Current player featured on evening news

Check out Cat giving her opinion on the need for a new Silver Line extension to Dulles.  I wouldn't have put this up but it just seemed like a nice parallel to Kara's interview.  It seems the Goleros have taken to the media this week.

http://cfc.wjla.com/videoondemand.cfm?id=28908

Former player featured on NPR

Check out this National Public Radio piece that ran last week. Our former player, Kara, is featured at 2:28 asking a chef how to make a romantic Thanksgiving dinner.

Kara moved to Denver earlier this year. She's back in Washington soon for foreign service officer training. I take it from the training that her stay in Washington will be temporary, before she and Nick will be posted in Timbuktu or Tokyo or....

Hoover FC wins double crown

According to the score sheet, Hoover FC has won the playoffs in the Second Division.  They also won the regular season - a rare double crown.  

Hoover FC will now be offered promotion to the First Division.  The second place team in the regular season, which was DC Divided, will also be considered for promotion.  I'm not sure under what circumstances they are guaranteed the opportunity to go up.  Will the officers ask whether the First Division losers want to go down?  Will it depend on whether two teams come up from Third?  Probably the latter.  The Flirts, having lost in the playoffs and been edged out during the regular season for second place, will stay in the division with us.

I'm just bummed that we won't have another shot at Hoover FC.  They didn't see our A game.  We'll have to get them next fall in the First Division!

Not sure what's happening in the Third Division this afternoon.  Tsunami won the regular season with a near perfect season.  Capital Crew was second on a head-to-head loss.  The two teams played each other in the playoff final as well.  Not sure what happened; the score isn't posted.

Perhaps I'll do a full promotion and relegation report later.

Don't miss it

The Goleros Social Committee ("GSC") has planned an end-of-the-season party on Friday, Dec. 12th at 7:00 p.m.  The hosts are none other than Mike & Jon.  

Don't miss it.  We'll probably make a late-night bar run in Clarendon afterwards for those who are interested.

Let Mike know by email if you're in.

Fan of the Year

Let’s face it, we don’t have many fans. It’s important to recognize the ones we have.

Top of the list is Missy, who not only puts up with Bubbles on a daily basis, but also comes out to support the team on Sundays. Missy has been a fan for a few years now. She has season tickets. My only issue is that she needs to be more vocal from the stands. What I’m looking for is the occasional shout – “Hey Zebra, you gotta call that!” or “Give me a break, ref, my boyfriend was onside!” Maybe she should bring some of those D-Fence posters.

Missy and Jon recently went to Aruba, which must have been nice. Jon missed a game but Goleros management fully supported the trip anyway.  It would be nice to see some pictures.

Missy, congratulations on this prestigious award.

Cast your vote!

It's time to recognize your teammates for their contributions. Let's start with these two categories:

- MVPs for Fall 2008 season (1 man, 1 woman)

- Goal of the Year

Read about past winners here.

There are other potential categories of course. Maybe you'd like to recognize someone for being "Most Dedicated to Happy Hour" or "Most Likely to Get Lost on the Way to the Game". Whatever, just let your teammates hear it. And vote on MVP and Goal of the Year too.

After shootout, offseason begins

What did you think of the game?

This face says it all.

It's tough to go out on penalties, but remember, only the champion of each division gets to end with a win.

We lost in the Quarters to Armory, after having tied the game 2-2 at the end of regulation and two brief overtime periods. We had a good penalty phase, to be honest, but Armory was able to get a critical +1 on its sixth attempt. The score in penalties was 4-3.

Give Armory the credit it deserves. They had to play short for the entire game and made it up with outstanding individual plays and quick passing by their women.

In contrast, we had to try to establish and re-establish a rhythm with nearly a full complement of players on the bench. That's difficult. Everyone wants and deserves to play, and when they finally get in the game, it's often in an unfamiliar role so it's hard for the team to adjust. Numbers usually work to our advantage. We are a deep team, with lots of combinations to get the job done.

Aside from our lack of rhythm, keep your heads up because it was a decent performance. There were some nice plays and some unsung heroes. For example, Nate made the best of few minutes and Katya displayed excellent possession. We stayed in it until the very end. Alec made sure of that. When it came to penalties, I know we're all proud of the people that represented us on the spot. The way we roll is that everyone has to be ready - if your number is called, you step up and give it your best shot. The penalties this time were all well taken. Good job, seriously!

We'll wrap up the season in another post. Here's the scoring summary for the playoff game:

18' - Armory scores off a deflection deep in the box.

25' - Nate scores with a hard shot into the netting from the five yard line following a long build up and easy assist from Ermy.

60' - Jon dribbles up the right wing and pounds a dominant long-distance shot over the goalie's head, from approximately the 40 yard line. The goalie had been playing well outside the box and we finally made him pay. How many times has Jon scored on a breakaway from the wing?

75' - Armory scores on a corner kick after some failed clearances.

After OT, we went to penalties. The PK score sheet was (Goleros/Armory): 0/1, 1/0, 0/1, 1/0, 1/1, 0/1.

That gives us a 2-2 record in games with penalties. Not too bad. Next time, we'll improve to 3-2, watch out.


[Notes: Quarterfinal playoff versus Armory on 11/15/08 at Washington & Lee HS. Score 2-2 after OTs, we lost 4-3 in PKs. Goals by Nate (Ermy), Jon. PKs taken: Jer (miss), Cat (make), Ermy (miss), Bri (make), Mike (make), Meg (miss). Alec had two saves in PK phase. GKs: Adrian, Alec.]

