awful weather. An effort to really be proud of. I want to thank Todd Wiehe and Ben Lighthall for their coaching help. Thanks to the Bogards for bringing half-time snacks. See you all at practice.

Opening Day 2010

First Kick for the NKYA Fall session has arrived and the schedule for the games is as follows:

9:00 AM U13 "Strikers"

10:00 AM U4 (I will get the snack at this first game.)

11:00 AM U6 (The Wiehe's are picking up the snack for this one)

12:00 PM U8 "Warriors" (Someone volunteered for the snack but I forget who)


Try to arrive at least fifteen minutes early for your game so I can get you a team shirt. Bring lots of water and sunscreen. If the heat index is projected to be 104 degrees or higher at game time the games will be canceled.
See you Saturday.

Off sides rule for U10, U13. Useful drill for U4 and up.

In the Outdoor session the Off Sides rule is enforced for U10 and up so I've put in a nice power point presentation on the rule and its application produced by sportspectator.com. Take a minute to watch it and we'll also go over this at practice.

You will also find in the menu to the right a video of my son Owen practicing what he called the "shooting gallery" drill. If you have the chance to kick a ball around in the yard with your player be sure to try this drill. It's a great way to develop the coordination players need to attack the ball.

Fall Session Starts Soon

The Fall Outdoor session of NKYA soccer will be starting on August 14th, a Saturday. Coaches should be meeting to get their rosters this coming Monday the 26th. Practices will begin the week after.

FIFA Kick-off

Fantastic result for Bafana Bafana! They were a post width away from a win but a draw is still a good start, particularly against the Mexico side which showed some brilliance in that game.
Right now South Korea is facing Greece and the combination of ball skill and sharp passing that the Korea Republic side is showing is amazing. They are in complete control here.
Just a few hours till USA v England. Go Landon!

World Cup Begins

The opening match of the FIFA World Cup is Friday morning and features Mexico versus South Africa's own Bafana Bafana (The boys, the boys). ESPN had a great report on OTL that explored the importance of soccer for the men who would leave Robben Island Prison to lead South Africa to a new era of democracy and freedom. In a bold stroke of symbolism, the new stadium in Cape Town which will host one of the semi-final matches sits so close to the ocean that Robben Island is visible in the distance. Go USA. Go Bafana Bafana.

End of Session Wrap-Up

I want to thank everyone, kids and parents, for their participation this session. I've enjoyed coaching these teams so much and I couldn't be more proud of how all the kids have grown as players over these last ten weeks.

Next session, which begins August 7th, I will be coaching U4, U6 and U8 and assisting or coaching U10 and U12 so that, I hope, I can continue to work with all the great kids I got to know over the Winter and Spring sessions. Registration has already started and runs through mid July.

Highlights from our final weekend of games:
(Send pictures if you have any you'd like to see posted)

The U4 Alligators continued to demonstrate very "team-like" behavior, which, in children so young, is startling. While Sam, Cooper and Elizabeth are frequently contesting each other for the ball they are also frequently cooperating and actually trying to make passes. Jackson, of course, knows all about the passing thing and as usual was frequently to be found waiting near the goal. Sam A. and Luke played solid defense again. They both made long runs back from offense to cover on defense like old pros. And Eileen and Ella ran and ran and both came close to having chances on goals. Ella has such a strong kick I can't wait to see her get her first goal.

The Red Wings really stepped up to a challenge this week. Owen was out sick and Will and Braden were out of town so our offense needed to come from our other players. Conner did not disappoint, scoring an excellent goal for us. Katelyn and Shai were very strong in the field, pushing for another goal. The best moment of the game came after a brief conversation I had with Cody about how a defender could take advantage of an open field and take the ball from one goal to the other for a shot. His response to my suggestion was a stoic "ok" and then on our next possession he did it, taking the ball all the way from our penalty box to the other end and only just missing a shot. Another highlight was some very heads up play by Ethan who was clearly trying to read the other goalies' eyes on one play and anticipated perfectly where the goalies' outlet pass would go. Maia was tough throughout and Kendall was showing flashes of brilliance again. Based on what I've seen Kendall do in practice I expect her to really step into the lead roll during the next session as her inner player emerges.

