Coach P Is Getting Married!

Dec. 8, 2009 -- Debbie wanted me to mention her on my blog, so I'll officially announce what all my soccer (and other) friends already know: sometime in 2010 - sooner rather than later - my long-time friend, Debbie Denslow, and I are getting married. We officially made the decision on the front porch of the Castine Inn, Castine, Maine on the evening of August 20 and I gave her a ring in St. Paul, MN on October 23.

This is an exciting time for me, since my favorite female soccer player, my daughter Kirsten, gave birth to my first grandchild, Oliver Chesla, back on Sept, 29 in Stillwater, MN. My favorite male player, my son, Scott, has been having a good fall teaching 5th grade in neighboring Haddon Twp., NJ. And now I will have someone with whom to share my life. I can't wait!!

It's been three years since the tragic death of Kirsten and Scott's mother, my favorite soccer mom, my wife, Louise Harbach. She died just 16 days before our 37th anniversary. But she would be happy to know that I am marrying Debbie, whom she knew well.

Debbie and I first met at the Episcopal Church of the Messiah in Gwynedd, PA (just outside Philadelphia) not quite 50 years ago and our families knew each other there. Debbie and I went out on occasion in high school, went to some of the same parties, had some friends in common and we stayed in touch over the years. She was married long ago and it didn't work out, but she had a wonderful daughter who is now married to a great guy and she has two lovely grandchildren ages 5 and 3.

Debbie has two masters degrees and is an elementary school teacher of remedial math who is devoted to her teaching, but also to her own family and to our expanding family. She has a great sense of humor, loves theater and loves to travel. Already we've been to England, Canada, Minnesota three times and New England four times.

We hope to hold the wedding at Messiah and to have the ceremony performed by my brother, Gary, another former soccer player (at Penn Charter) and coach at Northfield-Mount Hermon School, who also happens to be an Episcopal priest. He had practice for a family wedding by doing Kirsten's in 2008.

Friends have asked me if Debbie is a soccer fan. She is now. I think her first exposure to the sport was going to a farewell party for Carli Lloyd before the '08 World Cup. She has been to dinner with many of my Haddonfield soccer friends - including Coach Gess - and attended the wedding of a former player of mine last year. She and I watched the U.S. play Argentina at the Meadowlands, and Debbie came to two of our Haddonfield H.S. games this fall, including the exciting state championship match at TCNJ a few weeks back. Plus she flew up to Portland with me for the Bowdoin-Wheaton women's game back in September. So she is building her soccer credentials. There are a lot of games left in this story.

We Lucked Out

Dec. 5, 2009 -- The early word is the U.S. got off easy in yesterday's World Cup draw, so easy in fact, that a berth in the second round is all but guaranteed.

That may be an overstatement, and of course there is a reason they play the games. But let's face it, we could have done worse than England, Slovenia and Algeria. And don't forget - the top two team go through. So a loss to England does not end the hopes of advancement.

So here is the schedule for Group C: June 12 - England; June 18 - Slovenia; June 23 - Algeria. Mark your calendars.

Soccer journalists always pick a "Group of Death," that considered the toughest of the eight groups of four. This year that honor goes to Group G with Brazil, Ivory Coast, North Korea and Portugal.

The last time the U.S. played England in the World Cup was 1950 when the Americans pulled off a stunning 1-0 upset in Belo Horizonte, Brazil as Joey Gaetjens headed in a cross from Philadelphia's Walt Bahr. The game was the subject of the 1995 film, "The Game of Their Lives."

For Jere Longman's excellent coverage of the draw in the New York Times, see: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/05/sports/soccer/05draw.html?ref=sports

Jordan's Perserverance Gives HMHS Group 2 Title

EWING, Nov. 21, 2009 – When senior Kathleen Jordan blew a chance to win the state championship in the 2nd minute of the first “golden goal” overtime, Haddonfield fans weren’t worried. They knew it would just make her more determined.

Jordan broke free and took a clear shot on the goal from about 15 yards out. A goal and Haddonfield wins the State Cup. But Jordan’s shot clanked off the left post and play continued. No problem. Less than five minutes later Jordan used her speed and strength to win a ball after a shot was blocked, and crossed it to sophomore Kate Johnston who was wide open in front of the net.

Johnston had plenty of time to set for the ball – and probably to check her e-mail while she was at it – and easily put it in the back of the net for a thrilling 2-1 win and Haddonfield's fourth state championship since 1997.

"I didn't know why they didn't mark me,” Johnston said to the Courier-Post, “but I had missed a shot like that beforehand. I was like, ‘This time I have to put it in.' I just did it calmly and didn't rush it. The goalie was coming at me, but I didn't want to hit it over, so I had to set myself to get it down."

“That was awful. I should have put it away,” Jordan said after the game to the Inquirer’s Marc Narducci of her first miss.

The match was played before a nice crowd on a cool night in The College of New Jerse's football stadium. Haddonfield generally had the better of the play against a good Mahwah team in the first half, but could have been on the short end of the score at half had keeper Tina Davis not tipped a long shot over the crossbar.

