The SLSG Metro Under 16 and 18 teams travelled to Phoenix from December 2nd though December 6th to participate in the US Development Academy Winter Showcase. With players coming off high school, having just two league games and a handful of training sessions under their belt, it was a going to be a difficult task as our draw had us competing with teams that are perennially top contenders in their respective conferences.
SLSG Metro ’94 Academy
Coming into the weekend, there were a lot of unanswered question regarding the inexperience, youth and depth of the backline as injuries had made 2 of the more experienced defenders unavailable for the weekend. The first match versus Oakwood SC out of Connecticut started with a high intensity as players were asked to press high up the field and be direct early. The team was successfully in winning the ball in the attacking half of the field, but did not use the ball very well upon winning it, playing without composure. A very soft goal was conceded in the 27th minute, which started from an Oakwood goal-kick and after several poor defending moments ended up with the ball in the back of the SLSG Metro net. The SLSG Metro chance of the game came from a restart in the 36th minute, when a free header from 5 yards was put over the goal. The second half saw an improvement in play, however, neither team were able to create many clear-cut chances and the game ended 0-1.
Match #2 pitted SLSG Metro against Charlotte who was a very different team than Oakwood. While Oakwood was very possession oriented, Charlotte was direct, very athletic at the back and had a very strong, pacey front-runner up top. In what would become a theme of the weekend, another soft goal was conceded in the 8th minute when a relatively routine shot was poorly handled. 10 minutes later, Charlotte found the back of the net again after poor marking on a restart from a wide position. “At times throughout the weekend, we showed the ability to player very well in the attacking half of the field, but were plagued by soft goals which put us in situations where we ere always fighting to come from behind,” commented head coach Blake Decker. The esponse at the start of the second half was very good and 9 minutes into the 2nd half reserve Tyler Swanner was played behind the Charlotte back line, but his shot from 15 yards was stopped by the goalkeeper. 3 minutes later, a penalty was rewarded and subsequently converted by Faik Hajderovic to cut the lead in half. In the 21st minute, after service from the left back, the ensuing touch from an SLSG Metro front-runner saw the ball ring off the post. Clearly having the momentum a felt goal seemed to be coming, however, inexperience was once again exposed when our right back played a ball from the half line backwards and out of bounds about 20 yards from our endline. The ensuing restart saw a service to the back post saw a free header for the third Charolette goal. Down 3-1 with less than 20 minutes left, the team were in a situation where they had to chase the game and, as a result, Charlotte would tally two more goals in the closing 10 minutes of the game.
Having failed to get results in the first two matches, the team was resolved to secure a result in the final match of the weekend. This would be hard to do as PDA is a perennial power-house in their conference and one of the top rated clubs in the United States. Both teams started well with opportunities at both ends. Faik Hajderovic and Tyler Swanner both got in behind the PDA back line only to be denied by the goalkeeper. Eli Brower made a good reaction save getting down to his left on a shot from 14 yards out. Midway through the 1st half, PDA found a goal from a quick counter after a series of SLSG Metro corner kicks. The team went into halftime down 0-1. 2 minutes into the second half, substitute Alex Renilla was fouled extremely hard from behind. This foul changed the complexion of the game as the match became more physical and after a series of fouls and yellow cards for both teams over the next 15 minutes, a red-card was issued to Brandon Hall just 20 minutes after he had entered the match. A goal down, a man down and having just lost one of its’ fresher players, the team conceded a second goal and the chances at salvaging a point looked grim; however, the players on the field continued to battle and were lifted by the hard play and leadership of several players; most notably Brendan Kissel in midfield, Daniel Brennan in goal, and Faik Hajderovic up front. With 8 minutes left the team earned a corner kick and after a driven service by Tyler Swanner to the near post and a hard run which froze the goalkeeper, the ball found its’ way into the back of the net. Now at 1-2, SLSG Metro was the more energized team. In stoppage time, Connor Carnduff collected a ball in about 15 yards from the half-line, then made a 35 yard run with the ball done the left channel and as the PDA back line shifted towards him he played the ball to his right for Tyler Swanner who had made a well-timed run out of midfield. Swanner’s shot was slightly deflected by the goalkeeper, but Faik Hajderovic collected it at the far post and playing the ball through several recovering defenders found the back of the net to secure the result at 2-2. According to captain Daniel Brennan, “The resolve and character we showed was fantastic. We demonstrated that we are willing to work and fight for each other. The final match of the weekend showed what we can do when we come together as individuals to work towards a common goal.”
On the teams performance during this first phase of the season, Decker commented, “Clearly, we have some work to do on the training ground to tighten up some individual and team defending issues, but our quality going forward improved with each match we played and the competitive mentality the boys demonstrated throughout the weekend are both very positive signs for what this group of players will be able to achieve.”
SLSG Metro ’92 Academy
Match # 1 saw the boys facing off against Oakwood SC from Connecticut. Things started slow as it took awhile for the team to get into a rhythm of play. About the midway point of the 1st half Brian Bement was rewarded for a well timed run into the 18 off of the break and calmly finished to put SLSG Metro up 1-0 at halftime. Second half saw the play settle down and some good defensive pressure by Drew Schall lead to a second opportunity for Bement who once again calmly finished to make it 2-0. The remainder of the match was controlled by SLSG Metro as they improved their overall record to 2-1 on the young season.
After a day off to complete SPARQ Testing and rest tired legs from the travel out west the team kicked off vs. Charlotte Soccer Academy. A lapse in the defending on a restart gave Charlotte a 1-0 lead at halftime. “We have been sloppy on our defensive responsibilities this season on restarts and giving up that late goal in the 1st half made us chase the game too much to begin the 2nd half. Part of it is simply getting better at our defending responsibilities during those moments and the other part is guys stepping up making plays and understanding how important defensive restarts are at this level.” said Jeremy Alumbaugh Head Coach of the U18 team. 2nd half saw SLSG Metro get a goal back by Travis Hoguet after being down 3-0 for a final result of 3-1 in favor of Charlotte.
