Pickup?

Pickup anyone?? I would love to get some games in at
Washington and Lee High School before we can no longer
enjoy the carefree days of summer.

Friday nights? Any other ideas?

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Full recovery

Griz recently came off the DL to play 3 games in the Coed Classic. He appeared to be pretty darn close to 100%, getting plenty of time at right wing and stopper.

Recall that Griz took one for the team when he played the last stretch of the Spring quarterfinals in goal. Towards the game, on one of the few plays in which the Red Devils threatened, Griz came off his line and met the Red Devils striker at the 12' in a collision. He made the stop but suffered at least 2 broken ribs. He drove straight from the field to the hospital. 1 x-ray and several perkoset later, he began his recovery. Mary was not very happy with me.

Griz has declared his intention never to return to GK. For now, we'll accept that!

Next week, Griz and family are off on vacation. Have fun!

Veron to DCU?

The summer of soccer continues.

Today, the Washington Post is reporting that DCU GM Kevin Payne has made an offer for Juan Veron, the legendary Argentine midfielder. We'll see!

Meanwhile, DCU blew an opportunity last night to put away Monarcas Morelia of Mexico in the inagurual Superliga match. They tied 1-1. The Superliga is a new competition initiated by MLS in which the top Mexican and top MLS clubs play each other for a $1M prize and money to split among the players. DCU will play Club America on Sunday at RFK for the 2nd game of the opening round.

We're coming to the end of the summer of soccer. It's been amazing. Gold Cup, Copa America, U20 world championships, Beckham's arrival. Still to come: the Women's World Cup.

Liz is moving to Philly

Unfortunately for us, Liz is moving back to her old stomping grounds in Philadelphia. We wish her the best.

Liz had a positive impact on the team in her short tenure. We picked her up through a friend of Your Captain's in late 2005. She played with us one season in Montgomery County and one in CCSL. Then, she had to downgrade her status to alternate for this past season due to a busy travel schedule. She came out to play 3 times though - and was an important part of our semifinal match versus Tsunami. Additionally, Liz made some pretty substantial contributions to our tournament run in the 2006 Coed Classic.

Liz, we'll miss you.

Socials coming up

Reminder - we got two socials coming up this week. Jackie is putting together a tubing outing this Saturday. We'll probably send around RSVPs for that.

Then, on August 9th, we're all headed to the DCU vs. LA Galaxy game. Get your tickets now - don't wait. We're all going separately but may get together some how. Right now, I give Beckham about a 50% chance of getting playtime. To me, his ankle looked weak the other night.

Tournament MVP

Here he is, your tournament MVP. Stellar play on defense. Fantastic footwork, particularly in the second game when he shut down their main striker for most of the match. Well done.

Team travels to farmland - but it's a drought

We set a new distance record this weekend when we traveled to Western Regional Park to play in the Coed Classic. Talk about far! The fields were surrounded by farmland. They were so far we had to go in the Goleros bus (6 of us in Jackie's Honda Pilot). Let me put it this way. If you lived in Olney, you'd still have to leave early in order to get to the field on time!

Our proud tournament run is over. This time, we failed to advance out of the opening round. That's OK, because, in a way, this tournament was just as much fun.

We entered the Intermediate Division in order to try to raise the level of our game. It was the right move. Overall, we struggled in the midfield and in finishing. We hit the cross bar probably 5 times in just 3 games.

In the first game versus the Drifters, we had some defensive miscues early on, letting in a steady stream of 4 goals, three of them being scored by a single goateed striker. The Drifters' defense was horrible, but we couldn't keep possession of the ball long enough for a shot. We only had a few shots in the game; on one of them, we scored easily. At the half, we were facing 3-goal deficit though. We improved our defense in the second half, but still had no answer in the midfield. We lost 4-1.

