College Soccer Scholarships: The Facts.

Every so often someone sets a spark off that ignites my frustration and I feel the need to report this article.  Tonight was such a time.  I met the parents of two little boys ages 7 and 9 who seem to think the boys are USMNT material.  They already been have been involved with a local club for 4 years. Have already spent thousdands of dollars. They are now somewhat disenchanted and are looking to move to a more prestigious club in a larger city. The nine year old already has attitude and was damn near uncoachable when we tried to work with him.  This is NOT what youth soccer should be about. These parents (and by extension their sons) are more than likely going to severely disappointed. They need desperately to read an article like this. Don't get me wrong, I honestly hope the kid succeeds and makes one of the USMNT teams. I see zero indication this will happen though. The parents are about to spend enough money on soccer to fully fund their children's college educations  and will have little to show for it when all is said and done.  Such a shame when youth sports are reduced to this. 


This is a reposting of an article originally publish in March 2013 concerning available scholarships for playing soccer in college.  I have not re-researched NCAA regulations since the original writing.  I have received numerous requests to re-post this article. So, here it is... again!

With club tryout season upon us once again I deemed it appropriate to move the article to the front page.  Do not be fooled by clubs who advertise they have helped "x" number of athletes obtain college scholarships for playing soccer. Investigate the claims.  If talking about the prestigious D I programs, you are more than likely to find no one, not a single solitary individual, listed as a scholarship recipient received a full ride. Most will probably have received a fraction of a fully funded scholarship. A quarter to a third and in rare cases 1/2 of a full ride are the norm.  Those who did receive full rides likely did so at NAIA or NJCAA schools.

Bottom line?  If you are looking for money to pay for college, study hard and get good grades.  All the money being spent on playing club soccer?  Invest it in the stock market or even a savings account. The return on investment will be much higher for the overwhelmingly vast majority of you.


NCAA Divison I

At the NCAA Division I level men's soccer is considered to be an equivalency sport. This simply means the number of scholarships that can be offered is determined in part by Title IX. Fewer men's scholarships may be funded due to women's sports not having an equivalency to football.  A school is not mandated to fund it's full allotment of scholarships.

Schools offering Men's Soccer:  199  (this number is in decline in part due to equivalency standards)
Schools offering Women's Soccer: 320  (this number continues to grow in response to equivalency standards)

Mens Soccer Scholarships:  9.9
Women's Soccer Scholarships:  14

Scholarships can be full or partial rides at the Division I level.  With rosters often approaching 30 players the money is distributed very carefully. 


NCAA Divison II

Schools offering Men's Soccer:  179
Schools offering Women's Soccer: 227

Men's scholarships:  9
Women's scholarships:  9.9

Many NCAA Division II schools do not offer football and so there is less discrepancy in scholarship numbers between the sports. Partial scholarships are the norm as coaches can distribute the money to as many players as they wish.


NCAA Division III

Schools offering Men's Soccer:  401
Schools offering Women's Soccer: 424

Scholarships are not offered at NCAA Division III schools.  Student / athletes often rely on academic scholarships and financial aid to assist with costs for school.


NAIA

Schools offering Men's Soccer:  218
Schools offering Women's Soccer: 223

Men's scholarships:  12
Women's scholarships:  12

Partial scholarships are common.  Coaches often reserve monies for student / athletes that do not meet requirements for academic aid.


NJCAA I

Schools offering Men's Soccer:  136
Schools offering Women's Soccer: 118

Men's scholarships:  18
Women's scholarships:  18

Many scholarships awarded at the Junior College level are full rides although partial rides are common as well.

Little Things Make a Big Difference

If you have been around sports for any length of time at all you have undoubtedly heard a coach state that it is the little things that make the difference between winning and losing, between being good and being great.  I mention The Details of the Process on a regular basis.  That coaches constantly speak about the "little things" is testimony to their importance, but how often do you find the "little things" identified?

