Thursday pickup

Same time and place as last week - 7pm, CD East. If you know of anyone who might want to play with us, bring them along.

Pickup this week

Thursday, 7pm, CD East Middle School - where we played our first home game. See you there.

Also, Twin Ponds West is hosting pickup Tuesday night as well as Monday night, 9pm, $5.

Numbers

No, not the overextended drama on cbs ("Them gangstas, they're using MATH!"), but an increase in our roster is the reference here.
Let's face it, we're hurting when it comes to numbers and I've heard several people mention that they would, put nicely, really like more players. Of course, we mean players that will help us win.
Now, some of us are newer to the area than others, some of us have lots of soccer contacts, and some of us don't. But we can all do something: poach players from other teams who aren't getting playing time, grab players from pickup, post signs at soccer facilities and on listservs. I think we'd be more than willing to let someone come out for a one game trial and see if they fit.
So, let's see if we can find 4 or 5 good players to help us out. We've got a month left to win some games.
jc

Field Change

Sunday's game (May 21) versus Angelos is still at 3:00 but we are not playing at the CD East Middle School. Instead we will be playing at the CD East High School (Admin fields). If you are not familiar, the High School fields are in the same complex but just a few hundred yards away, up on the hill behind the fence/gate. So if you are facing our regular field that we play on from the parking lot, the field is to your left on the far side of the football practice field and softball field and baseball field).

Pick-Up Games

Here are pick-up games in the area I know about: please feel free to add to the list.

Mon: Twin Ponds West, 9-11pm, $5 charge
Tues: In Carlisle w/ Carlisle team, 6pm, at the field we played at last month (Valley Meadows?)
Wed: in Hershey at the Hershey Med Center, 6pm-ish
Fri: Linglestown Middle School, 6.30 (an older crowd)
Sun: same as Friday but at 4.00 or so

Not as bad as we thought...

Thinking about yesterday's game, we actually had some very good moments. We talked about bringing the ball out of the back slowly, possessing the ball, and we did that for a while. We worked at coming back from midfield, and you guys in the back found us. I can recall a few occasions when the ball went back to Mike, who then kept it going across the field. We hadn't been able to do that before. We also had good team movement for a while. What broke down was fitness, and that's the easiest to fix. . Now we need to work at keeping the possession going past midfield and on our man-marking. What do you think about playing a flat four at the back? Something a little different. So, anyone feel like a bit of pickup? Tuesday? Thursday? I don't want to set up a permanent date yet, but seeing as we don't have a game Sunday, I thought we could manage a kickabout this week. Please post your interest up here. (Dil - can you send me an e-mail so I can send you another invitation to post here? That goes for anyone else not able to post). Keep your heads up, we are going to get there. jc

Next Game, Last Game

First and Foremost: the time for this week's game has been changed to 3pm. The location remains the same. We changed it so that we could be certain of having numbers. However, we will not have refs, so please take this into consideration when launching savage slide tackles. Also, Annville was very gracious to change the time, so I'd like to bring a case of beer to share with them after the game. Contributions will be welcome.
Now, as for last week's game: I wanted to say something, but couldn't until now without excessive use of various forms of the word 'motherfucker'. We all know that was an aberration, we can and will play much better. I'm not going to repeat anything - we know what we have to do. I will add that we need to stay focused, and be more aggressive all over the pitch. Don't be a sheep out there - be a wolf.
Bis spaeter,
jc

PS - great pic, sensei.

click on image for larger view.

I asked the team's wife to get some photos, unfortunately they are all of me. I'll ask her to share the wealth next time.

Bloody Chelsea

Any Russian Billionaires on the team who can buy Arsenal and purchase 25 of the best players in the world?

If anyone was going to stop Chelsea, I would have thought it would have been ManU, apparently, only lowly Charlton can stop them.


Btw: ManU needs to dump/sell RV Nistelrooy.

