My girls’ team played on Sunday to a decisive 3-0 victory. It felt great to win, especially since we beat the team that had tied us in the last minutes of our previous game against them, which dropped us to 2nd place. We have two games left in the season. I am looking forward to the end of the season so I will have more time to do other stuff (scrapbooking, baby planning, etc.).
I have been a little annoyed lately with the lack of players at practice. We tend to only have 6-8 players at practice, out of 17. And I often get emails or texts an hour before the game letting me know that a player isn’t going to make it. I guess this is only recreational soccer but it’s still kind of rude. Regardless, I still have been having a great time coaching and I will miss the girls when the season is over.
We had an English soccer trainer, Rhys, stay with us the past week. He was fun to have around. I talked lots of soccer with him and the husband played lots of xBox with Rhys. Even the cats were happy to have another set of hands to pet them. Except Monkey. She was very unhappy to have to share the guest bed with an actual guest.
Showing posts with label Soccer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soccer. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Tough Loss
The girls team I coach finally lost. We lost 2-1 in rematch against the other city team. The last time we played the team we beat them 3-2. The other team just wanted the game more than we did and it showed. Even though this game is our only loss, we have a tie while the other team has no ties, so the result bumps them up to first. We tied against the second-to-last place team in the final minutes of the game. We had no subs and the girls were just tired. It sucks that our season will be determined by a few minutes of one game. Oh well, that’s soccer. Now we just look forward to our last 3 games, win those games, and hope the other team looses or at least ties a game.
Regardless of the loss, I am still having more fun coaching than I imagined I would. Coaching at this level is a lot more satisfying than coaching at the younger levels because the players just get it. We tell them to do something or teach them new strategy and they adapt pretty well.
I can’t wait to be a soccer mom. And no, I don’t mean the suburban driving, warm-up suit wearing, Starbuck’s drinking, Republican voting soccer mom, but a real soccer mom. One that actually coaches soccer and watches the games.
Regardless of the loss, I am still having more fun coaching than I imagined I would. Coaching at this level is a lot more satisfying than coaching at the younger levels because the players just get it. We tell them to do something or teach them new strategy and they adapt pretty well.
I can’t wait to be a soccer mom. And no, I don’t mean the suburban driving, warm-up suit wearing, Starbuck’s drinking, Republican voting soccer mom, but a real soccer mom. One that actually coaches soccer and watches the games.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Soccer Weekend
On Saturday night I went to the San Jose Earthquakes (new expansion team) vs. Houston Dynamo (old Earthquakes team that moved) soccer game. The game was at Santa Clara University. Although we got super cheap tickets because of an AYSO promotional, the seats were really awesome. The stadium is small so all seats are really good. The game was pretty good with lots of action and lots of yellow cards (and even a red). The only bad part was that since it was an AYSO promo night, there were A LOT of little kids around us. By the end of the night I had sticky blue stuff (cotton candy?) all over my pants.
On Sunday, my GU19 team had their big game against the other city team. Both teams had won their first match by wide margins (6-2 and 8-0) so this was going to be a good game. And it was. We were down 1-0 at half time with 2 game ending injuries resulting in no subs, and about 3 other players that were playing despite their injuries. The other team had pounded our defense with loads of shots but we had managed to hold them at 1 goal.
I’ve decided to try a non-traditional lineup. Most American teams play 4-3-3 or 4-4-2, with a sweeper and three defenders in the back (the lineup notation is the number of defenders-midfielders-forwards). A variation that is often seen in Europe and is starting to catch hold in the US is the flat 4 in the back (without a sweeper). The idea is that there’s always one free defender that can act as the sweeper or last-man back depending on where the play is. I decided to go with a 3-4-3 lineup, with a flat three in the back and two center midfielders – one offensive and one defensive. My idea was that with a strong middle field and lots of forwards, we would be able to maintain most of the play in our offensive half of the field. On defense, the defensive center-mid would come back and act as a fourth defender to help on defense. It had worked great in our first game when we absolutely dominated the match and control of the field for most of the game. But this weekend we were playing a much stronger team and as we discovered once the game started, a much faster team.
