Rain in the forecast, but we'll probably play

Rain showers are in the forecast tonight and tomorrow morning, as shown here. But keep in mind, we're playing on turf, so we are likely to play if the rain isn't too bad. Plan to show up. You can check the CCSL website or call the inclement weather line (shown on this homepage) for updates.

Good luck to Jer and Kristin who are running the Cherry Blossom 10K tomorrow, and to George who is playing in a Cherry Blossom WC-style tournament.

Help your team, be a referee

Here's a great opportunity to increase your knowledge of soccer tactics, help your team, and make some money on the side.

CCSL is offering a reffing course in April. It would be great if someone on the team attended. Although the cost is $45, either CCSL or Goleros will refund that back to you if you sign up to ref in our league. As you know, we must provide refs to the league or else pay a $200 fine per season. This season, we are being helped by Jer and Nathan in that regard (we'll do a future profile of them on this blog).

Reffing is sometimes fun but always challenging and interesting. We highly recommend it.

BTW, choosing the picture for this post was difficult. Obviously this chap is the most famous referee ever. But if you type referee into google images, it's amazing how many pictures of scantily clad women come up.



Posted by: "Carmella Alvaro" mailto:ccslref@yahoo.com?Subject=+Re%3AOne%20more%20new%20ref%20course%20added%21%20Pls%20send%20to%20your%20players
Thu Mar 29, 2007 5:37 am (PST)
Captains, Please forward to your teams. We created a second new ref course to make sure we get as many people trained as possible. This is in ADDITION to the course to be held on April 3, 5, 10, 12. The NEW class will be held April 9, 11, 17 and 19. Info and instructions on how to register below. Any questions from ccsl players can be directed to me at ccslref@yahoo.com. Thanks, CarmMany of you are having problems with the dates of the referee course in which you are now enrolled. Because of this and the fact that this class is now full, we are starting a new referee grade 8 course on Monday April 9th at the same place and time. You will find the information on this course below. After the course information you will find some instructions on how to change courses. If you have any questions about this please email me at twfrank@aol.com.





Class Code: NORTH00317-07 Area: NorthGrade: 8Type: New RefereeDates: 04/09/2007 - 04/19/2007Times: 6:30 - 10:30 PM on April 9, 11, 17, and 19Location: Law Office of Greenstein DeLorme & Luchs, P.C., 1620 L Street, NW, Suite 900, Washington, DCClub Name: WAWSL & CCSLInstructor: Frank, ThomasContact: Jesse KratzContact Email: refs@wawsl.orgMinimum #: 10Maximum #: 25Comments:





Students must attend all four sessions and must complete online registration to sign up for the clinic (two-step process) at the State Referee Program web page: www.vadcsoccerref.com. If you have a problem registering and signing up for a clinic, e-mail Tom Frank at twfrank@aol.com. Cost of the class is $45. You can pay on-line or bring check to class, checks to be made out to 'State Referee Program'.INSTRUCTIONS1. Go to the MDCVSRA website http://www.vadcsoccerref.com/ 2. On the left hand side select “Online Registration.”3. On the next screen select “2006-2007 Profile (registered after 8/15/06)”.4. Enter the information on the screen and select “View Personal Profile”.5. On the next screen verify your name, and select “View Personal Profile”.6. After your profile appears, select “Register for a Class” or “Un-register from a Class”7. If the sort option comes up enter:• Area ---- North• Status -- Available Classes • Type ---- New Grade 8• Month --- April• View ---- AllThen select “Sort Data”. You should see a list of classes.8. The class that you want to un-register from is NORTH00309-07 and the one that you want to register for is NORTH00317-07.

Introducing our logo

You're nobody until you've got a logo. Well, at least that's what some people think. We're not so sure, but we wanted one anyway. It's all in fun.

The logo you see on this blog is something we've wanted for a while. Yet, while we only thought about it, Carlos went out and did it - secretly. He had his brother, Jorge, who has graphics design experience, work up a draft for us, gratis. Jorge did outstanding work. He captured our attitude and brand quite nicely.

Our logo uses a familiar sports template, the crest, as shown here. But the crest is simplified to represent our humble roots as a rec, not a professional, club. The gold outline is classy, like well...let's see, there's got to be something classy about this team. We opted for a DC flag instead of a mascot (like DC United's logo) or some other image of Washington. The red in the flag also shouts out to our original color: red. We wore that color all the way through last season, and still use the reds as alternates. Additionally, you can of course see a "2000" to mark the year we were founded and entered into the DCJCC league.

This is a great gift to the team by Carlos and Jorge. We appreciate it and it will hereinafter stand for the Goleros.

