Up early this morning at 6:30am for both teams and in the lobby by 7:30am having had breakfast, cleaned the rooms and in full uniform. We headed back to Reach 11 for the final time on this trip in cold rainy weather to play Derby County Wolves from Michigan. The club was ranked number one in both the U16s and U18s last year going into the play offs so we knew we had our work cut out for us. All games at the showcase have been taped and also scouted by US Soccer Staff. The Under 18 team was fortunate to be scouted this morning by former Men’s National Team Coach Bob Gansler. We started the game brightly enough with good possession and managed to get behind the Wolves defenders on a couple of occasions. Unfortunately we managed to self implode somewhat by giving the ball away in poor defensive positions and found ourselves 2-0 down with goals in the 14th and 15th minutes. We dug ourselves out of the hole we created with a well worked goal when Giuseppe Gentile got down the right hand side, beat a player and crossed to the near post for Nick Barnhorst to tap in past the goal keeper from three yards out in the 17th minute. It put us back at 2-1 and we made a better game of it until a long diagonal ball from their right back was played over the top to one of their center forwards. With a great touch towards our goal he pushed the ball to the right of the advancing Nick Hensley and knocked it in for the Wolves’ third.
At half time I talked about our defensive shape and it being a too wide laterally and not joined enough vertically and also about not giving the ball away in areas where it would become problematic to get our defensive shape quickly. The boys responded well. In the second half they restricted the Wolves to only one clear cut chance. We were quicker to the ball when defending and we worked much more as a unit to defend. We did not conceded again and at the other end we created a number of half chances that went wide or over the bar. Our possession and penetration were much better when we had the ball and we were unlucky not to get the game back to 3-2 and then really give the Wolves a run for their money. They were a very good team, the best we have faced this weekend with some special players too. It was again a good test for the boys in the early part of the season. The starting team with substitutions in parenthesis was as follows:
GK Nick Hensley (Trent Johnson GK)
LB Tyler Adams (Will O’Brien LB)
CB Thomas Allen
CB James Nero (Keith Pittman CB)
RB Kyle Searles
LMF Brett Luccia (Andrew Sperr LMF)
CMF Robbie Beatty (Sean Cogan CMF)
CMF Jono Grad
RMF Nick Barnhorst (Michael Nelli RMF)
CF Giuseppe Gentile
CF Conner Miller (Andrew Benningfield CF)
The Under 16s weekend was rounded off with another very exciting and competitive game. We created some great chances early on and could have easily been ahead after ten minutes. Derby County then settled in and passed and moved the ball extremely well. They kept us under pressure and deserved to take a two goal lead. We managed to score a goal against the run of play right on half time to bring us back into the game. The second half was very different. We pressed and fought very well, and really stifled the Derby players. We pressed and pressed, and kept Derby on the back foot almost the entire half. Our pressure resulted in free-kicks, corners, and half-chances, but Derby managed to hold onto to the lead. A fair result in the end, but a great performance in the second half by our team.
Jeremy said, “Overall the weekend was very pleasing and a positive start. We have quite a young group and so a big question was if we would be physically capable. I felt we dealt with this well. We played some good flowing soccer at times but tended to force the play, or play isolated too often. Defensively we defended well as individuals and showed resilience. We showed what I hoped to show this weekend. We are capable enough both sides of the ball. We will now get to work training, and given time I feel we will be playing great soccer come the spring. The players will keep learning about each other and will get better and better as a group. We have quite a few new faces but the group looked happy together off the field. You can be proud of how your sons carried themselves on and off the field. In a nutshell – many good things, and lots of exciting things we can work on”.