Fallfest tournament cancelled (again)

Bummer. Jason over at Columbia Soccer tells me that the annual Fallfest tournament is going to be cancelled again - for the second year in a row. It seems the youth football lobby is in firm control of fields in Howard County during the fall.

I can't say I'm surprised. When there was no announcement by September, I knew it was probably off.

We still have a potential tournament the first weekend of December.

We'll resume tournament play in the spring, most likely.

Stay tuned.

We want a sponsor

Put the word out.

We're looking for the right partner for the Spring 2009 season and beyond. The time is right. We have a great team - we're established, successful, and fun. The Spring 2009 season offers a special opportunity to bring on board a sponsor because it will mark our 10th year.

Have any good ideas?

Traditionally, rec soccer teams attract local bars and restaurants. Tortilla Coast, McFadden's, and Capitol Lounge are some initial ideas. We also want to look at small businesses, especially those operated by friends and family. Nate's and ET's businesses come to mind, as do some realtors. A range of businessses are already seeking more visibility in our demographic: shirt printing companies, Zipcar/Flexcar, SmartBike, doggie daycares, etc, etc.

We offer a good value proposition and look forward to improving someone's business. We can offer space on new jerseys and/or other limited financial support for the team in exchange for great visibility and the opportunity to increase sales. Our demographic goes beyond the estimated 60-70 individuals that closely follow our team to the CCSL community, which includes more than 1,000 upwardly mobile players plus their friends and family. Advertising gets directly to these people in a memorable way.

Hopefully we can strike a deal. Let me know if you're interested in helping or have some ideas.

[Photo by thinkpanama]

More cowbell!

This was a topic of discussion at the last happy hour:

http://www.funnyhub.com/videos/pages/snl-more-cowbell.html

Is it the funniest Saturday night live skit ever?

This one was pretty good too:

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/update-palin-rap/773781/

Weekend notes

Prepare for Goleros overload. We have a game Saturday, hopefully drinks Saturday early evening, and hopefully a game on Sunday, not to mention the championship next weekend. And let's not forget the birthday boy (Liam) and his soiree Saturday night at Whitlow's. What, you don't know Whitlow's? Shame on you, it's a great spot. Virginia yuppy-ville.

Weather is so-so for the weekend - great if you don't mind a little rain. Saturday the magical Internet is forcasting breezy conditions, with rain, about 65 degrees. Sunday is looking a little cooler but sunny. However, none of this matters as far as the game schedule goes. We're on turf both days so no cancellations. Plan to show up!

Don't forget to bring your photo ID's to both games. They will be doing a full roster check. Everyone is on the roster so we're fine there.

Last note, and this is important. Have fun!

The post-season begins now!

Have any thoughts about the post-season? Share them here.

The last chapter of the 2008 campaign begins this weekend. Going into the playoff tournament, there is one standout team, Hoover FC (7-0-1). The other five competitors – DC Divided (5-1-2), Flirts (5-3-0), Goleros (4-3-1), Armory (4-3-1), and DC Thunder (3-3-2) – had comparable seasons. Take a look at the final table. The numbers show regular season record, total points, goals for/goals against, goal differential, and goal differential average.

1. Hoover FC 7-0-1, 22, 22/6, +16, 2.0

2. DC Divided 5-1-2, 17, 21/9, +12, 1.5

3. Flirting with Sobriety 5-3-0, 15, 22/8, +14, 1.8

4. Goleros 4-3-1, 13, 17/14, +3, .4

5. Armory 4-3-1, 13, 17/15, +2, .3

6. DC Thunder 3-3-2, 11, 21/20, +1, .1

7. Lost Tourists 3-4-1, 10, 19/15, +4, .5

8. The Diplomats 2-4-2, 8, 19/20, -1, .1

9. Funky Town 1-6-1, 4, 6/35, -29, -3.6

10. Far Post 0-7-1, 1, 3/25, -22, -2.8

Here’s a few thoughts on the table. Hoover FC is alone at the top. The next six teams are separated by only 2 wins. The top 7 teams have a positive goal differential. Although it was close in the middle of the pack, DC Divided and the Flirts separated themselves from us in points and goals. Armory went on a late-season run, but we finish above them on several tie-breakers, including head-to-head. Lost Tourists and the Diplomats both miss the playoffs but they could have easily been there. Funky Town and Far Post weren’t competitive this season. Funky Town escaped the last place finish it probably deserved based on severe attendance problems at Far Post. Of all the teams, we had the second most difficult schedule, since we didn’t play Funky Town, but everyone else did. Of course, we didn’t have the play the Far Post game – we picked up a forfeit win, so these things tend to even out.

On Saturday, we face Armory, a team we defeated 3-1 in the only previous meeting of the teams. It was a costly match, no doubt. However, their captain, Kurt, is a friend of mine from way back so we will be both reminding players that we’re going to play hard but safe. I’m anticipating a fun match. If we should win, we’ll face the No. 1 seed, Hoover FC, on Sunday.

Let’s dig in and try to win it all. If we can string together 3 good performances, we’ll have a pretty good chance of taking home the famed CCSL Trophy.*

Go team!

* There is no trophy.

League happy hour next Thursday

Check out this note the captains got from the Commish:

Hey All,

We are going to have a league wide End of the
Season happy hour on Thursday Nov 20th starting at 7PM hosted by our friends
Clare and Dons. We didnt get a chance to have a tailgate this season, so I
hope that we can a really good turnout for this event. CCSL will use our
social budget buy a good portion of beers and appetizers plus there will be a
bunch of food/drink specials on top of this. So make sure you get there
early!!

