Goalie depth chart taking shape

You probably know that we're extremely lucky to have three keepers.  Alec, solid.  George, solid.  Anna, solid.  But did you know that we have a pretty deep bench behind that?  There's an intense competition out there for the final spots on the GK depth chart.

Adrian has established himself as the front runner for the fourth-string spot.  His chest save this weekend was beyond the capability of a mere field player who is filling in as goalie.  His overall performance gives the team confidence.

The fifth-string spot is the most competitive at the moment.  I have the most experience going into camp.  But Jon has expressed an interest in trying to unseat me.  He doesn't have many minutes back there, but there's reason to believe he would be good.  And let's not forget about Nate, with lots of experience, and Chip, always underrated at the position.  Griz continues to consider himself the last-ditch option after breaking a rib at the position.  Who else from the female roster will step up?

RSVP for Game 3 - DC Thunder

We play DC Thunder at 1:00 pm on Sunday at Galludet.

Are you in?  RSVP by Thursday noon.

Man, we've played these guys a lot recently.  We played them 2-3 times in years past.  And then last season, we played them twice.  Once didn't count.  The other one, scheduled during the week, ended in a draw.  If they would have scored in those final minutes - and believe me, it was close - I think we would have turned around and played them in the playoffs a few days later.  It would have been three games against Thunder in, like, a week.

The first three points

We picked up our first win of the season on Sunday versus DC Divided, prevailing 3-1 in a late game.  The win puts us back on the map and in the race for the division title.  It offers a little solace after the disappointing loss in the opening game.

We started the game with only 9 players, because we had just three women available.  While DC Divided was emboldened during that time, they didn't have many early opportunities, except for a well-taken free kick.  When Elyse and Suzie showed up, we were full strength and the tide turned.  At about the 35' mark, we scored the first goal.  Cat's service into the box was neatly deflected by Chris D. for his first goal in orange and white.  An own goal a few minutes later put us up by two.  Griz deserves a lot of credit for a hard shot from the wing position to the far post.  The shot caused the keeper to stretch and push the ball dangerously back into play.  Their defender panicked and sent a clearance into the goal.  Halfway through the second half, we scored our third goal when I took possession in the middle of the field. Unchallenged, I was able to send Chris N. deep into the box with a flat pass.  Even though my pass was too long, the goalie misplayed the ball, which allowed Chris to follow through.  The hometown scorekeeper (me) gives an assist to the player (me).

DC Divided played well and had the goal of the match to end the game.  After a powerful, Alec/George-like save, Adrian came out of the box at just the moment we lost possession.  A DCD forward sent a long, high, and bouncing shot over Adrian and into the net.

What did the captain notice most about the game?  We were equally threatening in the middle and on the wings.  The defensive and wingers played extremely well, running down balls and getting upfield.  Diana and De had phenomenal games.  I spied Nap more than once approaching the other team's 18 on a run.  When there is adequate coverage and the timing is right, that is such a sweet way to play wingback.

Good game everyone!

Notes: 3-1 win vs DC Divided on 9/12/10 at George Mason High School.  Goals: Chris D. (Cat), Own goal, Chris N. (Pete).  GK: Adrian.

Some photos from the spring

I dug up some photos of the spring season.  Enjoy.

Smash has a great attitude

Chris D. in his patented "stretch" midfield play

Bubbles' has mastered all positions

There's more after the jump.

Spring 2010

What a season!

Spring 2010 was one of the best on record. We made it all the way to the championship game, and until the last 20 minutes of the match, looked in decent position to win the division. We were just a few plays short. That's the nature of competition. As I said in some blog post or email, there 8 other teams in the division - some 200 players - who didn't make it as far as we did. We were good. Yes, we had 3 losses, but we rebounded and put together a great end-of-season run and playoff campaign.

Our quality was impressive. We had a flow in our attack that was new. Sure, we're not great at lateral movement yet - switching fields and moving up the wings - but we can move the ball effectively. The pinnacle in quality was the kickoff of the second half in the quarterfinals versus Taz Devils. We linked about 6 efficient passes together and scored directly off the kickoff. The other team never touched the ball. Read about it here.

Here are some facts about spring season:

• We were 4-3-1, a .571 record. Given that we were 2-3 in Week 5, this is excellent. We accelerated out of the relegation zone all the way to the championship game. I don't put much stock in the forfeit win affecting our season. I think we would have shown well against Lost Tourists.

