Schedule re-published

I still haven't "loaded" up our schedule to the right, sorry.  But here are our remaining games, to keep them fresh in your mind.

4/1    4:45 pm  Trinity College vs unAthletic DC

4/8    NO GAMES because of Easter

4/15   9:00 a.m. Ridge  vs Funky Town

4/22   BYE

4/29   11:00 am  Galludet vs DC Thunder

5/6     1:00 pm  Galludet vs DC Divided

5/13    3:00 pm  Ridge vs Gang Green

5/20   11:00 am  Ridge vs Far Post

5/28    NO GAMES because of Memorial Day Weekend

6/3, 6/10, 6/17  Playoffs

Our Kicks and FC Arlington are winless in 2nd division [updated]

At the conclusion of Week 2, the two teams that were promoted out of 3rd Division are winless.  I'm not clear if Our Kicks Don't Lie has played two games or just one.  But the standings show one tie.  FC Arlington, on the other hand, has lost two in a row, actually three if you count their non-effort in the 3rd division semi final last season.

2nd division is quite competitive.  I'm sure FC Arlington will acquit themselves because they are a solid team.

Recertified!

Your friendly neighborhood referee, Carlos, is recertified for 2012. 

Don't forget to thank him for serving the team.  He had to miss this week's game to attend recertification class.  He literally saves you money by refereeing and helps to make the coed experience possible.

He's the man!

First win at Blair High School [updated]

We produced six goals in a great outing, including two from Adrian in his first game after returning from Europe.  But it was Pam who stole the show with two sensational goals that displayed strength, skill, and finesse.

All of it equals a 6-0 win versus Red Devils, against whom we are now 2-0 lifetime.  We had a mixed record versus the old Red Devils who moved between 2nd and 3rd division for years.  Relive an important game versus the Old Red Devils here.  I remember losing a prized new recruit who came out for the first time that day, presumably because she wasn't happy with the loss.  Of course, starting in the very next game, we went on an incredible record-setting hot streak that lasted two seasons.  Anyway, the new version of the Red Devils was reconstituted only last season when a team suddenly folded and the Commissioner stepped up to organize a wholly new team.

In Sunday's game, we did what we needed to do.  We started with 10 and had the better chances but lacked finishing.  Pam scored the lone goal of the half at about the 25' mark with a perfect far post header off the corner kick.  I had the best angle as I jumped for the same ball.  I saw Pam with a superior angle and better height.  She managed to direct the ball down enough to come in well under the crossbar.  The corner kick or free kick header is one of the best plays in sports!

After the half, many good plays were made.  Bucky was all over the field, the defense was strong, George made another incredible chest save, etc.  The scoring played out like this:

• Pam's 25' header (Adrian)
• Adrian's 60' solo effort through the midfield
• Chris N.'s finish (Mike)
• Pam's flip over the keeper as he came off his line - was this even more skillful than her header?  Perhaps! (Kelly)
• Bucky's upper ninety long distance strike (Adrian)
• Adrian's tap in (Chris N.)

We finally got a win at Blair High School.  We are now 1-2 on that pitch, having lots two season openers to Tsunami (I fell down) and FC Arlington (that one got out of hand).

It's not all good news though.  Anna picked up an injury in the game that will keep her out for at least a week. With a trim female roster, this will be a challenge to manage.  Plus, we can look forward to harder games in the coming weeks.

Congratulations to Red Devils for a well-played game.


Notes: 6-0 win on 3/25/2012 vs Red Devils at Blair High School. Goals: Pam (Adrian), Adrian, Chris N. (Mike), Pam (Kelly), Bucky (Adrian), Adrian (Chris N.).

News from Portland

We miss Ally dearly.  But our loss is Portland's gain.  Judging by this news clip, featuring our former captain, she's making a difference in the community already.  What a cool piece what great presence on camera.

You want to view this.


http://www.wmtw.com/news/entertainment/food/-Kids-in-the-kitchen-teaches-healthy-eating-habits/-/8791666/9644354/-/mudd5o/-/index.html

He makes it look easy

As we were warming up, Mike was telling me about this Leonel Messi goal vs Sevilla, or at least I think he was talking about this goal. Anyway, Messi makes it look so easy!  Look at how he so easily puts the ball where the defense can't touch it.