Where: Clare and Dons Beach Shack
130 N Washington StreetFalls Church, VA http://www.clareanddons.com/

When: Thursday November 20th
7PM-10PM

Who: All CCSL players and friends of the
league PLEASE forward this to your teams so that they know about the happy
hour.

Its a great way to get to know some of your
fellow competitors off the pitch and its a good reason to celebrate another fun
CCSL season. And did I mention free booze and food??? Hope to see you
all there!

Sanjay

November Madness

The scheduler has released the playoff bracket.  We have the schedule for the Quarters and Semis, but not the Finals.  We play in the Quarters at 4:00 p.m. on Sat. the 15th.  If we win, we would play again at 3:30 on Sunday the 16th.  The championship will be sometime on Sunday the 23rd.

Here's the bracket in the Second Division:

Quarters                                       Semis                                           Finals

 #3 Flirts vs #6 DC Thunder    --->   Winner vs #2 DC Divided

                                                                                                       --->   TBD

 #4 Goleros vs #5 Armory         ----> Winner vs #1 Hoover FC

The path to victory is clear!

What do you think will happen in the division?  What are the odds of a Goleros vs. Flirts rematch?

Saturday game will be played at 4:00 p.m. at W&L

Here's the email I sent out.  RSVP is taking place by email this time.  I'll remind folks later too, but don't forget to bring a photo ID with you.

Hey everyone,

We have half the information now.  Our Saturday game is at 4:00 p.m. versus Armory at W&L High School in North Arlington.  Super convenient location and a pretty good time.  To speed things up, let's RSVP by email now.  I know the following so far for Saturday:

PI - in

Bri - in

Jackie - out

Carlos and Anna, join the party.

Salud!

Good times were had at Happy Hour this week.  Most people were there by 7:00 and many of us didn't leave until close to midnight.

Here, Kate and Alec are shown leading the group in a round of shots.  I think Jackie purchased this round.

I ordered the chicken philly.  Don't recommend it.  I think I'll try something else next time.

There was much talk about the next outing.  Will it be another happy hour? Something more crazy, like a club night? 

Possibly. 

Letter to fans

The following open letter was released to fans of the DC United today. Our fans won't be getting such a long letter. Of course, we did a lot better than DC United did in our respective league!

Dear D.C. United Fan,

As the season has come to a close, we want to
share a few decisions and update you, our fans - the very best fans and
supporters in major league sports.

"Win Championships and Serve the
Community" is D.C. United's mission statement. We strive everyday to achieve it.
It does not mean that we will win championships every year, but we will be
disappointed if we don't - and will work that much harder to make sure it
happens the following year. It also means that we will put on the field not only
quality soccer players, but quality human beings, who represent you and us in
the way we want to be represented.

The 2008 season was a disappointment. We
had high hopes entering the season, but success was not achieved to our level of
expectations. We did win the U.S. Open Cup, our 12th trophy, and the night of
the championship game at our home stadium was exciting and a wonderful
environment for the team and our fans.

Except for the U.S. Open Cup, we had
a down year on the field and there are a variety of reasons why we did not
succeed. For some time now, we have looked at those reasons and spoken in depth
with the individuals involved. As a result of that investigation, our historical
success, their past performance and our belief in these individuals, we have
made no changes to our team executives. Kevin Payne, Dave Kasper and Tommy Soehn
will return. There are also no changes anticipated on the business side of the
company.
However, we don't want you to assume that those reasons will be
excuses for our lack of success. Another repeat of last year's performance on
the pitch is not an acceptable outcome. And we don't expect it
again.

Accordingly, we are becoming more active in the overall management of
D.C. United, and have added the title of Co-Executive Chairman for each of us.
While day-to-day management will continue to reside in our executives, all "CEO"
level executive decisions will be made by us. As part of our new role the
business operations and team operations will report directly to us.
The
business reorganization will ensure responsibility, accountability and focus. We
are instituting enhanced management practices and have agreed upon clear
performance metrics and expectations for all of the above named
executives.

Kevin Payne remains president and is directly responsible for the
business operations of D.C. United and as stated above will report directly to
us. Kevin will also assist in the oversight of the team operations, provide his
advice and be part of the decision-making process on player selection and other
aspects of that area of our business. However, the primary responsibility and
accountability will be with General Manager Dave Kasper, who will also report
directly to us. Tommy remains the coach of the team.

We have excellent
executives and, equally important, they are quality people. However, we are in a
very competitive business, and we have high standards for ourselves. Our job is
to ensure we achieve those standards by setting clear expectations and ensuring
that we hold everyone accountable for these agreed upon goals and objectives. If
these are not met to our satisfaction, we will take what ever action is
necessary to achieve those goals.

We want to thank you for your commitment
to the club. Your passion is unmatched.
Going into the future, we intend to
update you regularly to share with you our thoughts on D.C. United and the
decisions that we have made.

Sincerely,Victor MacFarlane and Will
Chang

Saturday Playoff Game

We are securely in 4th place. As such we play the 5th place team on
Saturday Nov. 15th. That team will either be Lost Tourists or Armory.
They play their final game against each other Sun. Nov. 9th. We play
the winner. In case of a tie, we will play Lost Tourists as they hold
the tie breaker of goal differential vs. DC Thunder and Armory (Tourists
also tied DC Thunder - so the tie breaker goes to goal diff.). We beat
Lost Tourists 2-0 and Armory 3-1, however we may not be sharp after the
bye weekend and I think we are missing some players.

