Santos:
Sunday's game was possibly our best effort yet as a team. What we didn't do well in the first half--playing tentatively in front of our opponent's goal--we improved dramatically in the second. In fact, aggressive, hustling play by our front line and midfield was the reason for our goal.
Other than that, I think we had a very good game in most every respect. We passed the ball well, used the width of the field well, played good team defense (as well as some of the best individual defense we've seen this year), distributed the ball out of the back extremely well, played aggressively and effectively in the goal. Our outside midfield play was superb and for the first time, we crossed the ball beautifully and our runs in front of the goal by offensive players allowed them to get inside their defenders (that is between their defender and the ball) and repeatedly put their feet or heads on those crossed balls. This was something new and very significant for us as a team. We also had some very effective one-touch play between forwards.
Obviously we didn't finish as well as we could have, but the truth is that we didn't get all that many clean looks to shoot on goal. We still must look to shoot much earlier and much more often then we did against Sherwood. We will work on one touch shooting and on shooting from distance in practice. Our players who strike the ball well must look to shoot more often and from a greater distance then we currently do.
All and all a very good effort. Kudos to the Santos for starting the season so favorably. Let's all pray for or remember the girls who are sick or injured so that they can join us again soon. We certainly miss them on the field and will be that much better when they can join us.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
What's Ahead
Santos:
Welcome back to soccer. We start this Sunday with a game at Sherwood--a team that the Santos have never defeated. They beat us twice last season. Let's put an end to that streak this weekend and show them who we are now as a team.
As far as practices, I cannot arrive before 5:25 on Thursdays. On Tuesdays I will plan to be there from 5PM, if possible I'd like players to arrive by then or a little afterward. We will continue SAQ's at that time. We may also work on juggling and play some games (like the numbers game) as well. This is of course optional.
From October, we will practice Wednesday evenings instead of Thursday. At that time we will look at the schedule again to see whether we want to do SAQ's on Wednesday as well as Tuesday.
Goals
Russell has been working on a system for the girls to set personal goals and record their progress toward achieving them. He has pushed the idea of goal-setting, and I think he's right on target. Stay tuned for more on that.
Development
We are going to return to practices which emphasize individual player development over team tactics. I think the girls understand our basic scheme, and the best way for us to improve as a team is for them to become more competent individually. This will mean skills and small-side games. I have attached an image of our terms 5 and 6 from the development roadmap. This captures a lot of what we will be working on as a team, although it isn't perfectly accurate.
System of Play
Bernie has a vision for a system of play that is a little different than the one we have used. We will begin to adopt this system gradually during the season. It is a 4-3-3 system. That is 4 backs, 3 mids, and 3 forwards.
The hallmarks of the system are...
(1) The outside backs have strong attacking responsibilities (like the women's Portland Pilots teams, especially Jessica Tsao, an OES grad and former FC Portland standout).
(2) The central mid is a holding mid with many defensive responsibilities but must be able to distribute the ball well to get our offense started.
(3) The other two mids play kind of center-right and center-left positions in front of the holding mid. They have a lot of responsibility on both sides of the ball, and give a kind of dual central mid feel to the team. They are play-makers who leave space on the sides of the field open for the outside backs to move up and in to the offense.
(4) Attacking players provide constant and intense pressure on the ball. Having three attackers means that we should always have at least two players pressuring defenders when they have the ball at their feet. The central attacker will probably play ahead of the two outside attackers and will be responsible for a lot of pressure on the defense.
This is a good system but one which requires a little more tactical awareness then we are used to. Hence our gradual approach to adopting it.
I'm looking forward to an excellent season and I have high expectations for this group of very fine players.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Timbers game Sept 4th
The final club night at the Timbers is this Thursday Sept 4th. Does anyone want to go after practice? Abby and I will plan to go so we can take up to 5 girls from practice to the game if needed. Comment if you want to come and if you need a ride. It will be a great chance to get back in soccer mode after the break!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The PQT
Santos:
Congratulations to the players on a great effort during the qualifying rounds. As a team, our goal was to make Premier Gold, and we fell a little short. This is something we must face. The reasons why are, I think, clear. First, apart from anything else, the goal was a very difficult one to achieve.
Second, the goal required everyone on the team make an extra commitment of time and effort, more than was expected of any other team of players at OSA. Because we did not, as a team, do the second, the first put our goal out of reach. Is that a terrible thing? No.
We have a team full of players and coaches with many interesting opportunities in our lives outside of soccer. Activities and family pull us in different directions and give us many wonderful experiences. This is a marvelous blessing. And one for which we should all give thanks. Silver is a perfectly good level for us to compete and there is no shame in it. In fact I am very proud of the way we competed in the qualifying rounds, proud of the our players. When on the field, we played very hard--in both games and practices. However, life presents us with very few unmixed blessings. To have one good thing, you usually have to give up another. Most special successes, especially in competition, come with sacrifice and extra work. This is a good thing to remember as we move into the second part of our season.
