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.