SJ Coaches Cup Is Here

Officially it's the South Jersey Coaches Tournament but it's really the Coaches Cup.  Everyone knows that in soccer the players compete for the Cup, not in a tournament.  And one of the best cups is that run by the South Jersey Coaches Association.
http://www.eteamz.com/sjsca/news/index.cfm?cat=702053
Anyone who has a .500 record by a certain date gets in the State  Tournament, er … Cup, and you play within your group against similar sized schools.  But the Coaches Cup picks the 16 best schools in South Jersey, regardless of size.

Play got underway today with Eastern boys shutting out Bordentown, 2-0, while Washington Township girls downed Kingsway, 3-1 and Moorestown girls edged Williamstown, 2-1.

Ninth-seeded Haddonfield girls travel to 8th seed Delsea tomorrow for a first round match with the winner to play the winner of Cherry Hill East and Shawnee.  On the boys side, 12th-ranked Haddonfield travels to 5th seed Williamstown.

The finals are October 27 at DeCou  Field in Chery Hill,

2019 World Cup: U.S. Women Begin March to France

Has it really been more than three years since Carli Lloyd stunned the soccer world with a hat trick in the first 16 minutes of the final against Japan in Vancouver as the United States went on to win its third Women's World Cup?  Yes it has, and today it started all over as qualifications for the 2019 Cup in France got underway in Cary, NC.

The Americans got off to a fabulous start with a 6-0 whitewash of Mexico as Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan each scored two goals, while Tobin Heath and Julie Ertz each had one.  Lloyd came on in the 66th minute.

Next up is Panama tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. with the final group match on Wednesday at 5:00 pm.

The top two teams in the four-team group will advance to the semifinals on October 14.  The final is October 17.

The U.S. Soccer account of the game is here.