U13G Midwest Soccer Challenge - Day 2

MSC Game #3 vs Blackhawks U13C1

Promise of a cooler, wetter day came true. Not too bad, all things considered, but people would be cold today.

Kick off against Blackhawks was 8:45AM. I got to the field a bit early to watch the other group game, Centennial vs Sibley. Sibley and us were tied on points, each with a win and a tie. If we both won this morning, we'd head into a tie-breaker with goal differential being the deciding factor after head to head.

I came into the morning thinking that we'd need goals against the Blackhawks to help our cause should Sibley manage to beat Centennial. If someone looked at the Saturday scores, they'd probably think that since we beat Centennial 4-0, and Sibley tied us, Sibley was likely to beat Centennial by a lot of goals. Having seen both teams play against us, I didn't think that was necessarily going to be the case, but needed to come in with a game plan to increase our goal differential.

Back at Shoreview Commons, the huge field played to our cause. With fast, athletic girls and a lot of space to exploit, we'd get plenty of changes to get behind the Blackhawks defense.

My thought was to get the girls relaxed in warm-ups after the relatively tense game yesterday afternoon, and the challenge them to come out fast and hard.

I'm sure the Blackhawks girls weren't looking forward to the game as both Centennial and Sibley had beaten them yesterday. I told the girls that this was something else that could work in our favor. Some of the Blackhawk girls might have been thinking that they had no chance against us. If we could start strong and get a goal or two early, we'd likely finish the game in the first half. I talked to the MTA girls about high pressure right from the kickoff, working hard for loose balls, closing Blackhawks players down at speed, and talking/communication constantly - all of which can be intimidating for a team that may believe they are inferior.

For warm-ups, I took the girls over to a small 4v4 field beside the game field. The 4v4 field had lines and small goals, perfect for a little 4v4 warm-up. Two teams of 8, no GKs, each team split into 2 sub-teams of 4. Each team of 8 had 4 players on the field and 1 player on each side of the field who could be used as support players by teammates in the field of play. On the "Change!" command, players on the teams could not touch the ball again and had to run and tag a teammate who was off the field in order to release that player onto the field to play 4v4.

Really fun game, good warm-up, girls were enjoying themselves, and there wasn't an ounce of tension in the air. Perfect.

Opted to start the game in a 3-4-3. Reiterated the Line Pass and Over the Top through ball ideas, challenged them again to start the game strong, and left them to it.

Every once in a while, a game plan actually works out perfectly.

42 seconds in, Babes (CM) played a ball Over the Top of Vivi (CF). Vivi slipped the ball to B-Money (RF) and B finished her 1v1 with the keeper with a nice, side of the foot roller. Very good start.

Blackhawks took the restart from midfield, we pressed to win the ball, knocked a few passes in midfield, then back into our backline, then Meg (RD), sent Vivi through again on a breakaway with a 30 yard ball Over the Top. Sometimes, in order to go forward, you need to play backawards. The girls hear that a lot from me and this was a prime example as our possession and play around our backline drew the Blackhawks defenders up and opened up space behind them that we were able to get in to.

Two goals in two minutes. Most of the Centennital team and parents who were watching the game behind our bench headed for their cars. If Blackhawks had beaten us, Centennial would have advanced.

11 minutes in we scored our third. Didn't record and don't remember who scored it as I was so impressed with the first time volley that Phi Phi (CM) hit into the danger area to make the goal happen that I forgot to jot down the goal scorer.

1 minute from half time, Normy (CF) played a diagonal ball from the midfield line Over the Top to Meg (RF), and Meg outran her marking defender to score on a breakaway.

Not much to say at halftime. Rotated playing positions a bunch and off they went.

8 minutes in, the Blackhawks GK's punt was headed back at her by a jumping Babes (LM). The ball fell to Mickey (LF) at the top of the 18. Mickey took a touch and hit a low, right-footed shot past the diving Blackhawk's GK for our fifth.

At the 25 minute mark, Babes (now at CD) hit a Slotted Through Pass to Mal (CF). Mal hit a solid first time shot to give us our sixth.

We finished on a great goal from Normy, who collected a poor goal kick about 25 yards from goal on the right side, took a prep touch, and hammered the ball home into the far post side netting.

Good performance overall. Off to the final.

Star of the Match for me was Babes.  All over the field, composed on the ball, involved in many of our goals.

MSC Championship vs PSA Infiniti

Back over to the Hazelwood complex for the championship game vs PSA Infiniti.  The team had a good fall season in 2008, as well as a good summer season as U12s in a tough West District, battling Eden Prairie, Edina, and Tonka United and doing well.  We'd have our hands full.

Girls were their usual goofy selves prior to the game.  That's always a good thing.

Field #2 was a postage stamp when compared with the huge field we'd played two group games on already.  No more than 105 yards long and maybe 60 wide.  Didn't know if this would help or hurt.  Chances were that since PSA was a large club, they'd likely have some very athletic girls in their mix at this age group.  Didn't have any idea how technical they were, nor how physical. 

Went back to our 4-4-2.

Pre-game talk?  Be ready for a battle.  Small field, lots of body contact coming.  Want to avoid contact?  Play the ball quickly.  Make the field big when we have the ball, with wide mids getting their heels out of bounds.  Get tight and compact centrally when we don't have the ball.  Not much room to look Over the Top today, but long diagonals might be on.  Have fun.

