The Christmas Truce of 2014

Wars have started over soccer -  El Salvador attacked Honduras in July 1969 after beating Honduras in a World Cup qualifier - and wars have stopped for soccer - in 1967 the two factions in the Nigerian civil war agreed to a 48-hour cease-fire so they could watch Pele play in an exhibition in Lagos.

So it should not be a surprise to learn that Germans and English soldiers stopped fighting on Christmas Day 1914 to play soccer.  Or so the legend goes.

The New York Times wrote on December 25, 2014:

"Yet on Dec. 24, much of the Western Front fell silent as ordinary soldiers made temporary peace with the enemy. This was the remarkable Christmas Truce of 1914.

According to several accounts, soccer games were played in no man's land with makeshift balls that Christmas. Lt. Kurt Zehmisch of Germany's 134th Saxons Infantry Regiment witnessed a match.

Eventually the English brought a soccer ball from their trenches, and pretty soon a lively game ensued. How marvelously wonderful, yet how strange it was. The English officers felt the same way about it. Thus Christmas, the celebration of Love, managed to bring mortal enemies together as our friends for a time."

Other historians have questioned whether such a game or a truce actually took place. James Masters in CNN in December 2014 quoted several.  The article noted that regardless of historical accuracy, the English Premier League was celebrating the 100th anniversary of the truce and since 2011 had sponsored a Christmas Truce youth tournament in Belgium.

The consensus seems to be that while there may have been some instances of enemy soldiers kicking a ball around, there was probably not an actual truce between the two armies.  Still, one can only hope that some day all global conflicts will be decided on the soccer pitch (or basketball court or hockey rink or ...) rather than on a battlefield.

MLS Coming to Nashville

Move over NHL Predators, Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame.  Major League Soccer is coming to Nashville.

MLS announced today that Nashville will begin play in 2018 - the first of four expansion franchises to be awarded.

Wonder if the team will be named the Cats?  Nashville cats.  Play clean as country water.  Nashville cats.  Play wild as mountain dew.

World Cup Draw: Germany, Brazil the Favorites

So Iceland is in and the United States is not.  But then neither are the Netherlands, Chile or - to the greater shock of its citizens - Italy.  And now Iceland and the 31 other countries competing in the 2018 World Cup in Russia know who their opponents will be.

The New York Times provided live analysis of the draw from the Kremlin Friday and the day before a team-by-team analysis.

So with no U.S. in the Cup this year, my favorite is of course Germany, which is also the favorite of many bookies - along with Brazil.  Deutschland is in Group F with Mexico, Sweden and South Korea.

The first game is June 14, Russia vs. Saudi Arabia, 11 a.m. Eastern Time.  Germany begins June 17 at 11 a.m. against Mexico.  The final is Sunday, July 15 at 11 a.m.  I hope to be back at the German Society of Pennsylvania watching the finals as we did last World Cup.  Check out the schedule and other World Cup info at the FIFA World Cup site.

Coach P is Running Again (Not For Office)

Six and a half months after my pacemaker surgery it was good to go to the starting line of a race today at the 11th Annual Haddon Township Turkey Trot.  Debbie and I have been a proud sponsor of the race for at least six years after she ran into race director John Foley at a nail salon one stormy day back in 2011.

This year I planned to train more and build up to running the full 5K without walking, improving on my 2016 time of 37:28.  (Keep in mind that back in the day my PR was 21+ and I would warm up for a 5K by running 5K.)  I was building up on mileage on the treadmill, until one day my heart stopped for about 5 seconds and I was diagnosed with a bradycardia (slow heartbeat). 

Next thing I know I was flat on my back at Virtua Hospital feeling great but with a temporary pacemaker that prevented me from moving for two days until the surgeon was available to do the procedure.  The cardiologist recommended not running for six weeks, which I stretched to seven, but I kept walking during that time.  Very gradually I began running a bit with the walking.

I did not run a full mile until this past Wednesday.  At my age (71) six months without training requires about six years to get back to baseline.  So I wasn't sure what to expect when I went to the starting line today.  Fortunately the weather was ideal - low 40s, manageable humidity, no wind.

