State Cup Game #3 vs Edina

I was very excited for today's game because our training sessions have been going very well, we are getting used to playing against Minnesota teams from our age group, and if we won today we would pretty much clinch the group title.

We started the game out playing brilliantly.  The Give & Go Skillzy® was on our list of Skillzys® today and we had 6 in the first 30 minutes of the game.  All of the movement led to a bunch of chances.  5 minutes in Bella (CM) chipped the ball through to Gaffer who rounded the goalie and finished into the empty net.

26 minutes in Bella (CM) played the ball into Sonic (FWD) who slotted Gaffer (FWD) through with a one touch pass.  Gaffer hammered the ball off the crossbar but Sonic had followed up the play and headed the ball in for a two goal lead.

It was great for Sonic to score a goal.  She has had a very long comeback from a knee injury that came to light 14 months ago.  It was also great to see our forwards combining with each other.  Blitz and Gaffer combined numerous times in the opening 20 minutes and the goal came from another combination.  The more we can get our forwards to play together, the more dangerous we will be.

3 minutes later we scored a fantastic goal that is up for our goal of the year.  Jordy started the movement with a throw in deep in Edina's half.  She threw the ball into Sonic who cut the ball and played Becks (CM) who was on top of the 18.

 I was certain Becks was going to shoot the ball as she ran up to it, but at the last second she hit a one touch pass to Taz (RD) who had ran up to join the play as the ball went to Becks.  Taz played a one touch Cristiano Ronaldo Cruyff pass to Jordy who one touched the ball into Gaffer who had run into the space that Sonic had left after her pass.  Good dynamic movement from our forwards.  Gaffer took a touch and bent the ball towards the far post for our third goal of the game.

One minute after our goal Edina had a throw in deep in our end.  I made some subs and we tuned out on the throw in leaving an Edina player wide open on the end line.  She received the ball, turned and hit a shot straight at AJ.  At the last second AJ moved out of the way and the ball went into the net for a goal.  AJ told me later that she thought the ball was going to go wide.

I was pretty upset at the fact that we had tuned out and let that goal happen.  When half time came I had a stern talk with Brownie and AJ about communicating more and making sure that mental lapses do not happen.  I also reminded the girls that when you are subbed in, it is your job to have an impact on the game.  If you go in and we get scored on immediately because of a mental lapse you might find yourself back on the bench until you are mentally prepared to play.

Besides that goal, we had played really well.  The combinations were fantastic and our finishing was getting better.  We wanted to keep that up and make sure to end the game early in the second half with another goal.

We got that goal 15 minutes into the 2nd half when Becks sent Gaffer through on a break away.  Edina's keeper made a good first save and pushed the ball out wide.  Gaffer was the first one to the ball, but she was running to the corner.  Instead of cutting the ball, she turned around and hit a one touch shot that floated over the keepers head into the far corner.

We continued to press after we scored and we had multiple chances.  Edina had one chance when we lost the ball in back and their forward picked up the loose ball but hit her shot wide of the target.  Despite all of our chances we had too many shots go straight to Edina's goalie and were not able to score any more goals.  

After the game I was talking to Eric Singer and he had only seen Edina score one and us score one.  He thought that the game had ended in a tie because of how hard the girls were pressing to score another goal.  That was probably the best comment I have heard about the girls.  The fact that they were up 4-1 and were still looked like they were playing as hard as they possibly could.

Along with our End Line Cross, Early Cross, and Give and Go Skillzy's for the game I awarded Taz a Ronaldo Skillzy for her Ronaldo Cruyff pass to help set up the goal and Gaffer a Ronaldo Skillzy for her hat trick.

PSA and St Croix tied on Sunday so we have won our group with one game to go.  We will either play our U12's or Prior Lake's U13's in the semi final next Sunday.

State Cup Game #2 vs Coon Rapids 4/26

Today was one of the days where I wished we were still inside in the domes.  Rainy and cold with the rain occasionally reaching monsoon levels.  Before the game we stressed how important finishing our chances was going to be as we did not capitalize on all of the chances we created yesterday.

I was unable to take any notes during the game due to the rain and I have put off writing about this game for far to long and my memory is a little bit fuzzy on everything that happened.

We opened the game on fire.  We moved the ball really well and Jordy almost scored 2 minutes into the game but her shot hit off the outside of the post.  She would have 2 more chances inside the 6 yard box during the game but would send one over on a header and another would go wide.  

We peppered them with shots and crosses and 10 minutes in Gaffer, I think, was able to get us our first goal.  

Kari had a great game on the right wing and she was beating their outside mid and defenders every time she touched the ball, winning corners and delivering dangerous crosses into the middle.