The final match against PDA from New Jersey was an important one. The difference between going home with another result under their belt of going home with a loss is a big one. Good defensive pressure by Bement again lead to a chance that Vince Cicciarelli put away for an early 1-0 lead for SLSG Metro. PDA was able to equalize before half and the match was all even at the break. 2nd half saw both teams showing signs of fatigue on the final day of play and neither side could display much of a rhythm. Vince Ciccarelli found the tying goal on a nice feed from CJ Cerna with under 15 minutes to play and the match finished 2-2. “After our first 5 games with little time to train we are 2-2-1, which isn’t bad. We now have time to regroup, work hard get better and see where we can go with it all.” said Sam Fink. The SLSG Metro U18 Academy team is now off until March 26-27 when they travel to Milwaukee and Chicago.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Day 4- Winter Showcase
Day 4: Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
The day began even earlier than the day before with both teams waking up at 6:30, before the sun graced the sky. Weary from the day before, we all stumbled our way down to breakfast with the chef who actually got our orders correct and on time, unlike the chef who was “too cool” the days earlier. As we were finishing cleaning our rooms and packing, about to put on our new non-worn white jerseys, Decker sent an inspiring text message informing us that we are wearing our dirty, smelly, wet jerseys from the day before. He also let us know we were going to play the Westin Fury, a team from Miami, Florida, instead of PA Classics. What a fantastic way to wake up thought Zac Walters. . . Baggins… as he complained the whole time about wearing dirty socks. We arrived at the field and went through our pre-game and scouting reports. The 16s game started with a quick goal by Chris Pearson inside the first couple of minutes off of a through ball to Chris who ran behind the defense. The other team seemed to be asleep as we celebrated the early goal. The first half continued with pure SLSG domination. After halftime, they seemed to wake up and start to play. We started to take on water in our ship, but we didn’t sink for a while. With 15 minutes left in the game, they scored the equalizer off of a cross inside the box from the end line. The game ended disappointingly with a score of 1-1. The 18’s game was not as unfortunate. We started the game with a weak scouting report due to the unexpected schedule change, but the unexpected was nothing we couldn’t handle because the first 15-minutes was dominated by the mighty . . . Blues. Even though we had most of the chances, the evil Fury popped one in the back of the net off of a perfect free kick which found a Furious head. This was how the first half ended. The second half brought new energy and a few fresh legs. This new energy brought about a fantastic run by Sean Kuster who roofed one far post. What a Beauty. Only 5 minutes had past and SLSG had closed the gap. About 15 minutes later, Vince Cicciarelli made a great individual run with the ball and placed it past the goalie making the score 2-1. It was a great come from behind win. Once the games were over, both teams headed back to the hotel to shower up and throw any last minute things together. Blake and Dale’s car happened to see an academy ball unattended sitting for us to take. They sent Faik out to retrieve the ball because they can always use more balls. Faik got the ball and put it under his jacket when a field marshal came driving up in his Gator. We quickly closed the door and sped off. As we took off, the field marshal began to follow us in the van. Blake then had to stop the van and make Faik go and return the lost ball. After this little adventure we cleaned up and met in the lobby for departure. Once in the vans, the 45-minute drive to the airport was the least of our worries. Everybody was starving and couldn’t wait to eat. It was 1:45 before we made our way through security and finally found food establishments. Once the plane and the players were fueled up for the trip, the very pleasant flight crew announced we would be having a full flight. This was met with some groans and complaints, but these were short lived because the first group was already boarding the plane. Once on the plane, Black Friday struck again. People were crowding the hallway and throwing bags every which way. It was a sight to see. After everyone was seated, the effects of the weekend set in. People are sawing logs now, even before take off. The flight crew has been warning to turn off the electronics, so I better end this with a quick summation of the trip. I think grandpa Bettger’s words are most fitting, “This was a freakin’ awesome weekend.” Peace.
