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As I receive various questions, I will be adding those to this page. There is no formal organization for this page, so the significance of one question compared to another is not based on its location.
It's tournament time! We have finished our regular season with an exceptional record, but that is merely that; Our regular season and its record. We now have to think, act, feel, behave, be, and ultimately play like champions. If we do this, then we will be champions within the tournament! Each 30-minute half, we must demonstrate qualitites of a champion...on and off the pitch! We go into the tournament to accomplish one thing: WIN! We have worked hard throughout the season to get us prepared for this opportunity, and we are READY! Panthers, it's time for you to be CHAMPIONS! Training for this final week will be all about preparation for the tournament that starts Saturday, October 10, 2009. Here are a few key areas that will be a focus during training on Tuesday and Thursday:
* One and two-touch movement of the ball: I will continue to use various drills that focus on these concepts, whereas one and two-touch movements of the ball is vital in keeping an opponent on its heels
* Movement off the ball: Remember, only 1 player has possession of the ball at any one time. In turn, there are 21 other players on the pitch that have to be moving...or at least 10 or 11 that are on our team!
* Penalty Kicks: Because this is tournament play, there are no ties. If a match is tied at the end of regulation, we will play two 15-minutes periods. If it is still tied, then we go to PK shootouts.
At the same time, though, I need to keep the players' attention focused on each half that we are getting ready to play. For today, it is the first half versus Worthington Christian. At half-time of today's match, it will shift to the second half. Like I tell the young men; Win each half or 30-minutes of playing time! Wednesday's matches (September 30) were exceptional!
While the B Team was not able to pull out a tie (I really thought that final push over the last three minutes of the match was going to get us a goal), their efforts were exceptional! They moved quicker to the ball than at any time during the season, while their passing continues to improve. This is a clear representation of the results of their efforts and activities during training throughout the season. The defense, also, did an incredible job keeping their players from earning more than six shots on goal. The single goal that UA Jones scored was just one of those things in soccer when a ball just won't get out of the penalty box, bounces around a few times, and ends up in our net. Like I tell the young men: That's soccer! Even though this was their final match of this season, I hope that they will continue to attend the final training sessions over this last week of the season!
The A Team played two wonderful halves of soccer and did not give up their relentless pursuit of the ball. Our young men won more 50 / 50 balls, which increased our overall time of possession. In addition, our passing and movement off the ball continues to improve, which are signs of the players learning what is expected and then doing what is asked. More importantly, though, is their level of unselfish play. To watch how one player will get an opponent to commit and then drop the ball off to a teammates is incredible and something that we, as parents, should be very proud of. Too many soccer teams merely think scoring a goal is what it's all about, whereas getting an assist is just as important as a goal, because the TEAM gets the goal when one player gets an assist. It is truly an amazing thing to be a part of! One of the most challenging aspects of coaching is to create an environment that is respectful, demonstrates sportsmanship, and works to develop our young men in more ways than just as soccer players. Two of the core components to this aspect of coaching, in my opinion, is the communication of players with referees as well as with teammates during training and matches. Let me add some insight with each of these items.
Communication by players with the referees, regardless of how frequent or intense, is not required by players. Players need to remain focused on playing soccer and not about questioning the refs for either calls made or calls not made. Players need to play! For me, it is very frustrating to watch players who try to "work" the officials while not giving it 100% at that moment. I have seen many breakaway goals scored by one team while the other team's defenders are asking referees for an off-sides call. Players need to play! Also, how many times has a referee reversed a call because a player questioned an official? From my experience watching soccer, I have not seen it a single time...not ONCE! When coaches question calls, I've only seen one time when a call was changed. That was only because the call did not properly apply the laws of soccer at that time. Finally, some people think that "working" refs will get them to make calls later in a match. If you talk with most refs, it actually works the other way. Players, coaches, and teams that complain often see an increase in calls against their team. Trust me, I have some past experiences in this area!