I’m now on the plane coming home and as I reflect on the weekend I think our two teams have accomplished a number of the goals we went out to work on. We played against three good clubs. We tried to establish a defensive shape that we could defend in but then play out of once we won the ball. We tried to play good soccer when we had the ball, not just whacking it forward, but also not just keeping possession for the sake of keeping the ball. Both teams looked to penetrate their opponents when we could and get in behind through combination play, the killer ball or individual skill. Also, both Jeremy and I got to see everybody play in circumstances where they were under game pressure. With only two and a bit weeks of training players were bound to make mistakes more often that we would have liked. I am also pleased to report that at no time did we receive any complaints about the boys at any time during the trip. A big thanks must also go to Bob Seales and Pete Minogue, for all their help over the weekend, they played a very important part behind the scenes.Now it is a question over the next few weeks of all the players minimizing mistakes and building on what we learnt in Phoenix. Well done to all, now on to our league schedule. Thanks for your continued support of the program!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Day Four - Sunday December 6th, 2009
Outside of our soccer itinerary, last night after the games we went to the US Airways Arena in downtown Phoenix to see the Suns play against the Sacramento Kings. In a tightly played contest the Suns prevailed 107-115. Steve Nash is quite a player to see live and it is hard to belive that Grant Hill is still around. It seemed like the boys enjoyed the game even if we were about 150 rows up! We arrived back at the hotel at about 10:45pm and it was straight to bed.
Today is our day off. The boys generally slept in but most made it to breakfast by 9:30am. We had a team meeting to discuss the expectations of the day and during which it was time to introduce a new part of our Academy program – STUDY HALL! This part of the program will be introduced on all our road trips. Players will study for a certain amount of time during our away trips. It may be at the hotel or on the bus when the TVs are all turned off. Today it was from 10:30-12pm in each room with Ipods and TVs off. Players need to remember to bring their school books on every trip from now on!
After the study hall the players were allowed to hang out in Old Town Scottsdale for a couple of hours and eat lunch prior to leaving for the Reach 11 Complex. Both teams watched Austin Yearwood play in the 1994 Select Team game against Los Angeles FC Chelsea. The result was a 2-2 draw with Austin assisting on the second goal. After the game it was back to the hotel to shower and get ready for dinner at Outback. The boys had either steak or chicken with potatoes and a salad or vegetables. Only water to drink! We finished off the night with team meetings for each team. We talked about Derby County Wolves from Michigan, the club we play tomorrow, the rest the boys need tonight and the importance of the last game of the showcase. We are all looking forward to the morning and the chance to play against one of the best clubs in the US Soccer Development Academy program.
Today is our day off. The boys generally slept in but most made it to breakfast by 9:30am. We had a team meeting to discuss the expectations of the day and during which it was time to introduce a new part of our Academy program – STUDY HALL! This part of the program will be introduced on all our road trips. Players will study for a certain amount of time during our away trips. It may be at the hotel or on the bus when the TVs are all turned off. Today it was from 10:30-12pm in each room with Ipods and TVs off. Players need to remember to bring their school books on every trip from now on!
After the study hall the players were allowed to hang out in Old Town Scottsdale for a couple of hours and eat lunch prior to leaving for the Reach 11 Complex. Both teams watched Austin Yearwood play in the 1994 Select Team game against Los Angeles FC Chelsea. The result was a 2-2 draw with Austin assisting on the second goal. After the game it was back to the hotel to shower and get ready for dinner at Outback. The boys had either steak or chicken with potatoes and a salad or vegetables. Only water to drink! We finished off the night with team meetings for each team. We talked about Derby County Wolves from Michigan, the club we play tomorrow, the rest the boys need tonight and the importance of the last game of the showcase. We are all looking forward to the morning and the chance to play against one of the best clubs in the US Soccer Development Academy program.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Day Three - Saturday December 5th, 2009
Having had time to reflect on yesterday, I want to start with some of my thoughts. The complex again is first class and there are over 250 college coaches roaming the complex. I have to say that over all the U16s took a little time to get into the game but by the end of it probably deserved more than a draw. We hit the post, the goalkeeper made two very good saves late in the second half, and on another day it could have gone our way. The boys played good soccer, kept the ball on the deck and created far more than the Rapids. The U18s had a similar game but two poor decisions cost us two goals. We created plenty of chances and with a little better timing we could have scored three or four. We again played good attacking soccer with the ball on the ground and our penetration behind their back four was good except for the final touch. As Brad Wylde commented, “Overall it was a very productive day. We could tell with both teams that in the first half both were a little disjointed and nervous, which is understandable based upon it being the first event with new personnel and coaching staff. But as both games progressed it was obvious to see the talent and potential these two teams have. The results may not have gone our way but we can see that this group of boys will have a very prosperous season.”
