We played tough but got beat in the semi-finals by a much faster team. They had a really good player who sped and muscled past our defense and scored. Then he looped a header over Joel to lead by two goals. Jack moved up to forward, juked a couple of players and was free to score in the penalty box when he was flagrantly fouled. He converted the penalty and the game was tight. I put Liam on their best player and he shut him down.
A questionable offsides non-call cost us a third goal and then they scored their fourth and things were not looking good for Wayne. Then Roberto pounded in a 30 yarder and we held on strong until the end. But it was too little, too late and we ended up in third place overall. :(
Still, not a bad result for a team that had only nine players a week before the start of the tournament. Thanks Roberto for bringing your friend Alex and thanks to Luka for coming up from the U-11 team. Thanks to Ned and Nayef's younger brother Neil for giving us a much needed sub for these hot and muggy games.
Jack won his second MVP patch in this game. I was pleased to see Jarib, Joey and Jack score their first goals of the season and for the Kiame boys to get lots of playing time. Nobody was injured and we all got lots of valuable practice. Let's hope it pays off for us by winning the last three games of the season.
Here's where I'll post the most important items, like practice cancelled due to weather etc. Look here first, then the calendar. Big items of the week: Last game 8:30 AM Sunday June 10th at Barbour Pond. See you on the field by 8:00 AM. Wear blue, bring white. Come to Bruce and Kathy's after the last game with swimsuits.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Second Tournament Game, another close win
Another great win today! Ned and Nayef's brother Neil joined us and Joey came from his baseball tournament to give us two subs on this humid afternoon. Jarib had a great score from distance and Joey, after blasting three shots right into the goalie, put one into the back of the net for the winning score.
The other team got a cheap penalty kick that they didn't deserve and couldn't convert. But they did put one in a little later to make the game exciting.
We won our bracket, meaning we play the second seed team from the other bracket.
We play at 1:00 PM tomorrow at New Waterlands # 2 against the #2 team from the other bracket who won their first game and lost their second.
If we win that semi-final game, we play in the final game at 4:45 PM in Meadowlands #2, same field as this afternoon. We'll play the winner of Ironbound and Montclair, (the team we just beat). Let's hope for the best. Check the calendar for maps and directions.
The other team got a cheap penalty kick that they didn't deserve and couldn't convert. But they did put one in a little later to make the game exciting.
We won our bracket, meaning we play the second seed team from the other bracket.
We play at 1:00 PM tomorrow at New Waterlands # 2 against the #2 team from the other bracket who won their first game and lost their second.
If we win that semi-final game, we play in the final game at 4:45 PM in Meadowlands #2, same field as this afternoon. We'll play the winner of Ironbound and Montclair, (the team we just beat). Let's hope for the best. Check the calendar for maps and directions.
First tournament game a win!
We played well with no substitutes. The game was played almost entirely in the other team's half of the field. Jarib sent a beautiful cross on the corner kick, right onto Jack's forehead for the first goal. What was Jack doing playing up? Alex turned out to be a terrific defender so the two of them took turns playing up. We were able to play with just Sebastian and Liam as defenders, Jack played more of a center mid and Alex more of a forward and then they'd switch off. The few times the other team played offense, one or the other came back to defend.
Roberto had a great shot that was saved by their terrific goalie who ended up being their MVP due to his many excellent saves. Ned and Nayef got lots of playing time on the right side switching from midfield to forward. Their positioning was excellent, they just need more practice kicking the ball.
The other team surprised us with a quick goal of their own to tie it up at the half. With a rare defensive mistake, we let a player through to Joel who chose to kick the ball straight ahead rather than picking it up or kicking it to the side. It bounced off their charging forward and he was able to dribble it in unmolested. A good lesson for Joel to learn in a game where it didn't end up mattering.