I hit the first mile in 11:07, walked/ran the rest of the way and finished in 40:17 - not great but I'll take it.  During my first New York Marathon in 1980 I remember crossing the 59th Street Bridge at 16 miles and hearing people say Al Salazar had won.  Today, sort of like that on a much smaller scale, I was thinking early in the second mile that the winner had most likely crossed the line (he had) and at 20 minutes - when I still had half the course to go, I expected my son Scott had finished.  He had - after being uncertain whether he could break 20 minutes, he came in at 19:33, good for first in his age group and 24th overall.

After the race we posed for our traditional picture in front of the Pour House sign.

The End Of a Soccer Mom's Career

Good story in today's Philadelphia Inquirer by Noel Dolan of suburban Philadelphia about the end of the line for her career as a soccer mom.  Seems her son was a goalkeeper for a local high school whose season ended with a loss in post-season play last week.  No more sitting at games in all weather, washing uniforms, driving to practices, working the snack bar and all the other things soccer moms and dads do.

While being a soccer mom (or dad) for a high school team is different than for a club team with its travel and year-around play, the ideas about which Dolan writes are the same.  But the piece is about more than supporting your kids' activities be they soccer, ballet, ice hockey or whatever.  It's about kids growing up - her son is off to college next fall, she wrote - and parents aging.  She quotes from "Landslide" by Stevie Nicks: "even children get older, and I’m getting older too."  As one who has watched countless games my kids played in countless rec league, travel team and high school games and is now a soccer granddad, I can identify.  

As much as I enjoyed the story, I take issue with Dolan's statement, "I must confess, I was not a very good soccer mom, at least not in the stereotypical imagining" because she did not have a team decal on her car or wear a team shirt.  But she goes on to say, "I was there for my son, to support him in a sport that he enjoyed and in which he found meaning and friendship. That is what moms do, soccer moms, football moms, ballet moms, field hockey moms, the dads too, you name it. Show up and offer support, win or lose."

Sounds like she was the best soccer mom to me.

A "National Shame": Italy Fails to Qualify For World Cup

By virtue of a scoreless draw with Sweden Monday, Italy failed to qualify for the world Cup for the first time since the Eisenhower administration.  Jason Horowitz described it in a well-written piece in today's New York Times:

"ROME — Many tragedies have befallen Italy in the last 60 years. Dozens of governments have collapsed. Earthquakes and terrorism have shaken cities. The French started adding cream to carbonara.

But the failure of the national soccer team on Monday night to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1958 seems to be taking a place in the pantheon of Italian disasters."

And speaking of soccer disasters, Iceland is in and we're not!

Progress: First Woman Referee In The Bundesliga

Saturday's New York Times carried the story of Bibiana Steinhaus, the first woman to referee in the German Bundesliga.   Good for her and good for the sport.  No reason a woman who is qualified cannot officiate in the Bundesliga or any other top league.  Are you listening MLS?

Steinhaus seems pretty cool - serious about the job, worked hard to get where she is but still a bit in awe.  “This is the freaking Bundesliga! This is cool!" she is quoted as saying.

Maybe in the not too distant future having a woman working top games in any sport will no longer be news.

Focus Football" last Chance For 11 year olds

Recent story in New York Times about the so-called "academy" youth programs of British Premier League clubs and Focus Football, founded to help those youngsters who were released from the academies.

Parents pay Focus $100  a month for two training sessions and one game a week in the hopes their son will get back to an EPL Academy.  But the odds are overwhelmingly against it.

The Times article quotes author Michael Calvin, who wrote a book about the academy economy as saying only 180 of the 1.5 million boys who play organized youth soccer in England at any one time will ever play in the Premier League.

“You are like a piece of meat really,” one Focus parent said of her son’s dismissal by a Premier League academy. “They need you until they don’t.”

SJ Coaches Cup: A Matter of Inches

HADDONFIELD, NJ --  If the goalposts were 24 feet6 inches wide instead of just 24, or if the crossbar was 8 feet three inches above the ground instead of just 8, the result of last Saturday's opening round game between Haddonfield and Moorestown  in the South Jersey Soccer Coaches Association girls tournament might have been different.

Whoever said football is a game of inches referred to the gridiron version popular in the United States.  Turns out it's true in the football more popular in the rest of the world.