Toes up / Heel down / Strike with the ankle bone ... these are little technical things that make a difference.

Here is a small tactical detail to remember that can make a significant difference in a teams ability to defend.

Great defensive teams move on the movement of the ball.

 

Poor defensive teams move on the completed pass.

 

 

Think of the times you have seen a team chasing the ball around the field as the opposing team strings pass after pass together. Perhaps you have even been on a team that has chased the ball around the field?  Not much fun is it?  And it is physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting. In a word, it can be demoralizing.  To prevent this from happening TEAMS must defend as if they have one heartbeat shared by 11 players.  Great defensive teams know everytime the ball moves they must collectively move with it.

 

What about great offensive teams?

 

 

Great offensive teams move before the ball moves.

  

Poor offensive teams move when or after the ball moves.

 

 

Small but subtle differences between defending and attacking.  "Little things"  that make profound differences in the quality of play. Good teams pay attention to the details of the process. Great teams never allow themselves to become bored with the details of the process.  It's a matter of choice.  Choose wisely for the quality of your game depends upon it.

 

 





It is finished.

Sometimes when expectations meet reality a violent collision occurs. 

That pretty much sums up the 2014 Shawnee soccer season.

I have written over 25,000 words / 50+ pages covering the season.  Although I have said I would publish them at the end of October or early November, I have decided against doing so.  This has been a difficult season to write about and I quite frankly do not like the general overall tone of my writings. 

I believe when a negative occurs it is important to immediately move on to a positive to prevent a chain of negativity from developing.  This is the reason for our club call of "Next Play!"

So, as I tell my players to do, I am picking up a few blades of grass and tossing then into the wind. Those blades of grass represent this season of Shawnee soccer. I have cast them away and am choosing to move on, to look forward. 

And we have much to look forward to. So many blessings bestowed upon us to share with others. The season did not go as we had hoped, but we appreciate that it went according to God's plan and trust that the lessons learned will continue to be revealed to us as we move on from high school soccer.

One of the lessons learned is that I should have gone after the head coaching job instead of endorsing someone with no head coaching experience. I thought it would be difficult to coach my own son in a high school setting, but it could not have possibly been more difficult than it was to see this season squandered in the hands of inexperienced coaches.  I have few regrets in life, but this will be one of them.  I apologize to my son and his teammates.  I could have made a positive difference for you. I regret that I did not attempt to do so for you. 

Everyone Loves an Underdog

I have debated over titling this article with an "underdog" theme or with a "Cinderella team" theme.

A Cinderella team is one that surprises competition and fans alike by advancing further in a tournament than anyone anticipated they would or even could.  The classic example of over achieving.

Underdog teams are thought of as being inferior to its opposition usually in both God-given ability and technical excellence. Perhaps the very definition of underachieving.

I suppose it is possible a team can fit in both categories, but then again, maybe not. 

My son's team plays their first, and quite possibly only, tournament game tomorrow on the home pitch of a team that thumped them 1 - 4 just 16 days ago.  They will enter this match as underdogs hoping to exit it as a Cinderella team.

As I searched the recesses of my mind for examples of teams who had found themselves in similar situations for my son and his teammates to draw inspiration from I kept running into coaching as being a constant in such stories.  Cinderella teams tend to have great coaching that helps to propel them beyond expectations.  Underdog teams often rise above inferior coaching when a perfect storm of circumstances conspire to allow them to overachieve beyond wildest expectations.

Therefore I am pretty sure my sons team should be depicted as an underdog team going into tomorrow nights match against Celina.  Their rookie head coach and his rookie assistants have experienced a very steep learning curve this season. The team is lacking in basic fundamentals, especially from a tactical standpoint. Celina is a well coached technical team with a sound understanding of who they want to be tactically. Yeah, Shawnee is an underdog going into the match tomorrow night. 

The question is, can they become a Cinderella team by the time the match is over?

That is going to depend on the players psychological approach to the match.  If they step onto the pitch truly believing they can win, Shawnee will have a chance to do just that. 