David drove hard against one of their defenders and then put the ball in the net for the go-ahead goal. Then Jarib had an impressive drive of his own and slipped one past their goalie. Roberto slammed in a nice left footer and finally Jack bounced one off their goalie, fought for the rebound and walked it into the net.
The other team had high praise for the way we played, thought about giving Jack MVP but gave it to Alex for the way he stymied every drive they had. Congratulations to you all. See you at 3PM for game two.
Roberto had a great shot that was saved by their terrific goalie who ended up being their MVP due to his many excellent saves. Ned and Nayef got lots of playing time on the right side switching from midfield to forward. Their positioning was excellent, they just need more practice kicking the ball.
The other team surprised us with a quick goal of their own to tie it up at the half. With a rare defensive mistake, we let a player through to Joel who chose to kick the ball straight ahead rather than picking it up or kicking it to the side. It bounced off their charging forward and he was able to dribble it in unmolested. A good lesson for Joel to learn in a game where it didn't end up mattering.
David drove hard against one of their defenders and then put the ball in the net for the go-ahead goal. Then Jarib had an impressive drive of his own and slipped one past their goalie. Roberto slammed in a nice left footer and finally Jack bounced one off their goalie, fought for the rebound and walked it into the net.
The other team had high praise for the way we played, thought about giving Jack MVP but gave it to Alex for the way he stymied every drive they had. Congratulations to you all. See you at 3PM for game two.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Tournament
9 players from our team are playing in the tournament this weekend. I recruited one other boy from the U-11 team and Tricia recruited a local boy to help out. Joey can play the second game on Saturday.
See you there at the following times. Plug these addresses into your GPS as a backup to the map and directions on the calendar:
9:15 AM 504 South Center St. Orange (There's only one field here)
3:00 PM 5 Mead St. South Orange (There are lots of fields. We play Meadowlands #2)
Remember to use South Orange for the second address, not the first.
Call me if you're having any difficulty. Please don't be late because we have no subs.
See you there at the following times. Plug these addresses into your GPS as a backup to the map and directions on the calendar:
9:15 AM 504 South Center St. Orange (There's only one field here)
3:00 PM 5 Mead St. South Orange (There are lots of fields. We play Meadowlands #2)
Remember to use South Orange for the second address, not the first.
Call me if you're having any difficulty. Please don't be late because we have no subs.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Latest News including tournament times
Great job coming from behind to tie up the game on Sunday! Roberto and David both had great goals. Our defense was solid except for two great goals by their top players. Too bad about Jake getting two yellow cards. Hopefully there is no suspension involved, I'm waiting to find out. But the team showed me they can come from behind and stay strong in the stretch. And our boys didn't let themselves get pushed around. We gave back as good as we got. The extra substitutes really helped in the last two games.
We are still in second place in the flight. Clarkston, the team we tied last week has a record of 5 wins, 1 loss and 1 tie. We have 4 wins and two ties. They have played one extra game. But we end the season strong. Our boys will have come off a tournament and finish with a three game home stand. We play the teams in 3rd and 4th place and the team one from the bottom.
What does this all mean? Our destiny is in our hands. If we win each game, we finish in first place because Clarkston will have one loss and one tie versus our two ties. We win on points. So let's focus on that.
I have the tournament schedule. Here is the link. We definitely play on Saturday at 10:00 AM and 3:30 PM. The semifinal game depends on how we do in the first two games but will be on Sunday at 9:15AM, 10:30 AM or 1:00 PM. The final game is Sunday at 6:00 PM but only if we win every game prior. Hopefully there is little conflict with baseball and we can have most of the team there. If not, we'll be playing short and everyone will get plenty of playing time.
Regarding the end of the season and moving into next year, here is what I know. All but one of the parents I have spoken to has voted to stick with the status quo and keep paying $500 - $600 per child and not using the extra trainer time. Jarib would prefer to pay more for more training. Jack and Liam, Ned and Nayef, Sam, Roberto, David, Brandon, Freddy, Zaeem and Sebas all prefer the status quo. I have yet to speak with Joey, Jake, Joel, or Dario about their plans.
