Season off to an excellent start

I can't believe we went so many months without playing together. Even though we've got a ways to go on the pitch to reach our goals, it's like we never missed a beat otherwise. Practices, happy hours, all that. Let's keep it going.

This post was an excuse to publish Cat's photos from the first game. This one is my favorite.

Which of these women is most likely to hit a screamer into the goal? Tough one.

Thursday practice & happy hour

On Thursday, we're joining another team for practice from 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at Wakefield High School in Arlington. I believe the practice is going to be on the lighted turf fields in the back of the school, towards the north side. We've played games there.

View Larger Map

Afterwards - in other words, sometime after 8:30 - we're headed to Shirlington for some drinks. The place is called Bungalow Billiards. It's on the backside of the main strip.

See you there!

Thanks to Cat & Chris for organizing.

Mike scheduled to return this weekend

Mike, our intrepid captain in the Air Force Reserves, has been stationed in the hotbed of Kandahar, Afghanistan for several weeks. He's there in his full-time capacity as civilian journalist for the Air Force Times. And he's been filing some interesting stories. I would love to post some of the photos from the blog that I found, but I think there would be copyright issues.

In any event, Mike is hoping to be stateside as early as this weekend, which would put him back on the pitch for our April 18th game.

Travel safe and welcome back bud!

View Kandahar here:

http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf8&ie=UTF8&q=kandahar,+afghanistan&fb=1&gl=us&ei=2zWyS_3zFIbAM9Tw6agP&ved=0CBMQpQY&hl=en&view=map&geocode=FZw54gEd3HDrAw&split=0&hq=&hnear=Kandahar,+Afghanistan&ll=31.597253,65.76416&spn=13.696512,28.498535&t=h&z=6

1st CBT Appearance a Big Success

Here's your report from the CHERRY BLOSSOM TOURNEY 2010 on March 27. We'll have to upload photos later tonight since we're experiencing some technical difficulties now.


My morning started off rather early on Saturday (ehmm,...6AM!). I left my apartment in Alexandria and drove thru DC (basically past the monuments) to Silver Spring. Met up with the lovely De and took a cab back into DC. The cab driver was very confused as to why we had so much stuff if we were just playing soccer. We told him this is "how we roll." He had NO IDEA where the monuments were in DC (umm...what?) so we gave him directions. He then started blurting out random things like "Hey look at that rat dog" and other nonsense. It was a VERY entertaining cab ride into DC.


De and I checked in before even the first game of the tourney kicked off and waited patiently for our teammates to arrive.

Our first game set the tone beating our first opponent 3-1.


Second game was a tough battle and we unfortunately did not come out on top for that one losing to our opponent 3 -1.


After careful note taking and calculation, the Goleros decided we had to win our third and final game of the tourney by 3 goals with no goals against in order to advance. Not so much for our team, we ended up with 3-3 draw against the only undefeated team in our bracket with no goals against. However their undefeated and no goals against record went out the window the second half of our final game with the Goleros coming back from to tie the game 3-3.


Goleros Overall Record: 1-1-1

In between each game the team bonded while bundled up in layers and louging on beach towels. Buckey made the bike trip to Trader Joes to purchase lunch for the whole Goleros team. One Goleros female player asked Ally if "we could keep him." Buckey you are more than welcome anytime! :) And Josh, well, you were involved in 99% of the goals. Well done!


A few other funny moments throughout the day:
- I tuned in at the end of the convo however I believe there was quite the discussion regarding one night stands?
- Ally accidentally insulted one of the DC United reps by asking if his name was Francisco. Later he came back as the screaming eagle and took photos with us.

All and all it was a fantastic weekend of soccer and I would love to play (soccer) with all of you again in the CBT 2011 tourney! :)

By the way, if you can recall who scored and assisted on any or all of the goals, please put that in the comments.


Take care.


Ally

We're off for two weeks; ambitious practice schedule planned

We have two weeks off - next week is Easter and we have a bye on April 11th.

We're going to try to practice 2-3 times per week in the interim so that we're ready for our long stretch of games beginning April 18th.

Stay tuned. First practice is likely Wednesday, with a more official date on Thursday (sharing a field with a premier-level team in Arlington).

Close game - have any thoughts?

Well, what did you think?

How can we improve on that for next game?

