POTD

To accompany the recent post on Goleros history, here's your photo of the day.

It's our Spring '01 team photo, taken somewhere in Wheaton, MD.

This takes you back. See some familiar faces? You've got Craig in the signature headband, Patti, Patrick, Robyn, Rachel, Dara, Dawn, Hans, Jamie - not to mention Greg, Brian, and Shannon who stayed with us for quite some time.

This is the field to which Griz drove twice just for one game. The first time he brought his left shoe. The second time, he brought the right one too.

Scheduling requests for playoffs

If weather permits, CCSL will have a two-weekend playoff with 3 rounds. The opening round will take place on Saturday June 16th, the semis on Sunday June 17th, and the finals on Sunday June 24th. Please let me know if you have scheduling requests for any of these days. Post it here.

Our History: Vol. I

This is the first of three posts on the history of our team.

Vol. I is about the early years - the so-called DCJCC years. We were young, we wanted to play soccer and have fun. But we were not good.

It began in the Spring of 2000, when Your Captain was working on Capitol Hill and longing for some outdoor activity. He had recently picked up soccer again after giving it up in high school to pursue cross country and track (bad decision). After sending some emails, the Goleros were born. The roster resembled a six degrees to Kevin Bacon chart. Pete's old roommate, Chip, recruited several players and his then-girlfriend, Dara, from IIE, where he worked at the time. Chip's recuits recruited friends. Pete's work colleague, Mary, signed up her husband, Griz, who signed up a friend.

Goleros Roster in Spring 2000

Pete, Chip, Dara, Griz, Tom, Aziz, Ali, Brian, Rachel, Chris M., Patti, Greg, Shannon, Joel, Linda, Drew, and Craig the chain-smoking goalie. (only 4 original players remain: Pete, Chip, Griz, and Tom.)

In successive seasons, we were soon joined by Carlos, Patrick (Patti's husband), Mary (Griz' wife), Portia, Dawn, Krissy, Molly, Hootan, Hans, Jamie, and others.

Trivia: who is the only player to have left and then return? Carlos.

In the Fall of 2000 (see photo above), we had a team of 24 players, which was Your Captain's first lesson in why-not-to-recruit-too-many-people. No one got any play time and of course we couldn't win without a rhythm. Chris M., Griz, Aziz, Shannon, and Carlos were constant advisers to try to make the team better. To no avail. To our best recollection, we did not win more than 1 game each season for at least two years. Every week, it was like...almost, but what went wrong? We faced frequent shut-outs, forfeits due to poor attendance, and our lack of experience, both as individuals and as a team, showed. The low point was a lopsided loss to a team of men and women who had been playing ADULT co-ed soccer together for 25 years. We got spanked by people our parents' age. More power to them though, that's the way we want to be some day.

What were the high points? There were many. First, the "originals" became really good friends and formed a lifelong association. You can see it in their attitude today - Carlos, we'll count you as an original in this respect. Additionally, if you think back, those first goals and wins were pretty awesome. They were also impressive given the fact that we constantly had 2-3 players on the field with NO prior soccer experience. It was fun to build something from scratch, even if a little frustrating at times. Also, the fields in the DCJCC league, while often crappy or basically just awkward spaces with some grass, were conveniently located in Bethesda. Plus, Ali with his allnighters and boozing always brought a fun attitude to the game.

Here are some other memories:

• Craig, bless his heart, had quite a few balls roll slowly between his legs on the goal line.




• Your Captain sat out for three seasons with a torn ACL. Griz, Shannon, Chip, and others carried a lot of the weight of the team during that time.




• Fan Appreciation Day. I think we lost actually.




• Griz always wore green hiking shorts. To this day, Your Captain does not want to see those shorts ever again on the pitch.




• Remember Lizzy? That poor girl was a little different, but she had moves. (Liz G., we're not talking about you.) She quit and/or was kicked off when she declared to me in an email that our team showed no dedication.
  

Even through the losses, it was always meaningful for Your Captain to gather the team together in pursuit of a win. This is about fun first and then competition. If you have stories to tell or comments about our early years, please share!

Next volume: The Montgomery County years and reconstructing the team to be a more effective unit.

