Orangemen vs Braddock Road Mother's Day Prelude

Before Turf Fields

It’s not just May showers this month we’ve been seeing storms of Biblical proportions.  The Potomac river is so swollen the river boats cannot get north of the Memorial Bridge.  And so it was that the Orangemen assembled on Saturday night at Bryant Alternative Field, most expecting, not to get rained out, but to get thunderstormed out.  The lighting and thunder were tremendous.  Some of the team brought their own umbrella’s, Karl held up one with Cheetah print, all he needed was a skirt.  Someone brought a rainbow beach umbrella and lashed it to the equipment box, at one point it seemed like half the team was huddled under it.  Chris H didn't mind the rain, having come back from several months in the desert, he stayed out on the field getting touches on a wet ball. Gooch came to the field looking like a storm was blowing up the beach and he was gonna go surfing..  At 9:13 the ref showed up to speak with both teams to assess whether we wanted to play or not...of course we did.  We knew the lights on the field wouldn’t turn off until at least 11:15 pm so we could wait for the last of the lighting to pass before we would kick off.  At around 9:30 we took the field.  It was still pouring down rain but the danger had passed and would not return.  When the rain stopped midway through the first half, it didn’t return either.  With a temperature nearing 70 it was a fine evening to be playing.  But remember not so long ago...with that much rain we would be playing in the mud.  Those were the days.

We had several guests playing last night including Will who Kendall recruited and Tom brought to us courtesy of Tedd and the Pentagon team.  Braddock Road was coming up short on manpower so we offered them Gene to play in their goal...we would keep Chris with us to amend for his stellar performance against us last week, a Jan went over to play sweeper.  Just a note here for the Orangemen...my policy is to send over our visitors and guests to play with the opponent.  Last night there was a little too much intervention on my decisions on who was going over to play with Braddock...which created significant confusion and prevented us from evenly dividing the side...and they had to play without subs.  So here’s the policy...I will ask Orangemen guests and visitors to play with the opposing team first.  If I ask a veteran to play for the other team that might have to happen, Karl played with Arlington last week for instance.  If you’re new to playing with us expect to spend some time playing against us...just ask Alfredo who spent half a season playing for the “other guys” and doing significant damage against us.  I try to balance the subs I send.  I’m not going to give them all of our best players and I’m not going to give them all of our less than best players...I’m going to balance it out...so that will mean everyone is subject to alternate duty with our opposition from time to time.  Consider it as being “out on loan” just like in the real world.  What I need is cooperation.  Thank you...’nuff said.

We had a strong side last night, even with Gene and Jan starting with Braddock.  We started Gooch and Maurico in the back, with Karl and Greg on the defensive flanks.  Ben returned to his famed stopper position.  Alfredo on Tom played on the attacking midfield positions with Tedd in the center. Mooch and Chris H started up top.  For the first 20 minutes of the game we dominated pitch.  We were passing well, and although we didn’t have a tremendous number of shots on goal, we kept the pressure on in their area of the field.  I don’t remember our keeper, Chris, even getting a hand on the ball to well into the half.  When the break game and Braddocks fast and star player made a solo break on the goal, Chris might have had one touch on the ball.  He stayed planted on his line for too long and when he finally advance on the Blue striker there was little left to do, and Braddock took first blood.  Special call out to Chris when he punts the ball from goal...we have to take advantage of his long clearances...which can travel 60+ yards deep into an attack.  We’ve never experienced clearances those deep so we have to learn how to take advantage of them when Chris is in the net.

On rotation Kendall and then Will stepped in to the forward positions and continued to apply pressure.  Kendall was able to run onto a ball on the left played through by Tom or Tedd.  Kendall collected it and made a run into the box.  With the ball laying nicely for left footed smash past Gene, he took it, and delivered.  It was a fine goal for the Orangemen.  Well set up and well executed.