We lost a 2-1 decision. Tsunami picked up the win with a good strike, for its second goal, early in the second period. After an early gaffe, which led directly to their first goal in the 2', we were only able to muster one official goal and thus unable to claim the point. The tying goal, put into the back of the net in the 60' on a great long ball and finish, was called back on a controversial offside call. Without video replay, it will be difficult to prove my allegation that Chris was about 15 feet onside when the ball was kicked. I am going to take this to the competition committee and to district court.

Despite some tough breaks - the slipping and a few calls (you have to expect that will happen though) - we played well and so did our opponents. We had a nice effort in the second half, and we showed a lot of energy and some evolving teamwork. I think our tournament nucleus carried the team with the organization it had built in three games yesterday.

I hope we're happy with the game. It was well played.

Editorial note: Did anyone notice that Griz locked down the the right side of defense today?

Game notes: 2-1 loss to Tsunami 3/28/10, Blair HS. Goal: Chris (Jon). Discipline: Yellow on Adrian (simulation and dissent - neither of which occurred actually, which made it strange).

Early tournament win is a good sign

Goleros win first tournament match, 3-1!

Next match is at 1:30 p.m.

Get Pumped Up!

Get pumped up! The season starts tomorrow. A little after 9:00 a.m., the Goleros will remove the cobwebs and get back on the pitch.

It all starts in the Cherry Blossom Tournament. We've got a great squad for this popular, but competitive tournament. Wish them good luck!

Then, on Sunday, at 3:00 p.m., we start the regular season campaign. We're playing our old rivals, Tsunami.

Please show up early and let's have a great season!!!

I'm out of town until the game so text or call me if you want to talk. Same with Ally, she'll be out and about so text/call her.

Tournament schedule and details

Good Morning Team,

After much anticipation below is our schedule for CBT tomorrow:
9:20 am - Field 4
1:30 pm - Field 2
4:50 pm - Field 2

I would like to ask everyone to be there ONE HOUR = 8:20 AM before the first game so we can do introductions, the refs can check ID's and sign the waiver that I have copies for everyone to sign.

I also have tournament t-shirts we have to wear when we play. Don't worry guys....we drew ORANGE for our team color....it's a sign!

What to bring:
IDExtra White t-shirt (in case we need to change)
Plenty of water
Sunscreen
A ball if anyone has one (I have one I can bring)

What not to bring:
YOUR CAR
*Seriously guys, I cannot stress enough how insane parking is going to be down there. I heard on the radio this morning that tomorrow is going to be the perfect weather for Cherry Blossom's so there will be a lot of people in the city. Sorry for not pulling the earliest game but at least we all have plenty of time to walk, bike or take the metro to the fields.

Please call me with any questions on my cell.

Thanks team and I look forward to a great weekend of soccer with you all. See you bright and early at 8:20 am on Field 4.

Ally

Great Practice Team!

Thanks to Adrian, Nate and Chris D (+ Chris' friend) for coming to Quincy Park last night to kick the ball around. We had a good time and got some great touches on the ball.
Adrian and Chris even had a game last night after practice at 10:00 pm! How did you boys do?

Hope to see some of you tonight at the CBT Draw Party!

Ally

Status of dues payments

Just a few more days left to pay dues. This has been the most successful campaign yet. A strong majority of players have paid already, with just a few left to pay. By my count, it's down to seven players. I'm sure I'll be getting their money before kickoff on the first game. Remember, no pay, no play.

There's also been a marked increase in paypal payments, with several players joining the service and reporting positive feedback.

Thanks team!

Preview of this season's schedule

Let's take a second to look at this season's schedule. A little preparation will go a long way towards a potential playoff appearance.

First, some logistics. Note that most games are at fields that are somewhat unfamiliar. Make sure to check schedules and directions carefully. We start off on a new turf field in Silver Spring - Blair High School. De, one of only two Maryland residents on the team, must have gotten to the Exec Board. Our new "home field" will be Ridge in Southeast, where we play fully half our regular season schedule. We will play our first matches at Wilson High School and Dunbar High School, both in Northwest DC, and only one game at our favorite field, Trinity. Unlike past years, where we often played in Virginia, we now play almost exclusively in the District. Seven of our games will be played there, with this coming week as the only exception.

