Holy Crap!

Holy crap!  You know you haven't posted in a while when it takes you half a dozen tries to rediscover your blog's login and password information.

 I can't even begin to explain how busy things have become since the Beckham game (my last post).  Let's just say that the Bangu support at that game has been a catalyst for change here in Minnesota, and I believe the youth development scene will see a very pronounced new direction in 2008.  I won't go into more details at this point in time, but I'm super excited (and exhausted) from the whirlwind events since early December, not to mention a wonderful holiday time with 14 month old baby Emmri. 

 As for the Goo Girls, it's been a bit of a roller coster as well since around the same time. 

The day before the Beckham event, the Toro Bravo (NE) came up to visit us.  We did not play as well as I would have liked to see, and I began to question the training path we currently had the girls set on.

A few weeks later, we came up against the Bangu U15 Blue team, and proceeded to put together the absolute worst performance I'd see from the team in a long, long time.  

This friendly served to be a wake up call for both coaches and players alike.  The girls KNEW they didn't play well.  We couldn't control a ball to save our lives, and our decision making was slow and downright awful.  Not that we should beat our U15 Blue team, but we didn't even compete.

I think the girls had become a bit complacent.  Region champions, the #2 ranked team in the US last fall, and other tournament and league play success from last summer were at the forefront of their (and maybe mine) minds.  Our training sessions in November had lacked focus and intensity (my fault), and the girls were paying the price.  

 We had a bit of a come to Jesus meeting that next training session.  I attempted to reitterate to the girls that Eclipse, Hawks, Internationals, etc. were all likely working extremely hard this off season and we needed to do the same.  Allour success last year has guaranteed us only one thing this year.  We have a huge target on our backs. We were sure to get the very best efforts out of our opponents in every single match up.  We have skill and intelligence, but need to match other teams' intesity and workrate to all our skill to carry us through. 

My co-coach, Mark Cook, who also works with the U15 Blues, made a fairly telling statement.  That U15 team has never won anything when they've left the state to compete.  Rarely won a game.  They come into every training session and work their butts off, listen and respect when the coach is talking, demand focus from their teammates, etc.  This has translated into some real development in that group (they would win their flight at Disney in December). 

My challenge to the girls was simple.  I wanted them to know that we'd continue to have fun at training and I didn't expect military discipline, but we needed to refocus ourselves as a group if we truly wanted to make a run at Nationals this year.  We had A LOT of work to do.

The good thing is, based on their own reflections on the team's performance in the last two friendlies, it was clear we needed to step up our game.  

From a coach's perspective, we needed work on speed of play - technical speed and decision making speed.  Our next dozen sessions or so were focused primarily on those aspects of our game.  With the renewed focus (with a reminder every now and again) the girls have taken their game to the next level.

In December, we had a breakthrough weekend.  We came up against our U15 Blue team on a Saturday morning and were a whole new team.  I believe we actually won the game 2-1.  More importantly, we played some really great soccer.  

The next evening, we headed to to Eden Prairie to scrimmage the U15 Premier team.  This was a team that we had had trouble scoring on (never scored more than one goal on them in any given game) and never beaten.  I remember walking into the Eden Prairie dome for the first time and realizing that we were going to play on smaller 8v8 goals (7' x 21', or something like that).  EP's keeper is quite a physical specimen so my confidence wasn't tremendously high that we'd tuck the ball away tonight at all. 

Ten minutes into the game, we went down 0-1 as EP's scoring threat, a girls who has tormented us for a few years now, broke free up the middle and slotted home a breakaway.  We had actually looked the better team until that point.  Oh, great.  We're going to lose 0-1 as we have very little hope of scoring on this giant keeper in a tiny goal.  Oh ye of little faith...

The Goo Girls then put together some of the best soccer to date.  I made a change in the back, playing Blondie at left back after the EP goal, and she turned out to be the difference for us as we shored things up and didn't allow EP another good look at goal.  Much to Blondie's chagrin I imagine.  She's been a utility player to this point, like I was with the Thunder.  Athletic, skilled, and smart enough to play every position, never finding a real home because of this.  I think she found a home now, but I know she would prefer to take up residence a little further upfield away from our goal.  