So, the most likely scenario is that we continue in the fall with the status quo and those players who wish to get more training either get it on their own or play also for another team or join an academy-style team. I hate to see this team broken up but I knew that this choice would likely make some people unhappy. I was willing to go with the majority and it looks like that is the status quo. I'll be looking to speak with the last few parents about their choice today if practice is on.
Speaking of practice, I think I've been too quick to pull the trigger on cancelling practice in the past and will not make that decision prior to 3PM from now on. As I type, the rain has ceased and we still have a chance. With the practices we have canceled, I don't think I'll need to ask any more trainer money from the parents who paid extra in the fall, perhaps a little from those who joined in the spring.
I'd like to host an end-of-season party at my house after our last game. It is an 8:30 AM Sunday game at Barbour Pond so we could all go straight over to my house after the game and let the boys swim and have brunch. Hopefully we'll be distributing trophies at the same time. (I'm not sure when we get these) If that's too early and you need to get the boys to church, I understand and we could host an afternoon party, though this will be tougher for those who live out of town. I'll put a poll about this to the left, please vote on your preference.
We are still in second place in the flight. Clarkston, the team we tied last week has a record of 5 wins, 1 loss and 1 tie. We have 4 wins and two ties. They have played one extra game. But we end the season strong. Our boys will have come off a tournament and finish with a three game home stand. We play the teams in 3rd and 4th place and the team one from the bottom.
What does this all mean? Our destiny is in our hands. If we win each game, we finish in first place because Clarkston will have one loss and one tie versus our two ties. We win on points. So let's focus on that.
I have the tournament schedule. Here is the link. We definitely play on Saturday at 10:00 AM and 3:30 PM. The semifinal game depends on how we do in the first two games but will be on Sunday at 9:15AM, 10:30 AM or 1:00 PM. The final game is Sunday at 6:00 PM but only if we win every game prior. Hopefully there is little conflict with baseball and we can have most of the team there. If not, we'll be playing short and everyone will get plenty of playing time.
Regarding the end of the season and moving into next year, here is what I know. All but one of the parents I have spoken to has voted to stick with the status quo and keep paying $500 - $600 per child and not using the extra trainer time. Jarib would prefer to pay more for more training. Jack and Liam, Ned and Nayef, Sam, Roberto, David, Brandon, Freddy, Zaeem and Sebas all prefer the status quo. I have yet to speak with Joey, Jake, Joel, or Dario about their plans.
So, the most likely scenario is that we continue in the fall with the status quo and those players who wish to get more training either get it on their own or play also for another team or join an academy-style team. I hate to see this team broken up but I knew that this choice would likely make some people unhappy. I was willing to go with the majority and it looks like that is the status quo. I'll be looking to speak with the last few parents about their choice today if practice is on.
Speaking of practice, I think I've been too quick to pull the trigger on cancelling practice in the past and will not make that decision prior to 3PM from now on. As I type, the rain has ceased and we still have a chance. With the practices we have canceled, I don't think I'll need to ask any more trainer money from the parents who paid extra in the fall, perhaps a little from those who joined in the spring.
I'd like to host an end-of-season party at my house after our last game. It is an 8:30 AM Sunday game at Barbour Pond so we could all go straight over to my house after the game and let the boys swim and have brunch. Hopefully we'll be distributing trophies at the same time. (I'm not sure when we get these) If that's too early and you need to get the boys to church, I understand and we could host an afternoon party, though this will be tougher for those who live out of town. I'll put a poll about this to the left, please vote on your preference.
Friday, May 18, 2012
School Board Meeting
Our team was well-represented at last night's school board meeting. Carla brought Zaeem, Suzanna brought Ned, Nayef and their younger brother and Kathy and I brought Jack. Other WSC people were there including the president and fields coordinator. If you want a brief recap from the Record, click on this link. For my perspective, read on...