The Red Devils had an absolutely spectacular performance in game one of the tournaments Sunday with a convincing win over Blue. Everything the kids have been working on in practice came together. Gabriel has developed into a shut-down keeper with a great punt and a good sense of the field and in this game he saved a bunch of goals for us. He had great help from Sam and Samantha who played like a two-headed defensive monster. In our last practice Samantha was working on corralling strikers into the corner and letting them have just enough space to bring the ball straight into our keepers' hands. Samantha executed that play perfectly several times. We had solid and smart midfield play from Helen, Easten, Blair and Peyton throughout the game with Easten and Blair doing the best job of playing a true wing midfielder by running up and back as needed. Helen's instinct is usually to fall back more into the defensive side of midfield while Peyton likes to strike deep into the offensive side and both styles helped us. Up front we had Luis, Bryce and Keegan leading the way with a barrage of goals. They ran their triangle over and over again and just wore the other team out. I hope everyone caught their most amazing goal, the first of the game, which featured at least three sharp passes moving the ball deep into the penalty area before a final perfect touch from Luis put the ball right on Bryce's foot for an easy shot. Jordan and Jake handled defense duty and some midfield as our subs and they were a big help. Jake, especially, had his best game in a while.
Even though we couldn't manage a win in the second game the Red Devils continued to do all the things we'd practiced and they never panicked and never gave up. If anything their defense got stronger as the game went on. But the early goals Black scored were enough as Bryce and Luis seemed to be just snake-bit on the offensive side. Sometimes the ball just seems to keep landing at your left foot when you need it on your right. That's soccer. Win or lose I was really proud of the level of intensity and commitment everyone showed in the second game even as it became clear we probably wouldn't get a win. The kids had, over the course of the session, really gelled into a team and I think that in those final minutes when we were down 4-0 they fought on for each other. That's an experience they can carry with them into whatever challenges they attempt next.

World Cup starts June 11th. Go USA! But I'll be cheering a bit for The Boys too.

Three good games.

I was very proud of all three of my teams this weekend. The Alligators, Red Wings and Red Devils all played beautifully.

The Alligators missed Elizabeth and Cooper but played well anyway. The Red Wings played well despite missing Will and Braden with goals from Owen and Conner (longest! shot! on! goal! ever!) and great play from everyone else. We had especially great play in goal from Kaitlyn and McKenzie.

The Red Devils showed that they are getting into tournament shape with a hard fought game against Coach Echevaria's green side. I'm sure we had more shots on goal than they did but we were a bit unlucky. The kids were really engaged the whole game and I want to especially point out the great defense work done by Samantha and Sam. Bryce had our two goals, including an impressive blast that could easily have carried the goalie into the net with it. Easton was also especially strong in mid and Keegan has probably earned a permanent spot in at striker as he gives Luis a good option on his right to match Bryce on the left. Gabriel's keeper work was excellent throughout.

A note on the officiating:
The Referee from Sunday's U10 game asked all of the coaches to please talk to the parents of our players about the concept of "advantage" as it pertains to penalties called during the game. Put simply "advantage" means that if the Referee sees a handball foul he/she will not blow the whistle immediately because they want to see how things play out. If one team touches the ball but the direction the ball takes is then to the clear advantage of the other team then the referee will refrain from whistling the ball dead so that the second team can capitalize on that advantage. This would also apply to instances of tripping or pushing as we saw in our game this Sunday. At one point late in the game Luis was tripped but, while the referee did see the offense, she waited on making the call until she was certain that our other players involved weren't going to get the ball into the goal. Also keep in mind that with handball calls there is an element of intent that the referee must see. If a player touches the ball as a protection reflex or if they are hit in the hand or arm by a shot that was moving so fast they couldn't dodge it then no penalty need be called. It is very important for the players to learn to "play on" until they hear a whistle. All of the cheering from outside the glass at the last game was great. I assure you the kids hear it and it motivates them, so keep it up and let me work with the official on making sure the right calls get made.

One more game for U4 and U6 on Saturday and then game one of the Tournament for U10 on Sunday. That's 3:30 PM for the Red Devils. See you at practice.

Video from May 1st games

I finally managed to get a bit of video from the May 1st games edited together for posting. Check it out. In the first Red Wings clip Owen makes a great step-over move and changes direction getting the defense to leave him wide open. Then we see Maia making a great tackle that frees the ball up for Conner who then makes one of his now trade-mark crossing passes. The pass finds Owen waiting to shoot. And finally we see Will taking the ball to the goal off a rebound. Notice how Will holds off from following the ball all the way into the corner but rather waits for the defender to bring it out and then simply steals the ball and takes his shot. Smart stuff.





In the U4 Alligators game we see everyone chasing around after the ball without the organized attack that the Gators would manage in the following game.

