RIP, Joe Platt

The world of youth soccer lost a good one today when Joe Platt, long-time president of the South Jersey Girls Soccer League, died this morning. I was privileged to know Joe from when I coached his daughter, Erica, more than 15 years ago, and afterwards. He was truly one of the good guys in the sport.

Usually I am happy to hear from a former player, but the e-mail from Erica Platt Barney today brought the sad news of Joe's sudden passing. Erica, one of the nicest girls I ever coached, said, " I know my father had a wonderful impact on so many lives over the years . . . Through sports and Corpus Christi, work, the community and his Christian walk in life he has met so many wonderful people and I hope I can speak for everyone that he has left a wonderful memory in the hearts of us all."

Rest assured, dear Erica, that your Dad did indeed leave a wonderful memory in the hearts of us all in the South Jersey soccer community - and far beyond.

Well? Long-time Philly sportswriter Phil Jasner dies

Sportswriting lost a good one yesterday with the untimely death of Philadelphia Daily News professional basketball beat write, Phil Jasner, at age 68.

Although he became nationally known as a basketball writer, and was one of the best at it, I actually got to know Phil as a soccer writer back in ’73 when he and I covered the Philadelphia Atoms of the North American Soccer League at Veterans Stadium (and occasionally on the road). Phil had recently made the step from small suburban papers to the big-time Daily News while I was on the news staff at the Courier-Post, but covering the Atoms for the league magazine based in Toronto.

Phil was one of my favorites among the daily papers’ writers covering the team. Aside from being a real pro as a sportswriter, he had a great sense of humor and was a good guy to be around. He wasted no words and after a game would go up to Atoms coach Al Miller and say something like, “Reaction?” or “Well?” and then sit back and listen, getting more than enough material for the next day’s story.

Read Rich Hoffman’s tribute in the Daily News to a life well-lived.

As an aside, Daily News columnist and former sports editor Stan Hochman, is quoted in Hoffman’s piece about Jasner’s time covering the Atoms: "Relentless is the way I remember his reporting style back in those days, ever on the prowl for human interest stories. We had a soccer team back then, the Atoms. Half the team spoke no English, but that didn't stop Phil. They won a title and one of the star players wanted to celebrate with champagne. So he bought a bunch of long-necked, gilt-wrapped bottles in a drugstore, thinking they were champagne. Turned out he'd bought shampoo. Phil wrote a memorable story about it."

Makes for a good anecdote about Phil, hanging out with those typical foreigners who play soccer. Except it’s not true. Every player on the 1973 Atoms spoke English. I knew them all and remember them all: Americans - Bob Rigby, Norm Wingert, Stan Startzell, Charlie Ducilli, Lew Meehl, Barry Barto, Bob Smith, Bill Straub, Casey Bahr; British/Scottish - George O’Neill, Chris Dunleavy, Jim Fryatt, Andy Provan, Roy Evans, Derek Trevis; Germans - Karl Minor, Manny Schellscheidt: Jamaican - Raymond Parri

I had originally commented on how I thought Stan was playing off stereotypes of soccer being played mostly by foreigners who don't speak English. I e-mailed him to that effect and he took exception to my "smart-ass comment," correctly pointing out that he was asked for a memory of Phil Jasner and thinking back 37 years that he remembered the Atoms as including a bunch of Mexicans. (They came in '76, when I was no longer covering them.) He pleaded as a defense his (understandable) sadness in losing a long-friend and colleague. I e-mailed an apology and I hope he accepts it.

Women qualify for '11 World Cup, US Seeks Men's Cup in '22

Two good articles in today's New York Times, both by Jere Longman, speak to the state of professional soccer in the United States. One discusses yesterday's 1-0 victory over Italy, which qualified the U.S. women for this summer's Women's World Cup. The other predicts an increase in soccer interest in this country is the United States is awarded the 2022 World Cup.

On the men's side, Longman notes that the United States staged the most successful World Cup in history back in 1994 and that there were are sufficient existing stadiums with supporting infrastructure that public money would not be required. Top competitors appear to be Australia and Qatar, neither of which has hosted a World Cup.

The Women's World Cup will be in Germany this summer and the Americans barely qualified. Yesterday's victory gave them a 2-0 aggregate win in the home and home play-off for the 16th and final spot. The fact that the United States came down to the wire before qualifying demonstrate what Longman calls "growing democratization of women’s soccer" around the world. He points out that while more countries around the world are spending more money on women's soccer, the United States has stagnated. Its U-17 team did not qualify for the world championships and the U-20 squad lost to Nigeria in the quarterfinals. Add to that the fact that the Women's United Soccer Association - founded in the glow of the 1999 World Cup victory - folded in 2003 and the current league, Women's Professional Soccer, is struggling financially and for recognition. Three of its top teams - St. Louis, Los Angeles and the California-based FC Gold Pride, have folded in the past year or so.