This morning the boys have had a chance to sleep in and relax. Breakfast was at 9am and we hit the road with the U16s at 12pm. Prior to this Brad and I attended a lecture by the US Soccer staff about designing an elite training session and the mentality needed at training. Although Gunner and I always try to instill a certain professional mentality and being the best a player can be at training it was good to hear it reinforced.
At 12:30pm this afternoon, Bennett Yort played for one of the 1994 Select Teams against the FC Dallas. Bennett played the second half in a 3-0 loss at right back. The U16s watched the game from the sideline before doing their dehydration testing with the Gatorade people. Prior to their 2:15pm game against the California Development Academy (CDA) the boys were weighed so that at the end of the game it could be determined what kind of weight was lost from fluid. Results are pending!
The U16s kicked off their game at 2:15pm with the U18s making the short trip up from Scottsdale to watch them play. I watched the CDA play yesterday morning and they were very impressive in a 1-0 win against Derby County Wolves from Michigan. We started the game very well with good possession and a creativity that we lacked at the beginning of the first half of the first game. However, somewhat against the run of play, in the twentieth minute the CDA got down our right hand side and produced a cross from their left that flew across the face of the goal, unfortunately there was a player arriving late at the far post to knock the ball in. We once again picked up the play and in the 39th minute a free kick taken from the right hand side by Roland Minogue found Asa Kryst. He hammered home a half volley from the top of the area low into the bottom right hand corner. We started the second half much like we ended the first and hit the post from another in swinging Minogue free kick. After it hit the post it popped out only for Matt Brown to find the cross bar with his header from five yards out. We peppered the CDA goal with a long range effort from Kyle Parker in the 13th minute of the half and then a run down the right by Ben Burdon lead to a cross to Kryst that was saved at the foot of the near post. It continued in this fashion until the very last minute of the game when it appeared that a CDA player was through on our goal only for the referee to blow the whistle and award a foul to the CDA. It was a good game where we played fluid soccer and defended in a compact organized way. The starting team with substitutions in parenthesis was as follows:
GK Jaron Bradley (Stefen Knapp GK)
LB Jake Keating
CB Matt Brown
CB Brandon Kardos
RB Ben Kern (Zhuvonte Wilson LMF)
LMF Harper Williams (Ben Burdon CF)
CMF Santiago Patino (Drew Brown LMF)
CMF Roland Minogue
RMF Conor Keeley
CF Kyle Parker
CF Asa Kryst (Ben Burdon CF)
Select Team participants: Bennett Yort (Saturday), Austin Yearwood (Sunday)
At 6:15pm the U18s took the field with the U16s watching from the sidelines. After a good start, a lot of possession and a couple of half chances we gave away a poor goal in the 14th minute by not marking and losing our shape defensively. The CDA got down our right hand side and with no pressure the left midfielder crossed to the back post to an unmarked player. Their second came after 28 minute when a CDA player shrugged off two tackles in the middle third of the field and played a penetrating ball into the center forward. A sharp combination play later and we found ourselves 2-0 down. We continued to have the better of the possession and chances and pushed to get our first goal of the game. It was not to come but our collective defending was much better and we did not give another chance away. We came out strongly in the second half. In the sixth minute we equalized. Jono Grad picked up the ball about 35 yards out and with no pressure drove toward the CDA goal. At 25 yards out he put the ball on his left foot and struck it low and hard towards the bottom right hand corner of the goal where it settled after crossing the line. We pressed hard again and within two minutes we were level as Giuseppe Gentile powered a header from a corner high into the goal. At 2-2 we were the better team and had chances to make it 3-2 on several occasions. Alex Leonard went close twice from long range only to see the CDA goal keeper make two very good saves. With about 25 minutes to go and us on top, CDA had a player sent off for a very heavy tackle on Leonard. At a time when we should have dominated even more the sending off seemed to awaken the CDA players. They fought hard and eventually were reward with a goal seven minutes from time. A cross from the left side was not dealt with well by us and as it came into the hear post a CDA player nipped in first to score. We went searching for our third in a 3-4-3 shape but it was not to be. The starting team with substitutions in parenthesis was as follows:
GK Trent Johnson (Nick Hensley GK)
LB Tyler Adams (Evan Kent LB)
CB Keith Pittman (Will O’Brien CB)
CB James Nero (Thomas Allen CB)
RB Kyle Searles
LMF Brett Luccia (Jono Grad CMF)
CMF Robbie Beatty
CMF Alex Leonard
RMF Sean Cogan (Nick Barnhorst RMF)
CF Giuseppe Gentile
CF Andrew Benningfield (Michael Nelli LMF)
Once again both teams played good soccer today. We must all remember that this is still pre-season for us and that Gunner and I are still trying to get to know players and evaluate where we think each player is at this time. With hundreds of college coaches around it is also important to try to give everybody a chance to show throughout the weekend. It is a fine balance but one that should give the boys the incentive to play the correct way for both us as coaches and the college programs out there. Tomorrow we have a day off but we have some activities planned including watching Austin Yearwood play in the next 1994 Select Team game. Until tomorrow, thanks for reading!
This morning the boys have had a chance to sleep in and relax. Breakfast was at 9am and we hit the road with the U16s at 12pm. Prior to this Brad and I attended a lecture by the US Soccer staff about designing an elite training session and the mentality needed at training. Although Gunner and I always try to instill a certain professional mentality and being the best a player can be at training it was good to hear it reinforced.
At 12:30pm this afternoon, Bennett Yort played for one of the 1994 Select Teams against the FC Dallas. Bennett played the second half in a 3-0 loss at right back. The U16s watched the game from the sideline before doing their dehydration testing with the Gatorade people. Prior to their 2:15pm game against the California Development Academy (CDA) the boys were weighed so that at the end of the game it could be determined what kind of weight was lost from fluid. Results are pending!
The U16s kicked off their game at 2:15pm with the U18s making the short trip up from Scottsdale to watch them play. I watched the CDA play yesterday morning and they were very impressive in a 1-0 win against Derby County Wolves from Michigan. We started the game very well with good possession and a creativity that we lacked at the beginning of the first half of the first game. However, somewhat against the run of play, in the twentieth minute the CDA got down our right hand side and produced a cross from their left that flew across the face of the goal, unfortunately there was a player arriving late at the far post to knock the ball in. We once again picked up the play and in the 39th minute a free kick taken from the right hand side by Roland Minogue found Asa Kryst. He hammered home a half volley from the top of the area low into the bottom right hand corner. We started the second half much like we ended the first and hit the post from another in swinging Minogue free kick. After it hit the post it popped out only for Matt Brown to find the cross bar with his header from five yards out. We peppered the CDA goal with a long range effort from Kyle Parker in the 13th minute of the half and then a run down the right by Ben Burdon lead to a cross to Kryst that was saved at the foot of the near post. It continued in this fashion until the very last minute of the game when it appeared that a CDA player was through on our goal only for the referee to blow the whistle and award a foul to the CDA. It was a good game where we played fluid soccer and defended in a compact organized way. The starting team with substitutions in parenthesis was as follows:
GK Jaron Bradley (Stefen Knapp GK)
LB Jake Keating
CB Matt Brown
CB Brandon Kardos
RB Ben Kern (Zhuvonte Wilson LMF)
LMF Harper Williams (Ben Burdon CF)
CMF Santiago Patino (Drew Brown LMF)
CMF Roland Minogue
RMF Conor Keeley
CF Kyle Parker
CF Asa Kryst (Ben Burdon CF)
Select Team participants: Bennett Yort (Saturday), Austin Yearwood (Sunday)
