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Youth soccer club

Mandating 3 officials for JV? That is some funny stuff. Get more off . There aren't enough officials and there aren't enough officials for a number of:

1. almost all of these games have to be adults since kids are too young. Many very good ARs are younger. They play at a high level and are capable of being ARs for even the highest level youth matches (ECNL in OK).

2. Some officials don't do high school vs USSF/youth or adults.


3. There especially aren't enough officials in the non-metro areas to cover games. If they are in the area, their lack of knowledge about the game is limited at best or non-existent.

4. Travel to smaller outlying schools is not paid for. Some refuse to pay mileage. These can be 1-2 hour drives each way. Game ends at 10 or later if it goes to OT or gets now that OSSAA has said there must be a winner. You are talking getting home past midnight on a work day. It isn't worth it for the time and cost of driving. Some do it because it is sort of fun. Others say hell no. Limits the pool

5. JV games start early. Some are kicking off at 3pm. That takes away from people that work. Limits the pool

6. high school has a lot of really, really bad games. Some higher level officials who do college or USL games etc...will just decline them unless it is decent schools. Or they just don't do high school at all. Limits the pool

7. Some people just can't handle it. The abuse can be really high. There are just so many parents and fans that don't understand jack about competitive matches what is advantage or what is actually a foul. "That was an elbow!" (usually with a country ass accent). He is over his back on a header! that was a high kick! He is going cleats up! The kids don't even react because they understand but the parents are going nuts People have been chased out of stadiums by fans etc.. it isn't worth it for 50 bucks. Limits the pool

those are some of the bigger reasons.
So, Union's JV Red (Fr/So) team plays almost exclusively against 4A, 5A varsity teams that are used as varsity record games for those schools. They should 100% have 3 officials for any game involving a varsity team that counts for record. The games in Collinsville that they played (25 min halves, tournament) were against Oolagah varsity, Hale varsity, and Will Rogers varsity. These aren't used for records since they aren't official timed games (40 min halves). They had a pool of 4 officials rotate through. They should have absolutely had 3 officials run the boys and girls finals of that tournament.

I get the shortage of officials. Its the reason I went through the process to get certified this year. And it's actually pretty simple to get certified as an OSSAA soccer official. Pay, take the test, pass, you're in. There are still way too few refs out there. For instance, the assignor at BA is begging for refs this weekend which is strapped because TSC's Route 66 showcase is this weekend. For anyone with teenagers looking to make a few bucks, this is the route. My 16 year old may $175 last weekend working 6 hours between Saturday and Sunday. Most of his games were U7 and U8 games where the ref basically tells them who throws it in, whose goal kick it is, etc. Mostly stress free. 13 and 14 year olds can easily do those games without a problem.

And if you're a parent of a soccer player...don't be the previous me. You don't know all the laws or the nuances of how they're applied and none of these games really means diddly in the grand scheme of life. Stop acting insane and embarrassing your kid
 
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Son played 3 games this weekend in the Route 66 Showcase. His team played well overall. Started strong on Saturday AM, played some really good soccer and created a good number of chances. Finishing is always a problem. Tied a team from StL, 2-2 although the TSC team was by far the better and more put together. My son played pretty well. Both goals came off of 1 v 1 breakaways (he stopped 3-4 other similar chances). He did have a quick punt that went about 70 yds and sent in one of his teammates on a 1 v 1.

2nd game Saturday was a different story. Playing against a Kansas Rush team from Wichita, my son's team just seemed sluggish and lacking energy. Most of them played high school games on Friday night followed by their AM game on Saturday. 4:30pm was warmer and windier as well. Just a step slow all game. My son played OK and the team did fight back to create some late chances and 1 goal. Lost 4-1.

Sunday game vs Capitol City FC out of Austin. TSC showed a lot better. This game was very even and had a lot of good quality play to it. Capitol City took a 1-0 lead about 15 minutes in after a turnover in the MF and the kid hit an absolute rocket to the upper 90 far post. My son didn't have a chance. My son did show some really strong hands in tough windy conditions though snagging a couple of crosses and corners at their peaks. He also made some quick decisions to come off his line and challenge the other team's best player who was just very technical and pretty quick to get in behind a number of times. TSC tied the game and then went ahead in the 1st half on some nice play. They found a good rhythm passing and finding space for the latter half of the 1st 40 and really put a lot of pressure on the other team. Capitol City's GK played really well and stopped what looked to be a sure 3rd goal for TSC.

