RSVP for Game 5: 2:00 p.m. at Ridge

We're passing the halfway point in the season, and points are getting important. We play the top team in the division, Gang Green, and I'm sure they're expecting a win given that they're 4-0.

2:00 p.m. at Ridge in the District. If you've never been, allow exta time to get there. It's not easy to find.

Please RSVP by COB Thursday.

After a disallowed goal, Alec helps team preserve the point

What a battle!

Seriously, that's an instant classic in my book. Everyone gave 100%. The players in the game were completely focused and the players on the sideline had their eyes glued to the ball, ready to step up. Ninety minutes of back and forth, with that one possible breakthrough or mistake looming, which could turn the tide.

The first half was eventful. Ally opened up scoring with a long-distance bomb from Suzie's pass that surprised the keeper. Whew, that was a good shot. Then, a few minutes later, their talented striker made us pay for the smallest little turnover. He seized the momentum and got around me at the 3' and shot to the far post. 1-1, and that's the way it stayed.

It seemed that we took the lead late in the second half, but Suzie's opportunistic goal was disallowed on an offside call.

Was anyone in position to see it?

Then, in the final minutes, it seemed that we would yield on several dangerous breakaways. Nope, the defense kept at it and Alec was there to make dominant 1-on-1 saves. The defense was outstanding. The offense did its job and took some good shots. The goalkeeping, however, is what earned the point.

That was a high-level game and it was really fun.


Notes: 1-1 tie versus Armory on 9/27/09 at St. Stephens. Goal by Ally (Suzie) in 10'. GK: Alec with 8 saves. Suzie's strike in 75' disallowed on offside call. Discipline: Mike (yellow for flagrant foul).

Another perspective

We did a great job of not yelling at the refs in the last game - we focused on our own play. When I got a little vocal in the second half from the sidelines, Jer turned and gave me the "shut it" sign.

And speaking of that...The email below offers the perspective of a (former) referee who officiated a game in which there was a lot of dissent. It's reminder of how important it is for the Goleros to avoid yelling at refs or engaging in dissent. We should address reffing issues during stoppages in play through the captains. That is the most effective way of getting the point across without turning the refs against us - something we have experience with, by the way.

This email exchange isn't that relevant to us - it doesn't make a point about anyone on the team or us in particular. I just wanted to pass it on.

All:

Passing this along. I respectfully ask that you
remember the referees working your soccer games are doing the best jobs that
they can. I would appreciate it if you could reciprocate the same
respect that they exhibit for your play, as it will help us keep the best
officials in the State wanting to come back and to officiate our league's
games. Constant disparagement of referes on the field discourages people
from working in our games and does not set a good example for teammates,
spectators, friends, or family members.

If you have a
specific concern or compliment about a CCSL referee, I encourage you to bring it
to my attention so that it can be addressed.

Thank you
for your consideration.

Best regards,

Jesse
Rosenthal
USSF Assignor
----- Forwarded Message ----From: REFEREETo: Jesse
Rosenthal <globalprisms@yahoo.com>; Sanjay Nayar <spnayar@gmail.com>Sent:
Friday, September 25, 2009 12:01:36 PMSubject: Done with reffingHi Jesse and
Sanjay,I think I am pretty much done with reffing. Last weekend's game no
exceptionally wild moments, but it was nonetheless an altogether depressing
experience. The general obnoxiousness of several players and their
incessant belligerence -- this past Saturday it was almost unilaterally from the
players -- left me feeling so crummy that I wished I had never
volunteered in the first place.I know of no mercenary refs in CCSL, only people
trying to lend a hand when they can -- and in my case, at the expense of
focusing on more important work and my family. Few individuals seem to
realize that in order to ref a 2-hour game, one is basically committing as much
as 4 hours to the task, including prep and travel. For this support, no
ref expects gratitude, but we should be able to expect a limit on the rude
comments and general personal insults. I've had enough, and am hanging up
my whistle. It is literally a depressing experience.A simple example: my
AR mistakenly called a throw-in when there should have been a goal kick.
Having already over-ruled this individual a couple times earlier, I opted to go
with the call out of respect. For this, I was harangued for nearly 20
minutes thereafter by several players.So maybe they are right, and I should give
up the ref badge. Seriously, I'm done.