May 8th

The U4 Alligators were a force to be reckoned with this week. Getting players of any age to play smartly away from the ball, that is, to anticipate where they need to be headed when they don't have the ball at their feet, is a difficult goal to reach. Led by Luke and Jackson, the Alligators seemed to have reached that plateau and displayed some amazingly coordinated effort in their game this week. Throughout the game as one of our players, usually Sam E. or Cooper or Elizabeth, brought the ball up one sideline the others, including Sam A., would run up the middle of the field to get in position near the goal. The best example of this was a perfect goal that Jackson had off an equally perfect pass from Cooper. I wish I could have had my U10 team on hand to see how these Four year-olds were working the ball from the corners like seasoned veterans.

The Red Wings played beautifully again but ran into a tough defense that prevented them from taking a lot of shots. In a 1-1 tie we had great play from everyone including some explosively fast runs toward goal by Will. Owen was his usual patient self, probing the other team's defense while experimenting with his ball handling. Ethan threatened to break out and take the ball to the goal a couple of times too. His ball handling has really improved. And Conner, too, has now become a consistent goal scoring threat. Conner impressed early in the season with his ability to get to the goal and be in the right position but lately he's added some aggressive ball handling to his skill set.
We had very energetic play from everyone else as well. The Red Wings have been great at practice too, very focused and hard working. And the work they do on Monday always shows in their play on Saturday.

Red Alligators, Red Wings Posts In Progress

I'm trying to get some video of the games loaded. Thanks for your patience. Sorry about the snack mix-up in U4. Next weeks snack for U6 will be brought by Ethan.

Post-Win Let Down

Our U10 Red Devils suffered a bit of a slump following their first victory, loosing 5-1 to Coach Spindley's team. That margin of victory was made up entirely of PKs so overall the Devils should feel good about the way they played. Of course, at practice we need to go over a few of the finer points of handballs and defending PKs. While some of the kids were showing slightly lower energy than in the previous game there was a lot of very good play. We dominated the ball the first fifteen minutes of the game and had a lot of good chances thanks to Bryce and Luis. Keegan and Easton were very strong on the midfield wings. And Gabriel was really strong in keeper again.
In the second half there was a lot of good passing. Peyton in particular showed a lot of grace in both her dribbling and passing. Erin and Samantha were strong in defense again for us playing the sweeper roll well. In keeper the second half, Keegan made one very good stop on yet another PK.
All in all a good game in retrospect although immediately afterward I was concerned that the kids didn't seem to be having much fun out there. But they bounce back quickly and rarely take these things as seriously as we adults do. By practice time Monday night they were all full of energy and ready to start all over again.
Happy Mother's Day.

Alligators and Red Wings play strong again!

I got so caught up in working the great game photos we had of the Red Wings last week that I neglected to mention how well the U4 Alligators played. We only had four players with Sam E., Cooper, Elizabeth and Jackson all being on vacation but our remaining team of Luke, Sam, Ella and Eileen played the whole game with great energy and a lot of goal scoring for Sam and Luke. Well done.
But this week, of course, we had the team back at full strength and man were they ready to play. Sam E. was, as usual, on fire to get to the goal and he did repeatedly. Cooper was also very strong, taking some hits and spills but popping back up to drive to the goal. He had a beautiful shot from long range that found its way in. Jackson was showing some amazing soccer IQ for a three year old, really playing in position smartly and getting set up for shots. Luke had another great game, taking over in the last quarter. Elizabeth and Ella were all over the place trying to take charge of the ball. And Eileen had her first real run toward the goal, which might have been successful if she hadn't paused by the glass to pose for photos. She's a hoot!
The Red Wings were strong again against a tough opponent, light blue, a team that plays very tight defense and keeps the box full of defenders all the time. We had Will back and he was great. He and Conner were doing their field switching dance again and I'm surprised it didn't result in any goals. But they kept on trying. Maia was very aggressive in the field and in goal again. Cody was also very strong this week, especially on defense. Thanks to Cody and his mom for the snack this week.
Our two goals were from Owen who suddenly is showing amazing patience in his ball handling. He had a few incredible moves out there. I apologize if I left out any other highlights. I wasn't taking very good notes this week. Great game. See you at practice.

Victory!