Goleropalooza: please RSVP here

Goleropalooza (June 10) is comin' up soon.

We'll have a BBQ at Your Captain's house directly after the last regular season game. Both Chip and Jer offered their houses, but we'll do it at my place because it's significantly closer to the field.

Please RSVP here. It'll help us plan the food and drink. Friends and family welcome.

Jetta for Sale!

Here's your POTD. It also happens to be the ad for our VW Jetta.


2001 Volkswagon Jetta GLS VR6 We are reluctantly purchasing an SUV so we must part with our Jetta. Peppy V6 with good fuel economy. Only 31,500 miles! Auto, A/C, CD, moonroof, power windows/locks/mirrors, keyless entry, premium sound. Single owner, great condition, no wrecks, no breakdowns. All recommended service performed. Passed Virginia safety/emissions tests and was professionally detailed this week. $8,499 or BO. Contact Peter at pdi.usa@gmail.com or 571.216.4443. Located in Arlington.


View more photos at: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=7qy3qft.5qz8vfbt&x=0&h=1&y=-gwkrkq

Message from DCU

We got this response from DC United and its charity arm, United for DC. Thanks again to everyone who contributed.

Peter and Megan,

I wanted to write and let you know that I received the check with your donation to United for D.C. Thank you so much for supporting United for D.C.'s efforts in the greater Washington D.C. community. With your contribution you will help to support our signature programs, Kicks for Kids, United Reads and the newest program, United Soccer Club, which provides after-school clinics for youth in the Ward 8 community.

I greatly appreciate your decision to support our charity. Please let me know if you are interested in receiving information about our fundraisers throughout the course of the year. We have our golf tournament set for Monday, June 18 and there will also be an end of the year team awards reception in October. I will be sending a contribution receipt shortly. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Thanks again,

Sara

Sara Rabe
Program Manager, United for D.C.
United for D.C., the charitable arm of D.C. United
c/o RFK Stadium
2400 East Capitol Street S.E.
Washington D.C. 20003

On the move

More Goleros are on the move. Mark and his wife, Erinn, are moving to Denver.

Mark and Erinn joined us for our breakout season in 2004, where we earned promotion to Montgomery County's middle division. They were recruited by Griz. Although Erinn is semi-retired from soccer, Mark had joined us from time to time. They are both great individuals who we enjoyed playing with a lot.

A word about Mark. What pace and ability to possess the ball! As Griz described it, he has an engine that never stops. He brought those skills, usually reserved for his men's cup games, to our team. Besides our excellent season in 2004, he was an integral part of our runner-up performances in 2006 in the Columbia tournaments.

Mark is going to open the West Coast office of the budget and enterprise consulting company that he started with his business partners. Erinn will continue her job from the Denver office. We are very happy for them. Denver (we can say with authority) is a pretty awesome place.

All is not lost. Mark will still be spending time in DC, and we can only hope that those visits coincide with tournaments or other important games. Let's hope we haven't seen the last of him, or Erinn.

Best wishes!

DCU game

We now have two tickets available for the DCU game versus Houston this Saturday night. They are Jer's tickets. I'm sure he'll offer a pretty good discount to Goleros players. Come join me and Anna and my wife.

There's a lot happening in the MLS. DC is on the rise. They recently agreed to play in a South American tournament at the end of the season. Eskandarian was traded again to Real Salt Lake. Jamil Walker is out for the season so we'll probably make another signing.

POTD

Here's Jackie, a.k.a., the Jackal.

This photo, taken last weekend on the mall, is evidence of her commitment to defense and to the team. She got this shiner in a head-to-head collision that denied a Team X striker a shot on goal.

That's why Your Captain voted her as one of our all-stars at the midpoint in the season.

Thanks for your contributions

Tomorrow, we are submitting the following letter to United for DC on behalf of the team. We made a $180.00 contribution, which included a pledged 100% match by your captains. We'll have a simple goal of exceeding this total next season. Thanks for your contributions. We had about a 60% participation rate on the team. Well done, everyone.