The girls scored 4 really,really good goals (four!!!!) to leave 4-1 winners.  They constantly surprise me...

* * * * *

Looking to mix in some "new" soccer into our winter program (to keep the girls excited and fresh) we booked some time on the small 4v4 boarded fields at Corner Kick in Maplewood.  We kicked off the New Year with a lively session as we looked to begin a 3 week prep for the Sereno Soccer Classic in Phoenix (AZ).  We also added additional sessions at Bielenberg in Woodbury; some weekday and some early Sunday morning time blocks (7:30AM - 9:AM).  

Our first scheduled Sunday early morning session on Jan 6th proved to be the first session this 0708 season that saw all 17 rostered girls in attendance.  I couldnt' believe it.  What was I going to to with all the numbers?  :)  Lily has been down at SSM with the U16s this year, so I obviously don't expect her to attend our training while she's at school.  Clare and Becs are big-time hockey athletes and thus we haven't seen much of them due to their HS conflicts.

It was nice to kick off the year with the full compliment of players!

Thunder vs Galaxy

I was excited about the event today. I arrived at the dome 3 hours early to help with the set up and organization, the doors opened at 4PM for the public.

I had let the Bangu players know that they needed to be down behind the Field Level seats at 5PM in order to organize for the youth tunnel, and when I looked over to that section at 4:15PM a crowd had already begun to gather.

When all was said and done, nearly 300 players lined up the entrance to the field to help usher in the two teams. It was a lot of prep and waiting for the 10 seconds or so that each player got to watch the teams go past them, but the experience was worth it.

I spent most of the game walking between the Bangu section and the field itself, and I got the sense that people seemed to be having a very enjoyable time.

All 16 of my U14s were out at the event, and were giddy and excited to get a chance to see Beckham. 

The Bangu Directors have yearly allowances through Nike for apparel, so I was able to offer $100 from my account to two winners for two contests I set up.  The first was a Craziest Fan/Best Sign contest, and the second was a Guess the Goal contest.  For the latter, I asked players to submit guesses as to which team would score the first goal at what time.  The winner was a U11 boys named Alex who guessed LA would score five minutes and fifty seconds into the contest - they scored at the 38:39 mark.  The winner of the Craziest Fan/Best Sign contest was Mo Mo from the U13G Blue team. Her and her mother went wild.

To see many of our club players get into the event with painted hair and faces, creative signs and banners, and with 100+ submitting guesses in anticipation of the match was well worth the $200 in my book.

As for the game itself, the first half was really good.  Though the Thunder went behind early, they played well.  It’s sometimes easy for a team like LA to come into an event like this and go through the motions.  However, with their recent announcement of their new coach (Dutch superstar Ruud Gullit) and Ruud’s statement to the team that he would be watching this game and players knew they were playing for a new coach and their roster spots, both teams played hard.

The Thunder pulled the match level in the second half, but fell short in the PK shootout.

It was fantastic to see players like Bechkam and Donovan combine right in front of us, though in my book the best player on the field was my old Thunder teammate and current Rochester Rhino player Johnny Menyounger.

All in all, a very successful event for the Thunder and for our club.

Beyond the Pitch

After all the hubbub at the airport, I headed back to Woodbury to pick up my suit that was in for altering.  My wife and I were headed out to the Metro Magazine hosted party for David Beckham and the Galaxy that night in Downtown Minneapolis at a Asian fusion type bar called Temple. 

Initially, the Thunder couldn't get a ticket to the event for spouses, but that changed at the last minute and Abbie was able to accompany me.  With Emmri, our 13 month old baby girl at home though, we had to find a someone to come over and babysit.  My team manager, Super Wendy, had extended us an offer to come and watch Emmri at anytime, so we took her up on it.

Wendy came over at around 5:30PM, accompanied by 6 girls from the team - Soph, Macky, Bidi, Hannah, Nash, and Maddie.  Babysitters in training!  Nice. 

It's important for me to build these off the field relationships with my players.  It helps build a close, family feel among the players and me, and the strength of this relationship has been a factor in my past team successes as well as a contributor to the girls overall positive experience with the game and with me. 

It's kinda neat as the teams come and go through stages in my life.  My Woodbury team was with me during my engagement and wedding.  They were not only with me, they were very involved in both.