Nate
(Hope to see you tonight if I can get away)

December tournament opportunity

Ally made me aware of the following tournament.  If you're interested, post a comment and we'll see where it goes.

Support our sponsor, Soccer Resort, and register a team in their 8v8 December tournament on turf fields in Fairfax.

About The Tournament Weekend

Fasten your seatbelts! The Soccer Resort is returning to the D.C. area - come play in our Beltway soccer tournament with our Men's and Women's divisions being the Saturday December 6 and the Coed divisions Sunday, December 7, 2008. We have great new artificial fields in Farifax County at Poplar Tree Park in Chantilly Virginia, so the tournament will go ahead rain or shine!!

Join teams from many leagues across DC such as NVSL, WISL, WAWSL, and CCSL - as well as teams from across the Northeast. We'll have the following 8v8 Soccer tournaments for Adults. Divisions include:

* Men's Soccer Tournaments (Three Divisions Plus 0 40's),
* Women's Soccer Tournaments (3 Divisions - A and B, and O30's)
* Coed Soccer Tournaments (Two Divisions - A and B) 

The tournament will be at a new location at Lake Fairfax on Artificial Turf.

* Four games guaranteed
* 30 minutes per game
* Soccer Travel Prizes Galore
* Trophies, Medals, and More

Early Bird Registration fee is $449 per team by November 8. $499 after November 8. (just for local teams in the MD, VA, DE, DC area).
Tournament Prizes

Click here for more information and to register your team.

Let's go to the bar

I couldn't pass up an opportunity to share this sweet photo.  I took it on a point-n-shoot in Baltimore a few weeks ago.  This classic joint is located 1 block off of Fells Point.

Speaking of bars, Jackie's email made it clear that you are supposed to come join us tomorrow night after work for happy hour.  We'll be at McFadden's.  Click on the link and hear Bubbles' favorite song.

See you there.

Kate steps in

Our goal in Week 8 was to come out and play well. Believe it or not, we did that.  Though we lost 4-2 to DC Divided, we closed the match with two unanswered goals.  From the sideline, it looked like we had busted loose on the offense.  Kate's save on the PK in the 90' was clutch.  I think it was a good statement of our toughness in the match.

Your Captain didn't organize the troops very well at the opening whistle.  But the players on the field organized and probably possessed the ball the majority of the time.  Some quick transitions and confusion on defense spelled our doom.  We had some good sustained pressure on offense, no doubt.  Ermy made some runs.  Griz had a few good shots from distance.  Bri supported the attack like a pro.  And so on.  We played well - dare I say...respectable?

Despite the loss, we finish the regular season with a winning record (4-3-1).  There have been a lot of positives.  For now, though, it's time to look forward to the playoffs.  I think it's an accomplishment to come to a new division and make the playoffs right away.  More on that later.

Scoring summary:

75' - Griz accepts a pass and hits Jon, who was posted up like a target forward, in the center of the box.  Jon turns, makes a nice move past two defenders and puts it in the back of the net.

85' - Jon dribbles from the left side into the box, shoots, collects his own rebound and kicks a rising shot into the net.

So, what do you think we should focus on for the playoffs?

Notes: 4-2 loss to DC Divided, 11/2/08, Trinity. GK: Kate (saved PK followed Nate's slide tackle in the box).

 

More details on playoff schedule

Note that we will almost surely play our first game on Saturday Nov. 15th.  If we win, we would play again on Sunday Nov. 16th.

Have any scheduling requests?  Post them here today.

From the commissioner:

Playoffs

 

Playoffs are scheduled to begin the weekend of Nov 15th and 16th.  The top 6 teams of each division make the playoffs with the two top seeds getting a first round bye.  As always, we will have quarterfinals on a Saturday (15th) with the Semifinals on Sunday (16th).  Finals will be Sunday Nov 23rd at GMHS starting at 3:30 in the afternoon.  If you think you will likely make the playoffs and have schedule requests for Lou please let him know asap and we will try and accomodate wherever possible.  Please note, these requests can only be time of day and not actual day of the game.  Also remember that ID checks will be done at playoff games and no players that are not on the official submitted roster from Week 4 will be alllowed to play.

 

For the next 2 weeks, please be sure to update results on the web site as soon as possible after each game so that we can start to plan playoff matchups.

Turn back the clock

Thanks to a tip from an anonymous poster, we know to turn back our clocks.  Daylight Savings Time ends at midnight on Saturday night.  We'll "fall back" one hour.  Call it payback for getting up so early last weekend.  

See you at 9:45 a.m. Sunday at Trinity.

We're in!

Assessing the standings in the Second Division is a complicated exercise.  We’re currently in 3^rd place on tie-breakers and we've made the playoffs. It’s difficult to see how the dust settles in the division because there are so many makeup games, and some teams have not entered their results.  We probably won’t see a lot of movement in the standings for our team because we’ve played the most games and have the fewest points left to gain.  Right now, here's what we're looking at:

 

1. Flirts, 5-1-0, 15 pts

2. Hoover FC, 4-0-1, 13 pts

3. Goleros, 4-2-1, 13 pts

4. DC Divided, 3-1-2, 11 pts

5. Lost Tourists, 3-2-1, 10 pts

6. Armory, 2-2-1, 7 pts

7. DC Thunder, 1-3-2, 5 pts

8. Dips, 0-4-2, 2 pts

9. Far Post, 0-4-1, 1 pt

10. Funky Town, 0-3-1, 1 pt

 

View the full table here.

 

As we go through scenarios, I call upon Nate and other fellow bloggers to set me straight if I make mistakes.  Let’s get started.