Annoying streak snapped

Harken back to the last year of the George W. Bush presidency.  The war in Iraq raged on and the seeds of the Great Recession were sown.  Eli Manning and the New York Giants had just made an improbable run to the Superbowl, beating the New England Patriots.

It was Spring 2008.  It was also the last time that the Goleros won their opening game of the season.

The most annoying streak in the world has been snapped.  We enjoyed a decisive victory over Two Left Feet today at Galludet.  We are now 4-10 in CCSL openers, an aberration in an otherwise solid period for the team.

This game was not in doubt once it got underway.  2LF started short and didn't have as much chemistry as they would have liked.  It was clear they were integrating new players so I'm sure they will grow stronger each week.  We know they have quality.

We didn't have a full complement for the whole game either, because we had only a minimum number of women involved. Nevertheless, it was enough.  We were not outstanding, but we dealt with the conditions and scored 4 earned goals.

The game winner was scored in the 15th minute by the guy who deserved it most: Nate.  He's been working hard all off season and looked sharp from the get-go.  Nate's goal was set up by Bucky, newly signed to our full-time roster.  Both he and Cheryl, the other newbie, got points today, which is impressive.  There were three other goals:

• Jon's left footed follow up after the keeper blocked his near-post bid (assist: Anna).
• Griz's easy follow through, because he was in the right place (assist: Ermy)
• Carlos' deft and finessed deflection past the keeper from 15 yards (assist: Cheryl).

Two things stand out.  First, we had a clean sheet and were somewhat lucky in that regard.  We let our guards down on several occasions.  On one such occasion, the Red Sea parted and 2LF's fastest player took advantage and made the break.  George made a fantastic chest save at the 18, but he had to come way off his line.  2LF was in position for a seemingly easy follow up.  De's clearance on the line was memorable, and the perfect complement to George's bravery.  Even then, though, we still had to clear the ball out for good.  But it was fun to watch, clearly a sign that we deserved the win.  The second point I have in my mind is Griz's steady play on the back line.  He made some great slides and tackles today that kept us in it.  He closed on the ball well and distributed nicely.

Well done.  Now let's get ready for next week.

Notes: 3/18/12, 4-0 win versus Two Left Feet at Galludet.  GK: George.  Goals: Nate (Bucky), Jon (Anna), Griz (Ermy), Carlos (Cheryl).

Want ad

I noticed this funny post on the league's player exchange page.  We're not in the market, but it's a pretty good effort!

Retired NFL Quarterback Looking For Teamby Pat on 3/5/2012

37 years-old. Live in NW DC. Looking for fun team to get into shape with. Retired NFL Quarterback (Madden Football 1994-2012). 3 year high school starter and letterman at left midfield. Played club soccer at George Mason (Champions 1996, Catholic Campus Ministry). Can play on the left or right side. Prefer the left side. Unique ability: Long throw-ins. In high school and college could hit far post from the corner kick stripe (without doing a flip). With age I am more suited for defender now (the good: more salty. the bad: slower). Vocal on the field. Conversant in important comedic movies of our time as a point of reference (Animal House, Fletch et al) and Play Station 3 (See above). My promise: No hospitals balls! Email me at 

Save the date for happy hour!

Looks like Chris D might take the lead on a happy hour.  He's probably thinking Thursday or Friday of next week in DC, so save the date!

Report from the captains meeting

Nap and I attended the semi-annual captains' meeting last week.  It went by pretty quickly.  The only issues that were debated were online registration and the possible reintroduction of a health insurance benefit.

Here is a full report for those who are interested.

DC United tickets - Chelsea Bendhert of DC United introduced herself as the new CCSL ticket rep.  Feel free to use her - we'll have a link on the league website for tickets.  I also have a ticket rep - Chris Frady. (cfrady AT dcunited DOT.com).

New members of the Exec Team - Ricardo takes over for Sanjay.  Jessie (female) will take over as Vice Commissioner.  Mike of Tsunami will now be treasurer, taking over for Jen.  We have a new social chair in Ayman.