The PQT
There was a lot of good in our two PQT games and in most of the QT games as well. I think we played harder than our opponents in the PQT. There was very little difference in quality, although just enough, between us and the Explosion. And we flat dominated the match against the Xpress. In both cases our ability to compete well was due to our effort. There is no better way to succeed on the field than by outworking our opponents. The fact that we did in our most important two games of the summer says a lot about our players. Well done Santos!
Other areas of success...
Speed of play. Our slow speed of play in Beaverton hurt us. As a team we practiced play under intense pressure and focused on speed of ball movement. This was to prepare us for opponents like the Explosion. Our play was much faster over the past two weekends. Our handling of pressure on the ball was much improved.
Playing as a team.
We played unselfishly. Our sharing of the ball and willingness to play different positions was nearly perfect. We supported each other as a great team must.
Running off the ball. Another area of vast improvement. This enabled us to play the ball more quickly because we had players in position to support teammates with the ball. There is still much to improve in this area, but we are half-way home.
Goal-keeping.
Our keepers played more aggressively and came off their line to take balls away from threatening opponents much better than they had previously done and this helped enormously.
Defensive Clearances
This was a real area of improvement. I don't recall giving away any goals off of bad clears. We still had a couple bad clears, but our back four made great strides in this area and were even linking up directly with our forwards with some strong passing out of the back.
These were impressive gains made as a team that give me a lot of confidence in our players and their ability to make quick and significant improvements in difficult tactical areas.
Stay tuned to this Blog in the coming days for a discussion of plans during our time off and for the upcoming season.
Congratulations to the players on a great effort during the qualifying rounds. As a team, our goal was to make Premier Gold, and we fell a little short. This is something we must face. The reasons why are, I think, clear. First, apart from anything else, the goal was a very difficult one to achieve.
Second, the goal required everyone on the team make an extra commitment of time and effort, more than was expected of any other team of players at OSA. Because we did not, as a team, do the second, the first put our goal out of reach. Is that a terrible thing? No.
We have a team full of players and coaches with many interesting opportunities in our lives outside of soccer. Activities and family pull us in different directions and give us many wonderful experiences. This is a marvelous blessing. And one for which we should all give thanks. Silver is a perfectly good level for us to compete and there is no shame in it. In fact I am very proud of the way we competed in the qualifying rounds, proud of the our players. When on the field, we played very hard--in both games and practices. However, life presents us with very few unmixed blessings. To have one good thing, you usually have to give up another. Most special successes, especially in competition, come with sacrifice and extra work. This is a good thing to remember as we move into the second part of our season.
The PQT
There was a lot of good in our two PQT games and in most of the QT games as well. I think we played harder than our opponents in the PQT. There was very little difference in quality, although just enough, between us and the Explosion. And we flat dominated the match against the Xpress. In both cases our ability to compete well was due to our effort. There is no better way to succeed on the field than by outworking our opponents. The fact that we did in our most important two games of the summer says a lot about our players. Well done Santos!
Other areas of success...
Speed of play. Our slow speed of play in Beaverton hurt us. As a team we practiced play under intense pressure and focused on speed of ball movement. This was to prepare us for opponents like the Explosion. Our play was much faster over the past two weekends. Our handling of pressure on the ball was much improved.
Playing as a team.
We played unselfishly. Our sharing of the ball and willingness to play different positions was nearly perfect. We supported each other as a great team must.
Running off the ball. Another area of vast improvement. This enabled us to play the ball more quickly because we had players in position to support teammates with the ball. There is still much to improve in this area, but we are half-way home.
Goal-keeping.
Our keepers played more aggressively and came off their line to take balls away from threatening opponents much better than they had previously done and this helped enormously.
Defensive Clearances
This was a real area of improvement. I don't recall giving away any goals off of bad clears. We still had a couple bad clears, but our back four made great strides in this area and were even linking up directly with our forwards with some strong passing out of the back.
These were impressive gains made as a team that give me a lot of confidence in our players and their ability to make quick and significant improvements in difficult tactical areas.
Stay tuned to this Blog in the coming days for a discussion of plans during our time off and for the upcoming season.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Qualifying Notes
Santos:
We performed well in the QT games. I think we played hard almost every game and we did many of the things we had hoped to do on the field. We will have to be even better this coming weekend. For these games, we will have to be at our best. Our substitution pattern may be a little less inclusive for these two games, as I think we need to produce the best results possible. I think it would be great for us to qualify for Gold, but the more games we play against top-tier competition, the more I realize that Silver is not a bad place for us either. Not because we aren't good enough, but because we need more time together as a team. Summer is never a good time for a team to gel and many teams that we are now competing with have been together for over a year. Virtually every team has improved dramatically so the competition is tough. We must compete as hard as we can against the Explosion to get points and we must defeat the Xpress. To do both, practice this week must be as good as we can make it.