A H.S. Stand Against Taunting

Here's a good story in today's Inquirer by noted soccer (and many other sports) writer Marc Narducci. It's about high school football, not soccer, but the principle discussed applies to all youth sports. It's that a high school coach sent a message to his players that unsporting behavior, even in the privacy of the locker room (which quickly becomes not so private on the Internet) will not be tolerated. It's nice to see that not only did the coach take swift action, but that he was backed by the school administration.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/high_school/20101128_Marc_Narducci__Ending_high_school_athletes__taunting_via_social_media.html?page=1&c=y

Florida State women's coach penalized for resting starters

Jere Longman's article about Florida State's women's team in today's Times raises a host of issues: is the coach's duty to the fans, to his own players, to the team's ultimate goal of winning the NCAA's? Are conference tournaments a good idea? If the conference does not crack down on resting starters during a tournament, could it spread to higher profile sports, namely men's basketball? Doesn't this happen in Europe all the time?

What we're talking about here is that Florida State's coach Mark Krikorian, who was the successful coach of the Philadelphia Charge, was suspended by the ACC for leaving seven starters home during the opener of the conference tournament against Wake Forest, which the Seminoles lost. The reason, Krikorian said, was they needed to rest up for the NCAA national tournament.

According to the article, coaches generally supported Krikorian. It was the ACC that had the problem - to the extent that it fined thee school $25,000 and denied it $15,000 in travel reimbursement and suspended Krikorian for the first game of the ACC.

Longman, as always does an excellent job of covering both sides of the issue.

I'm with Krikorian. He was doing what was best for the team. It is a dangerous precedent if a conference official can ell a coach whom to play. If he had brought the seven players along but had them sit on the bench to rest them, would the same sanctions have been imposed? “He should have them miss class and sit on the bench to appease the conference?”asked Ray Reid, the men's coach at Connecticut.

Here's the link to the Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/19/sports/soccer/19seminoles.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&hpw

Brenna's Thoughts On the D-3 Final Four

I know. I know. I haven't written much here lately. Too much work on the house, which has been under construction in one form or another for the better part of two years.

Anyway, the NCAA tournament is upon us and I am happy to say that seven women from the Medford Strikers Xtreme played for four colleges in the tournament: four at Rowan, one at Virginia Wesleyan and one at The College of New Jersey in Division III, and one at Bloomsburg in D-2.

Now, after the first weekend of the tournament, only one is still playing. That would be Brenna Rubino, who had a banner year at TCNJ. While Rowan lost, 4-0 to Messiah in the 2nd round, Bloomsburg, 2-0 to West Chester in the 2nd round, and Virginia Wesleyan, 1-0 to Hamilton in the first round, the Lions roared past Christopher Newport, 4-0 and Ithaca, 3-0, to advance to this weekend's Sweet 16 match-up with Johns Hopkins at Messiah College. Brenna, the team's leading scorer, picked up a goal and two assists in the two matches.

With TCNJ aiming for another trip to the D-3 College Cup, it seemed like a good time to print Brenna's account of last year's journey to San Antonio where TCNJ lost, 1-0, to eventual champion Messiah in the national semi-final. The goal came with 24:24 left to play and was the only score the Lions' defense allowed the entire tournament.

Here's what Brenna wrote last year after returning to New Jersey following the heartbreaking defeat. The words are hers, although I've edited a bit to clean up some typos.

The experience of going to the NCAAs was awesome and unforgettable. From the first plane ride leaving NY to the last plane ride heading home, the trip was amazing. I feel so blessed to have been able to experience that amazing opportunity.

There were lots of different events that we went to as a team that the NCAA set up for us. They financed our air fare and lodging and some of our meals. However, TCNJ is lucky enough to afford to go out to the nice restaurants as a team in the surrounding beautiful city of San Antonio.

The hotel we stayed was the Menger, which is conveniently located right next to the Alamo. Each team got the opportunity to get their picture taken in front of the Alamo professionally and each player received a copy which was an awesome gift.

There was a final four banquet where head NCAA members were recognized and one player from each of the four women’s teams and men’s teams gave speeches and discussed their team.

After the banquet each team got their own boat and was able to experience what is known as the “Riverwalk.” It’s a huge tourist attraction there in San Antonio which is partially a man made river with lots of beautiful restaurants, shops, and buildings located along the water.

We were given a police escort from the hotel to the field for each prctice to ensure that we arrived on time. We felt like celebrities. Ha ha.

We got the opportunity of reaching out to their female youth soccer players from an inner city middle school where some aren't handed opportunities to go to college like we are. We got to play with the young and talk with them about the importance of prioritizing school and sports as well as friends family and coaches. As a result they came to the game and cheered us on.

Before each team’s first game we were able to do a walk through on the field and take pictures by all the signs which by the way was grass and was immaculately kept. On top of all of this each player on the team received a really nice book bag free with lots of cool NCAA stuff.

When it came to game time each team was allotted its own tent area which was heated due to the unusually inclement weather in San Antonio. The game started and ended like any other game would but the level of play was just amazing to see on both sides. Each team was displaying its peak performance and the game was clean, tough, fair, and highly skilled.