Games started well for us.  Girls seem to be firing on all cylinders as of late.  PSA was decent, but not as strong as I expected.  They seemed to have a light bench, so maybe they were missing some players. 

11 minutes in we got on the board.  Vivi (RF) and Cal (RM) played a nifty Give & Go up the right flank, just inside the PSA half.  The combination sent Vivi racing towards goal 1v1.  I thought she might have taken a too big of a last touch when approaching goal, but her pace allowed her to slide in just before the PSA GK got her hands to the ball, and the ball rolled home.  Fantastic effort on Vivi's part.

Two minutes later, we scored a great goal.  Babes (LF) checked back to win a loose ball just inside the PSA half on the left side of the field.  With her back to goal and pressure on her, she took a couple dribbles back into our half, and then played a long, change of field, diagonal ball forward to a sprinting Cal (RM).  Most of the PSA team had been drawn into the left half of the field, so Cal found herself in a ton of space.  She dribbled forward to the top of the PSA box and then fired a low, hard shot to the lower right of the goal.  I don't know if the PSA GK got a hand to it or not, but the ball hit the inside of the right post and carommed back across the goal line.  Em (RF) who had been following the play up field, came racing in to boot the ball home from 2 inches out. 

We then got a huge goal a few minutes from half time (third goals are always huge for me).  Free kick from about 35 yards out on the left side of the field.  Babes sent in a high, lofted ball past the PSa defensive line that dropped at the far post area.  All I saw was a pack of white shirts as Vivi, B-Money, Payt, and someone else all crashed the net.  Payt got a foot on the cross to nearly seal the result for us. 

Not much to say at halftime.  The girls were playing well.  Keep it up, move the ball quickly as the older girls might start to take out frustrations, have fun.

13 minutes into the second half we scored another good goal.  Phi Phi (CM) once again hit a great first time volley forward on a loose ball.  The volley found B-Money (RF) who battled her way past her marking defender to finish on a hard shot from 16 yards out on the right side.

Though the tournament website says we won 4-1, no one I know remembers PSA finding the back of our net.  Tournament error.

Star of the Match for me was Vivi.  Tireless worker, always gives 100% effort.

Tournament MVP was Phi Phi.  Solid performance for her all weekend in many different positions.

Good final result, good tournament.  We're competitive and dangerous every U13 team we've seen.  16 goals this weekend, 1 against on a PK.  Attackers score goals, defenders win Championships. 

State Cup this weekend, league play begins shortly after that.  Should be an exciting summer.

U13G Midwest Soccer Challenge - Day 1

To kick off our local tournament circuit, I entered the girls into the U13 division of the Midwest Soccer Challenge (MSC).

As if you couldn't tell from my previous posts dating back to the winter, I had a strange feeling that we'd be hit with weather this year in Iowa. With the thought of no or a few games there, I wanted to get the girls outside on grass prior to the beginning of the State Cup Tournament later this month. The MSC's timing was good and they were short a U13 girls team, so we added it to our calendar. I presented it an optional tournament addition to the families but we had all 16 girls able to commit to the weekend.

We drew Sibley, Centennial, and Blackhawks in our group. PSA looked to be the likely favorite out of the other group, a group that also housed Coon Rapids, TC Fire, and Mahtomedi.

Our first game was scheduled for Friday night, but Sibley had 7 girls out for a track meet (or something like that) so we bumped the game to Saturday afternoon.

So we ended up with Centennial's U13C1 team to open the tournament on Saturday morning.

MSC Game #1 vs Centennial SC U13C1

Kick off was scheduled at 11:15AM. Since we were unable to unload our usual Saturday morning dome time at AHA, I asked 6 of the girls to show up for 45 minutes to work on free kicks around the box. I didn't want to impose on the entire team to come in at 9:20AM for a short practice, then have to truck across town to Shoreview for an 11:15AM game, with another game later that day. But, this did provide an opportune time to do some focused, small-group work with girls who were likely to be involved with our free kicks around our opponent's penalty box.

Free kick training is a drag for girls who are not involved in the actual shooting or "plays". Some of the girls get a bit pouty when they're not asked to be involved in the free kicks, so I constantly have to lecture them about the benefits of working in a team setting. Some girls have developed faster than others and have more leg strength due to muscle mass and/or better technique. Other girls may be faster than some of the girls shooting free kicks and add to the team with their speed. Some may be better dribblers, some better defenders. I choose the girls who are best at this (free kicks) now to be on the ball. You want to take free kicks or believe that you can take them better than someone I've selected? Prove it. Show me you're working on it, show me at training. Sometimes I'm happy to be proved wrong :)

Anyway, it was a productive session with a handful of the ladies. We worked on two set plays and I gave them technique and ideas on hitting the ball directly (without fancy-shmancy plays) at goal.

Done at 10AM and off to the game.

I got to the fields and took in some of the Sibley v Blackhawks game that was going on. From what I saw, we'd be able to handle the teams if we played well.

The field was HUGE. 120 x 80. Would definitely benefit the faster, more athletic team.

My technical/tactical focus for the weekend was on the Line Pass and the Over the Top through balls, so here are the Skillzys® that were up for grabs this weekend.

