Monday Morning Report: December 28

"Emergency Crew" to the rescue

In a year of many firsts (wait for my end-of-year blog), A C D.C. pulled out another one this past weekend. Never before had we played in the absence of ALL the 4 official captains (and the manager) of the team. We had to this weekend because the indoor game last week was re-scheduled because of snow. With the vast majority of you out of town, I didn't think it would be possible to play. But, I was wrong. Kevin Frank, in his last game for AC D.C., was anointed "emergency captain," and brings this report.

Boxing Day Special:

So, on yet another grey and rainy weekend, AC D.C. mustered together an emergency crew to play against its indoor opponent, the Red Cyclone. This was a make-up game for the contest cancelled by the snow the previous week. As AC D.C. management scrambled to pull together enough players for a match the day after Christmas, we were ominously informed that AC D.C. had not lost at the Fairfax Sportsplex in two years ("no pressure guys, no pressure"). At the start of the match, AC D.C., playing in black, had only one sub, and the scoring was back and forth. AC D.C. never trailed, but the first half ended with the score tied at 2-all. On a happier note, we were joined by Ramon and a friend shortly before the half, bringing our sub total up to 3 and giving us some needed fresh legs.

This seemed to turn the tide, as we managed to claw our way to a 4-2 lead. We dominated the game, had several shots hit the post, and generally managed to stymie their offence. For the few shots they did manage to take, Luis "El Grillo" Campillo (It means "grasshopper" Walter, it isn't a reference to Sicilian grapes) played wonderfully as our emergency keeper. We switched into "keep away" mode with less than two minutes to go, and the other team managed a garbage goal with 30 seconds remaining. After letting the last seconds tick off, we heard the sweet sound of the whistle. Final score, 4-3.

Back to the manager...

So, we remain undefeated and untied at Fairfax. Thanks for all of those who showed up to play this weekend. Let's continue our run indoors this winter both at Fairfax and for futsal.

Monday Morning Report: December 14

It was a great weekend of footballing for AC D.C. We started Saturday's indoor game a bit dodgy and our opponent actually went up on us by 2-1. Their go-ahead goal was a flukey over-head, pseudo-bicycle-kick from half court, which was just outrageous. After that, we woke up and got ourselves organized. They didn't have many opportunities thereafter, and we won the game 9-4. We remain undefeated, and un-tied.

Sunday's game will be reported later, as it was a special occasion. A 5-year veteran is hanging up his AC D.C. boots, so we'll leave that special report 'til later.

The picture you see here is from Saturday night. Just like in the movies, cartoons and what-not, I have an angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other. We spent dinner discussing some of our ideas for the 5-year-plan "Great Leap Forward" for AC D.C. Mainly it had to do with how to keep everyone playing, making sure that all our players are enjoying the game and maintaining our competitive edge at all times. With so many players in the mix, it is a pretty complex subject. A major change in the league structure of WISL will further complicate the matter. But the food at The Source, including an outrageous chocolate souffle, made the time go by pretty quickly. You'll all hear about these issues and ideas in the months ahead.

Pointing the finger at no one in particular, I'd like to ask everyone to PLEASE show up to play if you answer "yes" to an evite. Obviously, if we put you on the evite roster, we want you to play. But if you are less than 90% certain you can play, please talk to me or the appropriate captain of the squad. That way, we have a chance to find someone to fill the spot if needed. Clearly, we understand that "emergencies" happen and players may sometimes need to pull out of a game last minute. But if that happens, you should also contact us, so we don't keep looking for you to pull into the parking lot.

Finally, a personal, unabashed plug. I will be living in the Kennedy Center this next week for rehearsals and performances, since I turn into essentially a professional singer in the month of December. The National Symphony Orchestra's Messiah will be performed Thursday through Sunday this upcoming week. If anyone is interested to see me on stage, go to the NSO website!

Here's the Special Report about Sunday's game....

Monday Morning Special Report

ACDC Triumphs over weather, numbers, and opponents

All - Seeing as how this was Kevin Frank's last game. It was only fitting to have him write the MMR and share some comments with us. His re-cap and comments below.
___________________

It was a dark and stormy night...okay, actually, it was merely a cold, wet, gray afternoon. Regardless, it was the final regular-season game of the ACDC Fall Coed league and the weather was miserable. We were barely able to field eleven at the start, and only one straggler arrived after the opening whistle, giving ACDC one sub. Berger, our opponent, had four subs for their side.

Due to the soaked pitch and steady rain, the ball was slow, and bounces were often treacherous and uneven. Nevertheless, Anna "Keeper Zero" Yoder was, as usual, a rock between the pipes, making several excellent stops. By the end of the first half, ACDC, playing in black, had managed to stake a 1-0 lead on a goal from Parham "Big Daddy" Farid (Nota Bene: Parham had used up the last of his liniment before the game, leaving him unable to apply an additional coating at halftime).

