Save the Date!

The most anticipated soccer match ever for the US Men is happening at 2:30 EDT on June 12th. It's the U.S. vs England.

We're going to have a watch party.

While we work on the details, save the date!

Lots and lots of goals!

My friend from Scotland posted this video on my facebook page. Pretty interesting game. There are some amazing goals. The defending and goalkeeping is comical.

Sadly, we've actually played in games like this!

Victory at last!

Behold the famous classical statue, "Winged Victory." She's a symbol of elegance and triumph.

That captures the moment.

We ended a two-game slide and picked up a nice win yesterday versus the sportsmanlike Diplomats. Although we didn't play a complete game, our passing was sharp and we remained dangerous until the final minute. We never trailed (of course, Dips started the game with 8 or 9 players before fully staffing up). Props to Adrian for his sweet game-winning free kick from the 30'. Nearly a perfect take.

Last week, it was a different story. Despite a brilliant run for 20 minutes in the first half when we scored two goals, we were dismantled one piece at a time. We gave up an early goal when we were short players. Then, at half time, we began losing players to important off-the-field obligations. A red card forced our numbers down further. We finished with 9. Notably, we only gave up 1 goal with all 11 players on the field. But credit our opponents, Taz Devils, they kept up the pressure and played well. We had chances to earn at least a point but couldn't capitalize, both offensively and defensively.


Below are the game notes. Please fill in the blanks for me!


Notes: 5-3 win vs Diplomats on 5/16/10 at Ridge. Goals: Jon (forced own goal), Anna (Jon), Elyse (Pete), Adrian (free kick from 30'), Chris. GK: George.

Notes: 5-2 loss vs Taz Devils on 5/11/10 at Trinity. Goals: NK (NK), Chris (NK). GK: George. Discipline: Chris D.(red following a yellow, both cards for dissent).

Standings

We're well into the second half of the season. So it's time for standings. Take a look.

CCSL>Second Division>
Rank	Team		W	L	T	GP	PTS	GF	GA	GD	GDA
1		Itchy & Scratchy	5	0	1	6	16	15	6	9	1.5
2		Little Urban Achievers	4	1	1	6	13	13	6	7	1.2
3		Taz Devils	3	2	1	6	10	16	10	6	1.0
4		Tsunami Naranja	3	2	0	5	9	11	11	0	0.0
5		Goleros	2	3	0	5	6	12	11	1	0.2
6		DC Divided	2	3	0	5	6	12	15	-3	-0.6
6		DC Thunder	2	3	0	5	6	9	12	-3	-0.6
7		The Diplomats	1	2	2	5	5	8	10	-2	-0.4
8		Lost Tourists	1	3	2	6	5	7	14	-7	-1.2
9		Celtic	0	4	1	5	1	3	11	-8	-1.6

We're not looking that good. We're 1-3 in games played, with a 2-3 overall record due to forfeit points. We have three games to play. We must win 2 out of 3 to come out .500. That pretty much tracks our playoff trajectory as well. Two more wins should guarantee the chance to play in the post-season. Anything less is taking chances. And if we don't pick up at least one more win, relegation is a possibility.

Our work is cut out for us. Now let's do it! I know we can.

Let's Bring It on Sunday Goleros!

Sunday 5.16 Game: 4:00 pm at Ridge

Hey Team!

Let's shake off our last game and come out strong. Our game is at 4:00 pm at Ridge. Please RSVP by Thursday evening. If you have trouble with the blog please email me and or Peter directly. We would really like to know our numbers no later than Thursday.

Thank you everyone and let's go out there and bring it!

Ally & Peter

 

Columbia tournament update

Since registration supposedly opened on April 1st, we have tried to register a team in the annual Coed Classic by Columbia Soccer. We're definitely planning to play. It will be our sixth consecutive appearance.

I haven't been able to reach the tournament organizer to confirm our registration.

Anyway, we will be putting a team together and there will be limited space. Let me know if you're interested.

The tourney is July 24th and 25th.

Cantina remains on board as sponsor

I recently talked to Rich at Cantina Marina and he reiterated his support for the team again this season. We're going to see them for plenty of happy hours and we will continue to wear the fancy jerseys that the bar funded last season for us.

We may even explore some league-wide events at the bar for the World Cup or otherwise.

Let's thank our sponsor for their support.

I'm looking forward to my first margarita of the season.

RSVP now!

What up Goleros!

"A champion is someone that does not settle for that day's practice, that day's competition, that day's performance. They are always striving to be better. They don't live in the past."


The post is up for our this Sunday's game, May 9 at 2:00 pm versus Taz Devils at TRINTY.

Please RSVP to the blog by Thursday.

Many thanks,

Ally & Peter

Goleros seek spot in summer league

As you've seen from email, CCSL runs a less-structured, 7-game summer league with two divisions.



Based on strong interest, we have sought a spot in the league. We're going to try to occupy a slot all by ourselves, without merging with another team, and I think we have plenty of players to do that. Mergers are a nice way to accommodate multiple teams, but I don't think it worked very well for us, even though it was fun. You have leadership issues and a whole lot of field issues that come at the expense of improving team strategies and tactics. But we'll see. We might need players and we might be asked to make it happen.