After a very long drought the U10 Red Devils got a win! The team we were facing was playing its second game of the day and showed some signs of fatigue early on. The Devils took advantage of that and from the start mounted an overwhelming offense that paid off early with three goals in the first half, two from Luis and one from Bryce. Luis was really showing some amazing ball handling skill today and was able to work in to take all of his shots from very close range. Bryce was also handling the ball with great confidence and the goal he had in the second half was a blistering left footer off of a perfect cross from Luis. These guys can be a dangerous combination.
We had excellent work in keeper from Gabriel during the first half (we will be working on his punting skills, though). He made a lot of very good stops and showed some great composure several times by collecting the ball outside the box and bringing it back in to pick-up. The real highlight of our defense in the first half was the emergence of Samantha as a very strong center fullback. Samantha played very aggressively, stepping up into the open space to get to balls before the other team could gather themselves and as a result she had a string of amazing clearing kicks, blasting the ball out of our end and just completely denying the other team any scoring opportunities. She had great help from Keegan and Chase both of whom played aggressively and smartly.
This was a really fun game to coach as I saw each player, without exception, begin to step-up their game and play better than perhaps they even thought they could. Payton came in for Luis in the first half and showed great patience in moving the ball forward and had some good chances. Blayr discovered her inner midfielder and played with real soccer IQ, anticipating where she needed to be and getting into the right position repeatedly. Blayr and Helen made a fine team in mid and we'll probably use that line-up again. Easten also was solid in midfield in the first half, frequently getting involved in the offense and then streaking back to cover on defense but in the second half, playing up, he showed speed I didn't know he had, relentlessly driving the ball around the corner to make one good crossing pass after another. Easten's partners during this barrage were Chase and Keegan who were also relentless and consistently in position to take shots. It was thrilling to see the energy that the three of them had in the closing minutes of the game. Like sharks smelling blood in the water they just knew there was a goal opportunity there for them and they kept pounding the goal box till the buzzer sounded.
Erin and Sam showed up late (my fault) but played beautifully the entire second half. Erin worked hard in midfield keeping the ball in the other team's side and Sam was our strong fullback in that half, sweeping everything out of the box. Our second half keeper, Payton, was only challenged a few times. Jake had something to do with that too as he played very aggressively in fullback for most of the half. He doesn't always look like he's paying attention but then when the ball comes into his end he dashes into the fray fearlessly and stubbornly pushes the ball away from the goal. I hope all this energy will carry over to practice and to our remaining games. Great work Red Devils!

April 17th, Hat Trick + 1

I'm happy this week to be able to post some photos of the Red Wings in action thanks to Nikki Petty, aunt of Conner and Maia and aspiring professional photographer. The Red Wings managed another dominant performance featuring excellent goal keeping, solid defense and a beautiful hat-trick + 1 of goals for Owen. We had excellent work in keeper from Maia, Kaitlyn and Conner. Ethan was strong in defense again for us as was Cody.
This is a great group of kids and every week they show improvement and play more cohesively as a team. McKenzie Koch is getting the snack for next week. See you Saturday.

U10 Red Devils; Strong despite being shorthanded.

The Red Devils played tough all-around for most of the game this week though their offense was a bit anemic during the first half. With only two subs available and one of our strongest defenders out for spring break the Devils were under a lot of pressure to keep the other team's shooters out of our goal. Four shots did get by but overall our defensive performance was good. I especially want to acknowledge Chase and Easton who put in a lot of minutes for us and did great work clearing the ball out. Helen, Bryce and Keegan were great for us, falling back into defense a lot in the second half and probably saving some goals by doing so. Gabriel did a great job in as keeper in the first half, making some very tough stops.
Samantha was solid in keeper the second half making some very smart outlet passes that got our offense rolling. Stacking our offense late in the game with Helen, Bryce, Keegan, Gabriel and Luis all playing up led to Luis finally getting freed up to take some shots. Luis delivered a spectacular hat-trick of goals that brought us within one goal of a tie. Helen had a nice assist on one of those goals but the other two were solo efforts. I would also credit Gabriel with playing so energetically on offense during the second half that he put the other team's defense off balance thus opening the door for Luis.
Everyone played with a lot of energy and while there is a lot to work on in practice I'm seeing great improvement and teamwork from everyone. Good game Devils!
My apologies for the schedule I posted being inaccurate. I've corrected that now. Next week is our double header week with games at 2:40 and 4:20. See everybody at practice.

April 10th, Game Two

The U6 Red Wings had the early game this week and they came out shooting. With Five total goals it was an impressive performance. We had strong play in keeper from Kaitlyn with a few good stops, Shai with two stops, Owen with three stops and Maya, who unfortunately didn't get tested even once while she was in. Maya did however make some great plays while she was in as fullback. Our other strong fullback was Ethan again who did a great job keeping the other team's best shooter off the goal. McKenzie, Kendall and Braden were all in the mix the entire game, playing with great energy. Our offense was lead by Cody, Will, Kaitlyn, Conner and Owen. Kaitlyn had our first goal on a very clean break away that took her head-on into the goal. Conner had a great goal on a clean-up after one of Will's shots bounced off the keeper. Owen had a hat trick of goals today. Two were unassisted beauties that he dribbled gracefully right up to the keeper before shooting. But the best goal was one that came off a perfect pass from Will, similar to the pass Conner shot to Will last week.
Thanks to Will and Braden's folks for the snack. Conner and Maya's folks will get it next week.