Haddonfield was nursing a 1-0 lead in the 47th minute when Moorestown was awarded a penalty kick.  The Bulldogs dodged a bullet there when the shot hit the crossbar and was cleared.  Two minutes later Moorestown shot one off the crossbar, hit the rebound into the left post and then shot that rebound barely wide right.

"I can't buy a goal," wailed Moorestown coach Bill Mulvihill.  "If they were selling goals they wouldn't take my credit card.

His lament proved to be true again, after Haddonfield had gone up, 2-0, when a Moorestown shot hit under the crossbar, bounced down and out.

The game ended up 2-0 and Haddonfield went through to the quarterfinals where they downed Oakcrest, 4-1, three days later to advance to the semifinals Wednesday night against Washington Township.

The boys were equally as successful with a 1-0 golden goal victory over Williamstown to advance to the semis against Rancocas Valley.

Coach P is Back

Well, it's been awhile - combination of things, mostly time crunch with my day job, plus some log-on issues that have finally been resolved.

Since I've been gone, a lot happening the soccer world.

**David Beckham's group was awarded an MLS expansion franchise in Miami and has made its first payment towards the purchase of land for a stadium;

**back on July 23 the Men's National Team beat Jamaica, 2-1 to win the CONCACAF Gold Cup;

**just tonight the men scored a crucial 4-0 win over Panama in a World Cup qualifier and are now in third place, 3 points ahead of Panama with one match to play - October 10 against Trinidad and Tobago.  The top three teams get an automatic bid to next year's World Cup in Russia;

**Over in the Bundesliga, my favorite team, Hamburger Sport Verein (HSV) got off to a flying start with victories in the first two matches, only to drop the next four before a tie last weekend, leaving them in 16th place of 18 teams.  They'll try again on Friday the 13th at Mainz;

**Sadly, former Women's National Team coach, Tony DiCicco, passed away in June at the age of 68;

** Back on August 2, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), of which I used to be a member, re-branded itself as United Soccer Coaches;

** The Haddonfield Memorial High School girls team got off to a 5-1-1 start, with the loss and the draw being non-league games - 2-1 to Kingsway and 1-1 with Rancocas Valley.

There's been much more of course.  I'll try to keep in better touch in coming months.

Carli Lloyd On The Go

It's been awhile since the last post, so might as well start off with a Carli Lloyd update.  Jonathan Tannenwald has a good article in today's Inquirer about Carlie's travels from Manchester City to Houston to the Women's National Team.

Speaking of Houston, about two weeks ago they gave up a 1-0 lead to Portland on a perfectly placed free kick into the upper left corner in the 90th minute.  Then in the 92nd minute the referee made what looked to me to be a bad call in sending Carli off.  The announcers seemed to agree saying there was nothing malicious about the foul, and maybe she came in "a bit late" but at worst a yellow card would have sufficed.

Anyway, I hope the rest of the season goes well for carli.

Tony DiCicco, Former WNT Coach, Dies at 68

Soccer Hall of Famer Tony DiCicco, who coached the U.S. Women's National Team to the 1999 World Cup, has died at age 68.  His life was detailed in the New York Times as well as by the NSCAA and of course U.S. Soccer.

I had the pleasure of meeting DiCicco back in the 90s - before the World Cup victory, when the National Tam played a friendly against Germany at the German Hungarians club outside Philadelphia and I was invited to a reception for the teams.  My daughter, Kirsten, accompanied me and I had a picture of her with DiCicco.  Years later, at the JAGS Tournament, DiCicco was coaching a Connecticut team and I approached him and showed him the photo from some 15 years ago.  He had a good laugh and we agreed we had both aged a bit since then.

R.I.P., Coach.

Carla Overbeck: Carrying the Luggage

A new book that studies sport's greatest teams found that what they all had in common was an extraordinary captain.  The Captain Class: The Hidden Force That Creates the World's Greatest Teams, by Wall Street Journal editor Sam Walker, writes about Carla Overbeck, captain of the 1999 U.S. Women's team that won the World Cup, and how she used to carry her teammates' luggage to their rooms.  The book is reviewed by Dan Lyons on Linked-In.