My current Bangu U14s are with me during Emmri's birth and the early years, my next team will like be with me through the babysitting years, the next might be Emmri's teammates. 

* * * * *

The party and Temple was fun.  They had the LA Galaxy roped off in a back room area.  You should have seen all the girls trying to get Beckham's attention.  I've never seen anything liek it. 

The Galaxy players did come out and mingle with the mere mortals, and I found time to track David down.  I introduced myself, told him that I had helped coordinate the kids at the airport, and said I just wanted to thank him for taking the time to sign autographs and pose for pictures.  It meant the world to the kids there.  He said it was his pleasure and he hoped they enjoyed the game tomorrow.  I introduced him to my wife, whom I had forgotten about behind me until she kicked my heel, and that was that.  I'm sure he meets hundreds of people in every city he goes to and he won't remember me from Adam, but it was important to me that I got a chance to at least say how much his time meant to our players.  My wife hasn't washed her hand since.

It's All About the Kids

6:00AM - Alarm went off

6:15AM - Got out of the shower

6:45AM - Finished checking emails and planning the day's sessions

7:00AM - Pulled away from Caribou, large Carmel High Rise in hand

7:30AM - Arrived at Holy Angels dome to distribute last groups of LA Galaxy tickets to some Academy teams

7:45AM - Began U14G warm-up in prep for the friendly against Toro Bravo

8:15AM - Kick off

Toro looked sharp. You could tell in the first 10 minutes of the game which team had been playing all fall and which team had not. You could also see which team looked fit as we had a number of girls grabbing their knees, bent over and trying to catch their breath.

We began in a 4-1-2-3 formation, with a bit of an experimental midfield. I asked Ripper to play a defensive midfield role, knowing that she was still recovering from a sore back that had kept her sidelines with her high school varsity team all fall. She told me she was feeling good and wanted to play, so I started her to give her a run. I had Bidi play in front of her as one of the central mids, with KK at the other central position. Bidi loves hanging out wide on the right side, predominantly playing wide mid or wide back last year, so it would be a challenge for her to pick up the central tactical ideas. KK is a solid addition to the team this year from the San Diego Surf club, but as a new player it will be difficult to ask her to step into a leadership role at this point, as well as to grasp the ideas of our system of play on the first go around.

I was impressed with Toro. They always had the athleticism and tenaciousness, but their new coach has begun to teach them soccer. They knocked the ball around on us a bit and I'd say possessed the ball more than we did, as we looked rusty, nervous, tired, disorganized, and sloppy. We defended very well though and denied Toro any real threat at our goal, save for 2 corner kicks that we allowed to drop in our danger area.

We weren't as dangerous on the attack as I've gotten used to seeing out of these girls, but we did create a few good chances, one off a great corner kick service by Blondie to the far post that Bidi headed just wide, and another when Millie slipped a ball through to Bidi up the right flank that Bidi smacked off the crossbar.

At halftime, I talked to the girls about the importance of our fitness. They all knew how tired they felt, so it was a good time to address it. If we are not fit, we lose our technique and our touch on the ball. Lose the touch and we lose our composure. Lose our composure and we begin to just kick the ball up field. Kick the ball up field and we're forced run even more. Vicious cycle. I think the message was clear to the girls and this will give me an experience to use to fuel the girls during their months of FIT Training ahead.

We had also switched to a 4-4-2 midway through the first half, so I talked with the girls about pushing our weak-side mid up the field when we were in possession of the ball, creating space for our wide back to attack. This is an important tactical idea that I want the girls to pick up as we look to push numbers forward when we can.

Lastly, I challenged the girls to step up their performance. One thing that is almost guaranteed because of our regional championship last summer is this - we will likely get the very best game from our opponents as it will be easy for them to get up for the match against us. The girls need to embrace this fact, match the energy and drive that other teams bring, and let our skill carry us through.

The second half was a much better half for us. We came out the stronger team and pressed the advantage for the great majority of the half. Tori (GK) went down 10 minutes in after a brave save and a collision with a Toro forward. I asked Ripper to fill in, leaving us with 2 usable subs for the balance of the game. The girls seemed to catch their second wind though, and battled through their fatigue well.