I am reminded of the 1989 NCAA basketball champion University of Michigan Wolverines. By all accounts they were underachievers throughout the season.  When their coach decided to leave for Arizona at the conclusion of the season the legendary Bo Schembechler, then the schools athletic director, stepped in and famously said "A Michigan Man will coach this Michigan TEAM."  He fired Bill Frieder on the spot and named assistant Steve Fisher the coach of the Wolverines for the NCAA tournament.

That Michigan team went on to win 6 straight games and the 1989 NCAA National Championship.  In a sense they made the transition from Underdog to Cinderella. 

Now, that 1989 Michigan team was loaded with future NBA talent. Why they underachieved throughout the regular season is open to debate. What is not open to debate is the stunning turnaround they made in the week leading up to their first game in the tournament.

Part of the answer can be found in quotes from the various players on that Michigan team. To paraphrase the collective, "We just went out and balled. No sets. No plays. It was just us playing ball."

If Shawnee is to be successful in transitioning from Underdog to Cinderella tomorrow night I think this is the attitude they must take - they just need to go out and play soccer.  Will they find the type of bond the coaching change at Michigan forged for the Wolverines in 1989?   I don't know if such a catalyst exists for the Indians.  That's going to be their challenge.  Can they unite and find the elusive team chemistry that can carry the day tomorrow?

They have nothing to lose and so nothing to fear.

My encouragement to these young men is to step onto the pitch and stand shoulder to shoulder in battling Celina tomorrow night. Have one anothers backs as players.  Block all else out.  When you walk off the field at the end of the match, do so with heads held high with the knowledge you gave the best performance possible under the circumstances. 

Good Luck Indians!


Update:  The slipper did not fit. 

 

 

"The goalkeeper is the jewel in the crown

 

and getting at him should be almost impossible.

 

It's the biggest sin in football to make him do any work."

-- George Graham

 

George Graham is a former Scottish football / soccer player and manager. He achieved success at Arsenal, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager from 1986 until 1995.

Match Hazards: Wind

Coaches and players will encounter "match hazards" or conditions that can impact the quality of play. It is good to have a plan prepared before match time to deal with these. We will look at some of these hazards, possible coaching instructions and team management or tactical solutions that could enhance results. We will address common match hazards and progress to others of the course of the series. 

Wind

Strong winds can present very real tactical difficulties to consider. If given the choice, take the wind in the first half of the match. There exists the chance the wind could die down for the second half.  This can be especially true for twilight games.  However, it's always good to check hour to hour weather forecast on a smart phone during pregame.  Take every advantage you can, even technological ones brought to you by smart phones.

Lasting Impressions of Leadership (updated)

A friend recently asked, "Good and bad, who were the most memorable athletes you have coached?" Surprisingly to me two names immediately came to mind, Morgan and Ryan, although Ryan I had not actually coached much at all.  The common trait between the two is leadership. One a negative leader who held her team back. The other an extraordinarily positive leader who raised his team to achieve more than anyone expected possible of them. Both strong personalities, but each with far different agendas.

Morgan was a good player on her team but clearly not the best player. She is also a megalomaniac. At some point before I arrived on the scene Morgan had realized she was not the best player and therefore would never receive the recognition or power associated with being "the star" so she did the next best thing. She became the best friend of the person who was the star. From that sidekick position she manipulated things to always be in and remain the center of attention even to the detriment of the team. It should be noted that Morgan considered it to be her team and often to referred to it as such.

Ryan was an exceptional player who realized he needed the team as much as the team needed him. He worked diligently to include everyone in the team, to make sure everyone knew their contributions, no matter how minor, were vital to the team's success. He sacrificed for the team and in turn was rewarded by and through the team's success. Ryan received numerous individual accolades but always credited the team for his success.

Both Morgan and Ryan recognized the power of effective leadership but took very different approaches. Morgan's was self-serving and quite destructive to "her" team while Ryan's approach was one of service to and for "the  team".  For obvious reasons both players remain memorable.