I like our 4-4-2 formation because it promotes some tactical smarts from our two forwards. I ask them to both be on the ball side of the field with one (closest to the ball) offering a short option and the other one (farthest from the ball) looking to get deep and dangerous on the last defender (the defender furthest back). Now that the girls are starting to really grasp this movement in a two striker system, I'm looking at working with the mids and getting them to understand that they don't have to pass to their target forwards' feet all the time. Many times, a pass to space is the better choice. Some of the girls get this already, but I wanted to focus on these types of passes this weekend. Again, though the Line Pass and Over the Top through balls can be hit from our defensive end, I was going to introduce these tactics for the girls to use from the middle third getting us into the attacking third of the field.

Prior to the game, I gave the girls the coaching points for each Skillzy®. Both girls involved in the play would earn the specific Skillzy®, as you can't have Combination Play without a teammate :) Meaning, that for the Line Pass Skillzy®, both the passer and the receiver would earn the awards if completed properly. The plan was to revisit these coaching points before and after each game this weekend, with comprehension starting to sink in by the end of the weekend if all went as planned.

Started the match against Centennial in the 4-4-2 we've come to know and love.

7 minutes in, B-Money (RM) got us on the board after she stripped a Centennial defender of the ball at the top of their penalty box on the right side, and fired a low, hard shot near post.

5 minutes later, Babes (CM) controlled a poor Centennial goal kick about 20 yards out in the middle of the field and rolled a left-footed shot past the onrushing Centennial GK into the lower right corner.

A minute later, and the game was effectively put away as B-Money (now at RD) attacked up the right flank from her defensive position, cut across the top of the penalty box onto her left foot, and hit a bomb past the Centennial GK.

8 minutes into the second half, we got our fourth. Gizmo (LD) found Mickey (LF) with a long pass out of our own penalty box. Mickey turned her marking defender at the top of our circle and was off to goal. Though we had worke on diagonal runs this week in training, Em (RF) chose to pull away from Mickey, drawing the lone Centennial defender with her as Mickey steamed forward. By the time the Centennial defender chose to try and pressure Mickey, Mickey was too close to goal and finished with a hard, left-footed shot.

All in all it was a good start for us. Girls got to play a number of different positions, had a couple of Line Pass and Over the Top Skillzys® earned, and got a result to kick the tournament off.

Star of the Match for me was Gia, who had probably her one of her best games to date.

MSC Game #2 vs Sibley Area Sting U13C1

Game #2 over at Hazelwood Park in Maplewood. The field was no where near as large as the field this morning. Moreover, the grass was thin, making for a very fast and bumpy surface.

As the game before us on the same field ended, I walked the girls over to take our place on the player sidelines and begin our warm-up. The Sibley coach came over to shake hands and I introduced myself. He said he knew my name as I was a childhood hero of his (he grew up playing soccer in MN and attending Thunder games when I was playing with the team). He didn't look as young as I would have liked someone to look who just told me that I was a childhood hero of theirs. Man, I'm really getting old.

We took the kick off and a minute into the match Sibley's game plan became evident. Their coach, Jake, had stayed to watch us play Centennial after their morning game. He had a good idea of what he was up against and his thought was to have his girls sit back and defend. At the onset, I obviously didn't know how long this tactic was to be employed, but it was tough for us to breakdown.

Not only were there 10 gold shirts back on defense, but it was painfully clear that this was going to be a game in which the ball didn't bounce our way. We couldn't connect passes crisply, our wide players weren't sharp with their crossing, every loose ball seemed magnetically drawn to a Sibley girl's foot, our through balls found their defenders, their half clearances from the back seemed to find open space between our players and role back into our half forcing us to reset, etc. I've been in games like this before. Everything we do is not quite right, everything our opponents do seems to work for them.

We created chances but our finishing touches lacked accuracy and punch.

Their GK was very solid and active off her line, cutting out many of our dangerous through balls and would-be breakaways. Our girls could learn from that.

They had a big, strong, athletic girl in the center of defense who proved difficult to bypass, as well as a quick, crafty forward who caused us some trouble as the game flowed on and Sibley got into the attack. No dangerous chances at our goal, but frustrating for our girls for sure.

The MTA girls, who I believe knew that they were a more skilled team overall, started to play panicked a bit as the half went on. I'm sure they thought "We need to score, why isn't it happening for us?!?!". The frustration and the subsequent tension that seeped into the team sent us in a downward spiral of sorts with one thing feeding off the other. The more we got frustrated, the lower the quality of our play.

Halftime came deadlocked at 0-0.

My talk to the girls was all about getting them confident and relaxed. All teams have games where nothing seems to go right. We needed to dig deep and keep fighting. I was confident that we would score goals, we just needed a little more focus.

How do we break down a packed in defense? We needed to get width to draw out Sibley defenders from the central part of the field, then look to serve crosses into exposed areas. We needed to look to keep possession of the ball and move the ball around the back, forcing the Sibley team to move up the field to pressure us or move laterally to chase the ball - both types of movement would cause gaps to appear in dangerous central areas. We need to be patient, not look to force balls through the middle of the field into a wall of gold Sibley shirts.

Second half started out well for us. We continued our pressure and continued to create chances at net. I don't know if the Sibley coach changed tactics at halftime, but the game seemed to open up a bit - maybe from the tactical change, maybe from the young Sibley girls unable to maintain the defensive discipline demonstrated in the first half.

The ref seemed to be blowing his whistle in Sibley's favor almost every other time one of our girls came into direct contact with a Sibley player. We are a fairly touchy, physical team, and it is a contact sport, but sometimes refs think that anytime a girl is physical that it's a foul.

