U13 - I was not a good coach tonight

Today I was not the coach I expect myself to be.

We had our first home game and lost 5-0.  The score is not what ate at me.  The boys were absolutely flat and we did not win more than 10 balls tonight.

It's not that we weren't running, we just didn't challenge for balls in the air or off restarts or anywhere.  We were in constant recovery.

My conduct was far from a licensed coach and I was yelling up a storm.  It's a helpless feeling on the sideline when the team is not "in the mood".  We have several boys who are not always 100% ready to challenge but tonight it was the entire crew.  My job is to motivate, encourage and provide information.  I was OK on the information, but not OK with the encouragement and motivation.

Our 1v1 defending is a very sore spot with me that we need to work on some more.

Monday we will work more on 1v1 defending as well as winning balls on restarts.  We'll see how that goes before deciding on Tuesday's topic.

I did tell the boys at half to not expect me to say "nice try" if they don't actually try to win the ball.  I don't think it's a mean thing to say.  If a player stops short of a challenge and I say "nice try", then that is what they will keep doing.  I say "good idea" a lot, but not "nice try" very often.

We lightened it up a bit at the end of the game and we had ice cream (I needed it too) but they deserve and expect more from me.

We've made progress overall so Monday we work to get them back on track.

U17 - Saying goodbye to a team father

What I like about this team is not what happens on the pitch.  They are a great bunch of young men.

This week the boys won 2 games and are playing some sweet soccer.  But what makes them special is what happened Wednesday night and today.

Last Friday, one of our team fathers passed away in his sleep.  James Kevin Jennings (Kevin) was 54 years old and a true football fan.  He supported Manchester United and whatever team his son Damon played on.

During visitation Wednesday night, the boys all showed up in their red pullovers with their parents.  They were true gentlemen and represented their friend Damon with honour.  Kevin was well liked by the boys. 

This morning a lot of the boys came to the funeral and displayed the same unity and respect.  Teamwork off the pitch.

For some of these boys, Kevin was an assistant coach at U10/U11 and his wife Cindy has always been social with all of the parents. 

Goodbye my friend.  We all enjoyed over analyzing the games with you.

U13 - My team eMail after the tournament

This is what I sent out after our tournament.  I still try to keep the parents abreast of what's going through my head.

I thought it would be good to remind each player of their bright spots.  Everybody has things to work on, even professionals.  These young players are no different than Rooney, Messi or DeRosario.  Every so often they want to be reminded of what they do well.




Real names are xxx'ed out.


Hi boys,

This week we have training Tuesday and game Thursday.  http://www.iaw.com/1999boys for the full story!  :-)

Thanks for a fun weekend.  Please thank your parents for supporting all of your activities and give them a hug.

We didn’t win and have things to work on, but a lot of good things happened.

1. We scored every game!
2. When we challenged with the intent to win the ball, we were VERY effective. Hmmm.....
3. We are spending a lot more time in the opposing half than we were the last 2 years.
4. xxxxx started taking control of the back  and striking the ball better than ever
5. xxxxx is learning to use his strong kick for quality services from various positions.
6. xxxxx covers a lot of ground and continues to identify opportunities for threatening penetrating passes
7. xxxxx continues to lead by example and remind his teammates that heading the ball is a required and major part of the game.   Nice goal.
8. xxxxx is tougher than a $2.00 steak. And had the quote of the weekend.
9. xxxxx continues to show his developing flare for the net.  He already has 3 noah-years worth of goals this season.
10. xxxxx is  our best example at doing “first touch away from pressure” and creating space.
11. xxxxx had a lot of quality crosses and showed he can pressure defenders
12. xxxxx’s striker movements are becoming second nature and the 1st goal is a major step.
13. xxxxx is our best example of 2-touch soccer and recognizing when to use the long or short ball
14. xxxxx shows the team how much ground a player should cover and is holding the fort quite well
15. xxxxx is one of our 3 best ball winners and attacks the net with the intent to score.  Nice goal yesterday.
16. xxxxx shows how effective he is when he asserts his physical and cerebral qualities .  Nice Maradona assist on Blakely’s goal :D
17. xxxxx is quickly becoming a very noticeable presence on the field with his size, improving mobility and with the ball.
    