In terms of divisions, I suspect we will be allocated to the lower division, since they usually put Premier and 1st Divsion teams in the upper division, and put the 2nd and 3rd division teams in the lower division. We will, however, seek to go to the upper division for experience.



Here's the email reply I sent to the commissioner on the subject.



More on this later. We will be asking for firm commitments and money some time this spring.

Sanjay -

The Goleros are in for summer league. At this time,
I expect to be able to field a full team without a
merger.

Regarding the World Cup, the only match that will overlap
with the season, according to the schedule you laid out, is the final. It
will be played on July 11th at 14:30 Eastern/ 20:30 Johannesburg.
Thus, some creative scheduling (all morning or evening games) should avoid
overlap. Also, if you have to schedule in the afternoon, you can put the
non-CCSL teams there!

Regards,

Peter

On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 10:13 PM, Sanjay Nayar

Hi all,

I wanted to get a sense of how many
teams would be interested in playing in a CCSL Summer league this year.
Remember that the World Cup will also be going on during this time so please
consider that when deciding yay or nay.

Some particulars:

Season would run from July 11th through Aug 22nd
Games would be only on Sundays
There would be 7 weeks of games only with no bye weeks
We would likely have 2 divisions: A & B distributed based on level
Results would have no bearing on promotion/relegation
Looking to cap at 18 teams max and CCSL teams have first dibs
Games would/could be at Ridge, Arlington (Wakefield), GW, and/or GMHS
Cost would be around $1400 as with previous
summer sessions

Teams are allowed to have 30 people on the roster
As before, merging of teams to form a single squad is perfectly legit
If you are interested in reserving a spot, please let me know by this Friday May 7th.
First come first served....

Sanjay

Interested in the DC Scores Tournament?

The Washington Freedom is hosting a 7 v 7 soccer tournament on July 10th at the Maryland Soccerplex in Gaithursburg. The event benefits DC Scores, a well-known soccer-related charity.

The entry fee is high ($850) but doable for a roster of 10 people ($85 pp).

Anyone interested?

Read about it here.

Team acquires match ball

I bought some new shoes at the soccer store on Sunday. I also picked us up a new matchball. I didn't know which one was best. The new World Cup balls are at least $120. I got us the 2008 Euro ball in blue. A little cheaper.

Here it is. This image is the replica, though. We have the real thing.

Credits: Ebay.

Two goals weren't enough

We showed nicely today at Ridge against a top team in the division. We scored two goals. But it wasn't enough. Itchy & Scratchy, currently in first place, capitalized on two deflections to open up scoring, and put two more past us during the match.

Even the other team agreed that we had the better plays and probably the better chances. The difference was a single play. I would say the only thing we need to think about as a team is how to keep the advantage after we score. We are quite prone to give up goals within minutes of scoring.

I missed the last game so I wasn't privy to our form. It's great form. The passing is much more crisp than last season and the defense is under control. I think we're in good position for our match versus DC Thunder next week.

Did we play well? What did we do best? How do we avoid giving up goals within minutes of scoring and at the beginning of halves?

Scoring summary:

• 10' - I&S scores after a fortunate deflection in our end. Alec made a fantastic save but his deflection found the feet of another player, who had an open lane to the net.
• 20' - I&S scores from the left wing, when their player made an incredible shot from just a few feet inside the side line, curving over Alec.
• 40' - Ashley first-times a bobble by their goalie (created by Adrian, who challenged the keeper in the air).
• 75' - Elyse runs onto a 50/50 ball at the top of the box and is shouldered hard by their defender. A penalty is called. Mike scores when his low and hard shot to the right post is too hard for the keeper (who even got a hand on it).
• 76' - Failed pass leads to a poke and finish by I&S for the three points.

Your captain would like to single out Anna for a game well-played, and for stepping into the goalie position for about 10 minutes. She notched one of the best saves of the match on a 50-yard 1-on-1 breakaway. At the time, that kept us in the game.

Notes: 3-2 loss vs Itchy & Scratch on 5/2/2010 at Ridge. Goals by Ashley (unassisted but with special mention for Adrian's challenge of the keeper), PK goal by Mike (earned by Elyse). GK: Alec, Anna for 10 minutes. Discipline: Yellow for Alec (slide tackle outside the box).

Goleros pick up 6 points on a 4-1 win and a forfeit decision (updated)

In the past two weeks, we picked up 6 points.

We earned a convincing victory versus Celtic on 4/18 and then, a week later, a forfeit decision versus Lost Tourists. We tried to reschedule the Lost Tourists game to accommodate the other team, but there are too few dates left on the calendar, and we couldn't assemble enough players for a weeknight match in May.

Who earned the points in the Celtic match? Fill it in for this report. If there were any cards or other outstanding plays, please comment on that too.

Notes: 4-1 win versus Celtic on 4/18/2010. Goals by Mike (PK earned by Elyse), Mike (PK earned by ?), Not Known, Mike (Deanna).

3-0 decision versus Lost Tourists on a forfeit.