Anyway, on a not-so-dangerous moment about 10 minutes from time, the ref awarded Sibley with a penalty kick. I didn't see what happened exactly, but it seemed like Gizmo (LD) fouled a girl at the right edge of our penalty box.

Great. Completely dominating an opponent, and on one of the few times that opponents sees our half of the field, we conceded a PK. Their big central defender stepped up and hit a very good shot into the left side netting that Normy (GK) couldn't do much about.

Down one with 10 to play. Gizmo was obviously upset, thinking she lost the game for us, and in tears on the field. I looked over to the bench to figure out what changes I would need to make. Gizmo is crying, 3 of the girls said at the same time. I know. But I'm not going to pull her out now.

I called out to Gizmo and encouraged her to fight hard and help us try and get a goal back. I couple more sobs and sniffles, then grim determination settled on her face. Good for her.

We attacked from the kick off and sent a cross from the right high into the box. Mickey (LF) and one of the Sibley defenders went up for the header and must have bumped heads or something. The defender stayed down and the ref blew for a stoppage of play. A little fortunate break for us as it gave the girls time to get their composure back as well as for me to make changes.

I pulled one of our central defenders and we went to 3 in the back, adding another girl up top to play with 3 forwards. Instructions to the defenders were to play more direct and get the ball into the danger area as soon as they could. Forwards needed to be active, fight to win balls in the attacking third and pounce on any loose balls, and to get themselves in good scoring positions.

5 minutes from time we got our goal. After making a save off a shot from Babes (CM), the Sibley GK punted the ball up field. Gizmo (LD), who was attacking up the field, was recovering back. I thought the punt was going to clear her head and bounce into our half, but she made a flying leap back and to her left to deflect the ball forward with her left foot. The ball was passes in from the left to Em (CM), who played a quick Give & Go with Babes. Em beat a Sibley defender at the top of the box after receiving the return pass, and fired a high, hard shot from 18 yards out. The Sibley GK made a good effort at the high ball but could not get enough on the ball to stop it from crossing the goal line.

Girls went wild and hog-piled Em. Fun to watch. Happy for Gizmo to be involved.

4 minutes left. Kept out 3 up top instructing the girls to keep the pressure up and go for the winner. It didn't come, and the game ended 1-1.

I was actually pretty pleased with the afternoon. It was just one of those games that we easily could have lost as nothing seemed to go our way. As I've said, I've been in games like this before, and lost more than not. These girls have some fight though. More guts and grit overall that any other team I've worked with at this age group. I can't teach that stuff. I can help foster it with competitive training sessions, but I can't instill the heart and desire that most of these girls have. This has taken them a long way and will continue to do so in the future.

We can learn a lot from this game. We're sure to face some packed in defenses next year in State Cup, maybe even this year. It was clear to the girls the difficulties presented against teams who use this tactic, and I'll be able to reference this game in the future when needed.

Star of the Match for me was Em.  All over the field, hard workrate, big goal.

Guess the group winner will come down to our game tomorrow. Looks like it will be wet and cold. Hope we can get two games in.

WDMSC Premier Games - Final Details

Here are some notes for the parents and players regarding the upcoming weekend.

Tournament Schedule

Brackets and Standings

Tournament Rules (PDF)

Hotel - West Des Moines Sheraton
1800 50th Street, West Des Moines, IA MAP
(515) 223-1800

MAP Sheraton Hotel to James Cownie Soccer Park (Game #2)

MAP Sheraton Hotel to Hidden Valley Soccer Complex (Game #1 and hopefully Games #3 and #4)

What to Bring Checklist (PDF)

Playing Positions (PDF)

Weekend Itinerary (PDF)

Skillzys® Game Goals - see email

Sereno Soccer Classic - Day 4

Beautiful morning for a semifinal game.

The girls began arriving at the field about 7:30AM for the 8:30AM kick off.  Still feeling the excitement of last night's game, ready for the challenge today would bring.

I opted to stay in our 4-2-1-3 formation from last night.  Solar played a 4-4-2 with a central defender that liked to push up the field a lot.  I hoped our 3 front runners would force then to keep this central defender more at home, allowing our 3 central mids to match up against two central Solar mids.  Solar would have some advantage attacking the space in wide midfield, but with 4 MTA defenders marking 2 forwards, our wide backs should be able to step when needed. 

We talked prior to the game about their danger player #26.  I asked our players to recognize when #26 had the ball and to work to get goal side as (hopefully) one of our players would pressure and delay her movement forward.  Wide backs needed to leave their wide players and recover back and central to provide cover for our central defenders defending against #26 and to provide numbers behind the ball.

The Solar team was physical and we needed to match this physical play to negate any advantage their hard play could bring. 

Lastly, I wanted the girls to play with confidence.  I challenged them to show me skill on the ball against a top Region III team.  Could we keep possession?  Could the girls finish earning all their skillzys?  Could we look to be creative on the attack and tough in defense?  All their friends were back in MN in snow and cold.  These girls were basking in the sun and playing a game they love.  Regardless of the result today it has already been a successful event for the team in my mind and I was proud of their efforts.  Relax, be confident, compete, and enjoy playing the game.

Here's how we started:

We came out on fire.  The girls looked very sharp, strung passes together, and created some decent chances at goal.  The first 10 minutes was all us, all played in the Solar half.  It was fun to watch and I'll be honest in saying that I really believed it would be our day. 