Communication by players with teammates, though, should almost always be supportive. When a player makes a poor choice, executes a bad pass, or simply misses the ball, he (or she) usually already knows it and does not need a teammate to point out that mistake. It would be better to hear a "get it next time", "don't worry about it", "I've got your back", or some other supportive comment that helps to build team morale and overall team play. Let the coaches point out the poor choices and have them offer alternative choices. From one teammate to another, keep the support coming, because there will be a time when you will need a little friendly support when you make that poor choice, execute a bad pass, or simply miss the ball. Trust me, I have some past experiences in this area! Saturday's match (September 19) at Grandview was a great match to watch, even from the perspective of the losing coach. Both teams played very hard, executed good soccer, and put on one heck of a show! Even through it all, there was plenty of good that was witnessed, including an improvement from the 1st half to the 2nd:
1st half lost 0 - 1 / 2nd half tied 0 - 0
Our young men, for a second match in a row, started rather slowly. When we did have possession, we did a nice job of working the open field and passing the ball. We didn't, though, maintain our marks when Grandview had possession. This created too many comfortable opportunities for them to take their time and really think about their choices. We did, though, a very nice job of using all directions with the ball. While too many of our passes were either too soft or too strong (not being familiar with the turf can be a challenge), we did continue to challenge ourselves as a team to use the entire field.
The 2nd half was much more in our advantage. We not only had more possession, but we also controlled the progression of most of the half. With further reflection, it is tough to think that we had almost twice as many shots on goal, but we couldn't get any into the net...sometimes, that's soccer! Otherwise, our guys really worked during the 2nd half with checking to the ball quicker, moving off the ball better, and communicating with their teammates more frequently. Our main area, though, for work will be with marking men when we do not have possession followed by the transition from defense to offense. Ultimately, I continue to be amazed and proud of our young men! Thursday's match (September 17) at Columbus Academy presented a rather slow start, but the guys really picked-up the pace during the 2nd half. Once again, though, we continue to show improvements following half-time:
1st half won 1 - 0 / 2nd half won 4 - 0
During the first half, our young men's speed and desire to win 50 / 50 balls was lacking. At times, it appeared that some of our players were looking to their teammates to win balls, but those same teammates were too often looking at the initial players for them to win the balls. The two key components that were lacking were communication on the pitch (i.e., talking to each other) as well as a passionate desire to get involved in the match. It appears that my half-time lecturette worked!
The guys came out in the 2nd half and played like our Panthers normally do! They were quicker to balls, double-teamed many opponents at various times when we did not have possession, moved well off the ball, and really made some excellent passes that created opportunities. They even talked quite a bit more than normal. I only wish that more of the guys would talk on the pitch as much as Anthony Jones does...if you only knew how much I remind him to talk while on the pitch!!! But hey, he's a great example of what other players should be doing while in the match when it comes to communicating. Well done, Panthers! Pictures: If anyone has taken some digital pictures at our matches, please email me those files. I will create a page on this site that includes those pictures. If anyone would prefer to *not* have their son appear in any picture(s), please let me know and I will ensure that it is not added. Monday's match (September 14) at Groveport was a solid performance by our young men! For the 4th of 5 matches, our team has improved their play from the 1st half of the match to the 2nd half:
1st half won 2 - 1 / 2nd half won 3 - 0
With this match, the other team's key objective for offense was to punch the ball down the field, have one of their two fast players win the ball, then try to score. There was no consistent movement of the ball or by their players. Once we got over giving up the one goal (it was great to see our guys immediately put it right back at Groveport, with shape, and get the goal back within about three minutes), we controlled the majority of the play.
As we made our adjustments for the 2nd half, we focused on taking the ball into the side alleys, then crossing the ball not into the 6-yard line (a.k.a. the 6), but up to the center of the field around the 18 or just outside the 18. As we would take the ball to the corners, their players would bunch up in front of the goal, leaving that area just outside the 18 wide open. We exploited that more times than not, but were able to capitalize on it with 2 of our 3 goals during the 2nd half. I am very proud of our guys for their effort as well as executing adjustments as they were asked.
Finally, I did tell all the guys after the match that the Groveport team was much better conditioned than we are as a team. I tried to offer this as a friendly warning about things to come...hint, hint, hint! Can you say "3-mile runs"?!? * September 16, Wednesday, No Training = Day Off!
* September 17, Thursday, Match A Team, kick-off 4:45 - 5:00 p.m. No girls match, so we will be the only team on the bus (updated on 2009 Calendar and 2009 Schedule)
* September 25, Friday, no training (updated on 2009 Calendar)
* September 26, Saturday, 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Darby High School to watch the JVA team followed by introduction of our team between the JVA and Varsity matches. Players are encouraged to stay for the Varsity match, but that is not required. (updated on 2009 Calendar)
* October 10, 12, and 13: There will be a Middle School Soccer Tournament, which our A Team will represent Heritage! Worthington Christian has picked-up the hosting task...a big "thank you" goes out to Worthington Christian! Here is how the tournament will work: Single-elimination, 8 teams, with first round matches on Saturday, October 10. We will not know our seeding and kick-off time until about a week prior to the tournament. Seeds are based on results of matches through a majority of the season. With a win on Saturday, we would move on to the 2nd round, which has been played on the following Monday, or October 12 for this year. With a win on Monday, we would advance to the championship match that has been held on that Tuesday, or October 13 for this year. The young men get in for free and are "compensated" with a free hot dog and drink between the matches! Please email Coach Jones if your son can be added to the list.