Even though my team happened to lose on a tough goal we each received an individual semi finalist trophy and as a team we received a big trophy. Being there and getting a taste of what its really like to be there gives each player on our team the motivation to work even harder in the off season and during the following season to make sure we get another shot at it next year.

For TCNJ not making it to the final and winning the championship was a disappointment because each year that is our number one goal. I don’t doubt that TCNJ can get back there next year and win it all.

Overall, the road to San Antonio was rough and tiring with all the traveling and long weekends but it was all worth it in the end to be there and be apart of something great. I feel so blessed to have just been able to contribute and be apart of a team that was able to make it to the final four. It was an amazing experience as a team and as an individual even outside of just practicing and playing the game. I pray that TCNJ gets the chance to go back there next year.

Golden Start to the HS Season

They say good teams find a way to win and the Haddonfield girls did just that last night when Emily Carson found the net for a golden goal in the second minute of the second OT to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 win in the first home night game in 2010.

The goal overcame a mistake by keeper Lindsay Brophy, who stepped outside the box with the ball, giving the Garnets a direct free kick from 20 yards out. Kay Hosey drilled it into the lower left corner - although Brophy seemed to get a hand on the ball - to tie the score with 23:15 left in the second half. Haddonfield had scored in the first half when a Heights defender headed the ball into her own goal at 28:16.

Off the field everything went well - especially for the first stadium game in some 10 months. By 6:40 I had met with the referees, briefed the ballgirls, had both starting line-ups and we were ready to go. The only minor hitch was a slight delay in getting the Bowdoin College Meddiebempsters' version of the Star Spangled Banner playing. After a few anxious seconds of watching an old CD player (pressed into use because the stadium's CD player wasn't working) we heard "Oh, say can you see ..." and breathed a sigh of relief.

After that it was about 92 minutes of entertaining - albeit still high school - soccer.

Soccer has Arrived (Again)?

Ken Belson's article in today's New York Times says that interest in the World Cup should help soccer continue to grow in the United States. I hope he's right, but keep in mind we've heard this before. The 1966 World Cup, won by England in a dramatic overtime final, convinced investors that not one but two professional leagues could make it in this country. Neither did.

In the early '70s when the Atoms drew five figure crowds to Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, there were stories around the country about how the youth leagues were exploding.

In 1999 the success of the U.S. Women's Team and the Women's World Cup in this country led to the formation of a professional league which folded after its third season.

“The M.L.S. won’t be the N.F.L. in our lifetime,” said Jeff L’Hote, a consultant to soccer teams and companies interested in working with them, in the Times story. “Maybe it’s not as sexy as some want, but we’ll see steady growth.” And as Belson writes, "Growth is growth." He points out that MLS has signed two World Cup sponsors (Castrol and Continental Tire) to long-term contracts, that new soccer-specific stadiums in New Jersey and Philadelphia bring the total of such facilities to nine, and that high school soccer has the largest growth rate of any major sport over the past 20 years.

All of this is good news for soccer fans and I hope the article is right. But go back to the May 23 entry on Coach P's Blog about the Sports Illustrated piece with arguments why soccer will or will not catch up with the other so-called major pro sports, and look at the quote from the story: : "We dare ya. Take the top three [MLS] teams and name at least two players on each. Exaaaactly . . ."

Germany: Mit Glanz und Glück

Thankfully it did not turn out to be a one goal game. Had the halftime score of Germany 2, England 1 stood throughout the second half, the validity of Germany's victory in the World Cup Round of 16 would have been forever questioned because of an awful non-call in the 38th minute when Frank Lampard's shot was ruled no goal.

But in the second half Germany came out strong and got two goals from Thomas Mueller to win going away.

"The disallowed goal in Bloemfontein should not disguise that Germany was superior on the field" wrote Rob Hughes in the New York Times.

Germany struck first when Miroslav Klose took a long punt from keeper Manuel Neuer up the middle and flicked the ball into the net with the outside of his right foot in the 20th minute. Lukas Podolski put Germany up, 2-0 12 minutes later and it looked as though the rout might be on.

But England drew within one in the 37th minute when Matt Upson headed in a cross from Steven Gerrard. Less than a minute later Lampard took a shot that hit the crossbar and bounced down more than a foot behind the goalline according to replays, with no goal called y the referee or his assistant.

The play is sure to renew calls for instant replay in soccer, especially at this level.

That's Why They Roll the Ball Out: Switzerland 1, Spain 0

When my daughter lived in Basel, Switzerland some 14 years ago she said the Swiss joked that Hitler never invaded their country because he didn't want to piss off their army.


The 2010 Swiss soccer team might be held in slightly more regard than the Army, but few expected it had any chance in today's first round match against defending European champion Spain, one of the consensus favorites to win it all. Yet despite being dominated statistically by Spain, Switzerland pulled off a 1-0 upset earlier today on a goal by Gelson Fernandes in the 52nd minute. And in the 75th minute they almost made it 2-0 when a shot went off the post.

Spain outshot Switzerland, 27-2, possessed the ball 88 percent of the game and dominated in corner kicks, 12-3. But it is the Swiss who sit atop Group H with three points after the first round.