Schedule released - Ricardo presented the schedule.  The exec team completed the schedule a full two weeks before the season.  That's a record in our 6 or so years in this league.

Promotion/ relegation set - Ricardo showed us the tables.  We have two new teams in our division.  I'll do a post on that shortly. 

Referees - Jessie R, our referee assignor, gave a very brief report.  We have some referee fines for teams that did not supply one.  We are currently in compliance with the policy thanks to Carlos.  Seriously, thank him when you have a chance.  He loves the work, but it does require some training on the weekends.  We pay our refs $55 per match in the center, $40 as an AR.  You can make decent money.

Fields - Again this year, we have great fields.  All high quality turf and large, except for Trinity, which is a nice grass field.  I'm personally unhappy to see Blair HS on the list.  And we have a game there.  It's far for me.  Most fields are in DC.  We probably won't be on the new Long Bridge Fields in Arlington because they have really high rates.  Even if we got around the county residency issue, it would still be high.  We need premium fields, but we also try to keep costs as low as possible.  We pay $40/hr for Ridge (a steal) but prevailing rates are usually $150/hour.

Budget - The league's operating deficit is closing.  Having lowered field costs and trimmed some other items, we are close to breaking even on the year.  We are fine in the spring, but fall costs us a lot because we pay state dues.  We were able to cut those dues substantially through negotiations, and then we trimmed them further by cutting the health insurance option last year.  36 teams generate $63,000 in revenues per season.  Fields cost $30,000 per season.  Referees cost $28,000 per season.  State association dues are $20,000 per year, so about $10,000 per season.  You can see some of the math now.  That is why our team dues went up $100 this season, resulting in slight increases for you as a player.  Our league reserve fund, once in the $50K range, is now down to $28,000.  That's disappointing to me so we need to keep working on structural changes without reducing the quality of the product.  We will NOT be doing 2-man reffing crews or going back to the mall fields.

Health insurance question - Jessie K, the Vice Commissioner, wants to restore the health benefit.  She experienced a torn ACL while the league's policy lapsed.  Although she had primary health insurance, she still paid $1000 out of pocket.  She thinks she could have gotten much of this reimbursed.  Here's the situation.  Part of state dues pay for supplemental health insurance - in other words, if you get hurt playing in a CCSL game, you can seek reimbursement for qualified health costs after (1) you first try your primary health insurance if you have it; and (2) you pay the $400 deductible.  Given our dire budget situation last year, and the fact that we had few claims, we waived this policy for players and saved $2 per person, or about $2000 annually.

Jessie is trying to get the league to restore the coverage.  My perspective is, great, let's do that, but let's make sure to increase dues by the corresponding amount (about $20 per team per season) so that there is no budgetary impact on the league.  If we simply restore the health insurance coverage without adjusting team fees, the league will pay the $2000 annually and we'll either go back into a deficit situation or we'll have to further cut expenses.  Given the reasonable cost per person - $2 per year! - I think we can manage the increase.  We'll have a survey and your input will be welcome.

There's the full report.

Dues update

Dues are coming in, but slower than expected.  I usually get quite a boost after my initial emails.  In this case, however, only 6 players have paid. 

Get to paypal and send your cash-poor captain some money, please.

Pay your dues

I just wrote the big check to the league and they are cashing it right away.

Your portion is $95 for the season.  The fees went up for teams so it results in higher costs per person.  It's still a value for the fun we have and the overall quality of the league.

Please pay via Paypal.com to my personal address, not the team address.  You'll see it circulated via email.  I don't post it here so it isn't data mined.

You must pay before the first game, no exceptions.

Remember to avoid fees on paypal.  You can avoid them on your end by linking directly to your checking account or doing the check clearing process.  Paying via credit card is convenient, but you'll incur a small fee.  I will incur a fee no matter what, unless you designate this as a payment among friends and family.  So please do that or I pay needless fees.

Thanks!

League to require waivers this season (link included)

Heads up on an annoying administrative issue.  The league is requiring that players sign waivers as part of registration.  This was always required but, in recent years, we haven't followed through.  New registration requirements and procedures make it hard to dodge this time.