September 17, Thursday, Arrive by 4:50 p.m. with JVA kick-off at 5:00 and Varsity at 7:00. We need 6 more players from the B Team (Ricky Galvan, Garrett Foster). The guys should be finished by 9:00.
September 29, Tuesday, Arrive by 5:20 p.m. with JVA kick-off at 5:30 and Varsity at 7:30. We need 1 more player from either team (Anthony Jones, Alex Campos, Tyler Porter, Kyle Fallon, Cameron Orth, Zach Cowen, Josh Alecusan).
Wednesday's match (September 9) at UA Jones seemed more like two separate matches, which may seem confusing, so let me offer some insight.
During the first half, we played Panthers' soccer! We maintained possession of the ball, our first touches were strong, we had multiple one- and two-touches that kept the other team on their heels, and we used almost the entire outside lanes of the field (from the touch lines [parents and / or coaches' sidelines] in about 7 yards going the length of the field). Most importantly was our use of one- and two-touches and the indirect soccer that puts the ball to the outside, which spreads the other team's defense and opens up the center of the field (I'll clarify this in a moment). UA Jones, for the majority of the first half, kept almost all of their players in the center of the field and even, at times, had all 11 of their players within their defensive end inside their 18 (the penalty box line or the bigger of the two boxes in front of the goal). This allowed us to maintain possession of the ball and work it, for the most part, as we wanted. We had 7 other shot opportunities that just did not get within the posts and under the crossbar.
Something happened, though, at the beginning of the second half. I'm not certain if it was UA Jones' chant just prior to coming on the pitch for the 2nd half, but our guys went into defensive mode. We also starting only playing the ball up the center of the field and even, at times, were simply banging the ball (I call it "banging the ball" when all we do is kick it as hard as we can in some direction other than our goal, which is not what we should be doing...sometimes, yes, but not 90% of the time). UA Jones merely put one man at the center / middle of the field who was able to play about 80% of our balls without having to take more than 3 or 4 steps. We also had a few players growing roots (a.k.a. standing and watching) a bit too much and were more like spectators on the field opposed to players. As I told all the young men, we will be working on these during training over the next couple days so that we get it out of our system. Ultimately, though, we were able to match their speed during the 2nd half and held off a strong pressure presented by a solid team!
While we did not improve from the 1st half to the 2nd half, we did, based on the most basic metric of soccer, hold on for a tie during the 2nd half. In other words, the 2nd half was not an all-out loss! We did have a few other good things going on, but those were a bit harder to locate.
Let me get back to the word "center" of the field. The center of a soccer field can be thought of as the part of the field that would be created if you connected lines from the posts of the goals to each other going the length of the field. The "middle" of the field is similar to that area that would be between the 35 yard line and the other 35 yard line on a football field. The easy way to remember this is that one of the four main positions is a midfielder, who are based out of the "middle" of the field. So, when you hear me say the "center" of the field, I'm talking about that row from goal to goal. I hope this helps with your understanding of these terms! The value of watching soccer is more than most people think! But it requires analysis opposed to merely watching for the entertainment. Here are a few things that I highly recommend when watching soccer:
* Defense: How close are opponents being marked? How quickly do players recover when they get beat? What path do defenders take when they recover (e.g., direct to the net or to the ball)?
* Offense: How many lanes are filled at any one time? How many trailers are there in a supporting role to the ball? How many balls are played to the outside and into the alleys? How many one and two touches are there by center midfielders compared to strikers?
* Midfields: How many go from goal line to goal line? How wide do they stay with possession? How often do they rotate with defenders when defenders bring out the ball? How often do they fill empty lanes or serve as trailers when attacking the net? What is the quantity of one and two touches compared to dribbling?