• We scored the most goals of any team (22 regular season, 31 overall). I think it's a club record for us to finish first in this category. I'm not sure what our highest goal total is in a single season. In the Montgomery County league, circa 2004, when Chris and Justin lit it up, we probably exceeded 22 goals by a substantial margin. Of course, that league wasn't as competitive as CCSL.

• Our GD this season was +6 in the regular season, which is solid. In our last five games, we outscored opponents 19-10. Take away our 3-1 loss in the last game and that looks crazy (18-7). Since we are not traditionally a big scoring team, be happy. We also did it on the strength many players, both men and women, instead of one dominant goal scorer like many of the 1st Division and Premier teams have.

• Due to our playoff run, we beat most of the teams in the division. The only teams that we didn't beat were Tsunami (Game 1), DC Thunder (tie in Game 8, although we were headed for victory before our game was scratched by lightning), and Little Urban Achievers (championship game). We avenged our regular season losses to Taz Devils and Itchy & Scratchy in the playoffs.

• We played in our 3rd league championship game, and our 5th overall if you count tournaments. We are 0-5 in those matches. That's got to change! Spring has been our season in CCSL. We had a chance for the playoff title in Spring 2007, Spring 2008, and Spring 2010.

• We scored three times off set pieces. Adrian's dominant free kick and Chris' once-in-a-lifetime score directly off a corner in the semis were highlights.

• No game got beyond our control. That has been a problem in past seasons. At one game, we'll just not show up and end up losing by 4-5 goals.

Here are the results for the season:

SPRING 2010 (4-3-1, .571)




2nd Place in Division Playoffs




---------------




2-1 loss to Tsunami on 3/28




4-1 win vs Celtic on 4/18




3-0 win vs Lost Tourists on 4/25 (forfeit decision)




3-2 loss vs Itchy & Scratchy on 5/2




5-2 shorthanded loss to Taz Devils on 5/9




5-3 win vs Diplomats on 5/16




4-1 win vs DC Divided on 5/23




1-1 tie vs DC Thunder on 6/9




PLAYOFFS




-------------




QUARTERS - 4-1 win vs Taz Devils on 6/13




SEMIS - 4-1 win vs Itchy & Scratchy on 6/20




FINALS - 3-1 loss to Little Urban Achievers on 6/27

Read the game reports for each game here.

Not pictured in the team photo: Alec, Carlos, Anna, Andrea, Katya, Liam, Jackie, Tracy, Mike, Ermy.

Leaders

Let's congratulate our points leaders for Spring 2010. Each wins the customary $1 off of next season's dues. What's really interesting is that Mike was able to cobble together 13 points. He missed several games and played almost all his minutes on the back line. He made great runs and converted three penalty kicks. Elyse earned at least two of those penalties, maybe a third too, but I never got any clarity on that.

Another interesting fact: we scored on three set pieces this season.

Here is the points spread:

Chris N. - 6 goals, 1 assist, 13 points

Mike - 5 goals, 3 assists, 13 points

Adrian - 4 goals, 1 assist, 9 points

Nate - 3 goals, 6 points

Jon - 1 goal, 2 assists, 1 marriage, 5 points

Ermy - 2 goals, 4 points

Elyse - 2 goals, strangely no assists but it doesn't feel that way, 4 points

Suzie - 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 points

Ashley - 1 goal, 2 points

Chip - 2 assists, 2 points

Pete - 2 assists, 2 points

Deanna - 1 assist, 1 point

Jer - 1 assist, 1 point

Anna - 1 assist, 1 point

Ally - 1 assist, 1 point

There were 2 goals unclaimed and a few assists. A total of 15 players tallied points, including 6 women. That's about the same as last season - then, we had 16 total players on the score sheet, including 5 women. Read about it here. It shows really balanced talent and contributions. That's much better and more fun than a few strikers who are depended upon to carry the team.

The CR's perspective

Bob, the center ref for our game last weekend, sent these thoughts to me and Ally by email. You might enjoy reading the feedback.