Logan North, Jason Coon, Alex Zuerlein
The day began even earlier than the day before with both teams waking up at 6:30, before the sun graced the sky. Weary from the day before, we all stumbled our way down to breakfast with the chef who actually got our orders correct and on time, unlike the chef who was “too cool” the days earlier. As we were finishing cleaning our rooms and packing, about to put on our new non-worn white jerseys, Decker sent an inspiring text message informing us that we are wearing our dirty, smelly, wet jerseys from the day before. He also let us know we were going to play the Westin Fury, a team from Miami, Florida, instead of PA Classics. What a fantastic way to wake up thought Zac Walters. . . Baggins… as he complained the whole time about wearing dirty socks. We arrived at the field and went through our pre-game and scouting reports. The 16s game started with a quick goal by Chris Pearson inside the first couple of minutes off of a through ball to Chris who ran behind the defense. The other team seemed to be asleep as we celebrated the early goal. The first half continued with pure SLSG domination. After halftime, they seemed to wake up and start to play. We started to take on water in our ship, but we didn’t sink for a while. With 15 minutes left in the game, they scored the equalizer off of a cross inside the box from the end line. The game ended disappointingly with a score of 1-1. The 18’s game was not as unfortunate. We started the game with a weak scouting report due to the unexpected schedule change, but the unexpected was nothing we couldn’t handle because the first 15-minutes was dominated by the mighty . . . Blues. Even though we had most of the chances, the evil Fury popped one in the back of the net off of a perfect free kick which found a Furious head. This was how the first half ended. The second half brought new energy and a few fresh legs. This new energy brought about a fantastic run by Sean Kuster who roofed one far post. What a Beauty. Only 5 minutes had past and SLSG had closed the gap. About 15 minutes later, Vince Cicciarelli made a great individual run with the ball and placed it past the goalie making the score 2-1. It was a great come from behind win. Once the games were over, both teams headed back to the hotel to shower up and throw any last minute things together. Blake and Dale’s car happened to see an academy ball unattended sitting for us to take. They sent Faik out to retrieve the ball because they can always use more balls. Faik got the ball and put it under his jacket when a field marshal came driving up in his Gator. We quickly closed the door and sped off. As we took off, the field marshal began to follow us in the van. Blake then had to stop the van and make Faik go and return the lost ball. After this little adventure we cleaned up and met in the lobby for departure. Once in the vans, the 45-minute drive to the airport was the least of our worries. Everybody was starving and couldn’t wait to eat. It was 1:45 before we made our way through security and finally found food establishments. Once the plane and the players were fueled up for the trip, the very pleasant flight crew announced we would be having a full flight. This was met with some groans and complaints, but these were short lived because the first group was already boarding the plane. Once on the plane, Black Friday struck again. People were crowding the hallway and throwing bags every which way. It was a sight to see. After everyone was seated, the effects of the weekend set in. People are sawing logs now, even before take off. The flight crew has been warning to turn off the electronics, so I better end this with a quick summation of the trip. I think grandpa Bettger’s words are most fitting, “This was a freakin’ awesome weekend.” Peace.
Logan North, Jason Coon, Alex Zuerlein
Monday, December 7, 2009
Days 2 and 3- Winter Showcase
Day 2: Sunday, December 6th
The day began early for the U-16 and U-18 squads with a hearty Sunday morning breakfast. We got up at the early time of 8:30 even though we had no games or anything to do during the daytime. SLSG-Adventurers left for Squaw Peak, a mountain of epic proportions in the Arizona desert. We set out for the top. Approximately eight of the players went on an excursion “off the beaten path”. A park ranger spotted them and kindly inquired what organization they were affiliated with. With which they replied, “What!? We have to be on a path?”. They were then sent back down to the bottom of the mountain where they re-started their trip. Approximately twelve individuals made base camp at the half-mile mark up, immediately following Ariel Godinez nearly falling off the mountainside. He commented afterwards, “I like to live my life on the edge.” It took about forty-five minutes to reach the summit for the average individual, where we awaited the arrival of Big Deezy, Sweaty Hewitt, and Zach Baggins. While we waited, a woman of about the age of 50, wearing a jean skirt and having mini tattoos, and asked us what sort of team we are on. She then continued to describe to us her “cougar call” but she was too winded from the ascent to demonstrate. She particularly found the shirtless Kent Kobernus attractive, though she made fun of his colored hair behind his back. While SLSG-Farm Community continued to wait, a police helicopter sent out to pursue our team circled us repeatedly on top of the mountain. Fink recalls, “I thought they were there to recover Hewitt, but they were just messing with us.” When all of the team had joined us at the top, SLSG-Models got their picture taken and then headed back to the vans, a slow ascent. Some individuals ran at break neck speed down the hill “in pursuit of a gliding goddess” who was running down the mountain. She later told witnesses she did it every day.
We arrived back at the hotel where we were informed by Sergeant Decker that we were to meet at the pool in about an hour and a half. We all naturally assumed he was just joking about swimming due to the temperature in the 30’s outdoors the night before. Upon arriving at the pool, SLSG-Polar Bears were shepherded into the pool. Various exclamations heard in the pool during the Sparq warm up that followed include, “I hate Blake”, “Blake sucks”, “Decker die”, “Das Wasser is schitze kalt”, “esta muoy frio, blake es cruelil”, and “ah it hurts!”. SLSG-Popsicles ran to the hot tub where 33 young men crowded into a tub approximately the size of a bowl of cereal. We were then given twenty minutes to all shower and be ready to leave for dinner.
SLSG-Joey Chestnut headed towards Hometown Buffet, a place that focused on quantity over the quality. “The food was poopy,” but, “they had pretty good orange slushes”. A large complaint was about how they ran out of pink lemonade and chocolate milk. Torrence attempted to make a very tall ice cream cone, but when he tried to lick it, it fell off into his hand, where then he walked around for about three minutes trying to find a trash can to dump the ice cream in. We returned to the hotel and went to bed.
Day 3: Monday, December 7th
We started our day early Monday with breakfast. Cicciarelli said, “ridiculous service! Preposterous!” He would also like to add that close to a hundred people got their food before he did, despite his early order. Fink complains about the sugar free syrup too. Later on, we headed to the games.
The 93’s played a hard fought game and drew a tie. The weather was atrocious and uncommon in Phoenix. Fortunately for us, Illinois weather is perfect training for games like this, rainy and wet.
The game began with new faces in new positions. The fact that the ground was drenched in water made the pace of the game unbearably slow and not soccer like.
The 91’s played on the same field against New England Revolution’s U-18 academy team. The first half was filled with near chances with good play in the top third. We were rewarded a corner with about 10 minutes remaining in the first half. Ariel played a ball into the 6-yard box, where the goalie preceded to bat it down, to the feet of Vince who put the ball in the back of the net. There were a few more chances in the half but none were able to give us a 2-0 commanding lead. The second half was a back and forth battle with neither team scoring the second goal of the game. Walters, CJ, Sean, me(Clithero) and Bloomberg were the players coming off the bench, who were able to play a big role in the game. For starts, once Sean got in the game he immediately got a yellow card for a minor foul. Next I was able to score on a through ball played by Martin. It was a good ball leaving me wide open against the goalie and with the wet field I had to slow down because of the wet field conditions, a defender caught me but I was able to maintain control of the ball, the goalie came out and I was able to toe poke it through his legs and he was able to get a piece of the ball, but it still had enough to get past the line and into the back of the net. The remainder of the game was back and forth, with the best chance coming from a ball won by Kuster, who played me, then I played Walters who was able to get a good shot which was pushed past the post for a corner. The remaining of the game had no serious chances and we were able to solidify 3 points from a MLS team (they were actually just the MLS junior Academy team, not the actual MLS team, to clarify).