2nd half was an insane half of soccer. About 10 minutes in, TSC sends the striker in behind the back line, nice touch to bring the ball down and then he somehow was able to put distance between him and the defenders...GK comes way out (outside of his box even) and goes down as the TSC player tries to lift a shot over him, keeper reaches up and blocks it with his hands, 3 yds outside of his box. Straight red for DOGSO. It happened right in front of me and I was able to talk to the referee after the game for a few minutes waiting for my game to start. He was pretty confident that was the only correct call (I agreed). My wife also recorded the play as well and it was very clear and obvious. The other team plays down a man for the last 30 minutes BUT they have the wind (20-25mph) at their backs for this half. Ref also started calling every little thing which seemingly always went against my son's team. My son made an incredible save off a free kick tipping the ball over the bar. Every free kick after that sailed over the goal as I think the other team was trying to be too precise in their placement. Capitol City tied the game at 2 with about 7 minutes left off a corner with some insane chaos in the box. About 2 minutes left, my son stopped a breakaway at the top of the box, and then he sprinted to the corner to keep the ball from going out for a corner and he hammered the ball up the sideline for a throw in. For his effort he took a size 10 Nike to his calf. He's still got the cleat marks to prove it. Game ended 2-2. I question the decision to take the wind in the 1st half. IMO, always take the wind in the 2nd half. Going into the wind with fresh legs is always preferable to doing so in the 2nd half on tired legs.

I ref'd 2 games this weekend. AR for a U19 game between a TSC side and an NEOFC side. I knew a few players on the TSC team who play with my son a Union. Let's just say, I'm too old to try to keep up with kids at this level. 2nd game was a finals game on Sunday, U13 boys. Team that lost basically chased my center off the field. Game was called fairly. They were upset because an offside was not called on the goal. Player took the ball after it bounced over the GK and put it in. Player was onside when the initial free kick was taken...teammate went to head the ball, but didn't get a touch and the GK whiffed on the grab. Every time there was a foul, parents were yelling for red and yellow cards...EVERY. FREAKING. FOUL. They were upset on an offside I flagged b/c I let the play run as it appeared the offside player was not going to get involved but then the wind took the ball away from the GK and the player actually ran onto it late. Put the flag up when the player gets involved.

If you don't mind running a little and can tune out the noise from parents and coaches, refereeing is a good side gig. Made about $100 for 2 games this weekend...although I may need to invest in a hot tub at home for post game recovery
 
My son's Union JV team played Bishop Kelley's JV team last evening. My son had a shutout for his half in goal. Wasn't really called on to make any saves but he did have one instance where he came out in front of an attacker to take the ball off his foot in the box. GK in the 2nd half didn't have to make any saves either. Union's D really played well and the entire team played really well in possession. Union had a lot of good chances but only cashed in 1. Union wins 1-0

This game was more fun than just watching my son and his team compete well. There are 5-6 kids on Union who my son has played club ball with just this year. There were 5 kids on BK who he has shared a field with as teammates as well (2 of which I coached in rec soccer at U7, U8, and U9). I probably knew just as many parents sitting on the visitors side as I did on the home side and it was fun seeing the boys interacting during play even though they wore different colored jerseys for this night.
 
Anybody headed to Dallas Cup?
Leaving in a few hours. Expect to be dodging storms on the way down. Opening ceremony tonight at 6:30. Our pool games are Weds 1:30, Thurs 6 and Fri 6. Top 8 teams make it to bracket play beginning on Saturday. Ecnl sub rules. Girls are excited. Hoping to make it to the weekend.
 
Girls have played their best soccer of the year down here.

Classic Elite Pre ECNL 4-0
Dallas Texans 7-0
FC Dallas 3-0

All in pool play. Unfortunately, they don’t seed the teams for tomorrows 8 team knockout phase but play predetermined cross pool. So we draw Solar in the quarters. Tough draw for sure.

The 2009s and 2011s both failed to advance to the weekend.
 
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Lost in the quarters to Solar. We had tied them the week before here in Tulsa. The girls came out tight and Solar being Solar took advantage. All in all a very fun tourney. Rivalry game against Energy next Saturday then ECNL tryouts in two weeks.
 