In the second game versus Code Red, we started off cautiously in order to shore up our D. The problem again was in the midfield. Plenty of people but no rhythm. Anna kept us in the game with some stellar saves. I had a slide tackle in the box (a lusty challenge!), but no one saw or remembers this play! In the second half, we finally yielded a goal. We would have yielded another one if not for some stellar defense by Carlitos - including a well-executed professional foul. At the end of the half, we pushed everyone up, leading us to concede a second goal as time expired. We lost 2-0. We knew then that we would not advance.

Some players decided to "reflect" upon the losses by going to Carlos' place, and then the Clarendon Ballroom. There were several hangovers and - strangely - two toe injuries!

On Sunday, we were in the mood for a fun game. It says a lot that we showed up in force to have fun - especially given that the game was so far away. In this match versus DWASP (Drunks with a Soccer Problem), we won easily. DWASP showed great sportsmanship. They had several strong women, but lacked some striking ability. We nearly scored on the opening volley, and finally put one in before the half. We added another one in the second half, and then began having some fun as we loosened up on the field. Your Captain is seriously bummed and sorry for bungling the Most Beautiful Pass of the Season by Jer (a bending cross to my head at the 10 yard line).

Anna had a nice tournament in net.

We celebrated by watching the U20 game at Carlos' place. Good stuff everyone. I'm really happy with the way we played and our attitude. After the Team X game, it was nice to play for ourselves and not so much for a result. Thanks to Mike, Rebecca, Ally, and Carly for joining us.

Notes: 2007 Coed Classic, 3rd place in our group. 4-1 loss to Drifters (Jon (NK)), 2-0 loss to Code Red, 2-0 win versus DWASP (Chris (Jon), Chris (Jen), Yellow card to Megan). Overall goal differential: 3-6.

Tourney dues are $27

Please bring a check or cash. Alternatively, you can pay me now via paypal to my personal (and not the team) email address.

POTDs

Here are some throwback photos for you. They depict Goleros FP, a joint effort between Goleros and Frightening Pace in the 2005 Co-Ed Classic. We were on the verge of luring Caitlin (tall redhead) onto our team, but soon after, she moved to Boston.

The team photo shows 4 players that will return to the 2007 team: Pete, Carlos, Rebecca, and Chris.

Instructions for tournament

Here's what you need to know:

Details

This is a 2-day, co-ed, full-field tournament with approximately 60 minute games. If you live in DC or NOVA, the field is a full hour away so plan accordingly. If we advance far, we'll play into Sunday evening. Please bring lots of water, snacks, extra socks, and a couple of white T-shirts (all teams in our division have colors that are close to ours). The weather is actually looking amazing given that it's late July. The inclement weather line is 410-313-4372. My cell phone is 571-216-4443.

Schedule

Saturday

8:00 everyone must arrive (we have rosters to sign, warm-ups to do, and plenty to talk about in light of the way our championship match ended a few weeks ago - be there!)
9:00 Game 1 versus Drifters (Field #8, Right grass)
11:30 Game 2 versus Code Red (Field #7, Left grass)
1:00 Possible team lunch

Sunday

2:45 p.m. Game 3 versus DWASP (Field #8? need to confirm)
4:00 p.m. Semi-final (Field #8? if we advance)
5:15 p.m. Final (Field #5, turf if we advance)

Roster

We're full and ready to go. Our team has 9 guys for a variety of reasons, including fatigue, heat, injuries, and balance. It's going to work great, and should we advance, it will be an advantage that we didn't have the last two tourneys. We're carrying 8 women, but Sunday will be a little light.

Directions

All our games are at Western Regional Park. This isn't the same place as before, so pay attention to the directions at http://www.columbiasoccer.com/directions.htm.

With that, I will see you all at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday. Seriously, show up early.

Goleros to make third appearance in the Co-Ed Classic

For the third year, we are sending a select team to the Co-Ed Classic organized by Columbia Soccer. We participated in 2005 in a joint effort with Frightening Pace. In 2006, we were runners up in the recreational division. In 2007, we have moved up to the intermediate division and hope to perform well despite the stiff competition. We have to go with a select crew due to the fortunate fact that we have more interest than we can accommodate.