So, please promote the idea of watching soccer matches for more than just the entertainment...but always have fun in what we do! Monday's matches (August 31) were just as positive as our first matches on Saturday! Here are a couple thoughts:
A Team played a team that had a few talented players with some nice speed. This created an early challenge from a defensive standpoint, because we had to be certain that we could match their speed. If we couldn't, then we would have had to keep our defense in a conservative posture that wouldn't go much beyond about 1/2 way up our defensive half of the field. This, though, creates opportunities for the other team by allowing them to hang around further down and into our defensive 1/3 of the field...not something I want to see. So, we made a couple adjustments with players, which helped to resolve these couple issues. The midfielders were asked to play with very little if any breaks, which almost came back to haunt me. With about seven minutes left to play, a couple of the midfielders were showing signs of rubber legs, but they dug deep and played with their heart to keep going...a couple late goals for us certainly didn't hurt! Our midfielders continue to work the ball (more times than not) to the outside lanes using one- and two-touches. As I frequently remind them, the one-touches keep the other team off balance, which serves to our advantage. From an offensive perspective, we demonstrated some superior speed to their defense, which they tried to offset with some pulling and other fouls. I, though, found myself up off the bench a little too much, which often leads me to questioning the officials. Remember, though, Coach Hall and I are the only two that should be doing this. I also think, though, that the second half officiating was a bit of my fault for my two questioning of calls during the first half. Just like our young men, I continue to learn, too!
B Team played exceptionally well, with some solid improvements compared to Saturday's match! Coach Hall and I were thrilled to see a few of the guys getting into the play more than they did during our first match. The defense, anchored by some very solid "sweeping", allowed very few balls to get to our keeper. From this perspective, I like to say that the defense plays a perfect match when the keeper does not touch the ball! The offense, though, came to life during this match! We found ways to get the ball around their two center mids, which opened lanes on both the left and right side. Once those lanes were found, a simple cross often found a man all alone running his lane and being patient. This, again, supports the significance of movement off the ball! What was most impressive from my perspective was the improvement from the first half to the second half. The guys talked more as a team, demonstrated unselfish play by passed the ball more often, and, more times than not, got their shape as we gained possession of the ball. I continue to be amazed at their desire to learn as individual players as well as how to work together as a team on the pitch!
Both matches, again, had improvements in the 2nd half compared to the first, which is, again, supported by the easiest metric to track; the score:
A Team: 1st half won 1 - 0 / 2nd half won 2 - 1
B Team: 1st half won 2 - 1 / 2nd half won 4 - 0
Well done, Panthers!
Coach Jones Saturday's matches (August 29) were exceptional! While our A team started off with a win, our B team held strong and almost pulled out a tie. From my perspective, here are a few thoughts:
Defense: Majority of both matches, players maintained their marks. They prevented many balls from being played into areas that should not, which was exceptional! The communication on the A Team's defense was extraordinary, which others on the pitch need to learn from. A couple times, though, players lost sight of their mark while focusing on the ball, which I spoke with them specifically about this. One of the main reasons for two of the four goals scored against us were a result of defenders losing their marks. As the guys learn, they need to make choices as defenders. In both cases, players chose to check the ball opposed to staying with their marks. As a result, the ball was passed to the players that should have been marked, but were wide open. This is an example of what I teach them that if they have the ball and are being double-teamed, then one of their teammates is wide open!
Offense: During the first half of both matches, we had trouble maintaining our shape. It was as if everyone needed a quick reminder at halftime of why this is important! During the 2nd halves, both teams improved their ball movement, we witnessed more one-touch passes (which often keeps the other team on their heals and less aggresive), and we increased our time of possession compared to the first halves. We also were able to move the ball into the alleys (sides of the field just outside the penalty box down by the goal line) more often, which spreads the other team's defense. I was also thrilled with how well so many players filled lanes and became trailers, regardless of their position! This means more guys are being fluid on the field and not "stuck" in one area.
Listening and learning: Most importantly, I was so pleased and proud of the guys for listening at different times during the match, including halftime. The guys, for the most part, did what I asked, made a few adjustments with and without the ball, which created improved results on the field. When you think of the most obvious metric for evaluation, the score, here is a breakdown per half:
A Team: 1st half won: 1 - 0 / 2nd half won: 3 - 1
B Team: 1st half lost: 1 - 2 / 2nd half tied: 1 - 1 On a quick side note, I would like to thank all of our parents for the exceptional support that was demonstrated during our match yesterday morning! The limited few times that I was listening, it was cheering for our team and not questioning the officials. I did hear a few things coming from the other team's fans, so an additional "thank you" is extended for not getting caught-up in that "stuff"! We are all extremely proud of you...our fans!!! Movement off the ball: Too many players, at too many age groups, tend to migrate *to* the ball, regardless of where they are in relationship to the ball. This creates the appearance of "swarm soccer", which is not what we are looking for. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
1. There are no more than 22 players on the pitch at one time. Only 1 player has the ball at one time. The remaining 21 are moving off the ball. Where they move and when they move are two things I am working with the young men. I am also trying to explain why they move, which at this age is a key component. If they understand the purpose, they will often buy-in at a higher rate.