What do you think about it? Should we get it printed on our jerseys?

New time, new place for Sunday's game

Due to field availability problems at Gunston, we have a new time and a new field for Sunday. The game will be at 9:45 a.m. at Virginia Highlands. This is the artificial playing surface in Pentagon City - the same stuff we played on last week. It's metro accessible. You can find directions to VA Highlands, and all our fields, on the CCSL website.

Goleros win under the lights

This photo depicts Goleros fans celebrating our hard-fought 2-0 victory over Far Post at Washington & Lee High School last night. Chris' mom and Anna's boyfriend - two more loyal fans who attended the match - are not pictured.

What a fantastic way to kick off our season! We fielded a full and healthy squad, thanks in no small part to two of our favorite alternates (Jules and Liz). We successfully shook off the cobwebs of the offseason to play 90 good minutes against a quality and sportsmanlike opponent. Surprisingly, our fitness was decent. We have now earned a 2-0 record versus Far Post (both shut-outs). We last faced them in the Fall season opener at Trinity, taking a victory by the score of 6-0.

In the first half, we spent most of the time chasing the ball and getting back our touches. We had a few close chances and there was one attempted bicycle kick by your Captain. The kick was just slightly right of goal - OK, 90 degrees right of goal!

In the second half, with the wind at our backs, we created a lot of chances. We capitalized off an errant clearance by going back over the top of the D. Goal by Chris (Pete). We converted our next goal on a surprising half-field run by our new all-purpose player, Nathan (assist by Jon). And welcome Nathan! Both goals demonstrated a lot of confidence.

All three lines contributed. We had a busy defense, both up the middle and along the wings. The goalkeeping was, as you will recall, outstanding, with at least two fully-extended saves.

It was great to see everybody again, we've got a great team dynamic. We think that was a Goleros classic. See you next week.

BTW - someone PLEASE comment on this blog!

RE: OK, off to the races...

Hey guys,

my coach sent this to our team a while ago and i thought i'd share it as a way to get us psyched up for tomorrow's game:

http://gprime.net/video.php/foottricks

it's football freestyle - freaking awesome!

Go Goleros!!!

________________________________

US vs. Ecuador

Get ready for our Sunday night game by watching the US men play their first March friendly versus Ecuador. The game is Sunday at 12:00 p.m. EST on ESPN2.

The Ecuador match is more a training exercise than a serious outing. At this point, we don't even have a permanent head coach or a sense of who will lead this team through the summer and eventually into World Cup qualifying. But, the result could be anything. Ecuador is a strong club, with World Cup success, who is bringing 11 World Cup players to the game.

On our side, leaders need to start emerging. Most of the famous veterans are retired from international soccer - Reyna, McBride, Lewis. Some major stars are still very much a part of the future: Onyewu (Newcastle), Donovan (LA Galaxy), Howard (Everton), Dempsey (Fulham), Beas (Man City). And Kasey Keller (Bor. M'gladbach) has returned for the time being. Still others are slowly climbing on top of the player pool - newbies Jay DeMerit (Waterford FC), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday), and Benny Feilhaber (Hamburger SV), plus DC's own Brian Carroll. Check out the roster and players in camp here.

What you need to know

Here's what you need to know about the team, in case you've forgotten or are new.

Attendance - we expect you to show up to each game - it's up to you to notify us if you can't make it. We need to hear from you ASAP, in order to be sure we can field a team.

Inclement weather line - 703-229-6997. This number, and lots of other information, is also on the CCSL website.

Jerseys - the team owns the jerseys and provides them for each game.

Key rules - We're here first and foremost for fun. We're about the team experience. We play 45 minute halves when possible. We must be ready within 15 minutes of KO time. We cannot field more than 6 of any gender. We may not start a game with fewer than 2 of a gender. No slide tackles. Playoffs for the top 6 teams. The format of the playoffs depends upon field availability and how many games were rained out. The top two teams from each division are promoted, the bottom two relegated, unless you're in Division III.

Dues - please pay your dues before the first game, to avoid the Captain having to front a lot of cash.

OK, off to the races...

We're getting more chit chat about the season than we've ever had before - it seems we're all really excited! Well, it's time to play.

Our first game is Sunday night at 7pm at Washington & Lee HS in Arlington. You can mapquest the location if you don't know it: 1300 N Quincy St, Arlington, VA 22201. Be there at 6:15-6:30.

Please help your captain keep his sanity by arriving early. You know me before the first game of the season - I'm a basket case. Let's kick off the first match in an organized fashion. This game will be a new experience for the team - the turf is fast and true. We need to warm up and be prepared to play to space, something that we are not that accustomed to doing. This and Trinity are as nice a field as you get in rec soccer, believe me it will be sweet.