Happy Mother's Day to All Soccer Moms

As I recall the term "Soccer Mom," was coined by a political reporter during the Clinton years and referred to (mostly white) suburban middle class women carting their kids around to soccer games (and basketball, Little League and a myriad of other youth activities).  To me it refers to the group of mothers of the girls I have coached over the years.

I have fond memories of most of the soccer moms whose daughters I was privileged to coach.  A few my wife and I still see socially.  I keep in touch with many more on Facebook.

Right now my favorite soccer mom is my step-daughter, Sarah.  And the soccer mom I will never forget is Kirsten and Scott's mother, Louise, who left us too soon more than 10 years ago.  She was Scott's first coach (when he was 6) and was at countless games played by Kirsten and Scott at school and on club teams.

Happy Mother's Day to soccer moms everywhere.

How Cool Is This Kindergarten?

What kid wouldn't love to go to school in their favorite team's stadium?  Imagine a Little League baseball player having classes at Yankee Stadium.  Or a pee wee hockey player doing the same at Maple Leaf Gardens.

Kindergarten kids in Hamburg, Germany, get to do just that at the Pestalozzi Foundation kindergarten inside the 29,546-seat Millerntor-Stadion, home to the Second Division F.C. St. Pauli.  The article in today's New York Times describes how the school uses the stadium's roof, tunnels and field for group activities and how players stop in to read to the children.

Located in a working class but gentrifying area, the St. Pauli club's fans are known for left-leaning politics and campaigns against racism and homophobia.  On the field, the team is hanging on the Second Division, just two points above the relegation zoned with four matches to play.

Pay Attention, Parents

The sign below was posted on a family member's Facebook page as we get ready for baseball season.  Although it is from a Little League Baseball field, its message is just as important to youth soccer and for that matter all other youth sports.



Enjoy the spring season!

Mexican Refs Walk

Referees in Mexico refused to officiate games in the top division last weekend, protesting what they said was light punishment of two players who assaulted officials.  As reported in the New York Times, one player shoved a ref after a red card and another from a different team head-butted an official.  The referees reported both players for “aggression,” which could have led to yearlong suspensions. But the league’s disciplinary committee issued eight- and 10-match suspensions for the lesser offense of “attempted aggression.”  The Times said refs showed up for a match Friday but refused to take the field so the game was not played.  Matches on Saturday and Sunday also were not played.

Mallory Pugh

.Good story on Yahoo Sports last week about Mallory Pugh of U.S. WNT.

Standing For The United States

As reported in today's New York Times, U.S. Soccer will now require national team players to stand during the playing of the national anthem.  The new rule is apparently in response to Megan Rapinoe, who knelt during the playing of the anthem before a friendly against Thailand as well as before a match with her club team,  the Seattle Reign. 

For those who howl "she has a right of free speech":  no she doesn't when it comes to a non-governmental entity such as U.S. Soccer.  A governmental agency may not require someone to stand during the Star Spangled Banner, but an employer may.  And that aside, if an athlete is representing the United States, she should show respect for the country.  She is certainly free to express her opinions on Twitter, to the media or whatever, but when it comes to the national anthem, it is not unreasonable to expect American athletes to show respect. 

Carli Lloyd Off to Manchester City

It's official: Carli Lloyd has signed with Manchester City in time for the F.A. Women's Super League season, the F.A. Cup and the UEFA Champions League.  In June she will return to her NWSL team, the Houston Dash for the second half of its season.

“I’ve always had the desire to play abroad,” Lloyd told Andrew Das of the New York Times today. “And this is pretty much the year to do it. There’s no World Cup. There’s no Olympics. So it just made sense.”

Budesliga Clock Ticking for Hamburger S.V.

The New York Times today reported on Hamburger Sport Verein (HSV), the only team to have played in the Bundesliga continuously since its founding in 1963, and its struggles to remain in the first division.  Coach P wrote about HSV's close calls with relegation back in May.

The Hamburg club maintains a clock showing how many years (53), days, hours, minutes and seconds it has played in the top level.  But if the team does not pick it up in the remaining 15 games, the clock will stop ticking.

The bottom two teams are automatically relegated to the second division.  The 16th or third from last team, which is where HSV sits now, plays a two game series with the third place team in the second division for promotion to the first division.  HSV has played in that series before.