Then, as it usually does, the game of soccer happened.  One team could be dominating play, then in 10 seconds the game can change for the worse. 

We were in the Solar attacking end and the ref blew his whistle for a rough tackle on our part, just inside the Solar penalty box on our left side.  Our entire team turned their backs to the ball and began retreating back towards our goal.  A Solar defender quickly grabbed the ball and played a short pass up the field to the Solar right midfielder.  The quickly taken 10 yard pass beat Phi Phi (LF), Babes (Point), and Dog (Attacking Mid).  Caught off guard they tried to recover but could not hope to be a factor in the play.  Bargsy, our left central mid, also not looking at the ball when the free kick was taken, was slow to react and could not pressure the ball as the Solar right mid dribbled forward, now nearly to midfield.  Our defenders, also caught off guard by the unexpected quickly taken short free kick lost their shape.  More importantly, they lost their marks.  The Solar midfielder hit a long 20 yard ball over the top, beating both Quicksy (LD) and Normy (CD) and finding, you guessed it, dangerous #26 on a diagonal run.  #26 collected the ball, now 1v1 with Em (CD).  Em's angle of approach to the dribbling Solar forward did not account well for #26's super-sonic speed, and #26 danced by Em and on to goal.  Em made a good recovery, but could not stop #26 from taking a powerful shot from the top of the right side of our penalty box.  The high shot sailed over Vivi's outstretched arms and into the far side netting.  All that happened in about 10 seconds, and because we ALL tuned out when the whistle blew.  Real bummer as we were really pressing and playing well. 

The goal deflated us a bit but the girls played on.  No other real quality chances for either team in the first half, though after the goal Solar settled in well in the game and we were no longer the dominant team.  In fact, I think they had the edge a bit for the remaining 20 minutes of first half play.

At halftime, as I like to do when first half issues are still fresh in the girls' minds, we talked about the goal against us and broke down our breakdowns.  The need, especially against quality teams, to remain tuned in and focused even after the ref's whistle blew.  I've used the saying when the ball goes out, we tune in before with the girls, trying to make sure that we organize in the attack and on defense on throw in, goal kicks, and corner kicks.  I'll need to come up with something else to encourage continued focus when the refs whistle blows.  I also need to work with this team on taking certain set pieces quickly, and I'm glad I'll have this example to draw on in the coming years. 

Other than addressing this issue, we were playing well.  No tactical changes.  I reminded the girls that they were in similar position on this very field less than 12 hours ago and our plan would be no different.  Play our game and work to pull back a goal.  If we weren't able to do so in the first 15 minutes of the second half, we'd make changes, as we talked about last night.

3 minutes after the second half kick off, we evened up the match.  Some good team defense saw the ball pop to Mickey (CM) about 10 yards in our own half.  Mickey took a touch and found Babes (Point) on a diagonal run from the center of the field to our left.  Babes received the ball about 40 yards from the Solar goal, executed a Maradona move on her first touch, cut to the middle of the field with the outside of her right foot, then hit an absolute BOMB from 35 yards into the upper right corner of the net.  It was the best individual goal I think I've ever seen at this age group.  The shot was from the left side of the field, not dead center of the goal, and directly into a headwind blowing diagonally across the field, and still the Solar GK had no chance.  And the Maradona on her first touch?!?!  Sick...  All I could do was smile, listen to the players and parents screaming, look at their coach clapping. 

1-1, all to play for. 

8 minutes later we conceded a free kick at the right corner of our penalty box.  I think one of our players yelled at a Solar player as she was about to take a shot or a cross, and the ref called unsportsmanlike conduct.  The indirect free kick was blocked by the mass of MTA defenders in the box, and bounced out towards the initial free kick taker.  She hit the ball first time, I think trying to cross it back in to the danger area, and the ball floated over Phi Phi, again like the first goal but no where near as hard, into the far side netting.  Nothing Phi Phi could have done about that, unless she was on stilts or happened to have Go-Go Gadget arms. 

There coach then made a good adjustment, assigning their #26 to shadow Babes.  I would have done the same thing in his place, or with Babes on their #26 if we went up a goal.

Once again though our team responded well.  4 minutes after falling behind, we had a great chance to pull level for the second time in the match.  B-Money (RF) received a ball back to goal about 35 yards from the Solar goal and about 10 yards in from the right sideline.  She spun towards the outside of the field and played a long diagonal blind ball (without looking) to the far post area.  The ball split two Solar defenders and Mal (LF) came running on to meet the early cross about 12 yards from goal.  The Solar GK came rushing out to close the ball, forcing Mal into a hurried first time shot that flew over the crossbar. 

Another 4 minutes later at Solar effectively put the game away.  A cross into our box was partially cleared and bounced out to the Solar center back about 25 yards from goal.  The center back hit a first time volley that should have brought rain, even from the cloudless Phoenix sky.  However, I knew the second after she hit it we were in trouble.  Again, lacking the Go-Go Gadget extenda-arms, Phi Phi could do nothing as the wet ball came down, just under the crossbar and nearly hitting Phi Phi's heels on the goal line.  OK, I exaggerate a bit here... but just a bit.

The last 14 minutes or so went by quickly, even though the opposing coach began subbing a sinlge player seemingly each time the ball went out of bounds.  We could not create another quality chance on goal and exited the tournament with a 3-1 loss.

