Do you check the website each day?
Are you training your body each day?
Are you training your skills each day?
Are you training your brain each day?
Are you ready to sacrifice for and love your teammates?
Are you ready to grow and be your best YOU?
Do you have the fire inside to make big things happen?
Email me back if you read this.
Come if you can! Coaches will be there. We will train with who we have. Fitness and scrimmage. Emphasis on quality touches, communication, movement, and of course fun playing! Hope to see you there!
Training tomorrow at 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM at WAIS! I would love to see 30 guys there. Set those alarms. Get out of bed and going with your day and have some fun with us! Great seasons do not just “happen”. Be ON TIME – by that I mean ready to go at 7:30 AM.
Having read some of the other websites player ratings – I am wondering if they watched the same game. Here are my thoughts:
I will start with the good grades:
Tillman – A – This is not because of the goal. He was tireless and active and of our players seemed truly in the fight.
Balogun – B – He made runs, was active, and had a dangerous chance. Strikers can’t and don’t score every game. He was active.
Robinson – B- – You knew he was on the field unlike some of our other players. Up and down and having to cover the whole left side really. Some culpability in the 1st goal but he was fine tonight.
Freeman – C – There was trouble down the right all night. Some successful challenges. Some poor positioning. Some good some bad.
Adams – C- – Outmanned in the midfield and not on his best night but was saddled with low ebb all around him but he didn’t dispel the gloom and became lost in it.
Berhalter – C- The super sub brought some fire and that shot was whisker close ….. to hitting the post! A full foot from punching it in. Good hit but those are not enough for a grade above a C. Not much else that was game changing from the son of our former coach.
Dest – C- Not as aggressive as I wanted him to be. Some sites have him ranked as a 2/10. C’mon man!
Richards – C- Had some clumsy moments. Seemed to care the most at the end – nothing objective to support that. He’s a good center back – it just all crumbled around him.
Ream – D+ – Did have some successful challenges. No one can be a hero all the time and he was ordinary tonight. Beaten on header. Clumsy on the 3rd goal when we needed a hero. The grade seems harsh based on his age but no favors for the old. I think we need another center back or two.
Reyna – D Not much to speak of and he played TOO LONG for that to be the narrative. Did he help with momemtum at beginning of second half – yes. Did he change the game? No.
McKennie – D- Forgot he was playing. I even looked for him at times to locate him. Disappearing act par excellence.
Pulisic – F – Led the team in turnovers despite exiting. Maybe he was playing hurt all along. I hate the whining for fouls which makes him hard for me to grade always but today he did not pass the test.
Coach Pochettino – As a coach my heart goes out to him. Did he pick our best 11? Probably. Do we have some talent holes and gaps? Yes. He tried his best to hide our weaknesses and for that I rate him well. BUT – we came out with less intensity than we should have and that is on him and despite kicking bottles was not able to change the game enough with subs – partly due to the roster. Was he expecting Belgium to pack it in like our other opponents (except Turkey and we lost to them). Distractions, energy, and lack of aggressiveness are his responsibilities and he must go down with the ship – D.
The good:
Some of the linkups and passing looked great today. We need to be able to do this and possess the ball and be clean and we looked really good with this at times.
I liked the energy and fun the guys were having
What we need more of:
Consistent Attendance and Commitment. I am NOT talking about guys away on vacay or such – everyone should do this (including me) and enjoy your families – I am talking about being around and not coming. We need you at YOUR best. Show your commitment and be here.
Fitness Training – train hard every day you aren’t with us. You don’t need me to get strong. You don’t need me to get fit. RUN RUN RUN. Lift. Do push-ups. Track your times. Email me. High School Soccer is competitive and hard and we need everyone physically up to it BEFORE AUGUST 17. I can’t spend our first two weeks getting you fit.
Looking ahead:
At fields at WAIS Thursday 7:30 – 9:00 AM. I want to see 30 boys out there Thursday.
Day 1 of official practice will be testing (fitness and skill).
Fitness:
1/2 mile time
Shuttle run time (6, 18, half, 18, 6)
Pushups in 60 seconds
1/2 field sprint
Skills:
1st touch and passing (ball and a wall – both feet)
Long balls (be able to kick the ball accurately 30-40 yards in air)
Ball Control through course
Headers (off long balls and punts)
Edpuzzles
This week we will train 7:30 – 9:00 AM Tuesday and Thursday BUT:
Tuesday at WAHS Gym – Bring Indoor Sneakers
Thursday at WAIS Fields
Get your physicals and get them uploaded to arbiter as fast as possible!
Do your Edpuzzles if you haven’t!
Every holiday is an opportunity to count our blessings and independence and freedom are universal values for all our players, coaches, and families. We have coaches, players, and families from Africa, the Middle East, Mexico, Central America, South America, and Europe and we all came to America and call Wilson Area home. Enjoy the fireworks and picnics and I can’t wait to see everyone back on the fields next week on Tuesday!
Players: Please use my email for contacting me and I will use yours. Its a good habit to get used to using email anyway or google chat anyway. The school is reviewing certain policies and one of which is the use of texts between coaches and players so we will play it safe and make sure we use EMAIL between coaches and players.
WAIS from 8-10 AM. This is a players practice. Get your work in together!
I am away on Vacay this week up in New England and there will not be any official voluntary workouts. All players should continue training on their own or in groups. What you can do:
*There will be tests on first day of official practice 8/17 on both fitness and ball work along with expecting all Edpuzzles to be completed. Be YOUR BEST for us – we need EVERYONE IN TOP shape.
Some players have received a third kit jersey as I check sizing on the shirts – 3rd kit jerseys (including shorts and socks) will be distributed to all players who stay with us after the first two weeks of practice. Seniors may get them earlier.
Official Voluntary WABSC practices will begin again on 7/7 at usual time and place. Go WARRIORS!
Wilson Warrior Soccer 