Goleros,
We Referees really enjoyed YOUR game Sunday! You all are a
“very classy & talented team” and it is always a pleasure to watch you all
play. I was VERY IMPRESSED with your defensive crew working constantly together and not making forays forward when not warranted. Equally your midfielders were very good at containing and then playing the balls thru Chris or your very talented woman with him. You are a strong team because your women are very talented players and understand the game. Up front you all created opportunities but some day’s things just don’t go in. That was a nice finish on your goal and teamwork got you there!

A well disciplined team and it would be a pleasure to play on the Goleros. It certainly was our pleasure to referee the game and you all made it easy concentrating on playing your best! THANK YOU for the Opportunity from CK Kennedy, Montgomery Sibley, Jonah Roth (4th) and myself.

Good luck and have fun this summer!
Cheers,
Bob

A small step

We raised a quick and impressive $300 at the game this week for Andy and the fight against cancer. I have sent your contributions to LUC, and they have already been forwarded to the American Cancer Society. The effort brought in a total haul of almost $1200. The money will be designated for cancer research.

Here's what Andy wrote to me this morning:

"The donation for cancer research was a whopping $1,165!!!! Which is pretty awesome since it was put together in a week. Peter- please thank your team
for doing this! You are a great group of players and I am very humbled and grateful for your teams participation. Tim- I am equally humbled and grateful for our team and their participation in this."

I don't think collecting money has ever been this easy. When people read about the challenge and the opportunity, they stepped up. It made for a nice atmosphere at the game. Clearly, a lot of us have been touched by cancer and are doing our best not to take anything - not even soccer - for granted.

THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR PARTICIPATING!


Post updated

Championship game was quite the event

I think we've all had a few days to reflect on Sunday's championship game. Hopefully, you've come to the same conclusions as I have. It was a hard fought, close game that was fun. There were eight other teams in the division - at least 200 other players - who wanted to get there but didn't have the opportunity.

If you consider everything that was going on - the championship, the fundraiser, the engagement, the friends and family in attendance, etc - you're not likely to play in a more meaningful sporting event in your adult life. We even had a walk out. There were no children to hold hands with, and it was a little awkward, but admit it, you kind of liked it.

The game was well officiated. You probably noticed that we had 4 officials. That's extremely rare for a recreational match. Throughout the country, most teams make do with one or two - even some youth travel teams whose parents get a little crazy about this stuff. We regularly have three accredited officials in CCSL, and for this final, they gave us a fourth official much like a professional game. The officials are chosen based upon their reputation and performance throughout the season. Most of us know the center, Bob, for his fair arbitration and enthusiasm for the game. He's an asset to our league. He did a great job on Sunday with his crew. I would say Bob's best instinct is knowing when not to make a call. He doesn't give you the impression that he's blind or that players can get away with anything. Rather, he wants players to regulate their own conduct and focus on playing the game.

Bob and crew, it's great of you guys to spend 2 hours with our teams on a hot day. It made a big difference in creating a memorable match. Next time, count on the Goleros winning.

No goal-line technology was necessary in this one

Contribution made to United for DC

Last week, we made our bi-annual contribution to United for DC, the DC United charitable foundation that has become our designated charity.

Kate Larned and the DC United staff were very appreciative as usual for our team's efforts.

We don't raise a lot of money, but it's adding up. We contributed $200 this season. I think that brings up to around $1500 over the last few years.

Whistle blows on fantastic season

It's never fun to go out with a loss, but that's what happens for all playoff teams except the champion. We weren't the champions, unfortunately, but rather the runners up.

We came up short and lost 3-1 to Little Urban Achievers in the 2nd Division championship match. Credit our opponents. They played really well. They also celebrated an important homecoming for one of their organizers, Andy, who has returned to the field after fighting cancer. Congratulations to LUC.

It was a very close game. There were no easy goals. No big mistakes. To say it was hard fought would be an understatement. It just came down to a few bounces, rebounds, and miscommunications. No matter how many times we have played LUC, we have never found the answer to their 3-man attack. We have got to find a way to shut that down and exploit the open spaces in the middle and the female matchups.

Maybe I'll write more about the game later.

Suffice it to say that it was extremely well played by everyone. We played our game. There's nothing to be ashamed of. I'm not sure we would do it a whole lot differently if we could replay the game. We were not easy to beat today. There were some great plays and some close shots. Chris and I nearly scored goals in the final 10 minutes.

Game summary:

47' - Goleros give up a relatively quick goal after LUC won the ball from our last line of defense in the air and then got behind the defense.