 

Going into the final game, the best we will finish is 2^nd; the worst, 5^th.  We finish in 2^nd with 16 points if we beat DC Divided, while the Flirts lose to Armory and tie Hoover FC, while Hoover FC picks up only 1 point in three games.  Those scenarios are very unlikely, but they are the only way we are guaranteed to play for the championship.  We can drop to 5^th with 13 points if we lose to DC Divided, who would leapfrog us in the standings, while Lost Tourists win out versus Hoover FC and Armory and also leapfrog us.

 

What does this mean?  Well, if we win this weekend, we will probably secure 3^rd place.  If we lose or tie, we will probably drop in the standings – I’m guessing to 4^th – as DC Divided gets another chance to jump us in a makeup game plus they would probably hold the tie-breaker.  Lost Tourists would also get a chance to jump us, although they’d have to win out because we hold the tie-breaker against them due to last week’s win. At the bottom of the table, four teams are fighting off relegation. DC Thunder is probably out of the playoffs, but they’re otherwise safe.  The Diplomats, Far Post, and Funky Town are in the worst shape.

 

Let’s have a good game this weekend and see what happens.

Saturday game tentatively scheduled

Take a look at the tentative scheduled posted at the top of the blog.  We may play our first playoff game on Saturday Nov. 15th.  I thought for sure the commish would truncate the playoffs after this weekend's cancellations at Kenmore and the Marina.  However, they're fitting those makeups into another Saturday fixture.  So, as far as I know, we're still on track for a 2-weekend playoff beginning in three weeks.

I'll let you know more when I get word.

Zzzzzz...

Most of us got up at 6:30 on Sunday morning to play.  It was brutal.  We conducted a poll to see what everyone did following the game to catch up on sleep.

1 person, or 9% of respondents, went back to bed.  That had to be Ally, who reportedly pulled an all-nighter Saturday.  I'm sure she was going over our game plan.  It paid off, she set up the second goal.

The rests of the respondents were split.  5 persons, or 45%, took a nap later in the day.  The other 5 persons, also 45%, wanted to sleep but didn't.  I'm guessing those are the people with kids and what-not.  No time for sleep.

RSVP for the last regular season game

We face the Commissioner's team for the last regular season game.  DC Divided is looking pretty good in the standings, putting up better numbers than we are.  I've been told that Sanjay is not a guy you want to have a lot of time on the ball.

Game's at 9:45 a.m. at Trinity.  The only slacker I know of is Alec - he's headed up to New York.

What's your status?

Thumbs up!

Post your thoughts on the game now.  As always, feel free to add details or correct my faltering memory!

Here's my thoughts: we're on a roll.  On our home turf, we managed a 2-0 win versus the Lost Tourists, which only a few months ago was a First Division team.

I think we were impressive.  Let's start with the fact that the game started at 8:00 a.m.  History teaches that I should be quite worried when games start that early.  But this time around, we had a full squad before the whistle - and I was the last one to get to the field!  I think it says a lot that we can rally at that ungodly hour.

One key to the match was the play of Carlitos, who we called up from the alternates list along with Anna.  He anchored our defense for the Full 90.

As a team, we executed a good game plan.  We capitalized on a shaky Lost Tourists defense by exerting pressure up top - at least for the first half.  That was a key factor in preventing their strikers from developing attacks and taking the lead before the midpoint.  We did face the occasional counterattack.  We dodged bullets twice in that regard.  Once, a striker got behind our defense but Alec was there to meet him outside the box with what can best be described as the spider-man maneuver.  Although he was carded for contact, it was an impressive play.  Another time, their diminutive striker created a 2-on-1 but Kristin's persistent footsteps forced a bad decision to pass, which Alec was able to shut down with excellent positioning.

Meanwhile, Adrian had his best game in an orange jersey, and not simply for the goals.  Here's the scoring summary:

30' - Nate streaks from the near side to the middle and flicks a pass, which lands at Chip's feet.  Chip finds Adrian deep in the box, and Adrian pokes it to the near post past the goalie.

50' - Ally wins the ball and passes it up the wing to Anna, who quickly sends a through ball to Adrian.  Adrian makes a long run around the last defender and placed a brilliant, bending strike to the far post.  Very impressive goal against the run of play.  The entire counter-attack, from start to finish, took about 15 seconds.

Congrats to our opponent as well.

Notes: 2-0 win vs Lost Tourists, 10/26/08, Trinity. Goals: Adrian (Chip), Adrian (Anna). GK: Alec (Liam during a 2-minute sub), shutout. Discipline: Alec (yellow: contact as last man).

[Photo: Carlos and his lovely daughter, Alexandra, at the U.S. vs. Cuba match]

Fallfest tournament?

Hey folks, the fall season is winding down. We've been talking about indoor in the offseason. I'm going to postpone indoor until January, when I hope to be able to put a team together. I want us to focus on the remaining games in outdoor and look at some possible socials.

However, I've been talking to the Columbia Soccer tournament president, and he's still thinking of doing the Fallfest tournament in Columbia, MD. He doesn't have any turf fields available so that would leave us with relatively hard grass (bummer). At this point, I would guess he would schedule it on one of the following Saturdays: Nov. 22nd (we might have a playoff game the next day), Nov. 29th (T-giving weekend), Dec. 6th, or Dec. 13th.

Playoff schedules aside, are you interested in doing the Fallfest tournament?

I say, yes, let's at least be open to the idea!

Weather report

I am predicting that tomorrow's game is played as scheduled.