Solar would go on to defeat LAFC in the 2-1 finals later that afternoon.

Sereno Soccer Classic - Day 3

Though we didn't play until 1:30PM, I was up and at 'em in the morning to head to the fields to catch the Dallas Solar (TX-N) and Los Angeles FC (CA-S) game. As I had mentioned before, these were the two other teams in the tournament that I would have loved to match up against at some point. A top club in the uber-competitive Dallas youth soccer market, Solar has a rich history of fielding successful teams. LAFC finished undefeated in the Coast Soccer League U12G Elite Silver division and was recently promoted into the Gold division, in solid company now with talent from other SoCal super clubs (Arsenal FC, Eagles, Slammers, So Cal Blues, West Coast FC, and Real So Cal). Both clubs play in extremely competitive leagues and are tested in each and every game they play.

Not only was I interested in seeing the teams play (their athleticism, technique, styles of play, coaching, etc), but I also wanted to scout out competition for potential consolation, semifinal, or final games.

Solar vs LAFC Scouting Report

Dallas Solar

Team Formation 4-4-2
Almost a 3-5-2 at times as center back #20 likes to push forward. Defenders mark man to man tight but leave the center back free.

Danger Players
#26 forward - this girl is like Babes on steroids. Big, strong, lightning quick and fast, powerful, great shot, super technique. We'll have our hands full with her.
#13 center mid - small, technical, and tough. All midfield play is through her.
#20 stopper/holding mid - likes to attack, physical, might get caught out of position

Notes
Two good forwards
Poor goal kicks and GK punts, like to play short of goal kicks
Quick set pieces
Tough, physical team with good technique. Better than Sereno and Cerritos

LAFC

Team Formation 4-4-2
Standard 4-4-2 with sweeper, flat midfield

Danger Players
No one really stood out
GK is good, with good punts

Notes
Like to attack the flanks with wide mids and forwards making diagonal runs into space
Very deep sweeper
Dangerous throw ins in attacking third. Long throw and flicks to middle of the penalty box
Quick set pieces
Better than Cerritos

The game was a good one ending 2-2. Both teams created chances and were dangerous. Set pieces were organized and taken quickly in defending 2/3s of the field.

#26 from Solar is DANGEROUS.

Both teams would provide stiff competition for us.

* * * * *

We stayed in our 4-4-2 formation for our second game vs CRSC Infinity. We're almost in a 3-5-2 as I push Normy, who has really found a home as a central defender/holding mid, up the field as much as possible and have her front attackers often rather than pick up goal side. Leaves us exposed in the back sometimes if a team can counter quickly, but gives us some added strength and technical composure in midfield.

I wasn't very worried about CRSC's attack against us. They had a talented forward #14 who we needed to be conscious of, but I didn't feel their team attack posed a huge threat for us.

The game started out well for us. 6 minutes in, Payt (LM) found Mickey (RiM) in the penalty box with a volley. Mickey shielded the ball with her body and was pulled down by a CRSC defender and we were given a PK. Babes hit a low hard shot to the left of the CRSC GK to give us the 1-0 lead.

14 minutes in, a combination between Dog (LF) and Babes (RF) at the top of the box saw the ball at Babes' feet inside the D. Babes took her defender on to her (Babes) right, and fired home the second goal to double our lead.

CRSC wasn't able to get much of anything going against us. Normy played the CRSC #14 tough, not giving their talented forward the space and time she needed to be dangerous.

We continued to press the attack, but then, in a weird two minutes, we ended up conceding two penalty kicks of our own. The first after we tripped a CRSC midfielder in the box, and the second when a cross hit Normy's hand in our box. Vivi (GK) made a great diving attempt to her right and got a hand on the first low, hard penalty shot, but it wasn't enough to stop the ball from getting past her. #14 hit the second shot into the left side netting of the goal. Nothing Vivi could do about that one.

Frustrating to lose that 2 goal lead, but we weren't playing that well and that was more frustrating.

At halftime, my goal was to keep the girls positive, point out what we could learn from giving up the two goal lead, and encourage them to stay positive and focused. No tactical changes needed, but more encouragement to be confident in their skills, and to look to keep the ball moving and play early and quickly.

We were just flat this afternoon, looked tired and sluggish. Game ended 2-2, though we had a couple dangerous chances to go ahead. I think Cerritos threatened our goal once the entire game, aside from the two penalty kicks.

Maybe the travel day was catching up with us? Maybe it was the 75 degree heat? I thought Sereno was better than Cerritos, and we'd need a better performance tonight.

Even though I thought we gave a sub-par performance, the Cerritos coaches were extremely complimentary about the team after the game. They felt fortunate about the tie, that's for sure. I think people look at MN as an easy bracket game, and we obviously proved those misconceptions wrong. The Cerritos coaches/directors invited us to attend their Memorial Day tournament, claiming that most top clubs from SoCal would be there and we'd fit right in. That was one of the best compliments anyone could have told me. Wonder if the parents would go for another trip? :) Doubt it.

* * * * *

For any interested, here is my thinking prior to our last game against Sereno.

Prior to the tournament, I knew we had a tough group. Likely the toughest overall with 3 quality teams (us, Cerritos, and Sereno). I looked at Group A with Solar and LAFC as the second toughest with two quality teams, though those two teams might be the best in the tournament. Group B looked the weakest of the three.