The times and dates of our games are decent. There is only one early morning game - on April 25th - and 9:00 a.m. isn't that bad. We have a nice 3:00 p.m. kickoff this week to avoid a potential conflict with the Cherry Blossom tournament. More importantly, check out the flow of our schedule. We start off with an initial game this weekend, then we have two weekends off. Let's make sure to schedule practices to take advantage of that. When we resume play April 18th, we'll have six consecutive games, which is more than I can remember us playing before. Most likely, this will work to our advantage, if we can stay healthy. It gives us a great opportunity to get into a rhythm and pick up some wins. We'll have a break in the last few weeks to rest up before the final game and hopefully the playoffs (but so will everyone else).

Now, our opponents. The schedule seems - at least at this point - to be pretty balanced but of course it will be difficult. We do have some darn tough teams. I never particularly relish playing the promoted and relegated teams; however, we play them all. DC Divided and Taz Devils are both on the schedule, formerly of the First Division, and so are Tsunami and DC Thunder, formerly of the Third Division. You can bet the Third Division teams will be hungry and in-form. I know Sanjay's DC Divided team hasn't lost a step; they just had some miscues last season after nearly making it to Premier before that. Taz Devils beat us good many moons ago. It's time to right that wrong.

Beyond those teams, we also play several teams that know us and have beaten us. Itchy & Scratchy managed a win last year, 5-3, and Lost Tourists, Little Urban Achievers (LUC), and Celtic have both stolen games from us. We let Celtic walk away with the win in week two last season. I've always wanted to beat LUC, but we never have. They beat us soundly last season, but the win wasn't rewarding for them because we managed to frustrate them enough for them to draw a red card, and also we were able to give them a much more difficult playoff schedule, which they ultimately couldn't handle. They'll be ready to beat us again.

It's going to be a great season and I think we can do great!

• CCSL REGULAR SEASON
• ------------------
• Sun. 3/28, 3:00 p.m. vs Tsunami at Blair HS in Silver Spring
• Sun. 4/3 - NO GAMES (Easter)
• Sun. 4/11 - NO GAMES (Bye)
• Sun. 4/18, 12:00 p.m. vs Celtic at Ridge in Southeast DC
• Sun. 4/25, 9:00 a.m. vs Lost Tourists at Wilson HS in Northwest DC
• Sun. 5/2, 10:00 a.m. vs Itchy & Scratchy at Ridge in Southeast DC
• Sun. 5/9, 1:00 p.m. vs DC Thunder at Ridge in Southeast DC
• Sun. 5/16, 1:15 p.m. vs Taz Devils at Trinity in Northeast DC
• Sun. 5/23, 12:30 p.m. vs DC Divided at Dunbar HS in Northwest DC
• Sun. 5/20 - NO GAMES (Memorial Day Weekend)
• Sun. 6/6, 1:15 p.m. vs LUC at Ridge in Southeast DC
• -----------------------
• PLAYOFFS
• ---------------------------
• Sat & Sun 6/12-6/13 - QUARTERS & SEMIS
• Sun. 6/28 - FINALS

Looking back at Fall 2009

As we start the Spring 2010 season, let's have a quick look back. There were quite a few ups and downs.

For one thing, we only won one game - that hasn't happened in about 5 years, and it's on par with some of our worst records. Of course, back in the day, we usually didn't have a lot of ties, and we certainly didn't play the same quality teams. Our winning percentage of .250 isn't criminally low, but it's not anywhere near the Goleros average in past years. We missed the playoffs.

Let's look at the bright side. Although there was only one win, there were three ties, and they came against some of the best teams. Two of the tie games were outstanding battles. We tied a hot Armory team and we had an amazing comeback versus Gang Green. I believe we trailed by three goals in that game before Ermy sealed the point off of Chris D's free kick in the 90'. Armory won the division and Gang Green took second and won the playoffs, if I'm not mistaken.

Another thing to remember about last season. We integrated some outstanding players and I think we had some very solid performances in several games. Hopefully, we can build on that.

Another bright spot - we only had one game get out of hand - our 6-1 strange loss to Quicksilver. If we can just eliminate the stinker each season, I think we will all feel a lot better.

Anyway, we're in good position. Let's just go out and play the game! I'm looking forward to this season.

FALL 2009 (1-4-3, .250)

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

5-3 loss to Itchy & Scratchy on 8/29/09

3-2 loss to Celtic on 9/13

5-0 win vs Prism on 9/20

1-1 tie vs Armory on 9/27

4-4 tie vs Gang Green on 10/4

3-3 tie vs Diplomats on 10/25

6-1 loss vs Quicksilver on 11/1

3-1 loss vs LUC on 11/8

The First Game is Here! RSVP Now!

Ladies and Gentlemen, we go back into action for the regular season this Sunday.