World Cup 2010 Is Underway

After the first day of World Cup 2010 we've had two goals total, one red card but no winners.

Both games in Group A today ended in draws: 1-1 between host South Africa and Mexico, and 0-0 between France and Uruguay. In the latter match, Uruguay's Nicholas Lodeiro earned the distinction of the first player being sent off when he was given his second yellow card in the 85th minute - just 22 minutes after he entered the game.

Korea-Greece, Argentina-Nigeria and of course USA - England tomorrow.

Memories

As part of combining households since the wedding, we are cleaning out rooms, closets and drawers of my house. Just when I thought I had everything, I found some boxes behind a file cabinet in a closet in the den.

One box was full of trophies from random baseball and soccer teams on which my son, Scott, played when we lived in Medford. Most have been long forgotten by me, and probably by Scott. First place at U13 in the 1994 Hamilton Invitational. Second place in a 1995 Select Team Tournament. A championship indoors at Soccer International.

But another box caught my eye. In it were the jerseys Scott wore for the Medford Strikers, including the one in the photo above when they won the State Cup at U14 and played at regionals in Niagara Falls. New Jersey plays a single elimination cup and we won six games, including the final in OT, and had a win and two ties at regionals. Nine games without a loss - a nice run in anyone's book.

The Beautiful Game, MLS and the American Fan

Nice to see soccer - specifically the World Cup - on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week, with the title, "The Beautiful Game." The special report by Grant Wahl includes photos of people kicking a ball around in various parts of the world. I have not yet read the entire piece, but these three sentences on the first page are worth repeating: "At its most basic level - a handful of kids kicking what passes for a ball round whatever open ground they find - the game is a source of joy, sometimes a means of escape. At its pinnacle it defines nations and dissolves differences. In short, this simplest of games unites humankind like nothing else."

But will the intense worldwide attention to the World Cup translate into increased fan interest in the United States, where it has been said for at least 30 years that soccer was the game of the future and always will be? In its May 3 issue, SI briefly weighs in on this debate with several reasons why soccer will or will not "crash the major North American sports-popularity party." On the plus side are soccer specific stadiums catering to crowds of 18,000 to 27,000, the fact that the NHL and NBA have seen dropping attendance and that there is fan support beyond the MLS (noting the home opener sell-out of the D2 Portland Timbers). But on the other side it is argued that right now MLS is simply a cheaper ticket in a recession and that two top-drawing teams, Seattle and the Union, are riding on first or second-year excitement. "How many nil-nil draws before those fans disappear?" asks the writer.

But the argument against soccer really, I mean really, ever competing with baseball, football or basketball for fan interest in the U.S. is the last point: "We dare ya. Take the top three teams and name at least two players on each. Exaaaactly . . ." I think they have a point there.

Will You Still Need Me When I'm 64?

"When I get older, losing my hair, many years from now. Will you still be sending me a Valentine, birthday greeting, bottle of wine?"

Those lyrics, of course are from "When I'm 64" on the Beatles' immortal Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album released in June 1967, at the end of my junior year in college. Forty-three years later I still remember how I and many of my 20 and 21 year old friends said we could not imagine what it would be like to be 64.

Today I find out. Yep, Coach P is 64 today, May 19, 2010. And if anyone ever doubts the rewards of coaching, I can show him or her the birthday wishes posted on my Facebook pages from a number of my former players on both the Medford Strikers Xtreme and the Medford Strikers '81-'82 team, and from some parents from those teams.

Thanks to all for the good wishes. And what does 64 feel like? Well, I'm still out running, just not as far or as fast. And I'm still working. So not much different than 63. And anyway, it beats the alternative suggested by another song from back in my college days, this one called "My Generation," by The Who: "Hope I die before I get old."

MLS in the News

Lots of news about the MLS today. Jack Bell reports in his blog in the New York Times that the Montreal Impact will be introduced tomorrow as an expansion team beginning play in 2012. It will be the league's third Canadian side, along with the existing Toronto FC, and the Vancouver Whitecaps, which begins play next season.
Earlier today MLS announced that Manchester United will play three games in the United States this summer: July 21 in Philadelphia, July 25 in Kansas City and July 28 against the MLS all-stars.

More from the Times: Jere Longman's piece on the British view of American soccer (60% respect - up from 30% not too long ago - according to former American international, John Harkes) reports "widespread indifference to Major League Soccer." Longman quotes noted British soccer writer Brian Glanville as saying of David Beckham's move to the L.A> Galaxy: “As much as his game has eroded over the years, he should be one of the better players in the early-retirement home that is M.L.S.,”

Ouch.

Longman's article is here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/sports/soccer/06longman.html?ref=soccer

Running for Our Girls

TABERNACLE, NJ, May 1, 2010 -- We're here because four girls died.

Today on an unseasonably hot morning at Seneca High School was the 12th Annual Run For Our Girls, supporting the Precious Gems Foundation in honor of Amanda, Megan, Shana and Angela, who were killed by a drunk driver in North Carolina on April 6, 1999. Amanda's parents are among my closest friends and she played on a Medford rec league soccer team with my son Scott way back at age 7.