Looking to make the final game, we would be sitting pretty if we won our group, slated to come against the winner of the weaker Group B. Group A winner was scheduled to play the wildcard (with 3 groups of 4, the group winners and one wildcard would advance to the semis).

Cerritos had beaten Mesa this morning 2-0 so ended with 18 points after three games. Sereno beat Mesa this afternoon 7-0, so both Sereno and us came into the 8PM game this evening tied on 14 points. They were ahead of us on goal differential though.

In Group A, Solar had clinched as group winnner with 25 points. LAFC sat second with 19 and a great shot at the wildcard slot.

In Group B, Canyon PSA (CA-S) won the group with 20 points, and the next two teams who would meet at 8PM under the lights this evening both sat at 8. Even with a 10 point win, neither of these teams could catch LAFC for the wildcard.

So Sereno and us each had 14. A win by either team would win them the group. A 3-3 tie (6 points for both teams) would see both teams through to the semis with Sereno winning the group and us taking the wildcard slot, edging out LAFC with our 20 points to their 19.

If we won our group, LAFC would take the wildcard slot. Since the wildcard came out of Group A, and the Group A winner was scheduled to face the wildcard, the tournament wouldn't have the two teams face off again, so the semifinal schedule would change to Group A winner vs Group C winner, and wildcard vs Group B winner. If we won our group we'd face Solar in the semis.

If we tied 3-3, we'd take the wildcard and face the Group A winner... Solar.

If we lost vs Sereno we'd take 3rd in our group and have a weaker consolation opponent tomorrow. A 1-1 or 2-2 tie and the math wizards would have to go to work determining placement and wildcard winner.

What did I want? Making the final would be great for the ego, but as I said earlier, I wanted to be tested against Solar or LAFC. We could see Solar in the semis and LAFC in the finals (as I'm sure they would get past the Group B winner) if we beat Solar. Dream scenario.

So it came down to tonight's game. Beat Sereno, guarantee another tough opponent, maybe even two tough opponents if we got by the first. Lose, and likely see another Mesa team in the morning. I wanted the win.

* * * * *

I promised the girls that everyone would see playing time and everyone would start a game. It's easy for the girls to read deep into any starting line up so I wanted to ensure that I minimized this issue by spreading the wealth. However, I've coddled teams in the past and plan on doing things a bit differently with this group. I have no problem letting the girls know if they currently fall into a starting 11 in my mind or if they don't. CURRENTLY being the operative word here as Mark's Starting 11 today doesn't mean it's going to be Mark's Starting 11 tomorrow, next week, next summer. I plan on having individual player meetings with players and their parents after this trip, and will be blunt about where I see the players fitting in terms of other players in the group and where players need focus and improvement in order to crack that Starting 11 if they so choose to do so. I will play everybody at least 50% of every game, I will rotate our starting line ups in tournament and in league games. But when it comes down to looking for a result, I will work the rotation in order to put our best 11 at that time on the field at the same time.

I've stressed this weekend that we came down here with 17 players and will win or lose with 17 players. I also know fully well that my success with a team at the Midwest Region II Championships came in large part because we had roster depth and were able to play 17 players without a great loss of continuity and strength when non-starters took the field.

It's easy to play the best 11 and look to get results. The challenge AND the responsibility of competitive youth coaching in tournaments comes from adjusting line ups and rotating players in order to maintain a balance on the field while staying competitive.

I also have another reason for wanting a "Starting 11" on the field at certain times in this event. I need to see how some of Minnesota's best stack up against some of the best from other states. More on this in the wrap up.

Here's our line up against Sereno:

It was a beautiful night. The wind was picking up, favoring one end of the field, and it was slightly cool. Perfect night to be playing. The girls, in their first game under the lights, would have the excitement, energy, and adrenaline to run forever. Hopefully this would be a change from our lethargic afternoon performance. We needed it.

Having scouted Sereno against CRSC yesterday, I know Sereno played a 4-3-3 flat back four, similar to Mesa. They had 3 in the central midfield, and 3 up top with two wide players. Their danger player, #27, was a tank up top in the middle of the field. They liked to play to her with her back to goal, and she would flick or spray the ball wide to the wingers quickly. They also had a tough and talented midfield.

With this in mind, I switched our formation to a 4-3-3, or a 4-2-1-3 to me more precise as you can see above. I felt we struggled to control the central midfield in the afternoon game, and told the girls that is where the game would be won tonight. We needed to key on #27 and she would fall under Normy's immediate responsibility as a central defender. The three up top would, given our limited tactical focus to this point, limit our movement up top, but would also allow us to press the attack and attack the flanks more than we had previously as our wide players would not be expected to track back in defense as much or as often. Confident Sereno could not stop us from tallying at least a goal, I was hoping we could defend well tonight.

I instructed our captains to go against the wind in the first half as it had been steadily increasing this evening. My thoughts were that in another 30 minutes it would even be stronger, giving us more of an advantage in the second half.

Game started out well for us. We knocked the ball around and looked sharp. We controlled the game as the Sereno girls appeared tense.

7 minutes in, a poor goal kick up the middle of the field into the wind from our left side of the goal box, saw the ball drop to Sereno's danger play er #27 about 25 yards out. She cut to the middle of the field and hit a weak shot (with her good foot as she was left-footed) that seemed harmless. However, Em (GK) was a bit slow to react to the ball as it appeared she thought Dog (CD), in front of her about 7 yards after recovering to the middle of the field after her goal kick, was going to clear the ball. Em tried to fall on the ball after she realized Dog wasn't going to touch it, but it squirted under her for the goal. Tough one to give up, but learning points to build off of.