60' - Goleros score on a trademark buildup. Chip recovers a turnover, heads to the center for Chris' feet, and Chris makes a great finish.

70' - LUC scores on an open net after an outstanding save by George and failed clearances.

80' LUC scores again on a similar play when we had sent most of the troops forward.

If you have something positive to say about our awesome season, go for it! There will be more posts later, including the customary wrap ups.

Notes: 3-1 loss to Little Urban Achievers in 2nd Division championship game, 6/27/10, Ridge. Goal: Chris N. (Chip). GK: George.

Attendance on Sunday

Hi everyone, we look ok on numbers for the game this weekend. But I’m getting a lot of “warning shots” from people. It seems much of the team is going to attend Jon & Missy’s wedding on Saturday night, while a number of others have other games Sunday morning before ours, not to mention the Round of 16 games on TV.

Even though it’s a championship game, it is what it is. Go have fun at the wedding and don’t worry about the next day. As far as the other games go, it’s not a big deal. We’ve already achieved our goal of making the playoffs and it doesn’t matter what the result is. As long as we show up and play, we’re good.

Have fun and see you there!

Weather report

It's going to stay hot, and perhaps even peak in the afternoon on Sunday. We're looking at potentially 98 degrees. http://www.weather.com/weather/weekend/USDC0001

Come hydrated.

Bring water and gatorade.

Pledges are coming in

As you may have seen on email, our opponents this weekend are playing for a lot more than the win. One of their players, Andy, is engaged in a fight with cancer. LUC has decided to make this weekend's final matchup versus Goleros a charity event. They are asking players around the league to pledge $5 per goal scored by either team, with a maximum pledge of $20 (unless you want to pay more).

The Goleros are rising to this challenge.

Oure pledge sheet is growing. We have 6 pledges so far and more are expected.

Here is the email traffic on the matter, if you're interested:

Goleros -

I apologize for the many emails this week, but there's
lots of important stuff going on. I was just contacted by our
opponents this weekend and it turns out they are playing for a lot more than the
win. One of their founding members, Andy, is fighting cancer and will
play in the game. The team has organized a league-wide fundraiser in
his honor. Players are being asked to pledge $5 per goal scored
by either team in the Goleros-Little Urban Achievers championship game.
Pledges are limited to $20 (4 goals) unless you want to give
more.

I think it's important that we participate since, among
other things, we want to support Andy's recovery and re-introduction to soccer
and the Goleros are featuring in this event.

Please reply to your captains if you will join the Goleros pledge sheet. You can
specificy a precise donation if you prefer.

Here's to a 4-0 Goleros win and generous support for a great cause by both
teams.

Regards,

Pete & Ally


---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Tim
Date: Tue, Jun 22, 2010 at 5:03 PM

Subject: re: Soccer Game Question for this Sunday!

To: Goleros Soccer Club

Good afternoon Peter,

Congrats on your team’s success – my team looks forward to taking youon this coming Sunday at 1pm!Anyways – I wanted to run an idea past you to see if you and yourteammates may be interested in participating.This week is an important one for one of the founding members of oursoccer team – Andy. A year ago this time – he was diagnosed with a form of cancer that he was committed to beat. By late
summer oflast year, Andy was already on the mend, and so far, his recovery
hasbeen nothing short of extraordinary. In fact, he was able to get backon
the field with us for this spring season.In talking with folks – our team
decided we wanted to do somethingextra special for this weeks game to celebrate
Andy’s triumph in themost important fight of his life. We want to see if
we could convinceyou to sign up your teammates as well.For this weekend’s game,
we are asking each member of our team toconsider making a financial pledge to
the American Cancer Society.

Specifically, we are asking them to make a contribution pledge foreach goal that is scored in our championship match. Don’t worry – themaximum number of goals we told people that they will be on the hookfor is 4 – any goals beyond that won’t count towards their pledgeunless they want them too.