20 minutes in, girls a little help here, brought the ball down the left side of the field cut inside and played the ball all the way across to Jazzy (RD) who hit a one touch shot that skipped just in front of the goalie and went in from about 35 yards.  We were lucky the ball got by the keeper, but by this point in the game we had already hit the post 3 times and the AR in front of our bench commented that it was about time we got a good bounce of the ball.

2-0 at half-time.  We talked about the need to finish our chances.  We had left too many on the board again and we should have been up by a couple of more goals at this point.  I challenged the girls to continue to play good defense and not allow Coon Rapids anything in the second half.  The last point we talked about was the need to get to the 3rd goal and end the game early.

We got our 3rd goal a couple of minutes into the 2nd half.  I can't remember who scored it, I think it was Bella.  

We scored our 4th goal of the game 20 minutes into the second half, again I can't remember but think it was either Kari or Sizzle.

We scored our 5th goal a couple minutes from time when we played the ball up to Brownie, who had stepped up from her central defender position to play forward.  She turned and played Carly through and she finished first time.

The final was 5-0.  The girls did a great job of pressing Coon Rapids when they had the ball which meant that Coon Rapids had the ball under control in our half less than 5 times the entire game.

Our next game is versus Edina on the 9th of May.

State Cup Game #1 vs St Croix

I arrived at the field about two and a half hours before our game today to check in with Mark's team and be on their bench for their first game against Eagan.  They began the game really well and cruised through the first half going up 3-0.  They slept walked through the second half and allowed Eagan to have more of the ball, but not many, if any, real chances and the game finished 4-0.

The 13's showed up to watch the 12's game and I pointed out to them how it was important to play both halves strong and not allow a team back into a game in the second half.

When it was time for our game we started out quickly and Gaffer almost scored 2 minutes into the game. We had a couple of other chances before we were able to get on the board in the 7th minute.  Brownie (CD) had stepped up to intercept a clear from St Croix on the right side of the field.  Jazzy (RD) saw Brownie stepping and covered for her at center D and they switched positions as Brownie stayed out right after she played the ball to Sizzle (CM).  Sizzle returned the pass to Brownie who hit a 1st time cross towards the penalty spot in the air.  The St Croix goalie came out hard for the ball but Gaffer arrived at the ball first and flicked the ball over the goalie with her head into the goal.

It was great to see all the work on crossing and finishing paying dividends.  

We continued to press St Croix and put crosses into the box but we could not get another goal.  St Croix's goalie played well and hung onto everything she got her hands onto and St Croix's defenders cleared everything they came in contact with.  Putting those two factors along with our struggles to hit the target on all of our chances kept St Croix in the game.

17 minutes in St Croix made a rare appearance in our half after they cleared the ball long.  We had tried to play the ball out of the back but lost it around the half line on a give and go and St Croix played the ball long to the top of our box.  Our clearing attempt went to a St Croix player who was about 28 yards from goal and she struck the perfect U13 shot high into the top part of the net over AJ to tie the game.

After the goal we continued to press but could not finish anything.  I couldn't help but flash back to Nomads when we were in the same type of situation.

At half time I talked to the girls about the Manchester Utd game from that morning that saw Man U turn on the switch in the second half to destroy Tottenham 5-2 after being down 0-2 at half time.  It was an incredible turn around that saw Utd score 5 goals in 23 minutes. Soccer is a game of two halves and I stressed to the girls to be sharp with their finishing in the second half and once we scored to take the lead to make sure to score again and end the game.We came out sharp in the second half but we missed a handful of chances to go up.  We finally had our breakthrough 17 minutes into the second half when Stoker (CM) dribbled by two St Croix defenders and slotted a perfect pass to Blitz (Fwd) who left no doubt about this chance ending up in the back of the net when she fired the ball into the net from 18 yards out.

Two minutes after that Taz played the ball out of the air from a St Croix punt to Gaffer who turned just outside the top of the box and put home the 2nd goal in 2 minutes.  It was the quick finish to the game that we had talked about after we went up by one.

We continued to create chances the rest of the game and we delivered a number of great early crosses, but we were unable to score another goal.  Our team defense was good and we did not allow St Croix to get within 40 yards of our goal after they scored.  I was also really happy with our crosses today, but we will have to finish our chances better.  If we had brought our finishing boots today the score would have been a lot more lopsided.  But to St Croix's credit they battled hard and didn't give away any goals.

Tomorrow we have Coon Rapids who did not play today.  The weather is supposed to be cold and rainy.  I think the girls will be sharper in front of goal and it should be a good game.

WDM Premier Games Game #2 vs JUSC (IA)

The wind had picked up considerably during the day and the wind played a huge factor in the U12 White's second game.  The first half was dominated by us scoring 3 goals and not letting the Blue Valley team out of their half.  The second half was controlled by them with us struggling to get out of our half, but they only managed to finish one of their chances.  I wondered if the wind would have an effect on our game.