A good player does not necessarily equate to being a good coach.  Ryan was one of the top player leaders I have ever encountered.  As a coach, thus far, he has proven to be quite inadequate as a leader.  I myself am guilty of assuming his leadership qualities would transfer seamlessly from playing the game to coaching the game.  You know what they say about assume?  It makes and ass our of you (u) and me.  Such is that case here for I recommended Ryan for a coaching job based on his leadership skills as a player that included coaching on the field / in-game.  His first season as a head coach was a failure of substantial proportions.  The truth, trust, belief that he was able to channel as a player to those around him were absent in him as a coach.  At this point, I am unsure he is capable of becoming even an average coach.

Morgan?  I recently saw a YouTube video of her. It was about sky diving.  She needed one more credit hour to maintain full time student status. Her choice was to take a class on sky diving.  She displayed the same "me first" attitude as always in the video.  All about the attention being received instead of what was really at hand.  Once a megalomaniac, always a megalomaniac in this case.  No amount of giggling and batting the eyes can change the reality of that, imo.

It is written on the locker room wall.

For the strength of the pack is the wolf,

and the strength of the wolf is the pack.

Five Golden Rules of Soccer

Previously we looked at the 10 Commandments of Soccer and the 7 Deadly Sins of Soccer  so I thought I would present the Five Golden Rules of Soccer today.  As with many rules, there might be exceptions, but these are good rules of thumb to keep in mind when playing.

1) The key to scoring is controlling the ball.

This is true from both the individual (first touch) and collective (possession) perspectives.

2) Make sure your teammates know where you are or can find you easily.

It's all about support.  Constantly ask yourself, "Where on the field do I need to be in the next 5 seconds?"

3) Don't dive in!

Is it ever wrong to play contain or delay defense?  Remember the cues for when to attempt a tackle: if the ball is between the attackers feet you can be beaten to either side.  Wait until the ball is outside of the attackers foot prints or he misplays it too far away from his feet.

4) Receive the ball away from Pressure.

Use your first touch to change the direction the ball moving it away from pressure and out of the pursuit path of the defender. Receive the ball across your body whenever possible.

5) Keep your photo album updated.

Don't get caught watching the ball or the action around the ball.  See the whole field.  Constantly survey the pitch to know where your teammates are, where available space is and any danger the opponents might present.

Single Forward Formations and Systems of Play

The 4-2-3-1 and other single forward formations and associated systems of play are the current trend in high school and cub soccer. I am seeing some teams employing these systems really struggle to score and others utilizing these systems scoring seemingly at will. Is there a common theme that separates the two?

Yes.

A friend who coaches college soccer believes if you are going to play a single forward system you must have an absolute stud playing forward. I do agree that this makes it a lot easier. Our spring club had two absolute studs to man the position. We could be a very prolific scoring team and rarely did we really struggle to mount dangerous attacks.

That said, it is my belief that you need an aggressive, disciplined, physical and speedy player to man the forward position in a single forward system of play. He does not necessarily need to be a dynamic goal scorer.

My son's high school team plays a 4-2-3-1 but is struggling to score goals.  In my mind, the main issue is their two best options for manning the target forward position are not doing so.  One is playing center back. He is a workhorse.  Matthew played back to goal target for our spring team and did a really nice job. He's not the type who can receive and go to goal, but he improved his discipline throughout the spring season, is ultra aggressive and plenty physical and speedy enough to man the position.  The second player is a foreign exchange student by the name of Geovanni.  This kid is bigger physically, has a good sense about back to goal play and is a rugged player. Again. I don't think he has the skill set or pure speed to be a dynamic scoring threat by himself but he does create scoring opportunities and has an ability to get crosses off under pressure.