ARE YOU IN?

The game is at 3:00 p.m. at Blair High School in Silver Spring. The directions are located here.

Here is a map:

View Larger Map

Tournament happy hour Thursday night in Adam's Morgan

The CBT is hosting its kick-off party at Town Tavern in Adam's Morgan on Thursday night starting at 6:00 p.m. Several Goleros will be in attendance.

Show up!

Here's the location at 18th & Belmont, NW, right on the main strip in Adams Morgan:


http://maps.google.com/maps?q=2323+18th+street+NW,+washington+DC&oe=utf8&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=2323+18th+St+NW,+Washington,+District+of+Columbia,+20009&gl=us&ei=LZinS6aLOY-VtgeflrGDAw&ved=0CAcQ8gEwAA&z=16

Team is preparing for CBT on Sat & Sun

Here's Ally's email to the tournament squad. I made it pink to signify that Ally is a girl.

Come out to cheer on the team! We have several non-Goleros on the squad, which should make things interesting. Personally, I'm interested in meeting Daniel, who is Adrian's friend. In a humorous and long exchange of emails, Daniel cited some Supreme Court precedent in his replies to Adrian. That was pretty random for a soccer email.

What up? Is everyone as pumped as I am for CBT this
weekend?!?!?!

Please read below for reminders:

- Our
rosters will be checked against photo IDs before games. Because of this, please
arrive at least 20 min. before each game. Parking will be difficult, so please
take the necessary precautions to avoid tardiness. Players will not be permitted
to play unless they have had their IDs checked and any player participating for
a team that is not on the official team roster will result in forfeiture of any
and all games in the tournament. Thank you for your attention to these matters.-
Please don't forget that Thursday night is the official pre-tournament
draw/kickoff party at Town Tavern in Washington, DC. This should be a fantastic
time and a great way to get everyone ready for the
tournament.

Shoot me an email or give me a call on my cell
phone if you need anything this week.

Thanks guys. See you
Thursday!

Ally

Breaking news: schedule released

Here's how it looks. I will post it this weekend and give further details.

Sun. 3/28 3:00 p.m.
Sun. 4/4 No games (Easter)
Sun. 4/11 Bye
Sun. 4/18 12:00 p.m.
Sun. 4/25 9:00 a.m.
Sun. 5/2 10:00 a.m.
Sun. 5/9 1:00 p.m.
Sun. 5/16 1:15 p.m.
Sun. 5/23 12:30 p.m.
Sun. 5/30 No games (Memorial Day Weekend)
Sun. 6/6 1:15 p.m.
Sat. 6/12 Playoffs
Sun. 6/13 Playoffs
Sun. 6/21 Playoffs
Sun. 6/28 Weekend reserved to extend season b/c of rain outs

More later.

Pre-season notes

We have a whole list of outstanding items going into the spring season.

Schedule - not announced yet, but plan on a game on March 28th. I have requested an afternoon game.

Dues - please pay before the first game.

Happy hour - we'll get that going over email.

Practice - something is taking shape for Tuesday night at W&L in Arlington.

No rule change on slide tackles: they still are not allowed

It seems like every captains' meeting, we debate slide tackles. This year, the referee assignor tried to change the rule again - to make it more simple to adminster for the referees. The effort wasn't successful. The rule did not change.

The rule is simple - no slide tackles. They are punished automatically wtih an indirect kick, or if there is a foul as well, a direct free kick. A slide tackle in the box will usually result in a yellow card and a PK. Even though it's a matter of discretion for the ref, it's likely to happen that way so avoid it.

Here's my post from last season, which contains the actual text of the rule.

I also figured I'd share some thoughts I collected from Jer and Nate, who know a lot about the game. It's interesting to see their perspectives as referees.

Nate:

It's one of those things. I know it when I see it. Like porn.Anyway,
it took me a long time to figure out the difference between Jesse's language and
the existing. In fact, I think if we had an English professor analyze the
language there would be no difference in meaning.I actually don't see in the
current language where a slide tackle is not punished with an indirect free
kick.It's late though and I'm not reading very well.It seams like the definition
of slide tackle was not in debate last night.From what I learned from Tom,
Jesse, and Ramon is that a slide tackle has to have two parts: a slide and a
tackle.Sliding to kick the ball out of bounds if it is not playable by an
opponent is not a slide tackle...it's just a slide (this doesn't happen too
often). Tackling the ball away from another player and then falling down
is not a slide tackle. This happens all the time and is often punished as a
slide tackle - if it's questionable the ref can just say you lunged in too hard
and that's why he called a foul.Anyway, I guess were the rule gets trampled on
is that there are very few people in our league that can slide tackle without
fouling the opponent. So more often than not the call should be a direct
free kick - and if the ref chooses not to give a yellow card then the slide can
seem to go unpunished. The ref should, in this case definitely have words
with the player to tell s/he to cut it out - or give the card.Every game is
called differently by referees. I don't think we can hope to eliminate
that in CCSL. I see some teams that adjust to the ref very quickly and
take advantage. The Brazilian national team does this beautifully and gets
more favorable calls.

Jer:

I've always thought the biggest problem is that it isn't a rule that is
consistently applied by the referees, so none of the players really know what to
expect. Regardless of what should result from a slide tackle infraction
(PK in the box, etc...) the bigger problem is that some refs know how to call it
properly and some don't. I think the thing that needs to be emphasized to
the Goleros is that we need to gauge our play this year based on how good the
referee is. Sometimes, you just know that the ref isn't good and we aren't
going to get a well-reffed match, so we shouldn't spend our energy worrying
about the calls that don't go our way.

One thing that hasn't been done that should be, the CCSL needs to have a mandatory referee meeting, so that people can get on the same page and someone like Jim Sadowski can establish some baseline consistency. They have all the captains dealing with this issue, and I see it more as an issue that needs to be dealt with directly with the referees.

Cantina Marina to re-open its deck on April 3rd

We'll have to get another happy hour going soon now that the weather is improving. It's a great spot.

Stay tuned.

Charitable contributions low - pls give

There's good news and bad news. The good news is that people are paying their dues on time, which is awesome. The bad news is that charitable contributions are dropping off. Of course, these days you have to watch over your money so it's understandable. But let's do our best to keep the program alive. Contribute if you can!

Thanks for considering it!

Report from Captains' Meeting

Ally and I attended the Spring 2010 Captains' Meeting and had a grand old time. Here are some notes, with a few of my thoughts thrown in. It's always interesting to see how the league works and how dedicated the volunteers are.



1. General notes



There was talk about how well organized the league is. Many people with a lot of experience in rec soccer think that CCSL is one of the premier leagues in the whole country. We have competitive teams, we play on great fields, and we're quite large - 37 teams with about 1000 total players, some sponsors, a functioning referee pool, a growing social scene, and a healthy promotion/ relegation system. There are many teams on the waitlist. Few ever get in. In fact, the Goleros were one of the last teams to be admitted, in 2006 I believe, when I had developed a relationship with the Scheduler, who I played with on another team. He vouched for us and moved us to the top of the list, ahead of probably 20 teams. Thanks again Lou! Anyway, one team is likely folding this year, and another will take its place, probably in the 3rd Division. Folding rarely happens because the spot is so valuable, people find a way to reconstitute the team, regardless of who's running the ship. I hope that is the case with our team someday.



2. Promotion/relegation



The Commish reminded teams that promotion is not guaranteed. The Executive Board must determine whether there is space in the next division, and that may be dictated by whether teams are being added to a particular division.



Each season, two teams are eligible for promotion (first, the winner of the regular season, and second, the winner of the playoffs) and two teams are eligible for relegation (the bottom two teams in the regular season). At the meeting, all of the eligible teams were promoted, except for Hoover FC out of the First Division, which declined, and thus the second-to-last place team in Premier avoided relegation.



3. Schedule and fields



Games start March 28th. We're on a lot of turf fields in VA and DC. Trinity, still my favorite field because it is level grass, is our "worst field" so people are pretty happy about the state of things. The Commish and the Field Guru have worked hard to build relationships. It's always fluid though. Just because you have a great reputation and find an "in" doesn't mean you will keep your spot. Field spots can be yanked for any reason - if we litter too much or whatever. I remember when CCSL got significant time on the GW fields in Georgetown. Suddenly, the next season, we were told they were full. Rumor has it the commissioner of another league - a for-profit league - had struck up a cosy relationship wtih the field manager that may have included a fancy lunch. We ain't like that. We have to do things the old-fashioned way. That's why the league constantly impresses upon captains how important our behavior is on the fields. We want to be invited back to the fields we've secured. Many of you are new to adult coed and may not realize how bad it can get for playing conditions. When you're stuck on a small bumpy baseball diamond 10 miles outside of Rockville, the game isn't quite the same. The Goleros did that for many years. This is our third league in 10 years - and it's by far the best.