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Lost in the quarters to Solar. We had tied them the week before here in Tulsa. The girls came out tight and Solar being Solar took advantage. All in all a very fun tourney. Rivalry game against Energy next Saturday then ECNL tryouts in two weeks.
Sounds like a good weekend overall.

My son played at Choctaw on Friday. Choctaw is not good at soccer. The Union JV boys, varsity girls, and varsity boys outscored their Choctaw counterparts a collective 18-0 on Friday. I know the JV boys didn't register a shot on target. My son didn't touch the ball with his hands for the half he played. The other Union GK touched it with his hands 1 times on an over zealous over the top ball. Varsity girls didn't surrender a shot and probably should have ended the game in the 1st half. They missed a ton of great chances. Makenzie Malham, pretty much the best girls soccer player in OK, didn't even make the trip. I left at half to drive back. My son had to stay the entire time. He said varsity boys squandered a bunch of really good chances in the 1st half and it took about 20 minutes into the 2nd half to finally break through...and then the flood gates opened...5 goals in the last 20 minutes including a PK with about 30 seconds left (my son said the keeper came out and just body tackled a Union player in the box).

Union girls will win their district. The boys will probably finish 3rd unless someone can find an upset of Enid.

My son had a game vs BA added for today at 4 and they play NOAH at RSU tomorrow night. He's got club teammates on both teams so that should be fun.

His club team will play in the Blitz tournament this weekend. This was at the request of the parents who wanted an extra few games before State Cup in May. I'm slated to ref this weekend. I'm liking this gig if my legs can hold up. Last weekend made $175 for 4 games of rec soccer. Get some sun and exercise at the same time...and rec parents aren't quite insane like competitive parents.
 
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I am curious NOAH will ever get into OSSAA. They would be a 6A school technically just by EPIC alone. This homeschool crap is totally out of control.
 
I am curious NOAH will ever get into OSSAA. They would be a 6A school technically just by EPIC alone. This homeschool crap is totally out of control.
NOAH wants no part of 6A athletics.

TU_Bla…why are you guys playing at RSU? My daughter trains on that field quite regularly with one of RSU’s coaches.
 
NOAH wants no part of 6A athletics.

TU_Bla…why are you guys playing at RSU? My daughter trains on that field quite regularly with one of RSU’s coaches.
That's where NOAH secured a field for the game. Union plays at 8:15 out there tonight.

As for NOAH, I thought at some point they had secured OSSAA membership. Maybe not...I do know they play a lot of OSSAA members, more in the 3A. Their soccer team plays some varsity sides, but mostly JV sides (like tonight). They're a decent side but they don't have a ton of depth. If I recall correctly, a Blankenship used to coach their football team and he had them winning games against some real powers in their respective classes.

Yesterday vs BA, my son's team got trounced 4-0. My son played the 2nd half and came on down 2-0 already. They played BA's higher JV team, not the FR team they played early in the season. BA was way more technical and passed with great efficiency and accuracy in tight spaces. Union was pretty good in the build up of their attack but things seemingly broke down right outside the area. They attempted a lot of shots but only 1 or 2 were on target. BAs attacks were very clinical and they had a couple of kids who could finish. Both goals against my son ended up being 1 v 1's. The backline for Union tends to lost it's shape and leaves way too much space between the backs forcing the CBs to over play to one side.

BAs GK for this game (and the following game between Union's JV1 and BA's FR team was the starting varsity keeper for BA last year that won a state championship.
 
That's where NOAH secured a field for the game. Union plays at 8:15 out there tonight.

As for NOAH, I thought at some point they had secured OSSAA membership. Maybe not...I do know they play a lot of OSSAA members, more in the 3A. Their soccer team plays some varsity sides, but mostly JV sides (like tonight). They're a decent side but they don't have a ton of depth. If I recall correctly, a Blankenship used to coach their football team and he had them winning games against some real powers in their respective classes.

Yesterday vs BA, my son's team got trounced 4-0. My son played the 2nd half and came on down 2-0 already. They played BA's higher JV team, not the FR team they played early in the season. BA was way more technical and passed with great efficiency and accuracy in tight spaces. Union was pretty good in the build up of their attack but things seemingly broke down right outside the area. They attempted a lot of shots but only 1 or 2 were on target. BAs attacks were very clinical and they had a couple of kids who could finish. Both goals against my son ended up being 1 v 1's. The backline for Union tends to lost it's shape and leaves way too much space between the backs forcing the CBs to over play to one side.