Our opponents struck early in the second half, equalizing the game at 1-all. Their superior numbers began to tell as well, as they controlled the midfield and won a lot of 50/50 balls, resulting in several quality shots on our net. Everything seemed to indicate that the game was heading for a tie, which would have denied ACDC a winning season in the Coed league for the first time in this author's memory, but then, late in the game with less than 10 minutes remaining, our opponent misplayed a ball deep in their half and Parham made them pay, notching his second goal and putting ACDC ahead 2-1. However, ACDC was not finished scoring, and Morgan "I can't come up with a pithy nickname" Spencer put a shot in the back of the net to put he game out of Berger's reach. Final score, 3-1.

* * *

On a personal note, this was the final game I'll likely play for ACDC, as my desire to be gainfully employed is dragging me to Houston. Barring a miracle or a lengthy federal energy rate case that stretches across a weekend, I won't be here on Saturdays and Sundays anymore. Subject to check, I believe that I first played for ACDC in the Spring of 2004 (fittingly enough, that game was at St. John's, and it was raining). Since then, I've spent lord-only-knows how many weekends with the team on soccer fields around the DC metro region, played with dozens of teammates, and even occasionally notched a goal or two (actually, exactly two). I've watched the team branch out into the extremely competitive WISL league with a men's team. I've seen the ACDC section of my wardrobe expand to encompass a T-shirt, 2 old jerseys, 2 current jerseys, a couple pairs of shorts, two long-sleeved T-shirts, a cap, and two warm-ups. Oh yeah, and several pairs of "retired" socks. I've donated two towels to teammates who managed to get seriously injured on the pitch, and I've managed to avoid serious injury on the soccer field. Worst thing that ever happened to me was a little retrograde amnesia from a particularly bad hit in the Spring of 2006. Apparently we went to brunch afterward and I drove myself home, though I don't remember any of it (kind of like most of the parties at Walter's house). Still, for those memories I have managed to retain, thank you ACDC, it's been a blast. If I do manage to stay in town on a weekend, look for me on the sidelines, manning the stopwatch.

_____________________________

Manager's note: Thank you, Kevin, for 5 good years and the newest warm ups. With the results on Sunday, we missed the playoffs by goal differential. Bummer. Recall, we lost two games 1 nil and were competitive in both of them. If only we managed a draw in either of those....Ah....there's always next season.

Monday Morning Report: December 7

Day of infamy....yet again. Did you know that the American flag that hangs near my study was the one flown over the Arizona Memorial on the day of my 18th birthday?

The weekend for AC D.C. was truncated by snow. Several of you were very unhappy that the Sunday game was still on schedule as of Saturday evening, when it was apparent that the wetness was going to freeze overnight. Alas, Larry the intellectual did in fact cancel the pivotal co-ed game cuz the pitch was unplayable.

While the snow was falling Saturday, the indoor squad had a tough test. We played a middling team and jumped on top early. But in the middle of the second half, we switched off. It was a scarry sight to behold, as we inexplicably forgot how to play defense. Our opponent came back from a 4-goal deficit and even went up on us for a brief time. Just as mysteriously, we started playing for real again, and finally won the match 7-5. Let's not do that "switching off" again!

To end, I'll explain the picture. It's an old one and some of you will remember it. It was taken in Germany in 2006 before the England v. Sweden match in Cologne. I am a big England fan, if you can't tell. The fact that England and the US are in the same group means that Lord Cornwallis may have his revenge for the surrender at Yorktown.

I'll have a lot more to say about the World Cup draw in future blogs, but for now, let's just say that for England and for the US, the group they drew is pretty sweet. Any group for the US would be better than last time: Ghana, Italia, Czech Rep.

I just finalized plans and bought tickets to South Africa last week. Really looking forward to it all.

Have a great week people.

Monday Morning Report: Nov 30

I hope everyone had an enjoyable, safe and healthy turkey day. The only unusual this year for me is that I was hammered during the feast and promptly passed out after the pecan pie. Texting some of you during the day, I know I was not alone in my delinquency. We are such a bunch of degenerates!

Saturday's indoor game was uneventful. We played a weak opponent, and initially played down to their level. Parham was a later arrival for us, and that seem to turn things around for the offense. We ended up winning 9-2. Being the generous people that we are, we scored both of their goals for them.

Continuing the discussion I started last week about TV replay for officiating football games, I actually spent Saturday night with Ben Nelson (visiting his parents from Boston), and we had an in depth debate about the topic over left-over turkey and potatoes. Because there are few stoppage in action in football, the most sticky issue is when, in the continuity of action, the manager can challenge the rulings.

If an offsides is missed and this results in a goal, it's very easy to see how a manager can challenge this non-call, and how simple it may be to reverse the goal. But flip the coin over. What if the striker is on-side during a goal-scoring chance, and the referee mistakenly stops the action and calls an offside? How does a manager challenge that call? What do you award the correct challenge?

The "continuity of action" causes even more problems. Let's say an offsides call was missed. As I stated above, the challenge is easy if this results in a goal. But what if it only gives the attacking team a vague advantage? Say the offsides striker who eluded the referee shoots the ball. What if the ball is saved by a diving keeper, but the rebound ricochets to another attacker who was well-onsides during this sequence. And let's say that the second attacker takes advantage of the out-of-position keeper, and scores. Should that goal be challengable since the attacking "sequence" started with a missed offsides? How far can you take this? What if the goal results after 5, 10 passes following the missed offsides?

