Game #3

That was a tough game. The kids really tried their hardest and got within range a bunch of times but couldn't put it in.

I think if you look at U7 games, the way we are playing is very typical - the defense more or less just gets the ball AWAY and hopefully a forward can pick it up and run with it. That part usually works for us. I've been playing the defense pretty far forward in the thinking that its better to score some goals than keep the game tied at 0-0.

There are two things I think the kids can work on, or that you can talk to them about.

1. Attacking the ball. The only person who should be reluctant to attack the ball is the last defender, everyone else should go after it for all they're worth.
2. Keeping the ball. The natural instinct at this age for a lot of kids is to get the ball and kick it away immediately. They need confidence that they can handle the ball and keep it away from the opposing team - this takes practice and time. Confidence, not skill, is the biggest difference between the players at this age. This certainly applies to #1 as well. The team today was VERY aggressive and it showed.

That said, these are things that apply to any U7 team. I've been amazed at how consistent our team is in that everybody is trying and doing a very good job. If we get just a few people to figure out how to get the ball in the goal, we'll be in great shape.

On a side note, I reviewed the roster... We have a VERY disproportionately young team. I'm not sure why, but it does make things challenging. I'm sure you noticed the the other teams seemed a little bigger.

I hope everybody is having fun, I know it can be frustrating to lose after all that effort. All we can do is work on it and stick it out, and it will come together. I've been through this with my daughters, and it only takes a few wins to really help the team out.

Now that I've seen what the kids can do, I could start putting in positions that they do well at, but I'm still inclined to rotate them. This is still an instructional league, and I've got to balance learning with trying to win.

Thanks everybody - I hope you have a great Labor Day weekend and I'll see you next Tuesday!

Pro Practices

OK, finally some clarification from the league on the vague "practices" shown on the schedule. This is good news...

These are practices run by a professional coach that the club has hired for this. They are at Garfield Park Baseball(?!) Field #4 behind the tennis courts.
9/12, 9/26, 10/10 at 5:00-6:00 (on the calendar)

These should be fun and useful. Please note that the first practice has been CHANGED from 9/14 to 9/12 (Tuesday).

Game #2

Super job everybody in Game #2! The difference was amazing. With the little amount of practice we got, the games really teach quite a bit. Our defense was very good through most of the game. I know a lot of the kids from the other team, and they are a bit older than ours, so our performance was very good.

We need to work on GETTING the ball and not hanging back. I know its hard sometimes when you're afraid it'll get past you, but sometimes you just have to charge in and get it. If we can get that figured out, we'll start scoring some goals.

PARENTS - it helped a lot having the kids that were out on the sideline near me. The subbing went A LOT faster, but we can still do a little better. In all fairness, the kids had no idea what subbing was the first game (they thought we lined up for kickoff). If you could make sure your kids are on the sideline during the game (if they are not playing) that really helps. Also - not to be a scaremonger, but there is apparently a coyote in the woods between the Kreuger and Hopkins elementary (seriously).

I'll be trying to keep the playing time more even tonight. I may have accidently shorted some kids, so I'll work that out tonight.

Its great that the kids are so excited to play, and once they start scoring, the level will rise even more. It seems like everybody is having fun, and that's the important thing.

Games

Please try to show up maybe 10 minutes early for games. It gives me a small chance to talk to the kids and get them lined up. I say that as a parent who rarely ever made it early to games, so do what you can.

Thanks!

Game #1

Great job, team! After just 2 practices I saw a lot of hard work out on the field. I saw a lot of hustle and nobody gave up for the whole game (a little longer than regulation...).

I was very proud of how everyone kept playing and fighting for their team. For game #2 we can work on protecting our goalie and making the final shot at the goal. Those are both skills that can take a while to come together for a team. I know we'll be able to do it.

I'll see you all at Game#2 on Tuesday at 6:15PM. And don't forget game #3 on Wednesday, same time! The DiNardo's are bringing snack for Tuesday, and the Schaefer's for Wednesday.

And I'm bringing a new stopwatch...

Be sure to check out the snack schedule link below! You can edit it yourself and add your name. I don't know if it makes you sign up for Google services or not, I hope not. If it does, and you don't want to, just send me the date that you want.

Welcome

Welcome to possibly the first ever Mentor Soccer Club Team blog! I don't know how useful this will be, but I thought it was worth a shot. I'll use this for communication with the parents and kids as well as a place to provide some nice links for youth soccer information. It's going to be a great season!

One note, due to privacy concerns and all that, I will stick to first names only in any posts and avoid any "identifying" information. Hate to be paranoid, but I'm sure you understand.