2. Shape...get your shape! This is something I'll frequently remind the players when we have possession. Shape is a combination of the small shape near the ball (e.g., forming triangles) as well as the entire team's shape that offers additional choices for the player with the ball or the next player who may receive the ball.
3. Know where you are relative to the ball, relative to your teammates, and relative to the opponents.
4. Transition from offense to defense, which is very challenging for some. But if I ask them to play keep-away, everyone seems to get that. Well, transitioning in soccer is like keep-away. If your team has the ball, then move around and try to keep the ball. If the other team has the ball, then mark your man. When you go from one to the other, it's not much more than what we do playing keep-away...just on a much larger field!
5. When a player moves toward the ball as a teammate has possession, he does two things that are not good; 1. He reduces or eliminates the ability for his teammate, who has possesion of the ball, to pass the ball to him and 2. He brings a defender, probably a second defender, closer to the ball.
6. Movement off the ball is often about patience. Be patient, because good things will happen!
Thanks!
Coach Jones
We are all set for ball boys for these three home high school matches!
The guys that have ball boy responsibilities will be able to leave training at 4:15 p.m. on that day. This will allow them, if desired, to go home and quickly get cleaned up after training prior to going to the stadium.
August 24, Monday, JVA kick-off @ 5:30 p.m. Tyler Porter, Kyle Fallon, Evan Froelich, Josh Alecusan, Austin Salyers, Anthony Jones, Zach Cowen, Kyle Howard
September 26, Saturday, JVA kick-off @ 12:00 p.m. Brody Rudolf, Kyle Fallon, Josh Alecusan, Austin Salyers, Anthony Jones, Garrett Foster, Ryan Leeka, Zach Cowen
October 1, Thursday, JVA kick-off @ 5:30 p.m. Max Weese, Kyle Fallon, Sam Lagana, Josh Alecusan, Austin Salyers, Anthony Jones, Alex Campos, Chris Wobser
Thanks! Coach Jones How many coaches will there be this season? I am thrilled that Coach Hall will be our Assistant Coach this year. Coach Hall has playing experience and is passionate about getting out on the field and teaching more soccer. For myself, I played in high school (when soccer was not a very popular sport) and have coached at different levels (e.g., HOSA, GOYSL, and MOSSL) in different roles for 11 years, consisting of more than 30 seasons. I currently hold a E License, which is the required level to coach at the Club level.
Will there be two teams, because the schedule only shows matches for an A Team? We will not know the answer to this question until we learn how many players we have that come out to play soccer. Just three years ago, there were 20 players, so there was only one team formed. Last year, though, we had 42 players and rostered two-plus teams. Updates to the schedule will be made as we get more details. UPDATE: It appears we will have 27 players this year, so we will be fielding two teams. Rosters should be finalized by Thursday, August 20.
If we have two teams, how many matches will the B Team play? We will not know the answer to this question until we learn about the other schools and how many teams those roster. We should receive updates by Wednesday, August 19. It is hoped that there will be at least three or four other schools with two teams, which gives us 6 or 8 matches.
What if there are more players than what is needed for two teams? Will there be cuts? No, we do not make cuts at Heritage. However, if we have more players than are needed for two teams (18 players per team), then we will do the following: 18 players for the A Team, 18 players for the B Team, and all remaining players will be in a "pool". The pool players will have limited playing time in B Team matches, but they will be able to participate in all training sessions along with playing a smaller role in thoes matches.
How will teams be selected? Will there be a couple days of try-outs? Players will be observed throughout each training session for a variety of individual conditions (e.g., soccer skills, physical conditioning and endurance, soccer understanding / knowledge, sportsmanship, team orientation). If Coach Hall and I are not confident in our selection process of players by August 19, we will consider having the boys work through a few objective drills that are measurable to reduce the subjective nature.
What should I (soccer player) do over the summer to get ready for the upcoming soccer season? Best answer: Conditioning and juggling, conditioning and juggling, and more conditioning and juggling. Conditioning: Players may run up to eight miles during a soccer match. Our players need to be able to maintain a good pace (quick jog up to all-out run) for at least 15 minutes or complete two miles without slowing below a quick jog. Juggling: This is a soccer skill that helps to improve other on-field soccer skills. It helps to work on balance, control and soft touches, coordination, and just an overall feel for the ball.
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