On Saturday, we play at 9:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. at Western Regional Park in the Maryland hinterlands (directions are on tournament website here). On Sunday, we play again at 2:45 p.m., and if we clear our group, at 4:00 p.m. The final match is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. Wish us luck!

Tally ho

Each season, I compile points tallied by Goleros players (2 for a goal, 1 for a PK, 1 for an assist). The list comes with the usual disclaimer: these points do not measure players' contributions to the team because, among other things, they ignore the play and critical roles of many midfielders, defensive players, and of course the keepers. They are merely interesting. I look for several things: the number of points scorers, the number of women included, the overall balance, and what positions the players most often play. You want your forwards to score the most points, and in a rec environment, you want to see a big spread, with lots of players involved, including women. That's a signal of strength. As you can see below, we are very strong right now.

Jon 6 goals, 3 assists, 15 points
Adrian 4 goals, 4 assists, 12 points
Jer 3 goals, 3 assists, 9 points
Chris 4 goals, 8 points
Anna 2 goals, 4 points
Pete 1 goal, 2 assists, 4 points
Griz 1 goal, 2 assists, 4 points
Nathan 2 goals, 4 points
Ally 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 points
Leslie 1 assist, 1 point
Chip 1 assist, 1 point
Jess 1 assist, 1 point

What a fantastic spread! 12 players on the tally sheet (that's the majority of the roster!), fully 4 women (a record), and 2 players over 10 points (that's actually happened a lot, starting with the old Chris/Justin combo in '04). Also, several goals and assists were logged from a defensive posture, which is great to see. Of course, this was a long season so the numbers are naturally padded: 8 regular season games and 3 playoff games.

BTW, if I am incorrect about any of this, please let me know. Sift back through the posts to make sure you got the credit you deserved! Many assists are not attributed cause I didn't know who got them. At the bottom of each post, I put a stats summary. Check them out.

Third place (in case you haven't heard)

On July 2, we played a highly competitive match versus Team X. We lost 3-2 when, in the final minute of the game, Team X scored on a controversial indirect kick deep in the box which was taken before our goalie had signaled "ready." This concluded the season. We lost the division championship, finishing in 3rd place behind Tsunami due to their regular season tie-breaker. Team X achieves promotion to the Second Division, and it will be up to the board whether a second team, first Tsunami, and then possibly Goleros, will be promoted as well.

We are not going to comment on the referees or conduct of either team here.

Your Captain was not present in this final match, so the write-up will be short. From what I was told, we played a very strong and competitive game. We matched Team X's speed and eventually found the formula to slow down their impressive but theatrical and rough strikers. Adjusting our midfield to take control and to slow down counterattacks was key, and we did it. We enjoyed great contributions from John, who we hadn't seen on the pitch at all this season due to illness. He scored once, and so did Jeremy at the end of regular time to draw the score even at 2-2. And then the string of events that led to the loss.

We're not going to dwell on it here.

The customary wrap-up of the season will follow soon.

Notes: July 2, 2007, 3-2 loss to Team X, St. Stephens, playoff final. GKs: George (red card), Anna.

MLS salaries

Each year, the WP compiles all MLS player salaries, which are probably leaked by the players union. Salaries continue to creep up, and parity is still a big problem. Veterans have gotten themselves easily into the 100K/200K/300K range, while players with development status make as little as $12,900! $13K a year?

Check out the link here.

Who do you think is the most overpaid? Underpaid? My votes:

Overpaid - Cuatemoc Blanco ($2.7M), Clint Mathis ($410K), Santino Quaranta ($105K), Eddie Johnson ($875K), Greg Vanney ($237K).

Underpaid - Bobby Boswell ($30K), Briang Ching ($220K), DeWayne DeRosario ($157K - best deal in MLS), Dominic Oduro ($17,700), Troy Perkins ($87K).

Take a look at LA's payroll compared to other teams. How do they swing that? With the new international exception instituted last year - the so-called David Beckham rule.

