No game this week

The entire league is off this week in observance of the Labor Day holiday.  Enjoy your time off and stay fit!

Sunday's game is canceled

The league moved more quickly than expected.  In some cases, the field managers canceled all activities and in other cases the commissioner just decided to make the call.  Our game is canceled, likely to be rescheduled October 30th.  See the email note below:

As you all probably expected, the weather will indeed impact many of our games on Sunday.  I wanted to give as much notice as possible as it looks like were in for a pretty decent storm that goes beyond our "play on turf no matter what" plans.  We have to put safety first both on the pitch and getting there in the first place.

 

So all games on Trinity, Roosevelt, and SSSAS this Sunday will be postponed.  For now the evening games at GMHS are on as scheduled for Sunday. 

 

We'll likely use Oct 30th weekend for these makeups.

 

Stay safe!

 

Sanjay

Game status

Irene is now a Category 3 hurricane, and in some form, she's likely to affect Washington.  My latest text says we have a tropical storm warning in the DC Area - I believe that means heavy rains and winds, hopefully not enough to do much damage. 

The league's exec team has been discussing proactively canceling all morning games on Sunday, and reserving a decision on afternoon games played on artificial turf.  They would make that call Friday night or Saturday.  Since our game is at 9:00 a.m., I would say we're not likely to play. 

However, the game is still on the schedule and we're mostly all here, so please wait to hear from me before you make other plans.

Happy Birthday, Captain!

Whether it be stepping into goal when we need him, offering inspirational words in our team huddles, or capturing our great moments in photos, this team wouldn't be what it is today without our fearless leader.  Please join in wishing him a very Happy Birthday.  Thanks for all you do for the Goleros family, Peter!

Road warriors

Did you know that members of our team recently drove nearly the entire length of I-95 in a single day?  By my estimates, they drove about 1,500 of the 1,900 total miles of highway stretching from the Miami area to Maine.

The teammates were Carlos and Ally.  Carlos woke up early Sunday morning and drove home from Miami with his family.  Ally woke up and drove to New England with Tom.  I am told they stopped for the night in Worcester, Mass, before continuing on to Portland the next day.  So unfortunately Ally did stray from the I-95 corridor for a period of time.

I work in transportation so this stuff is noteworthy to me.  Was it worth this very random post?  You decide.

Read more about I-95 here:

http://www.i95coalition.org/i95/Home/I95CorridorFacts/tabid/173/Default.aspx

Beware of Irene

Put the inclement weather line in your phones, folks, or bookmark this page, where it is noted.  Hurricane Irene could make its way for Washington this weekend, potentially affecting our game.  Of course, we are on turf this weekend so only lightning will result in cancelation.

An earthquake and a hurricane in the same week.  Is the world going to end before we have a chance to capture another division title?


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/hurricane-irene-what-might-it-mean-for-washington-dc-and-nearby-beaches/2011/08/24/gIQA9CWlbJ_blog.html?hpid=z2

Still pondering a move to Google +

When we discussed how best to communicate team business and news, we quickly decided to keep the blog.  It was nearly unanimous.  I did intend, however, to more fully explore Google +, thinking that it would be innovative and hoping it would add new functionality.  I still haven't done that because I'm not thrilled to join a new social networking site.  However, this article suggests it might work great for us.  Something to think about.  No worries, we won't do anything rash.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/faster-forward/post/google-plus-members-value-their-privacy/2011/08/16/gIQAznU7JJ_blog.html

RSVP - Game 2 - NEW TIME

Team,


First off, congrats on the first win of the season.  We're off to a great start!


As you know by now, the time/venue for Sunday's (August 28) game has changed.  It's now at 9:00 AM at Roosevelt HS in DC (4301 13th Street, NW).  RSVP to the blog or send an email.  

See everyone bright and early Sunday morning!!! 

Instructions for paypal - avoid fees!

I appreciate everyone using paypal - it is so much easier to collect and track.  Here are some additional instructions:

Make sure to send the money to my personal address, as shown on email.

Paypal is a free service when it's linked to your checking account.  You can link directly - therefore the money can flow both directions (you can paid by others too) - or you can do some kind of individual check clearance thing.  A few folks on the team do that.  You can also make convenient one-time payments via credit card.  This will result in a transaction fee.

Make sure to designate the transaction as a payment between friends and family.  That allows me to avoid a transaction fee.  This is not a good or service so you're not breaking any rules.  You are sending me money, which I advanced you as a favor.  If you don't make the right designation here, I end up paying a fee on my end to receive the money.

Thanks!

Note schedule changes

To accommodate the late entry into the division - the revived Red Devils - the league had to adjust the schedule. There is a direct impact for us - game times and locations have changed for our Aug. 28th and September 11th games.  Please make a note.  The information posted on this website is current, superseding my Aug. 13th email.

Game canceled tomorrow

As I mentioned on email, our game tomorrow is off.  Two Left Feet had to forfeit due to lack of players.  Some of us are still planning to get together and play though.