On entering I found an agenda with no mention of the field fees. There was a lot of hoopla early in the agenda, then a chance for public comment but only on items on the agenda. Then a lot of boring votes and finally a chance to comment on items not on the agenda. Very sneakily orchestrated! They had the news cameras there until the first public comment was over and then they left. This allowed the president of the school board to give his own rant about how the fees were always there, that the public was reacting to rumors and that everyone was unfairly blowing this issue out of proportion and that clubs like WSC were making money off the free fields they got from the schools.
When I went up to protest during the first public comment session I was told I was not allowed to speak because this was not on the agenda. I told the president that it must be considered part of the agenda since he talked about it but he refused to let me continue. I told him, in my best Arnold Schwarzenegger, 'I'll be back.'
We had to sit through another hour of boredom until we could speak. I protested that this was going to cost us $300 per child and that any extra amount was unfair since we already paid for these fields with our taxes.
Then Jason Krakower, our fields coordinator made a rousing speech interrupted by many bursts of applause. Some of his comments were that they orchestrated the agenda to allow only one side of the argument appear on the TV news, that WSC was indeed non-profit and staffed by volunteers, that there were no RUMORS, he received an e-mail from the board detailing the fees.
Robert Keenen, who started a Facebook page Thursday to protest the fees, said “I’m going to have to tell my daughter … ‘You’re going to have to decide.’ That stinks,” he said. "Sports," he added, are “our opportunity to get kids away from iPads, iTouches and TVs.”
A baseball coach asked for the board members addresses so that he could send them a bill for all the maintenance he has done on fields.
There was also a lot of criticism directed to decisions by the new superintendent, Ray Rodriguez, for firing good people and bringing in his own lot. He hired a Public Relations firm which certainly didn't help the public with this issue, and an un-needed assistant while firing the Vice Principal of Schuyler.
All in all, it was a fun event to attend but I learned that they like to meet in secret and then do what they like and tell us about the decisions when it's too late to do anything about them. I'd like you all to vote the arrogant president, Pavlak, out in November if we get the chance.
Next step is that the board meets with WSC in the next few weeks to decide how much to charge us.
For fun, I wrote a new set of lyrics for 'Master of the House' from Les Miserables in honor of the occasion. Enjoy:
Welcome, Monsieur, settle ye down
Here in the best New Jersey town
As for the rest, all of 'em crooks:
Rooking the homeowners, crooking the books
Rooking the homeowners, crooking the books
Seldom do you see
Honest men like me
A gent of good intent
Who's content to be
Honest men like me
A gent of good intent
Who's content to be
Super of the board, doling out the charm
Ready with a handshake and an open palm
Tells a saucy tale, makes a little stir
Taxpayers appreciate a bon-viveur
Glad to do a friend a favor
Doesn't cost me to be nice
But nothing gets you nothing
Everything has got a little price!
Ready with a handshake and an open palm
Tells a saucy tale, makes a little stir
Taxpayers appreciate a bon-viveur
Glad to do a friend a favor
Doesn't cost me to be nice
But nothing gets you nothing
Everything has got a little price!
Super of the board, keeper of the zoo
Ready to relieve 'em of a cent or two
Cut out half the arts, NJ-ASK’s the cure
Fire all the teachers ‘fore they get tenure
Everybody loves a school board
Everybody's bosom friend
We do whatever pleases
Jesus! Won't we bleed 'em in the end!
Ready to relieve 'em of a cent or two
Cut out half the arts, NJ-ASK’s the cure
Fire all the teachers ‘fore they get tenure
Everybody loves a school board
Everybody's bosom friend
We do whatever pleases
Jesus! Won't we bleed 'em in the end!
Super of the board, slow to catch yer eye
Tries to keep the passersby a’passin’ by
Servant to the poor, butler to the great
Comforter, philosopher, and lifelong mate!