At 6:15pm the U18s took the field with the U16s watching from the sidelines. After a good start, a lot of possession and a couple of half chances we gave away a poor goal in the 14th minute by not marking and losing our shape defensively. The CDA got down our right hand side and with no pressure the left midfielder crossed to the back post to an unmarked player. Their second came after 28 minute when a CDA player shrugged off two tackles in the middle third of the field and played a penetrating ball into the center forward. A sharp combination play later and we found ourselves 2-0 down. We continued to have the better of the possession and chances and pushed to get our first goal of the game. It was not to come but our collective defending was much better and we did not give another chance away. We came out strongly in the second half. In the sixth minute we equalized. Jono Grad picked up the ball about 35 yards out and with no pressure drove toward the CDA goal. At 25 yards out he put the ball on his left foot and struck it low and hard towards the bottom right hand corner of the goal where it settled after crossing the line. We pressed hard again and within two minutes we were level as Giuseppe Gentile powered a header from a corner high into the goal. At 2-2 we were the better team and had chances to make it 3-2 on several occasions. Alex Leonard went close twice from long range only to see the CDA goal keeper make two very good saves. With about 25 minutes to go and us on top, CDA had a player sent off for a very heavy tackle on Leonard. At a time when we should have dominated even more the sending off seemed to awaken the CDA players. They fought hard and eventually were reward with a goal seven minutes from time. A cross from the left side was not dealt with well by us and as it came into the hear post a CDA player nipped in first to score. We went searching for our third in a 3-4-3 shape but it was not to be. The starting team with substitutions in parenthesis was as follows:
GK Trent Johnson (Nick Hensley GK)
LB Tyler Adams (Evan Kent LB)
CB Keith Pittman (Will O’Brien CB)
CB James Nero (Thomas Allen CB)
RB Kyle Searles
LMF Brett Luccia (Jono Grad CMF)
CMF Robbie Beatty
CMF Alex Leonard
RMF Sean Cogan (Nick Barnhorst RMF)
CF Giuseppe Gentile
CF Andrew Benningfield (Michael Nelli LMF)
Once again both teams played good soccer today. We must all remember that this is still pre-season for us and that Gunner and I are still trying to get to know players and evaluate where we think each player is at this time. With hundreds of college coaches around it is also important to try to give everybody a chance to show throughout the weekend. It is a fine balance but one that should give the boys the incentive to play the correct way for both us as coaches and the college programs out there. Tomorrow we have a day off but we have some activities planned including watching Austin Yearwood play in the next 1994 Select Team game. Until tomorrow, thanks for reading!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Day Two – Friday December 4, 2009
This morning we ate breakfast at the hotel before the U16s departed for the complex at 8:30am. The complex is absolutely fantastic with 18 lit fields and turf that felt like a carpet. The U16s played a tough Colorado Rapids team from the MLS and after a somewhat shaky start came into their own midway through the first half. We created three good chances through Ben Burdon and two good free kicks from Roland Minogue. In the second half the game opened up more as substitutions were made by both teams. We were unlucky not to take the lead when we hit the right hand upright during the second half. The starting team with substitutions in parenthesis was as follows:
GK Stefen Knapp (Jaron Bradley GK)
LB Austin Yearwood (Zhuvonte Wilson LMF)
CB Matt Brown
CB Brandon Kardos
RB Bennett Yort (Ben Kern RB)
LMF Jake Keating
CMF Santiago Patino (Kyle Parker CF)
CMF Roland Minogue
RMF Drew Brown (Harper Williams RMF)
CF Conor Keeley
CF Ben Burdon
The U18 team also faced the Rapids at 12pm at the Reach 11 Complex. The Rapids are also opening up there season here in Phoenix. We started brightly with chances from Giuseppe Gentile and Jono Grad. But in the eighth minute the Rapids struck when a square ball played from right to left at the half way line was intercepted. The Rapids center forward ran from the half way line to the eighteen yard line with the ball before slotting over goal keeper Nick Hensley.