We're up and running on Pandora

In an earlier post, we laid the groundwork for our launch on Pandora.

It's a go.

We've built a shared station. It's stocked with your requests and favorite artists. Some folks were too shy to share - ahem, Alec. It's never too late. Email me anytime with requests or suggestions to add music. Or to substract music if something really gets to you.

Listen now! Just search for "Goleros Radio" on the website or use this URL:

http://www.pandora.com/?sc=sh118001971722448418

You should be tap into the broadcast from your Internet-enabled mobile device, computer, or networked audio system, or workstation. Bring your iPhone and speakers to the field and we'll get amped up before the game.

Practice planned for Sunday Oct. 11th - what time is good for you?

Looking at the schedule, there seems to be a good opportunity for a practice.

We have a bye on Oct. 11th and the Marina field should be open. We can work on some problematic areas and prepare for the last stretch of the season and hopefully a playoff run.

Is there a good time for you?

I'm thinking 10:00 a.m.

RSVP for Game 4 - 5:00 p.m. at St. Stephens (re-posted)

The fourth game of the season offers us a great opportunity to put ourselves back at .500.

Are you in?

We already know that Kristin, Alec, Tracy, and Katya are out.

Another big game. We play Armory, a team against whom we have done well over the past few years. We have beaten them in the regular season the last two times. They eliminated us in the playoffs a year ago when we played the evening game at W&L and went down in PKs. They also killed our merged summer team 7-3 as recently as August 23, 2009. They had a fast striker who had a deft touch and loved to run right at the defense.

New jerseys have arrived!

Fwd: [Fwd: AHCA: U2 Tickets For Sale!]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Nathan

wanna put this on the web site?  from my neighborhood list serve.

 

We are selling our 4 tickets to the 9/29 U2 Concert at FedEx Field. The details are below. Please email if you are interested.

4 Tickets
Section 436
Row 10
Seats 1-4
$200 (Face value of tickets)

Contact: Carl & Katie Anderson, kmc8s@yahoo.com

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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Standings

After week 3, we have quite a way to climb. Right now, the goal differential is making it seem better than it really is. Let's stay motivated and get some wins. There are enough games left to play. Anything can happen.

CSL>Second Division>
Rank	Team		W	L	T	GP	PTS	GF	GA	GD	GDA
1		Gang Green	3	0	0	3	9	14	2	12	4.0
2		The Diplomats	2	1	0	3	6	11	4	7	2.3
3		Itchy & Scratchy	2	1	0	3	6	10	9	1	0.3
4		Armory	1	0	1	2	4	9	3	6	3.0
5		Little Urban Achievers	1	0	1	2	4	7	2	5	2.5
6		Goleros	1	2	0	3	3	10	8	2	0.7
6		Lost Tourists	1	1	0	2	3	5	3	2	1.0
7		Celtic	1	1	0	2	3	3	6	-3	-1.5
8		Quicksilver FC	0	3	0	3	0	1	16	-15	-5.0
9		Prism	0	3	0	3	0	1	18	-17	-5.7

Sneak peak at our special edition logo - what do you think?

Our new jerseys - which are literally "in the mail" - will feature a new, special-edition, commemorative logo on the upper left chest (in addition to the Cantina logo across the center front). The G logo was designed by a certain architect and ultra-Golero by the name of Griz.

Grizzy, tell us about the design elements and why you made the choices that you did.

There are two versions of the logo, actually. What you see in this post is the sleek black version. A reciprocal version with an orange dot will be featured on the new jersey in order to recall our orange tradition.