Through the second half of the game everybody was having fun.  The game was getting physical as Braddock had two physical giants up top along with their extremely fast and talented all around player.  Ben was playing a physical game for us as well as Gooch and Kendall.  Since Jan was playing for Braddock that gave them another physical player.  Through most of the game Ben was mixing it up with their player and with Jan.  Even Mooch was mixing it up with Jan going shoulder to shoulder and knocking him off his feet at least twice...maybe more.  Because it was our physical players going against other physical players I wasn’t too concerned.  The ref started to get worried when it seemed like the physicality was getting a little more intentional and directed.  He stepped in and sorted it out a bit...nevertheless I think everyone involved was having great fun even as their endorphins and in particular their adrenalin was surging.  Due to the aggression in the box, Braddock took down Ben on one of his spectacular runs and awarded a PK which Ben finished with style.

I’m not quite sure of the final score but we hit 2 or 3 and Braddock scored 4.  So it was a great game...and I’m glad it wasn’t cancelled due to the May showers.  Man of the match goes to Tedd last night for three reasons.  One...he was all over the pitch, two he actually tried to put his head on the ball and almost scored, and three, with regard to physically, I rarely see Tedd off his feet and he could be seen laying on the ground, at least once last night in the opposition box.  Great game Tedd!

Orangemen Orange vs Arlington Green - FA Cup Prescience

His name is Ben...Coincidence?

A little late getting this report out...but now I know why. Had I published it before the final of the FA Cup someone would have put two and two together. The goal “Ben” scored off of Tedd’s corner kick was vaguely reminiscent of the game winner “Ben” Watson scored last night for Wigan to win the FA Cup, their first ever in 81 years. And just like Wigan, the Orangemen struggle near the bottom of the table...but we still play with considerable heart. 

Last week we play Don’s Arlington Team. We provided Arlington with Karl as a sub...thanks Karl for stepping up to give Don a blow. We also provided Arlington with a Keeper....last week we provided them with Chris...who oddly had the game of his life. Keeping us to one goal...and making many saves...too numerous to count. Also, his distribution of the ball was tremendous....with his signature ¾ field punts out of the back. 

I’m giving Orangemen-man-O-da-match honors to Ben for his spectacular goal last week. But overall it's great playing on the same team with a guy like him - super skilled, extremely hard working, always positive and encouraging. He was throwing his whole body into challenges Saturday against a team with a number of good and physical players. It was poetic justice that his hard work was rewarded with a beautiful goal (by any standard) - also great that Ted set him up with an excellent corner kick. Ted put 3 other corner kicks in the exact same position and we weren't able to convert.

On the down side last week we had a dispute between two players...I have spoken with both players and I think the issue is resolved. Everybody makes mistakes on the pitch...and when someone yells at someone else for being selfish with the ball, or making a bad decision, or screwing up the play by making a hash of the pass, etc. It’s up to the manager to provide the criticism or make the correction. We don’t want a team full of coaches. So here’s my philosophy on coaching and making criticisms.

1) If it’s the wrong decision, poorly executed, you will receive criticism from me. Most of what we see in this category are players not passing. Basically, it’s always the wrong decision not to pass. And if you discover that the pass is a bad idea, 9 times out of 10 it’s because you’ve hung on to the ball for too long and your passing options were eliminated. On a positive note, our passing has improved considerably.

2) If it’s a selfish decision, you better turn it into the right decision by scoring. Or you will receive criticism from me. If you don’t score and there was someone is scoring position, it is acceptable for the player in scoring position to say something...within the realm of reason. Then the matter is dropped.

3) If it’s the right decision, poorly executed, there is no negative criticism. Positive reinforcement that it was the right idea. And maybe some encouragement to practice a similar pass, shot, trap during the week or when warming up. On rare occasions I might rib someone I consider to be an exceptional player for something exceptionally bad...if there is something funny about it.

4) If you are out of position...there should be no criticism...just an admonishment to get back in position. If you continue to play out of position it’s time for you to be substituted.

5) If your’re playing too physically, I will talk to you, but that typically builds over time.

6) If you talking back to the ref, offering him criticism, I will talk to you immediately. I’m still the only one who gets to talk with the ref.

We can talk to each other...and make corrections. I’m not trying to eliminate the collective team pressure on any player. Just keep it within reason. Also, I’m not immune from any of this...so please call me out if I’m guilty of any of the points above. Then it’s dropped.

OK..enjoy Mother’s Day. The write up from last night is coming shortly.