I ran a lousy race (5K), but who cares. We're here because four girls died. If you knew any of them or their families, it's impossible not to shed a tear when their names are read just before the start.

I was pleased to see another good turnout for this event, which benefits the foundation as well as substance awareness programs at Shawnee and Seneca High Schools. Shana's sister, Erin, is a teacher at Seneca and all of the girls were current or former students at Shawnee.

My good friend, Bob Ellis, who is three years older than I am, continues to defy age and beat me by more than three minutes while my son, Scott, ran a 20:05 on the slow course, good for 5th overall and 2nd in his age group. But times don't matter. We're here because four girls died.

Five years ago, when the race was run at Shawnee H.S., I caught up with Cara, at the time a girl on my Medford Strikers Xtreme team, in the first mile. No way a 9th grade girl on her high school track team should be running behind a guy in his late '50s, as I was then. We had a game that night, so as I ran by, I told her, "Cara, if you don't beat me, you're not starting tonight." She passed me at the 2-mile mark and finished comfortably ahead of me. (See post-race photo, right.)

It was a good race, and everyone had fun, but then, as today, it didn't matter. We were there because four girls died. Honor their memory.

JAGS is back!

It's that time of year: Jersey Area Girls Soccer (JAGS) Tournament. This year is the 30th annual.

As I detailed last year, it is amazing how well the tournament committee operates. The main reason is a hard core group of people, including directors Tom Bayless and Rick Firth, who have been around forever, know what they're doing and do it well.

I just sent out our 2nd e-mail blast to 277 college coaches and am looking forward to seeing 50 or so of them June 19 and 20 at Mercer County Park.

Washed up at 20?

Good article in the Sports Illustrated that arrived today about the kid who was the future of MLS and perhaps US Soccer six years ago. Except it didn't turn out that way.

Freddy Adu signed with DC United at age 14, projected as the American Pele. But six years lateer, he is warmin g the bench for Aris FC in Greece, his sixth professional team. And he almost certainly will not be on the United States roster for the World Cup.

"What happened?" asks SI's Grant Wahl, one of the nation's top soccer writers, who has written another masterpiece. What happened is summed up by Jerome De Bontin, an American who is president of Monaco in the French league. De Bontin is quoted as saying, "Everybody has the same analysis. He had incredible talent, yet he was lacking standard tactical knowledge that most players his age had. It was tied to the fact he became professional at 14 and in some ways stopped learning at 15."

Somethin g to think about the next time MLS looks for a teenage saviour.

Union Home Opener: LeToux 3, United 2

Good game tonight as 34,870 at Lincoln Field watched the Union down winless DC United, 3-2 behind a hat trick from Sebastien LeToux. It was the first men's pro soccer league game in Philadelphia in some 30 years.

Unfortunately, one of the fans attending happened to be the Vice President of the United States and this caused chaos in entering the stadium, resulting in some very angry fans.

The weather was good and there was a festive atmosphere around the stadium as fans tailgated, cooking, drinking beer and kicking soccer balls around. We made our way to the stadium about 35 minutes before kick-off and when we saw the long lines to get in my wife jumped in line while I went to pick up the tickets at Will Call. We made it through Secret Service security and their metal detectors by about 5:45 and had to time to find our overpriced seats in the Club Level.

But I learned later that the gates were closed when Vice President Biden entered and quite a few fans missed the kick-off and as much as 20 minutes of the first half. It's not clear why they had to shut down the gates as opposed to driving Mr. Biden in an armored car through one of the private tunnels leading into the stadium and simply securing just that one area.

After the Vice President's granddaughter did the honors for the ceremonial first tap play got underway at 6:10,meaning it was not quite a quarter past 6 when LeToux scored the first goal in team history, a nice header into the right corner off a cross by Roger Torres. The play had started with a free kick by Torres after Alejandro Moreno was fouled. DC keeper Troy Perkins deflected the ball to Moreno, who passed out to Torres on the right. Torres made a perfect pass in the air to LeToux at the 6 and he buried it in the net.

Union CEO Nick Sakiewicz, speaking to a group of lawyers a few weeks earlier, had promised that the team would play an "attractive, fun-to-watch attacking style. It did not take long to see what he meant.

After the early goal, the blue and gold continued to press forward and dominate play. In the 39th minute Moreno on the left found LeToux in the middle of the field and fed a lead pass. LeToux ran onto the ball, with a defender in hot pursuit, carried, then at just the right moment calmly shot into the lower left corner for a 2-0 lead.

I though the Union should have been awarded a penalty kick in the 60th minute when the referee called a trip (and issued a caution) which appeared to be in the box but then placed the ball a yard outside the 18. The free kick sailed over the crossbar.