Personally – I have pledged to Andy that I will give $5 to ACS forevery goal scored and I hope that you and some of your teammates willconsider doing the same. We are reaching out to other captains andthe league to join in. Our hope is that we can collect enough $20 contributions (4 goals at $5 each) that we can make a contribution on Andy’s behalf to the American Cancer Society that we can all be proudof.Let me know what you think, if you have any questions and / or if youwant to participate in
this very important effort, and at what $level. If you and your teammates
are planning on donating, pleaseadvise them to bring cash or check with them to
the field on Sunday so that we can settle up right after the game.I really do
think this would be a fun way to add to our season finalethis Sunday. That
being said – if folks want to take a pass, I certainly understand, so don’t feel
like you have to participate – butI at least wanted to make you aware.

Thanks

Peter – if you want to call me about this idea, by all meansreach me at
XXXXXXX. I am looking forward to Sunday’s matchup!

Tim

Little Urban Achievers FC

Any other plays worth remembering?

This week's poll recounts some great plays from the spring season. There were others not included that are also worth remembering. How about...

• Adrian's free kick against the Diplomats. Straight shot from 30 yards out.

• De's near post block of Taz Devils low corner kick from the Quarters. She was manning the post, Taz hit a very dangerous ball low and inside. She wrapped her leg around the post and heel-slapped the ball quickly out of bounds.

• Nate's drive for the goal against Taz Devils. Even a professional foul at the 5' to try to stop the shot wasn't enough. We didn't need the PK. Nate finished the job.

Any other plays that you can think of?

LUC tops Tsunami

In the other semifinal today, Little Urban Achievers beat Tsunami by a score of 2-1. So our opponent on Sunday will be LUC. I wonder if they have a good scouting report on us? Oh, as a matter of fact they do. Their captain just reffed at least three of our games in the last couple of weeks. He saw every play.

Best team photo ever!

Ally suggested that I look through her FB page for some good team photos.

I had forgotten about this gem.

This is by far the best photo of our team ever taken. It's brilliant. Looks like everyone's having a good time. We see the awesome Alex, who I've known since her birth. It's a DC United match; everyone loves that.

BUT THEN THERE'S JASON REINCARNATED AS DC UNITED FAN!

No matter how many times I look at it I can't stop laughing.

I love it!

Finals here we come!

It's been a long since we've been this deep in the playoffs. The last time we were there was Spring 2008 following our first-place finish in the regular season. Having secured promotion already, we weren't that hungry. In the final match, we were outplayed by the Flirts.

Now, two years later, we're back - but this time in the Second Division. It will be our third appearance in a CCSL playoff final and our 5th overall finals match if you count two deep tournament runs in the Coed Classic. While we have a stellar 5-o record in semifinal games, guess what our record is in the finals? 0-4.

More on that later.

Let's do the game report for our semifinal versus first-place Itchy & Scratchy. It was a hot day out there, but we ran hard and achieved a great result. We avenged a 3-2 loss during the regular season and gave Itchy only its second loss of the season. Doubt we'll play them again soon. They are headed back to First Division, having finished at the top of the table.

Scoring summary:

• 20' - Elyse gathers a rebound at the 18' and curves a nice shot to the far post.
• 25' - Pete finds open space on the right wing, crosses back to the center. Suzie "leaves it" and Adrian finishes.
• 50' - Chris N. bends an incredible corner kick off the far post and into the net directly off his foot. Umm, golazo.
• 65' - Direct kick yielded from the 18'. The I&S player bent it around the wall and beat Pete on the far post. This was punishment for a premature substitution at the keeper position to get Alec some minutes in the field.
• 80' - Adrian slides at the 10 yard line to finish a nice cross from the left side from Chris. Adrian's shot goes hard and high into the netting.

Notes: 4-1 win in CCSL semifinals versus Itchy & Scratchy at Ridge on 6/20/2010. Goals: Elyse, Adrian (Pete), Chris N. (direct off the corner), Adrian (Chris N.). GKs: Alec, Pete.

Team completes grueling training session

As a sign of how seriously we're taking Sunday's semifinal matchup against Itchy & Scratchy, we held a grueling training session last night.

Among the various "drills" were Margs, Coronas, and appetizers.

Great happy hour. We should do it more often. We met more of the Cantina staff, including Rich, the manager who has set us up with this great sponsorship.

Now, about the game. We need to process the Tequila and be ready for Sunday morning. Itchy & Scratchy found our number in the last game and defeated us 3-2. Read about it here.

I don't have any motivational speeches. How about listening to this onerepublic video? I kind of like this song.

See you Sunday!

Happy hour scheduled for Friday 6ish at Cantina

Be there!