Another problematic example. If a striker handles the ball in the box, and the missed call results in a goal, it's easy to challenge and nullify the goal. This is Thierry Henry v. Ireland example. But what if a defender's handball in the box is missed, and the ball is cleared after another 5, 10 bounces, and then a counter-attack is started. Let's make it even harder. Let's say that the counter-attack results in a goal on the other end. When can the manager challenge the defender's handball missed by the ref? It should have been a PK! In this scenario, there's no stoppage in action until the goal on the other end. Is that goal then nullified because the attacking sequence started 2 minutes ago with a missed handball in the other box?

TV replay may be inevitable in football, but I'm glad there are some smart people working on its implementation.

Monday Morning Report: Nov 23

• indoor report
• video review at FIFA world cup
• annual "biggest turkey" award
• another new baby

Lots to talk about, so let's start with the indoor game we played on Saturday. We are a very good co-ed indoor team, but season after season, the team "del Ray" gives us problems. This is the team that got Carlos and Luis ejected. They were the team we played in February for the championship (which we won). I think they play year-round indoors, and they do not lose a lot of games.

On Saturday, we played well against them once again. Our defense was well-organized and the offense capitalized on the chances that we created. We won the game 3-2, but we are expecting strong challenges from them when we play them again. If we continue to play as organized as we did in the first half on Saturday, we may well be un-defeatable this season (there, I've said it).

Have y'all been following the controversial game played last week between France and Ireland? If not, here's a brief re-cap. The 2 national teams had to play a 2-leg playoff for a berth at the World Cup in June. For these 2 nations with strong footballing traditions, this is a huge deal. France won the 1st leg 1-0 on an away goal, and Ireland scored in Paris in the 1st half of the return leg. The second-half in Paris was one of the most exciting 45 minutes of football I've watched. The stakes were so high.

The half was scoreless, so they went into OT. In the 1st half of OT was when the major controversial goal happened. France had free kick. When the ball was struck, Thierry Henry was offsides. No call. The ball landed near him, and he handled the ball to make it stay inbound, and then flicked it to Gallas, who headed it into the net. The ref gave the goal.

Henry didn't celebrate the goal. All 11 Irish players rushed the ref and protested. Nevertheless, the goal stood and France went through. So, the great questions were:

• Did FIFA pay off the refs to let France through because...hey....it's France man!
• Should Henry was condemned as a cheat?
• Should FIFA grant the FAI (Irish federation) the request to re-play the game?
• Should there be instant replay in football?

The world press has been all over these topics all last week. My friends have been bombarding me personally because Henry was formerly Arsenal and my idol. He admitted to the Irish players immediately after the game that it was handball, but didn't ask the refs to nullify the goal. The bottom line is, it's the ref's fault for not calling the handball and offsides. If any of you want to fault Henry, ask yourself what you would do if you scored a controversial goal. Here's what Arseblogger wrote last week:

And caught in the barrage is Thierry Henry who was wrong and who cheated but did nothing that footballers don't do in every game. He sought an advantage by breaking the rules and that happens every week from claiming throw ins which aren't yours, making fouls, pulling jerseys, diving and countless other actions intended to put yourself in a position to win the game. Not all of them are pretty, some of them more costly than others, but what's great about football is shit happens to you one week, it happens to someone else the next. Ireland got the shitty end of the stick this time but not many Ireland fans complained when we got a penalty in Georgia which wasn't a penalty.

And there's the rub. Everyone "cheats" to varying degrees to gain an advantage. I'd freely admit that when a big opponent so much as nudges me, I go flying off to claim the foul. Worked well on Saturday! You get the calls sometimes, and at others, your opponents do. It all evens out.

As to instant replay, I think it's inevitable. As Arsene Wenger said, you can't have everyone at home (in the world) seeing that there's a problem, and have the refs be the only three people blinded to that information. The application of the technology must be well thought out, however. Its implementation in June in South Africa is unrealistic.

As to the FAI and the Irish government (!) petitioning for a re-play of the game, taking it as far as President Nicolas Sarkozy, well, that's just ridiculous.

OK, it's turkey week, so it's time for the annual "biggest turkey" award. As you may recall, last year, it went to George. Let's not re-live the reason. This year, there are several candidates, what with all the red cards and IHOP moments. But we decided to give it to the planners of the Cherry Blossom Tournament. No, the rain out/cancellations (X2 !!!) were not their fault per se, but their pre-tournament bravado ("we'll play with 1" of standing water....don't worry...") is what earned them the award. Good grief. That cost us a great deal of headache, not to mention a forfeited men's team game!

Finally, we have another addition to the ACDC family. Graeme Ramshaw, and wife Mandi, had their little girl, Ela, on Saturday morning in Brighton UK. Everyone is healthy and happy. Please send them your love, and look at the facebook pictures. Gee, what is up with all these new dads in AC D.C.?