Orangemen vs Herndon Express April 2013

Is everyone as sore as I am?  Playing the full match is really hard to do, I would like to thank Herndon from providing us at least one sub so Dave and Karl could take a breather.  But I’m having a hard time walking this morning so I suspect some others are in the same boat.  But to me, the pain is just a reminder of how much fun we had last night as Herndon Express hosted the Orangemen at Lake Fairfax Park.  The temperature was a sweet 65 degress.

Even with a few minutes of sub time, both Dave and Karl still really had and amazingly full game.  Dave had an enormous number of touches on the ball, and by the expression on his face, Dave really enjoyed the match.  Karl was able to spend some time forward, and as always, got on the end of a few balls, put some crosses in, and had a shot on goal.  All this with a tweaked groin...

I’ve very proud of how the defense played...considering that our 1st team line-up failed to materialize.  Rumor has it at least one of them was at some black tie affair call the JAG Ball...whatever that means.  Our starting defense consisted of Gooch and Greg sweeping, with Karl on the right, Chris B on the left, and Chuck playing the central stopper ahead of Gooch and Greg.  The formation was so effective they Gooch and Greg were sweeping at midfield.  This, generally speaking, I would advise against.  Sweepers sweep.  It’s hard to sweep from the attacking half of the field.  Regardless, by playing that high, we were able to put incredible pressure on the midfield and it paid off.  We did get punished on  two breakaways, as with the young sons of several of their fathers, their speed on the break was hard to cope with.    

I was also proud of how our defense insisted on honesty in the box, calling the ball out on themselves if they were the last to touch the ball.   That sets a good example and whereas the favor might not always be returned one for one, occasionally it is.  And it was returned in our game last night.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Mooch is not proud of his on field behavior, particularly when he went on a cursing spree at a Herdon defender for coming in hard and inadvertently smashing his foot.   While the defender was trying to apologize Mooch was letting fly with a long chain of expletives that would make a sailor blush.  I’m pretty sure he got the F-bomb in quickly followed by the A word, etc.  The ref called him out on it and told him to calm down and to set the example since he was the coach.  Fabulous words, but Mooch continued to back-talk to the ref.  Although he was awarded the foul, in hindsight, he should have been shown a yellow card for the foul language and the back talking.  I sincerely apologize to both teams for my R-rated outburst.

With regard to the game proper...it was hard to count goals...I think the final was 3 to 6/7.  But the score wasn’t important last night.  The fact that we were able to hold well and counter attack successfully made it all worth the effort.

After Herndon scored first, off a fluke that ricocheted of Goochs cranium to beat Kendall high and to the left, nothing he could do about it, it felt like the Herndon pressure might get the better of us.  But then up top Dave played a through ball straight up the middle to Ben.  Then Ben made a spectacular run up the field beating 3 defenders with his speed to score unassisted.  A Herndon player was overheard shouting out to his defense to warn them that Ben was fast...just as Ben touched the ball past the last defender and ran onto it ahead of the keeper.  It was a fabulous goal and signalled the Orangemen would not go quietly into the night but rather, were there to play.

Herndon scored the next two goals on breakaways from midfield.  With the sweepers taking the highest line in soccer...midfield...once the counter attacking ball was played through it was impossible to recover and that left our keeper in 1 v 1 situations a number of time.  Kendall came up big and was able to advance off his line and recover the ball several times.  But at least two times in the first half Herndon was able to stretch the net on these breakaways.  Even Greg’s speed recovering was not enough to overcome the speed of some of the younger Herndon attackers.  One word of advice to Greg, although he played exceptionally well for a very inexperienced player, if you get your foot on the ball, give it a ride.  Several times you actually beat the defender to the ball, got your foot on it as if you were going to control it, but the more experienced attacker was able to play off of your touch and continue is run.  If you can get your foot to it, better to end the attack and put your foot through it, rather than trying to do something fancy to beat the player.  Although later in the second half, you did pull a fast one on the same attacker, and reversed the ball, turned, and came running up the field with it.  I over heard the striker commending you for the move.  It was a good move...just keep in mind...safety first.