BAs GK for this game (and the following game between Union's JV1 and BA's FR team was the starting varsity keeper for BA last year that won a state championship.

Of course, they don't, but neither does Ponca City and some other terrible schools with no players and coaching. By population, I think they would be the largest high school in the state. If the religious freakazoids and ignoranus parents want to screw their kids they can be in those kinds of sports as well. Sorry the truth hurts people.
 
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Of course, they don't, but neither does Ponca City and some other terrible schools with no players and coaching. By population, I think they would be the largest high school in the state. If the religious freakazoids and ignoranus parents want to screw their kids they can be in those kinds of sports as well. Sorry the truth hurts people.
But what would they have to report as their enrollment? All homeschool kids or just those in a geographic area (NOAH literally stands for Northeast Oklahoma Assoc. of Homeschools). Or would they just have to report enrollment for those parents who register their kids to be able to participate in extra curricular activities? And I can assure you any kid playing for a NOAH team isn't doing so because a parent is looking for a competitive advantage for their kid. This isn't Cascia or Holland Hall who can offer scholarships to super athletic kids who might not otherwise even think about attending those schools.
 
Of course, they don't, but neither does Ponca City and some other terrible schools with no players and coaching. By population, I think they would be the largest high school in the state. If the religious freakazoids and ignoranus parents want to screw their kids they can be in those kinds of sports as well. Sorry the truth hurts people.
You seem very angry about this subject.
 
Another nugget about my son's JV team that we just learned. Apparently he and the other GK decide who is playing which half...not the coach. He's basically left it up to them. Usually my son takes the 1st half and the other Gk takes the 2nd. Always thought that was the pecking order...apparently not. So yesterday he let the other GK have the 1st half b/c Union had the wind (my son typically always is going into the wind...and this is by their design as he drives the ball better through the wind). Of course, I show up thinking he's playing the 1st half knowing I have to leave at halftime to get my daughter to a dance class. My son told my wife, if he knew this ahead of time he would have lobbied for the 1st half 😂
 
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Union JV2 beats NOAH 4-1. Game was super physical and chippy. 2 refs..maybe 3-4 total yellow cards but it definitely should have been more. The refs lost control of the game early. One Union player left the game with what appeared to be a separated shoulder after a hard tackle from behind. My son played the 1st half and made 2 AAA saves, one a couple minutes in. If my count is correct my son ended the JV2 season with 4 GA in the equivalent of 6 full games played. 2 of the goals came in one game. Not bad.

Again 1 v 1's vs the keeper were a problem. NOAH had some good players but lacked quality in the back and in goal. We played at RSU's Soldier Field which is a really nice facility. Full size field, decent lighting, good space on the sidelines for the teams.
 
Son's club team is playing in the Blitz Tourney this weekend. Not originally on our schedule but a bunch of our parents wanted so extra games and playing time before State Cup in May. Some reason we are placed in an '05 age group. 2 05 teams, 3 06 teams. Not sure why we got placed in the 05 group as there is an 06 group. 4 games though and we will be tested pretty good.
 
Please promise me that you’ll physically hold down every father on your teams that says their child is getting a scholarship or going pro and make them listen to this. This is truth. Truth.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wynalda-for-the-win/id1584874896?i=1000558292583
He's not wrong. But I think he overestimates the number of kids who are playing who shouldn't be. I'm not sure the goal of all parents or the players is to be college or pro-bound. Some kids stay because they like the team and the coach and the parents are willing to pay for that. The business side sucks...there are hundreds of kids in Tulsa who could be great players except for the fact their parents don't have the expendable cash on hand to pay for club soccer. Even the scholarships most clubs can give doesn't cover enough to allow kids in that situation to play. We've offered to move my son several times. A lot of kids when they've been playing club for a while detest the idea of going back to rec and the drop off in quality of play. We gave him the opportunity to move clubs last year to be more featured. I will say that TSC seems to have a decent plan as these kids get older. They know all of the kids aren't playing in college but it's not going to be because TSC didn't get them in front of college coaches at all levels. I don't think my son has any illusions to playing D1. He's hoping soccer is an extra avenue to get into a top engineering school who may have a soccer team no matter what division. He really wants to go to MIT. But Washington U in StL is also up there. They both have D3 programs. My latest info is that TSC has their U16, U17, and U19 groups already slated to play in 6 showcases next season. At some point it's up to the kids to make that decision and effort. I know 4 kids from TSCs 3rd team in U19 have committed to playing soccer next year. Maybe it's not D1 or pro but they get to keep playing for the love of the game for a bit longer, and maybe that's all they need/want.
 