I had actually lost some sleep in the days leading up to the game but I consoled myself thinking that we could easily and quickly change the lineup if we needed to. Plus, I was going to play one of my strongest (in skill, speed, and stamina) and hardest working players at center defense. Although, my heart did skip a beat when I got an email from her on Saturday. She was just confirming that she was going to make the game after all (I didn’t know it was an issue).
In the second half we had an unbelievable come back and scored three goals in the third quarter, all off of corners. Due to another injury, we ended up playing the last quarter down 1 player and ended the game 3-2 and with a victory. It felt sooo good to win, especially with such a big comeback.
After the game, as the teams exchanged hand-shakes, there was a bit of confrontation with some name-calling between players from both teams. We tried to resolve the issue from our side as soon as possible with the official “I’m sorry,” but the other player disappeared after the game.
Despite the issue after the game, I was on cloud-9 the rest of Sunday. I even had trouble going to sleep, just playing back the game in my head. I am sooo glad we won!
Last year I coached GU14 and comparing the two age groups is a difference of night and day. The GU14 was fun and mostly relaxing. We never would have had any major issues between players on the same team or between teams. It was usually hard for me to do the post game debrief because the girls were always chatting it up with each other regardless of the score. So far the GU19 age group is a lot more fun for me, despite the drama, which I hope does not become an issue (although I’ve heard the other city team is having a lot of attitude issues). By this age the girls just get it. Most players have been playing for years and they come to the game and practices because they want to not because their parents signed them up. When the coaches tell them something, they listen and incorporate the advice. And they work really hard with minimal complaint. My only complaint is that it seems that at this age they are way busier and so we tend to have trouble having a full roster at practices or games. There’s only 1 player that has come to every practice so far.
I had originally decided to coach the under-19 team because I wanted to be able to play with the girls during practice scrimmages. But now that I’m pregnant, I can’t. Still, I’m having fun. Plus, I have some great assistant coaches that I often feel like a GM. While one coach handles the keepers and the other gets the girls ready for the game, I go over last minute line-up changes and walk around from group to group (forwards, midfielders, etc.) offering advice and trying to get them excited about the game. Too bad I don’t get paid to coach.
On Sunday, my GU19 team had their big game against the other city team. Both teams had won their first match by wide margins (6-2 and 8-0) so this was going to be a good game. And it was. We were down 1-0 at half time with 2 game ending injuries resulting in no subs, and about 3 other players that were playing despite their injuries. The other team had pounded our defense with loads of shots but we had managed to hold them at 1 goal.
I’ve decided to try a non-traditional lineup. Most American teams play 4-3-3 or 4-4-2, with a sweeper and three defenders in the back (the lineup notation is the number of defenders-midfielders-forwards). A variation that is often seen in Europe and is starting to catch hold in the US is the flat 4 in the back (without a sweeper). The idea is that there’s always one free defender that can act as the sweeper or last-man back depending on where the play is. I decided to go with a 3-4-3 lineup, with a flat three in the back and two center midfielders – one offensive and one defensive. My idea was that with a strong middle field and lots of forwards, we would be able to maintain most of the play in our offensive half of the field. On defense, the defensive center-mid would come back and act as a fourth defender to help on defense. It had worked great in our first game when we absolutely dominated the match and control of the field for most of the game. But this weekend we were playing a much stronger team and as we discovered once the game started, a much faster team.
I had actually lost some sleep in the days leading up to the game but I consoled myself thinking that we could easily and quickly change the lineup if we needed to. Plus, I was going to play one of my strongest (in skill, speed, and stamina) and hardest working players at center defense. Although, my heart did skip a beat when I got an email from her on Saturday. She was just confirming that she was going to make the game after all (I didn’t know it was an issue).
In the second half we had an unbelievable come back and scored three goals in the third quarter, all off of corners. Due to another injury, we ended up playing the last quarter down 1 player and ended the game 3-2 and with a victory. It felt sooo good to win, especially with such a big comeback.