Game 4

All,

Game four is this Sunday at 1 pm at CD East. I don't know what color shirts our opponents wear, so please bring a blue shirt along with the red, just in case.
Directions to the field (from the website):
Directions: Take the Union Deposit Road exit from 83/322. Drive East (away from Harrisburg) on Union deposit Road for about 1.5 to 2 miles. Cross Rutherford Road (school is across intersection on the left). Turn left onto Firehouse. You will see fenced in basketball courts in front of you. The field is behind and below the courts. - Not visible from road. Do NOT park in the Firehouse parking lot. - Your car will be towed !

See you there,

mind-games

All, one of the basic principles we need to work on is our movement off the ball. We have a strong goalie and D, can trap, dribble, pass, shoot, etc... But we need to master a fundamental skill. Supporting the play. This is quite simply managing realestate, i.e., creating space that doesn't currently exist. This is most easily accomplished in 2 steps. Step 1. run away from the ball carrier. This creates an open area. Step 2. run back. this creates separation from your defender. this also buys you time to turn once a pass is played to you. Here's the key. multiple people within 30 yards of the ball carrier need to do this. String a few of these actions together and you retain position and work the ball around to find seams in the D. I have included an illustration!

Pickup Next Week

All,

How about a nice, small-sided pickup game, say, next Wednesday at about 7pm? Location tbd. Let me know if you're interested. It would be a good chance to get some touches and some running in...

Leave a comment if you're interested.

Game 3

Here are the directions to the game Sunday (3:00, April 23) at In The Net. If you are unfamiliar with the field there, it is the long artificial grass. I believe most people wear cleats but some wear turfs and few wear flats.

Directions: From Harrisburg and West: Take 322 East through Hershey (past the Med Center and Milton Hershey School) and into Campbelltown. The second light in Campbelltown is Rte. 117, turn left onto 117. Travel North on 117 for approximately one mile. There will be an Airport on your left and an RV dealership on your right. Turn right onto Airport Rd. The complex will be just down the road on your right.
--or-- you can take 422 East and turn right onto 117 (beside Klick Lewis) . Take 117 South for 2 miles and turn left onto Airport Rd.

Game 2

All,
We played quite well this past Sunday, I think, and it's very encouraging that we responded from our first game in such a positive manner.
Now there's a bit of time before our next game and of course time to think, analyze, deconstruct, but there is one very fundamental aspect to our game I think we could focus on for next time - scoring goals. This is everyone's responsibility, not just the forwards. We can build from the back, and now that we've played two games and are getting our legs, we can overlap from the defense.
Last night at the indoor game, we talked about not having that collective edge that pushes you past the opponent. Yes, we played hard, and yes we played well - foundations. I think we're ready to be more aggressive out there, more attack minded, less satisfied with a good chance and more determined to convert that chance.
Give it some thought.
Again, great work this past week. Rest up and we'll see each other a week from Sunday.

Directions to Carlisle Field

I have the intellegence of a 2 year old, so those directions made my head spin. Here's a map to provide clarity (at least for myself) Just click on it to expand the image.

A few issues...

1. Sunday's Game: all in all, not a bad effort. As several said after the game, it certainly was not a 3-0 loss. But that's soccer. We played well at times, passed well towards the end of the game. On the other hand, we need to play the ball on the ground a bit more, try to establish a collective pace, move off the ball....all those things we know we need to do. Remember, we're a new team and it will take some time to get used to each other, get positions sorted out and get our game legs. It will come.

2. Next Game: this Sunday, 3pm, AT A NEW LOCATION: the game will be played at Valley Meadows in Carlisle. Here are the directions as per the website:

Directions: Interstate 81 to exit 44 Plainfield Rt. 465 (old exit 12)
Turn towards Rt. 11 Northbound I 81 turn left Southbound I 81 turn right Go on
Rt. 465 (Allen Road) approx. ½ mile to Rt. 11 (Sheetz on your left) Right turn
onto Rt. 11 (North) Go on Rt. 11 approx. 1 mile to Meadow Blvd. (2 brick
pillars) Right turn onto Meadow Blvd Go 1 block and turn left into gravel road
for field #1 parking OR Go to end of street (2 blocks) and turn left for field
#2 parking Note: Can access either field from either parking lot

If you will NOT be in attendance, please notify both Mark and myself by Friday of this week. This should be the general policy.