Everybody's boon companion
Everybody's chaperone
But lock up your valises
Jesus! Won't he skin you to the bone!
Tries to keep the passersby a’passin’ by
Servant to the poor, butler to the great
Comforter, philosopher, and lifelong mate!
Everybody's boon companion
Everybody's chaperone
But lock up your valises
Jesus! Won't he skin you to the bone!
Enter Monsieur, enroll your son
See back to school night, enjoy the fun
Wayne sure is nice, taxes a curse
And here we strive to lighten your purse
Here the Scouts are charged
PAL is fried
Boy’s and Girl’s club pays
Till I'm satisfied
See back to school night, enjoy the fun
Wayne sure is nice, taxes a curse
And here we strive to lighten your purse
Here the Scouts are charged
PAL is fried
Boy’s and Girl’s club pays
Till I'm satisfied
Vice principal fired. Teacher does his part
Call the whole thing ‘cycles’ and you don’t need art
Lane for just the bus, speed-bumps make you glower
Filling up the parking lots with solar power
Residents are more than welcome
School board still is occupied
Reasonable charges
Plus some little extras on the side!
Call the whole thing ‘cycles’ and you don’t need art
Lane for just the bus, speed-bumps make you glower
Filling up the parking lots with solar power
Residents are more than welcome
School board still is occupied
Reasonable charges
Plus some little extras on the side!
Charge 'em for the fields, extra for the geese
Two percent for playing without saying please
Here a little slice, there a little slit
Three percent for slipping in the goosey shit
When it comes to fixing prices
There are a lot of tricks he knows
How it all increases, all them bits and pieces
Jesus! It's amazing how it grows!
Two percent for playing without saying please
Here a little slice, there a little slit
Three percent for slipping in the goosey shit
When it comes to fixing prices
There are a lot of tricks he knows
How it all increases, all them bits and pieces
Jesus! It's amazing how it grows!
Super of the board, slow to catch yer eye
Tries to keep the passersby a’passin’ by
Servant to the poor, butler to the great
Comforter, philosopher, and lifelong mate!
Everybody's boon companion
Gives 'em everything he's got
Dirty bunch of geezers
Jesus! What a sorry little lot!
Tries to keep the passersby a’passin’ by
Servant to the poor, butler to the great
Comforter, philosopher, and lifelong mate!
Everybody's boon companion
Gives 'em everything he's got
Dirty bunch of geezers
Jesus! What a sorry little lot!
We used to dream that we would meet a prince
But God Almighty, have you seen what's happened since?
Super of the board? Isn't worth me spit!
`Comforter, philosopher' and lifelong shit!
Cunning little brain, regular Voltaire
Thinks he's quite a teacher but the kids don’t care
But God Almighty, have you seen what's happened since?
Super of the board? Isn't worth me spit!
`Comforter, philosopher' and lifelong shit!
Cunning little brain, regular Voltaire
Thinks he's quite a teacher but the kids don’t care
Here sits Mister Ray Rodriguez. He’s amassing quite a hoard
God knows how we've lasted living with this bastard on the board
God knows how we've lasted living with this bastard on the board
Super of the board
Super and a half
Comforter, philosopher
Ah, don't make me laugh!
Servant to the poor, butler to the great
Hypocrite and toady and inebriate!
Everybody bless the super!
Everybody pray to the lord!
Everybody raise a glass
Raise it up the super's arse
Everybody raise a glass to the Super of the Board!
Ah, don't make me laugh!
Servant to the poor, butler to the great
Hypocrite and toady and inebriate!
Everybody bless the super!
Everybody pray to the lord!
Everybody raise a glass
Raise it up the super's arse
Everybody raise a glass to the Super of the Board!
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Mother's Day game
Another exciting game! We are definitely playing in a flight that meets all my expectations. This team was quite competitive with one player who could pass humongous distances and another who could score. I had to adjust by putting Jack in one-on-one coverage against their scorer and alternating David and Dario in defense when Liam became injured. Sam not being there hurt a lot.