The score was 1 - 3 at halftime.  We asked for Herndon to provide us a sub, and they obliged...thanks again.  We pulled Kendall from the net and Anne graciously agree to play keeper during the second half for us.  The decision was made with a clear conscious that the game was already out of reach for us, and if we wanted to mount more attacks, Kendall’s speed up top would complement Ben’s.  As it turns out, this played out correctly.  Kendall immediately made a difference up front.  We were able to work the ball through on several very sweet combinations.  Numerous players got into the attack with shots coming from Tedd, Kendall, Ben, Karl, Mooch, and even Chuck who was stopping made a fabulous run into the box.  Kendall saw the run and played a delicious ball into him.  The ball was almost too good as it hit Chuck in the laces...alas he was unable to finish.

Kendall however, scored twice, making a scorching run up the left side of the field and running onto a ball played over the top by either Tedd or Ben, finished.  And then on a break away as the ball was played through the defense and slowed it roll near the top of the box, Mooch was sprinting after it and the Herndon keeper had yet to realize the danger and was slow leaving his line.  Kendall saw the opportunity and also pursued the ball.  Kendall easily outpaced Mooch and called him off.  He arrived yards ahead of the keeper, opened his body and drove a hard shot to the keepers left.  The power on the ball gave the keeper no chance and ball glanced off the keepers foot without a change in direction.  Kendall was now on a hat trick.  

As the game progressed, Herndon continued to have fast breaks and shoot on Anne in our goal.  I don’t remember how many we allowed during the second half, but at least two were low, and hard shots, that kissed the left goal post on their way in.  Anne dove for those balls committing her body to the ground and just a fingertip out of reach.  Those shots had a little bit of luck on their side...and inch left and it would have been post.  And inch right and Anne would have had a mitt on it.  As a third shot, very similar, did come in and Anne dove again and was able to deflect it wide.  Fabulous play from her and we appreciate her taking a turn in the net.

Didn’t know for sure but Herndon had at least 2 maybe three father/son pairings on the field, which is always good to see.  For the Orangemen, Mikey returns to play with his dad Jan for the Summer starting next week.

I’m going to give Kendall Orangeman of the Match honors for playing in goal during the first half, a position he will no doubt see more often, and for his two goals as an attacker during the second half.  Now I’m going to figure out how to move around more today...none of my joints seem to work this morning.

Pentagon Soccer - Donovan Trophy 2013

There are many Orangemen who moonlight on the Pentagon Soccer Team.  Once a year we have an amazing match against a group of international military officers attending Command and General Staff College in Washington.  Listen in while our very own Dave N captures the action...

"What an amazing event!  1-1 Tie.  A great match and a fair score.  Both teams had opportunities to add to the tally, making the "would have, could have" discussion a perfect subject for the post match gathering.

Tedd O deserves congratulations from us all for organizing a flawless event.  He sacrificed his playing time to insure we were as "organized" as any 28 member side can be.  Perfect weather, a fabulous pitch, resulted in a top flight match against a worthy opponent.  In my estimation, this is as high-level of play as we have had in the history of this match.

Thanks go to everyone who brought water, and for the cash contributions which allowed us to share the treasured Pentagon Coin with the Brits.  I was pleased to see how many times the PSC coins were brought out for display and discussion at the post game gathering.  Jeff the Seal, and Jose gave excellent talks contributing to the overall sense of honor and respect which dominated the evening.  Because of injury, our regular center referee Bob E "coached" from the sidelines.   Tom C, Bob H, and Benedict T refereed a fair and non controversial match which allowed open and fair play.  Finally, for all who brought your supporting fans, what a super group of family, really cute children, and friends.  Many of us then adjourned to the visitors hotel for an opportunity to get to know these super new friends.  We were treated to unlimited rehydration, and got the opportunity to meet them up close and personal.  If you missed this, I can only tell you that next year is another chance.  Bottom line, everyone contributed to make this the singular highlight of the Pentagon Soccer year and a model for positive international relations.

