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?

New field added to the mix this season

You'll notice from the schedule that we're playing on premium fields. Again.

We're scheduled to play at Trinity College in Northeast DC, St. Stephens High School in Alexandria, and a new field, Ridge Athletic Center in Southeast DCa. Ridge is a new multi-purpose facility in Anacostia. I've heard there is decent parking.

We have 3 games currently scheduled at Ridge, one of which has an...wait for it...8:00 a.m. start time.

Click here to see the location on a map: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=800+ridge+road,+washington,+DC&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=50.956929,113.994141&ie=UTF8&ll=38.880978,-76.961203&spn=0.024688,0.055661&z=15

Important message from your captains

Everyone on the team will need to focus right from the start this season. Our first three games will be played under difficult circumstances and it's going to take our best efforts. Show up early, take a few touches, study your pre-game materials (kidding about that last one). We don't want to be 0-3 because we couldn't field enough players or we weren't at the field on time. Let's let our play dictate the results, and then we don't have to worry, because it will be fun and worth it no matter what happens.

This week, about 2/3 of the team is out. That's a tough way to start. Thankfully, we have some great reserves ready to go, and it's going to be a good match. We're playing a former 1st division team. Believe me, they're going to come ready to prove that they belong back in the 1st division.

On Sept 13th, our game is at the crack, 8:00 a.m. That can't be an excuse. It sucks, I mean it's a little crazy on a Sunday morning for a rec activity, but we need to deal. Hey, you get to start your day early. We play Celtic, which had a great season in the spring.

On Sept. 20th, we play another former 1st division team.

We take all opponents seriously, and each week will be a challenge, no doubt. But we thought it was necessary to talk about the first three weeks. We have to be ready.

We're up to it!

Fall schedule announced!

The fall schedule has been announced. Please take a look. Let me know as soon as possible if you expect to be out games so we can plan. Focus on the date - do you have a wedding, will you be traveling? I will load up the schedule on the website soon as usual.



Sun. 8/30 - 11:00 a.m. vs Itchy & Scratchy (Trinity in Northeast)

Sun. 9/6 - NO GAMES

Sun. 9/13 - 8:00 a.m. vs. Celtic (Ridge, new field in Anacostia)

Sun. 9/20 - 12:00 p.m. vs Prism (Trinity)

Sun. 9/27 - 5:00 p.m. vs Armory (St. Stephens in Alexandria)

Sun. 10/4 - 2:00 p.m. vs Gang Green (Ridge)

Sun. 10/11 - BYE

Sun. 10/18 - 2:00 p.m. vs Little Urban Achievers (Trinity)

Sun. 10/25 - 4:00 p.m. vs Diplomats (Ridge)

Sun. 11/1 - 3:00 p.m. vs Quicksilver (Trinity)

Sun. 11/8 - Makeup date

Sat. and Sun. 11/14-15 - Playoffs

Sun. 11/22 - Playoffs

What is the caption for this photo?

Supply your own caption for this photo. There's got to be some good ideas out there. Let's hear them.

Photos of happy hour

Great happy hour. We need to do that more often. There was a little something for everyone. Looking forward to the next outing at Cantina Marina. Later this week, we'll officially announce their sponsorship of our team. Very exciting stuff.

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Deadline for dues is Sunday

Lots of people have paid me, which is great! At the same time, however, it appears as if several players will miss the deadline that was announced a month ago. See our payment policy here. If I don't have your money before Aug. 30th, you can't play until you've paid and your roster spot isn't secure (unless you've talked to me separately). I avoided this kind of approach for years, but last season things just didn't work. I got strung out for weeks and months by some players.

Please arrange for payment by Sunday. Use paypal (to my personal account) or send to my home address. I sent out emails with those instructions.

On the charity side, contributions are way up this season! We should have a healthy donation to United for DC. So please keep them coming.

Deal in the works

Good news.

We're close to bringing on Cantina Marina as a sponsor this season.

Elyse and Suzie, who work there, have been really helpful in helping us reach this new milestone. Judging byhow well last night's happy hour went, and what a sweet spot Cantina Marina is, I think this would work out great.