After the game, as the teams exchanged hand-shakes, there was a bit of confrontation with some name-calling between players from both teams. We tried to resolve the issue from our side as soon as possible with the official “I’m sorry,” but the other player disappeared after the game.
Despite the issue after the game, I was on cloud-9 the rest of Sunday. I even had trouble going to sleep, just playing back the game in my head. I am sooo glad we won!
Last year I coached GU14 and comparing the two age groups is a difference of night and day. The GU14 was fun and mostly relaxing. We never would have had any major issues between players on the same team or between teams. It was usually hard for me to do the post game debrief because the girls were always chatting it up with each other regardless of the score. So far the GU19 age group is a lot more fun for me, despite the drama, which I hope does not become an issue (although I’ve heard the other city team is having a lot of attitude issues). By this age the girls just get it. Most players have been playing for years and they come to the game and practices because they want to not because their parents signed them up. When the coaches tell them something, they listen and incorporate the advice. And they work really hard with minimal complaint. My only complaint is that it seems that at this age they are way busier and so we tend to have trouble having a full roster at practices or games. There’s only 1 player that has come to every practice so far.
I had originally decided to coach the under-19 team because I wanted to be able to play with the girls during practice scrimmages. But now that I’m pregnant, I can’t. Still, I’m having fun. Plus, I have some great assistant coaches that I often feel like a GM. While one coach handles the keepers and the other gets the girls ready for the game, I go over last minute line-up changes and walk around from group to group (forwards, midfielders, etc.) offering advice and trying to get them excited about the game. Too bad I don’t get paid to coach.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Soccer (and Wine) Weekend
This past weekend I was at the Paso Robles soccer tournament with the spring tournament girls team I help coach. Paso Robles is in the central California coast, prime wine country (remember Sideways??). I tried to convince the husband to go with me so that we could go wine tasting, but he stayed home to work on his book (which is almost done!!!).
The girls did a great job. They came out strong and aggressive. The central California area does not have club soccer, only AYSO or recreational soccer. Club soccer is a lot more competitive and you have to tryout for a team and commit. While AYSO lasts a couple of months in the fall and everyone plays ½ the game, club soccer is year round and you have to be good otherwise you sit on the bench. So, without this club presence in the central coast area, the AYSO teams are very good. And our girls came out and played their hearts out..they won the first game 2-1 and lost the second two games 0-1. This is by far the best a team has done in this tournament.
Between games I went wine tasting. There are probably 100’s of wineries in the area, but I only had time to go to two: Sylvester and Firestone. When I was looking up wineries, Sylvester sounded interesting. It turned out to be a small winery with some great wine for the money. They had the best Zinfandel I’ve ever tasted, and it was only $9/bottle. I also got a sparkling white wine and another red. Firestone was a name I recognized. I’m sure I’ve tried the wine or at least seen the bottles at Costco. The tasting room was much bigger as was their attitude. The tasting fee was $5 and it was not waved with a purchase because I got a big wine glass with the Firestone logo on it. And, I was limited to trying 6 wines. I guess $5 is cheap compared to Napa, but I don’t want to pay to taste your wine, especially if I’m going to buy, and I don’t want a glass with the Firestone logo on it. As I went through my tasting, following their tasting menu guide, I skipped over a red (because I was driving and had soccer to coach later) and discovered a $60 bottle on their list called The Ambassador. I asked if I could try that, and after they confirmed that I had only tried 5 wines (remember my 6 tastes limit), they poured a tiny amount of wine into my glass – it was less than a gulp of wine. How pathetic.
In other soccer news, our indoor team finished in first place and so playoffs start next week. I played a coed outdoor game last week and got injured. I was always nervous about playing coed because of the guys, but in this game, the women played dirty. They often went for a body shot instead of going to the ball. During an attack, as I was running down the middle of the field, looking for a cross, the defender just ran into me from behind and I fell and skidded on the Astroturf. It was painful. In another case, a defender just ran into me and I heard cracking in my ribs. I know I didn’t fracture a rib because it’s not super painful, but it’s still quite sore (a week later!) and it hurts to stretch out or breath deeply. I guess I’ll just wait it out a few more days and hope it gets better. I’ll start taking some Advil and see if that helps.