The U4 Alligators had a great game with a more balanced offense this week. Sam E. managed to get his usual handful of goals (four this week I think) including a beautiful little touch on a ball that was just about to get a away from him. We also had two goals from Elizabeth, two from Lucas and one from Cooper. Sam A. and Eileen were in the thick of it the whole game and Ella was great in her first game. I expect Ella will be taking the ball to the goal soon. Thanks to Lucas' parents for the snack this week. I need a volunteer for next week.

Sunday April 3rd, U4 and U6 First Kick

The U4 team have named themselves The Alligators and they started the session off in impressive fashion. Our leaders on the field are returning players Sam (Eppley) and Lucas. Sam was showing his amazing speed and determination, taking the ball to the goal repeatedly. And as usual Lucas was using his head and staying ahead of the action, heading for the opposing goal to take a shot or running back to our goal to cover on defense. My new players, Cooper, Jackson, Sam (Atkins) and Elizabeth were all completely engaged in the game. I believe Jackson had a goal. I'm accustomed to having one or two kids on every team who are more interested in rolling around on the turf than in playing soccer but it looks like this time we've got a team of real players. All of the kids have very strong kicks too (especially Elizabeth! Man she can bring it!) and so practices should be very productive going forward. I have to note that I was especially happy to see my own Eileen getting so involved in the game. She's my youngest and a real fireball.
Thanks to the Eppleys for picking up the snack this week. The Meaghers will be handling snack duty next Saturday. The game is at 10:00 AM on field B.

The U6 team got off to a very strong start too. Kaitlyn was very strong in goal for us in her first game ever! She has a bit of a height advantage over the other kids so she is probably going to get a lot of time in goal. But the real surprise in goal for us was Maya. She was as alert and aggressive a keeper as you could want and she's only four. And Maya had great help from Cody on defense.
McKenzie also took a nice turn in goal and also played in the field with a lot of energy. Ethan was our solid rock in defense. He's got a strong kick and doesn't let the other team past him easily. Braden started out helping Ethan in defense but seemed to come alive when he moved up into a sort of midfield position. Cody, Will and Conner led our offensive attack early on and they were strong in the first half. But the game highlight was a play that Will and Conner teamed up for in the second half. Before we kicked off in the third quarter I explained to the boys that they should always stay on opposite sides of the field from each other so that the one with the ball would be able to pass to the other. That usually takes a while for young players to get but they took to it like ducks to water. Especially Conner, who was actually switching sides whenever Will was forced to follow the ball across field. That was impressive. But the big payoff was when Conner made a perfect pass from in heavy traffic straight across the front of the goal to Will who was waiting in perfect position. Will drilled the ball right past the keeper for a beautiful goal. It was sweet.
Our game next week is at 9:00 AM on field A. Will Blackburn's parents will be getting a snack for after the game. See you at practice Monday night, 6:00 PM.

U10 Red Devils Debut

I couldn't have been happier with the effort I saw in our first game. We kept the ball in the other team's half for a solid four minutes at the beginning of the game and just needed a bit of luck on our shots. We had great passing, with Luis, Bryce and Keegan working very well together in the first half. Helen and Erin were very strong in midfield in that first half too, doing a great job of keeping the ball contained in the other team's side of the field. Our defense was pretty strong too, thanks to Samantha, Jordan, Chase and Gabriel.
In the second half we were finally able to get a goal off a great shot by Luis. He and Bryce were weaving and passing all day and it finally paid off. Helen had a nice shot on goal too in traffic but the keeper made a fine stop. Sam was also doing some good work in offense in the second half, making some very smart passes. Easten was looking good in midfield too. Samantha made a good debut in as keeper and I'll make a point of working at every practice with her and anyone else who wants to take a turn in goal.
Really great game everyone.

Oh, and thanks to referee Alex for doing such a professional job on that one penalty kick. I was really impressed with how she took the time to explain to all the kids what was happening and where they needed to be. She even offered a few tips to Blayr as to how to play keeper in that situation. That is NKYA at its best.

Spring 2010 Session Schedules

Links to the schedules for this session are in the menu to the right. I'll add snack schedules for U4 and U6 after the first game.

Spring Session

Winter session was great fun this year. Thanks to all the parents for your help and patience and thanks to the players for their hard work.