I went back to rec once I started driving. Probably bc I sucked lol but also bc I had other things going on. And it gave me more time to hang out at the indoor joint with all the other burnouts who shunned club ball.
 
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I went back to rec once I started driving. Probably bc I sucked lol but also bc I had other things going on. And it gave me more time to hang out at the indoor joint with all the other burnouts who shunned club ball.
This was exactly my experience, substituting indoor ball with my girlfriend for indoor ball with the burners.
 
Speaking of youth soccer, TSC just released the ECNL/ECRL girls coaching assignments :). Assume boys will be later today or Monday
 
Speaking of youth soccer, TSC just released the ECNL/ECRL girls coaching assignments :). Assume boys will be later today or Monday
I had a long phone call with Barry on Monday. I got some inside info. Essentially the ECNL/RL 06 sides will have new coaches. I believe Anthony Smith will still be the 3rd team coach if they get enough players.
 
Speaking of youth soccer, TSC just released the ECNL/ECRL girls coaching assignments :). Assume boys will be later today or Monday
I'm assuming your daughter will be ECNL U13 next year right? How well do you know Lewis? He's a little crazy. But he's an excellent coach. He's my son's GK coach. He has been with Spurs and a club in Italy (Inter maybe?) but I'm not sure he had any significant time with their first sides. He's intense and fast paced in his training sessions and he's all about challenging the kids to go above what they think they can. I think that's why my son likes training with him. Always something new and out of the box it seems but always something that gets him to see how to approach things in a new way.
 
I'm assuming your daughter will be ECNL U13 next year right? How well do you know Lewis? He's a little crazy. But he's an excellent coach. He's my son's GK coach. He has been with Spurs and a club in Italy (Inter maybe?) but I'm not sure he had any significant time with their first sides. He's intense and fast paced in his training sessions and he's all about challenging the kids to go above what they think they can. I think that's why my son likes training with him. Always something new and out of the box it seems but always something that gets him to see how to approach things in a new way.
That matches what I’ve heard about Amos. He’s coached a few of our games but has never ran a training. His trainings sound a lot like those of John Michael. Intense, fast paced, challenging. My kid loves JM so I assume she will fit in well with Amos’ style.
 
That matches what I’ve heard about Amos. He’s coached a few of our games but has never ran a training. His trainings sound a lot like those of John Michael. Intense, fast paced, challenging. My kid loves JM so I assume she will fit in well with Amos’ style.
They have a similar style, different accent :)
 
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This was exactly my experience, substituting indoor ball with my girlfriend for indoor ball with the burners.
My Sundays as a 16 or 17-year-old consisted of punk rock band practice at Jeanne Tripplehorn’s grandmother’s house at 35th & Lewis. Have a few Milwaukee Best. Maybe get high. Then go play four or five indoor games at 65th & Mingo. The parents didn’t care bc they were getting loaded up in the bar. Good times lol
 
Blitz Tournament this weekend. Tale of 2 days. Saturday the wind blew 20-30 mph all day. Makes things a little crazy on GKs. My son's team played really well actually although didn't get the results. 1st game vs Blitz's 05 2nd team, 1-0 defeat. Goal was sort of a fluky, wind aided thing. My son actually made some crazy good saves. Goal came with about 2 minutes left. His team actually generated some nice scoring chances but couldn't break through. 2nd game vs a team from Bartlesville. They're good and have been together a while. 3-0 defeat. 1st goal came off of a couple deflections and sort of fluky (may have been an own goal). 2nd goal was off a brilliant cross and header. The kid who got it was probably crossbar level with his head. Last goal was the last play of the game. Off a corner, my son got to the cross first and grabbed it and come down on a teammate and spilled it. Unfortunate and a little bit unlucky as he had shown some good strong hands all day. He took a ball headed for the top corner earlier in the game and snared it with 2 hands while being horizontal to the ground.