The girls did a great job. They came out strong and aggressive. The central California area does not have club soccer, only AYSO or recreational soccer. Club soccer is a lot more competitive and you have to tryout for a team and commit. While AYSO lasts a couple of months in the fall and everyone plays ½ the game, club soccer is year round and you have to be good otherwise you sit on the bench. So, without this club presence in the central coast area, the AYSO teams are very good. And our girls came out and played their hearts out..they won the first game 2-1 and lost the second two games 0-1. This is by far the best a team has done in this tournament.
Between games I went wine tasting. There are probably 100’s of wineries in the area, but I only had time to go to two: Sylvester and Firestone. When I was looking up wineries, Sylvester sounded interesting. It turned out to be a small winery with some great wine for the money. They had the best Zinfandel I’ve ever tasted, and it was only $9/bottle. I also got a sparkling white wine and another red. Firestone was a name I recognized. I’m sure I’ve tried the wine or at least seen the bottles at Costco. The tasting room was much bigger as was their attitude. The tasting fee was $5 and it was not waved with a purchase because I got a big wine glass with the Firestone logo on it. And, I was limited to trying 6 wines. I guess $5 is cheap compared to Napa, but I don’t want to pay to taste your wine, especially if I’m going to buy, and I don’t want a glass with the Firestone logo on it. As I went through my tasting, following their tasting menu guide, I skipped over a red (because I was driving and had soccer to coach later) and discovered a $60 bottle on their list called The Ambassador. I asked if I could try that, and after they confirmed that I had only tried 5 wines (remember my 6 tastes limit), they poured a tiny amount of wine into my glass – it was less than a gulp of wine. How pathetic.
In other soccer news, our indoor team finished in first place and so playoffs start next week. I played a coed outdoor game last week and got injured. I was always nervous about playing coed because of the guys, but in this game, the women played dirty. They often went for a body shot instead of going to the ball. During an attack, as I was running down the middle of the field, looking for a cross, the defender just ran into me from behind and I fell and skidded on the Astroturf. It was painful. In another case, a defender just ran into me and I heard cracking in my ribs. I know I didn’t fracture a rib because it’s not super painful, but it’s still quite sore (a week later!) and it hurts to stretch out or breath deeply. I guess I’ll just wait it out a few more days and hope it gets better. I’ll start taking some Advil and see if that helps.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Amazing Footwork
The Women's World Cup is over. My husband and I got up super early on Sunday morning to watch Brazil vs. Germany in the final. I was quite impressed with Brazil's fast-paced, agressive, showy soccer. It was great. I felt that they lacked some of the skill I would expect in pros (missed volleys, trying to do a move but forgetting the soccer ball), but overall I was impressed with how they played. Germany ended up winning the game, 2-0. Brazil had an almost sure chance to score when they were awarded a penalty kick, but the German goalie stopped the kick.
ESPN has a highlights video from the painful US loss to Brazil in the semifinals. Objectively, however, Brazil had some amazing goals. You have to see their fancy footwork, especially Marta's goal in which she flicks the ball with her heel and she goes one way the ball goes the other way around the defender. Beautiful goal!
ESPN has a highlights video from the painful US loss to Brazil in the semifinals. Objectively, however, Brazil had some amazing goals. You have to see their fancy footwork, especially Marta's goal in which she flicks the ball with her heel and she goes one way the ball goes the other way around the defender. Beautiful goal!
Sunday, September 30, 2007
A Loss and A Victory
Two weekends ago my little girls were badly defeated 5-1. This was an "easy" game and we should have won. Sure it was an early game and it was raining (almost pouring in the second half), but this was the same for the other team. This loss hurt a lot more than our pre-season loss of 4-0. The girls had come out like a whole new team and we had a win and a tie in two very exciting games at the beginning of the season. The girls had shown that they could play hard and aggressively, and they were starting to come together as a team. Thus, to lose so badly in the third game of the season to a team we should have beat (at least according to standings), I felt a little let down and helpless. The girls didn't lose because they didn't have the skill to match the other team, they just didn't have the desire to play nor the fire to win. At half time all I told them was that if they wanted to play hard and win, they could still come back from a 3-0 deficit and win the game. They played a better second half but it wasn't enough.