The second half was a different story with us creating numerous chances from wide play and also down the middle. Our defensive shape was much better with players helping each other out. After missing by inches on several occasions, Evan Kent provided a ball into the channel down the right for Giuseppe Gentile to control at the top of the area before beating the center back for pace and pulling the ball back for Drew Benningfield. With the ball at his feet, Benningfield swept the ball home from eight yards out with seventeen minutes remaining to make it 1-1. From then on out we went for the win getting in behind and creating a number of good opportunities that the keeper saved well from. Unfortunately with seven minutes remaining the tide turned as the Rapids played a good one-two at the top of our box before beating our advancing goal keep Trent Johnson. The starting team with substitutions in parenthesis was as follows:
GK Nick Hensley (Trent Johnson GK)
LB Evan Kent
CB Thomas Allen (Keith Pittman CB)
CB James Nero
RB Will O’Brien (Tyler Adams LB)
LMF Andrew Sperr (Michael Nelli LMF)
CMF Brett Luccia (Robbie Beatty CMF)
CMF Jono Grad (Alex Leonard CMF)
RMF Nick Barnhorst
CF Giuseppe Gentile
CF Conner Miller (Andrew Benningfield CF)
After the game the boys had dinner, watched the first half of the USA vs. Portugal game and then headed to the hotel. It has been a good trip so far. Looking forward to the next game………
GK Stefen Knapp (Jaron Bradley GK)
LB Austin Yearwood (Zhuvonte Wilson LMF)
CB Matt Brown
CB Brandon Kardos
RB Bennett Yort (Ben Kern RB)
LMF Jake Keating
CMF Santiago Patino (Kyle Parker CF)
CMF Roland Minogue
RMF Drew Brown (Harper Williams RMF)
CF Conor Keeley
CF Ben Burdon
The U18 team also faced the Rapids at 12pm at the Reach 11 Complex. The Rapids are also opening up there season here in Phoenix. We started brightly with chances from Giuseppe Gentile and Jono Grad. But in the eighth minute the Rapids struck when a square ball played from right to left at the half way line was intercepted. The Rapids center forward ran from the half way line to the eighteen yard line with the ball before slotting over goal keeper Nick Hensley.
The second half was a different story with us creating numerous chances from wide play and also down the middle. Our defensive shape was much better with players helping each other out. After missing by inches on several occasions, Evan Kent provided a ball into the channel down the right for Giuseppe Gentile to control at the top of the area before beating the center back for pace and pulling the ball back for Drew Benningfield. With the ball at his feet, Benningfield swept the ball home from eight yards out with seventeen minutes remaining to make it 1-1. From then on out we went for the win getting in behind and creating a number of good opportunities that the keeper saved well from. Unfortunately with seven minutes remaining the tide turned as the Rapids played a good one-two at the top of our box before beating our advancing goal keep Trent Johnson. The starting team with substitutions in parenthesis was as follows:
GK Nick Hensley (Trent Johnson GK)
LB Evan Kent
CB Thomas Allen (Keith Pittman CB)
CB James Nero
RB Will O’Brien (Tyler Adams LB)
LMF Andrew Sperr (Michael Nelli LMF)
CMF Brett Luccia (Robbie Beatty CMF)
CMF Jono Grad (Alex Leonard CMF)
RMF Nick Barnhorst
CF Giuseppe Gentile
CF Conner Miller (Andrew Benningfield CF)
After the game the boys had dinner, watched the first half of the USA vs. Portugal game and then headed to the hotel. It has been a good trip so far. Looking forward to the next game………
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