But David put a nice header in the goal to bring us to within one goal and the game was on. I noticed that we were walking around rather than running so I substituted players often. When I saw that the other team had no substitutes in the heat, I saw how we could win. I asked the boys to play hard until I substituted them, take a quick break and get back in. We tried Freddy and Ned at left forward, both of them played the position well and Freddy almost had a goal. I'll keep trying that to give them experience and hopefully awaken the goal lust hidden within. That gives me a chance to give Roberto a breather, especially since he can play left mid well also.
But the boys kept playing down to the level of their opponent, a phenomenon I've seen many times and it took a lot of yelling by me to get them to pick up the pace. Finally I pulled Jack off their scorer and asked Jake to guard him. This allowed a fresh set of legs to spur the offense on and we suddenly started to attack the goal. I pulled Dario and David back up to offense, added Roberto and Jarib and suddenly their goalie was under siege. A couple of missed shots and an offsides made it exciting but finally David was able to place another shot into the goal and we tied it up.
If the game had lasted another five minutes we should have been able to win it but coming out with a tie was pretty good also. We are leading the division considering the number of games we have played.
I'd like to continue to do what it takes to stay in this position within the flight. If it means your son gets less playing time when we are playing a tight game and more when we are winning or losing badly or vice versa, I hope you understand. My goal is to do as well as possible with this set of boys while giving as much playing time to each child as I can. Keep practicing and running to stay in shape and your playing time during the tight games will increase.
See you all Monday at practice.
But David put a nice header in the goal to bring us to within one goal and the game was on. I noticed that we were walking around rather than running so I substituted players often. When I saw that the other team had no substitutes in the heat, I saw how we could win. I asked the boys to play hard until I substituted them, take a quick break and get back in. We tried Freddy and Ned at left forward, both of them played the position well and Freddy almost had a goal. I'll keep trying that to give them experience and hopefully awaken the goal lust hidden within. That gives me a chance to give Roberto a breather, especially since he can play left mid well also.
But the boys kept playing down to the level of their opponent, a phenomenon I've seen many times and it took a lot of yelling by me to get them to pick up the pace. Finally I pulled Jack off their scorer and asked Jake to guard him. This allowed a fresh set of legs to spur the offense on and we suddenly started to attack the goal. I pulled Dario and David back up to offense, added Roberto and Jarib and suddenly their goalie was under siege. A couple of missed shots and an offsides made it exciting but finally David was able to place another shot into the goal and we tied it up.
If the game had lasted another five minutes we should have been able to win it but coming out with a tie was pretty good also. We are leading the division considering the number of games we have played.
I'd like to continue to do what it takes to stay in this position within the flight. If it means your son gets less playing time when we are playing a tight game and more when we are winning or losing badly or vice versa, I hope you understand. My goal is to do as well as possible with this set of boys while giving as much playing time to each child as I can. Keep practicing and running to stay in shape and your playing time during the tight games will increase.
See you all Monday at practice.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Wayne Soccer Club Direction
Parents,
I just returned from the monthly coaches meeting with some important news, which concerns you as parents. Read the story below and let me know how it affects your son's future with the team.
When the Wayne Soccer Club (WSC) was formed 30 years ago, it was created to compete with Boys and Girls club and the PAL. All organizations had a goal to provide a higher level of soccer than recreational for the better players in town. The organizational was mostly voluntary and fees were pretty low, spent on paying dues to organizations like Northern Counties and referees. It grew and added professional trainers and tournaments but dues were pretty well in line with the other clubs in town.
But there were academies and elite clubs nearby that charged more and provided more training and better tournaments and more games. These clubs have been poaching some of the better WSC players. So the WSC has decided to combat this by becoming an elite club. Rene Moran's U-11 team is an example of what they want the entire club to become. They practice three times a week using Red Bulls trainers. They go to about five tournaments a year, sometimes out of state. They play all winter long. And the parents happily pay about $1200 a year per child.