The player my sons team is using as a target plays back to goal well, but he is not the physical presence nor does he possess the speed necessary for the position. He is in fact a center back for his club team. Jack gets by as a target forward because he's smart. He plays the position with his brain and is disciplined in doing so.  That makes him passable as a target player. It's probably not his ideal position though. And if we are honest about it, he is not a good fit for the target position in regards to how the outside midfielders are manning their positions in his teams system of play. 

Ideally the central striker or #9 position will be manned by a player with the following qualities:

1) Great first touch
2) Speed with the ball
3) Ability to shield the ball
4) A solid understanding and command of combination passing
5) Technically and tactically sound passer
6) Ability to cross, shoot and head the soccer ball
7) An understanding of positioning
8) Competent decision making
9) An aggressive mentality
10) Supreme self-confidence.
11) A tireless and relentless work ethic.

No player is going to possess all of the above, but if you are going to run a one forward system you need a player who can fill most of the above with a reasonable degree of aptitude.

One of the first questions to be answered when deciding on a single forward system must be, does the team have a player who can play effectively as the single forward?

I learned attacking soccer from a goalkeeping coach.

One of the first coaching courses I took was the old NSCAA State Level Goalkeeping course.  I was extremely fortunate to have Tony Waiters, Tony DiCicco and a young man named John Murphy as the instructors for this course.  Tony Waiters and Tony DiCicco were each stars in their own right before becoming clinicians and I thoroughly enjoyed their presentations and learned so much from each of them about the fundamentals and some of the nuances of goalkeeping, but it was John Murphy who stole the show, in my opinion.

Before becoming the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's first Director of Goalkeeping, Tony Waiters had a long and distinguished playing career in England before turning to coaching / managing. He coached Team Canada in the '84 Olympics and '86 World Cup.   Waiters is the founder of World of Soccer which led to Total Player Development which in turn spawned  Byte Size Coaching.

Tony DiCicco is probably best known as the coach of the United States Women's National Team compiling an impressive record of 103-8-8. A lesser known aspect of his career is he started as the USWNT and Men's Under 20 National Team goalkeeper coach before getting the head women's job. In 1982 DiCicco founded Soccer Plus Goalkeeper School.  In 2006 he succeeded Waiters as Director of the Goalkeeper Institute for the NSCAA. 

John Murphy has coached in the college ranks and is currently at Anderson College. At the time of the coaching course I took he was the goalkeeper coach for the New England Revolution and soon to become goalkeeper coach of the Columbus Crew. Murphy has also coached Livingston of the Scottish First Division and in doing so became the first American to coach British professional soccer. Murphy remains on the National Staff for the NSCAA.

So, yeah, I was not exaggerating when I stated I was extremely fortunate to be a member of that particular goalkeeping course. I was also not kidding when I stated John Murphy stole the show.  The one point Murphy made and illustrated for us in both film sessions and on-field work was the fact that to be a good goalkeeper you must understand attacking soccer. In the film sessions Murphy broke down goals allowed by tracing them to their point of origin out on the pitch. More often than not he could trace a goal to a specific breakdown 30, 40 or even 50+ yards out on the pitch....  but he didn't just focus on the defensive break down. No, Murphy was interested in what the attacker(s) had done to create or force the break down.  Then he would look for, define and detail what defenders could have done differently to recover position preventing a cross or shot from being taken.  Murphy would then show us film of defenders and goalkeepers making the correct plays in similar situations.

The bottom line for me was coming out of that course with improved knowledge about goalkeeping and a vast appreciation for becoming a student of the art of goalkeeping and the overall game. Any goalkeeper I have worked with over the last couple of decades will surely tell you that I make them analyze every goal scored in a match - both allowed and scored for their team.  We trace goals back to their point of origin on the pitch and discuss what went right and / or what went wrong on the play. It is through studying the game from this perspective that I have come to understand attacking soccer.