Argentina vs. Brazil

The Copa America finale that everyone wanted is going to happen. Argentina vs. Brazil at 5pm on Sunday. It's a rematch of the last Copa America, which was an amazing game in which Brazil came up with some last minute heroics. Carlos has invited folks to his house. I expect to be there!

Pick up is no go

Scheduling problems continue for our so-called Friday night pick up games. No can do this week or next. Maybe later this summer.

Buffs dream of championship!

Your Captain joined his university's local alumni soccer team, and we've had a great season. Of course, it's not due to me - I've been out for half the games!

We play 7-on-7, mostly on the bumpy grass at Hains Point. The league is organized by the Capital Alumni Network, which is quite a social juggernaut. It's a very collegial (or should I say collegiate?) atmosphere and good for ball skills cause you have to play dynamically on such a small field. The goals are short so finishing is important.

We entered the playoffs as the #3 seed. We have a semi-final match at 9:00 a.m. versus NC State on Saturday at the RFK Auxillary fields, which I've heard are quite nice. If we win, we'll play in the final match later that morning. Shoulder to shoulder, we will fight, fight, fight, fight fight! (that's really long when you write it out). Go CU!

By the way, CU folks, take note that the Douglas Bridge is now closed. That's the bridge that spans the Anacostia near South Capitol/new baseball stadium. We'll have to and from RFK a different way.

Carlos dice: vengan a mi fiesta

The Copa America is moving towards its conclusion. There is a semi final match tonight between Mexico and Argentina. The final, hopefully a rematch of the last Copa final between Brazil and Argentina, is scheduled for Sunday afternoon. Carlos is having a party. Here's what he says:

Kickoff is at 5pm but I encourage anyone to stop by for
Grill & Chill at 2:30pm. Please call me at 202.302.5939 if you have any
questions. I can pick anyone up at the metro at Ballston if you need but please
note that following Argentina's victory I may be beyond the legal limit for
operating a vehicle so you may have a long walk back :-) Cheers!Oh yeah... Don't
foget to catch Argentina v. Mexico tonight at 8:50pm

GO ARGENTINA!!!!!

Blog is back!

We took 10 days off of blogging for a vacation. But, the blog is back.

Expect a game report soon for our championship match (boo, hiss!).

Pick up this Friday.

Party this Saturday at Carlos' place for the Copa America.

Lots of summer fun.

Championship within reach!

Team,

 

This is so exciting, we're playing for the division championship this Sunday!  I know, it's just one rec game, it's not like millions of dollars are at stake, or like our lives must stop or something.  But we've been building this unit for several years, often with fledgling results.  This is the first time we've risen to the top of the playoffs - and against some pretty good teams I might add.  We totally deserve to be in this game and it's going to be competitive and fun.  Just enjoy it.  I personally am disappointed to be missing the match but I simply must be in Colorado with my friends and family for a wedding.  While we all really want a win, it's pretty clear that we'll cap probably our best season on record no matter what the result.

 

The game is on Sunday, 9:00 a.m. at St. Stephens in Alexandria.  Megan is your captain.  We have a few people to hear from - Tom and Kristin - but otherwise we're set.  We have all the pieces in place to win!  Georgie is back in net.  Offense is in top shape, we're not missing a thing there.  On defense, we're a little thin, but we have plenty of stalwarts available, not to mention John who is coming to lead our back line.  We're close to minimums for women and slightly heavy on men - that's the way it has to be.  Leslie is re-joinging us, and you'll probably see Kara and Nick there, who are on our roster as alternates and who some of you may know from the Frightening Pace team in the Montgomery County league.

 

We're playing Team X, who proved themselves each game as the best in the division.  But we only lost to them 3-2!  The key will be to emphasize offense, because they are going to score.  If we can put in more than 2 goals, I think we have a very good chance of winning.  I want the offense to run with rhythm, meaning that we shouldn't switch out forwards and center midfielders too often, and not as a line change.  Instead, we can stack other areas with offensive production so that the players most likely to score are on the field a little more often.  However, when we are committed to an attack, other players must come back to slow down the counter.  You have to look where your other teammates are.  We got absolutely demolished in this area in the last game versus Team X.  They would march down the field for 40 or 50 yards without a single obstacle.  Our defense this time must start in the offensive end.  If we can take away their passes in our end of the field, they won't be able to post up at the 18 and take the last man one-on-one, which is what happened last time for all three of their goals.  They're two guy forwards are very strong one-on-one, not to mention quick.