Just 1:26 into the second half, midfielder Sarah Dudek beat her defender and took a shot from the left that bounced off Mahwah keeper Emily Secor and Jordan took advantage to put the Bulldawgs up, 1-0. But nine minutes later the Thunderbirds followed up two corner kicks and a throw-in with a cross from the right side by Nicole Lee that Kristyn Tremblay headed in for the equalizer.

Haddonfield had one last chance to win it in regulation, but Secor fell on an Emily Grabiak corner kick from the left with 6 seconds to play before anyone could put it in the net.

Haddonfield used 14 players in winning the Cup. Mahwah went the whole way with its starting 11.

The Bulldawgs have not lost since the second game of the season when they were defeated, 2-1, by Williamstown. They have won 21 straight since a scoreless tie with Haddon Heights on Sept. 17. The program was co-champions in 1997 after a scoreless tie with Morris Catholic in Group 1, and co-champions again in 2005, this time in Group 2 with Pascack Valley. They won the title outright in Group 2 in 2007 with a 1-0 victory over Pascack Hills. In 2006 River Dell edged Haddonfield in the Group 2 final.

The championship was followed by a Haddonfield tradition – a parade through town and over Kings Highway to the high school with fire engines and a police car escorting the team bus. It sounds hokie and small-town, but having ridden in the parade two of the last three years, I can tell you it’s pure magic. I was amazed at people standing outside their homes on Warwick Road, and along Kings Highway waving to us as the sirens wailed and parents blew their horns. And I saw some young girls in soccer uniforms watching, thinking no doubt, “that will be me some day.”

Some day it will be.

NCAA's on Web-TV

Pretty cool, watching girls from the Xtreme playing in the NCAA Sweet 16 on a webcast from Williams College.

Earlier today, Brenna Rubino played for TCNJ as it upset host Williams, 1-0. Now I'm watching Rowan battle Ithaca. No score as the first half is nearing an end. Then I have to head up to TCNJ Stadium for the Haddonfield game - state Group 2 final.

This is not exactly ESPN, but the video quality, despite an occasional freeze-up, is surprisingly good, although the audio is not. The announcer is presumably a college student and not doing a bad job, although when TCNJ scored, he did not bother to tell us which team scored, what the score was or the time left. (It came in the 65th minute.)

There is one camera, on the teams' side, at midfield, so I'm seeing alot of my former players, Nina Fragoso and Linda Sierra, but they're in the play alot.

Halftime and it's 0-0. Gotta run up to the HS game.

"Hand of Gaul" - FIFA Made the Right Decision Denying Replay

Ireland probably won’t invade France, but there’s quite an international incident over a non-call in the World Cup qualifier between France and Ireland Nov. 18 in France.

Despite Ireland’s wails that it was robbed by a referee’s non-call – and it was – FIFA got it right by refusing to order a replay.

The stakes were high: the winner of the two-game aggregate would go to the World Cup. France had won, 1-0 in Ireland, but now Ireland had a 1-0 lead in the 113th minute. France scored when star Thierry Henry flicked the ball with the outside of his right foot to William Gallas, who headed it in for a 1-1 tie, but a 2-1 aggregate win for the French. (Had the goal not been scored and the game ended 1-0 for the Irish, a shootout would have taken place to determine the World Cup berth.)

What none of the game officials saw was that Henry, charging inside the 6 from the left, patted the ball with his left hand about waist high, knocking it to his foot. No two ways about it, hand ball. Henry admitted it. "I have never denied the ball was controlled with my hand,” he said. “I told the Irish players, the referee and the media this after the game." But the referees didn’t call it.

The Irish were incensed and demanded a replay. Even Henry agreed it would be fair. "Naturally I feel embarrassed at the way we won and feel extremely sorry for the Irish who definitely deserve to be in South Africa," he said in a statement issued on his behalf on Friday.

"Of course, the fairest solution would be to replay the game but it is not in my control. There is little more I can do apart from admit the ball had contact with my hand leading up to our equalising goal and I feel very sorry for the Irish."

Irish captain Robbie Keane, who scored his team's goal in Paris, responded by issuing his own statement.

"On behalf of the Republic of Ireland players, I would like to thank Thierry Henry for his statement," he said.

"As captain of the French team, to make such a statement took courage and honor, and all of us recognize that. As captain of the Republic of Ireland team, I would also be happy for a replay to happen in the interest of fair play so that whichever team qualifies, can do so with their heads held high.

"We can only hope that the French Football Federation might accept the wishes of both captains in the best interests of the game."

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) board met on Friday and issued a statement saying said it had called on the French federation to "join with it and the captains of the French and Irish teams... to request a replay from FIFA that would protect the integrity of the game worldwide and the pride of the French national team."
Ireland cited a match from 2005, when Uzbekistan and Bahrain were competing for a spot in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. FIFA ordered the match replayed after the referee incorrectly Bahrain an indirect free kick after a player encroached the penalty area before Uzbekistan, leading 1-0, successfully took a penalty kick. The referee should have ordered the penalty kick to be retaken.

Former French star Arsene Wenger, Henry's former manager at Arsenal, jumped into the debate and agreed that a replay would be the fairest solution.