The WSC is mandating that all teams U-11 and younger, starting in the fall, will follow this model. Note that we are grandfathered in and don't have to do so. But I wanted you to see what is happening so you see the direction the club is taking and how some peripheral actions will affect us. If your child was U-11 or younger in the fall they would have the following schedule mandated by the club:
40 practices a year with a Red Bulls Trainer
They also have an elite division with an extra 20 practices and full-side winter training for $1,200 a year per child.
This sounds extreme but, since this is a non-profit organization, the kids pay about half what some of the local academies are charging yet receive better services.
Now this is a far cry from what our team and what many of the other WSC teams are accustomed to. This is a much higher commitment of time and money by the parents and a higher level of professionalism in the coaching. If you remember, I did all the winter training and most of the game-day coaching for free. We will end up paying about $600 after you add in the extra training dollars and tournament fees I added to the $425 I collected at the beginning of the year.
Whenever a change like this happens, there is some turmoil. Parents who didn't sign up for this leave and parents who were thinking about leaving the club because it didn't offer this stay. And parents who are searching for this level of play arrive. What will be the net effect? I'm not sure. I hope for the best.
But what does it mean to us? We are not mandated to go this route. It goes against my own coaching philosophy but I'm just one parent. I'd like to find out what you think. Rather than run an anonymous poll, I'm going to ask you to make a comment below this post about what you think of this change and which direction you want this team to go.
So here are your choices:
On the other side of the coin, there are those who don't want to pay $1000 a year per child and will leave if the dues increase.
Either way, I doubt all parents will reach a consensus so we will need to recruit more players after those who are unhappy with the group's decision leave.
I want to do what's best for the team. So please weigh in and let us all know what you are thinking. We have many options, including leaving the club en-masse and joining another club.
I just returned from the monthly coaches meeting with some important news, which concerns you as parents. Read the story below and let me know how it affects your son's future with the team.
When the Wayne Soccer Club (WSC) was formed 30 years ago, it was created to compete with Boys and Girls club and the PAL. All organizations had a goal to provide a higher level of soccer than recreational for the better players in town. The organizational was mostly voluntary and fees were pretty low, spent on paying dues to organizations like Northern Counties and referees. It grew and added professional trainers and tournaments but dues were pretty well in line with the other clubs in town.
But there were academies and elite clubs nearby that charged more and provided more training and better tournaments and more games. These clubs have been poaching some of the better WSC players. So the WSC has decided to combat this by becoming an elite club. Rene Moran's U-11 team is an example of what they want the entire club to become. They practice three times a week using Red Bulls trainers. They go to about five tournaments a year, sometimes out of state. They play all winter long. And the parents happily pay about $1200 a year per child.
The WSC is mandating that all teams U-11 and younger, starting in the fall, will follow this model. Note that we are grandfathered in and don't have to do so. But I wanted you to see what is happening so you see the direction the club is taking and how some peripheral actions will affect us. If your child was U-11 or younger in the fall they would have the following schedule mandated by the club:
40 practices a year with a Red Bulls Trainer
- 20 games a year coached by a Red Bulls Trainer
- 12 practices a winter with a Red Bulls Trainer
- 2 tournaments a year coached by a Red Bulls Trainer
They also have an elite division with an extra 20 practices and full-side winter training for $1,200 a year per child.
This sounds extreme but, since this is a non-profit organization, the kids pay about half what some of the local academies are charging yet receive better services.
Now this is a far cry from what our team and what many of the other WSC teams are accustomed to. This is a much higher commitment of time and money by the parents and a higher level of professionalism in the coaching. If you remember, I did all the winter training and most of the game-day coaching for free. We will end up paying about $600 after you add in the extra training dollars and tournament fees I added to the $425 I collected at the beginning of the year.