Goleros Soccer Club

2906 S. Buchanan St.
Arlington, VA 22206
http://www.golerosteam.blogspot.com
golerosteam@gmail.com


May 22, 2007

United for D.C. c/o RFK Stadium 2400 East Capitol Street S.E.Washington, D.C. 20003

To Whom It May Concern:

On behalf of 20 recreational soccer players and fans of DC United, I would like to present a modest donation in the amount of $180.00. We are happy to support United for DC’s mission of promoting literacy and healthy living among local children.

The Goleros are an adult, co-ed, recreational soccer team that plays in the Washington, D.C. area. We have been around for about six years, and we currently play in the Capital Coed Soccer League (CCSL – http://theccsl.com). Earlier this year, we decided to create a charity program in which we would reserve a portion of our bi-annual dues for charitable purposes. We named United for DC as our sponsored charity. We hope to make periodic donations – hopefully in increased amounts – in the future.

Best of luck in your charitable activities.

Sincerely,



Peter XXXX & Megan XXXX
Captains

cc: Ryan Rich, Russell Cope

Let's go to the game

DCU is back in town this weekend to play the MLS Cup Champion Houston Dynamo. A couple of us are already going. Want to join us? We'll meet at RFK about 7:00 p.m. on Saturday night.

We have one available ticket. We'll start at face value ($25).

DCU is making itself respectable again. After losing its first 3 league matches and falling into the cellar, they have tied New England and beaten Chivas and Toronto. They are no longer in last place. If they can re-establish their defense of last year, they may return to be Cup favorites. Fred is really working out, and we've got a feeling about Kpene and Emilio.

Standings - updated and with some bad news

The standings link on the website is a little misleading. As Nathan commented, the league rules actually consider head-to-head the first tie-breaker. Therefore, we are actually in 4th place because Tsunami beat us at the Marina. In order to finish second then, above Tsunami, we have to win out, and Tsunami has to do worse - perhaps a tie in one of its two games. Tsunami plays Far Post and Celtic in its last two games. We play Celtic and Red Tape. Red Tape beat Tsunami earlier in the year so this will be no easy way to finish the season. Looks like I will have to feed Jon at Far Post with all of the information possible in order to beat Tsunami.

Here's what the by-laws say:

Article I. Divisions

Section 1. Division standings are based on points awarded for results of regular season games. A win equals 3 points, a tie equals 1 point and a loss equals 0 points.

Section 2. In the event of two or more teams sharing the same number of points in the final standings, the following criteria, in order of priority, will be used: head-to-head, goal differential (goal scored minus goals allowed), goals for, most wins, least forfeitures, most shutouts, and coin toss. A forfeit is scored as a 3-0 win for the team that did not forfeit.

Section 3. All possible promotions and relegations will be discussed at the pre-season meeting. Within each division, the regular season winner and the playoff winner will be the first two teams to be considered for promotion. If these teams are the same, the second-place regular season will be second in line to be considered for promotion. The two lowest-ranked teams within a division, based on the regular season record, will be the first teams considered for relegation.

Same goal though - win the last two games.

It's a shutout!

This Spring '07 team photo says it all. On a nice spring day on the mall, we notched a shut-out, picked up a key 3-0 win versus the last-place but underrated Red Devils, and we were treated to some girl-on-girl action. The win gives us a little padding for the playoffs and the opportunity to go for 2nd place (see more about standings in the last post).

Georgie's got two shutouts this season.

The first half was awkward as we had a more difficult time adjusting to the field conditions than did the Red Devils. We gave their two offensive-minded women way too much respect. They distributed nicely. We had a line-change that caused some confusion and put us on our heels for a while. But credit the defensive unit: they got organized and took care of business. A key save by George kept our heads in the game. Then, Jon capitalized on a bouncing ball on the box and intercepted it before the goalie could handle it. We scored the winning goal before half time.

The second half was much better. The defense began stopping progress in the midfield and actually had some outlets thanks to a diligent midfield unit. The wings had an impact on the game - Megan, Jess, Jen, and Court. In about the 75', Jon put another ball in the net on Griz's assist. Red Devils had a few scares but no hard shots on goal the rest of the game. As time expired, we won a ball in the middle and Jer showed a quick release to Jessica on the left wing. Jess first-timed it to Anna on the 12 yard line who baited the keeper and found a space just inside the left post. There's your girl-on-girl action, ah it's so sweet. Remember it's not the first time this season! (there was a Leslie-Anna combo versus Quicksilver.)