Knowledge has a ripple effect as one thing learned leads to another avenue to explore. The cycle of learning never stops. And so it was that I realized there is real value to rotating players through a variety of positions. The back line positions are especially valuable in helping players learn a broader perspective of the game. Think about it for a minute, the whole of the game is before the backs. They are able to see the game unfold before them and if they are astute and wise, it is a learning experience for them in terms of attacking soccer as much and perhaps even more so than learning to be a defender.

This, of course, goes back to the idea of Total Soccer that advocates a nearly complete interchangeability in players manning positions on the pitch.  Versatility combined with specialization is the epitome of a modern soccer player.  It goes back to the 1980's business mantra of cross training employees in various roles within a business. Each player has a role to fill, but each players value is enhanced by his ability to fill multiple roles.

I have learned if a forward is struggling, the key to unlocking his potential might be a stint as a back and vice versa. We must be able to learn from the players we play against and then apply that knowledge against them. Some high school players are exceptional at this while others will obviously still need to work on developing this ability.  Make no mistake that as the modern game continues to evolve the value of an individuals Soccer IQ continues to increase in value as well. Close no doors to education. Kick them all in and learn as much as you can from every available source. That is the lasting lesson one John Murphy imparted to me.

What a fun game tonight!

Ever see those shirts that are half University of Michigan and half Ohio State?

When Shawnee and Elida meet these days I feel I need a shirt that is half Shawnee with a Grand Lake United shield in the middle and Elida on the remaining quarter.  Hey, my son does play for Shawnee! 

Lance Brown, Tanner Mayer, Matthew Daily, Nicholas Hoffman, Yunseong Lee and Jonathon Andrews have all represented both Shawnee and Grand Lake United.

Adam Ordel, Shawn Ezell, Jerod  Houston, Chase Watson, Garrett Brinkman and Ethan Schaeffer have all represented both Elida and Grand Lake United.

Here's something else... 6 of the 7 captains for tonight's match are Grand Lake United teammates when not playing for their respective high schools!  That's special!

Tonight's match was something of a family reunion for our Grand Lake family.  We love seeing so many of our "adopted sons" playing at the same time.   What a fun time this was tonight.  Both teams went after each other hard, but cleanly. Only one yellow card was issued and that was for PI or persistent infringement of the Laws of the Game as opposed to anything of a violent nature. 

A shout out to veteran officials Michael Lause and Mark Kleman who managed an excellent game. They let the boys play, talked with them as needed and blew their whistles when necessary. It is a pleasure to have such excellent officiating for an intense rivalry match.

You have all heard the spiel given before high school athletic contests about "friendly rivals."  That is exactly what this was all about tonight.  Both teams had their chances. Both teams played stellar defense. A little smack talked between friends. And both teams played hard! 

Well played gentlemen!

Good Luck to both Shawnee and Elida the rest of the season! 

Oh yeah, the match ended in a 0 - 0 tie, but that wasn't the real story here anyway.

Hopefully we will meet again in the OHSAA tournament.

Types of Goalkeeper Distributions

Types of Goalkeer Distributions

 

Today we will identify 7 different types of distribution the advanced goalkeeper should have in their arsenal. Three of these will deal with using the hands / arms to distribute the ball. The remaining four utilizing the foot / leg to distribute the ball. Regardless of the type of distribution utilized it should be employed as a pass to the extent possible. Remember, the goalkeeper is often the first attacker and as such is responsible for maintaining possession and starting the attack.

Persistency to Consistency.

I believe it is important not to worry about the numbers when striving for consistency.  I do not speak to my teams about winning or losing.  I do not keep individual statistics for players.  If we dwell on numbers, we tend to become shortsighted about other things including the big picture.  If we strive for consistency, the numbers and wins will take care of themselves.

In this regard, our competition is not the opposing team, but our previous performance. Can we be consistent in good performance? Can we improve our performance on a consistent basis? I cannot measure myself against someone else for I am not that person. I can only measure myself against me. Am I consistent?  Am I better today than I was yesterday?

The key is Consistency is Persistency.