We're experiencing some showers today, but they should clear up tonight, according to the weather forecast.  By tomorrow morning, it should be clear and cool.  I'm guessing the league will play the  game if at possible.

You can call the inclement weather line tomorrow, but don't expect it to be updated until after you've left for the game.

Soccer boots

Monica made these booties for Cooper, Griz's new baby boy. Note the soccer motif. I'm thinking he'll be a midfielder like his father. It's never too early to introduce him to the Beautiful Game.

Griz, how's Coop doing?  And Mary?

[Photo by Author]

All clear of the relegation zone

Aside from the injuries, we've had a good season.  Going into Week 7, let's enjoy the last games. Here are the standings:

Flirts              5-1-0, 15 pts

Hoover FC    4-0-1, 13 pts

Lost Tourists  3-1-1, 10 pts

DC Divided   3-1-1, 10 pts

Goleros          3-2-1, 10 pts

Armory          3-2-1, 10 pts

DC Thunder  1-3-2, 5 pts

Diplomats      0-4-1, 1 pt

Far Post         0-4-1, 1 pt

Funky Town  0-3-0, 0 pts

You can view the full table here.

Thanks to our win last weekend, we are now clear of the relegation zone. As you may know, we have a promotion and relegation system in this league. At the end of the regular season, the top finisher is offered promotion to the next level, along with the winner of the playoffs. To the extent that lower division teams are promoted, the bottom finishers are relegated. So you don’t want to be in the bottom two spots. We’re clear of that now, for sure.

In fact, we’re making a playoff run. We are currently in 5th place, although note that three of the teams above us have a game in hand.  That means two things.  First, we probably won't reach the top of the table like we did last season.  The top teams will play each other and someone above us will continue to pick up points.  Second, we haven't made the playoffs yet. We probably need one more win to keep control of our fate.  

The playoffs are currently scheduled over two weekends in mid November. The six top finishers will play in a traditional bracket to determine the winner. However, if we have more cancelations, the Commissioner will truncate the playoffs per league rules so we don't play past Thanksgiving.  In that event, there would be a one-weekend playoff. The top six teams would each have a playoff game, but only the #1 and #2 seeds would play for the playoff championship. The other games would be exhibitions.

Two more regular season games. Let’s just keep doing what we’re doing.

Run, Cat, Run

Only a few weeks after competing in the Army 10-miler, after which she allegedly planned to play in our game (it got cancelled), Cat is running the Marine Corps!

That's quite a commitment and a feat. 26.2, wow. While we are running on the field, she will be running on the streets. Who runs more - a marathon racer or a Goleros midfielder? That's a tough one.

Best of luck!

Cat, make sure to let us know how everything went.

Traffic alert: Marine Corps Marathon

The Marine Corps Marathon conflicts with our game, so we're going to have to deal with traffic closures. Click here to see the full list. Make sure to leave EARLY. The course goes through Arlington, Georgetown, and the National Mall this year. See the course map here. Basically, on your way to the game, you want to avoid the GW Parkway across from Georgetown, the Key Bridge, and Wisconsin Ave in Georgetown.

[Updated 4:43 p.m.]

Yikes, it's early. RSVP for this week's game.

There's nothing you can do about it: we're playing at 8:00 a.m. Sucks to be us.

The game is at our "home field" at Trinity. Remember the special rules. In particular, don't speed on the way there.

Let's turn this early start into an advantage. By showing up ready to go, perhaps we can give our opponent a wake up call.We're playing Lost Tourists, which was a First Division team only a few months ago. I'm sure they're pretty good.

Maybe we can go to brunch after the game - like at a diner or something, 'cause I don't think the fine dining places want a bunch of sweaty soccer players.

Are you in?

10/19/08 Game Report

by Nate:

[I'll start by wishing our stalwart player, De, a speedy recovery. De,
if you can, comment here and give us an update on the status of your
nose. For those of you who don't know, De continued in the Goleros
tradition of putting it all on the line and was leveled half way through
the second half.]

As a result of our 3-1 win yesterday versus a struggling Armory team,
our playoff destiny is firmly in our hands. I'll let Pete blog on the
current standings, however, I will say that the situation is much
clearer now - especially since Funky Town has finally logged in their
results.

Armory is struggling. A team that used to vacillate between Premier and
1st division seem to have lost some umph. That said, they did have two
wins going into yesterday's fixture, so we can look on our win as a
great positive achievement and a continuation of our team cohesion. I
am of the opinion that all goals need a little bit of luck. However,
none of our goals could be called "fluke" goals. They all came either
from well crafted offensive maneuvers or from the continual pressure we
applied to the Armory defense. Also, again Alec deserves much of the
credit for keeping the score against at 1. Personally, I recall the
breakaway from me as sweeper and his finger tip save to push the ball
just past the post - as well as the karate kick off the ground to clear
the loose ball. [Actually, to me the move looked more like a Capoeira
move - but I wrote "karate" because I'm not sure how many people have
seen Capoeira in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51q1VB_dDik].
Put your favorite Alec saves in the comments section.

It was a break out game for many players. Liam had a great game on left
wing - improving on his debut performance a few weeks back. Kristin
killed in midfield. Carolyn gave their defense lots of trouble from the
forward position. Chip pitched in as stopper and put some moves on.
Please fill in some comments on other great plays and players.