After the game, we went to celebrate at the local mall where we got Chinese, pizza, and candy by the fourth pound. One notable purchase was a foot-long gummy worm that Ariel purchased (rumor has it that it has been eaten already). A few other players purchased presents for their sweethearts at various stores. We are going to bed early now for a busy game/travel day tomorrow.
Fink, Brennan, Clithero, Kuster
The day began early for the U-16 and U-18 squads with a hearty Sunday morning breakfast. We got up at the early time of 8:30 even though we had no games or anything to do during the daytime. SLSG-Adventurers left for Squaw Peak, a mountain of epic proportions in the Arizona desert. We set out for the top. Approximately eight of the players went on an excursion “off the beaten path”. A park ranger spotted them and kindly inquired what organization they were affiliated with. With which they replied, “What!? We have to be on a path?”. They were then sent back down to the bottom of the mountain where they re-started their trip. Approximately twelve individuals made base camp at the half-mile mark up, immediately following Ariel Godinez nearly falling off the mountainside. He commented afterwards, “I like to live my life on the edge.” It took about forty-five minutes to reach the summit for the average individual, where we awaited the arrival of Big Deezy, Sweaty Hewitt, and Zach Baggins. While we waited, a woman of about the age of 50, wearing a jean skirt and having mini tattoos, and asked us what sort of team we are on. She then continued to describe to us her “cougar call” but she was too winded from the ascent to demonstrate. She particularly found the shirtless Kent Kobernus attractive, though she made fun of his colored hair behind his back. While SLSG-Farm Community continued to wait, a police helicopter sent out to pursue our team circled us repeatedly on top of the mountain. Fink recalls, “I thought they were there to recover Hewitt, but they were just messing with us.” When all of the team had joined us at the top, SLSG-Models got their picture taken and then headed back to the vans, a slow ascent. Some individuals ran at break neck speed down the hill “in pursuit of a gliding goddess” who was running down the mountain. She later told witnesses she did it every day.
We arrived back at the hotel where we were informed by Sergeant Decker that we were to meet at the pool in about an hour and a half. We all naturally assumed he was just joking about swimming due to the temperature in the 30’s outdoors the night before. Upon arriving at the pool, SLSG-Polar Bears were shepherded into the pool. Various exclamations heard in the pool during the Sparq warm up that followed include, “I hate Blake”, “Blake sucks”, “Decker die”, “Das Wasser is schitze kalt”, “esta muoy frio, blake es cruelil”, and “ah it hurts!”. SLSG-Popsicles ran to the hot tub where 33 young men crowded into a tub approximately the size of a bowl of cereal. We were then given twenty minutes to all shower and be ready to leave for dinner.
SLSG-Joey Chestnut headed towards Hometown Buffet, a place that focused on quantity over the quality. “The food was poopy,” but, “they had pretty good orange slushes”. A large complaint was about how they ran out of pink lemonade and chocolate milk. Torrence attempted to make a very tall ice cream cone, but when he tried to lick it, it fell off into his hand, where then he walked around for about three minutes trying to find a trash can to dump the ice cream in. We returned to the hotel and went to bed.
Day 3: Monday, December 7th
We started our day early Monday with breakfast. Cicciarelli said, “ridiculous service! Preposterous!” He would also like to add that close to a hundred people got their food before he did, despite his early order. Fink complains about the sugar free syrup too. Later on, we headed to the games.
The 93’s played a hard fought game and drew a tie. The weather was atrocious and uncommon in Phoenix. Fortunately for us, Illinois weather is perfect training for games like this, rainy and wet.
The game began with new faces in new positions. The fact that the ground was drenched in water made the pace of the game unbearably slow and not soccer like.
The 91’s played on the same field against New England Revolution’s U-18 academy team. The first half was filled with near chances with good play in the top third. We were rewarded a corner with about 10 minutes remaining in the first half. Ariel played a ball into the 6-yard box, where the goalie preceded to bat it down, to the feet of Vince who put the ball in the back of the net. There were a few more chances in the half but none were able to give us a 2-0 commanding lead. The second half was a back and forth battle with neither team scoring the second goal of the game. Walters, CJ, Sean, me(Clithero) and Bloomberg were the players coming off the bench, who were able to play a big role in the game. For starts, once Sean got in the game he immediately got a yellow card for a minor foul. Next I was able to score on a through ball played by Martin. It was a good ball leaving me wide open against the goalie and with the wet field I had to slow down because of the wet field conditions, a defender caught me but I was able to maintain control of the ball, the goalie came out and I was able to toe poke it through his legs and he was able to get a piece of the ball, but it still had enough to get past the line and into the back of the net. The remainder of the game was back and forth, with the best chance coming from a ball won by Kuster, who played me, then I played Walters who was able to get a good shot which was pushed past the post for a corner. The remaining of the game had no serious chances and we were able to solidify 3 points from a MLS team (they were actually just the MLS junior Academy team, not the actual MLS team, to clarify).