Mille (RF) created our best chance of the half, beating her defender 1v1 up the right side and hitting a high shot into the inside of the far post. Bidi (LF) and Getch (LM) both came crashing in for the rebound, but the ball managed to squeak past both of them as it rebounded back across the goal mouth.

In the end, it was a very good match for us. 0-0 in a hard fought friendly.

Marcus was very complimentary after the game of the Goo Girls, as I was of the Bravo group. We're going to try and set something up in Feb with the St Louis and KCFC teams, as well as try and build a super group at the WDM Premier Games in April.

9:45AM - Off to Caribou for a medium Carmel High Rise

10:30AM - Back at Holy Angels for a training session with the U14s

Double duty today as the U14s had the friendly as well as scheduled training. The girls legs were tired, so the idea was to do some technical work based on some of the weaknesses Cook (co-coach) and I saw from the morning game.

We struggled on throw ins in the attacking third of the field. I want our players to get used to the contact and "find" defenders with their hands. This is akin to posting up in basketball. Soccer is a physical game, without a doubt, and the players need to understand this and expect it. If our player receiving a throw in to their feet doesn't feel the defender on their back (by making direct contact), that defender can easily sneak around our player and get the ball. Using their arms like antenna extended out and backwards, and getting the marking defender "on their back", our player can feel what the defender is doing without being able to see them. If the defender tries to sneak around one side, our player can roll them - keep them on their back as they turn their body and shield the ball - and get into the space behind them.

Here's what we did:

Juggling Warm Up

Receiving Under Pressure - Ground Service

Receiving Under Pressure - Aerial Service

Receiving Under Pressure - One Touch Back

Pattern Play to Goal - Marked Target Lay Offs

Pattern Play to Goal - Marked Target Combination

11:45AM - Head to McDonald's to pick up lunch

12:15PM - Off to Caribou for a medium Light Roast

12:30PM - Back at Holy Angels for the U11s

1:00PM - U11G Training

2:15PM - Stop training early to head to the airport to welcome David Beckham and the LA Galaxy

I serve as a Technical Director with the MN Thunder, helping their youth development programs.  I support the pro team because I believe pro soccer is important for the development of the game in our state.

So for the last couple weeks I’ve spent a lot of time trying to coordinate a club event at the upcoming Copa Minnesota match featuring the MN Thunder vs the LA Galaxy.  Because I work for the Thunder, I was able to convince them to set aside an entire seating section at the dome for us, basically on consignment.  I was confident I could get a couple hundred tickets sold to Academy families simply by making it very clear that I personally believe in supporting our local pro organization and by explaining the benefits to watching top level soccer to our members.  Many are here with our club because of the guidance that professionals like yours truly can offer, and I was sure many would want to take part with some encouragement and education.

I posted some promotional info on our club website, as well as a bit of a controversial piece playing on David Beckham’s good looks and sex appeal.  To be honest, the piece was all about humor and getting a buzz going in the club.  It did that for sure, but I should have thought it out more as I spent the entire morning fielding emails from moms (and dads) in the club joking and commenting about it.  I didn’t get much work done that morning, but again, the buzz is what I was after and the buzz is what I got.

The blogs here in MN went a bit crazy pointing out how I was using sex to sell the game, ripping apart the marketing idea, etc.  Our boys coaching director wasn’t happy about it, and I eventually had to take the pics off the site because our club president fielded a complaint from a member.  I understand there is a fine line between promoting something like this in this fashion on a youth soccer website, but c’mon.  Kids today see FAR worse in almost every other media environment.  Moreover, the great majority of our website viewers are 1) our club’s parent group, and 2) other adults involved with different clubs in MN trying to keep tabs on what we are doing.

Here’s the ad I posted.

Moms...

If so, then leave the dads at home and join us on Sunday at the Metrodome when the Minnesota Thunder take on David Beckham and the LA Galaxy in the first annual Copa Minnesota match up. 

I also sent out email blasts to al our coach and team managers, asking managers to tally ticket interest from their teams as well as to encourage coaches to adjust training schedules to allow kids to have the opportunity to attend the event.