We will see you Tuesday at École Secondaire Confederation.  Go Jaguars!

U13 - Progress in Erie, PA

Our U13 boys were in Erie, PA this weekend for the Erie Premier Cup.

Our record was 1-2 over three games.  Beyond the score, a lot of good things happened that really motivate me to work on what didn’t go well.

This week we will reinforce our ever-improving shape, work on 1v1 defending again, finishing as well as attacking and defending crosses.  Coach Paul will put the boys through a physical workout as well.

Most important about the tournament, the boys had a good time together away from the field at the hotel and our team dinner at a local restaurant.  Our other U13 Boys team was also there and they had a chance to cheer each other on at certain points.

The 2 games we lost we fell victims to our own slow starts.  I am always nervous with this group hen I don’t get a full warm-up in and get them focused on the game.  It’s tough at tournaments because there is very little free grass to get the ball moving and organizers like to get games started as soon as possible following the previous game.

What is getting me more excited with each passing game is that we are spending more time in the opponents half than ever before.  The last two years it wasn’t rare for us to be shutout, but this year we have only been shutout three times in 14 games.  We also left a few tournament winless in 2011 and 2010, but that has yet to happen this season.

This week we have a league game and will be missing a centre defender and our leading scorer.  This will give some other boys a chance to step up and show they can contribute at the same level.

U17 - Focus wins the game

Mental toughness and focus won the game for our U17 boys last night.

Our U17 boys traveled to Flamborough last night for their 4^th season game.  I had to take the bench for this one as Coach Ben was stuck at work.

As soon as we got there I knew what we were in for.  The official lined all the boys up to check their equipment and then gave the captains a 5-minute speech.  We warned the boys that we potentially had a ref who was going to worry about the protocol of the game and not actually ref the game.

Boy, were we right!  In the first 5 minutes the referee barked at both benches about our technical area and was a stickler for the boys changing at the half line.  All this while the boys were throwing elbows and sliding studs up.

Our boys just played their game and paid little attention to the official.  The game was getting a bit dangerous and the referee heard from me (briefly).  I was just glad nobody was injured on either team.

The field was a bit narrow so the boys had to work hard to maintain width and create space.  Our GK is nursing some discomfort, so our centre-defender stayed a little deeper than usual.  The first half saw us keep our shape well and the ball was doing all the work.  The game was very physical but nobody lost their cool.  Good players know when a game is not under control and just keep the peace themselves.  I was very proud of both teams.

We took a 1-0 lead from a good, low cross from the goal-line to the top of the goal area.  They responded with a goal off a 1v1 from our keeper.  

Half time score: 1-1

The second half became a bit more physical, but nothing came of it.  The field was also getting more slippery as it was very hard and the rain had been falling since kick-off.  Players on both teams were losing their footing and long balls into the keeper were becoming more difficult to handle.

We started losing our shape and our defenders starting launching balls 40-50 yds every time.  Our strikers have only so many sprints in them and long balls/poor shape leave you vulnerable because of the large gaps left on the field.  It took some work to get everybody reorganized, but they did and that calmed things down.

On a wonderful penetrating pass, our left midfielder got behind the defenders and scored to make the score 2-1.  Flamborough had 2 glorious chances on crosses, allowed by poor 1v1 defending on the wings.  With about 10 minutes left, we scored an insurance goal off a footrace for a stray ball.

We escaped the match with no injuries and only 1 caution for dissent.  With the physical play, lack of a firm whistle and the field conditions, that makes me happy.  And I am proud of the boys for sticking to their jobs.

Final score 3-1.

Notes from the game:

• The last 4 goals allowed have all been off 1v1 with keeper.  The pass is always coming from a free player in front of the central defenders so we will work on one pressuring the ball and the other supporting.
• Better understanding of shape.  We still haven’t had a full team practice to work on that.
• More organization on restarts, putting the right players ion the right place.
• Three different players scored, 2 for the first time in a LONG time.