After the game, we went to celebrate at the local mall where we got Chinese, pizza, and candy by the fourth pound. One notable purchase was a foot-long gummy worm that Ariel purchased (rumor has it that it has been eaten already). A few other players purchased presents for their sweethearts at various stores. We are going to bed early now for a busy game/travel day tomorrow.
Fink, Brennan, Clithero, Kuster
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Winter Showcase- Day 1 vs. SC United
After a boring day of school on Friday we traveled to the busy airport to rendezvous with our teammates. We checked in, and were surprised that we had to pay 20 dollars for our bags since we had forgotten that part of American Airlines. This frustrated many, but we over came the pain and continued on our long journey through the airport. Further North, were two lone wolves (Vince and Brad) prowling the airport of Bloomington, IL. After a fairly tight and cramped flight to Dallas, Texas, Brad and I (Vincent Dominic Cicciarelli) waited alone for 2 hours for blue team and blue team leaders. Back at home STL, we swiftly moved through security and arrived at the BK Lounge, and Cinnabun to devour the greasy food. Two hours later our flight left for Dallas to meet up with the two lone wolves. We quickly grabbed Auntie Anne’s and then boarded our final leg of the trip to Phoenix. Hoguet speaking, though this flight was more comfortable than the first of the day, it was also more boring. When we finally arrived in Phoenix, everyone was very very very tired. While we were excited to finally arrive at our destination, we waited patiently on Budget and their slow service for our vans. Cicciarelli back on the mic, we finally got our vans and headed to the “Hilton Garden Inn.” We were greeted by cold pizza and as we all know (except for Liam), cold pizzas are the best. Around 1am we finally hit the hay.
This morning we were awoke from our clouds of deep slumber around the time of 8 o’clock STL time. This was quite early coming off of a long day and night of travels. The best part of waking up though was the beautiful and delicious gourmet FAST OF BREAK. The possibilities were endless, from French toast to the lovely waffles. After breakfast, we went back to our rooms and chilled until we went to eat again. If you don’t know by now, all we do is eat, sleep, and play soccer on these trips. Just playing, but seriously. Around eleven hundred hours we departed for our quick Subway run and then off the fields the 93’s went. The 93’s played at 2:15 against South Carolina United and pulled off a beautiful 2 to 1 win. SC united got an early goal in the 20th minute, but we bounced back quickly with the answer. We were granted a corner kick and John kicked it near post to Sam W. who flicked it back post to Billy who just tapped it in. Soon after we were on the offense again and this time Alex Z got all the way to their end line and crosses it back post to Bryan B who headed it down right into the goal. This put us up 2 to 1 and it would keep us there until the end of the game but not after a tough second half they imposed on us.
After the 93’s came the 91’s battle royale vs. South Carolina United. The game started a bit chippy with South Carolina firing on all cylinders. But thankfully our defense was able to weather the storm and start to create some counter attacks. After we started to take control, our defense took a major blow…well Nicholas Marshall did anyways.. a high kick to the face ended his day, a short yet solid day in the backline. After that with a couple adjustments we really started to take control of the game and put in a perfectly timed goal by Carenza. Kuster hit a well driven corner and Carenza buried the ball into the back of the net with a header. Half came, and speech from coaches got the team pumped up even more. We knew the other team was going to come out strong knowing they were losing 1-0. Vince came in relieving CJ Cerna who had played a well fought game. A few minutes later the Hoginator(Travis Hoguet) came in the game. A well played ball from Joe Bettger bounced behind the defense and Travis Hoguet came in to volley it left footed into the right corner. Shortly after the second goal to put us up 2-0, Hoguet flicked a ball onto Mr. Vince Cicciarelli who buried the ball briefly into the net.
After the well fought game which we won 3-1, we went to eat at Sweet Tomatoes. It was great. Then we headed off back to the hotel to take our mandatory ice baths. They were great and very cold. Around 9:30 our time here we had a team meeting briefly summarizing the activities scheduled for tomorrow. While everyone was very very very tired, we all headed off to bed.
Done. =] Wrtten by: Travis Hoguet, Sean Baumann, and Vince Cicci
This morning we were awoke from our clouds of deep slumber around the time of 8 o’clock STL time. This was quite early coming off of a long day and night of travels. The best part of waking up though was the beautiful and delicious gourmet FAST OF BREAK. The possibilities were endless, from French toast to the lovely waffles. After breakfast, we went back to our rooms and chilled until we went to eat again. If you don’t know by now, all we do is eat, sleep, and play soccer on these trips. Just playing, but seriously. Around eleven hundred hours we departed for our quick Subway run and then off the fields the 93’s went. The 93’s played at 2:15 against South Carolina United and pulled off a beautiful 2 to 1 win. SC united got an early goal in the 20th minute, but we bounced back quickly with the answer. We were granted a corner kick and John kicked it near post to Sam W. who flicked it back post to Billy who just tapped it in. Soon after we were on the offense again and this time Alex Z got all the way to their end line and crosses it back post to Bryan B who headed it down right into the goal. This put us up 2 to 1 and it would keep us there until the end of the game but not after a tough second half they imposed on us.
After the 93’s came the 91’s battle royale vs. South Carolina United. The game started a bit chippy with South Carolina firing on all cylinders. But thankfully our defense was able to weather the storm and start to create some counter attacks. After we started to take control, our defense took a major blow…well Nicholas Marshall did anyways.. a high kick to the face ended his day, a short yet solid day in the backline. After that with a couple adjustments we really started to take control of the game and put in a perfectly timed goal by Carenza. Kuster hit a well driven corner and Carenza buried the ball into the back of the net with a header. Half came, and speech from coaches got the team pumped up even more. We knew the other team was going to come out strong knowing they were losing 1-0. Vince came in relieving CJ Cerna who had played a well fought game. A few minutes later the Hoginator(Travis Hoguet) came in the game. A well played ball from Joe Bettger bounced behind the defense and Travis Hoguet came in to volley it left footed into the right corner. Shortly after the second goal to put us up 2-0, Hoguet flicked a ball onto Mr. Vince Cicciarelli who buried the ball briefly into the net.