Our attendance looks good, in fact it's pushing 100%. Although we rarely have a crowded sideline, it's probably gonna happen this week. It's OK, though, we'll need plenty of subs. If you haven't let me know your status, please do.

Remember, please bring your dues to the game (exceptions for newbies).

Charity program off to a great start

This is a reminder that we need your dues ($90 + 9) by the first game. We have to write a big check to the league so don't leave us hanging.

The charitable program is off to a great start! So far, we have 100% participation among those who've paid (remember, use paypal if you can!).

Do you need a further incentive? For those who haven't paid yet, and there are plenty of you, your captain will match your contribution, subject to a total limit. The money goes to United for DC. Although we won't be able to send a huge contribution, we should easily be able to pass on a couple of hundred dollars.

Thoughts on our sched

As you know, our schedule was released today, and it's much different than anything we've seen before. From our perspective, it's a great schedule, but it's not without its challenges.

Share your thoughts about the schedule by commenting on this post. Some things to think about...

• We're circling two dates on the calendar: this Sunday, March 25th, and Sunday, April 29th. This Sunday, we play our first game of the season - but more importantly, our first game on turf (not to mention our first night game). It's going to be fast, fun, but tiring. On Sunday April 29th, we'll have a rematch with Capital Crew, who beat us 2-0 last season. It was a bitter loss. They're not going to run over us this time.
• The 8:00 a.m. game in week 3 is brutal.
  
• Our fields are awesome! If they're not premium fields, they are in premium locations. 2 games on turf, 3 games at the Marina (horrible field, good location), 1 game on the Mall, and 1 game at Trinity. This is what we're paying for.
• It's not going to be easy to get into a rhythm because we are pretty much two weeks on, 1 week off. We'll have to see how this affects us.
• Basically, we're excited and we hope you are. Let's have fun!
  

Multimedia msg: DC United plays to a tie

Posted this on a mobile phone...cool.

Not a huge Goleros turnout for the DC game, but fun nonetheless. Miserable weather but great game! DC, which was outplayed the entire match, snuck a header in in extra time. Our new forward, Emilio, looked awesome.

View the highlights here.

Captain's Meeting Report

I attended my first CCSL Captain's meeting last night - and there was plenty of drama. It culminated in an awkward, and quite frankly, sad election to remove the referee assignor. Apparently, there were serious communication problems notwithstanding his long service to the league. The volunteers that run our league take their jobs seriously.

Other news:

Spring season - it does in fact start on March 25th. The schedule will be out by next Tuesday, and this season, the officers promised to get the whole schedule out at one time. Don't forget that your dues to me ($99) are due by Friday March 23rd.

Fields - a growing issue (see the irony?). This Spring, things look fine. We'll be playing on the Mall occassionally, one of the great features of CCSL. Other games will be at familiar locations. But come Fall, we've got a problem. The Marina (being re-seeded) and Gannett (sold) will be out of commission, which is bad news because both were free. The league will have to pay more field usage fees, often costing in excess of $125/hr, which of course increases pressure on team fees. The league has long been in a wait-list position in Arlington, and they are looking elsewhere. They need people to help with this effort over the long term, if you're interested.

Refs - Jer and Nathan (new, to be announced later) are representing us as referees. Each team must provide one or be fined $200. We may have already incurred a fine in fact. As you might be able to understand now, this is a very organic, volunteer-driven league, so I will be asking folks to get more involved. We may train more referees as we go along.

Playoffs - we will continue to have a two-stage playoff for the top 6 teams in the league, unless the schedule has become too tight because of whether in which case there will only be 1 playoff weekend. The top two teams would play for 1st place, the third and fourth teams would play for third place, and the fifth and sixth teams would play for fifth place. We would have been that fifth team, narrowly edged out for a chance at third place. Also, no more golden goal in the playoffs. We are reverting to the FIFA rules; one 10 minute OT and then PKs.

Spring dues

Playing on premium fields ain't free. Please send in your Spring dues by March 23rd. We prefer paypal, but will accept personal checks. Instructions to follow by email.

Dues are a little higher than normal to account for the team's sweet jerseys. (Don't think that this extra amount comes even close to covering their cost). Nevertheless, we encourage you to squeeze in a few extra bucks for our new charity program. If everyone donates, we can reach a couple of hundred dollars in our first effort.

$90 dues

$9.00 optional donation to Goleros charity program (all proceeds go to United for DC).

$99 total

Just pay it and get ready for a great season!

