Karl Bakes a Cake...Oh and the Orangemen Defeat Mt Vernon 2 - 0

Matt's 30th Birthday Celebration

Back in March of this year, during our last game against our long time rivals, Mt Vernon took us to school.  You can read about it in this post:

Loss to Mt Vernon

Last night, in one of the most thrilling games of the season, the Orangemen returned the favor.  A year’s worth of team building has produced a solid core of players that includes a fresh crop of talent that is just turning 30, as well as some players who continue to be recruited based on our ties to the Pentagon team, and of course our veterans of 20 plus years, still going and going and going.

Last night 19 players turned up for a home game.  Finally Mooch had a fantastic showing at a home game which meant he could collect fees for the match and put a little margin on the books as the Fall season approaches.  As it turns out Mooch was actually turning players away last night as requests to bring guests came from several sides.  As mentioned last week, he’s doing to the best he can to accommodate those requests.  Everyone needs to look at the eVite and make their own decisions with regard to the number of players who show for any given match...and what their prospect for playing time will be on any given weekend.  I’d rather be fat then thin...but fat means that average playing time will go down, but the time you are on the pitch means you should be “all in”.  If you’re walking on the field with 8 subs on the sideline you are going to take a seat earlier than you expect.

Highlights from the match.

Gene kept a clean sheet in the first half. He played and communicated well with the defenders.  On several occasions when the ball was played over the top he was well positioned to step forward and claim the ball at the right moment without the need for the defender to clear it out of the box.

John Hamner showed for his second game and his triumphant return from playing soccer in Kansas, a state known for Army prisons, tornado’s, little dog’s named Toto and anything but soccer.  His foot, after the injury of May 2009 has healed.  Remember John was involved in a red card incident back in May 2009 in which during  the last 5 minutes of a game his foot was shattered by an over aggressive opponent thinking he was playing in the World Cup.  John's foot required no less than 9 pins.  Most of the metal has been removed from his foot and John says he is at 100%.  That’s an incredible recovery from such a bad injury.  In keeping with league policy, Tasso (Mt. Vernon's captain) and Mooch in conference with the ref at the start of the game felt it best to keep sliding off the pitch for this match.  Jon, Mt. Vernon's manager, absent from the night's game, would have  been proud of Tasso's decision to keep sliding out of the match.

A huge change during the match, which might signal a shift in game philosophy, is that we tried out a new defensive lineup...in stead of shoring up the defense with 5 in the back, the idea would be to place 4 very strong players on defense and build from the back.  With a strong defense that enables us an option to play with three strikers up front.  That changes the game dynamics considerably.  And it was clear during the first half that it was having an impact.  So here is how we lined up.

John H, Dave. N, and Kendall up front.  With Jose and Peter ready to go in on the attack.

Chris and Gene would switch as keeper at half-time.

Tedd in central midfield, Alfredo, Will H, Steve H, Karl, and Greg playing midfield with Mooch and Chuck filling in the holes.

Matt, Ben, John, and Mikey playing the strong defense.  The idea here is that with Matt and Ben on the defensive flanks, they would take the pressure off our central defense and would also be able to get forward, overlapping the midfield on the attack.  During the first half, they spent the majority of their time on defensive duties.  And the defense was seemingly impenetrable.  The game seemed extremely even with neither side able to make progress.  As Mt. Vernon tired, however, and Ben and Matt and even John, began stepping out of the defensive role and pressuring into the midfield and beyond, the momentum switched in favor of the Orangemen.  We started playing more and more of the game in the attacking third.  More opportunities presented and it was only a matter of time before we were able to finish.

The break through came when Will H was making a run up the left side of the field.  A scramble ensued and  Will maintained control of the ball drawing defenders into the box and on the left side of the pitch.  Will turned on the ball and  was looking to drop the ball out back but apparently heard Mooch shouting from the top of the penalty box.  He crossed the ball low and hard.  Last week Mooch let a similar low and hard cross from Will pass him by to an awaiting Tommy, who finished in style.  This time, Mooch wanted the glory so he reached up with his right foot and snatched the ball out of the air coming in about knee level.  The ball miraculously dropped dead straight in front of him.  I was a quality trap for multiple reasons.  One the ball settled motionlessly on the goal side of him, two, it stopped in space away from the closing defender on his right creating extra space, and three, it was sufficiently out from under his feet that Mooch's natural kicking stride required no adjustment.  Mooch felt like he had ten minutes to shoot the ball, felt like he was aiming at the broad side of a barn, didn't think twice about using his left foot to take the shot.  When it left his foot he knew he connected well and as he saw the shape of the ball knew he hadn't over cooked it. It's funny when you know the ball is going in the net...only the spectacular from a keeper stopped a goal in these situations, and the feeling rang true.  The ball cleared the keepers out stretched fingers and dipped beneath the crossbar into the upper right corner of the net.  It felt like an easy goal.  Mooch was more proud of his trap to set up the shot than the shot itself.  So special thanks to Will for the cross in, which earned him the assist.  Will had a chance to take a free kick earlier in the game, which he placed perfectly onto the back of the six yard box with three Orangemen in position to get a head on it.  The first Orangemen stretched to meet it, and unfortunately didn't connect as well.  One of the Orangemen behind would have had a better angle to get their head on it.