After the well fought game which we won 3-1, we went to eat at Sweet Tomatoes. It was great. Then we headed off back to the hotel to take our mandatory ice baths. They were great and very cold. Around 9:30 our time here we had a team meeting briefly summarizing the activities scheduled for tomorrow. While everyone was very very very tired, we all headed off to bed.
Done. =] Wrtten by: Travis Hoguet, Sean Baumann, and Vince Cicci
Sunday, November 29, 2009
KC Trip
Hi, My name is Faik who rides a bike, that rocks the mic who is writing this with Brian. When we left for the trip, we were full of excitement. But then with Faik’s site of Blake, his excitement died. JK The bus ride was fun at first but then got boring. It was a new team, so we were somewhat nervous yet excited for what the season had in store for us. About halfway through the trip, we were forced to do homework, and that may have been the highlight of the trip! We all worked hard in our studies, especially Josh Hubert and Torrence Brown, who were able to catch up on any sleep they missed in school. After a seemingly endless bus ride, we finally arrived at the hotel, to the welcoming sign with a picture of a bear on saying, “Please Bear With Us.” When we finally checked into our rooms: Faik with Torrence, Pierson, and Brad, and Brian with Josh, Billy, and Lou. After beginning to get comfortable we were interrupted when we had to go out to eat at Ryan’s Steakhouse. The buffet was delicious, and Brian, Liam, Vince, and Fink devoured all the ice cream, the best part of the meal. When dinner ended, we all went back to the hotel to take naps, that were ruined when we had to go to our 9:00 meeting, which was honestly quite informative, and led to our great success for our first game. After the meeting, we went back to our rooms and attempted to get a good night’s sleep. In my room (Brian’s), it was a very interesting experience as Josh nearly scared Louie to death with his vigorous sleeping techniques. In the middle of night, Josh woke everyone with his loud snoring and occasional shouts. Louie also said he kicked and rolled over a lot as well. I, however, slept like a baby although Billy complained in the morning that I stole all of the blankets. In Faik’s room, Faik, who was nervous about sleeping with another person, decided it would be best to sleep in the tub, at least that’s what he told coach. The next morning, we had to wake up at 6:30, and my room woke to the wonderful alarm of “Everytime We Touch” by Cascada. After we woke up, we walked down to the lobby to eat breakfast, which was quite good. Then at 8:45, we departed for the fields where we would play our first game. When the game started, it was hard-fought and a much quicker pace than we were previously used to, but however, we held our own and created many great scoring opportunities. Then at the very end of the first half, Billy took the ball to the end line, beat the defender and crossed it in to Brian who headed it in the back of the old onion bag to put us up 1-0 at halftime. In the second half, it was obvious that we were getting a little tired because the pace slowed down significantly, and we were doing more kicking than passing. This resulted in a stronger Wizards attack that eventually led to an unfortunate equalizing goal. They continued to pressure and looked as if they would score again, but Liam made a couple of insane saves, and the defense continued to fight for every ball until the end of the game. We tied our first game 1-1, and look forward to get our revenge next time we play the Wizards.
After the game, we sat around in the ice-cold weather to watch our 18’s play. They played an extremely competitive game, but due to an absolute snipe of a shot from the Wizards’ outside mid in the first half, and a good run for a finish by the Wizards’ forward, they lost 2-0. The game was a lot closer than the score indicated, and it was extremely fast paced. When the game ended, we all boarded the bus and drove to a parking lot, in which we all got out and went to a number of different restaurants. Faik decided to go to KFC. He ordered popcorn chicken with mashed potatoes, a simple order. It took 30 minutes to get this order because there was a computer fault in the system. Faik looked into the kitchen and saw that there was a full basket of popcorn chicken just sitting there staring him in the face, until he finally asked the cashier kindly to get his food. She apologized and gave him his order. Due to this fault, Faik had to finish his meal on the bus, but other than the utter chaos, it was amazing. When we got on the bus, we were fortunate that Sean Kuster brought the movie Santa Buddies, an extremely corny Christmas movie in which a talking dog saves Christmas, although nobody is really sure how it ended, considering almost everyone fell asleep. As we were enjoying our deep sleep, Blake decided he would wake us up to write this blog. Hip, hip, Hooray! We are almost home, and should probably arrive at about 7. Although we tied and the 18’s lost, all in all, it was a great trip, and I can’t wait for the countless trips to come later this year!
-Faik Hajderovic ‘94
-Brian Bement ‘93
After the game, we sat around in the ice-cold weather to watch our 18’s play. They played an extremely competitive game, but due to an absolute snipe of a shot from the Wizards’ outside mid in the first half, and a good run for a finish by the Wizards’ forward, they lost 2-0. The game was a lot closer than the score indicated, and it was extremely fast paced. When the game ended, we all boarded the bus and drove to a parking lot, in which we all got out and went to a number of different restaurants. Faik decided to go to KFC. He ordered popcorn chicken with mashed potatoes, a simple order. It took 30 minutes to get this order because there was a computer fault in the system. Faik looked into the kitchen and saw that there was a full basket of popcorn chicken just sitting there staring him in the face, until he finally asked the cashier kindly to get his food. She apologized and gave him his order. Due to this fault, Faik had to finish his meal on the bus, but other than the utter chaos, it was amazing. When we got on the bus, we were fortunate that Sean Kuster brought the movie Santa Buddies, an extremely corny Christmas movie in which a talking dog saves Christmas, although nobody is really sure how it ended, considering almost everyone fell asleep. As we were enjoying our deep sleep, Blake decided he would wake us up to write this blog. Hip, hip, Hooray! We are almost home, and should probably arrive at about 7. Although we tied and the 18’s lost, all in all, it was a great trip, and I can’t wait for the countless trips to come later this year!