There's another indoor game coming our way next Saturday. For those playing, please be considerate to your teammates and EEEEE-zee on the turkey on Thursday, huh? Most of you will be gathering with family this week. I'm driving down to N.C. on Wednesday. Please be safe and cherish your time with loved ones. Happy Thanksgiving, folks!

Novemberfest explained: behind the scenes

The boys' team gathered on a November evening to remember a hard-fought season. Oh, yeah, there might have been some beer and brats as well. The heavily-sanitized pictures are posted on the left. I wish I could show you the rest, and the very funny movie of Luis, but since public careers are involved, I'll have to show you in private.

The back story is this. We had reserved a keg of Spaten (Munich) for the event, but neither we, nor the market that sold it to us, knew that a special tap had to be obtained for this imported keg. After getting the keg home at around 4pm using Carlos' vehicle, Matt and I had to rush back out (while Jeffy stayed at my house to deal with the food) to drive all over Northern Virginia to find this special tap. We brought the keg with us on ice and had to drive it from store to store to see whether the taps they had would fit. OMG!!

By the time we got back to the house with special tap in hand, the party had started, and I went from stressed to calm back to stress again, as a dozen or so hungry men gathered expecting bratwurst and brotchen. I found my "calming medicine" in the liter steins of Spaten, straight from its specially-tapped keg (look at the first picture). And because of the stress of the afternoon described above, I might have overdid it a bit. After 2-and-a-half of those liter mugs, and a couple of large gulps from the boot (see photo with George), I don't remember much of the evening. Looking at the pictures, I remember perhaps half....up to the end of the "awards ceremony."

According to reliable sources, I was having conversations in which I was apparently coherent, but completely confabulating. And the evening ended with Matthew cleaning my bathroom rug. Anyway....

Thanks to Matt and George for cleaning after me, to Carlos for lending his car/table/chairs, to Jeffy for handling most of the food, to Luis for being incredible with the boot, and to everyone who came to share the evening and the fall season. I apologize to anyone to whom I might have said any number of things at the end of the evening. Apparently, I might have looked coherent. I was not. Cheers!

Monday Morning Report: Nov 16

February seems like a long time ago, but AC D.C. started defense of our Feb '09 indoor title this past Saturday. We faced a familiar opponent in Little Urban Achievers. Our usual tardiness reared its ugly head again and we started the game with 4 women (we need at least two of each gender) and 2 men. Captain George and I defended while our ladies dominated their much more physical men. We won the game comfortably 5-2. I have to single out George for this game, cuz he was outstanding in goal. Guess that's why he's wearing the armband for indoors.

Sunday was a bit of a let-down. Our co-ed squad seems to be in a funk right now, with yet another 1-0 loss. We were flat and looked tired. Not much to add to that, except to mention a policy issue. If you are invited to play any game, that means we want you to play. If you cannot, please tell us. It's very simple. That way, we can move on to pull others onto the roster. If you don't reply, we have to assume that you haven't seen the roster request. And so we wait and we wait. If you end up declining, or not showing up, we'll have very little chance to ask others to play.

To end the report in a funnier note, watch the video here. This was posted to facebook by Eleonor. It reminded both of us of Jeff Cruz....to a tee. If you ever wonder why I pull out my hair dealing with the man.....

Have a jolly week, everyone

Monday Morning Report: Nov 9

Though I have to begin with sad news, I promise you that this note will end on a happy one. The weekend started poorly and ended worse. In life, one cannot control a lot of factors: how much talent one has, what the weather is, or what kind of people one’s parents are. The conditions of success that are under one’s control, one must maximize: effort, preparedness and organization. If AC D.C. can’t prepare well enough to arrive at games on time, then we do not deserve to win.

For the last men's game of the season with major impact on our playoff status and win/lose record, we started with 8 players. As expected, the first half was unfocussed as half of the team warmed up during play. Our defense held, but our offensive was uneven and toothless. The second was much of the same, as our defenders fatigued, but our attackers only generated shots that even Stevie Wonder can save. I counted one shot across the goal-mouth that went nowhere and at least three directly into the keeper’s hands.

The resultant one-nil loss to Express ended our enigmatic season, in which we started by beating all the strong teams in the first half, and produced lukewarm results against the weaker teams in the second part. Our record of 3-2-3 earned us 12 points (out of 24 possible), more than previous seasons, but gets us no better than mid-table.

Sunday was worse in a way. I think the effort was better; we fought tooth and nail. But it's apparent that our men are tired, after Saturday's game, and after a 10-week season on Saturdays. We ran into a very well-organized UMFC and lost by a bunch. 'Nuf said.

Out of all this, how could there be happy news, you ask? Well, remember the players who were late for the men's game? The reason why they were late was that they were held up by our captain. When I called Jeff out on this, he uncharacteristically admitted his fault and apologized.

(pause for contemplation)

I KNOW!