 

Every player needs to prepare himself/herself for the possibility of penalty kicks.  You may get the call, and if you do, step up with confidence.  It doesn't matter what the result it, it's just a game.

 

One thing to think about: Team X doesn't have that much to play for.  They won the division already and guaranteed themselves promotion.  The only way we gain promotion is through a win.

 

Good luck everyone.  Despite the fact that we're taking this game more seriously than others, it's still the Goleros team.  Have fun!

POTD - this is Pepina

This is one cute girl. It's Anna's new 14-week old puppy, and her name is Pepina, or "Pina." Send in your comments, I want to see comments about how cute she is. Start now!

Beckham tix going fast

Read this story in the Washington Post today about tickets to the DC United vs. LA Galaxy game in August. Remember, this is likely to be one of Beckham's first matches in MLS. DCU has only been selling multiple-game packs, but on Monday, they'll start selling some single-game tickets. Get yours.

Welcome Tsunami

We may have a few visitors from Tsunami on our blog, cause our two teams may coordinate some scrimmages or pick up games in the coming months.

Remember everyone, we're going to restart Friday night pick-up on July 13th at Washington & Lee high school in Arlington. Travel in between now and then makes it difficult to start sooner, but be my guest. When the 13th finally rolls around, we have lots of catching up to do because we're getting a late start. Also, with the Coed classic tournament and the Fall season, it's going to be a short summer.

POTD

Your Captain works in aviation and he loves planes. Here's the first unit of the new Boeing 787, due in service next year. I picked it up from a fellow on airliners.net

Goleros to play for division title and chance at promotion

We're still alive. Due to a 2-0 win on Sunday versus a well-rounded and determined Tsunami team, we are advancing to the division championship. Should we win, we will likely earn promotion to the Second Division.

Sunday's game was one of our best matches in recent memory. Despite having only 11 players available, we were able to solidify all areas of the pitch with a balanced defense, midfield, and attack.

We started the first half with a few minutes of being turned on our heels. When Anna made her first save, she distributed nicely and we were able to gain possession and assume some control over the pace of the game. We set up some great chances right in front of the goal that we just failed to finish. After the first quarter water break, we continued the pressure. Adrian capitalized on a short clearance and hit a blast of a first-time shot from the right side for the go-ahead goal in about the 35'. We went into the half with a slim lead - "the worst kind of lead" according to Anna - and some gripes about an arm block in the box that was not called in our favor. The ref warned us to complain less and play more. This is advice that we will take, and it's probably going to be the subject of a future post.

The second half was eventful. In about the 50', Jon sent in a beautiful, authoritative shot. That second goal ignited Tsunami, who pushed everyone up and arguably deployed their players in a better fashion than before. We had trouble containing 4 capable offensive-minded men and 2 solid women, including a winger who hit the cross bar twice. We were on our heels for at least 15 minutes.

Liz earned a yellow card for defending a throw in, but she handled it well and the team recovered. When we successfully defended a 10-yard free kick awarded allegedly because Carlos passed back to the GK (how in the world was that a passback?), we had the game won. Kudos to Anna for guiding us through that mess.

Congrats to Tsunami, who played another excellent match. Their keeper was outstanding, as was their attacking midfield and wing play. I'm sure we'll see them around some more - perhaps we'll see them for pick up or in a future tournament collaboration.

Next stop: the dreaded Team X for the Division Championship.

Notes: Semi-final playoff match, 2-0 win versus Tsunami Naranja on June 24, 2007 at GWU/Mount Vernon. Goals by Adrian (solo), Jon (NK). GK: Anna.