Our second goal game off a corner kick.  Tedd took the corner kick and with his signature cross, low, in swinging, and to the back of the box, Ben, up from his defensive position, made a diving header to finish the ball into the need beating the keeper to the inside post.  Everyone is learning that getting on the end of a Tedd corner kick is like money in the bank.  We expect skirmishes as Orangemen fight over that 10 square feet of space near the back post to score an easy goal off a fine delivery from Tedd.

More opportunities presented in the second have with Kendall having a great opportunity on a break away through the center and one v one chance with the Mt. Vernon keeper advancing out.  Kendall did everything right.  He controlled the ball and didn't wait for the keeper to make a move.  He snap kicked the ball with his left foot scoring what should have been a perfectly played goal.  But as mentioned before, the keeper, miraculously made a reflexive and blind flail at the ball, and somehow made contact with it  as it was beating him on his right side.  It was a sick save of a certain goal.

Mt Vernon, however, wasn't without answers in the second half, but Chris was able to keep his sheet clean with a series of two great fore-hand volleys off his line to save the goals.  When the ball sits up like a tennis shot, years and years of tennis reflexes kick in and Chris knows how to volley from the base line.  No one is going to beat Chris on his forehand, and he's shown that again and again.  However, if you play a drop shot, Chris is known for going to ground early.

After the match, our newest player celebrated his 30th birthday.  Matt’s birthday celebration included cakes and cold cuts with one cake hand baked personally by Karl M.  The rest of the birthday celebration was catered by Matt's wife Cori-Ann who wanted to also bring a fireworks display to rival the best displays in the Country.  However, Mooch had to kill her pyrotechnic aspirations by reminding her that the best fireworks were illegal in Virginia and that the County would probably not appreciate us setting fire to the synthetic field.  I must also mention that Matt was also called to medical action to treat Dave N for a sprained or jammed wrist that occurred when Dave got hammered with the ball.  Dave returned to action during the game, and although he claimed he would be sore, the soreness didn't stop him from carrying equipment off the field with his "damaged" left hand after the game.

Great game last night Orangemen...I proud of what we've accomplished this year and look forward to a great Fall season, that should begin in a few short weeks.

Last thing...Dave N felt compelled enough from the game last night to send in his own recount of some of the action, that I dutifully record here for the record.

Dave N says:

Tonight, I feel I need to speak on behalf of all our teammates, and recommend our “Man of the Match” be Jim, the “golden foot”, Muccio.  Starting with his overall play, but highlighting his super first touch in settling the ball in a crowded melee in front of the goal, Jim had the presence of mind to lift the ball neatly over the rushing goalie.  But that’s the second reason for tonight’s recommendation.  The Orangemen played against a talented, young, aggressive opponent.  We had a full lineup with an “abundance” of substitutes.  The principle reason for Jim’s nomination is the outstanding game he coached, insuring a rock solid defense, pressing midfield, and an attacking front line.  Jim managed to move players around without revealing any weaknesses, allowing everyone to get their minutes, yet  insuring the lineups were balanced, and eventually successful.  So Jim Muccio, player of the match, first for coaching, and second for the opening goal of a 2-0 win.

The second man of the match is actually the “family Matt”.  Matt has played with us for only three weeks, but his lovely family including two young angels, celebrated his 30th birthday at the field.  They brought cake, veggies, water, and plates to share the special day with the team.  And, oh by the way, Matt is a very good player who contributed to the solid defense.

Orangemen vs FC Valpo

Another summer game down...the fall season quickly approaches.  Only four games left until Fall Soccer is here and one of those games is on the weekend of the Wounded Warrior tournament where we will be extremely short handed.  So if you are not playing in the tournament, on the 20th of July, let me know.  We will have to call in substitutes and visiting players to field a side for sure.   In other news, Le Tour started on our game day last Saturday.  It’s a special tour this year as it celebrates it’s 100th year of the bike race.  Despite the controversy over performance enhancing drugs, Lance Armstrong, et al, it’s still the World Cup of bike racing. The first stage got rolling and for the first time, the grand tour traveled to the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean.   I never realized, one, how big Corsica is, and two, how mountainous it is.  It looked like the riders were in the Pyrenees on the first stage.  If you haven’t been following the tour, you should.  It’s a fantastic athletic event, and if you didn’t know, Maurico is a huge bike rider, and when he isn’t playing for the Orangemen, he’s on his road bike training for road races.  It was a big weekend for sports, The Confederations Cup Final was played in Brazil on Sunday.  Brazil defeated Spain, 3 to 1.  This competition is really just a warm-up for the World Cup next year. It’s not a game with too much meaning other than to test the venues to see if Brazil is ready to host the big event next year.  If you will recall, Confederations Cup 2009, the year before the 2010 World Cup, was played in South Africa, and coincidentally Brazil won the final there as well.  But not so coincidentally, the United States played in that Final and was defeated by Brazil 3 to 2.  Did anyone notice that the US was playing in a International Final on the World Stage?  Not really.  Just like no one really cares that the World Champions, Spain, went down to Brazil in a humiliating defeat.  However, that all changes in about 11 months.  Everyone in the world will be watching the World Cup 2014 get kicked off in Brazil next summer.  Get ready to have a World Cup get together or two next June.  Think of some ideas and feed them too me.  Let’s get ready for a fun season.

