After a week of practice we got exactly what we needed which is a punch from a reasonably sound team that offered up some lessons to be learned, Last year, we beat this school 4-1 and promptly lost our next two games albeit to strong opponents. My point being that a loss can often do you more good than a win as it can prompt critical examination of the bad and the good and the motivation and need to fix it. As with any unsatisfactory result, the responsibility lies with me. I ask the players to take the same vision – look inward to reflect on where they can improve and reflect on what they did well.

The good: For 20 minutes at the end of the first half, we were the better team. The field was tilted down their end and we were getting the kind of play we wanted and the goal to show for it – a give and go high quality score. A team goal. We were receiving easy balls into the back line and transitioning easily back into the mid-field.

The bad: We did not match the opponents intensity and speed at the beginning and at other moments in the game. Our touches were not of the quality we need and we need to move the ball faster to avoid being dispossessed. We were too often flat and not compact in the back allowing more open play. As the second half progressed, there were fewer give and gos and some hero ball resurfaced.

Lessons learned:

1. Playing it out of the back and building this way is a gamble with enormous risks. One failure led to a goal and another almost could have. Our opponent punted every time and it was highly effective.

2. We cannot hero ball our way to goals. We have arguably the best and industrious strikers in Eastern PA but we must remember to work the ball off of one, two, three, four players to get the look we want. Wall passes, baby through balls, far post, etc.

3. In the back we MUST BE EVER VIGILANT and compact when not in possession. Proper positioning – on the field – and with the feet not at attention but run ready. Fundamentals we will work on.

4. We must be a positive energy team. We want to leave the refs alone, build each other up, have each others back, and play with a positive fire that roars down the field. This must be in practice, outside of practice, and it will spill on to the field. Our first week was mired with absences-some out of our control, some within it.

5. The quality of our touches must be higher and our passing and movement must be better. Technical mistakes led to turnovers, mental errors led to poor off the ball movement.

6. We must be focused on the task. More listening, more growing.

Some highlights to me:

Kaarsen played for me for the first time at centerback and I was overall pleased with a lot of what I saw.

Nolan Browne is developing some skills to match his athleticism.

Yahriel gave us meaningful minutes

Dillard created no fewer than 5-7 real dangerous chances although no goal to show. If we can serve him better, he will be transformational.

Steven, Braden, Harnit, and Ben were tireless in the midfield.

Hetrick’s goal is exactly how we want to see things.

We will see some changes heading into next week. I will post more later and provide feedback to the players via email. JV did well today and clawed back a goal by Tyam. Nice job.

This is EXACTLY what we needed – a game to expose our weaknesses yet doesn’t count. Let’s all take our medicine and get well from it boys.

PLAYERS – respond to me when I email you your feedback.

More soccer today than yesterday. We broke into blocks of training rotating with different coaches and technical skills and emphasis followed by some full field for the first time. The full field work helps cement some of our ideas of how best to utilize the boys and get them working with each other. We have a LONG way to go but there were flashes of what damage we can do. MY THOUGHTS:

1. We need to take care of the ball. Too often we:

• give it away by one too many touches
• boot a hopeful ball that “someone should be there”
• just have a sloppy touch or errant pass

We will look to clean this up as the days proceeed

2. We need to decide to counter-press HARD when we do and collectively. This is acutely absent so far. Tomorrow we work on the mid-block and the counter press defensively.

3. We need to get faster (Decisions, passing, movement on and off the ball). One of the BEST moments of the full field was a 1 touch from Barbed wire to the killer b to the hetrick system. We didn’t score but it was good soccer. Defensively we must be faster too – we are often in a place where we COULD have intercepted the ball and or prevented the turn if we anticipated the game. No one if ever off duty.

Lots to do and this is what we are here for. There was lots to love:

1. A wonderful ball from the Killer B to roll the Bleice. Yes he shot it over the moon but in his words “It was my right foot”. It WAS a great run and connection! Dangerous as Coach Carmona would say

2. Some of the youngsters are learning that this is not a low key affair. They are learning to work hard and get better. Of the newbies (noobs as the youth calls them) – I like the skill of Juan on the ball and Brycen is communicating! Our youths of yesterday are really coming along too. Yahriel plays like he has a chip on his shoulder – I like that. Nolan Lutz is jumping balls, and Kaarsan is seeing minutes as a Varsity center-back. Keep working.

3. The goalies work hard every day – maybe the hardest of any group. I love the work Coach Ale is doing with you AND the work you are doing with him. Logan Moore had a nice save in the scrimmage. I want to see more use of the goalie in field play and aggression from them recognizing when they can make a play on the ball.

We only had one who wasn’t here today that was here yesterday. Here they are in all their sun-soaked glory. They are sore and working hard. What a blessing to coach them.

PLAYERS:

1. Check your email as this is how I am giving personal feedback. Respond thoughtfully or accountability

2. Watch the video below starting roughly 30 minutes or so in. (if it doesn’t work right away – give it some time as I just loaded into youtube) and:

a. Shoot me an email about 2 things you did (or someone else did) you thought was well done AND 1 thing you saw that YOU (or someone else did) that needs improvement. Enjoy the process of getting better and don’t worry. No one is judging and it is not personal. Challenge yourself to a NEW STANDARD.

I should get 43 emails tonight!