Because of the fabulous PSC video that Jessica C produced which is currently available for viewing on the Pentagon soccer web site (www.pentagonsoccer.org), D.C. United paid us a surprise visit.  In attendance were David Kasper, General Manager, Chad Ashton, Assistant Coach, Preston Burpo, goal keeping coach and newest PSC player, Ryan T, Media Relations Manager, Rebecca Payne - Advertising and Digital Communications Manager (daughter of long-time president Kevin Payne), and Lee Burrows - Multimedia Producer.  After a few words, David Kasper contributed the game ball for our match.  D.C. United videotaped portions of the match which should be available on our web site in a couple of days. Jim H has been a long time link to D.C. United, and I can only expect we will grow this relationship with our hometown team.

And, by the way, D.C. United left a bunch of free tickets to the Military Appreciation Match on 19 May.  These will be provided to game participants and their families first, so reach out to Tedd with your interest.

Let's start with SARAH.  OMG!!!  Her shot from 35-40 yards out early in the first half, was one of the best shots seen in Pentagon soccer history. Sarah dominated the middle of the lineup with her ball control, razor sharp passes, and supporting movement off the ball.  Our goalies were top flight, with much post match talk about blocked shots, and frustrated attacks.  Matt and Alan, great job.  With this many players, I can't recount all the individual heroics, except to say that for a side which rarely plays a full field game, we looked like a real, top division team.  Our defense was AWESOME!!!  Our transition up and down the pitch was smooth and surprisingly organized.  Tedd managed the myriad of substitutes with a minimum of chaos. Everyone got their minutes, and I believe the resulting tie was a fair outcome for the match.  I do have to mention a long time PSC player, Steve S (Stump) who despite being too injured to play, flew in from Denver for the match and post game gathering.  Once a PSC member, always one.

Obviously I can go on and on, but Tedd reminds me brevity might be of value. Our goal in this match was to honor Bill Donovan and his family, those who have fallen, and those who are and have served.  It was to encourage international friendship with these "best of the best" from the JSCSC.  And finally to play the beautiful game.  Thanks to Tedd, Sarah, D.C. United and all of you and your families who shared this day, I sincerely believe we excelled in all these goals.

I'm proud to be a part of this great group of friends and look forward to running past you on the field in the coming days.

Dave

Pentagon Soccer"

Orangemen and Turtles Draw 3 - 3 in a Classic Late Night Skirmish

Turtles Logo

Well written by Gooch--

Thirteen players gathered for the game well before 9pm allowing plenty of time for warm-ups. The Turtles only had 10 at kick-off, so Scott Fearing graciously agreed to play for their side. Within 5 minutes of game start, a visiting Peter took off on an uncharacteristically fast sprint up the left flank and very characteristically yelled for the midfield to “send it over the top”. Gooch smacked a high, long lob from behind the halfway line thinking: “OK, Peter, let’s see if your legs are as fast as your mouth.” As the ball landed with a backspin at the Turtle’s 18, Peter streaked passed everyone and gave the Orangemen an early lead. It was a nice goal and a nice start.

Within 15 minutes, the Turtles gathered full numbers plus two subs (returning Scott Fearing to Orange).  One of their late arrivals was a 19-year-old wearing the traditional Center-Forward’s #9 and playing with punishing skill and speed.  The Turtles had another young ball-handler, #10, as well as two or three other decent supporting mid-fielders.  The Orangemen defense featured Danni at left back, Jan and Gooch in center, Chris on right and Scott as sweeper.  Jan put in a full 90 minutes of total soccer – as usual, he dominated from touchline to touchline and goal-line to goal-line.  Gooch stayed back as a more traditional Stopper to delay the center action until Jan could recover to the backfield.  This worked for the first 25 minutes of play until Gooch was sent off with a yellow card for “playing through” the other players.  There were no worries among the Orangemen as Chuck was waiting to sub in.  Chris also subbed for Scott Fearing and Ann replaced Danni.  Shortly after the change of line-up, the Turtles struck with a fast-break-in-masse and leveled the score at 1-1. 