Glad we got 3 goals. We needed to pad our GDA average. Let's hope we're finding our offense again. Good game everyone!

Two games to play.

Notes: 3-0 win versus Red Devils, May 20, 2007, Lincoln fields on the mall. Goals: Jon (Jer), Jon (Griz), Anna (Jess).

Standings

Here are your standings.

It was interesting day in the third division. All the top teams have now played each other. We picked up points on Quicksilver, who was pounded by Team X by a score of 4-1. We beat the last place team 3-0 and padded our GDA a little (much needed). Tsunami beat Capital Crew 3-0.

We are headed for a photo finish. Team X is in the 1st position with 16 points (5-0-1). Quicksilver is in 2nd with 12 points (3-1-3). Goleros are in the 3rd spot with 10 points (3-2-1) and a GDA of .07. Tsunami Naranja trails us in 4th, also with 10 points (3-2-1) but a GDA of -.02.

The key to the finish is that Quicksilver has only 1 game to play, whereas Goleros and Tsunami have 2. Therefore, Quicksilver can do no better than 2nd. Goleros and Tsunami are in position to rise as high as 1st (by each winning out and Team X losing its last two games, and really badly). Realistically, we are all fighting for 2nd and the chance to guarantee ourselves the chance to earn promotion in the playoffs. If Goleros win out, we will likely finish in 2nd. So our goal is clear.

Great Strides

Here's your Photo of the Day (we're not actually going to do a photo every day - this time, it just happens to be two days in a row).

This photo, taken by Your Captain on a mobile phone, depicts Griz and his 7-month old daughter, Campbell, on the swing in Bon Air park in Arlington. Bon Air has an impressive and large rose garden, which everyone should check out at some point.

Griz's wife, Mary, a Goleros alum,, organized a team of people and dogs to walk in "Great Strides. It's a fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation where Mary works. We raised a little money and enjoyed some great weather, while walking along the WO&D trail. Not a Goleros-grade workout, but a great way to spend an afternoon.

Friday night pick up coming soon

Last year, we had a weekly pick up game on the turf at W&L on friday nights. It was a lot of fun. We'll try to resume it this year too. School's not out at W&L until June 20, so my guess is we may have to start then.

Photo of the day

A new feature on your favorite website. From time to time, we'll post some interesting photos.

This photo is a recent one of Anna's graduation ceremony at Radford.

It's a nice moment. You can read more about it here on this prior post.

Feel free to send us your own photos.

Standings

Check out the standings here.

With 3 games to play, we're in the middle of the table, tied for 4th place. The 5th place team (Tsunami) trails only by goal differential.

That means nothing is for certain. We may still end up in the 1st or 2nd spot, but it's unlikely at this point. Team X (4-0-1) and Quicksilver (3-0-3) have accumulated several more points by avoiding losses. Granted, neither of those teams had the difficult schedule we did up front (playing all the best teams), but they did each play two of the top teams.

It's important to keep in mind that we are not a lock for the playoffs. It's a competitive division. From the 4th position, we could easily slip to 7th and be out. We need points in the coming weeks, and it wouldn't hurt if Quicksilver finally lost a game so we could pick up some points on them.

The top 6 teams make the playoffs. If there are two weekends to fit in playoffs, we do a tournament style playoff, with seeds, where any team can win. However, if rain becomes a factor and there is only one weekend to play, teams are only guaranteed one game. It becomes an exhibition for the bottom seeds. It would be #1 vs #2, #3 vs #4, and #5 vs #6.

Therefore, our goal is to finish in the #2 spot so we have a guaranteed shot at wininng the playoffs and earning promotion. If we win out, I think it's possible.

Odds makers were correct

The number #1 and #2 teams played. The odds-makers said the number #2 team - that's us - would lose. That's what happened unfortunately.

On Sunday morning, we fell to the now undisputed number one team in the division, Team X, by a score of 3-2. It was a loss, there's no way to hide that. But it was a good effort, a nice day, and something to learn from. The game turned on just a few plays.