OK, some of you might be interested in the game recap.  Me, not so much.  We played FC Valpo who wore light blue.  It’s a nice uniform, sky blue, reminds me of Manchester City.  Which reminds me there is only 5 weeks remaining until the start of the next English Premier League on 17 August.  Sadly, very few preseason games are coming to the US this year.  Unlike last year when we got together at Raven stadium in Baltimore to watch Liverpool and Tottenham mix it up.  But I digress, back to the game.  FC Valpo beat us in what was a strange game indeed.  We seemed to have backed away from all we’ve learned this year.  We moved back into our 1 sweeper, 1 stopper defense...which puts all the pressure on Jan.  We don’t seem to be passing as well as we have the past the last six months...we don’t even seem to be looking for passes.  It could be FC Valpo was just that good.  They were certainly fast...it was hard to complete a pass or receive a pass and look up without there being a field of sky blue all around.  So, I’m just gonna leave it at that.  FC Valpo good team...and unless we are firing on all cylinders there is very little we are going to do about it.  I’m not even sure what the final score was, but we did bag a single goal, which from the bench looked spectacular.  So there is that...  But what was even more interesting was what was happening on the bench.

Mooch, who is forever seemingly prone to injury, left the field when an FC Valpo player checked him in the shoulder.  It snapped his neck hard to the side.  As impacts go it was nowhere near the hit Ben took between the shoulder blades back in the spring, where the back of his head practically bounced off his spine.  But the hit Mooch took from the side was sufficient to throw his neck out of whack. He stood there practically paralyzed.  The ref indicated play-on because we gained the advantage and then he stopped play a few moment’s later when he saw that Mooch was unable to move.  The ref said he saw the hit, but due the the advantage, didn’t award the foul.  Mooch, in severe distress, hobbled off the field and sat in the bleachers.  Matt, who was having a bad day because he was suffering some muscle strains following his performance last week approached Mooch, in a deliberate but non-threatening manner.  As he drew near Mooch noticed Matt extending his hand toward his neck.  When someone moves their hand toward your throat that should generally trigger a defensive reaction, however Matt’s movements were not threatening, and Mooch was like an animal, when in severe distress, sensing that the human is there to help and allows that human to touch them, to release them from a snare, or to pull a thorn from their paw, for instance.  Also, Mooch had the knowledge that Matt is a Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine and did sense that he was there to help.  Despite the fact that Mooch couldn’t move his head since his neck was so locked up, had anyone else in the world made a move to touch his neck at that point, even his mother, he might have summoned one of the blocking move’s he learned in Kung Fu.  He did not and Matt landed his hand on the back of his neck.  Within moments Matt was having Mooch lift his arm and was applying and releasing pressure with his hand.  Then he had Mooch apply resistance pressure against his own pressure.  Quickly Matt had discovered the source of the kink and which one of the vertebrae in Mooch’s neck was pinching a nerve.  He then started a series of stretches on Mooch’s head and neck that almost immediately relieved the pressure.  Mooch’s neck was unlocked.  The pain was gone.  In fact, his head was so loose on his shoulders he commented that  he felt better than at the start of the game.  Mooch’s recovery was so fast and felt so good he returned to the match.  One week later, while sore for a couple of days, the kink never returned.  Early treatment seems to be key for these musculoskeletal  anomalies such as this...amazing.

So, we’ve discovered a secret weapon, keen to join the Orangemen family.  I guess I don’t care so much that we got clobbered by FC Valpo.  What an acquisition for Orange!  We must all take some time to thank Karl for recruiting him.  It feels like we now have our own physio on the team...who needs the assets of a Manchester United or Liverpool if we have our own quality medical care coming to play at our games.  Thanks Matt for joining us so quickly and bringing your family to our family...not to mention your soccer skills and skills as a doctor...we are gonna offer you a 5 year contract and have you sign with our team ASAP.  Forget that talk about being closer to Herndon or Chantilly...what the hell was I thinking!

Orangemen vs Alanzia -- Practice Makes Perfect

Although we came up short against Alanzia last Saturday by a score of 1 to 5, it was still a well played match. Tommy scored off a cross from Alfredo that Mooch decided not to touch as it was played into the eighteen.  As the ball swung in the defender didn’t have the reflexes to react and it dropped to Tommy’s feet.  He finished with a low and hard shot that the keeper reacted to and got a mitt on it but not sufficient change the the route of the ball.

Tedd, was coming up with multiple opportunities to score with both his left and right foot.  Alas, it was one of those days for him where the ball just wasn’t going into the net.  On a different day Tedd would have tallied 5 or 6 goals.

Mooch had a great opportunity when the a defender cleared the ball straight to him.  As the keeper scrambled out Mooch tried to lift it over his head and miss kicked it.  The result however took the ball away from the keeper and afforded Mooch another shot at an open goal.  This time he tried the strike the ball from the top of the 18, hard, straight, and on target.  The kick that resulted was soft and wide of the goal a very disappointing shot indeed.

Late in the game Maurcio had a similar great opportunity to score when the ball squirted out from deflected poor clearance from their keeper onto his foot as he advanced just outside the top of the box.  His shot went high and wide.