Scott took charge of the defense and organized a system that proved to be effective ensuring at least one Stopper stayed back to mark #9 leaving Scott free to sweep as a backup for the two outside backs.  With Karl watching from the touchline in street clothes (injury rest), it was a reminder of his expert technique at outside back.   If you play defense and are wondering how our system works, please consider Karl’s example.  While Karl has lost the speed of his youth, he is a great defender because he reads the game and puts himself in perfect position 90% of time.  If Karl is beaten, he is beaten to the outside and he recovers goal side – this forces the attacker to take a wide angle around him.  The attacker must also push the ball further from his feet to allow a sprint between dribble touches, thus allowing a speedy sweeper (Scott or Jan) to swoop in on the ball and control/clear out of danger.  Karl also rarely stabs at the ball in an attempt to ‘pressure the ball’ – he stands-attackers up, delays, and he forces the attacker to make a mistake. This is the essence of team defense and works with slower outside backs supported by a strong center.  This is an important component with our defensive formation and it makes good use of our personnel.

With Scott’s leadership, the defense organized and played a solid game.  Scott played a masterful game and showed quickness, skill, and superior decisions distributing the ball from midfield.  The entire Orangemen team usually communicated well – who is attacking, who is supporting, calls for passes square/line/18, etc..  One note here: if you want to call teammate off an incoming ball, call your own name.  Example “Ben’s in”.  That’s clear, concise and leaves no doubt the Ben is taking the ball.  Silence means you expect your teammate to take it.  For example: Center-mids (Ted/Ben), by design, will try to take every ball (including those close to your foot) unless you call your own name.  Please avoid saying “Mine” because that could be an opponent calling for it.  So this adds credence to Mooch’s admonishment to arrive early so that we can learn each-others names.  Another note about communication: last night there was some inter-Orangemen verbal blaming – “Defense you’ve got to take the ball away!” “Offense you need to finish your shots!” Really? Who is this helping?  If you don’t know the difference between constructive and destructive criticism, just shut up and play soccer. 

Back to the action. Our mid-fielders and attackers dominated possession.  Kendall and Ted worked well together with Alfredo and created many scoring opportunities.  When we settled into our game of short, smart passes; give-and-goes; hard runs off the ball to win in open space; etc. we produced excellent results.  Our second goal came from a combination of these techniques with Kendall and Alfredo dissecting the Turtles and setting Ted up for a strong shot to finish (2-1 Orangemen).

The Turtles second goal came from a well-stuck corner landing at the feet of #9 who blasted a powerful worm-burner into the right side netting from the 18.  This takes nothing away from Chris’s performance minding the net in place of Gene (we hope to see return).  Chris made two great saves, charged out to disrupt 4-6 goal-scoring breaks, and his punts thundered past the halfway line every time.  His goal kicks improved from last week and Jan and Chuck provided some pointers to assist with his accuracy.

The Orangemen missed two empty net, point-blank scoring opportunities and dominated possession time throughout the game.  A highlight of our attacking game was our wingers’ (Kendall and Alfredo) technique of maintaining possession wide, drawing the defense out.  Orangemen ran well to support our flank attacks (Jan, Scott Fearing, Scott, others) and there was always a triangle with opportunities to quickly connect Orangemen and work the ball into the center (under control) and present scoring opportunities.  With 15 minutes remaining, the Turtles pulled ahead after a through-ball to #9 resulted in a 1-on-1 situation with GK Chris.  Chris came off his line to challenge and did all he could to stop the inevitable (3-2 Turtles).

The Orangemen attacked hard in the last few minutes throwing alternating defenders into the fray.  With time running out Scott stepped up and took a throw-in from the right touchline.  Scott launched a rocket throw to the center while Ted made an excellent diagonal run and directed a wonderful header over the keeper’s outstretched right glove and into the net for the tying score.  The score ended 3-3, the Orangemen played well, and will improve with the return of a few key regulars in the lineup.

Any Orangeman who sincerely cares about broadening his knowledge base may find interest in the word directly from FIFA’s Laws of the Game.  Did you know there are only 17 Laws governing our beautiful game?  Law 11 deals with “offside” - please note “offsides” is incorrect terminology revealing ignorance and overexposure to Monday Night Football commentators.  Page 102 expands on the offside position definition with descriptions such as any part of the body (except arms) extending past the second-last defender.  Law 9: The ball in and out of play – the lines are part of the field; therefore, the whole ball must be over the whole line – a ball on the line is in play.  Law 12 discusses Fouls and Misconduct including a direct kick when a player “handles the ball deliberately” – not when the ball hits a player’s hand.   Page 113 expands on handling the ball to include “the position of the hand does not necessarily mean that there is an infringement” and “the movement of the hand towards the ball (not the ball towards the hand)”.  Law 12 also states an in-direct kick is awarded when a player “impedes the progress of an opponent”.  Page 116 expands by describing how shielding is legal, but if the ball is within playing distance, the player “may be fairly charged by an opponent”.  Law 15 describes the throw-in and (as Jan correctly pointed-out last night) the Laws are silent about ‘spinning’ throw-ins – spinning does not matter.          