3. Payment: not everyone brought his checkbook this week. No big deal. Please bring a check this Sunday. The amount is $70. If you don't bring payment by this Sunday, no problem. The following Sunday the amount is $75. The week after that, $80. Smells like a pattern, I know. I hate to be a bastard about it, but getting burned every season is no fun.

4. Pickup: with the change to daylight savings, pickup games usually start up. If you know of one, please let everyone know. There used to be a pickup game Wednesday evenings at the Hershey Med Center. Don't know if that's still going on or not.

That's it for now - good work last Sunday and see you in a few days.

jc out

Gentlemen, Nick, and Gary,

Now the experiment really begins. For the past few months we've worked at building a team in terms of talent and spirit, and we've succeeded quite well. We had some success, worked through a real rough patch, and now we're playing better than we had before.
Now we are bringing on some new players, and will have to adjust to them, as they will to us, along with playing outdoors - which is of course what it's all about. The outdoor game suits our style, I think.
For those of you concerned about the lightness of our roster, I can only say, don't worry. The numbers are coming together. True, this week may be physically challenging, especially if we only have one or two subs. But enjoy this, enjoy the fact that after two or three games, you'll be back to game shape. If we're tired, rotate between up top, the midfield and defense. We've created this team by picking players capable of playing anywhere, so let's use this to our advantage (and the benefit of our lungs).
Let's keep playing the collective game, passing and moving. And take chances out there, experiment, fight hard, and we'll have a blast regardless of the result.
For those interested, come early to the game this week. At around 2 we're going to start warming up and going over some "strategery".
See you,
jc

Sundays directions

First here is how we stand:
Jim L, Mike L, Chris D, Steve G, Sam K, Jeff C, Nick S, Kurt T, Mark N, Marat B, Billy M, Gary S, Tim B, and Dilwyn K are now officially rostered. -14 (minus 2 for this Sunday's game).
Billy is still working on one guy, Chris is too. I emailed Dawit and am waiting response.

The game is at 3:00 *** DON'T FORGET THIS SUNDAY IS DAYLIGHTING TIME CHANGE!!! ***

I'll also email these directions to the addresses that I have (please forward if you notice I missed someone).

Take Route 11 South from Route 11 and Route 114 intersection in Mechanicsburg. Follow Route 11 south past Cumberland Valley High School and take the right at the next light. This is Ridge Hill Drive. Take the next left on Burnheisel Bridge Road and proceed to the park 1 mile on right. Field 1 is the first field on the left entering the park. Cars MUST park in the designated areas.
Note: If you are coming from 81...you would take Rt 11 North...take a left onto Ridge Hill Drive (at the Hess Station at the light before CV High
School) and proceed from there....

ES Roster

The following people were transfers/added to the ES roster: Jim L, Mike L, Chris D, Steve G, Sam K, Jeff C, Nick S, Kurt T, Mark N, Marat B. - thats 9 (not including Steve).

Gary, you didn't register in the fall so you must do so for the spring. - 10.

Chris, have your guy register online notifying me when he is done so I can add him. - 11.

Billy, you must register also. - 12.

Jim, I added Tim Bentz, can you notify him? Have Dilwyn Knott register and notify me when he is done? Is Mark Browning a definite? He is still under Angelos. - thats 14 (maybe 15).

Dan and Val, we could really use you both. Plllleeeaasse - with sugar on top.

Did I miss anyone?

All, you can see the roster, see the schedule, do registeration here:
http://www.sportsmanager.us/capitalareasoccerleague.htm

It's official

It's official... our home field in CD East Middle School. If you are unfamiliar, it's not a bad pitch - we've definitely played on worse.

Jeff is ordering jerseys very soon. Game one might require old t's and taped on numbers, but what do you expect from a team that is called Ethereal Silence.

We are still waiting on the league so we can transfer everybody.

Cost for this season is going to be about $70 (plus an additional $20 for those that didn't play in the fall).

Finally... Steve have a good, safe trip.