Karl introduced us to Matt for his first game out with the Orangemen.  Matt brought an entire cheering section, his family, to our game.  One might say they’ve been Orangemen fans for their entire lives based on the abundance of orange they were wearing.  Strangely, most of the Orangemen attire they were wearing was adorned with a strange symbol in the appearance of an orange UT.  We may never know what that means or where the orange clothing originated..  However, Matt fit in well and demonstrated he has some prior training in this sport, could the strange symbol UT have had anything to do with it?  Any how, he elevated our game and we hope he decides to return.

We also had another visitor last night...Steve Harris...who we can hardly say is a visitor because he played for decades on the Orangemen...except he hasn't been out in over a decade.  

As always, Kendall’s speed up top was effective at relieving the pressure on the midfield and back although he was unable to find the net on this night.

Alanzia goals came early and resulted from us playing too high a line -- we didn’t anticipate the speed of some of their forwards and paid the price early on.  As we adapted to their speed they were less effective and allowed us to level off their attacks.

At have time we changed keepers...Chris made some great saves... and then he started to dial in his punting foot...we still don’t know how to get on the end of them but they are traveling, and length and height of his kicks amaze our competition.  I think if Chris can dial back to 95% when he connects with the ball he will still get the great distance but with more control.  He seems to put every ounce of adrenaline through each ball.

In addition to Matt’s family we had young Orangemen show up from a number of different families...which reminds me we should probably start planning for a family event.  I’ll wait and see what our field status begins to look like into Aug and Sept...hopefully we will not be playing these ridiculous 9 pm matches.

We had  20 players show up...once again I’ll make an appeal to check the invite and respond accordingly.    I’m paying close attention to the lineup as well as trying to accommodate the requests to bring visitors.  I try to invite visitors on light days.  Also, if you are on the bubble for a certain match...check the numbers and if we are heavy...that might be a good night to give something back to your family.

Although we were at 20 on the bench, Jim Land Danni opted not to play, which helped.  18 is really the upper end of trying to play a coherent match and make reasonable substitutions.  But once again, there was evidence that somehow substitutions magically happen.  Do not come off the field unless you know who’s replacing you.  At the start of the second half we had eight players take the pitch.  So three came off without being told to come off and without knowing who was replacing them.

So, as always, here are some Orangemen, policies.  I’ll call them philosophies because they are not really policies, rather they are what’s going on in my head as I try to make sense of the masses.

With high numbers showing at the start of the match, the only fair way to start the game is by having the first 11 to the field start the match.  Sometimes this is hard to figure out.  And I like to make the following modification.  The first 11 I see ready to start the match.  That means dressed out, shin pads and shoes on, warming up out on the pitch.  Sitting in your car trying to stay warm or out of the rain doesn’t count.  Jawing with your girl friend on your cell phone doesn’t count.   Taking a natural break in the woods doesn’t count either.  About the only thing that counts is being out field fully dressed.  

That kind of leads us to policy number two with regard to the game itself.  If you want to be substituted into the match be dressed, with shoes and shin guards on, and be standing on the sideline ready to come in.  Wandering around someplace else doesn’t help...if I can’t see you, or not see that you are ready to play, I have to assume the opposite.  Out of sight out of mind.  

And finally, as previously mentioned, keep playing unless you sub out intentionally during a substitution or I tell to have a seat at half-time.  Don’t just step off the field until I talk with you.

OK last thing.  If  you don’t think practice helps, I hope everyone was watching as Greg put on a clinic for the Alanzia defense.  He comes to the Wednesday practices and it is showing with his ball control.  He had an incredible run up the left side of the field.  The ball came out to him on the wing.  He trapped the ball and waited for the defender to dive in.  He cut the ball left and beat his defender on the outside.  He ran onto his own ball stopped it and cut outside shielding the ball from another full-back.  He reversed direction of his run still in control of the ball.  He got his head up and looked inside and passed a diagonal ball to a player in  orange.  It was a wonderful 5 seconds or so.  It required at least 5 touches before the pass all of which had to be perfect, and they were.  So I’m awarding Greg Man-of the Match honors this week for his marked improvement.

Orangemen vs Great Pretenders - Right on the Money

The Great Pretender’s lived up to their name last evening as our secret witnesses observed them recruiting multiple players from the pick-up match that preceded our game.  Concerns were raised, Mooch waived most of them off as we had fielded a good side, the night was spectacular, and if a team is down that many players he would rather play the match then get into a short sided game, or worse, have to cancel the match, particularly when we are obliged to pay the ref.  Mooch, however, will take the matter up with Michael R their manager, to let him know it’s better to disclose their intentions in advance rather and to try to be sneaky about it, even though Mooch himself walked onto the Pretender’s as a “Visitor” in August last year and had a great match vs Mt Vernon. Here is the post from that came.

http://nvaorangemen.blogspot.com/2012/08/great-pretenders-vs-mt-vernon-11-aug.html. 

We also played the Pretender’s in Jan of this year...that was the game where 24 Orangemen turned up.

  

http://nvaorangemen.blogspot.com/2013/01/spring-in-janurary-orangemen-vs-great.html

And prior to that we played the Pretender’s in October last year, which just happened to the be the game Mooch took the line-drive to his eyeball.  Gooch handled the blog post.

http://nvaorangemen.blogspot.com/2012/10/due-to-my-premature-departure-from.html

To their great credit, however the Pretender’s opted to enforce the no-slide tackle rule, not so much to prevent themselves from being taken out by sliding Orangemen, but to keep their own side, with their multiple “Visitors” in check.  Mooch recognized this immediately and immediately agreed with the suggestion at the center circle.