By the way, before each season, the Scheduler accepts scheduling requests. If ever you know of weekends that don't work or you have suggestions, send them to me before the season starts. This season, I made two late requests -for a bye on April 11th and a late start on March 28th. We'll see if they are accommodated.



4. State and National Association news

Two former league officers are now part of the national and state associations. They are working to implement an automatic registration system (the players register and pay directly with the league) and also a reduction in the amount of insurance we pay. Since we are an accredited league, the insurance is mandatory. Currently, I believe we pay close to $18 per player per season . This is supplemental insurance, over an above your base policy, that covers some injuries sustained in the course of play. So, if you get hurt, which you won't, you may be able to get some of your costs covered. But, like I said, we're trying to reduce the cost of insurance, because right now, it's not really worth it.

5. Scheduling rules

The Scheduler reminded teams that forfeits are a pain for everyone. There is a new policy, which was passed at the meeting. Scheduling requests may be made before the season. If, during the season, a team cannot make a scheduled game, they may request accommodation. The league doesn't have to accommodate, however. And, if you do not notify the league of an impending forfeit before Wednesday COB, there is a $200 fine. $100 of the fine will go to league coffers and $100 will be used as a credit to the opposing team as compensation for being shorted a game.

6. Referee Report

The Ref assignor attempted to change the slide tackle rule to something more simple. Because the new proposal would result in an automatic penalty kick if the tackle was made in the box, the captains didn't like it and it failed. We'll cover the existing slide tackle rule in a subsequent post.

New designation on rosters - this season, all game rosters handed to the refs before kickoff must designate the team captain. So, if Ally or I aren't playing in the game, we will need to designate another captain. This person is responsible for keeping team behavior in check. While most refereees prefer only to discuss calls with captains, there is no special right of captains to object to calls or to be belligerent.

Remember, each team must supply a referee(s) that works five CCSL games each season. Our sole ref at this time is Jeremy. Without him, our dues would increase by $500.

7. Registration

Rosters are due to the league before the 4th week.

8. Fields

We are always looking for newer or better fields, or relationships that we can strike up for long-term gain. Everyone should think to see whether we can leverage connections to get our league good fields. We would benefit from this - all scheduling requests on that field and others would likely be honored, among other things.

9. Social committee

More events are planned this season.

10. Fees

We paid our $1650 dues. There was no increase versus last season.

Answer to poll: cost per game often in excess of $400

Last week's poll asked, 'What's the cost to the league of the average game on a premium field?' The choices were $600, $150, $225, and $425.

The answer is $425.

That's a good rule of thumb, but it's not the whole truth.

For the turf fields we use, our higher-end fees are $150/hr. We pay ref crews $55 for the center and $40 each for the ARs. Thus, if you calculate a 2-hour rental ($300) plus refs ($135), you actually get $435.

There are more factors. Some fields are cheaper. We have a discount price of $40/hr at DC's Ridge field right now, so we've booked it as much as possible through the summer before the District gets wise and raises the price. Some fields are even free, such as the Mall or the Marina. Wilson HS in the District costs $150/hr. The other turf fields average between $90-125/hr. Some prices are more than $150/hr, and don't forget, all prices will inevitably go up.

Of course, a soccer game is only 90 minutes plus a 5-10 minute half. So a clever scheduler can fit in a range of games throughout the day so that each game doesn't take up the full 2-hour allocation.

Still more factors. Reffing costs may have gone up - I was using costs from last year. And none of the calculations include the fixed, indirect, and in-kind costs such as the cost of nets/flags, the $1500 fee we pay the ref assignor each season, and the time contributed by volunteers.

So that's why you pay $80 per season. For eight games on premium fields, with insurance and a three-person certified reffing crew, it's a good value.

Your official announcement on dues

This is your official announcement to pay dues. The deadline is game time on March 28th.

The bill comes to $80 per player. Don't forget about our charity program. Throw in your optional donation of $20.

Please use paypal to my personal address.

Email to follow.

Starting XI

The Shin Guardian, a good blog about soccer and particularly the US men's natonal team, is putting 5-to-1 odds on this starting lineup versus England on June 12th.

What do you think?



G: Howard; DEF: Spector DeMerit, Gooch, Boca; MID: Dempsey, Bradley, Edu, Donovan; STR: Casey, Altidore