Game report: that's a 3-0 win for us on the books.  8/21/2011 vs Two Left Feet.

Support a teammate and donate

Many of us have been affected by cancer in some way.  Elyse is raising money for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.


Visit Elyse's fundraising page here...and make a donation to support a teammate!

Dear Family and Friends,             I am excited to tell you on October 14-16 my mother and I will be participating in the Avon Walk to help fight breast cancer.  Breast cancer is a disease that has touched everyone’s life in some way.  Likewise, this is personal to me since my own mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.  I am proud to say that she is a 12 year survivor! She feels that her life was saved through awareness and early diagnosis. This will be the second time my mother is doing this walk.  Eleven years ago when I stood at the finish line and watched her complete the 60 mile walk wearing a pink survivor shirt, I never felt prouder and wanted more than anything to complete another walk by her side.  I am doing this walk to celebrate my mom, continue to raise awareness, and help defeat this horrible that disease that threatens my family, my future family, as well as all of our loved ones.              A quote that my mom shared with me since a young age was, “You’re not a failure if you fall down, you’re a failure if you don’t get back up.”  My mom didn’t only teach me this quote, but she showed me its true meaning.              Please join me in this important fundraiser by donating whatever you can to support my walk to continue awareness, prevention, and early diagnosis. You can make a donation online by simply clicking on the link at the bottom of this message. Whatever you can give will help! I truly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress. With love and thanks, Elyse

*Avon image courtesy of Avon Walk for the Cure (no copyright information on the website).

Photos from happy hour

Goleros Power!

Good time.  We should do it more often.  I snuck in two from our earlier happy hour a few weeks ago.

What do you mean you're leaving? 

I'm trying to smile about this

Visit Cantina Marina!

Every time I go to Cantina Marina I enjoy it.  It's an oasis in Southwest, a nice spot on the water.

Thanks to Rich for re-upping the sponsorship for this year!

First Game of the Season: 8/21

The first game of the new season is here. Get excited!!

Sunday, August 21
5:00 pm at George Mason HS
vs. Two Left Feet

Please RSVP to the blog or send an email.

See you on Sunday.

National Cup announced

The U.S. Adult Soccer Association, with which we affiliate, is hosting the annual National Coed Cup in Dallas this fall.  I doubt we could motivate to send a team, but it sure would be fun if anyone is interested.  Take a look at the details.

----- Forwarded Message ----- From: James Sadowski Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2011 5:48 PM Subject: MDCVSA News/Action Item 2011 Coed Cup Online Registration - Sign Up Now Please pass this on to your teams and players.  The MDCVSA has more trophies from this event than any other (6 open and  5  >30 championships since 1999). Thanks. Jim From: Steve Addington Date: Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 3:32 PM Subject: 2011 Coed Cup Online Registration - Sign Up Now To: Steve Addington Dear Association Presidents, Directors and Administrators, Online registration for the 2011 CoEd Cup is now open at www.usasa.com.  A direct link is pasted below.  The CoEd Cup will take place October 21-23 in Plano, Texas.  The CoEd Cup is a USASA sponsored event that is open only to USASA affiliated teams and players.  All team rosters must be verified by the state association registrar or another authorized state association official. Aug. 11 – Sept. 15: Early Bird Registration – 2010 Returning Teams: $200 (plus credit card transaction fees) Aug. 11 – Sept. 15: Early Bird Registration: $300 (plus credit card transaction fees) Sept. 16 – Sept. 30: Regular Registration: $350 (plus credit card transaction fees) Oct. 1 – Oct. 8: Late Registration: $400 (plus credit card transaction fees) CoEd Cup 2011 Online Registration Host Hotel Information: Dallas/Plano Marriott at Legacy Town Center 7121 Bishop Rd. Plano, TX 75024 1-972-473-644 The rate is $89/night plus tax for Thursday, Oct. 20 through Saturday, Oct. 22.  When making reservations, be sure to mention North Texas Soccer/Coed Cup. Please forward this message along to your membership! Thanks, Steve -- Check out the MDCVSA web site at http://mdcvsasoccer.org/default_css.aspx

New team needed

One of the teams in our division has folded.  While there is usually a long wait list for our league, a few of the teams that we've approached have not been able to sign up this quickly or, in one case, they were conflicted out because they had too many players on another CCSL team.

If you know of a team that wants to enter the Third Division, let me know.

...and we're back...with the Fall Schedule

We're back after a long rest.  The debate we had over email concerning this blog had a clear message: the blog stays.

Let's warm up with the Fall schedule.  It was just released today.  I do expect some changes because one of the teams in our division has folded and they're looking for another one.  That could impact the schedule down the road.