US Soccer Primer

We are big fans of U.S. soccer, the captain in particular. We won't be able to resist commenting from time to time, maybe even having some watch parties. There is a lot going on this summer for the national team.

We have friendlies versus Ecuador and Guatemala later this month. More opportunities for interim? coach Bob Bradley to make an impression after the fantastic win over Mexico in February.

In June, the US Men's National Team (MNT) will enter the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which is the regional tournament held every other year for the North American/ Central American/ Caribbean region in which the U.S. qualifies for the World Cup. It is often said that there are 3 giants in the region: the U.S., Mexico, and Costa Rica. We have won the tourney several times, including the last time. Our initial group includes El Salvador, Guatemala, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Then, in July (actually starting June 28th), the MNT will enter Copa America, a much more competitive tournament but for the South American region. We routinely get invited as a guest but haven't participated since 1995 when we finished a surprise fourth. We are entering in response to criticism that we don't play enough quality competition. Think Czech Republic game in the World Cup. Well we drew Argentina, Colombia, and Paraguay so that won't be an issue!

It's two tournaments in a row. It will be interesting to see which players Coach Bradley calls upon for the different games. Of course we can't forget the U20 world cup beginning in Canada. Our highly regarded and promising young players have drawn Brazil. And the U.S. women are playing their World Cup soon as well. They are a team in transition.

We give to charity

This season, we're kicking off our charity program. Captains of the Goleros have spent so much time collecting money from players, we decided that we could use that process to support worthy charitable causes on behalf of the team. Over time, we hope to raise hundreds maybe even thousands of dollars for good causes. Each season, we'll ask for a small optional contribution on top of dues. Whatever we receive will be periodically sent to charity in its entirety. Again, your participation is optional.

We've chosen United for DC as the charity. United for DC is the charity arm of the DC United. It supports DC-area children's programs and soccer-related causes such as DC Kicks for Kids. Donating to United for DC will create a relationship between our team and the DC United, as well as give something back to a sport and a region that we enjoy. We only wish there were a good way to give to funds that would create more open space or facilities for rec soccer. If you have ideas about that, let us know.

So, get ready to kick in a few extra bucks this season. The announcement about dues is coming soon.

DC United vs. Chivas de Guadalajara

Most rivalries are created over time, years of back
and forth battles between rival teams, some classic
comebacks, bitter defeats and sweet victories. Close
geographical proximity helps too.

Other rivalries can just appear out of thin air, the
result of a dirty play, a hard foul, a war of words
between players and coaches, or in the case of DC
United vs. Chivas, an outgrowth of the rivalry between
the USA and Mexico.

DC United is the consensus "best" franchise in the
MLS. 4 MLS Cups, last year's Supporter's Shield (best
MLS regular season record) and the reigning MLS MVP in
Christian Gomez. They are the only club in MLS
history to win an international trophy (the
Intercontinental Cup back in 1998) and play some of
the most attractive, attacking soccer in the league.
In other words, they represent the best of the US.

Chivas de Guadalajara is Mexico's most popular club.
Only Mexicans play for Chivas - home-grown talent, the
pride of Mexico, no foreigners, no imports, no
naturalized citizens. They represent the tradition,
skill, and dominance that Mexico has possessed,
especially in club soccer, in the CONCACAF region.

Would you miss a USA-Mexico match held at RFK? I know
I wouldn't. This is the next best thing. Mexico's
finest, Chivas versus the best of the USA, DC United.
I guarantee our Mexican neighbors will be turning out
in force to support and cheer on Chivas. The
atmosphere is going to be awesome, so make a night of
it. Join us Goleros for this game next Thursday
night, March 15. Let's kick off the new season in
style by watching a great soccer game, drinking a beer
or two, and maybe firing up the old parrilla and
cooking some food before the match.

We'll try and get another update regarding details out
to everyone soon, but in the meantime, I hope this
description of the game whets your appetite.

____________________________________________________________________________________
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DC v Chivas

Let's support the home team!! Thursday the 15th. Rumor has it the stadium is 80% sold out with mostly Mexican fans!!!! C'mon people!!!!

Carlos

You can publish your own posts!

Just send your posts to golerosteam.publish@blogger.com.  Let's keep the posts above board, please.

Spring season is coming - but let's not let THIS happen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcVigt40ULI

Spring season starts Sunday March 25th. Let's try not to let that happen. (Courtesy of my friend Viv, http://realtorviv.blogspot.com/)

Introducing this blog...

Team, we've got a new home on the Internet. I'm going to find a way to post our schedule here, as well as any news. We'll have plenty of space for commentary and those random photos and cartoons that get passed around email so much. Soon, I'm going to migrate our team domain too - goleros.org. This will be our new home.