IT'S GAME TIME!!!

Dearest Goleros,

 

Ok, so we will have been off for 2 weeks (again) but that doesn't mean anything! Let's go out there and WIN!

Game this Sunday, May 2 at 10:00 am (I swear!) vs Itchy & Scratchy at Ridge in Southeast DC.

 

Special Guest Player: Jackie Yacenda!

 

Schedule notes

Hi everyone, greetings from Antwerp, a fretty funky town. I'll be back for this weekend's game.

A couple of notes for the season. Two of our games have been pushed back to later in the day. Note the updated schedule on this website.

Also, no word yet on a potential reschedule of the Lost Tourists game.

Let's get ready to play this weekend! You'll be hearing more from us on that.

SUNDAY APRIL 25 GAME CANCELLED

Hey Guys,

The other team had to forfeit due to lack of players so no game this Sunday :(

Email us if you have any questions.

Ally & Peter

 

Where's Alec...?

 

Hey Ally - sorry I didn't make it out to the game yesterday. I should have let everyone know that I have a new work cell (and a new job, ha) which I'm yet to import all of my contacts into. I texted Peter from my 631 number, but I'm not sure if he got it.  

 

Otherwise, I am OK. Glad to hear you guys won yesterday. What time is the game next Sunday?

 

-Alec

 

GAME: Sunday April 25...Lets make it another win!

Hey Team,

Great game on Sunday. We played really well and looked good doing it.

 

Our next game is at 9:00 am (I swear!) this Sunday.

 

Sun. 4/25, 9:00 a.m. vs Lost Tourists at Wilson HS in Northwest DC

 

Please RSVP to the blog no later than Thursday.

 

Thank you and have a great week.

 

Ally & Peter

 

http://golerosteam.blogspot.com

 

Next Goleros Game: Sunday April 18 @ 12:00 pm

Hey Team,

Our next game is one week away......woohoo! Please RSVP to the blog sooner rather than later so we can figure out numbers.

 

Sun. 4/18, 12:00 p.m. vs Celtic at Ridge in Southeast DC

 

Hope all is well and I am looking forward to seeing you soon.

Ally & Peter

 

Out of Office

On April 9th, I'm headed to France for two weeks. It's going to be awesome. We've got an apartment in the center of Paris, not too far from Champs Elysee. We're going to enjoy the city and do a few day trips. We've got one overnight planned to the Normandy Landing Beaches. You'll be getting way too many updates from me on facebook.

Since it will be relatively slow going, I may post a few times on the blog. And I'm going to try to bring some boots so I can join in some pick up if I can find it.

Ally's your point of contact for everything. She's got this thing. You're going to be sorry though. She's kind of a disciplinarian.

Good luck, team!

Jon & Missy

This is a big week for Jon & Missy, two of my favorite people.

On Saturday, they are getting married in the area.

After that, they're off to the Caribbean. This, apparently, is some kind of excuse for Jon not making our April 18th game (?).

I'm sure you would agree that Jon & Missy are great together. Personally, I couldn't be happier that they are getting married. I wish them the best.

Missy is our #1 Fan. She's at the games. She shows up to the happy hours. She talks Jon down when he gets a little too worked up.

I'm worried about two things though. First, let's hope she doesn't change her mind in the next few days because Jon is a seriously lucky man. Second, let's hope when they're married that we still see get to see Missy. It's pretty common for the wives to drop out of the soccer scene once they secure the union; they're interest in watching a group of adults struggle to kick a ball dissipates. I've seen it a million times. And I speak from experience. While I have all the support in the world at home for my soccer endeavors, I do get quite a few teasing remarks thrown my way when the Goleros texting network goes into high gear on Sundays.

Anyway, feel free to use this space to commemorate the occasion for our friends. Congratulations to them both!

Team outing to the DCU game

We got a bunch of tickets to the DC United game on Saturday, April 17th. The 7:30 game is versus the Chicago Fire.

Unfortunately, all of our free tickets are taken. But feel free to contact Zach Walker at DCU for your own tickets. There will likely be plenty of room to watch the game in the same place.

CBT Team Photo

Here's our excellent squad. I may enable a Picasa slide show later, but for now, you've probably seen the photos on facebook.

Goleros part ways with "El Niño"

As difficult as this is to write, it’s time for us to go in another direction. After six years and approximately 40 goals, we had to make a tough cut before the roster deadline – Chris is going to have to play with another team on Sundays.

Don’t get me wrong, he was one of our greatest players. After all, he used to drive from Baltimore for games and impress us with his motorcycle. But each season, things got more weird and he steadily made more demands. About two years ago, he started demanding that the team offset his fees so he could pay for kangaroo-leather indoor shoes. When he bought custom socks to match our orange uniforms, he sent the bill to me. Last year, he convinced me that he should only have to run in the offensive half of the field and that he shouldn’t have to pass to anyone he didn’t like, which included me. But this year, it went too far. He wanted the team to pay for weekly pedicures so that his pretty little feet didn’t get messed up in games. I think we have to make a stand here, folks.

Good luck, Chris!