This weekend we won 3-0. It was a great game to watch. The first quarter was spent on our defensive half, but after a while the girls stepped it up and the goals started to come. This was definitely an exciting game to watch and to coach. I was happy with a 2-0 lead so I started moving the girls around to different positions. We have 14 players on the team and if I want to have no one sit out more than 1 quarter, only 2 players get to play the whole game. And as much as I would want to play my super strong players (especially the defensive ones) the full game, every game, I need to rotate which 2 players play the full game.
Go team!
This weekend we won 3-0. It was a great game to watch. The first quarter was spent on our defensive half, but after a while the girls stepped it up and the goals started to come. This was definitely an exciting game to watch and to coach. I was happy with a 2-0 lead so I started moving the girls around to different positions. We have 14 players on the team and if I want to have no one sit out more than 1 quarter, only 2 players get to play the whole game. And as much as I would want to play my super strong players (especially the defensive ones) the full game, every game, I need to rotate which 2 players play the full game.
Go team!
Friday, September 28, 2007
They Are Still Your Teammates
The US Women's Soccer Team has a semifinal match against Brazil on Thursday for the Women's World Cup (in China). They lost, 4-0. Days before the game, the coach decided to bench his starting goalie, Hope Solo, who had played almost every minute in every game up until that point. Solo had never played a match against Brazil and the coach decided to go with Brianna Scurry, a veteran of the National Team who has many matches against Brazil. Critics thought it was a bold move, but that if it worked, he would be considered a genius. Well, it didn't work. And now Solo has come out publicly against her coach and her teammates. Here's what she had to say:
"It was the wrong decision, and I think anybody that knows anything about the game knows that. There's no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves. ... You have to live in the present. And you can't live by big names. You can't live in the past."
Shut the f* up. You are on the National Soccer Team, which is an honor, not a right. Sure, you can question your coach's decision, but do so privately. Don't go around telling the world that your coach made a wrong crucial decision and that you could have made the saves your teammate didn't. You don't know that for a fact.
I say kick Solo off the team. There are plenty of other goalies out there with equal skill and more respect for the team and the sport.
Update: Turns out the Brazilians didn't even care about the goalie change. What got them fired up and motivated to cream the US was comments earlier in the week by US Coach Ryan. In response to a friendly June game between the US and Brazil, Ryan said:
"Brazil’s primary tactic was fouling us to break our rhythm. We had more of the ball, and their response to that was just to foul. Brazil has tried to break our rhythm by chopping our players down. The last time we played Brazil, they didn’t even try to play football — they just kicked us from behind."
Ryan also requested a referee who would call those kinds of fouls for Thursday's semifinal match. Read more here.
"It was the wrong decision, and I think anybody that knows anything about the game knows that. There's no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves. ... You have to live in the present. And you can't live by big names. You can't live in the past."
Shut the f* up. You are on the National Soccer Team, which is an honor, not a right. Sure, you can question your coach's decision, but do so privately. Don't go around telling the world that your coach made a wrong crucial decision and that you could have made the saves your teammate didn't. You don't know that for a fact.
I say kick Solo off the team. There are plenty of other goalies out there with equal skill and more respect for the team and the sport.
Update: Turns out the Brazilians didn't even care about the goalie change. What got them fired up and motivated to cream the US was comments earlier in the week by US Coach Ryan. In response to a friendly June game between the US and Brazil, Ryan said:
"Brazil’s primary tactic was fouling us to break our rhythm. We had more of the ball, and their response to that was just to foul. Brazil has tried to break our rhythm by chopping our players down. The last time we played Brazil, they didn’t even try to play football — they just kicked us from behind."