Hopefully, we can get it done!

Stay tuned.

Week 1: RSVP to game on Sun. Aug. 30th 11:00 a.m. at Trinity

The scheduler just announced week 1. We play at 11:00 a.m. at Trinity. We're the home team so bring a white shirt as a potential alternate jersey.

Please RSVP by Wednesday. We want to hit the ground running this week. We don't want a situation where we don't know who's playing and when they're showing up.

Ally is your captain.

We already know that Tracy, Adrian, Cat, Katya, Pete, Jon, and Heather are out.

Have a great game! Fall season is finally here!

Summer league concludes (updated)

So, did you enjoy it?

Who's the MVP?

What should we think about for next year?

These are among the questions you must answer by replying to this post.

Good job everyone. We suffered another loss in our last game, but I think we found our fighting spirit and landed a few punches.

Adrian's goal from the field was dominant and gained the entire team a lot of respect at an important time. He followed it up with a nice PK. Well done, Ally, in getting us on the board with that first goal. Andy, you should be singled out for sticking with it in goal and making some good saves despite a faltering defense that left you 1-on-1 for most of those goals.

Girl's got moves

Thanks to our three captains - Ally, Alyssa, and Carey.

Hope to see everyone at happy hour tonight (Monday) at 6:00 p.m., Cantina Marina.

Good luck to everyone in the fall.

Results of "Red Tsunami"


SUMMER 2009
---------------
8-1 win vs Grey Team on 7/12
4-0 loss vs DC Feds on 7/19
1-0 loss vs Two Left Feet
4-3 loss to
White Team
3-1 loss on 8/9
3-0 shorthanded loss on 8/16 vs Green Team
7-3 loss to Armory 8/23

Touchdown!

Last week's poll asked what Cooper's first words were. They were, in fact, "touchdown." According to his father, Cooper has always been inclined to raise his arms up. When he does it, his parents say "touchdown." And so it happened that his first words were "touchdown."

Here he is - cute little guy.

Everyone welcome at happy hour

Everyone - including our friends at Tsunami, Flirts, and Red Stripe - are welcome at our pre-season happy hour this coming Monday. We're gathering at Cantina Marina at 6:00 p.m. to have a marg or two.

See you there!

Final Red Tsunami Game Sun. Aug. 23 at 4:00 p.m. @ Wakefield

Hey team,   Let's make a good showing for our final game this Sunday at 4:00pm at Wakefield.   Wakefield HS  4901 South Chesterfield Road Arlington, VA 22206   Please reply to the blog by Friday.  Hope to see a lot of you out there for this final game!!    - Your Captains

Captains Meeting Report

Each season, I do a report on the league-wide captains meeting. Read last season's report here. I encourage people to read about the league. It takes a lot to put all of this together so we can enjoy our Sundays.

We went over the spring season and how difficult it was from a scheduling perspective. Sanjay mentioned that almost all teams were accommodated under difficult circumstances. Some players apparently sent some nasty emails to the exec team. The exec team asked captains to educate teams about how hard everyone works to make the league run. Believe it or not, there are people who spend 40, 50, 60, 70 hours or more each season to meet the state requirements, get fields, etc.

Sked - the season starts Aug. 30th. We're off Labor Day Weekend. Rosters are due in the 4th week, or by Sept. 26th before the Sept. 27th game. Makeup date is Nov. 8th. Playoffs hopefully to start Nov. 14th. Thanksgiving is our hard stop.

Fields - Commish reminds players to clean up after themselves at the fields and to respect the rules, whether it's no peein' or no bringin' dogs, or whatever. We work hard to get permits and develop relationships. Seriously, it takes major networking to compete with the other leagues, the youth teams, the church groups, etc. We're a nonprofit and extremely successful thus far. We have a field fund of approximately $50,000 in a money market account that we've been accumulating for a longer-term solution for field space. Teams contribute $100 of their dues each season to the fund. We want to buy a field or enter into a partnership. It's difficult though. Our best options seem to be to offset the cost of new construction in exchange for preferential or exclusive treatment. We could also think more broadly by teaming up with other leagues and/or private sponsors who could potentially leverage tax breaks to build a field. Anyway, it's not close, but something to reach for. BTW, we're always looking for field opportunities, if you have ideas, or even better, connections with the Athletic Department.