United drew within one in the 63rd minute when Santino Quaranta beat a defender and then shot past keeper Chris Seitz to make it 2-1. Seitz preserved the lead two minutes later when he made a nice save on a corner from the left. But in the 69th minute his costly mistake led to the equalizer. While attempting to punt Seitz dropped the ball outside the box in the vicinity of Jaime Moreno, who had an easy pass into an open net. Suddenly it was 2-2.

LeToux to the rescue. After The visitors' Dejean Jakovic was sent off for a hard foul in the 77th minute, Letoux drilled the resulting free kick into the net for the lead that stood up.

SOME THOUGHTS:

-- I would have liked to have bought a program of the historic home opener, but none was to be found.
-- Despite the price of tickets at the Club level, the concession stands were bargain basement in their menus, if not the prices. Hot dogs, pizza, beer and soda was about all that was available, unless you wanted to take the time to go to another level.
-- The team made a nice gesture by asking for a moment of silence before the game in memory of those from the Polish government killed in the plane crash in Russia the day before.
-- Someone needs to clue the P.A. announcer on redundancy. For example, is it necessary to say, "The referee has issued a yellow card to ...?" Who else would issue a yellow card? The vice president, maybe? Or, "The 4th official on the sideline has indicated there will be two minutes of stoppage time." Who cares that the 4th official holds up the sign? And where else would he be but on the sideline? The amount of time is in the referee's discretion anyway.
-- The video replay did not show either DC goal or the foul that earned Jakovic the red card.
-- Nice to hear some singing from the fans. It is common at European and South American soccer matches, but not seen in other sports in the United States. The Union's fan club, "Sons of Ben," sang somewhat sporadically in the north stands, while another group was more or less continuous with the vocals at the opposite end.
-- All in all a good game worth seeing. I'll be back and I expect many others will as well.

Big Pro Soccer Weekend

Pro soccer retruns to Philadelphia with a vengeance this weekend as both new teams play their home opener.

The men's Union, which opened in Seattle last weekend, will face DC United Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Linc, while the women's Independence opens the season Sunday at 6 p.m. at West Chester University against the Atlanta Beat featuring #1 WPS draft pick, Tobin Heath. Both should be good games and I'm hoping for good crowds.

Coach P plans to be at both games and looks forward to the return of pro soccer to the City. Has it really been seven years since the Charge last played at Villanova? And 30 years after the last Fury game at the Vet? Where have you gone, Jenny Benson?

World Cup Advertising.

An article in today's New York Times takes a quick look at how advertisers are gearing up for the World Cup, set to begin June 11. The column focuses on Hyundai and Powerade, which is sold by Coca Cola. Here is the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/business/media/31adco.html?ref=business

Coach P Got Married!

Despite heavy rains that caused problems at the Jersey Shore and elsewhere, the wedding came off without a problem (and with no yellow cards) on March 13 at the Church of the Messiah in Gwynedd, PA. Debbie and I met in this church close to 50 years ago and have been friends ever since and now we are husband and wife.

Although Debbie rejected my suggestion that she dribble a ball down the aisle, there was a soccer influence at the wedding. In the bridal party alone we had six current or former players including me; my brother, Gary, a teacher and Episcopal priest who married us; my daughter, Kirsten and her husband, Chris Chesla, who both played in high school and now play for FC Hansa in Minneapolis; my son, Scott; and Debbie's grandson, Zachary Werner, the ringbearer, who plays on a 5-year old team near West Chester.

I was also happy to have representatives from all three Medford Strikers teams I have coached and from Haddonfield H.S. From the '78-'79 team were parents Mark and Angela Adlen. Coach Jerry Ciser was in Florida and could not make it. From the great '81-'82 team was Coach Joe Dadura ("Mr. D") and his wife Bobbie. And the Medford Strikers Xtreme were represented by GM John Makowski and his wife, Sandy; Coach Mike Grimes and his wife Linda, both former players; and parents Bettie and George Sierra.

We had quite a team at one of the tables with Scott, who played for the Strikers U14 1994 state champions; Kirsten and Chris; and my good friend, Lauren Konopka, a great player for the Strikers, Holy Cross H.S. and Wheaton College, Mass. (Class of '08).

Coaches Steve Barbagiovanni and George Rhea from the Xtreme could not make it, but not surprisingly the best line of the day came from George. (This is the guy who gave me the saying, "Free is me," among others.) George texted me congratulations on the morning of the wedding and I texted back thanking him. To which he replied, "Remember 'I do.'" Thanks, George. And I did.

At this instant, no replay in soccer

Instant replay is not happening in soccer. Good.

A Reuters article in today's NY Times reports that the International Football Association Board (IFAB) rejected the use of goalline and video technology to assist referees. Said FIFA General Secretary Jérôme Valcke, “It’s an end to the potential use of technology within football.”
FIFA made the right call.

Even if it were limited to decisions involving whether a goal had been scored, instant replay would alter the nature of the game by breaking up the flow of play while officials looked at video. If a goalkeeper made a save on the line and the attacking team claimed the ball had crossed the line, would play then be stopped for a video review, thus depriving the keeper of the opportunity to punt or throw the ball? And forget it on other plays, such as a hand ball. (The non-call of an apparent hand ball by France's Thierry Henry on a scoring play against Ireland in a World Cup qualifier renewed calls for use of video technology.) Even if a replay could show that a ball touched a player's hand, how could it determine intent.