Yesterday...the fields were atrocious. 2nd game probably shouldn't have been played at all considering the condition of the fields and you couldn't make a pass in certain parts of the field because the ball got stuck in pools of water. This was the game my son's team probably had the better side but just didn't adapt to the poor conditions. Match was abandoned with about 15 minutes left due to lighting in the area my son's team down 3-2. He didn't play great or poor. One of the goals against came after one of his CBs attempted to play a pass back to him and the ball got stuck in a puddle that the other team picked up and scored 1 v 1. Other 2 goals were somewhat legit. My son's team missed a 1st half PK (saved by keeper) before picking up 2 goals in the 2nd half with all the momentum before the match was abandoned. There were about 5 yellow cards in this one...some because it looked like the Blitz team was out for blood, and a couple on dissent for Blitz and their coach. One of the yellows (which resulted in the PK) should have been red. Straight hard tackled from behind with studs up. AR on our side said he would have given it a red had he been in the center. I certainly would have been inclined to as well.

1st game yesterday was vs the top 06 Blitz team. The field was a muddy mess but not quite as bad as the 2nd game's pitch. 4-0 defeat BUT the game certainly was not that lopsided in terms of possession or quality...just 1 team did a much better job finishing chances. 1st goal came on a PK for a handball in the box. 2nd off a headed corner. 3rd goal come on a 1v1 after a player broke through. Last goal came off a corner and pinball in the box...original shot hit off of no fewer than 4 players before finding the back of the net. Positive on this game was my son's team outplayed them for long stretches of the match...better possession, better build up...they just lack the pure finisher. (If anyone knows a 2006 who can score, send him our way). My son even came away thinking if they had played the 2 Sunday games on dry fields his team would have come away with results.

I also ref'd 6 games this weekend. Mostly U9/U10 boys. Those parents are unhinged. And Blitz cheaped out only provided a center ref for those games even though there is offside beyond the build out line. One parent decided to go crazy on a non offside call...(there team was losing 5-0 at the time and maybe had 1 legit shot on goal). Towards the end of a tournament, muddy conditions, I dare anyone to find the lines of these fields. I had one coach upset because I didn't blow the whistle on a ball that hit me but the team maintained possession. He was upset that I didn't blow the whistle because his girls stopped playing assuming the whistle would be blown. I explained to him why the whistle didn't blow and he was more worried because the almost gave up a goal which would have been damaging to their chance at winning the trophy. NM that this team (U10 girls, 2012s, were playing a team that was a 2014 rec girls team). His team won 7-0, but if my daughter played soccer I'd want her playing for the coach of the Unicorn Lightning...great coach and the girls played their hearts out and they knew they were playing a team of older girls but that didn't stop them.

I did witness a straight red yesterday. Ball is coming in to a GK who comes out to get it and attacker goes jumping in to win the ball, studs high and basically Johnny Lawrence's the GK in the chest. Ref immediately whips out the red card and sends the kid off. Coach of the GK who got kicked, sprints onto the field and starts verbally abusing the ref...not sure why since the ref did what he was supposed to do. Also saw the ref just walk away from the coach, around the goal and met up with the AR on the side. He did a good thing. That coach should have been sent off as well (didn't see if he was though). The GK had to leave the game and they finished with a kid in a bib who gave up 4 goals despite being a man up. Our team played in this tournament because the parents wanted some extra games for the boys which is fine. I don't think I'd advocate playing in it again...really poorly run to be honest. No field marshals to assist with issues or to call a trainer or tournament official if needed. I saw limited ATs available (maybe 1-2 for 25 fields) and I saw plenty of injuries. I did a U15 girls game on Saturday and one girl from Owasso stepped on the ball and her leg buckled and twisted. The shriek she let out could be heard through the entire east side of the complex. It looked bad and I was on the opposite sideline. We had a player who did something similar and had to be carried off the field.
 
Blitz Tournament this weekend. Tale of 2 days. Saturday the wind blew 20-30 mph all day. Makes things a little crazy on GKs. My son's team played really well actually although didn't get the results. 1st game vs Blitz's 05 2nd team, 1-0 defeat. Goal was sort of a fluky, wind aided thing. My son actually made some crazy good saves. Goal came with about 2 minutes left. His team actually generated some nice scoring chances but couldn't break through. 2nd game vs a team from Bartlesville. They're good and have been together a while. 3-0 defeat. 1st goal came off of a couple deflections and sort of fluky (may have been an own goal). 2nd goal was off a brilliant cross and header. The kid who got it was probably crossbar level with his head. Last goal was the last play of the game. Off a corner, my son got to the cross first and grabbed it and come down on a teammate and spilled it. Unfortunate and a little bit unlucky as he had shown some good strong hands all day. He took a ball headed for the top corner earlier in the game and snared it with 2 hands while being horizontal to the ground.