Final score, Orangemen 5, Great Pretenders 5.  Almost everyone on the pitch would agree, it was a spectacular game, right on the money in terms of fun and competition.  It is hard not to have fun when there is so much action going on.  Everyone played their heart out.  We generated offense, midfield, and a scrambling but effective defense.  Dougie returned to D for the first time in many months. He was joined by Jan, Mikie, Karl, and with Maurico, Alfredo, and Chris taking turns in the back.

The game waged back and forth with most of the advantage going to the Pretenders in the first half...which put a lot of pressure on our Defense.  The boys did well enough to contain the damage to 2 goals at the half.  We stayed in it because our first break came off a corner kick to which Tedd didn’t respond to the corner in his typical timely fashion.  Before we could sort it out Chris, of all players, was placing the ball down as if he was going to have a go at the corner kick. A hue and cry went up the field questioning the selection however the criticism was short lived as  Ben scored off the kick that came in.  Chris toe poked a lofty duck, that stayed straight and dropped right into the center of the box.  After the brief melee the ball popped up nicely for Ben to slam into the net at close range.

We ended the half at 1 to 2...still well in the match considering the pressure they were putting us under particularly with their 20 something’s considerable skill and speed.  The Pretenders could outpace us to every single ball.  The only way we could stay in possession was to keep our traps clean and close, and then keep the passes moving.

As the second half started the Pretenders were able to score first taking them to 3.  The potential for the came to move out of reach was real.  However we pulled another one back when Peter scored from another corner kick.  Very similar to our first goal, this time delivered from our veteran corner taker Tedd.  Another melee, but this time Peter got his long leg and size 13 shoe onto it for another close in finish.  The set pieces were working for us. The score was now 2 to 3.  The Pretenders scored again, this time off of a beautifully played series of passing down our right flank.  They passed through our defense and going deep almost into the corner, than bringing the ball back out to the 18 where one of the Pretender’s strikers hit the cover off the ball, placing a line drive through the defense, and into the net.  Our keeper didn’t have a chance to react.  That took the score to 2 to 4. and their was a brief bit of confusion at the center circle as to the actual score.  The ref said 2 to 5, Mooch went over and told him, oh no, the score was 2 to 4 and the ref agreed

Other goals of note include Alfredo scoring during the run of play off a lofty cross from Kendall.  The keeper came out but Alfredo beat him to the ball and lifted it over his head and into the goal. Kendall continued his run and headed the bounce ball further into the net, but the ball had crossed the line before Kendall made contact, therefore the goal stands as Alfredo with Kendall earning the assist.  We were now within one of a tie at 3 to 4.  The Pretender’s were not finished scoring either.  And were able to capitalize on a short sided defense when they caught us on a quick break away.  We were still two goals behind as the score advanced to 3 to 5.

But Orange kept their heart in it and the pressure on.  Our next goal came from Tedd as he scored from the top of the box, with Alfredo once again getting involved.  Alfredo approached deep on the right, got into trouble and then pulled the ball back to Mooch standing on the 18.  Tedd was shouting from his left and Mooch had time to get the lateral pass to him, which he knew if Tedd could connect with his left foot it was a higher probability shot then one he could take as Pretender’s were throwing their bodies in front of him to block the shot.  Mooch moved the ball to his left and punched it laterally with the outside of this left foot.  He gave Tedd a bouncing ball, but it was straight. Tedd pulled the trigger placing the ball into the upper right corner of the net, the Pretender’s keeper had no chance.  The score was 4 to 5.

With 10 minutes remaining, Peter made a run up the left side of the pitch and he had options running into the box.  He could cross it into the box or pull it back to the 18 for a marauding Ben.  He chose the later,  The ball stayed low and as it crossed into the center, Ben hit’s it with his instep curling into the top right corner of the net. After that there were only 5 minutes left in the match, Karl and Gene entered the game to provide closing minute defense.  The Pretender’s made a last minute scramble to win the game but the Orangemen defense held and we finished with a tie.  The ref blew the whistle and indicated to Mooch with his two hands raised, final score, 5 to 5.  It was an awesome match.

Unfortunately, clouding the spectacular night, we had an issue with Orangemen getting upset by other Orangemen for criticizing their play.  First, all Orangemen need to toughen their skin, both to external and internal criticism for their own mistakes as well as to the necessity to comment on another player when they witness other players mistakes.  As previously stated, the only criticism I will  allow on the field from other players is to point out a passing option that was missed.  Criticism of a players ability, direct attacks on another player for failing to do something correctly, or generally being a verbal nuisance as in coaching everyone during every second prior to, during, and after each play is of no real use on our pitch and only annoys other players.  The Orangemen are a collection of players of many ages and skill levels trying to enjoy our beautiful game.  There is no room for criticism, only encouragement at our games.  We’ve taken great strides to clean up our interactions with the other teams players and of course with the referees, who tend to warrant angry words most often.  If we’ve cleaned up there, we can clean up in the other departments as well.  If a player is directly criticizing your action to the point where it is distracting you from your game, tell Mooch, no need to engage the offending player directly.  That only elevates tension, pulls everyone into the argument, and distracts everyone from the game at hand.  That said, some of our stronger players have been working with some of our weaker players off the pitch.  Coaching is not criticism if it is conducted with love.  It’s always appropriate to help a player learn new skills...but the best place for that is off the pitch.  No one is learning a new skill on the pitch, so that is not coaching.  One place where we are having great success learning in skills is at our pick up practice on Wednesday nights...still going and still very useful to get in a midweek run.