Orangemen vs Metros - More Lessons Learned

As frustrating as it is to play, and lose, to the Vienna Metro’s it’s always good to use them as a metric for how we are improving.  We played extremely well in the first half.  We held them to two goals in the first 45 minutes, which arguably were soft given the new defense we were trying out.  And up top we had a few opportunities to finish, including an early opportunity for first blood.

Our relationship with the Metro’s on the field continues to improve significantly.  These used to be hard/physical games with the Metro’s using a lot of body gain to an advantage with the ref quick to blow the whistle and a lot of on field arguing.  They still use their bodies well, but in almost every case last night they were legit shoulder charges to push us off the ball, with an occasional obstruction.  We were using the same shoulder charges and obstruction tactics when the opportunity availed itself.  Perfectly legal.  There were no yellow cards last night and the whistle rarely blew.  Maybe once or twice for an incidental trip or a hand ball, but nothing intentional.  I did not see a controversial play where the outcome was subject to multiple interpretations.

Of course the memories of 0-10 drubbing we took by them in the Fall is still raw in our minds there is no question our passing skills have improved significantly since Mooch went on a rampage about passing.

http://nvaorangemen.blogspot.com/2012/12/its-why-soccer-ball-is-round.html 

Also the game we played with them in March was a bright spot for the sportsmanship that continues to improve

http://nvaorangemen.blogspot.com/2013/03/ever-sportsmen-orangemen-fall-to-metros.html

Nevertheless there are still some lessons we need to learn before we face Vienna again.

Lessons learned:

1) Fitness -  We all could stand to run more during the week and to lose a few pounds.  Jan runs three miles a day.  He’s the most fit on the team.  Not only is he running non-stop during the game, during half-time he’s taking  he taking his dog for a run.  Andres lost 20 lbs since we last saw him.  He had success cutting out all carbohydrates...

2) Play as a unit moving forward - With 5 on defense that only gives us five to work with on offense.  All five need to move as a unit.  We don’t need the wingers to spread the field.  We need to wingers, or outside half-backs, to close the unit and bring it in tight.   When we do this, and use our passing skills, we always move into their third, and we keep the keep possession for a long time, create opportunities, and give our defense a break. 

3) Stop trying to make every attack a break away counter attack --  Quick counter-attacks should be a surprise, they should not be the norm.  We seem to try to make every change of possession a quick counter-attack with our wingers immediately looking for a long ball.  They turn their backs, losing sight of what’s happening on the field, and start to run away from the play.  To play as a unit they need to step towards the play and make themselves available in space.  We don’t win many fast breaks and even when we do we get a ball over the top or through to a striker charging forward don’t have the skill set yet to beat a last defender or the keeper 1 v 1.  Again I will invoke a tactic from ice hockey...even basketball.  In ice hockey it’s called a grinder.  The five forward players continue to cycle with each other.  They run through space and into open areas in a continuous cycle.  Watch Barcelona...they are one of the few teams that can keep possession long enough to set up a grinder, but that’s what they do when they get into the final third.  It means continuously moving into space.  No resting.

4) We should never experiment with news systems of play when playing the Metros.  Not with the Metros.  Maybe be we should pick a team we have traditionally been more evenly matched to work a new system or tryout new players, for instance.  Also, I will make sure each season I figure out in advance which week we will play the Metro's and publish that early so we can plan a strong side for that weekend.

5) Defender’s can’t dive in against the Metro’s.  Individually they are too good with the ball at their feet.  Contain them and wait...and hope like hell some help is coming.