This year, with 15 matches remaining, Hamburg is in 16th place, just one point ahead of FC Ingolstadt 04.  (Werder Bremen as the same number of points - 16 - but is two better in goal differential.  If the season ended today HSV would be in a familiar position of playing a two game fight for life. 

There are 15 games left to play.  Here's hoping HSV can spring to life and move up as few notches to spare its fans the tension and keep the clock ticking.

12 Cities Vie For 4 New MLS Franchises

MLS has received bids from 12 cities competing for an anticipated four expansion teams in the coming years.  That would take the league to 28 teams.

A summary of each bid is at the MLS website.  The cities competing are Charlotte, Nashville, Indianapolis, Detroit, Phoenix, St. Louis, Raleigh/Durham, San Antonio, Sacramento, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg and San Diego.  All have at least one team in the other four major sports.  St. Louis and Tampa Bay had teams in the old North American Soccer League.  Long before that St. Louis had a soccer history as one of the country's hotbeds. 

No word on when the winning bids will be announced.

Lloyd's Double: FIFA Player of the Year Again

For the second straight year Carli Lloyd has been named FIFA Women's Player of the Year.  Cristiano Ronaldo was the men's winner.  The awards were handed out in Zurich tonight.  There is extensive coverage on the U.S. Soccer website.

Lloyd joins a rather elite group of just three other women who have won the award more than once: Mia Hamm of the U.S. (2001-2002); Birgit Prinz of Germany (2003, 2004 and 2005); and Marta of Brazil, 2006 - 2010.

Congratulations to Carli!

Close Of The High School Season

The magical 2016 season for Haddonfield High School girls officially ended today with the annual team banquet, a brunch at Tavistock Country Club.

Coach P with Lynn Green (left) and Chris Stanton.

Coach Lori Quintavalle was emotional yet eloquent in describing a team that went 25-2 while outscoring opponents, 86-19 and recording shutouts in more than half (14) of its victories.  The team ran the table in conference play and its only losses were in the semi-finals of the South Jersey Coaches Cup and the final game of the State Cup.  In my remarks I asked the girls to promise me two things: 1) they would continue to get good grades in class; and 2) they would win one more game next season.

This was my 23rd year with the Girls Soccer Booster Club, which I started in Kirsten's sophomore year.  In recent years we've had phenomenal support from the parents and I have been blessed to make a new friend each time a new person took over in charge.  This year was no exception as Chris Stanton and Lynn Green succeeded my good friend Michele Sehdev.  The energy and enthusiasm these ladies put into the program was nothing short of remarkable and it has been a joy working with them - even though they did most of the work.

Already looking forward to the pre-season picnic next August!

50% More World Cup

Don't look now, but FIFA appears likely to add to the number of teams in the World Cup finals by as much as 50 percent, going from the current 32-team format to 48.

As reported by the AP on ESPN FC, a FIFA study has said that while the current format produces the highest quality soccer, 16 groups of three would be more profitable. The 2026 World Cup is the earliest any change could be implemented.

The AP says that FIFA's ruling council will vote on the proposed changes next month, but quoted the organization as saying "it should not be a financial decision" and that "the goal of expanding the World Cup is to further advance the vision to promote the game of football, protect its integrity and bring the game to all."

I liked the comment posted on the website by a Mike Lee of UC Berkeley:  "Not a fan of expansion, but I don't hate it. But The 3 team group format is awful. I would love a 40 team cup with 8 5-team groups. and would be okay with a 48 team cup with 12 4 team groups, with half advancing. Then the top 8 group winners get a first round bye. 3 team groups are the worst: it becomes even more about the draw and arbitrary tie breakers will decide several groups."  Maybe FIFA will read it.

Happy New Year

Here's wishing a good 2017 to everyone out there.  No Olympics or World Cup this year, but as always we have the Champions League, the Bundesliga, EPL, MSL, and all the high school and college games around the country to follow.

May 2017 be the year that the Haddonfield girls win the state cup that so narrowly eluded them in 2016 and the year that Hamburger SV remains in the First Bundesliga.  May it be the year the Philadelphia Union goes deep in the MSL playoffs.  And the year the refs never miss a call.  :)

Here's to good games all over the world.

Happy New Year to soccer fans everywhere.