Back to the match...Ben, for his two goals, relentless use of the phrase, “Ben’s-In”, and not paying his  game fee with his name sake, a Benjamin Franklin, receives Man of the Match honors last evening.  5 to 5 Orangemen, we all should be hugely proud of that result.

Orangemen vs Sting vs the Blind Ref

The first of June brought our first really hot game of the year...91 degrees.  On grass, 4 pm versus the Sterling Sting. Traditionally the Orangemen wear black during this fixture and we kept the tradition alive, with Jimbo L, even snapping a picture of our team attire at half-time.  Thanks Jimbo, for taking the picture and bringing an umbrella to shield from dad from the sun, as he made a traditional appearance at the Loudon County field as well.

Adrian brought out his yellow bubble bee Sting, on the dry field, and held off the rain.  Loudon closes their field’s at the slightest hint of moisture,  so the result is almost like playing on the hard clay courts of the French Open, except with the dry grass, they are a little hairy.  We might as well be playing on concrete as that is how hard the Virginia clay can seem.  The balls of Mooch’s feet were on fire and it hurt to walk within few minutes on this field.  Those turf fields really spoil us...and make us weak.

As the manager’s discussed the rules of the game at the center circle they both agreed we would allow slide tackles during this match and because of the heat we would take water breaks.  The ref who turned out for the match was very organized and explained in detail how he expect the game to proceed...since he was only one man, without linesmen, he couldn’t see every play and was expecting us to be sportsman and call the out-of-bounds, etc.  This was clear foreshadowing of the game about to be played, since when he said he couldn’t see every play, what he meant was that he couldn’t see anything beyond about 10 yards.  This turned out to be a challenge for both sides, as, with the sliding, both teams played hard and physically, going shoulder to shoulder for almost every ball.  Luckily, even though the ref was blind as a bat, when there were fouls, I think both sides would agree, whereas they constituted fouls, where advantage was taken which when overlooked by the ref, none of the fouls were egregious, therefore tempers stayed in check and all were able to enjoy the physical match.

Visitors were brought to the game...so once again Mooch has to restate the visitor policy...all must sign the liability waiver if they want to play with the Orangemen.  The only way you can sign the liability waiver is agree to the eVite in advance of the game.  We have leads on many players and friends of players who are waiting in the wings to play.  Mooch is maintaining this list based on requests made of him during the season.  If we are going to be down players, Mooch will exercise this option first.  The only way he has a handle on attendance is through the eVite, so if you say you are coming, please show to the match...or change your status.  If you see we are going to have a well manned side...you can use some judgement here...but not much, if 4 or 5 players decide not to show, as happened a few weeks ago, we can be short handed.  For this game, we were not going to be short handed, so it’s still not clear to me how three visitors showed up to the match.  Just for the record, we had two players who did not get single minute of playing time as a result...that’s simply not fair.  

Just after the first water break the Sting scored their opening goal, sadly it came during the realization that the Orangemen were playing a man down and as they were bringing someone else onto the field, without the ref’s consent, and trying to sort it out.  Unlike indoor, there are no free substitution in outdoor.  It’s likely that the notion of free substitution is what caused some of the on-field confusion.

Our defense was playing  well and we dropped back into our legacy Orangemen formation of a single sweeper and stopper on top.  This allowed us to play three in the midfield and three up top, a formation that allows us to exercise our attack.  Opportunities were plentiful, with Chris H pulling the trigger on some great shots, but he wasn’t able to recreate the beauty he scored he scored last year...you can re-live the wonder of that strike against the Sting here in the archives. Orangemen in Black.

A highlight of the match is when Kendall scored a tremendous header off of a signature Tedd corner kick.  The ball came in hard, low and curled to the back of the box where Kendall was able to direct it into the net.

A low-point of the match came  when Mooch was knocked down in the the box, a clear penalty kick should have been awarded, as numerous Sting players sheepishly nodded in agreement.  Rather than a penalty kick being awarded for Mooch being knocked ass over tea-kettle, Mooch was issued a yellow for whispering the F-bomb out-loud to himself...since the decibel level of Mooch’s whisper was at about 140 db, the ref overheard his soliloquy and registered his use of the F-bomb as decent and sent him to the bench for five minutes.

By unanimous decision, Man of the match honors goes to the player who saved two goals off the line.  Jan was working in the back non-stop.  Without his ability continue running and to accelerate long after the play as gone by, he could not make these spectacular saves.  Those saves allowed us to finish the match with our dignity intact.

Orangemen vs Chantilly Casuals on a Champions League Final Weekend

25 May, Wembley Stadium, London England, Brussia Dortmund 1, Bayern Munich 2.  Over in Alexandria, Virginia, at Bryant Alternative Field, Orangemen 2, Chantilly Casuals about 6 or 7.