Yesterday...the fields were atrocious. 2nd game probably shouldn't have been played at all considering the condition of the fields and you couldn't make a pass in certain parts of the field because the ball got stuck in pools of water. This was the game my son's team probably had the better side but just didn't adapt to the poor conditions. Match was abandoned with about 15 minutes left due to lighting in the area my son's team down 3-2. He didn't play great or poor. One of the goals against came after one of his CBs attempted to play a pass back to him and the ball got stuck in a puddle that the other team picked up and scored 1 v 1. Other 2 goals were somewhat legit. My son's team missed a 1st half PK (saved by keeper) before picking up 2 goals in the 2nd half with all the momentum before the match was abandoned. There were about 5 yellow cards in this one...some because it looked like the Blitz team was out for blood, and a couple on dissent for Blitz and their coach. One of the yellows (which resulted in the PK) should have been red. Straight hard tackled from behind with studs up. AR on our side said he would have given it a red had he been in the center. I certainly would have been inclined to as well.

1st game yesterday was vs the top 06 Blitz team. The field was a muddy mess but not quite as bad as the 2nd game's pitch. 4-0 defeat BUT the game certainly was not that lopsided in terms of possession or quality...just 1 team did a much better job finishing chances. 1st goal came on a PK for a handball in the box. 2nd off a headed corner. 3rd goal come on a 1v1 after a player broke through. Last goal came off a corner and pinball in the box...original shot hit off of no fewer than 4 players before finding the back of the net. Positive on this game was my son's team outplayed them for long stretches of the match...better possession, better build up...they just lack the pure finisher. (If anyone knows a 2006 who can score, send him our way). My son even came away thinking if they had played the 2 Sunday games on dry fields his team would have come away with results.

I also ref'd 6 games this weekend. Mostly U9/U10 boys. Those parents are unhinged. And Blitz cheaped out only provided a center ref for those games even though there is offside beyond the build out line. One parent decided to go crazy on a non offside call...(there team was losing 5-0 at the time and maybe had 1 legit shot on goal). Towards the end of a tournament, muddy conditions, I dare anyone to find the lines of these fields. I had one coach upset because I didn't blow the whistle on a ball that hit me but the team maintained possession. He was upset that I didn't blow the whistle because his girls stopped playing assuming the whistle would be blown. I explained to him why the whistle didn't blow and he was more worried because the almost gave up a goal which would have been damaging to their chance at winning the trophy. NM that this team (U10 girls, 2012s, were playing a team that was a 2014 rec girls team). His team won 7-0, but if my daughter played soccer I'd want her playing for the coach of the Unicorn Lightning...great coach and the girls played their hearts out and they knew they were playing a team of older girls but that didn't stop them.

I did witness a straight red yesterday. Ball is coming in to a GK who comes out to get it and attacker goes jumping in to win the ball, studs high and basically Johnny Lawrence's the GK in the chest. Ref immediately whips out the red card and sends the kid off. Coach of the GK who got kicked, sprints onto the field and starts verbally abusing the ref...not sure why since the ref did what he was supposed to do. Also saw the ref just walk away from the coach, around the goal and met up with the AR on the side. He did a good thing. That coach should have been sent off as well (didn't see if he was though). The GK had to leave the game and they finished with a kid in a bib who gave up 4 goals despite being a man up. Our team played in this tournament because the parents wanted some extra games for the boys which is fine. I don't think I'd advocate playing in it again...really poorly run to be honest. No field marshals to assist with issues or to call a trainer or tournament official if needed. I saw limited ATs available (maybe 1-2 for 25 fields) and I saw plenty of injuries. I did a U15 girls game on Saturday and one girl from Owasso stepped on the ball and her leg buckled and twisted. The shriek she let out could be heard through the entire east side of the complex. It looked bad and I was on the opposite sideline. We had a player who did something similar and had to be carried off the field.
It always sucks to see players so young get injured. Girls have a tendency to tear their ACLs like 8x more than boys.
 