I will post this in a permanent module, but for now here it is:

8/21  5:00 p.m. vs Two Left Feet
Geo Mason HS in Falls Church

8/28  4:00 p.m. vs FC Arlington
St. Stephens/St. Anne's in Alexandria

9/11  9:45 a.m. vs DC Divided
Galludet U

9/18  2:00 p.m. vs Funkytown
Galludet U

9/25  8:00 a.m. vs Armory (this team has folded so we'll see)
Galludet U

10/2  1:15 p.m. vs Far Post
Trinity College

10/9  10:00 a.m. vs Unathletic DC
Ridge in Southeast DC

10/16  9:45 a.m. vs Our Kicks Don't Lie
Trinity College

10/23  BYE

10/30  Quarterfinals

11/6  Semifinals

11/13   Finals

More to come

It's been a while since we posted something here.  Don't worry, there will be more later.  In short, we finished the season 1-2.  We will need to recruit some new players for the fall.  Should we try to sign this 13 year old from Arlington?

Weather report

The weather won't be good this weekend.  On Sunday, the forecast is calling for thundershowers around noon, with the possibility of showers most of the day. 

We are playing on turf, so our game is likely to be played rain or shine.  Only lightning and thunder will cancel our game.  If you have questions about that, call the inclement weather line on this page.

Game + Sunday = Bring it on!

Please RSVP for our game this Sunday.

Deets below:

 

May 15

3:00 pm at Ridge

vs Tsunami

Standings: Out of the Cellar

The standings were pretty ugly for us after Week 2.  They look better now after Week 5.  Believe me, this could get really tight.  We need to be at our best.

CCSL>Second Division>
Rank	Team		W	L	T	GP	PTS	GF	GA	GD	GDA
1		The Diplomats	4	0	2	6	14	11	3	8	1.3
2		Buena Vista Soccer Club	4	0	1	5	13	16	2	14	2.8
3		Lost Tourists	4	1	0	5	12	11	7	4	0.8
4		DC Thunder	3	2	0	5	9	9	10	-1	-0.2
5		Little Urban Achievers	2	3	0	5	6	5	7	-2	-0.4
6		Geezers	1	4	1	6	4	6	10	-4	-0.7
6		Goleros	1	3	1	5	4	9	13	-4	-0.8
7		Tsunami Naranja	1	4	1	6	4	5	13	-8	-1.3
8		Armory	1	4	0	5	3	9	16	-7	-1.4

Ball in!

Nap is taking on new roles this season

The floodgates finally opened and we salvaged our season last weekend with a well-earned 5-2 victory over Armory.    The patented multi-faceted Goleros attack reared its head.  We had five goals, scored by five different players, with an additional three persons earning assists.  That's eight players on the score sheet, including two women, plus George with a number of key saves.  That is making coed soccer look good.  Call me crazy but I care more about that aspect of our game than the win-loss record.

We were focused at the kickoff, and this, I would say, was the biggest contrast versus previous weeks.  We got organized on defense and fended off a few quick challenges.  We waited for the best moment to mount our first attack and it was immediately effective.  The first two goals may have been overshadowed by late-game theatrics, but they were beautiful and ought to be appreciated.  Jon had something to prove after last game and took it to the hole.  Nate, who had tallied the early assist on Jon's goal, had a smooth finish to the right post for the second goal.  Nate's runs in the first half were clinical.  I had a good view from the defense.  He proved quite effective as a withdrawn and holding forward.

Goals 3, 4, and 5 kind of seemed to one-up each other.  Mike's free kick was painful...for the other team.  Adrian earned the foul at the 20 yard line, left side of the field.  Mike bent a low and hard free kick around the wall and into the far side of the net.  Even if the keeper had gotten a good step, I don't think he could have seen the ball or reached it.  As I told Mike on g-chat, that would have scored in a pro game.

Carolyn stole the show though.  In her first game back this season, she scored a high arching goal in the Upper 90.  Left footed golazo, her first successful strike for our team.  Wow.

Grizzy's goal should not be left out.  He was due, and he wasn't to be denied on Jackie's well-placed cross.  Griz displayed excellent technique in heading the ball down to ground.  Even though the goalie was close, the shot was unpredictable and too tough to handle.

We have a deep bench

It's fun to talk about the goals, but I'm not sure that tells the right story.  There were lots of people running off the ball, giving their all, clogging the middle, and frustrating their attackers.  Also, what happened on those two goals that we gave up?  We were diced despite playing a strong defensive game through most of the match.

So, we're now 1-3-1.  We need to take it one game at a time.  One game does not a win streak make.  We take nothing for granted this week.

Notes: 5-2 win versus Armory on 5/1/11 at Trinity.  Goals by Jon (Nate), Nate (Chris D.), Mike on free kick (Adrian earns the assist on the foul), Carolyn, Griz (Jackie).  GK: George.  Discipline: Ashley (Yellow, pushing).

Game: Sunday May 8

May 8

2:00 pm

@ Ridge

vs DC Thunder

 

Be there or be square. Let's keep up our winning streak! :)

 

 

Last third of the season

As a reminder, here's our schedule for the last 3 games:

May 8 - 2:00 pm at Ridge vs DC Thunder

May 15 - 3:00 pm at Ridge vs Tsunami

May 22nd - 9:00 pm at George Mason HS vs Little Urban Achievers