Soccer rule changes over the years have tended to speed up the game. For example forbidding a keeper's use of hands on a passback from a teammate cut down on delaying tactics. Instant relay would have the opposite effect and would slow down the game.

Blowin' in the Wind

Check out the following video on You Tube of this recent game in Baden-Würtemburg, Germany between first place TSV Grunbach and second place TSV Wimsheim:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYJttBJq6lw&feature=topvideos

It's a funny clip and appears to show a player taking a 6-yard kick into heavy wind, only to see the ball blown into his net for an apparent goal for the other team. (I'm not sure which team is which here.)

However, the goal should not count. Law 16 says, "A goal may be scored direct from a goal kick but only against the opposing team." It appears no one touched the ball after it was kicked, so the kick should be re-taken.

BUNDESLIGA ÜBER ALLES

Jack Bell reported in last Tuesday’s New York Times that the German Budesliga has the highest average attendance in the world (nearly 42,000 per match for the ’08-’09 season), the lowest ticket prices ($28 per game compared to nearly $60 in England) and parity (three first division champions in each of the last three seasons).

The article quotes Bundesliga chief executive Christian Seifert as saying the league is very happy for these numbers in light of the world economic crisis that began in 2008. “We have combined relative financial health with good performance on the pitch,” he said. “We believe it shows how good the Bundesliga business model is.”

The article is at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/sports/soccer/09goal.html?scp=1&sq=Bundesliga&st=cse

Good Sports

A good friend of mine who was a successful high school and club coach once told his team that sportsmanship awards “are for losers.”

Maybe he should tell that to Wayne Gretzky. Or the Haddonfield High School girls soccer team.

Gretzky, possibly the greatest hockey player of all time, managed to win the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy five times. The Lady Byng is awarded to the NHL player who shows “the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability." Gretzky also had his name on four Stanley Cups, was named MVP nine times and play-off MVP twice. If that’s being a loser I’ll take it.

Turning to high school soccer. Each fall the coaches of the Colonial Conference in South Jersey rate opposing players, coaches and fans on sportsmanship. The past six seasons the Haddonfield girls team finished first in the voting. Losers? Not unless you call five South Jersey Group two championships and two State Cups over that time span being losers. (They’re also pretty good students. Forty-four players in the program were on the honor roll this past fall.)

Sorry, my friend, but I think you’re wrong on this one.

Girls (and Boys) Just Want to Have Fun

The “F Word” has again surfaced in youth sports. That’s “fun,” of course.

As reported in today’s New York Times Peter Barston, a sophomore at Fairfield prep in Connecticut, has conducted a research project – by his own admission not scientific – that shows young athletes play sports for fun more than any other reason.

Barston began the project after taking a survey at the urging of his father, Mike, a board member of a local junior football league. He thought it would be interesting to localize the survey.

His questionnaire is a single page listing 11 reasons children might have for playing sports, including having fun and making friends to the more serious: to win and to earn a college scholarship. Like the survey he took, which was from Michigan State researchers, Barston asked the local players to assign points based on the importance of the reasons for a total of 100.

So far Barston has polled about 255 members of the Darien Junior Football League, who range from fourth grade to eighth grade, and 470 boys and girls in the same grades from the Darien basketball league. He plans to continue with other sports this spring.

The Times says: “From the mound of data he gathered, Barston found a striking pattern. No matter how he categorized the responses, the most important reason youngsters gave for playing sports was the same: to have fun. That was the top response from football and basketball players, from boys and from girls, and from players in each grade from fourth to eighth. In the basketball survey, 95 percent of boys and 98 percent of girls cited fun as a reason for playing, nearly twice the number who mentioned winning.”

The results thus far of Barston’s survey seem to mirror those of the Michigan State researchers Martha Ewing and Vern Seefeldt back in 1989. Their study of 28,000 boys and girls around the country asked, Why do you play sports? The top answer then was “fun,” followed by “to do something I’m good at” and “to improve my skills.” “Winning” did not crack the top 10.

The article reminded me of two recent conversations: one was with a woman I coached in soccer when she was 15. She left the team after 9th grade to concentrate on lacrosse and went on to play for a nationally ranked Division 1 school. But “It just isn’t fun at that level,” she told me. The other was of a friend whose daughter played soccer at a Division 1 school a year ago and did well enough to crack the starting line-up by the end of freshman year. But last year she transferred to a Division 3 school (where she was all-conference) for sophomore year. I asked her father why. “She wasn’t having fun,” he said.

The Setting of the Sol

It’s probably not a good sign when your most popular team folds less than 90 days before the start of the season.

Women’s Professional Soccer announced yesterday that it was folding the Los Angeles Sol, the 2009 regular season champion and runner-up in the play-offs. The Sol’s average home attendance of 6,300 was significantly better than the 4,600 for the rest of the league.