Finances - Dues were paid in the amount of $1650. No increase this season after all. The league levied fines in the amount of $500 for 3 teams who didn't make their minimum reffing requirements. 1 team was subject to the forfeit fine of $200, but I get the feeling it was forgiven. Teams must notify the league by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday to avoid a forfeit.

Coed cup - the national organization is sponsoring the National Coed Cup again this year on October 24-25, 2009 in Dallas, TX.

Player passes - we haven't moved to implement player passes yet. However, if you need one for a tournament, the registrar can arrange it with 2 weeks notice for $5. This is an accredited league so USASA passes are possible.

Referees - We have a good roster of refs but we need more. Refer to past posts about new certification opportunities. This is the best way to help your team and your league! If you register and work 10 games, the league will refund your registration costs. All equipment is apparently tax deductible. Our only working ref is Jeremy, who made our 5 game minimum last season. Nate and Katya are/were once certified, and may be pressed into service in the future. Refs get $55 as a center and $40 as an assistant referee - per game.

Website - players can enter in their stats on the league's website if they want. We have never participated, for several reasons. But I'm not opposed to players entering their own stats if they want.

Discipline - there were only 2 incidents last year, both from red cards, which are usually reviewed I believe to assess the appropriate suspension. I'm going to be on the disciplinary committee this season.

Socials - we're going to do a tailgate for DCU this fall, or for the US vs Costa Rica game.

Promotion/relegation - Premier Division: Backdraft is coming up; Team X is going down. First Division: Flirts and Capital Crew are coming up; Itchy & Scratchy and Prism are going down. Second Division: Quicksilver and Celtic are coming up; Tsunami and DC Thunder are going down.

Thus, we are losing fully four teams from our division last season. The Flirts and the Crew are going up to 1st. Tsunami and DC Thunder are going down. In their places, we will be facing Itchy & Scratchy, Prism, Celtic, and Quicksilver.

Bring your dog to happy hour

Cantina Marina, the location of our Monday, Aug. 24th happy hour, is dog friendly. According to their website, you can bring your dog to happy hour on Mondays.

That sounds fun.

Imagine if Moxie and Ty could have a reunion. They got along so well together.

See you there!

Globe trotters

We're the DC Globetrotters.

Today, Heather is leaving for her exciting public health project in Uganda. Safe travels! I think we're all looking forward to hearing about the trip. I think she'll be back for the first game, but if not, soon thereafter. She's been in touch with our former legendary players, Patrick and John, who are both originally from Uganda. John once gave me an authentic Uganda national team jersey that was worn by players. I love it!

Meanwhile, Ally is in Toronto for work. Cat just got back from Panama. I went to China last season. Alec is headed to the Dominican Republic later this month; De was there in the spring. Griz went to Colombia last year. George and the Silver Fox went to London for premiership and Champions League games - and George had his honeymoon in the Bahamas, documenting for us his preference for a speedo. Bubbles and Missy go to Aruba from time to time.

We're, like, so cool with our international traveling.

Watch USA Mexico tomorrow!

The biggest World Cup qualifying match of the year happens tomorrow when the U.S. plays Mexico in Mexico City. It's on Telemundo (Spanish) and Mun2 (English) at the very strange time of 3:00 p.m. Eastern. That means you have to set your DVRs tonight or leave work early.

Why is this match important?

Mexico is our arch rival, and it's one of only a handful of CONCACAF teams that can hang with us. Mexico cleaned our clock in the recent regional Gold Cup tournament (5-0) and it's time for payback. If we win, and it's a big "if," it will be historic: our first ever win in Azteca stadium in approximately 20 attempts. Also, we will take a major step towards qualification for South Africa. Mexico, on the other hand, really can't afford to lose. They are sitting on the outside of qualification looking in. If they were to lose to the U.S. in this match, their confidence would be shot and they would reach for the panic button. Trust me, if they are trailing late in the game, you will see desperation on the pitch. Without their captain, Rafa Marquez, it's not going to be easy for them.