First, I’ve got to get on the no shows last night.  Five “Confirmed” no shows at the start of the game which doesn’t include the “Maybe’s”.  We were ½  in 4 for the “Maybe’s”.  If you say you are coming, particularly on a thin night like Memorial Day Weekend, you have to show.  Luckily Alfredo showed up, having not responded at all, so we started the game 9 v 11.  The Irony here is that Chantilly was supposed to be the short side and we were supposed to give them players last night.  So the first reason that you have to show up, is that it sucks playing 9 v 11.  Oh sure there’s more space, you get more touches on the ball.  The thrill of that ends in about 10 minutes when they score and you already feel like you’ve run a marathon.  Second, if we don’t have 12 paying players show for each home game, I eat the cost.  If we only have 8 confirmed for a home game I’m cancelling the match.  Each game costs us $85 for the ref, $15 for the ref company, and $20 for the field and schedule.  Do the math -- that’s $120/game.  I need twelve players paying $10 each to break even.  With only 8 I’m going to be short $40 dollars.  I love this game but not enough to bankroll the team.  Tommy did show up at half time and paid, so I really appreciate his effort to get there, but he was only one of the Maybes.  

Chantilly is a soulful team with a lot of loyalty.  They don’t offer up to play for the opposition without a grimace.  There were one or two players on the side lines we could have tapped as ringers but I need everyone to understand my policy on ringers for the Spring, Summer, and Fall.  As the league has required us to sign waivers as managers, which I pass onto the team when you acknowledge you will play in the match, I can’t take walk-ons from the field.  I will only take players from the other team, who I can assume are covered under their own team liability waiver.  Unfortunately in this case, Chantilly didn’t realize we were playing 2 players down at the start.  In fact Dick, the casuals manager, was still assuming we would have like 14 or so players milling about so it didn’t even cross his mind that we were the team down.  Dick felt awful when he realized the imbalance and we made the balancing corrections at half-time...in fact Dick went so far as allowing us to play a man up to make up for the imbalance during the first half.  With Tommy’s arrival, we were able to transition to balanced 11 v 11, although this came already 10 minutes into the second half. 

Surprisingly, however, we put some effort into the competition during the first half.  We didn’t just roll over, considering we lost Mikey for a few minutes to injury during the first half, which meant we dropped to 8 on the field, and then we lost Chuck to the parking lot to figure out why is car alarm was going off.  When Mikey returned after stretching out his injured leg he was faster than ever.  Karl, Jan, Mikey, and Chuck comprised our defensive line-up with Alfredo, Scott R, Louis, and Mooch in midfield.  Gene was in goal...that’s how we played the first half, 9 men.  Surprisingly, on a well thrown ball from Scott R into the box, Mooch was able to run onto it, and as Dick, playing keeper for the Casuals, advanced off his line, Mooch was able to pull the ball onto his right foot and direct it near post into the net.  Just near the end of the 1st half, Chuck hyper-extended his knee.  He rolled in to play the entire second half on the tender knee...but unfortunately he will probably be out the next few weeks to recover.

Our second goal came in the second half, and was a shot from Louis at the top of the box. It hit the crossbar and bounced 2 ball widths inside the goal line before quickly spinning back up and out of the goal.  A clear case for one of two things...either goal line technology, or honest players, since the referee was not in position to make the call.  Luckily we had honest players last night and the Chantilly keeper indicated to his mates that the ball did indeed cross the line.  

Later in the match, as tensions flared, particular after Chantilly was award a PK for a seemingly no call in the box and a series of other perceived injustices administered by the ref, Dick C could be heard shouting for his team to maintain their head and to not engage with the other players or the ref.  Peace was maintained as sportsmanship emerged at both ends of the pitch.  However, it shows definitively that the referee has a significant role in maintaining the peace during the match.  A continuous series of no-calls or bad-calls will always flare tensions.  Mooch showed the ref the area of his chest that was clawed by a defender, after Mooch was penalized for shoulder charging.  The ref was not impressed and waved it off saying, “Next time”.   Of course that was the fourth time Mooch had been manhandled with a “no-call” so his temper was flaring too.

As for our play on the field we did great.  Our intent was to pass, and with Louis, Tom, the talented blue player, Troy, who joined us from the Casuals, Alfredo, Scott, Jan, and Mikey all advancing forward, we were controlling portions of the game and setting up great opportunities.  As I said the intent to pass was there, the execution was a little loose last night, primarily, I believe, as a result of our fatigue.  All in all I had fun, and as I can barely walk this morning, attests to a great game.

Enjoy your memorial day weekend and Champion’s League Victory if you happen to be Bayern fans!

Orangemen vs Herndon Attack and the $600M Dollar Game

Another typical rainy day with a temperature in the sixties. However, if you were home watching the Power Ball drawing you were in for a bit of history...the jackpot was up to $600M dollars...the largest ever.  At least two teams were not home glued to the TV...we were out standing in the mist preparing to play.   If you worn a t-shirt and were just standing around it was chilly.  If you put on a long sleeve fleece shirt you were sweating in minutes.  With an early game time, 8 pm, the Orangemen assembled at Herndon High School to take on the Herndon Attack.  One of my players immediately pointed out that red and orange jerseys make for a confusing game.  In particular when our orange jerseys get wet they get darker it makes distinguishing the difference in color even tougher for us older Orangemen.  Steve from Herndon was immediately instructing his team to switch to white which we all appreciated.