Right after the game I took the scenic route through Des Moines to get to the Cownie Soccer Complex.  I arrived at the field just as the 12 Blues were kicking off on the field that we would be playing on.  It was really nice of the Tournament Director to set up Mark's 12's and my 13's with back to back game times on the same field.  

As the 12's began to dominate I made my way one field over to watch the Gladiator team from Nebraska playing Dakota Rev.  Whoever won this game would be the team who we would be playing tomorrow providing we played up to our potential in our 2nd game.  As soon as I arrived at the sideline Gladiator's CM cracked a 25 yard shot into the top part of the net to take a 1-0 lead.  1 minute later the same center mid played a through ball to set up a 2nd goal.  They scored another goal and missed a PK all in the first half.  

Gladiators were playing either a 3-5-2 or a 4-3-3 but the key to their team was the 3 center midfielders.  I was really looking forward to playing against a team with 3 center mids because we have not played against a team with 3 center mids besides our 14's back when they were playing a 4-3-3.  With how well our center mids had played defensively in the first game I wanted to see how they could handle playing against a midfield trio.

Onto our game.  We started the game really well.  We were spread out and moved the ball all over the field.  We were very composed on the ball and the girls were seeing the benefit of proper spacing on the field and they were recognizing when to make certain runs.  Our only small issue was our forwards runs.  We haven't worked on them yet so I wasn't too worried, but we continued to talk to the girls on the sidelines about the different types of runs they could make.

We had numerous chances but the JUSC goalie continued to make good save after good save.  14 minutes in their goalie pushed a shot just wide of the post for a corner.  Becks swung the corner in and Sizzle ran onto it and flicked it to the penalty spot.  Jordy got a touch on the ball and it found it's way to Kari who hammered home the ball for our first goal.

Four minutes later we had a good passing movement that found Blitz (fwd) making a great diagonal through run towards the left corner, (Yes!  A run into space!) and after a controlling touch she found Kari running in from the right mid who took a touch and finished off her second goal in 4 minutes.  It was a great team goal.

After this goal we were really rolling and the girls were very fun to watch.

At the 26th minute we were fouled just inside our attacking half.  As everyone was running with their back to the ball to get set up for the free kick, LK found Sizzle making a quick run on the far side of the field and played her the ball.  Sizzle took a touch and crushed the ball past the diving keeper and into the net.  

This goal is one of the favorite goals that we've scored this year.  The fact that both LK and Sizzle were tuned in and were looking to be dangerous the second the foul was called shows another level of player.

Nothing to say at half time but to continue playing like we were in the first half and challenge the girls to not allow Johnston a single shot on goal.  Take pride in the shutout.  We continually talk about the idea that when we get up on a team and are playing well, we never ever want to give up a goal.

Second half was very similar to the first half as we continued to play really, really well.  We were finding a great balance of passing to feet and to space.  About 75% feet and 25% space.  I was happy to see that the wind was not having an effect on our game because we really like to keep the ball on the ground.  We had a handful of really good chances but their goalie continued to play well and we missed the net on a couple of other chances.

15 minutes into the half we were on the board again through some quick midfield passing that sprang Gaffer through on a break away and our 4th goal.

The girls didn't let up the rest of the game and we were able to keep the ball in Johnston's half until the final whistle.

After the game we talked about how our defenders and our defensive effort were what allowed us to play so well offensively.  It is crucial for the girls to stay focussed on defense.  We gave our defenders Brownie, Lydia, Jazzy, LK, Taz, and our goalie, AJ, the recognition they deserved for keeping 2 consecutive clean sheets and 3 in our last 3 games.

* * *
Just after we scored our first goal I received the news that this would be our last game of the tournament due to the weather.  I was a little disappointed that we wouldn't be able to play Gladiators and KC tomorrow.  This was the tournament that we had really been prepping for the entire spring and winter.  It was the culmination of our last month of games and how I was going to really judge what we needed to work on before State Cup and hopefully Regionals.  

Because we have to play our first State Cup games the last weekend in April we are not going to be able to play against any of the other top Regional teams that we would have been able to play at the Eclipse tournament that weekend.  So now the challenge will be to try and find local competition that will be able to prep us.

Right after I received the word that the rest of the tournament was cancelled a JUSC player went down injured after being hit with the ball.  It's incredible how much the ball stings when it is cold out.  This injury left the Johnston team with only 10 players.  

I thought about withdrawing one of our players but I decided that I wasn't going to short our kids playing time because they did not bring enough players to the tournament.  Especially after hearing that we were not going to be playing tomorrow.  

I decided that this would be a good training session for us on how to move the ball and keep our spacing with limited pressure.