Here's the PQT Schedule:
Friday 2:30 PM Keizer Field 3 V Explosion
Saturday 10:00 AM Keizer Field 4 V LOSC Xpress
Fields are at Whiteaker MS 1605 Lockhaven Dr NE, Keizer, OR
Go Santos!
We performed well in the QT games. I think we played hard almost every game and we did many of the things we had hoped to do on the field. We will have to be even better this coming weekend. For these games, we will have to be at our best. Our substitution pattern may be a little less inclusive for these two games, as I think we need to produce the best results possible. I think it would be great for us to qualify for Gold, but the more games we play against top-tier competition, the more I realize that Silver is not a bad place for us either. Not because we aren't good enough, but because we need more time together as a team. Summer is never a good time for a team to gel and many teams that we are now competing with have been together for over a year. Virtually every team has improved dramatically so the competition is tough. We must compete as hard as we can against the Explosion to get points and we must defeat the Xpress. To do both, practice this week must be as good as we can make it.
Here's the PQT Schedule:
Friday 2:30 PM Keizer Field 3 V Explosion
Saturday 10:00 AM Keizer Field 4 V LOSC Xpress
Fields are at Whiteaker MS 1605 Lockhaven Dr NE, Keizer, OR
Go Santos!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Shirt Design Questions....
Hey All,
Here is the possible design and shirt look.
Option 1: Small logo on front only
Option 2: Large logo on back only
Option 3: Sm logo on front/Lg logo on back
You can get an idea of how it would look on a Red shirt by clicking:
SantosShirt
Let me know your thoughts,
Kevin
The web quote is as follows:
Here is the possible design and shirt look.
Option 1: Small logo on front only
Option 2: Large logo on back only
Option 3: Sm logo on front/Lg logo on back
You can get an idea of how it would look on a Red shirt by clicking:
SantosShirt
Let me know your thoughts,
Kevin
The web quote is as follows:
All-Inclusive Price:
$11.57 each | $277.68 total
Standard 2-week delivery (free!)
Order today, delivered by 08/21/2008
Rush 1-week delivery (add 25%)
Order today, delivered by 08/14/2008
Gildan Ultra Cotton T - Red
Screenprinting: 1 Color Front, 1 Color Back
Quantity: 24 (5 YM, 5 YL, 6 YXL, 4 L, 4 XL)
Monday, August 4, 2008
Notes on the Tournament in Salem
Santos:
We had a great tournament this past weekend in Salem. From the first game through the last there was a lot for our players to take pride in. We did a far better job of running off the ball and playing a more controlled style of soccer than in Beaverton.
All of our lines showed improvement, especially the forward line with the help of our outside midfielders who were able to contribute important goals as well as some fine passing. Our gains offensively were impressive. The biggest improvement was our intensity and our ability to start games with focus and passion. This was true of all lines from the keeper to the forwards. Our players really took it upon themselves to change their attitude and boy did they! Bravo!
However…we still have some work to do. We mysteriously lost our mental focus in the second half of the final game. When this happened, we became the unfortunate Santos that played in the Beaverton Cup rather than the improved version of the Santos. While we played with intensity throughout--a great thing--our style of play slumped backward and again became a game of kicking the ball hard without direction or control, playing it off the ground, and taking too many touches individually. This step backward cost us a championship that we had as much right to win as our opponents. The Timbers were a better team in the second half because they kept their concentration and played unselfishly. We did not.
Fortunately, we did play nine other halves (through five games) of inspired soccer and for that we can be proud and optimistic about our chances this coming weekend in Canby. Let’s prepare ourselves this week as well as we can for the QT.
Go Santos!
We had a great tournament this past weekend in Salem. From the first game through the last there was a lot for our players to take pride in. We did a far better job of running off the ball and playing a more controlled style of soccer than in Beaverton.
All of our lines showed improvement, especially the forward line with the help of our outside midfielders who were able to contribute important goals as well as some fine passing. Our gains offensively were impressive. The biggest improvement was our intensity and our ability to start games with focus and passion. This was true of all lines from the keeper to the forwards. Our players really took it upon themselves to change their attitude and boy did they! Bravo!
However…we still have some work to do. We mysteriously lost our mental focus in the second half of the final game. When this happened, we became the unfortunate Santos that played in the Beaverton Cup rather than the improved version of the Santos. While we played with intensity throughout--a great thing--our style of play slumped backward and again became a game of kicking the ball hard without direction or control, playing it off the ground, and taking too many touches individually. This step backward cost us a championship that we had as much right to win as our opponents. The Timbers were a better team in the second half because they kept their concentration and played unselfishly. We did not.
Fortunately, we did play nine other halves (through five games) of inspired soccer and for that we can be proud and optimistic about our chances this coming weekend in Canby. Let’s prepare ourselves this week as well as we can for the QT.
Go Santos!
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