Despite the fame that Carli has rightfully achieved, I suspect that she is still the same nice kid I remember. May she and her teammates continue to bask in the glow of their historic achievement.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Basking in the Glow
Very cool to see the girl I coached from 8th through 11th grades holding the World Cup on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Grant Wahl, arguably the country's top soccer writer (although Sam Borden and Jere Longman from the New York Times could make a case) wrote about Carli and her trainer, James Galanis. I have known James for many years and recall meeting with him at the Medport Diner in Medford to discuss his becoming technical director of the club where Carli played and drafting his contract with the club. Wahl tells the story of how he connected with Carli and motivated her to become the player she has.
Despite the fame that Carli has rightfully achieved, I suspect that she is still the same nice kid I remember. May she and her teammates continue to bask in the glow of their historic achievement.
Despite the fame that Carli has rightfully achieved, I suspect that she is still the same nice kid I remember. May she and her teammates continue to bask in the glow of their historic achievement.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Carli In The Cartoons
I've gotten used to seeing Carli Lloyd, whom I have known since she was in 8th grade, be on television, score winning goals in big games from the Olympics to the recent World Cup. But until today I never saw a player I had coached featured in an editorial cartoon.
That changed when Pulitzer Prize winning Philadelphia Daily News cartoonist, Signe Wilkinson, drew the cartoon below depicting Lloyd about to instruct Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie how to take a long shot - a reference to Lloyd's goal from midfield in the final against Japan. That long shot resulted from great vision, quick thinking and an assessment of the risk of taking it. Wonder if the governor will apply those same traits in his campaign.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
World Champions!
It was really over by the time Carli Lloyd scored the third goal of her hat trick, just 16 minutes into the final. When it was "only" 2-0, you thought maybe Japan will get organized, maybe get a goal before halftime, then come back in the second half to tie or even go ahead. Didn't happen.
Lauren Holiday made it 3-0 in the 14th minute, then Lloyd completed the hat trick with a wise decision: she saw Japanese keeper Aiyumi Kaihori out too far and lofted a long ball from near midfield past the startled goalie and into the net. And then you knew for sure it was over. Not a twinge of worry when Yuki Ogim narrowed the gap to three with a goal in the 27th minute. It was over.
An own goal charged to Julie Johnston cut the lead to to two before Heath's score put it back at three. But it was over.
Coach Jill Ellis used two of her three subs to get Abby Wambach and Christy Rampone, each playing in her final World Cup, into the game. In a classy gesture, Lloyd turned the captain's armband over to Wambach when she entered the field. Afterwards it was Wambach and Rampone who accepted the cup foe the United States.
Jere Longman wrote the game story for the New York Times.
For the third straight match Lloyd was player of the match and she was rightfully awarded the golden boot as the tournament's MVP.
I'm very proud of Carli Lloyd and to have coached her way back when with the Medford Strikers. Tonight showed what hard work and determination can do.
Lauren Holiday made it 3-0 in the 14th minute, then Lloyd completed the hat trick with a wise decision: she saw Japanese keeper Aiyumi Kaihori out too far and lofted a long ball from near midfield past the startled goalie and into the net. And then you knew for sure it was over. Not a twinge of worry when Yuki Ogim narrowed the gap to three with a goal in the 27th minute. It was over.
Coach Jill Ellis used two of her three subs to get Abby Wambach and Christy Rampone, each playing in her final World Cup, into the game. In a classy gesture, Lloyd turned the captain's armband over to Wambach when she entered the field. Afterwards it was Wambach and Rampone who accepted the cup foe the United States.
Jere Longman wrote the game story for the New York Times.
For the third straight match Lloyd was player of the match and she was rightfully awarded the golden boot as the tournament's MVP.
I'm very proud of Carli Lloyd and to have coached her way back when with the Medford Strikers. Tonight showed what hard work and determination can do.
U.S v. Japan: It's Our Year
It all comes down to one game and that game is tonight: United States v. Japan in the Women's World Cup final, a rematch of the 2011 final. But the realization that this is our year goes back to maybe the China game when the team picked it up a notch and continued through the semi-finals with a convincing 2-0 win over top seed Germany.
The Germans started out in control - for about 10 minutes, showing dazzling quick feet and pinpoint passing, but with nothing in the back of the net. The U.S. received two breaks in the 63rd minute: one from the referee for not sending off Julie Johnston after a foul in the box; and the second from the tournament's leading scorer, Celis Saic, who sent the ensuing penalty kick wide left. Nine minutes later a foul on Germany, which may have been outside the penalty area, led to a PK that Carli Lloyd nailed.
Lloyd has been player of the match in the last two games.
All this has brought a well-deserved round of favorable publicity to Lloyd. Juliet Macur wrote in the New York Times after the victory over China, "In a significant way, then, with Coach Jill Ellis willing to tinker but not to renovate, this has become Lloyd’s team. As Lloyd showed against China, she can be the engine that makes it run at full speed and the leader who may decide how far it will go."
Today Macur wrote about Lloyd's former high school coach, Rudy Klobach, of Delran High School, whom I knew when he coached Carli in high school and she played on the club team that Joe Dadura and I coached. Sadly Rudy passed away back in January, much too early at age 70.
People ask me about Carli and I tell them it never gets old seeing her play at this level, and especially the success she has realized in this Cup. I see the Facebook posts of our former Medford Strikers team supporting Carli and I know we will all be watching tonight - hopefully seeing her hoist the Cup.
My prediction: United States 2, Japan 1.
The Germans started out in control - for about 10 minutes, showing dazzling quick feet and pinpoint passing, but with nothing in the back of the net. The U.S. received two breaks in the 63rd minute: one from the referee for not sending off Julie Johnston after a foul in the box; and the second from the tournament's leading scorer, Celis Saic, who sent the ensuing penalty kick wide left. Nine minutes later a foul on Germany, which may have been outside the penalty area, led to a PK that Carli Lloyd nailed.
Lloyd has been player of the match in the last two games.
All this has brought a well-deserved round of favorable publicity to Lloyd. Juliet Macur wrote in the New York Times after the victory over China, "In a significant way, then, with Coach Jill Ellis willing to tinker but not to renovate, this has become Lloyd’s team. As Lloyd showed against China, she can be the engine that makes it run at full speed and the leader who may decide how far it will go."
Today Macur wrote about Lloyd's former high school coach, Rudy Klobach, of Delran High School, whom I knew when he coached Carli in high school and she played on the club team that Joe Dadura and I coached. Sadly Rudy passed away back in January, much too early at age 70.
People ask me about Carli and I tell them it never gets old seeing her play at this level, and especially the success she has realized in this Cup. I see the Facebook posts of our former Medford Strikers team supporting Carli and I know we will all be watching tonight - hopefully seeing her hoist the Cup.
My prediction: United States 2, Japan 1.
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