I had watched part of their first game and they had 12 players.  I didn't ask their coach what the deal was with bringing so few players to a tournament but I had wished that I would have asked to change our schedule on Friday night to play the other top seeds.  I guess we can only play the teams put in front of us and this turned out to be a really good training session for us.

I made the decision that I wasn't going to drive home into the Storm of the Century.  I'd much rather go back to the hotel and watch the best team and college basketball, UNC, to see if they could continue their journey to the National Championship that everyone had said that they would win one year ago.  I love that they have been able to perform with the target on their back the entire year.  

WDM Premier Games Game #1 vs Mequon

Amid speculations of the tournament being cancelled due to poor weather conditions we were informed that Saturday's games would be played for sure, but Sunday's games were in doubt.  The way Mark phrased it when we heard the news was that "We will for sure play 2 games and anything beyond that is bonus."

We were the #1 seeded team in the tournament so our group games were going to be against solid teams, but not the other top teams in the tournament.  I had thought about asking if we could switch the schedules and pick our opponents, but I knew this was not a possibility at this stage of the tournament and I held out hope that we would be able to play our games on Sunday.

The weather conditions for our games today were going to be high 40's to mid 50's with lots of wind.  

We started the game with the ball and I told the girls I wanted us to keep possession of the kick while going forward.  The whistle blew and we passed the ball to our center mid, who played the ball to our outside back, into our center back, to our outside mid and we lost possession 10 yards into our half.  I shook my head and made a mental note that we need to spend time working on kick offs.  Being able to read what the other team is giving us off a kick will be something valuable for us to learn.

Our center mids really struggled at the start of the game because there was no depth between the two of them.  They both would go forward together and they would go back together leaving a huge gap in the center of the field.  I addressed this on the side line with Becks and Stoker and kept pointing out the need for balance between the two of them.  It was great to see them fix that issue with our shape the second they were subbed on.  It worked perfectly for me to show Sizzle and Jazzy how much of a difference the spacing made and they were able to do a great job with it the rest of the game.  This actually was the best game defensively that our center mids have played in terms of tackling, heading, and forcing Mequon to one side.

With Mark on the bench with me he kept pointing out to the girls how we needed to play the ball into space more.  The more I watched the game, the more clear it was.  We would only pass the ball to feet.  We have tremendous speed, but we were unable to use it because everything was to feet.  

Mark also pointed out that it looked like we were playing a 2-6-2 and our outside defenders were killing our spacing by pressing up too early.  We were in Mequon's half almost the entire time, so the closer our outside defenders played to our outside mids the less time and space their was for everyone.  They needed to stay back so they would spread out the other team and it would in turn allow them time and space to receive the ball and run at the other team or put in an early service.

Besides those 2 issues, Jordy was causing all kinds of problems when she received the ball and was beating defenders left and right.  

In the 27th minute we had the ball on the right side and we played Blitz into space down the wing.  Blitz beat her defender and shot the ball to the far corner of the net over the goalie.  Mequon's goalie was able to get a hand on the ball slowing it down.  As the ball was bouncing towards the goal line Carly came sprinting in and finished off the goal just before a defender was about to clear the ball.

A minute after we scored Mequoan was awarded a penalty when the ball was cleared into one of our player's hands.  It was completely unintentional and the ref had let a similar play like this go with a "play on" call when it happened to Mequon.  Inconsistency is frustrating.  But these refs were a ton better than San Diego.

Their girl stepped up to take the penalty and AJ waited in anticipation.  It would have been really cruel to let Mequon tie the game up with how the balance of play was.  The ref blew the whistle.  The Mequon girl struck the ball hard and AJ dove and saved the penalty.  Just like San Diego.  

It is a really nice to have so much confidence in your goalie that you are not worried when other team's are awarded penalties.

The half time whistle blew and we brought the girls in to make adjustments.  We talked about the spacing of the defenders and center mids and stressed the importance of playing the ball into space.

When the second half began the girls made all the adjustments and looked really good.  4 minutes into the half we played a couple of passes to feet in the midfield before playing Gaffer into space for a 1v1 with their central defender.  Gaffer beat her but as she was going to shoot the defender was able to get a foot in to block the shot and the ball went out for a corner.

On the ensuing corner Becks curled in a perfect ball to the top of the 6 yard box where Blitz met it with a powerful header into the back of the net.

We played really well the rest of the half and the girls were able to notice how much it helped to have our defenders keep their spacing when we were in the attacking half.  Mequon was able to get one chance in the second half where AJ made the first save and the ball bounced behind her.  They had a forward running in to finish it but AJ was able to reach back and palm the ball against the ground with one hand and stop the girl from scoring.  It was a really cool save.

Despite our good play and numerous second half chances we were unable to finish any other chances in the game.  The final score was 2-0.

The second half was another big step forward for the girls as they really recognized how to play when we are in the attacking half.  I really hope that we will be able to get in another couple of games today.