Ryan also requested a referee who would call those kinds of fouls for Thursday's semifinal match. Read more here.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Still Undefeated
Another great game for the Blizzards. We tied this weekend 1-1. We scored early in the game and had the lead most of the game, but they ended up sticking half the team on offense and eventually scored. And this is a team that beat the team (5-1) that beat us (4-0) in the preseason and beat another team 3-0. So they were frustrated and upset that they didn’t beat us. At least the coach was. I think the girls forget about the score as they are walking off the field. One of my players got a yellow card by unintentionally tripping another player. The opposing coach started yelling that it should have been a red card because it was intentional (again, he was frustrated and upset), and after the game my player was quite upset and crying. I reassured her that it was all part of the game and that the coach should not have said what he did and that he was just upset. But I was reminded of the first time I got a yellow card. I too cried. And I have also cried the two times I have gotten red cards, even as an adult. When your body is full of adrenaline and you are tired and probably confused or frustrated, it’s pretty easy to let the tears flow. I think the first time I got a yellow card (can’t even remember why) I was mostly confused and upset that I had been reprimanded (I was always a good girl). The times I got red cards I was extremely frustrated.
This weekend we watched the Patriots man-handle the Chargers. The Patriots scored in the first drive of the game and I immediately felt bad for the Chargers. But then I realized that these guys get paid a lot more than I do to play some mediocre football. I didn’t feel so bad after that.
I have been watching a lot of American football lately and I even have been reading up on the pre- and post-game analyses on the internets. Remember that I hate football in general. This is mostly due to the fact that so much money goes into college football versus other college sports. I also got turned off from football from having been given a parking ticket while at UT for refusing to give up my parking spot to an alumni going to the football game. I actually ended up getting two tickets: one for being illegally parked and one for refusing to do what the peace officer asked me to do.
That’s all I got for now. Watching Lord of the Rings, part III.
This weekend we watched the Patriots man-handle the Chargers. The Patriots scored in the first drive of the game and I immediately felt bad for the Chargers. But then I realized that these guys get paid a lot more than I do to play some mediocre football. I didn’t feel so bad after that.
I have been watching a lot of American football lately and I even have been reading up on the pre- and post-game analyses on the internets. Remember that I hate football in general. This is mostly due to the fact that so much money goes into college football versus other college sports. I also got turned off from football from having been given a parking ticket while at UT for refusing to give up my parking spot to an alumni going to the football game. I actually ended up getting two tickets: one for being illegally parked and one for refusing to do what the peace officer asked me to do.
That’s all I got for now. Watching Lord of the Rings, part III.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Great Football Weekend
My little girls had their first season game this weekend and won!! The score was 1-0. Last week at practice we worked on aggressivity drills and wall passes, and it showed in the game. The goal was off a nice pass back to a forward in the center of the box and a shot to the far post of the goal. It kind of reminded me of Dempsey’s goal in the Brazil-US game. A 12 year old version. We had practice last night and the girls had a lot of energy. We ran the box for about 12 minutes but that only calmed them down for about 10 minutes. Then it was back to gossiping, screaming, and getting distracted. The box is a great running drill I learned about through my brother’s club soccer teams. It’s basically a square 20 yards on each side, and we run around the box in a single file line at a moderately slow pace. When I call out a number like 1, 2, 3, or 4, that’s how many sides of the box we have to sprint. I led the running and after about 12 minutes, I myself was winded. But once the girls recovered from the drill, it was back to screaming and acting like little girls. It definitely gives new meaning to the “screaming like a little girl” phrase.