Here' a brief summary of goals, but I need somebody to give me a few
details on the first two goals. Especially the first goal I believe
there is an assist to credit. The second goal I think there was no assist.
1-0: Good offensive maneuver ends with a trademark chip over an
onrushing goalie for a goal by Ermy.
2-0: Continual pressure leads to a bad clearance straight to Ermy who
volleys a shot over the keepers head right under the bar.
3-0: Armory caught pressing for a goal and Bri steals the ball away in
midfield for about the 100th time, passes to Anna who crosses to Nathan
for a one-on-one shot against their keeper.
3-1: Soft hand ball penalty call leads to their one goal (didn't I tell
you last week Alec not to dive in this league! - wait for the shot.)
Know of a great shot or offensive play we had? - put it in the comments
- or put it in a blog entry.

Time for me to head home for the day - please give me some comments to
fill in the holes in this game report.

[Notes: 3-1 win versus Armory on 10/19/08, Kenmore Middle School. Goals: Ermy (NK), Ermy (NK), Nate (Anna, Bri). GK: Alec.]

Goleros men not getting the job done

Check out this photo of Your Captain. He's enjoying himself at the DCU game, surrounded by many of the female members of the team. And this isn't the first time. Last year, there was a similar episode where Carlos and I were the lone wolves.

I hereby call upon the Goleros men to step up and join us more often at social events. The women on the team are carrying all the water. It's enough that they have to do it on the field - but off the field as well?

Of course, I have to mention that Jer and Jon came to the game too. And at the happy hour, we had a few more guys - Liam, Jer, Jon, and Mike.

So there's hope.

The DCU game was excellent. With the 2-1 win over New England, they are now making a late playoff run. If they win next Sunday versus Columbus, and New York loses versus Chicago, I think they can make the playoffs after all. I give it about a 30% chance, which is better than they deserve after this season.

[Photos by Author]

Fashionistas

We conducted a fashion poll last week and the people have spoken. Ally, a.k.a. the Princess, and Bubbles, a.k.a. the Banker, tied for both having made the most impressive fashion statement at our happy hour on Oct. 7th. Ally was recognized for her pashmina and Bubbles was recognized for his ultra-conservative work sweater. We already knew Ally was stylish. Jon, on the other hand, well, we didn't know he was Mr. Brooks Brothers. I'm told he wore the sweater for Jackie, who wasn't a big fan. I'm not saying it didn't look good. He looked the kind of banker we could trust.

The votes were as follows:

Ally the Princess - 4 votes, 33%

Jackie the Coach - 2 votes, 16%

Bri the Explorer - 2 votes, 16%

Bubbles the Banker - 4 votes, 33%

Fun happy hour!

Tentative playoff schedule released

The Commish sent around an email earlier today, with plans for the playoffs.

Hey All,

 

As you may or may not be aware, we've had a number of rainouts this season with the September tropical storms blowing through and the poor drainage of Marina.  All told, there are as many as 10 games that need to be made up.  We've been trying to work a way to keep with our original plan (which even had a contingency week built in) but it looks as if we will in fact need to bump the season back one week to get all the games in.  Needless to say, any more rainouts, and we will either need to truncate playoffs or have some games not be played. Hopefully we wont come to that. 

 

I also understand that this may mean that some teams who have not had any cancellations may have a 3 week gap between games.  Where possible, we will schedule playoff games in parallel when matchups are locked in and not contingent on the outcome of any of the make-up games.

 

So heres how the remaining post-season will shake out:

 

Sun Nov 2nd:     First set of Makeup games (already scheduled)

Sun Nov 9th:     Second set of Makeup games (to be scheduled this week)

Sat Nov 15th:    Quarterfinals

Sun Nov 16th:    Semifinals

Sun Nov 23rd:    Finals

 

Thanks as always for your patience with working through this and the shifting schedules.  Lou will be in touch to the affected teams to work out the reschedule times.

 

thanks! 

 

Sanjay

Hello, i'm posting from the boat show in Annapolis. Fyi, Jackie is planning a lunch after the game this week. Think about it!

--
==================================================================
This mobile text message is brought to you by AT&T

New arrival

I don't think Griz would mind this little announcement.

Yesterday, at 9:00 a.m., Griz and his wife welcomed their second child into the world. His name is Cooper, and along with Campbell, Mary, and the dog, Boom, they are like the coolest family ever. We may see Griz lose a little pace in the next few weeks as he endures a few sleepless nights. But it won't be a big deal b/c he's been showing some stuff out there recently.

CONGRATULATIONS!

See the US play again

The US men are scheduled to play another qualifying match tonight at 8:00 p.m. in Trinidad.  You can catch the game on ESPN.  

Who will Adrian be rooting for?

We have two games left in this second round of qualifying.  They are essentially exhibition matches because we're undefeated in our group and guaranteed a spot in the third and final round of qualifying in 2009.  But Trinidad is trying to survive; let's not forget they were the surprise qualifier for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

It will be an interesting game, in my opinion.  These are critical games for the B team, to try to work their way into the rotation and eventually onto that final roster in South Africa.  Most of the starters are headed back to their home clubs.  It's time for Guzan, Adu, Edu, Torres, and company to shine.  To the right, you can see Freddy subbing for Sascha Kljestan at this past weekend's game versus Cuba - a 6-1 rout.