Whenever a change like this happens, there is some turmoil. Parents who didn't sign up for this leave and parents who were thinking about leaving the club because it didn't offer this stay. And parents who are searching for this level of play arrive. What will be the net effect? I'm not sure. I hope for the best.
But what does it mean to us? We are not mandated to go this route. It goes against my own coaching philosophy but I'm just one parent. I'd like to find out what you think. Rather than run an anonymous poll, I'm going to ask you to make a comment below this post about what you think of this change and which direction you want this team to go.
So here are your choices:
- Stay the course, play the hand we're dealt, accepting players as we need them and training them at the same level. Dues will be about $600 a year all told.
- Jack up the winter training with the existing players, add game day coaching and charge about $1,000 a year.
- Increase the training to three times a week, add game day training and more tournaments for about $1,200 a year.
- Or some combination of the above.
On the other side of the coin, there are those who don't want to pay $1000 a year per child and will leave if the dues increase.
Either way, I doubt all parents will reach a consensus so we will need to recruit more players after those who are unhappy with the group's decision leave.
I want to do what's best for the team. So please weigh in and let us all know what you are thinking. We have many options, including leaving the club en-masse and joining another club.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Fourth Game and Patriot's Culture
We won our fourth straight game and our first home game. We were hampered in Defense with Sebas and Freddy missing the game and Sam playing with a hurt leg. This forced me to try some switching around on defense that hurt other parts of the game. Pulling David and Jarib back to defense hampered our offence and moving Joey out to the left defense hurt our middle.
But we pulled through and were able to come out of this game with a 3 - 1 win. Jake put away a nice penalty kick, Roberto was there on the far post right where and when he was supposed to be and Jarib sent Zaeem a beautiful assist that Zaeem put away perfectly.
The other team's only score was on a disorganized defense that I quickly righted.
So we can win with only two subs and we were leading so well near the end that I was able to put Ned and Nayef up front to finish up the game.
Now let's talk a little about Patriot's culture. I have been with the team from inception and have always been proud that we have a team that doesn't cry. No matter what the injury, our boys always suck it up and walk, limp or are carried off the field with their heads held high.
However, we tend to complain to the referees too much. After the game the ref told me he could have given Jarib a yellow card which would have resulted in a five game suspension. Really guys, it's not worth it. Complain to each other, complain to me but don't complain to the refs. Especially when we are so far ahead in the game that it doesn't matter to the outcome. Shake your heads and walk away.
A yellow card in two consecutive games counts as a red card and you'll miss the next game. And these refs were not at all bad. They missed a few calls but it went both ways and they didn't affect the outcome of the game. So let it go. Enough said.
Anyway, good game all and let's win again next week.
But we pulled through and were able to come out of this game with a 3 - 1 win. Jake put away a nice penalty kick, Roberto was there on the far post right where and when he was supposed to be and Jarib sent Zaeem a beautiful assist that Zaeem put away perfectly.
The other team's only score was on a disorganized defense that I quickly righted.
So we can win with only two subs and we were leading so well near the end that I was able to put Ned and Nayef up front to finish up the game.
Now let's talk a little about Patriot's culture. I have been with the team from inception and have always been proud that we have a team that doesn't cry. No matter what the injury, our boys always suck it up and walk, limp or are carried off the field with their heads held high.
However, we tend to complain to the referees too much. After the game the ref told me he could have given Jarib a yellow card which would have resulted in a five game suspension. Really guys, it's not worth it. Complain to each other, complain to me but don't complain to the refs. Especially when we are so far ahead in the game that it doesn't matter to the outcome. Shake your heads and walk away.
A yellow card in two consecutive games counts as a red card and you'll miss the next game. And these refs were not at all bad. They missed a few calls but it went both ways and they didn't affect the outcome of the game. So let it go. Enough said.
Anyway, good game all and let's win again next week.
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