The ref arrived and we flipped the coin at mid-field.  Having lost the coin toss Herndon elected to concede the kick to the Orangemen and choose the western goal to defend.  The ref indicated that both Herndon Attack and the Orangemen we well mannered team’s and he didn’t expect any trouble.  We did forget, however to discuss whether slides were in or out...so by default sliding was in...although the entire game I don’t think we had a single hard tackle.

From the very start it appeared that we were going to have a pretty even sided game.  Both sides were able to push forward into an attack and move the ball around through midfield.  It was a very busy game for everyone.  With Chris H and Kendall playing up top we had speed and power pushing forward.  Our first break came however when Kendall was at midfield.  The Herndon defense pushed forward of midfield leaving Kendall alone in the center circle.  When the ball broke and the counter attack was on, the ball was launched forward by Tedd for Kendall to run onto...he had the entire half of the field.  Herndon had a quick appeal to the ref for off-sides but quickly realized they were well over the center line and although Kendall was behind them, he wasn’t past it.  The race was on...Kendall speed was also probably under appreciated by the defense.  He collected the ball and ran unmolested into the box.  The keeper made a vain attempt come out on him but Kendall was able to finish with style.  Orangemen scored first.

Herndon came back repeatedly...and Jan was able to run down most of their attacks.  Uncharacteristically Jan made a mistake passing the ball out to the right.  The pass was a bit weak and off target and Herndon pounced.  The goal came quick and we were even.  It was the only goal we would allow for the remaining 70 minutes of the game.

We made a change to our attack which allowed Emile to take the field and play in his final match for the East Coast Orangemen.  When Emile moves to California next week he says he is making plans to build a West Coast Orangemen team...which would be fantastic.  Playing up top he used his characteristic speed to run onto a few balls and make a few deft touches on the ball to make room for a strike.  Alas, he was never able to finish.  His best move however came in the second half as he was in the box and the ball was played in from the left.  With his back to goal he reached up for the ball with his right foot, his early karate training was of value because his leg was elevated above his head.  The best way to describe what he did was a standing bicycle kick.  With only his foot above his head he connects with the ball, swiveled his hips and tuned the shot on goal.  Unfortunately the goalkeeper had it covered,  he didn’t know much about it, but it hit him square in the chest and bounced to the ground.  Had Dave N not be so mesmerized by the shot he might have thought enough to step forward to sweep up the ball the keeper just spilled to the ground, however the keeper was quicker and pounced on the loose ball ending the opportunity.

We had plenty of opportunities to score so we were well in the game.  Meanwhile are our end of the field, Gene was having the game of his life.  When Herndon came forward they came forward with power.  There frontline has little weakness.  And all of the Herndon strikers seem to have powerful shots.  I didn’t count the total number but for a time in the second half they were raining down.  Our defense was scrambling to get something on the ball which helped to deflect the shots high and over the end-line   This did however mean Herndon had an inordinate number of corner kicks...at least 10 by my estimation.  Their corner kicks were intense but time and time again, Gene stepped off his line to punch the approaching ball out of the goal box.  He also had a number of tremendous saves seeming to have found the right angle on almost every shot that came in.  Also, when Gene collected the ball, his distribution have vastly improved.  While punting out of the box he found Orange more times than not.  A tremendous improvement in ability.  My sense is Gene has been out practicing his punts during the week.

Our defense should be commended for the match...Alfredo had a super energetic game on the left, moving forward into midfield just the right amount to join the attack.  Scott F also played some defense and always seem to pop up in the right place to but a foot on the ball and take it out of harms way.  Jan and Mikey’s speed in the back cleaned up most of the rest of the trouble.

In midfield Mauricio and Will H also put in a tremendous performance winning enough control to start the counter attacks.  Will H also demonstrated a special skill when forward by performing a behind the back kick, crossing his right leg behind his left leg to kick the ball forward, placing the ball into the center of the opposition box.  Nothing resulted by it was fun to watch.

Ben, Tedd, and Chris H did most of the work in midfield...and are our unsung hero’s for this match.

Mooch actually stayed on the bench most of the game...he was playing a pint low having donated blood on Thursday evening.  He could definitely feel like he was playing short.   He wonders how it’s possible for world class athletes, such as those who ride in the Tour de France, to practice and train while preparing for their illegal blood transfusions.  What’s required here is a commitment that goes well beyond anything we would consider ordinary.    Six weeks before the tour the athlete goes into a seedy hotel room and has one pint of blood drawn.  So now, six weeks before the event he must continue training a pint low.  After two weeks his body has replaced the blood.  Then the athlete returns to the seedy hotel room and offers up two pints of blood.  The pint that is now two weeks old is returned to his body.  So now he must continue training, a pint low, and with a pint of two week old blood in his veins...probably 80% or more will be dead blood cells that must be purged by his kidneys.   Yet he continues to train...at high level.  Now, another two weeks later, which is two weeks from the start of the event, he returns to the hotel and offers up three pints of blood.  And once again, the older blood is put back, this time two pints.  Now he is training a pint low, with two pints of old blood in his system.  But, he has three pints of fresh blood ready to be used when the race begins in two.  That’s crazy stuff...and I know being a pint low is definitely felt

Orangemen Man-O-Da-Match honors go this week, hands down, to Gene for his spectacular work in the goal...keeping us in the match.  Final score, Orangemen 1, Herndon Attack 1.  It was a great game...sadly this morning we discovered no one from the Orangemen or the Attack won the PowerBall...a single winning will be crowned in Florida sometime this week.