Commissioner Tonya Antonucci said the Sol was one of the stronger franchises in what last year was a seven-team league. Since then the league added teams in Philadelphia and Atlanta. But the Sol’s original owner, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) wanted out and gave the franchise back to WPS last November after being unable to sell. AEG owns L.A. Galaxy and Houston Dynamos of Major League Soccer as well a team in Sweden, the NHL’s L.A. Kings and several minor league and European hockey teams.

The New York Tmes reported that talks with a prospective buyer for the Sol broke down over price last weekend. Which raises the question whether it was better to have no team in a market the size of Los Angeles than a team that sold for less than the league wanted.

“It’s unfortunate when this happens to any league, but it is more amplified for a young league,” Antonucci told the New York Times. “It doesn’t speak to the viability to the L.A. market. We want to get back into L.A. in 2011.”

My old friend, Charlie Naimo, a former Medford Strikers trainer, was general manager and acting coach of the Sol, having been appointed to the latter position less than three weeks ago. "It is a sad day for the franchise, staff, players and fans," Naimo said in a press release.

League officials gave the predictable quotes about the viability of the league.

“All the team owners and members of the Board are confident that this setback will be quickly overcome by the exciting developments that the league has in store for the 2010 WPS Season,” said WPS Board Member and Atlanta Beat Chairman T. Fitz Johnson in a press release. “This includes two new franchises, the debut of a brand new stadium built specifically for WPS, a longer regular season and an even better product on the field with incoming talent from the college ranks and the many top internationals that have been signed in the off-season. Without question, this season is poised to build on our successful launch year.”

“Ownership changes are part of pro sports, particularly in a young league, and we have made solid progress in growing WPS from where we were last season,” said Antonucci. “We believe Los Angeles is a healthy, viable market for women’s pro soccer and a city where our league can again thrive with an LA franchise in the future.”

Ironically, the Sol signed three international players, including Pavlina Scasna who played for the Philadelphia Charge in the WUSA, just 10 days ago. The 19 players on the roster, including the Brazilian, Marta, considered by many to be the world’s top female player, and U.S. National Team player Shannon Boxx, will be selected by the eight remaining teams in a dispersal draft February 4. The expansion Atlanta Beat will have the first pick and will presumably grab Marta. The new Philadelphia Independence will pick second.

The Times article is here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/sports/soccer/29woman.html?ref=soccer

The league’s press release: http://www.womensprosoccer.com/la

The Long And the Short of It

An article in today’s New York Times reports that two German scientists and researchers at the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University in the Netherlands claim in a soon-to-be published paper that shorter players are called for less fouls. I don’t buy it.

The article says that the study is based on data compiled by Impire AG, a German company that catalogs statistics on major European sports, including seven soccer seasons of the Bundesliga (85,262 fouls) and Champions League (32,142), and three World Cups (6,440), a tally of more than 100,000 fouls. But it does not say how the fouls are broken down by size of player (or position) and gives no other details.

The story focuses on German national team player Phillip Lahm, a 5’-7” defender (who I think is a great player). “Lahm hardly has a foul called against him,” one of the researchers, Dr. Steffan Giessner, told the Times in a telephone interview. “He plays tough. People pick up on small players and say they are really tough guys.” Lahm, a defender for Bayern München, has 63 caps for Germany. (Thomas Hässler, a midfielder with 101 caps for Germany who played through 2004, is 5’-5 1/2”. He is not mentioned.)

Being all of 5’-5” I am probably qualified to address this topic and I do not agree with the researchers’ theory. On the contrary, I find that smaller players tend to get beat up more by larger players who are then not called for the fouls. Then when the smaller player retaliates, fans and other players - and often the referee - react with shock. A tall player who flattens someone from behind is being aggressive. A short player doing the same thing is called a dirty player. Maybe this is just in the club and school games and not at the professional level. But the Times article lacks specifics so it’s impossible to judge.

Here is the link to the story: http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/25/refs-are-gunning-for-tall-guys-new-report-asserts/

Back after a month

I know, Coach P has been pretty quiet lately – for more than a month. Not for lack of soccer news. We had the NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia a week ago (but the organization never responded to my request for information on attending), the MLS and WPS drafts and our two new pro teams stocking their rosters. Rather it’s been wedding plans (the date is set for March 13), work and house renovations – I haven’t had a kitchen for six week snow.

I’ll have more tomorrow after the HMHS Girls annual banquet. The food always tastes better when you’re state champs! I’m looking forward to seeing what is a great group of parents and kids.

Meanwhile, some things never change. Bayern München is in first place in the Bundesliga by one point over Bayer Leverkusen, which plays 1899 Hoffenheim tomorrow. At the other end of the standings, things don’t look good for Hertha Berlin, which I saw play Bayern back in ’01. If you’re a pro soccer fan, you haven’t lived until you’ve heard 50,000 Germans singing Nur Nach Hause. But Berlin has fallen since then and if they finish 16^th or 17^th will be demoted to the second division next season, an embarrassment for Germany’s capital and largest city.