Whatya think?

Breaking news: our jerseys have shipped

Eurosport informed me this morning that our jerseys have shipped. They should arrive Thursday or Friday. Follow this incredible drama each step of the way by entering the following tracking number into the appropriate field on the UPS website.

1Z2294240369551074

Ermy moves to the DL; injuries taking a toll

We must finalize our roster this week. The major things we have to consider are how to temporarily fill spaces due to injuries. Take a look at the injury report:

Meg is off this season to get healthy (ankle).

Ermy is doubtful for the rest of the season (ankle). We will probably add his brother, Percy, as a reserve to help cover us.

Katya is out, but expected to return in a few weeks (stress fracture). Can't keep her down.

Get healthy folks!

Back from Uganda

Earlier, you read about Heather's travels to Uganda on this blog and over email.

By now, you've noticed that she's back and had a great time. Tracy and I got to hear about the trip on the long and winding drive through Southeast on the way to the Ridge field a few weeks ago.

Heather, tell us what you did there and any good stories - particular about soccer. Judging from your photos, it looked like you kicked the ball a little and witnessed some organized U17 matches at Mandela stadium. I think I mentioned before that John Magoba, who used to play for us, once gave me an official Uganda national jersey worn by players in practice. It's one of my favorite soccer jerseys.

Heather shared her photos with me on picasa. She'll probably share them with you too, if you want to see more.

These kids have heart

Happy hour planned

It's time for another happy hour.

Save the date for Monday, Sept. 28th.

Cantina Marina, approximately 6:00 p.m.

What are you drinking?

Lady Goleros lift team to 5-0 victory and first win of the season

After a slow start, we put ourselves back on the map in the division with a 5-0 win. Let's not kid ourselves. The ladies carried the team. The first three goals were all great goals, and were all scored by the ladies.

Let's see, you had a clinical finish by Ashley off of Tracy's cross in about the 20'. You had a killer upper 90 shot from Tracy in the 30'. Then you had Suzie earning a soft PK in the 55'. She found the right side netting from the spot, despite an early jump by the keeper.

The ladies finally passed the ball to the guys late in the second half and we managed to score a pair. Chris had a sweet turn and shot in the 70' off of Jon's through ball. Nate had a good finish in the 80' from Chris D's pass, his first point in a regular season game. The first goal was the best from a team perspective. We put a scare in the defense with the pace that we brought all the way from the back line. Tracy did well to collect my pass and run to the corner of the goalie box. She sent a dangerous ground ball across the five yard line. I was there for the dummy kick (or did I miss it?) and Ashley made the nice overlapping run to finish strong. We don't do enough of those overlapping finishes and follow-ups. We need to exercise patience on crosses, time our runs, and create some depth to finish. I'm guessing that my run drew some defenders and left Ashley with a little more space. I couldn't see it as I was lunging for the ball - I mean dummying it!

Any comments on the game? How quick was #3 for Prism? Man, I watched her run down Nate on a breakaway and almost catch Chris, who had a nice lead on her.

Here's another comment. Let's not get too excited about the win. We have a lot of ground to make up after a slow start. Prism - clearly a very sportsmanlike team - is remaking their roster after a difficult spring in the First Division. They weren't cohesive. They started with 9 and played most of the game with only 10. They didn't get any subs. We let them poke through several times in the second half for one on one shots. A different striker would have probably buried those. Imagine if the talented Celtic striker would have played in that game. It would have looked a lot different.

Well done though. Everyone played great, and we had some seriously good teamwork.

Onward and upward.

Suzie on the Spot

Note: 5-0 victory over Prism, 9/20/09, Trinity. Goals by Ashley (Tracy), Tracy (Pete), Suzie (earned and taken PK), Chris N. "El Nino" (Jon), Nate (Chris D.). GKs: Alec in 1st, 2nd, Pete in 2nd starting in about the 65'.