Watch it! And don't text me any updates about it that night.

Scrimmage likely for Sat. Aug. 22nd

Folks have been answering my email. It looks like scrimmage for the 22nd will work for a lot of people, if we can find the field space.

Save the date!

We will probably need bodies, so if you're on Tsunami, Flirts, or Red Stripe, send me and email because we probably want you to come out (golerosteam AT gmail DOT com).

Happy birthday to Katya

Let's wish her a happy birthday and a productive year!

Heat advisory

A group of us went to the DCU vs Real Madrid game today. Whew, it was a hot one, and not just because Cristiano Ronaldo was there. One player - who will remain anonymous - asked me to snap his photo because she has a little thing for him.

Real Madrid handily beat DC United, but it was a pretty good match. It was hard for the players to run full steam in the heat, with nothing at stake. DCU held them off in the first half but gave away 3 goals on some quick and painful strikes by Higuain and Robben. Those guys are pretty good.

Jer, Chip, and I had the best seats in the house: lower bowl, 18 yard line, in the shade, right by the exit. Chris wasn't too far away, but if you're from Baltimore, you have to sit in the upper decks. Our friend Kara was also in attendance.

Meanwhile, I am told that Red Tsunami lost its match today.

Here's a photo of Chip and Jer. Check out the rest of the photos here.

Join our group on facebook!

This blog remains the home of Goleros.

However, to take advantage of a fun and powerful tool, we've created a Facebook group for the team. Everyone is welcome - players, past players, friends, opponents, and fans.

I have a post up there trying to collect more names for our fall party. I'd like to reconnect with as many past players as possible.

If you want join our group, go to this link: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=111859238795&ref=mf

Happy hour planned!

Cat is stepping up to plan our next happy hour. You may have already gotten the evite - it's currently on for Monday, August 24, at Cantina Marina. If you didn't get the evite yet, don't worry, you're welcome. I'm mainly talking to you, Red Tsunami players.

We have lots to celebrate and discuss - Kate & Bri leaving; Elyse, Suzie and others joining; summer league; fall strategy.

Come join us!

Irreplaceable

It's time to say goodbye to our friends, Kate and Bri, who are both moving back to New York City to pursue new opportunities.

Kate is attending a grad school program for museum education in the city. Perhaps she's going to be the night watchman at the Museum of Natural History. Seriously, though, hopefully she'll return to the Smithsonian in a few years - and bring her skills back with her.

Bri's also headed back to school, and I've heard she's got some exciting opportunities back home.

We'll miss you gals on a personal level. Plus, I'm sure everyone on the team would agree that you're presence on the field was great. Kate, you can play many roles well, and you're so chill. Bri, you're one of the finest rec midfielders any of us have ever played with.

Hopefully, we can get our August happy hour scheduled in time to say proper goodbyes. By proper goodbyes, I guess I mean shots!

Good luck!

Rain dance

We should have done a rain dance before the game to get the gods on our side. Instead, they conspired against us to deliver a 4-3 loss in the final minutes.

We moved the ball effectively at times and folks played well. We had three nice goals, particularly the first and third, which made for a nice Sunday morning despite the rain. Lisa had a fantastic game in net and deserved at least the tie for her outstanding one-on-one save in the 80'.

Don't worry, be happy. Follow the example of the Red Tsunami ambassadors below, who are showing the love.

Looking forward to the next outing. I suggest we get organized early due to the DCU/Real Madrid game, which conflicts.

Comments are always welcome.

Have a nice week.

Notes [corrected] : 4-3 loss to White Team, 8/2/09, Yorktown HS. Goals by Carlos (Lena/Alyssa?), Pete (Lena), Nate (Adrian). GK: Lisa.

TIME/FIELD CHANGE FOR SUNDAY

Per Alyssa's email, we will play at 10:30 a.m. at Yorktown High School in Arlington.

Please make a note of the change.