He didn't fight me or even argue. He took the moral high ground and apologized to the team as well. WOW. He followed that by being the first to the pitch on Sunday (he even beat me to it!). He's also wearing his helmet while biking, picking up his phone when I call, responding to emails on the weekend, and helping me plan a social event. Personality transplant? Or perhaps, after 6 full years of nagging him to be a better person, I have finally succeeded! He wouldn't let me have that victory, would he? If I can nag Jeff into being a better person, who should I work on next? (I have candidates in mind!!!)

To end, let's agree that our men's team needs re-evaluation. We clearly have the youth and talent to compete as the first half of the season demonstrated. Is it complacency at the end or fatigue? If we want to do better next spring, I think people will have to take things a bit more seriously. Get to the pitch on time, arrange your rides efficiently, stay home Friday nights....all of that will help....if you want to win, that is.

Congratulations to...

As some of you already know, Robb is a new father! The happy event was on Thursday evening, and boy and mom are both healthy. Congratulations, Robb! For pictures of the happy family, go to Robb's facebook page. Also, Imi got engaged last week, so congratulations to him as well.

Monday Morning Report Mens: November 2- Beyond the abyss and back

Another rainy day game, with a wet quick field, against a team which we've had run ins with the past (ask Brian or Alex about their injuries against this squad). We started out strong, controlling the game and putting on pressure, but were unable to score. And unfortunately, we paid the price for not capitalizing on our early opportunities and conceded two goals in the first half from quick counters.

In the second half, we again conceded a goal from a fast forward pushing our line when our offsides trap was beaten. But we didn't give up and battled back, even down 3 with under 20 minutes left. Paul got our first goal and then two strikes from Mumbles at the very end left us tied.

All in all, I think we all had mixed reactions at this game. On one hand, we largely controlled the game and it was encouraging that we kept fighting and were able to comeback even from a three goal deficit. I think everyone agrees that if we had 5 more minutes, we could have scored a go ahead goal.

But we didn't have an extra 5 minutes, and there were several areas for us to improve on. First, we need to play with more urgency at the beginning of games, especially when the other team has players trickling in. Second, we need improve our defense. We have to have everyone working as a unit, so that outside defenders are either pulling attackers offside or slotting in the center and dropping as a back up to the other defenders.

Our next game will against my old team, so lets come out and play like we did in the last 20 minutes of Saturday. Vae Vicits!

Monday Morning Report Co-Ed: November 2 - Boogie tops ACDC

The weather on Sunday post Halloween was run-of-the-mill for the last few weekends; cold & spitting rain as ACDC faced off with one of the better teams in our co-ed bracket. The opposition started with as few as 7 or 8 players and ACDC started out of the gate gittery and finding it diffuclt to have cool, calm, and collected passing. ACDC had a couple shots on goal but not the amount of shots (nor the quality) that one would expect with a 3 or 4 man advantage. Give credit to the other team who had outstanding female players and a couple players with menacing physical presence and speed.

Scoreless at the end of the first half, the second half started (now they were able to field a full team) and they began assualt the goal. Anna played lights out and really has some of the most remarkable saves I’ve seen in a while. Our opposition ended up putting one in that gave us a stronger sense of urgency.

With 20 minutes to play we started our more attacking minded approach to try to get an equalizer. At one point late in the 2nd half, we had 6 or 7 corner kicks in a row and were not able to convert. Walter had a perfect strike on frame…. and had the opposition’s keeper extended completely horizontally to deny the penguin’s strike. (It’s really too bad, it was a beautiful strike). With only a fraction of a minute on the clock, Mumbles did what his sweaty body enabled him to do, slip and slide right through two defenders finding himself alone with the keeper…then tucking the ball just wide. Final result was a 1-0 loss.

Thinking back on the game (and I hate losing, especially to guys who went to VT and played soccer with me) it was great competition. They challenged us and played well. We didn’t particularly play poorly…at least I think…it was good soccer and a win that just eluded us.

Next week we face another strong opponent who we lost to in the opening game of the season (it was a crock if you ask me) and we have a chance for redemption. It’s an early morning game and I’d love for people to bring their “A” game and not hung-over..

Manager's comments: Nov 2

I had wanted to show you a very funny picture this week. But our playing on the weekend was as miserable as the weather. And on top of that, I was on duty the whole time and couldn't drown my sorrow in booze. So, I'll save the funny stuff for later. Instead I've posted my picture of misery. This was right after my ankle was reconstructed. I was at work in a wheelchair and operated in that condition. I blame all my athletic short-comings to that injury, so the next time I miss a shot, remember this miserable picture!

Something must be said about our defensive woes this weekend. We have always had trouble defending against speedy strikers. I hope we can learn from this weekend, and do better in the future.

First: Change the system

We play a "flat back 4" for many reasons, but when met with a speedy striker, the back line must adjust to add depth to the central defense. In other words, we have to move to a pseudo-sweeper-stopper system. This allows the chance for the "first defender" to impede the striker, and the sweeper to catch up and be the last line of defense.

Second: outsider defenders go outside

When the outsider defender is marking the speedy striker, he/she must not allow the striker to gain the "inside." If you keep the striker outside, all he can do is move towards the corner, where his cross can be neutralized. If you allow him the inside, he can go to goal....and did.