I'm not requiring players to do it yet, because we've got plenty on our plates to begin the season.

However, you will hear from me in a few weeks.  Then, you will have to go to this website to register.  Allegedly, it will only take a few minutes after you create an online account.

Feel free to do it now, if you'd like.  You're just doing the waiver, not paying anything there.

https://mdcvsa2.d4sportsreg.com/?pid=132474

The Lady Cardinals have Landed in Portugal

While we finish our pre-season here in the Washington, DC area, De and Kelly are doing theirs in one of the most intriguing corners of Europe: Portugal.  They have accompanied the Lady Cardinals soccer team on their transatlantic voyage.  The team started the journey in Lisbon and are now enjoying Porto.  I've never been to Portugal, but I know Brazil pretty well.  The Portuguese traditions and language are warm and beautiful.  I can't wait to see the "old country" for myself.  Check out De's posts on the CUA Athletic Department website.  By the looks of things, the trip is fantastic cultural exchange, training exercise, and soccer vacation all wrapped up into one.  Will De take the time to appreciate the colonial architecture?  I guess we'll see when we get back.

Best wishes to the CUA team on their journey.

Below, I cross post De's most recent entry:

March 5 – Game Time!Today we started the day off with breakfast at the hotel and then headed to downtown Porto. We took a nice walk to the Metro and experienced public transportation.  Then, when we arrived at our destination we had the perfect view of the Porto riverfront from very high up so we could see all of the city.  Once we arrived we walked down a long cobble stone road with many hills until we arrived at a wine cellar for a tour and tasting. We went to the Calem Cellars and saw how all of the different Port wines were aged over time in the different barrels. The tour was very cool and interesting because they had many different wines, the barrels seemed like they went on forever and many of them were 60 thousand liters! We all had a great time. After the tour at Calem we walked over one of Porto's famous bridges and in the middle of it was an awesome view. When we crossed the bridge we took a tramcar that brought us up the side of a mountain and was like nothing any of us had experienced before. Once we got to the top it brought us to the city center area with many shops and restaurants, which was very busy. We were allowed free time to walk around and shop which we all took full advantage of and enjoyed thoroughly. Then we took a long walk to a traditional Portuguese cafe which had very good food that we all loved! This time the waiter spoke English so that was a great help because we actually knew what we were ordering. The food was delicious and it was the second most popular cafe in Porto so it was a good experience.  Next, we took a long walk back to the hotel to take a rest because we had a long night ahead of us with our first game. After we rested up we had dinner at the hotel again which was pretty good! Then we headed to our first game against a club called Salgeiros and none of us knew what to expect at all because they play in the Portuguese women's league Second Division, so we were all a little nervous. Within the first three minutes of the game we realized we could keep up with them and it would be a good game. They scored an early header goal off of a corner and we went into halftime down 1-0.  The second half was much better for us as we controlled the ball and had several scoring chances.  Annie scored an awesome goal with her left foot from about 30 yards out that was perfectly placed which made the game 1-1. That was the final score and when we shook hands at the end we began to attempt to communicate to the Portuguese players and started to have a great time with them. It was an experience like none of us have ever had before and every time we both understood a word everyone would cheer. Then we ended the game in an agreement to hang out with them at night and it was a great time!!! BOM DIA!

Spring 2012 schedule released

As you read in your inbox, the Spring 2012 schedule has been released.  I will upload it to the site shortly.  Please save the dates and stay in touch with your captains concerning attendance.

3/18  2:00 pm   Galludet   vs Two Left Feet

3/25  1:00 pm   Blair HS  vs Red Devils

4/1    4:45 pm  Trinity College vs unAthletic DC

4/8    NO GAMES because of Easter

4/15   9:00 a.m. Ridge  vs Funky Town

4/22   BYE

4/29   11:00 am  Galludet vs DC Thunder

5/6     1:00 pm  Galludet vs DC Divided

5/13    3:00 pm  Ridge vs Gang Green

5/20   11:00 am  Ridge vs Far Post

5/28    NO GAMES because of Memorial Day Weekend

6/3, 6/10, 6/17  Playoffs