The rest of the half was all Sereno. I knew they were a little nervous about playing us. Some of our girls overheard some of their girls prior to the game talking about being scared to match up aginst us. I could hear their coach yelling, "Now we play our game!" as his girls won the ball back from our kick off and looked to get into a rhythm. They seemed to have 15 players on the field, and I found myself not once, but twice during the remainder of the half actually counting white Sereno shirts on the field to make sure they weren't cheating.

The wind prevented us from clearing our defending third, and our inability to clear our danger area led to more tense and panicked clearance attempts, which led to more pressure, which led to more tension, and on and on. Was it a mistake against a quality team to go against the wind first?

Sereno created at least two more quality chances, one on which we were tremendously fortunate not to have fallen behind by two goals. We couldn't get anything much going in the attack. We lacked the spark we started with, not fighting hard enough for the loose balls and in tackles, allowing Sereno to exert their physical presence on the game. It was one of those games when the halftime whistle couldn't come fast enough. We needed to regroup and I needed to spur the girls on in a group.

We managed to absorb the Sereno attacks for the duration of the half, and I let out a sigh of relief to hear the two, sharp whistle blasts that indicated 30 minutes had finally elapsed.

OK, time to regroup.

I quickly touched on the breakdowns of the goal against us while the it was fresh in the girls' heads. I also illustrated the cycle of panic, again as it was fresh in their heads. I then challenged them to step up and match Sereno's intensity. Sereno was good, but they did not outclass us, they only out worked us in the first half. We were in a battle against a good opponent. In games like this with relatively equally strong teams, it came down to heart, desire, and intensity.

Knowing we could press the wind advantage now, I also reminded the girls that if we penned Sereno in their end for an extended period of time, sometimes to go forward you need to play backwards. This pulls out and spreads apart packed in defenses and creates uncoordinated team movement and space in the danger area. This turned out to be a bit of foreshadowing.

Lastly, we talked about game management. How do we play if we are looking for a result and down a goal? First 15 minutes, we'd play our normal game and try to pull a goal back. If, with 15 minutes left, we were still behind, we need to make some changes. More direct from the back, quicker on restarts, help the other team get the ball into play quicker by chasing down balls kicked off the field of play for Sereno, more riskier man to man in the back as we would push numbers forward. 1-0 or 10-0 did't matter at all at that point.

The only real tactical change I made was to adjust the line up to ensure that our strongest 11 would start and end the half. Dog complained about a sore foot. Dog never complains about being hurt so I knew something was up. She was playing well but lacking her normal sharpness. A tough blow to lose her in this game, but absolutely no need to push a girl into performance either when injured.

We came out much more lively that we had in the first half, and 9 minutes in the girls were rewarded for their increased efforts. The wind, now at our backs, helped set the panic cycle in on Sereno's team as they found it difficult to clear their defensive third. B-Money (RM) found herself with the ball at midfield facing a wall of Sereno players. She turned and played back to Meg (RD), and Meg hammered a ball forward over the top of the advancing Sereno defense. Babes ran onto the ball and, under pressure from a recovering Sereno defender, held that defender off and ripped a shot into the Sereno net from abotu 10 yards away - sometimes to go forward you need to play backwards. Nice when things work out like that.

We continued our dominance in the half, though Sereno did create one terrific chance at our net that forced Vivi into a good save. Bam Bam was terrific in our central mid position, pestering Sereno mids to no end, physical and fiesty. I call Chloe Bam Bam because the kid just knocks people over. She's four foot nothing, but would tackle a fire hydrant if it had a soccer ball. Our defense remained relatively solid, with Cal, Em, Normy, Gizmo, Meg, and Quicksy all playing significant roles to dull the Sereno attack and keep the ball in our opponent's half. Vivi held down our net. Bam Bam, Mickey, Bargsy, Mal, and Payt won the midfield for us, and Babes, B-Money, Phi Phi, and Gia, were tasked with spear heading our attack. It was a real team performance and you could feel something special in the air.

With four minutes left in the match, Babes (Point) found B-Money (RF) with a diagonal ball to the right corner of the field. B-Money beat her marking defender and slotted the ball across the penalty box to Phi Phi (LF). Phi Phi took a good first touch and, falling down as the Sereno defender connected with her, fired home a low shot past the diving Sereno GK to give us the come from behind lead. Phi Phi bounced up like a Weeble, then hit the ground again as she was hog-piled by 10 MTA girls.

The last few minutes were a bit panicked. I realized that I didn't have time to talk to the girls at halftime about what to do in a situation when we were up a goal late in a game, but we held on to the final whistle.

It was a TERRIFIC result for this team, a true team effort. I was so happy for the girls and their effort. We'll get a lot of mileage from this result as it will serve as a constant reminder about our proven ability to work together and come back from a deficit against a very talented team.

The Sereno coach and many of the Sereno parents were very classy after the game, extremely surprised and impressed at the talent from the great white north. Their coach and I both acknowledged that it was for sure a game of two halves, but it was one of the best games Sereno had played and had played in according to him.

Got my wish to see Solar, scheduled bright at early tomorrow morning at 8:30AM. Regardless of the result tomorrow though, I already look at this weekend as a huge success for us.