Here's the roster for the T&T game, according to US Soccer:

UPDATED U.S. ROSTER VS. TRINIDAD & TOBAGO GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa: 2/2 SO), Troy Perkins (Valerenga IF: 0/0) 
DEFENDERS (6): Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA: 0/0), Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland: 2/0), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew: 13/1), Michael Orozco (San Luis: 0/0), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock: 6/0), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC: 0/0)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Freddy Adu (AS Monaco: 3/0), DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers: 20/6), Brian Carroll (Columbus Crew: 1/0), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers: 3/0), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA: 4/0), Danny Szetela (Brescia Calcio: 1/0) José Francisco Torres (Pachuca: 1/0)
FORWARDS (3):  Jozy Altidore (Villarreal C.F.: 1/1), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF: 0/0), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire: 1/0)
*numbers indicate all-time World Cup Qualifying caps/goals

[Photo by author]

Looking for new career opportunities

Greetings, Goleros!

Well, I have decided that it is time to move on to the next phase in
my career, so I have decided to scour the wide world of work for
something better for myself. Some of you have heard me mention this
already, some not.

Down to it: I am looking for opportunities involving writing,
editing, or research in any of the sciences, energy, or environment.
(My strongest skill sets are writing/editing, research, and analysis.)
I am primarily looking at the D.C. area, but there are places I'd
consider moving to, as well.

If you hear of something or know someone in these areas, I'd love to hear more.

Thank you to all, and to all a good night!

Liam

Sunday Oct. 19th 1:00 p.m. - are you in?

Let's keep this train moving.



Please RSVP for Sunday's game at Kenmore MS in Arlington.



See you there!

Strange Game

by Nate:

Since Pete left the game early, he has asked for our help in the game
report department. The Diplomats first goal came early in the first
half. Our fifth woman was waiting on the sidelines to go in to bring us
up to full strength, however, the line ref. did not let her go on
because he could not get the attention of the center ref. Meanwhile the
Diplomats were dribbling and passing up our left side, blowing by all
our tackles and scored. Hopefully somebody that was on the field can
fill in the details on their shot in the comments section. Now up to
full strength, the second goal we allowed came off a bad bounce of the
ball off the turf. The last time we played on turf the field was wet so
the ball bounced more like a grass field. This time, however,
conditions were dry and the ball bounced weird, we missed the clearance
and their forward tapped in the easy score. Our first goal came after
some great pressure by Jon on a slow back pass to nowhere. Their
sweeper turned to pass the errant ball back to their keeper who had
already started to sprint to beat Jon to the ball. The sweeper's back
pass went into the net. At the start of the second half, even though we
were starting to gain momentum, yours truly put the Diplomats ahead
3-1. Another comedy of tacking errors led to their forward having the
ball at his feet facing the goal ready to shoot. I toe poked it away
from him for an easy goal into the right side of our goal past a diving
Alec. I wish I could score that well for our team!

Then tragedy struck. Someone will have to fill in on the comments
section or in their own blog posting about how Heather fell. I heard
that there was a collision that led to a bad fall, but I did not see
it. I do believe the collision was not very near the ball when it
happened which contributed to the strangeness of the game. We received
our text update that Heather's wrist was broken from Pete at 10:16PM. I
certainly hope she wasn't at the hospital that long before they figured
that out. In his text, Peter did not update us as to the status of
Heather's Goleros jersey. We all hope it is okay. By the way, the
captain of the Diplomats (Joe?) wants to chip in on the flowers. Who's
organizing? Of course, we all hope for a speedy recovery, and wish her
good luck in learning to write with her right hand.

Play resumed and we were finally back to our Goleroselves - passing well
- winning 50/50 balls. Chip scored soon after the break. He was on our
left in the penalty area, a cross came in from the right (by Cat?) and
Chip shot it hard into the roof of the net past their goalie who barely
had time to react. The clock was winding down - Adrian had a break away
shot saved well by their goalie - Katya had a shot barely miss wide
right - Chris kept getting fouled but strangely getting called for the
foul - Alec kept making great saves - we started to dominate. The goal
came off a high looping cross by Anna in to the box for Jon's head. He
"intentionally" headed it off the underside of the crossbar into the net.

See you at the next game - until then get the beers in!

Spirits lifted by late-game heroics

Short report this week. Sunday's game was ugly and costly. Suffice it to say that our spirits were lifted by two late goals following a tense break in the action due to the injury of our teammate, Heather. Heather and I left the field to attend to the injury and apparently you all kicked it in gear to rally for the tie. I can report that our tough winger is doing better and planning to make a full recovery as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, we wish her the very best!

Kudos to the Diplomats for their sportsmanship during the entire game and afterwards.

Have anything to add? Fill in the details of the comeback for the Goleros nation.

Notes: 3-3 tie versus The Diplomats, 10/12/08, GW Mount Vernon. Each team had an own goal. Goals: own goal by Diplomats in 20’, Chip (Ermy) in the 70', Jon (Anna) in the 80'. GK: Alec.

US vs Cuba - 1 ticket available

Jeremy has a ticket available to the US vs Cuba match on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.  Face value is $38, but he might discount it.  The ticket is part of our group of premium seats, section 228, row 4.  Let me know if you want it.  You would have to pick it up before 6:30 in the RFK parking lot.

My prediction for the starting lineup follows.  It's not my favorite lineup in the US pool, but it will do for now.  We have a host of problems, including finding a forward who can finish and finding a midfielder who can orchestrate the attack as opposed to disrupt on defense.  Right now, Donovan and Dempsey are kind of lost between the midfield and forward position.  We have lots of depth on defense.  The competition for left back will be pretty fierce leading up to South Africa.  More on that later.  Here's my prediction for Saturday.  I do think we'll see Adu in the game and probably Altidore too.

                           CHING

                          DONOVAN

BEAS           EDU                BRADLEY               KLJESTAN

PEARCE      GOOCH           BOCA                     CHERUNDOLO

                         HOWARD