Attacking Play

 

Gain Possession

 

Maintain Possession

 

Utilize Possession

 

Strike on Goal!

 

Insanity is doing the same thing,

 

over and over again,

 

but expecting different results.

 

 - Albert Einstein -

Attacking Play

Attacking Play: The Individual's Perspective

 



I often say to players I coach that I wish for them to leave our training sessions mentally exhausted. Soccer, at its core, is all about the quality of decisions made. Of course, it helps if we know ahead of time some of the most common decisions a player will be faced with so we can prepare in advance to be ready when they arise. 

As background for these articles we will need to keep in mind the three basic elements in the game of soccer; Penetration, Width and Depth.

The First Attacker aka The Ball Carrier

Before a player gains possesion of the ball or recieves the ball from a teammate he needs to have already answered the question of how best to penetrate the defense.

1) Does he have a good shot on goal?  We play soccer to win games. We must score in order to win. Therefore the first question to be asked and answered is "Can I score from here?"  If the answer is yes, then the shot must be taken.

2) Is there a teammate in better position to score than I am? If the answer to this question is "yes," then passing the ball is the solution.  It is important to remember that the ball can travel faster via pass than it can be advanced by a ball carrier.

2a) A variation of this question, Is there a teammate in a better or more advanced penetrating position than I am?  This question would be asked of yourself in the defending or middle third of the field and not predicated on having an available shot on goal, but on creating an opportunity to advance the ball to a position where a shot can be taken.

3) Does the first attacker have space to advance by running with the ball? Note that running with the ball is the third option listed. It is not the last option available, but if the objective is to score a goal we do want to exploit the path of least resistance. Running with the ball can be the best option when neither of the first two options present themselves.

3a) Can the first attacker dribble to engage a defender thereby creating option 1 or 2? If engaging a defender can create a shooting opportunity or create a numbers up situation to play a teammate or one's self into better situation, then the first attacker should purposefuly engage the defender.

4) If no shot is available, no teammate in a more advanced position is open and a defender has seized advantage and engaged you, pass to relieve pressure.  It is okay to drop he ball backwards in order to relieve pressure. Sometimes the defense will organize more quickly than the attacking team can do so. Remember that we seek the path of least resistance to the goal.

The options outlined above take into consideration the basic elements of Pentetration ( 1,2,3 )  Width ( 2, 2a, 3a) and Depth ( 4 ) of soccer. In this case "Width" is not necessarily direct lateral width but width present in passing angles. 

These questions must be asked and answered before a player receives or gains possession of the ball if we are to play the game with proper pace or speed of play. 

Champions have an open mindset.

I have been involved in a couple of on-going discussion with friends on email lists about what the next evolution in formations and systems of play will be. My analytical mind is always trying to anticipate what the counter moves are to how our team plays.  It's just the way I think - I want to be ahead of the game. Out of one of those conversations came this gem that I wholeheartedly agree with:

Champions have an open mindset.

 

Losers are of a fixed mindset.

 

 

This is Tradition!

 

Nearly 60 past and present players came together for the annual Shawnee Alumni Scrimmage!

 

The goal for our program is to have both a tradition and a future and to be able to look with pride and confidence in both directions.

Mission ACCOMPLISHED, but not completed.

 

It was a Blessing to see so many old familiar faces at the Shawnee Alumni Scrimmage. I counted at least 39 former players at the contest and I likely missed a couple. What an incredible turnout!

For the match, the 2014 Varsity came out strong and established control of the match early.  Sharp, crisp passing with a purpose. Patience while working to create a seam to attack through and great change of pace when they decided to go forward. Solid shape defensively and beyond that was a much improved recognition for and ability to pick up their marks in the forward passing lanes. The Varsity scored first and looked to be in mid-season form in some regards.

Eventually the huge numbers advantage for the alums began to take its toil on the 2014 Varsity as Coach pro tem Doc LaGrande shuttled players in and out en masse.  The alumni eventually won the match and on reflection this is perhaps how it should have been. So much talent on the field - former all-state, all-district, district POY, all-league and league POY's  - for the alumni team yesterday.