-Faik Hajderovic ‘94
-Brian Bement ‘93
Monday, June 15, 2009
SLSG Metro Regular Season Ends with a Sweep of SLSG Missouri Academy
The SLSG Metro US Development Academy team finished its' regular season schedule with two victories over their Missouri counterparts last Thursday thus completing the season sweep over the SLSG Missouri Academy. Travis Hoguet scored on an assist by CJ Cerna in the final 5 minutes to break a 55 minute deadlock to win 2-1. The SLSG Metro '90 Academy got on the board early with a 1st minute goal by Aaron Lantz. Jared Tejada than tallied 3 more goals in the ensuing 89 minutes to complete a hat trick in a 4-0 victory. These matches were the return leg of the St. Louis Development Academy Darby. On April 1st, the SLSG Metro '92 Academy defeated SLSG MO 1-0 and the SLSG Metro '90 Academy won 2-1 at the Scott Gallagher Complex in Creve Couer.
While the SLSG Metro '92 Academy is finished for the season, the SLSG Metro 90 Academy playoff hopes are still alive. The Chicago Sockers and Chicago Fire still have two regular season matches left in Colorado this week. Currently, SLSG Metro is tied for the final automatic bid in 3rd place with the Chicago Sockers.
Trials for next years SLSG Metro Academy start on Tuesday, June 16th. Sessions will also be held in June 19th and July 9th. All sessions will be held at the SIUE Korte Stadium Turf field in Edwardsville. If you are interested in playing for the SLSG Metro Academy please call Blake Decker at 314-956-6048 or email at BDecker@slsgsoccer.com
While the SLSG Metro '92 Academy is finished for the season, the SLSG Metro 90 Academy playoff hopes are still alive. The Chicago Sockers and Chicago Fire still have two regular season matches left in Colorado this week. Currently, SLSG Metro is tied for the final automatic bid in 3rd place with the Chicago Sockers.
Trials for next years SLSG Metro Academy start on Tuesday, June 16th. Sessions will also be held in June 19th and July 9th. All sessions will be held at the SIUE Korte Stadium Turf field in Edwardsville. If you are interested in playing for the SLSG Metro Academy please call Blake Decker at 314-956-6048 or email at BDecker@slsgsoccer.com
Thursday, June 11, 2009
A Farewell from Martin
Good evening bloggers and bloggets,
For those of you who do not know me I am the goalkeeper coach Martin Hutton. Because this is the last of my trips with SLSG Metro I was given the tasks of letting the world know what exactly what we were up to the last day of our trip.
The first game was to start at 8:00 am with the U-16’s looking to complete the road trip with a hard fought win. Real got off to a fast start putting one in on Kent in the 15th min. The guys held the score until the second half. Real jumped on a couple of opportunities and put the ball in the onion bag for two more. The end result was a disheartening 3-0. As a side note, for those of you who were following via twitter I was your humble correspondent.
The second game started at 10:30 and presented a golden opportunity for the U-18’s. Looking to get six points out of the weekend and greatly increase their chances of making the playoffs the U-18’s rushed out onto the battleground to warm up. After a good pep talk from the head skipper they were eager to offer a nice wallop to the opposition, in the form of a victory. The first half was exciting with the both teams trading scoring jabs as the 45th min. saw a level score line at one apiece. The second half saw Real come out throwing sucker punches in the form of 60-yard diagonal balls to the back post. Though we were able to thwart Real’s advances, the home side was eventually able to capitalize on their strategy by putting one into the back of the onion bag. Being the maestro of tactics, D-man changed strategy in an effort to maximize our opportunities. After switching to a 3-5-2, we had a new purpose, to punish Real. The pressure being put on their backline was immense and led them to play longer balls out of their back in an effort to counter our momentum. Though we had our chances they capitalized in the waning minutes to edge the score line further. The end result was a depleting 3-1.
Now on a mad dash to make our flight, the team began changing into their Sunday’s best right behind the benches (there was no other option). I on the other hand, with a body outside of my playing days-resembling chewing gum, decided to hide behind a van. In an effort not to offend anyone, I was going to take a French Shower at the airport (I am not sure that worked out too well).
Now packed to the brim full of dirty clothes, stinking young men, and soccer equipment the vans are making their way towards the airport in an effort Dale Jr. would admire (kidding parents). This is a 45-min trip from the south side of town to the tent city of Denver International Airport. About 25 minutes in, we notice a storm brewing on the horizon. Dancing to the tune of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” I gave it no attention. Little did we know that would be the storm of all storms….
As we are filling up the gas tanks to our transformers, Blake our Optimus Prime van was way cooler than your version of the antagonist, Megatron. Ooh Burn…ok where was I? Oh yeah, the sky resembled a scene out of the movie Independence Day. Out in the distance you could see tornado funnels forming, with one touching ground! Remembering the research I did on tornadoes as a kid, I knew we were safe. I swore I saw Pecos Bill and his horse Lightning lasso that beast and ride it safely over the Rockies. I hate snakes but the rattler he used to rope that monster was HUGE and I am glad he did!
Safely at the airport we were ordered by the lady general wearing a blue shirt to check in outside. “It will be much faster”, she said. Now we had to brave the storm that we had just come from. If by faster she meant being hit by dime sized hale, dodging lightning strikes, and huddling together so we wouldn’t blow away, than she was right on the money. All kidding aside, the two guys outside were very helpful and did the best they could to expedite the process.