It always sucks to see players so young get injured. Girls have a tendency to tear their ACLs like 8x more than boys.
Yep and there is an anatomical reason for this. The broader hip bones in most females tends to change the angle of their femurs and the articulation at the knee is more angled putting a stress on the ACL already and when an inward force on the joint occurs (as you see in many ACL tears), it's already accentuated because of said angle.
 
Yep and there is an anatomical reason for this. The broader hip bones in most females tends to change the angle of their femurs and the articulation at the knee is more angled putting a stress on the ACL already and when an inward force on the joint occurs (as you see in many ACL tears), it's already accentuated because of said angle.
So you’re saying women are more delicate than men?
 
We wrapped up tryouts last night. Two open trainings and 3 tryout dates. It was a lot. Ended up with a 16 girl roster which includes 2 keepers.

TUBLA…are you guys done with tryouts ?
 
We wrapped up tryouts last night. Two open trainings and 3 tryout dates. It was a lot. Ended up with a 16 girl roster which includes 2 keepers.

TUBLA…are you guys done with tryouts ?
No. 06B at TSC doesn't happen until May 16th/18th/20th. Prelims for State Cup are next weekend (May 13-15) and our boys have a good chance of advancing to regionals. They have been playing really well and we have a favorable draw. There will be an issue May 16th for the Union kids on the team as that is the same night as their soccer banquet. Already pretty sure they will get screwed out of a chance to move up a team. My son has already been contacted by the Blitz EA coach and Sheffield 06 NPL coach about next year. My son may actually take them up on their offers this year...we'll see. This has been a yearly thing the last 2 tryout cycles.
 
No. 06B at TSC doesn't happen until May 16th/18th/20th. Prelims for State Cup are next weekend (May 13-15) and our boys have a good chance of advancing to regionals. They have been playing really well and we have a favorable draw. There will be an issue May 16th for the Union kids on the team as that is the same night as their soccer banquet. Already pretty sure they will get screwed out of a chance to move up a team. My son has already been contacted by the Blitz EA coach and Sheffield 06 NPL coach about next year. My son may actually take them up on their offers this year...we'll see. This has been a yearly thing the last 2 tryout cycles.
Good luck on whatever path your son takes. No doubt he will find success. We are playing state cup as well (u13). Hope to see you out there.
 
Good luck on whatever path your son takes. No doubt he will find success. We are playing state cup as well (u13). Hope to see you out there.
He went to the Blitz tryout last evening...he looked really good. Coach Reis texted me afterwards and said he looked really good and hoped he would sign. I had a conversation with Derek Larkin (Rogers St. HC) this AM about a different matter and he was aware of my son, knew he was at TSC and at the tryouts last night and said "he is a great goalkeeper".

My son said he felt comfortable with that group last night which is surprising because he tends to be a little introverted when it comes to new people. He did show command on the field last night. I know I'm biased but as a total package GK, my son was better than the others at the session. Distribution, decision making, leadership, communication are all big pluses for him. The kid who was the EA GK for Blitz this year has expressed a desire to move back to being a field player and I think they are going to do that for him. The other GK in the mix is a Blitz player and was the 2nd team keeper this year. He's a little taller than my son. He's a good shot stopper as well but needs to improve in a few of the other areas to be a complete GK.

Depends on what they really want. My son has said he really only wants to be top team if he's going to move.
 
He went to the Blitz tryout last evening...he looked really good. Coach Reis texted me afterwards and said he looked really good and hoped he would sign. I had a conversation with Derek Larkin (Rogers St. HC) this AM about a different matter and he was aware of my son, knew he was at TSC and at the tryouts last night and said "he is a great goalkeeper".

My son said he felt comfortable with that group last night which is surprising because he tends to be a little introverted when it comes to new people. He did show command on the field last night. I know I'm biased but as a total package GK, my son was better than the others at the session. Distribution, decision making, leadership, communication are all big pluses for him. The kid who was the EA GK for Blitz this year has expressed a desire to move back to being a field player and I think they are going to do that for him. The other GK in the mix is a Blitz player and was the 2nd team keeper this year. He's a little taller than my son. He's a good shot stopper as well but needs to improve in a few of the other areas to be a complete GK.

Depends on what they really want. My son has said he really only wants to be top team if he's going to move.
Larkin watched my daughter train at Rogers State last week. My wife chatted with him for about 30 minutes. Really nice guy. Soccer is such a small world at times. Hopefully your kid ends up on the squad he wants. We have fond memories of Blitz and remain close to several of the coaches.
 
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