Third: the offside trap

An occasional offside trap is a great tool against fast strikers. The line is set by the central defenders and the outside defenders must be ultra-vigilant not to play the attacker on-side. If you are playing outside, watch where the line is set and whether the attacker is drifting. Step up if you are playing him on-side, as you anticipate the through-pass to come to him.

Finally, this is the second week in a row in which our defenders saw opportunities to win the ball, pushed forward, failed, and left the defensive third completely naked. Please note that if you are making a high-risk move like that, you must get the ball! An analogy from American football. If the corner-back goes for glory, and tries to make that interception that'll take him to the opposite end-zone, he has to get the ball. If he fails and the receiver ends up with the pass, the path to his own end-zone is naked. When the score is 0-0, those risks may not be worth taking.

Ok, talk of dreadful defending, here is a must-watch. This is how a captain should lead and how a #4 should score. Wish we had a #4 like that! (Just kiddin'.....hee hee.....there's only one team that has him.)

Moving Forward

Although we should never had gone down three goals on Saturday, the "fight" that took us all the way back to equalize is very encouraging. As Justin mentioned last week, in seasons past, we would have folded. Now, we are fighting until the last whistle. This happened again on Sunday, but we came just short. Keep fighting.

To end, I'll give you a funny story.

For the second game in a row against "Little Urban Achievers," Alex bled for AC D.C. This time, the man who hurt our diminutive defender is someone we know. His name is Emiliano and he's from Arghhhhentina. Once in a while, several of us would play pick-up on Saturdays, and he would be present. On such an occasion about a year-and-a-half ago, Emiliano was awful. With every kick of the ball, he would shank it here and there. Near the end, he said, "I have to go. I have a doctor's appointment." And without dropping a beat, Carlos replied, "Oh right, the soccer clinic closes in 5 minutes!" Poor Carlos. He didn't mean to put him down that far. But it was hilarious! The players laughed so hard, we had to stop play for a good while.

Anyway, I'm ready to come "off-duty" and for the miserable weather to pass. Let's hope for a better weekend in 6 days.

Monday Afternoon Report (men's):Rain, rain and oh, yeah, rain

This weekend ACDC welcomed the return of a number of key veterans including Chris Lominska, Matt White, and goalkeeper George Todd. Together with Alex and Jeff, they gave one of the better defensive performances of the year especially when compared with the previous match.

In addition to our beloved trio, we were unfortunately greeted by hurricane Macondo - a mix of thunder, lightning, monsoon like rain, and slide tackles from every angle.

We started off the first half strong. The defense conceded almost no opportunities but unfortunetly the offense could not capitalize on any of our numerous attempts with Peter striking the post and myself missing some shots I would like to have back...but of course we can always blame it on the weather. We finished the half all knotted up 0.

Coming out of the break, with a strong possibility of the game being called at any time, we knew we needed to score quickly. However, we really wanted a challenge so we spotted Macondo a goal. They scored off a once in a lifetime strike (that guy should retire now) from 40 yards out which also happened to be half field on this pitch.

Despite the elements and the 1 goal deficit, ACDC pulled everything together and dominated the rest of the second half. George made a spectacular save to keep the score at 1-0, Imi peppered the goal with shots, and the defense held strong. Chris and Evan played the enforcers against the hacks (Macondo) whose main goal was to break our ankles with repeated slide tackles. At one point, Laura said they tried to tackle her and she was just watching the game!!!

Finally came our big break with an indirect on about the 8 yard line. Paul deserves all the credit for spotting the only open spot between the wall and goalie, floating the ball right in the upper 90. When I say float...the ball literally was floating 2 mph...calculated brilliantly. That goal proved to be the result and kept us in the running for the top spot in the league.

All in all, it was a great come back. In past seasons, we would have let the first goal break us. We proved we are a different team and were truthfully one phantom offsides call away from getting the win.

Shout out to George for bring his A game!!Shout out to Parham for the Sunday hat trick!! (What hat trick....read on)

--written by Justin

Monday Afternoon Report (co-ed): October 26 - The Farid Clinic

The weather gods changed their minds in the course of less than 24 hours as the cold and soaking wet grass of Saturday men’s league match gave way to a crisp and sunny morning on field turf at Dunbar for our Co-Ed side.

Despite the early morning game, and the Marine Corp Marathon blocking several roads, ACDC was able to field a full squad and people arrived on time (awesome job guys & gals). The same could not be said for our opponent who started a short.

The first half was a solid one for ACDC as we moved the ball around the pitch well, used drop passes, dominated possession, took numerous shots on goal, and prevented any real dangerous attacks on defense. Parham had a goal toward the tail end of the first half to put us up 1-0. At half time, there were no pissing on the snake analogies, rather a “if you prevent any goals, you will win” talk….which brought up some comical responses from our chipper group.