Standing in the 30 minute winding line for security had nothing on what we had just come from. Having not eaten anything since 6:30 am this morning, I couldn’t help thinking that we looked like a herd of cattle going into the pins to be checked over. Eventually, we were stamped “ok” and allowed to pursue the nearest trough. With our stomachs full, we settled down in a comfy corner and reminisced the recent circus of events. It was a nice setting to begin our four-hour waiting period. We had some good laughs and the boys enjoyed people watching. I think the boys came to a consensus that #9 was the cutest. After a plane change resembling the airport scene in “Home Alone” we finally reached our destination.
Special Thanks
Thank you to all the parents and young men for your genuine conversation and warm welcoming. I had a great time getting to know all of you and look forward to seeing you all in the future. Rob, Bob, Liam, Kent, and Derrick if you guys need anything you have my number.
John, Shawn, and Blake, thank you for sharing your knowledge of the game and for making my time with Metro pleasant. I look forward to seeing you guys on the sidelines.
Cory Donigan congratulations on the baby and thank you for your help with the paperwork.
Lastly, D-man thank you for the opportunity to challenge your goalkeepers and help them develop. It was a pleasure furthering my coaching abilities under your guidance. I will make sure to keep in touch.
For those of you who do not know me I am the goalkeeper coach Martin Hutton. Because this is the last of my trips with SLSG Metro I was given the tasks of letting the world know what exactly what we were up to the last day of our trip.
The first game was to start at 8:00 am with the U-16’s looking to complete the road trip with a hard fought win. Real got off to a fast start putting one in on Kent in the 15th min. The guys held the score until the second half. Real jumped on a couple of opportunities and put the ball in the onion bag for two more. The end result was a disheartening 3-0. As a side note, for those of you who were following via twitter I was your humble correspondent.
The second game started at 10:30 and presented a golden opportunity for the U-18’s. Looking to get six points out of the weekend and greatly increase their chances of making the playoffs the U-18’s rushed out onto the battleground to warm up. After a good pep talk from the head skipper they were eager to offer a nice wallop to the opposition, in the form of a victory. The first half was exciting with the both teams trading scoring jabs as the 45th min. saw a level score line at one apiece. The second half saw Real come out throwing sucker punches in the form of 60-yard diagonal balls to the back post. Though we were able to thwart Real’s advances, the home side was eventually able to capitalize on their strategy by putting one into the back of the onion bag. Being the maestro of tactics, D-man changed strategy in an effort to maximize our opportunities. After switching to a 3-5-2, we had a new purpose, to punish Real. The pressure being put on their backline was immense and led them to play longer balls out of their back in an effort to counter our momentum. Though we had our chances they capitalized in the waning minutes to edge the score line further. The end result was a depleting 3-1.
Now on a mad dash to make our flight, the team began changing into their Sunday’s best right behind the benches (there was no other option). I on the other hand, with a body outside of my playing days-resembling chewing gum, decided to hide behind a van. In an effort not to offend anyone, I was going to take a French Shower at the airport (I am not sure that worked out too well).
Now packed to the brim full of dirty clothes, stinking young men, and soccer equipment the vans are making their way towards the airport in an effort Dale Jr. would admire (kidding parents). This is a 45-min trip from the south side of town to the tent city of Denver International Airport. About 25 minutes in, we notice a storm brewing on the horizon. Dancing to the tune of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” I gave it no attention. Little did we know that would be the storm of all storms….
As we are filling up the gas tanks to our transformers, Blake our Optimus Prime van was way cooler than your version of the antagonist, Megatron. Ooh Burn…ok where was I? Oh yeah, the sky resembled a scene out of the movie Independence Day. Out in the distance you could see tornado funnels forming, with one touching ground! Remembering the research I did on tornadoes as a kid, I knew we were safe. I swore I saw Pecos Bill and his horse Lightning lasso that beast and ride it safely over the Rockies. I hate snakes but the rattler he used to rope that monster was HUGE and I am glad he did!
Safely at the airport we were ordered by the lady general wearing a blue shirt to check in outside. “It will be much faster”, she said. Now we had to brave the storm that we had just come from. If by faster she meant being hit by dime sized hale, dodging lightning strikes, and huddling together so we wouldn’t blow away, than she was right on the money. All kidding aside, the two guys outside were very helpful and did the best they could to expedite the process.
Standing in the 30 minute winding line for security had nothing on what we had just come from. Having not eaten anything since 6:30 am this morning, I couldn’t help thinking that we looked like a herd of cattle going into the pins to be checked over. Eventually, we were stamped “ok” and allowed to pursue the nearest trough. With our stomachs full, we settled down in a comfy corner and reminisced the recent circus of events. It was a nice setting to begin our four-hour waiting period. We had some good laughs and the boys enjoyed people watching. I think the boys came to a consensus that #9 was the cutest. After a plane change resembling the airport scene in “Home Alone” we finally reached our destination.
Special Thanks
Thank you to all the parents and young men for your genuine conversation and warm welcoming. I had a great time getting to know all of you and look forward to seeing you all in the future. Rob, Bob, Liam, Kent, and Derrick if you guys need anything you have my number.
John, Shawn, and Blake, thank you for sharing your knowledge of the game and for making my time with Metro pleasant. I look forward to seeing you guys on the sidelines.
Cory Donigan congratulations on the baby and thank you for your help with the paperwork.
Lastly, D-man thank you for the opportunity to challenge your goalkeepers and help them develop. It was a pleasure furthering my coaching abilities under your guidance. I will make sure to keep in touch.
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