Now Spring is here! Let's play some soccer! The Spring indoor session begins next week with U10 its first game on Sunday at 3:20 PM. Then the U4 and U6 kick-off the following week with their first games on Saturday, April 3rd. U4 plays at 9:00 AM and then the U6 plays at 10:00. There are lots of new names on my rosters and I can't wait to meet everyone and get started.

I'll have the complete game schedule posted here as soon as I get it. I'll also put together a snack schedule for U4 and U6 and post that here too.

The U6 team will have practice time available Monday evenings at 6:00 PM at Pleasure Isle. The U10 will have practice on Mondays at 7:00 PM.

Week Six

The U4 team missed Jill but they played on short handed. Will showed steady improvement, getting in front of the ball a couple of times. Thanks dad for your patience. Sam and Noah were their usual unstoppable selves. Lucas had a great game, playing strong at both ends of the field. He really has gotten the hang of how to get ahead of his team mates to be in position for a shot.

The U6 kids missed Maddie and Nate but they played strong. McKinley scored in the first 20 seconds, really shocking the other team. That set the tone for us as the Angels played at a very high level of intensity the whole game. Along with McKinley's goal we had a goal from Owen and another from Alex. Cody and Peyton both were threatening to score throughout the game with some very strong shots. As they have in each game, they did a great job of staying spread out and working their passing. Great game!

Go Bullets! After a couple of really low energy games the Bullets came around and played with real heart today. We had goals from Liz and Avery and great play from everyone else, and I mean everyone. Thanks to Nicholas for a great first half in goal. Thanks to Erin for some really aggressive play in defense that she kept trying to turn into offensive opportunities. Thanks to Kyle, who is always using his head. Great game, everyone!
Thanks Lisa Roedig for your help with the team.

U10: The four things we need to work on.

In an e-mail to the U10 Bullets families I mentioned that given our limited time together I'm trying to keep my coaching simple this session and just focus on the same four points repeatedly when I talk to the kids. They are:

Run through the ball. Look up. Play faster. Take your chances.

Just in case anyone is interested I'll un-pack those points a little now.

When I tell the kids to run through the ball what I'm asking them to do is to resist the urge to wind-up for big kicks. We don't have many kids on the team who actually have good kicking technique, which in most situations involves hitting the ball with your shoelaces or instep rather than your toe. The quickest way to develop good kicking technique is to get the kids to simply focus on running into the ball, crashing into it as they run. What we see most often is that they are trying to get rid of the ball too fast, treating it like a hot potato, and this usually results in just giving the ball back to the opposition. Run through the ball is also an important mantra for defense. A defender who tries to react to what the player with the ball is doing is at a disadvantage. To flip that advantage a defender needs to be aggressive and make decisive moves to get the ball. Even if you don't get it you force the other player to move with the ball or pass it and that opens an opportunity for one of your team mates to intercept the ball. So if you see your kid trying to run with the ball and push it out into the open rather than just kicking at it remember, that's a good thing.
To find their way to the open space the kids need to look up rather than just looking at the ball. When they are five and six years old we are constantly coaching them to "keep your eyes on the ball" so now when they are nine they do that but they usually fail to look around to see where their team mates and the opposition are. What I've been asking them to do is to try to be aware of where their team mates are so that, especially on defense, they don't get in each others' way and so they can start to anticipate how they need to cover or use the open spaces on the field. I've played a lot myself and I know the feeling of tunnel vision that can come over you when the pressure is on. The trick is to get in the habit of looking around the field before the ball gets to you and trying to stay loose so that your peripheral vision is clear. The most dramatic improvement in players that I see is when they learn to do this and let their instincts take over. So if your kid seems tense before a game try to get them to loosen up.
If they are loose they will play faster. I don't mean that they will become better runners but rather that they will react to the ball and to the situations that develop more quickly. I think what causes a player to slow down and play behind the action is usually a fear of making a mistake. I want the kids to know that they can feel free to risk making mistakes so long as they are trying to do something to either steal the ball from the other team or move it up the field for our team. So while I can't simply tell them to "play faster" I do ask them to attack, be aggressive and don't wait for the action to come to you, make your opponent do something.
And finally I try to remind them every week that they aren't going to get better if they don't try to play better and by try I don't mean that they aren't already trying hard. It's just that right now they are usually trying hard in ineffective ways. They need to take their chances. As an example, one of our better players, Avery, has said to me after a game "that one kid kept just running around me when I'd try to take the ball from them." My reply was, well you should try to do that. When she said that the other kid was just better than her I asked how do you think they got that way. They get better by trying stuff. By trying to dribble around someone or steal the ball or strike up into the offensive side when you see a chance at a shot or try to beat the other team to a ball, etc. It's not as though we are going to have a chance to practice and practice until we're good and then we can start playing the games for real. We're playing now, so make the games the practice and feel free to try to be a player now. Taking your chances and loosening up so that you have fun while you're playing doesn't mean you don't care about winning. I want them to want to win. What they shouldn't care about is losing. Sometimes you have to lose a lot while you're working on getting good enough to win.