The second half was morbid defensively as we (I speak as a player of ACDC and as a defenseman) allowed too many shots on goal, and when we had opportunities to clear the ball, did not clear the ball strongly enough out of play or up field. It wasn’t long before they found themselves fumbling in our 6-yard box and Georgie pulling a “Robbie” and sweeping the feet out from underneath an opposing striker. The official swiftly issued a penalty kick, but no booking, and we were looking at a draw when their PK dropped in the net.

Dr Farhid came to the rescue yet again to put us up 2-1 and taking some steam away from our opponent. Then again, defensively we allowed them to ricochet the ball around in the box and poke a ball into the back of the onion bag to tie it up, 2-2 with few minutes left in the game. As if two goals we not enough for El Mastero, Dr. Farhid slammed a 3rd and final goal into the oppositions net for us to take the lead 3-2 and go into the whistle with a win.

I’m sure we’ll here more comments on what needs to be done better from Penguin. “And that’s the way it is, ACDC news; good night.” – The Late Walter Cronkite

Manager's comments

The picture you see here is circa May 2005. Ben Nelson is to my right and Jon Lachman to my left. My hair had bronze highlights. More on this later.

When I woke up Sunday morning, I smelt blood in the water. I was ready for a scrap in our co-ed game, and as a result, I have a bruised shoulder and a high ankle sprain. To be honest, my secret aim was a get a yellow card, and I didn't care what I had to do and to whom. Ah, all that pent up anger, no wonder I have to learn how to shoot guns! Luis called me out after the game, and legitimately so, cause I should have scored twice: once on that half volley in the box and the other on the header from Parham's cross. Lack of game minutes....timing off.

With Justin and Matthew taking the game reports this week, it frees me to talk about other stuff. But first, I'd like to highlight certain aspects of the games we played. Saturday's men's game clearly shows that football is a cruel sport. A mistake can undo a lot of good work. What kind of risks we take is clearly linked to how likely mistakes will happen, and perhaps we can become a bit more savvy about when to be aggressive, and when conservative.

Paul's goal was outstanding, and that salvaged a point for us on Saturday. Just as brilliant was Parham's hat-trick on Sunday. The tenacity we showed on Sunday to pull off the win is very encouraging.

Onto the explanation of the picture above. From Wednesday to Saturday last week, I shared dinner consecutively with Justin, Matthew, Ben Nelson, and Jon Lachman, all of whom at one time or another wore the armband for AC D.C. As most of you know, the latter two are the only players for whom our team has retired their numbers. Without those two, AC D.C. wouldn't exist. And so for the first time in our history, we un-retired a number on Sunday. We have a #9 again! Sir Loxly has decided to re-join the team and gradually work up his fitness level. That's a great thing for us: another attacking option.

Meanwhile, Lord Nelson, "Minister of Defense," made some wild claim on Friday night that he might still be the best defender AC D.C. has had. Pppppfffffffttttt. This, at his decrepit age and with his bionic knee. Jeff and I spent the ensuing afternoon, debating who the AC D.C. Dream XI would be. If you think I'm stupid enough to tell you....well I'm not that dumb. The truth is, of course, that there is no such thing as AC D.C.'s Dream XI. Every player, captain, manager, would have a different version of that list, and then you get into the technicalities of: are you talking about so-and-so before the injury? before age 28? now?

To sum up the weekend: disappointed about the draw on Saturday, but very excited about the win on Sunday. The way we fought back from our opponents' equalizers, again, and again showed quite a bit of fight in us. March on!

Monday Morning Report: Alarm Clocks for Everyone!

You know how we have the "Farid Unit" that measures the distance by which our strikers are offsides? Well, we have a new unit now in AC D.C. It's called the "Peabody-Curtin Unit" and it measures how much time after kickoff our player wakes up from deep, nearly-comatose, often alcohol-soaked, slumber. Last week, Mumbs was 1 Peabody-Curtin unit late waking up, defined as 30" after kickoff. This week, Lindsay was 3 Peabody-Curtin units late, but swears she "didn't even go out last night." :)

I have determined that we are giving out alarm clocks this Christmas to all of our problem children. But seriously, it's frustrating for your captains and me to spend a week constructing a roster, and then have that roster compromised because players can't wake up. We cannot create the weekly roster, wondering whether so-and-so would be 4 Peabody-Curtin units late, so we had better call on someone else!

Now, on to the game. Sunday's conditions were difficult. Wet pitch, cold day. It was difficult to wake up on the pitch too, and we started the game quite lethargic. We've had problems with the Juggernauts before, as we lost to them twice last season. So, it was indeed fortunate that they were more lethargic than we were, and didn't get their subs to the pitch until well into the second half.

Our first goal was created by Morgan, who had her best game with AC D.C. today. Down the right she went, and planted a beautiful cross on the ground across the goal mouth. Brian, coming out of the left wing, tapped it in. After that, we had numerous chances, some of which (Peter! Paul!) were absolute sitters. Shankappotamus! Our finishing really failed us today.

The excuse I was given, was that the pitch was wet, and the ball was bouncing "funny." Boy, strikers can come up with some crazy excuses, can't they? At the interval, I used a phrase we often hear at work, "If you're going to piss on a snake, you'd better drown it." The implication is, of course, that the snake, if still alive, will come up and bite you in the arse. I had a feeling that our opponent was about to "wake up," and so we had better finish them off before they get the chance to hurt us.