Who had points in week 1? (updated)

Who had the goals and assists?

This is what we know so far:

Notes: 5-3 loss to Itchy & Scratchy on 8/29/09. Goals by Ermy (Chris D), Percy (direct kick), Alec (Jon). GK: George.

RSVP for Game 3 - 12:00 at Trinity

We play Prism this Sunday at High Noon (12:00) at Trinity.

Will you be there? Please let us know by Wednesday.

Prism is another team coming down from 1st division last season so it's not going to get any easier. We need to show up in full force, ready to go, like last week.

Go team!

What did you think of the game?

How can we turn that performance into a win next time?

Let's think positive.

Game report: 3-2 loss to Celtic on 9/13/09 at Ridge Rd. Goals: Tracy (Jon) in 80', Suzie (Jon - deflection off throw-in) in 89'. GK: Alec.

New jerseys on order

As you've read on this blog, we have new jerseys on order. Believe it or not, it's been 3 years since our last order. I am expecting the new kits in time for our Sept. 27th game.

This has been made possible by Cantina Marina - and through the teamwork of Ally, Griz, and Jer.

The new jerseys will be white, to provide contrasting home/away jerseys since we often get into color conflicts with other teams who play in orange, red, or yellow. They are high-quality adidas jerseys that should stand up to a beating and perform well in the heat. We are placing the Cantina logo center chest. On the upper left chest, we will have a new "badge" with an updated Goleros 10-year anniversary commemorative logo designed by Griz. Simple and cool.

High-quality jerseys with customization and numbering are expensive. Even a generous sponsorship contribution can't fully cover the costs. We will be asking players for a contribution of $10 each. That's a sweet deal. It works out for everyone.

Triple threat

This photo is so...Cat.

There she is running the Pittsburgh Marathon, trying to convince the viewer that it's fun or something. Just another 26.2.

She's up to a new challenge this weekend: first triathalon. I believe it's the Reston Tri. Too bad that she can't play with us that morning, but there is no stopping this chick from these endurance events. I've done posts on this insanity before.

Make sure to let us know how it comes out. How long were the segments and what was the hardest? I'm particularly interested in the swim segment. Is it in natural water or a pool? What kind of bike did you use for the bike segment?

Good luck!

Let's all welcome our new sponsor...Cantina Marina

I am pleased to announce that we have our first sponsor!

You probably heard the rumors before or during happy hour a few weeks ago. Two of our new players, Elyse and Suzie, have connections at Cantina. They talked to their general manager, Rich, and he agreed to provide some generous sponsorship support. He's familiar with our league from his days at Fado.

This is a great situation for everyone - another team captain remarked to me that Cantina Marina would be an outstanding sponsor for us. And it seems everyone on the team agrees. We look forward to providing Cantina with as much visibility as possible, and also some good times in the riverside bar.

The first step is putting the Cantina logo on our jerseys. In fact, we have some new jerseys on order that I think you're going to like. That's the subject of a future post.

Let's welcome Cantina Marina on board. This is pretty exciting and cool.

The Planner

Ally is more than just our first high-drama, fully-accessorized captain. She's an event planner who can balance a million things and still score two goals during summer league.

Imagine planning the logistics and details of a major industry event to take place simultaneously in six cities. Well, that's what she's been doing. The event is called Live Canada 2009, and you can read about it here. Looks pretty cool. If I could somehow attend and get a free winter-time trip to Whistler, I would totally do it. Or send me heli-skiing in the Bugaboos.

Today is the big day. Good luck Ally! I know all of your hard work will be worth it.

Game 2 - please RSVP now for 8:00 a.m. Sunday game

OK, folks, it's time to rebound from our hard-fought loss two weeks ago. We're playing Celtic at the crack of dawn in Southeast (Ridge Field - see earlier post).

We MUST have a good showing for this game. The start time cannot be a factor.

It's going to be a great game.

Are you in?