Week Five

U4 and U6 Games postponed due to weather. These games have been re-scheduled for March 6th. U4 plays at 8:00 AM on field A. U6 plays at 8:50 AM on field B. For the

Week Six games, Feb. 13th, we have U4 at 9:40 on field A (snack: Grubbs) and U6 at 8:00 AM field A (snack: Redwine).

Week Four

The Bullets' game was a tough one and not because of the score. Within the first few minutes the speed and intensity of the other team had our kids completely intimidated and they played in a kind of shock and panic the whole game. I hate to see that. Win or lose, the main thing is that the kids should have fun and when they are playing scared they aren't having fun. Instead they play like they just want the game to be over. Being short some players hurt us too. If we'd had some subs we might have been able to get the whole team's attitude turned around. Oh, well.
Some good things did happen and I want to note those. Catherine and Avery played the whole game with the intensity that the rest of the team needs to have. Catherine's efforts in the second half while in on offense were impressive especially one run where she crashed through two defenders taking the ball along the wall. Avery played hard the whole game but over and over again found herself alone in front of the other team's goal with no one to pass to or pick up a rebound. Nicholas and Helen were both courageous again in goal against a team that had at least three really strong shooters. And Erin was solid and generally cool-headed as usual but those big kicks of hers didn't lead to much real offense for us. Everybody had their good moments but overall they didn't seem to be having any fun. I'll work on that next week.

It was all Sam this week for the U4 team. He had three goals and at least three times as many shots-on. Noah and Luke did great work getting back on defense when needed.

The U6 Blue Angels were on fire this week. Despite going scoreless in the first three quarters they basically controlled the ball the entire game. When they did get it together in the fourth quarter they brought on a barrage of shots on goal that lead to three goals. Alex had one of those for sure and I thinks another one was by Nate and then the last goal, coming off a pass from Alex, seemed to bounce off a wall formed by Owen, Nate and McKinley. After the game Owen said he thought McKinley was the one who touched the ball in. Great play all around with lots of impressive passing and disciplined ball handling.
Maddie was in goal for us first and was as solid as she could be, making a lot of smart passes out to her team. Mason was great in goal too and took my suggestion that he try a few punts so seriously that he did nothing but punt. When McKinley took her turn in goal I suggested to her that she could take the ball and sprint out toward the other goal if she had an open field in front of her. She really liked that idea and when she saw her chance to try it she went for it. It was a great run and she took a good shot but the other keeper made a great stop. She's a player.
Peyton and Cody are looking great, especially attacking on offense. I'm waiting to see Cody really drill one from the left side. He has a great kick. Kendall continues to improve too, staying in the thick of it most of the time. She still gets a little put-off by the other team trying to take the ball from her but she's getting it.

Week Three

Man, are those U6 Blue Angels good or what? I'll note that we had goals from Nate (one off his left foot!), McKinley and Alex. Owen's goal was called off by the Ref because he went into a slide to kick the ball but it was still a beauty.
We had great play all around and great stints in goal for McKinley, Maddie and Mason. And we had lots of great play on defense, especially from Brennen, who has amazing instincts for where to be. We had great passing and lots of communication. But the big highlight of the game was a pass that Nate made to Alex. Nate had carried the ball in toward the left side of the goal and realizing that he was in too deep to have a good shot he turned the ball around, saw that Alex was directly in front of the goal about 6 yards out, then called out to Alex before delivering a perfect pass. Unfortunately Alex wasn't able to convert but I told Nate afterward that that was about the best pass I'd ever seen. I call that the big highlight because it's indicative of how these kids are playing as a team. They talk to each other, they look up to see the field, they cover the open space, they anticipate. And when the game is over they're excited about winning but they handle themselves with class and give the other team an earnest "good game". I love being out there when they're playing. Obviously it's fun to have a team that wins but what really makes this group great is that they all feed off of each others enthusiasm and they really want to play better every week.

The U4 Blue Ghosts are great fun too. Noah, Sam and Lucas are improving at an amazing rate going beyond their natural talents and developing real game understanding. Jill is just waiting to find her higher gear. She is in the right spot often enough but just a tick behind on her timing. And Will is right where he should be, hanging out on the field and getting used to it all. The rest will come soon enough.