In the end, we sold over 750 tickets, taking up the entire Section 120 and half of Section 119.  I had specifically requested these sections when I found out we would be directly above the player tunnel to the locker rooms.  Why? Well, first our kids would get a chance for a close up look at the players a couple of times during the event, and I foresaw some good photo opps because of this - both for the kids and for me of the kids.

The Thunder were obviously happy about the final number of tickets purchased (at $15 and avoiding the Ticketmaster surcharge), allowing me to push for some added perks for our kids.  After some discussion, we agreed to give Bangu players the opportunity to be at the airport to welcome the Galaxy, as well as to form a youth tunnel at the dome on Sunday to help usher in the teams as they took the field.  It was shaping up to be a fantastic experience for our kids who wanted to take part.

2:30PM - Quick stop at Caribou for a medium Carmel High Rise

2:45PM - Arrive at HHH Terminal

The Galaxy flight was to arrive just after 3:00PM.  I walked in from the parking ramp to find about 100 kids already there waiting behind a rope, just inside the parking structure dock. I also saw 5 or 6 media personalities there with their camera crews.

There were some security guards there who were apparently in charge of the Galaxy all weekend, and they were trying to keep some semblance of order.  They informed me that the Galaxy were going to arrive, get their bags, then walk through this little waiting area to get to their bus parked in the loading dock.

I turned to the kids and asked why they weren’t in the baggage claim area, but one of the security guards jumped in and stated that all the kids had to remain here.  It was a large room that stretched back from the walk way, large enough for he numbers we had, but the problem was that the only people who would be able to even see the Galaxy players were in the front few rows.  This wouldn’t work.

What about the kids in the back?  The guards said that they would try and wave some of the Galaxy players into the room to interact with the kids, and that seemed to appease people.

I was still a bit put off though.  All these kids here, and more swelling numbers every minute, and the rent a cops said they would “try” and wave some of the players into the area?  That wasn’t going to float.

I went into the terminal to search out the Thunder officials to try and work something else out, but they informed me that the security guards, though hired by us, were taking direction from LA, and LA had been less than accommodating with many requests surrounding the event.

I hustled back to the waiting area (one of the Bangu moms who works security for the airport called me and told me the Galaxy flight had landed), and told the families waiting that 1) there was no guarantee that any of the players would make it back into the room, and 2) this was a public facility and people could go where they wanted.  This obviously didn’t sit well with the security people who didn’t appear to like their authority usurped.  But was I wrong?  This WAS a public facility and people were free to do what they wished.  A few families took my advice, and we headed back into the terminal.

Back in the terminal, the Thunder officials introduced me to the head PR guy with the Galaxy, or in some position like that, and I was instructed to talk with him about the kids waiting in the parking structure.  He was not the most personable guy I’ve ever met, and looked to be put out that there were all these kids here and LA wasn’t notified about it.  He informed me that Beckham would not be signing any autographs nor talking with the media, nor would any players be allowed to enter into the kids area as the security guards had suggested.  He had an air of self importance and arrogance to him that didn’t sit well with me.

Dude?!?!  Are you serious.  All these kids come out to welcome one of the biggest, if not the biggest name in the soccer world today, and you’re telling me he’s not even going to acknowledge them, let alone the media?  Do you want to sell more tickets for this event?  It was ridiculous.

I ran back into the waiting area and informed the families that the players had begun arriving and reiterated again that this was a public facility and they were free to go where they wanted.  I encourage many in the back to at least exit out the front and wait outside to at least be able to see the players up close.  About 50 followed my lead, but then were sharply reprimanded by the security guards and the PR guy and told to get back in their pen.  Ugh...

I returned to the terminal frustrated.

The Galaxy players began rounding a corner and coming down the escalators to the baggage claim.  Landon Donovan was the first “big” name player to hit the main floor and the kids rushed up to meet him.  I held my breath.  Arguably the top US soccer player ever, I wasn’t sure how he’d react.  Big name, long flight, I'm sure he just wanted to get his luggage and head to the hotel.  Could be a recipe for disaster as some of the kids who followed me into the terminal approached him for autographs.  I was catapulted back almost 27 years.

I was 10, and my team, the Rochester Ringers (MN) were ball boys for a Kicks game at Met Stadium.  I had followed the Kicks for a few years, and my hero was the English striker Ron Futcher.  I idolized him and his goal scoring prowess, and he was the one I was coming to see that night.