In the first half, our midfield and defense worked very well together to feed the forwards. We put a lot of pressure on their defense and scored an early goal. The goal was a thing of beauty actually. According to my memory, Griz received (or won?) a ball in the midfield and slotted a beautiful pass to someone (who?), who passed to Adrian, who drew players to the right side, then fed Jon right in front of the goal.

BUT, by the end of the first half, we had begun to succumb to pressure. We couldn't stop their crosses and they banged a powerful goal into the net. Their tallest forward - with the dark hair - was an outstanding player for those that tried to defend him.

In the second half, we didn't find an effective strategy until late in the game. The defense was under seige. Team X converted several breakaways into goals. We'll save the tactical analysis for another time though - we should be happy with our efforts. It's worth noting that we eventually figured out how to exploit their weak defense. With 15 minutes to play, we scored our second goal (Chris). We finished the game with a respectable 3-2 score against a team who has kicked everyone else's butt (of course, I think we all know that in a rematch we could take them!).

Hats off to two players:

- to Jackie, for putting herself on the line for the team. She picked up a battle wound. That's why Your Captain voted her as one of the two all-stars (see previous post).

- to Anna, who showed us that she is a serious goalie in addition to a quality field player. Not to take anything away from Jorge, but we are VERY comfortable with you back there. You got skills. Next time, we'll try to spare you repeated breakaway 1-on-1's. Nice job!

Notes: 3-2 loss to Team X on May 13, 2007 at GWU Mount Vernon. Goals by Jon (Griz, Adrian), Chris (solo). GK: Anna.

Where is this man?

You know this man. He has anchored our back line since 2004. He provides leadership on the field, but yet he lights up a smoke after a good game.

Where has he been?

Some say Africa. In April, he went on vacation in Uganda. But when will he return?

Since he's been gone, we've been excellent on defense. Yet we could be better still.

We hope he'll return soon.

Be master of your domain

Team,

Remember, our original website was located at www.goleros.org. When we created this blog, we meant to transfer over that domain name but we never did. Now, we ask you - should we bother?

We think that

- This blog domain seems to work just fine.
- Transferring over goleros.org involves renewing it at $35 per year. We don't think it's worth it if folks can remember this blog address - www.golerosteam.blogspot.com. It just adds to the cost of dues.

Please vote here.

Parking info

Let's get to the field early since it's a new location and we want to begin the first half strong. We also do not have a lot of padding in terms of attendance.

Here's some parking info I found on the GW facilities website. Apparently, we need to park in a garage at the new field.


The George Washington UniversityMount Vernon CampusGuidelines for Visitors

♦All vehicles should enter the campus via the Whitehaven Parkway (refer to enclosed directions to campus):oAll vehicles that need to park should do so in the garage underneath the tennis courts, which is the first left turn after entering the campus via the Whitehaven Parkway (refer to enclosed campus map). On weekends, parking in the garage is free all day. Access to the campus is via the stairwell and elevator in the Clock Tower (follow posted signs in the garage). Please do not park anywhere else on campus.oAll vehicles that need to drop-off passengers should do so adjacent to the Clock Tower, which is ahead on the left after entering the campus via the Whitehaven Parkway (refer to enclosed map). After dropping off passengers, vehicles should continue straight and then exit the campus via W Street. Please do not stop anywhere on the roadway adjacent to the field.oPlease note that visitors to GW’s Mount Vernon Campus are never allowed to park on the streets adjacent to the campus; those who do are subject to fines and/or towing.

♦Restrooms are located in the entryway to The Pub on the lower level of the Ames Building (follow posted signs).In case of an emergency, contact GW University

Strategy

Team, we've got a strategy for the big game this weekend. We are playing Team X, the #1 team in the division. They are undefeated, but not for long. If we win, we take control of the division. It's a game with BCS bowl implications: #1 versus #2.

Meanwhile, we have some key position-people out, including our goalie. But never fear, we have the depth and determination to win!

We'll start in the 4-3-3. We need a fortified D, especially with our usual goalie out and both John and Carlos out as well. We also need to keep up offensive pressure because the word on the street is that Team X is mostly offense and not that much defense. You hear the usual - two guys that can score. We know they can score. They won two weeks ago 5-0, and they recently beat Tsunami Naranja by a score of 6-0. And Tsunami beat us! We have our work cut out for us.