The second great soccer match I saw this weekend was the
The final football game I saw was American football. The husband and I went to a local bar to check out the New England game since it wasn’t televised here (but it was in
On a sad note, that sucks about Kevin Everett’s injury. I hope he has a full recovery and a speedy one.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Pre-Season Loss
So we lost our first, and only, practice game, 4-0. The game was actually a lot better than the score reflects. The first goal was an own-goal. At the half it was 1-0. In the second half, our strong goal keeper wanted to play the field, so we had another girl play goalie who has no experience in the position but we’ve been kind of training her to be goalie. So there you have it. Those are my excuses. Anyway, at practice this week, when I told the girls I wanted to talk about the game, one of them yelled out: “That was fun!” I was very surprised by this comment, since I’ve never had a fun soccer game in which we lost 4-0. But as my husband had pointed out earlier, the only thing that the girls really care about (and probably their parents too) is having fun and socializing. Well, I still think that if we end up losing all the games, no matter how fun they are, some people might not be happy. Including me.
We have our first official game this weekend. I am still excited!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Pre-Game Thoughts
Our first game is this weekend. I am quite excited. Yesterday's practice went extremely well, apart from the boundless energy the girls had for chatting and goofing off. We finished off practice with an offense against defense drill. I lined up the fullbacks, sweeper, and goalie in their positions, and I had sets of three girls start at midfield and take the ball down the field, trying to get past the defense and score on goal. The defense was pretty good and there were no shots on goal at first. But as the drill progressed, the offense got better and had some great passes and even shots on goal. And I taught the defense to immediately go wide as soon as the goalie made a save. They were great at turning the ball around. And the best thing about it is that the girls really enjoyed the drill.
Sorry if this is boring to most of you non-soccer fans. But I am really excited about our first match!
Sorry if this is boring to most of you non-soccer fans. But I am really excited about our first match!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Team Blizzards
My team picked a name at the last practice...Blizzards! I think it's a good name and very age appropriate. Our uniforms are black and white. Other suggestions were The Panda Bears (because they are cute and fuzzy), White Rapids, and Black Panthers.
At the first practice, I asked the girls to pick a few jersey numbers they wanted to have. The numbers 2-5 were extremely popular. But I was surprised that no one picked either #9 nor #10. Which famous soccer players wear those numbers?? Mia Hamm is #9 and Pele (among many other famous players) is #10. When I asked the girls which famous female soccer player wears #9, it took them a few minutes to remember. What??!! If our apartment was any bigger (and I was any less sane), I would have all the girls over for soccer game watching every week.
At the first practice, I asked the girls to pick a few jersey numbers they wanted to have. The numbers 2-5 were extremely popular. But I was surprised that no one picked either #9 nor #10. Which famous soccer players wear those numbers?? Mia Hamm is #9 and Pele (among many other famous players) is #10. When I asked the girls which famous female soccer player wears #9, it took them a few minutes to remember. What??!! If our apartment was any bigger (and I was any less sane), I would have all the girls over for soccer game watching every week.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
My Team
I have been quite terrible about posting. Sorry! I have been busy…
I am coaching a girls, under-14 team in AYSO. It’s quite fun. My initial motivation for becoming a coach was being able to have practices twice a week, which would get me out on the soccer field, doing soccer drills and running. I stopped playing in a competitive adult league about 1 year ago, because my back just couldn’t handle the intensity of the game. So I though being a coach and working out with my team would help me determine whether or not I wanted to get back into playing soccer competitively. I will not make my girls run laps or sprints while I sit around and watch.
But now I have a new motivation – I want to show them everything that I know about soccer. The 1.5 hour practices aren’t long enough for me to cover everything that I want to do. I have a super long list of drills and skills I want to cover and not enough time to get it all done. We have a practice game this weekend. I am excited but nervous. I have never coached this level before and I don’t know what to expect. Some of the girls on the team have obvious talent and skill, since they’ve been playing for 5+ years. Some of the girls are new to the game, and while they understand the basics of the game and are not afraid, they lack skill.
I know it’s just for fun. But everyone has more fun when they win or at least the matches are close. So hopefully we’ll have a good season. Wish us luck!
Friday, July 27, 2007
Beckmania
David Beckham is so hot right now! I am going nuts over Beckham. Posh is such a lucky lady. Becks is such a good soccer player and he’s totally cute. And he has such great friends: Tom and Katie, Eva and Tony. I can't wait until he's a regular starter with the Galaxy.
I am not insane. Please note the third comment here.
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