"France has to say 'yes it was a handball and we offer a replay'," he said. "It is embarrassing to qualify the way we qualified. We want to beat Ireland properly and that didn't happen."

Wenger, who agreed to replay an FA Cup tie against Sheffield United in 1999 over an issue of fair play added:

"Thierry Henry is not the problem. He played here for 10 years and has always been super fair. He has come out and said 'I made a mistake, I touched the ball with my hand'.

"Football and sport in general is full of heroes who have cheated 10 times more than Thierry. "A player of his stature has a massive pressure on his shoulders and if somebody has to do something for Thierry, it is French football and France as a country, not to leave him out there alone against the whole world."

The replay is not going to happen and it shouldn’t. Despite pleas from the government of Ireland as well as the FAI, FIFA said today the result would stand.

''The result of the match cannot be changed and the match cannot be replayed,'' FIFA said in a statement. ''As is clearly mentioned in the Laws of the Game, during matches, decisions are taken by the referee and these decisions are final.''

FAI in Dublin responded by petitioning its French counterpart to ask FIFA to change its mind, but the FFF said the decision by soccer's governing body's is final.

''The result of the match can therefore not be modified, nor the match be replayed,'' the federation said in a statement, adding that it ''understands the disappointment and the bitterness of the Irish players, leaders and supporters.''

Soccer’s Law 5 states, “The decisions of the referee regarding facts connected with play, including whether or not a goal is scored and the result of the match, are final.” If the official realizes he is incorrect after consultation with his assistant referees or the fourth official on the sideline, he can change his mind only if play has not been restarted or the game is over.

While a replay would seem to be fair in light of Henry’s own admission, it is a different situation than the 2005 Uzbekistan-Bahrain game or the Arsenal-Sheffield 1999 FA Cup replay. In the Uzbekistan-Bahrain match, the mistake was a misapplication of the Laws of the game rather than a judgment call (or non call). Wenger offered the Sheffield replay when one of his players scored the winning goal after he intercepted a teammate’s throw to United after the ball had been kicked out to stop play for an injury, violating unwritten soccer etiquette.

In this instance, the mistake was the referee’s judgment, or lack thereof, during the course of play.

At least one Irish fan appears to have accepted the ruling. Roy Keane, a former star of Ireland’s national team who is now the manager at Ipswich Town in England, was critical of the Irish federation and the Irish team on Friday.

“I’ve been amazed at the commotion that’s been going for the last few days,” the often cantankerous and frank Keane told reporters at a news conference before his club’s weekend match. “I think we’re on about Henry’s handball — of course he handled it — but I’d focus on why Ireland’s defenders didn’t clear it.

“I’d be more annoyed with my defenders and my goalkeeper than Thierry Henry. How can you let a ball bounce in the six-yard box? How can you let Thierry Henry get goalside of you? And as the ball bounced in the six-yard box, I’d be saying ‘where the hell’s my goalkeeper?’ “

Ireland were robbed. No doubt about it. But it happens. And as long as humans referee the sport, it will continue to happen. To allow replays of games for mistakes of judgment would set a dangerous precedent. Would players be pressured into “admitting” calls in their favor were wrong? How certain would it need to be that the botched call changed the result? (If Henry’s hand ball had been called and the game ended 1-0 for Ireland, there would have been a shootout. How can we know that Ireland would have won that.)

Soccer’s flow and its human element sets it apart from other sports. Let’s keep it that way.

(Quotes from different articles in the New York Times.)

32 are In: World Cup Field Set

More than two years after they began, the long qualifying rounds have ended and 32 nations are ready to vie for the World Cup 2010 in South Africa. I'd like to say Coach P's Blog will be there covering it next summer, but our budget won't go quite that far, so I'll be watching on TV.

The brackets will be set in a drawing on December 4.

Here are the qualifying countries, alphabetical order:

Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Brazil
Cameroon
Chile
Cote de Ivoire
Denmark
England
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Hondurs
Italy
Japan
Korea DPR
Korea Republic
Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Paraguay
Portugal
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Switzerland
United States
Uruguay

Here's the address for the official World Cup web site: http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/tournament/index.html

Elizabeth Lambert's Side of the Story

While she says she has "so much regret," notorious collegiate soccer hatchet woman Elizabeth Lambert of University of New Mexico also claims that some of her actions were in the heat of the moment and/or shown out of context in the widely-viewed You Tube videos.
Today's New York Times carries the first interview with Lambert since her activities came to worldwide attention. As most people know by now, Lambert was seen kicking, tripping, pulling down and punching opponents throughout a 1-0 loss to Brigham Young in a Mountain West Conference tournament game on Nov. 5.

The interview with Jere Longman, is here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/sports/soccer/18soccer.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Lambert&st=cse. As always, Longman presents a superb and balanced account of the incident and gives Lambert every opportunity to tell her side of the story. Her coach, Kit Veltra, and the referee who allowed the mayhem to continue unabated, Joe Pimentel, have not been heard from, and I still would like to know what they were thinking. Interestingly, Lambert does not think Pimentel lost control of the game but said that if he had shown more yellow cards or a red car, it would have been a different game.

(Photo above by Rick Sobelli, Jr. for the New York Times)