Anna will get the nod in goal. Your captain will lead the back line, and we will be looking for volunteers to run like crazy at Stopper. We have lots of versatile players so be prepared to get an assignment that is somewhat out of the ordinary.

I'm feeling really good and excited though. This will be fun. Remember, it's a new field. Show up early to get oriented.

Get the salsa beat

Be a proud Goleros team member and give your fellow teammates their own ringtone! We invite you to purchase the "official" team ringtone. For Spring and Summer 2007, it's called "Goal Latin 2" and you can find it by searching for that title on www.cingular.com or www.verizonwireless.com. Don't know if T-mobile or Sprint/Nextel have it cause it was harder to search those sites without an account.

We know the official ringtone cheesy but you know you want it. It's too funny not to share. It starts off with the old "Gollllllllllllllll" and then goes into a salsa beat.

Give it a try.

Discounted DCU tickets for all

There are only a few die hard DCU fans on the team. It's too bad, cause the games are a lot of fun, and pretty cheap for professional sporting events.

The league has a deal on DCU tickets. Our deal allowed Carlos and Anna to get 2-for-1 tickets to last Thursday's match ($9 each!).

Use this link to get your discounted tickets to all games - and they also offer packages from time to time. We picked up our tickets to the LA Galaxy and MLS Cup games there.

https://secure.mlsnet.com/t103/tickets/2007/groups/season/index.jsp?code=ccsl

Pick up this week

Can you solve this equation?

Good weather + bye week + love of soccer - belly fat = ______.

The answer is pick up soccer. Let's keep our touches and get a little pick up game going this week. We're thinking Wednesday on the Mall after work (5:30-6). Drop a comment to let us know your preference.

All-star game?

The midpoint in the season has arrived and it's our bye week.

Let's call it the all-star break.

Vote for your Goleros all stars here. Choose 2 players, one man and one woman, who should be the Goleros all-star representatives for our hypothetical all-star game. Use any criteria that you'd like. Most saves, MVP, most appearances, worst attitude, most blog entries not read.

While there are rec leagues that actually have all-star games, ours doesn't. This isn't real.

DCU vs "The Other Chivas"

Since you don't have a Goleros game this week, perhaps you'll support the DCU. They play "the other Chivas" on Sunday at 3pm at RFK. If you've been following the United, you know that Chivas de Guadelajara put a major dent in our pride. In the Champions Cup, we faced them in the semi finals and they beat us in a home-and-home series. We headed into the first game of the MLS season with a difficult loss in Mexico, where no MLS club has won a match. Then DCU lost three straight games, falling way short of expectations and actually creating a crisis on defense and the coaching staff.

Tonight at RFK, the team earned its first point versus the Revs. Carlos, Anna, and maybe others were there. Perhaps the team is on the mend?

Your captain is hoping to make the game, although he's got another rec game at 2pm. Decisions, decisions!

Goal

George, I don't want to tell you how to do your job as goalie, but I recommend against this kind of distribution. Watch this video.

Graduation Day

Congratulations to our teammate, Anna, who on Saturday, graduates from Radford University with many distinctions (read more about the university here). Anna has used her full scholarship to obtain a B.A., with a double major (German, Poly Sci) and a double minor (Econ, Int'l Affairs).

Despite playing four years of Division I soccer, itself a full-time job, she took roughly 18 credits per semester. She managed to squeeze in a semester abroad in Germany, where she polished the German she heard growing up - she is now fluent in the language. She's moving to DC next week to begin her career in a paid position at a local nonprofit dealing in management and infrastructure in developing countries. We'll get to see her even more now.

Throughout her time in college, Anna played Goalie for the Lady Highlanders. Check out her bio on the Radford Athletic Department page by clicking on Roster, then player profiles. Her Junior year in particular, she tore it up, leading the team in minutes and gaining 3 shut outs (not to mention making the conference all-academic team). Your captain and his wife saw Anna in action in a dominant win by Radford versus Howard U this past Fall.

We've only known Anna for a year, but it's been a great year.

Congratulations!