6)  And finally, our passing is much improved...only one thing to work on.  Including Mooch.  The decision to pass must be immediate.  No real thinking about it.  Without any options pass the ball into space.  Stop standing on the ball waiting for inspiration.  Mean time, your team mate should be moving into the available space.  Run in front of the defenders...that’s where the space is, not behind the defenders...that’s not open space.  That’s defended space.

OK...one last thing on fitness.  For the next few months I am planning to have a pick-up soccer practice at Van Dyke Park in the City of Fairfax, behind St Leo’s Church.   This will be for one hour from 6:30 to 7:30.  I’ve invited three other teams to show up as well.  I’m not expected many to show, but if we can get a handful, we can get an hour of fitness training in with a number of touches on the ball.  Mostly skills training, running, with short sided games.

For last nights game I am going to pick Gene as the player of the match.  He had a spectacular first half, keeping the goal deficit down to 2...then had some wonderful touches on defense playing fullback.  Of course he was immediately ready to go back into goal after Chris was injured.  And speaking of Chris, many thanks to the guests who showed for last nights match including Chris, Danni, Anne, and Louise.

Orangemen vs unReal Fairfax 6 April 2013

The temperature on Saturday night suggest we were playing our first real game of Spring and that we were finally out of the Winter season for good! Our opponent was unReal Fairfax...playing their first official season in the NVA Coaches League. We did play them over the winter season back on 12 December 2012. 

Here is the write up if you are interested in how we did..

Link to December Game

As expected unReal is a really good team....not a weakness on their squad. They poured everything they had at us during the first half and we put up a valiant defense. Our defense consisted of Gene in goal with Karl, Scott, Gooch, Mauricio, Evan (who we haven't seen since 2007), and Juan (a guest) taking turns on defense. Even Ben and Louis took a quick turn in the full-back position.

Their first break through came as we were rallying for an attack and broke forward with numbers. unReal unexpectedly broke up the play and counter-attacked with lighting speed. They were through our midfield and into the final third before we could rotate off our heels. The goal was quick without Gene being able to adjust to the attack. Gene however, kept us in the game. He had multiple saves on the night...a few of which were 1 v 1.

unReal’s second goal of the 1st half came when once again they broke down our defense and threatened in the box. Alfredo responded by racing back from midfield and attempted a slide tackle on James (unReal’s manager) in the box. Unfortunately he brought him down and the ref awarded a PK. Alfredo did not receive a yellow card as the ref ruled his tackle more awkward than malicious. unReal didn’t spoil the opportunity and soon they were up 0 to 2.

During the second half we played much better. Some of that can be owed to the fact that unReal went down to 10 players. I did not know this until later in the second half otherwise I would have offered James one of ours to bring the sides even...since we had 5 on the bench.

However with a little more space our passing increased and we pressured unReal for most of the second half. In fact we scored the only goal of the second half, which technically means we outscored them. Which did feel good. The goal game when Evan made an unassisted run out of defense. He dribbled through the midfield beating one, two, than three defenders. When the fourth approached Evan played the ball forward to Louis who was advancing straight into the box. Louis then stepped left but hit the goal far side of the keeper. 

During the game we took a lot of outside shots...but we scored when we played the ball into the box and proceed from there. In fact we had more close opportunities when we played the ball inside the box. We took at least 5 or 6 shots from well outside the area but none were threatening. I think earlier distribution and playing the ball into the box on Saturday would have worked better for us on this occasion because we had numbers forward.

The other thing that plagued us more on Saturday, much more then normal,  was the number of off-sides calls that went against us. If I say we had 5 or 6 and that would be a conservative estimate.  Strikers need to pay more attention when a good team is intentionally playing the off-sides trap.  unReal worked it well and in doing so didn't have to waste an ounce of energy breaking up an attack.

All in all we played very well...after all this team has actually beat the Vienna Metros.

Special thanks to Kendall for dropping off the front line to play defense during the second half. Earlier in the half he took a line drive to the nose while he was attacking. Kendall shook it off as he was a boxer back in the day an knows how to take a shot to the beak.

After considerable thought, Jan, who played everywhere on the field with boundless energy was found in the attack and then racing back to make a number of major defensive plays wins Orangemen of the Match Honors this past weekend.  Jan runs a minimum of 3 miles a day, everyday.  His fitness shows.