I watched the game in utter happiness, sporting my purple teri cloth uniform shorts and matching purple mesh jersey.  I happened to be stationed directly behind the goal when Futcher scored three goals to lead the Kicks to victory and you can imagine my delight.

As ball boys we were allowed back into the tunnel outside the Kicks locker room for autographs.  All my teammates waited for Alan Willey, Tino, and Ace.  I waited for Ron.

He was one of the last to come out.  I had foregone getting other players autographs in fear of missing Ron - that's how much this chance meant to me.  I ran up to him and proffered my velvet autograph book and pen, and said something like “Great game Mr. Futcher!  Can I please have your autograph?”.  He looked down at me, put his arm around his wife/girlfriend/groupie, and responded “ F*** off kid.”

I have carried the remembrance of that feeling with me since.  I think this experience was a huge reason why I was always the last player off the field after Thunder games, not wanting a young players to miss out if they wanted to see me or get an autograph if they wanted it.

So I held my breath in anticipation as our players sought out Landon.  I knew how they would feel if he brushed them aside and I didn’t really want them to experience that.  However, Landon proved to be a class act, signing autographs and posing for pictures with kids and families.  It was really great to see.

I heard a buzz go through the crowd and looked up to see everyone staring at the escalator.  There was Beckham, eyes downcast and surrounded by body guards.  Great.  He’s avoiding eye contact so that he doesn’t have to sign autographs and his body guards are instructed to taser any kid who comes within 10 feet.  At least that’s what I thought.

But I was wrong.

Much I’m sure to PR Guy’s chagrin, Beckham politely smiled as the kids and moms rushed up to him, signed soccer balls, posters, and Galaxy replica jerseys, and posed for pictures for any brave enough to ask for one.

I exited back out to the parking structure.  Excited that some players got the chance they did in the baggage claim, nervous about the disappointment the others in the parking structure would likely face as I’m sure PR Guy, blindsided by the sneak attack in the baggage claim, would have al his ducks in a row and hinder any chance of kids’ happiness in the second autograph wave.

The kids waiting were excited to hear that he was on his way, and the rope bulged dangerously forward as the press of bodies in the front row strained forward to peer outside the sliding glass doors expectantly.

A few of the “lowly” Galaxy players came through to cheers from the 200 or so in the waiting area.  Though polite, I think the cheers were more for the Galaxy warm-ups the players wore rather than knowledge of who they were cheering for.

Then the entourage came into view and I saw 100 cell phones go up in anticipation of a photo opp.

Beckham looked to be about to just acknowledge the crowd of cheering fans behind the rope with a wave.  However, as I was just about to lose hope that he’d stop for even a minute, he pivoted on his heels to his left and reached for the nearest soccer ball and Sharpie.

For the next 15 to 20 minutes, the world’s most recognized soccer player took time to smile, sign, and pose.  The rope didn’t last for more than a few seconds, then he was surrounded by kids.

I saw PR Guy talking with the security guards and waving his hands in the air, obviously upset.  I didn’t hear a word of the interaction with all the shouts of “Beckham! Beckham!” around me. And I didn’t really care. This is what it’s all about. The kids.

Busy Weekend Ahead

Lots of stuff going on this weekend.  I'm excited to see the girls play tomorrow against Toro Bravo (Omaha, NE).  Our club has built a good relationship with the Toro group, and we are looking forward to meeting up a number of times this winter.  Their nationally ranked U13s will be coming up next weekend for a series of scrimmages as well. 

We've played the Nebraska State Cup Champs twice, losing both matches 2-0, and me walking away from both matches feeling that we were the superior team in each.  The Bravo have a new coach, Marcus, the club's new DOC, and have picked up some additional talent from the area.  They have also been playing for 3 months in the fall MRL and have qualified for a Premier League spot next summer.  Should be a really good test for us, more so for the fact that I haven't had the girls together as a group since USA Cup back in July. 

I'm not expecting much from us tomorrow.  I know our fitness is not at a level that will lend to a solid 70 minutes of play for us, and we're also missing our two hockey players (Becs and Clare), and short a central midfielder as Lily is down and SSM.  So with 14 non-match-fit girls, could be an interesting morning to say the least.