2006 Fallfest tournament summary (long version)

Sunday, November 19
Goleros are finalists and runners-up (again!)
Another awesome tournament. This November, we played in the Fallfest tournament in Columbia, MD. We played extremely well - another outstanding outing by the team.

We advanced through a crowded division of 5 teams, taking first and advancing clear on our win/loss record. We were 3-0 versus some decent teams.

Game 1 (versus Infrared) - 1-0 on goal by Jon (awesome over-the-top assist by Aly).
Game 2 (versus Stragglers) - 2-0 win on goals by Anna and Chris. Both goals were outstanding. Anna's came on a cross, where she lunged forward to put it in the net. Chris' was the longest ever breakaway. He received the ball before the half line and ran the entire distance to the keeper and put it past him.
Game 3 (versus Red Menace) - 3-0 win (2 goals by Adrian, 1 by Jon)
Semi final (versus Soccer Bums) 2-1 win on goal by Mark (assist by Jer), game-winning goal by Jer as time expired (incredible bending assist to the chest by Mark - the goal of the tournament!). The other goal was by???
Final (versus XXX?) 0-1

Ah the memories. We all turned in outstanding play. The defense was solid, playing in a 3-man formation for most of the tournament. 2 goals against in a 3-man formation? Yeah, we have a strong defense, led by our keeper of course who rarely gets tested but always rises to the occassion.

There were several notable goals and assists - you remember them. The Aly-Jon combo to get things started, Anna's lunging goal, Chris' breakaway, and let us not forget one of the all-time great Goleros goals - the Mark-Jer combo as time expired in the semi-final. That one I won't soon forget.

2006 Fallfest tournament summary

Sunday, November 19
2006 Fallfest tournament summary
Game 1 versus Infra-red - 1-0 win (Jon (Aly))
Game 2 versus Stragglers - 2-0 win (Anna (NK), Chris (NK))
Game 3 versus Red Menace - 3-0 win (Jon (NK), Adrian (NK), Adrian (NK))
Semifinal versus Soccer bums - 2-1 win (NK (NK), Jer (Mark - the goal combo of the tourney)
Final versus ??? - 0-1 loss

2006 Coed Classic summary

Sunday, November 19
2006 Coed classic tournament summary
Game 1 versus Roadkill - 2-0 win
Game 2 versus Dazed and Confused - 4-0 win
Game 3 versus FOC - 2-1 win
Semifinal versus CC United - 1-1, win in PKs
Final versus Mundial - 1-1, loss in PKs

From the archive: 2006 review

Friday, January 26
2006 Review
Goleros Enjoy Productive Year in 2006!

This year was a great year. Two regular season campaigns, two tournaments, a new league, and good times.

Spring season! Our Spring season was a little on the rough side. We had a few games with severe attendance problems and one forfeit. But we put together some impressive wins, and had one memorable 0-1 loss where we played a fully-staffed Frightening Pace for 90 minutes with only 7 players. We lost on a corner kick header in extra time - after defending three corners in a row. We were 2-4-2 (.333).

Fall season! New league! That season was our last in Montgomery County. In the Fall, we moved to the Capitol Coed Soccer League. CCSL is reputed as one of the best coed leagues in the country, and certainly among the most competitive in the DC area, save maybe the Arlington coed league. Costs were doubled but we got our money's worth. Better fields, better locations, three person, certified reffing crews and better organization. We entered the third division (the lowest of four divisions), and suprisingly, the level of competition was higher than the Montgomery County 2nd division, where we had played for a year. But we won our final three games and finished 4-3-1 (.500). We had two shut-outs (for and against). Offensive points were nicely distributed among 10 players. The last game was a 7-5 shootout where no matter how much we fell asleep on defense, our offense was not willing to lose!

Tournaments! We had a phenomenal run in tournaments this year. We played in two - the Coed Classic in July, and the Fallfest tournament in November. Both are run by Columbia Soccer. The July tournament was our first successful tournament. We put together an awesome team and ran the table, losing on PKs in the final match. We gave up only 3 goals the entire tournament. We were finalists and runners-up. Yeah, trophy. This past November, we repeated our July performance - perhaps turned in an even better one despite the same result (losing in the final). This time, we gave up only 2 goals: 1 in the semis and 1 in the final! Thus, in 11 tournament games, we gave up a total of 5 goals. Our goal differential was 19:5. Amazing. So, finalists, runners-up, another trophy.

Other news! Folks, be ready to add new players in the Spring so we can bolster attendance. We will begin our charity program, possibly take part in a pre-season tournament. Also, congrats again to Griz and Mary on the birth of their little one - a full-blooded Golerita.