Some of the former players in attendance:  Joe Bianco, Dave Goodin, Jeff Decker, Jared Link, Brandon Morse, Trent Quatman, Colin McDermott, Nick Pratt, Brian Bell, Evan Bell, Joe Vogelgesang, Christian Vogelgesang, Joel Reddick, Joe Keller, Joe Goodman, Austin Howard, Troy Brinkman, Jared Dupes, Nick Guidera, Ryan Quatman, Pete LaGrande, Adam Khalaf, Kirt Moritz, Cody Fullenkamp, Patrick Bonifas, Adam Knott, Cogan Shimizu, Garret Gross, Austin Braychok, Andrew Ritchie, Matt High, Justin Thomas, Josh Thomas, Brennan Gaffer, Tyler Anderson, Cory Wilder, Tim Taviano, Derek Smith, Ryan Bosler and probably a couple of more.

Current players include Lance Brown, Tanner Mayer and Chase Wilder - 2014 Tri-Captains. Logan Spieles, Levi Dahlke, Matthew Dailey, Justin Vorhees, Trenton Ward, Alex Lehman, Landon DeMoss, Jack O'Connor, Yung Seong Lee, John Kesner, Nicholas Hoffman, Max Sweigart, Jon Andrews.

It was wonderful to see the "old guys" interact with this years varsity.  I saw several instances of the old guys schooling the new and then taking time to coach them up afterward. The sportsmanship was heart warming.  Words of encouragement, pats on the back, handshakes and hugs shared by players old and new.

This is what tradition is all about - honoring those who have gone before, supporting those in the moment and building for the future. 

Well done Shawnee!

Shawnee Alumni Scrimmage

It was a Blessing to see so many old familiar faces at the Shawnee Alumni Scrimmage and a confirmation that the goal for your program should be to have both a tradition and a future that enables the present to able to look with pride and confidence in both directions.  I counted 37 former players at the contest and I likely missed a couple. What an incredible turnout!

For the match, the 2014 Varsity came out strong and established control of the match early.  Sharp, crisp passing with a purpose. Patience while working to create a seam to attack through and great change of pace when they decided to go forward. Solid shape defensively and beyond that was a much improved recognition for and ability to pick up their marks in the forward passing lanes. The Varsity scored first and looked to be in mid-season form in some regards.

Eventually the huge numbers advantage for the alums began to take its toil on the 2014 Varsity as Coach pro tem Doc LaGrande shuttled players in and out en masse.  The alumni eventually won the match and on reflection this is perhaps how it should have been. So much talent on the field - former all-state, all-district, district POY, all-league and league POY's  - for the alumni team yesterday.

Some of the former players in attendance:  Joe Bianco, Dave Goodin, Jeff Decker, Jared Link, Brandon Morse, Trent Quatman, Colin McDermott, Nick Pratt, Brian Bell, Evan Bell, Joe Vogelgesang, Christian Vogelgesang, Joel Reddick, Joe Keller, Joe Goodman, Austin Howard, Troy Brinkman, Jared Dupes, Nick Guidera, Ryan Quatman, Pete LaGrande, Adam Khalaf, Kirt Moritz, Cody Fullenkamp, Patrick Bonifas, Adam Knott, Cogan Shimizu, Garret Gross, Austin Braychok, Andrew Ritchie, Matt High, Justin Thomas, Josh Thomas, Brennan Gaffer, Tyler Anderson, Cory Wilder, Tim Taviano and probably a couple of more.

It was wonderful to see the "old guys" interact with this years varsity.  I saw several instances of the old guys schooling the new and then taking time to coach them up afterward. The sportsmanship was heart warming.  Words of encouragement, pats on the back, handshakes and hugs shared by players old and new. This is what tradition is all about - honoring those who have gone before, supporting those in the moment and building for the future. 

Well done Shawnee!