The Sapphire Bullets had their best game yet despite losing and I'm pretty sure they had more shots on goal than the other team did. They're playing loose and talking a lot on the field, working together more. It's great to watch them develop into a team. They asked me at the end of the game why they always loose. I told them to be patient, keep doing what you're doing and trust each other.
Great work in goal from Nicholas and Helen. Fearless play from both of them. Having Helen in goal allowed us to have Kyle in midfield during the second half and he was great there. Avery, Braden and Nate were relentless in the first half, taking a ton of good shots and Erin did great work in midfield keeping the ball up there for them. Erin has, I think, established her reputation in the league and now most of the other kids know that when she's lining up to kick it you'd better get out of the way.

Week Two

The U4 Ghosts were a real treat to watch this week. Lucas, Noah and Sam all have a single-minded determination to get the ball to the goal that makes them, at this age group, unstoppable. Before the game Sam informed me that he'd "left my hands at home today." Then he asked when we could play that "run around with the ball everywhere game" by which I assume he meant soccer. True to his word Sam kept his hands off the ball and consequently managed to score at least four goals. Noah had five and Lucas had another two. Noah and Lucas are both transitioning quickly from simply focusing on the ball to being able to be aware of their teammates. I saw them both make nice efforts at passing the ball ahead and they both know what it means to "get to the goal" to be in position to take a pass. That sort of field awareness is a big step and really helps them when they move up an age group. Noah made one great pass across the goal that I thought for sure would lead to Jill's first goal but she was a half-step late. She'll get one soon.
The highlight of the game was a run that Sam and Noah were making up the right side. When I yelled out that someone needed to get to the goal both boys simultaneously left the ball and headed up field to the other goal. The other team totally bought the play and followed our boys down field, ignoring the ball. I was fooled too and had no idea where the ball was for a moment. The other coach and I agreed we'd never seen that before.
Thanks to the Epley's for the snack. Noah's mom is up next week for snack duty.

The final score of the U6 Angel's game was kind of a surprise as it felt like we controlled the ball most of the time. We had goals from McKinley and Nate, our two most energetic players and several good shots from Owen and Alex. But in the end the other team had managed three goals. Two of them were shots that were very tough to defend as in each case our keeper's view was blocked by the crowd until the ball was already on him. The kids seemed to really enjoy the game. It was a good, even match-up. Prior to kick-off I talked to them about remembering to stay spread out and try to work "the triangle" which is a simple offense concept where your three forward players try to maintain their spacing between each other and the goal. Well they did get it working and we saw some beautiful passing and dribbling drives. Owen and Alex typically play in middle looking to direct the ball to either Nate or McKinley who, sort of naturally, play as strikers, crashing into the defense directly and frequently dragging the ball with them. If you watch Nate you see that his best chance of getting through the defense is if he faces more than one player. If there is only one defender Nate has to go around and his size can work against him in that case. But if there are two defenders he just crashes through the middle, pulling the ball along with him.
We had great play from Brennen who, in case you didn't know, is Alex's little brother and could still be playing U4. Brennen's feel for the field and where the players are makes him naturally inclined to play that same distributor or "point guard" role that Alex and Owen like and he did jump into that spot several times in this game. Twice in this game I saw him take balls that popped out from a scrum against the wall and re-direct them toward the center. Most kids instinctively kick the ball right back where it came from but I watched Brennen let those two balls roll past him just a bit so that he could then send them up field toward the goal. Good stuff.
Cody joined us this week and had a great stint in goal. He especially liked getting the ball and throwing it out to his team. He has his arm a little high when he throws, like a young Kurt Warner, but we can work on that.


The Bullets played with intensity again and that's all I can ask from them. So many of them are still so new to the game and still developing some basic skills. But so far they show up each week ready to play and they play hard the whole game. We had great stints in goal again from Nicholas and Kyle. Nick and Nate proved to be a very effective fullback tandem and I was honestly hesitant to take them out of there though I know they'd like to try something else occasionally. We missed having Lauren and Liz helping out on offense which showed in the number of times we got the ball into the other team's side only to have no one on hand to take it to the goal.
Some stand out players this week were: Katherine, who plays with great intensity for someone who is only in their third session ever of soccer. Nicholas who persistently made a very deliberate effort while in fullback to try to move the ball out of traffic before attempting a clearing kick. Erin who was so solid in defense the first half. And Helen who had to cover a lot of ground in midfield with Lauren, her normal partner, out for the week.
We could have hung with that team better but for some mistakes on defense in the second half that were more errors of communication than anything else. The effort was there, though, for sure. Good game Bullets.