In the second half, our senior striker, the master of the "Farid unit" himself, had several chances to add to the tally, but chose the most difficult opportunity to produce a goal. The ball was played through from the midfield and bounced awkwardly in front of Parham. Yet he was able to connect with it and put it in the net. With that, the game was won, and our defense locked it down.

We don't do "player of the match," but shout outs must be given to some stand-out performances: Anna for handling some scary back passes, Luis and Jen who played a great tandem, Morgan who had her best game, and Toussaint who was sober.

Next week, our men's squad will resume its season on Saturday in Germantown. AC D.C.'s first regular captain, Ben Nelson, will be in town for the weekend, and schedule permitting, may visit the men's game. The co-ed game on Sunday is WAY WAY WAY early. Money on someone (hm...who?) having alarm troubles again .

Manager's comments: And a contest

A word about the personnel issue: we had a late pull-out Saturday night and then, as Matt already mentioned, we had some "complications" on Sunday. If you ever need to leave the game early, please let us know ahead of time. Thanks.

I want to highlight what a gutsy performance that was yesterday. Everyone (all 10!) put everything on the pitch and it was a great, superb team effort. Kudos especially for Nicoles trap-turn-&-shoot. Just outrageous. A funny fact: out of our 8 men, 7 are defenders. Jeff playing striker was hilarious, so I think our women-attackers really carried the team.

A contest:

Who is this foxy lady in this picture? A former or current AC D.C. player, I assure you. The tenth responder gets a prize. I'll keep deleting responses so you won't know which number responder you are, but the tenth one.....you're lucky!

Monday Morning Report: October 12 - The Devils go down

ACDC was “back in black” for a chilly early morning start this week, starting a man short (but an extra woman on). 26 people were invited to play, 10 declined, and 16 were on the “yes” list. We ended up playing with one sub in the first half and a man down in the second half (due to two early departures – one management was aware of, the second management was un-aware of). As the co-ed captain, it’s frustrating thinking you have numbers and then barely having enough to squeak by. Enough of the personnel issues…

We played a much weaker side on a damp field which made for some fast played balls and helped us to pummel their goal early in the game. Unfortunately, despite their sub-par goalie, most shots were not on frame and those that were, were easily stopped by their goalie. A near goal came from a cross that connected with Opus’s head and was just a foot shy of the back of the old onion bag. A break game mid-way in the first half as one of our players sent a cross into the box from the left side of the pitch which deflected off one of their own players and into the net and allowed us to go up 1-0. The crosses were an effective way for us to dump the ball into their goal box and threaten them and we did a good job with this. (read, more shots on FRAME).

Later that half, two much more skilled strikers who had arrived late, checked into the match for our opposition. A ball was played over the top to our right side and a foot race ensued…. their new striker was able to one-touch the ball with the outside of his right boot and tuck the ball into the side netting (quite a shot I must add, but to be out-done by ACDC in the second half).

The second half found us a man down but similarly controlling the tempo of the game with ACDC dominating with several shots on goal. Nicole was played the ball on a center from the outside right wing. She spun on the ball to drop the defender and then popped the ball into the back of the net for our go ahead goal. Quite a goal it was.

A couple scares the second half for us on several corner kick opportunities by our opposition but we kept a clean sheet in the second half. All in all, a good game for ACDC co-ed but we have to get numbers to these games, especially if people commit.

For your amusement

Why men go to Redskins games....sadly

Monday Morning Report: A tale of two games

Mirror images....

In our men's game this weekend, we went up 1 nil in the first minute and then, were up 2-1 on our opponent within 15". In the Arsenal game on Sunday, they were down 1-nil early from a fluke goal and then 2-1 in the first half. How is it, that we would let in 7 goals in the end, and Arsenal can put in 6 goals to win their game?

I suppose the absolute measurement of how great a team is is in how many trophies it wins. Short of that, greatness can be measured in how well a team plays under adversity, be it pitch conditions, weather issues, injuries or an unexpected scoreline. Our defender slips on the turf and lets a striker through the back-line. That can happen. It happens. But a great team dusts off the grime and dirt, and keeps playing the game.

Losing our head, and doing crazy things to get a red card is counter-productive.

The pitch was crazy fast at Bretton woods. We did not expect that. Our defending was absolutely abysmal. We were slow to react to their speedy forwards and unable to make tactical adjustments "on the fly" to react to their game plan. Effort alone is sometimes not enough. We need to play intelligently and keep our heads in the game. To win trophies, to be champions, to be a great team, we must learn to do that, and keep our composure. A big part of that is trust. You have to believe that we can come back from a deficit. You have to trust each other to keep playing the game.

The men's side will have two weeks to forget about the loss and "get back on the horse." We'll have to believe that we can still win the division.  That's all I have to say about the weekend, other than that fact that 6 goals by Arsenal from 6 scorers really really really help ease the pain from Saturday: Vermaelen, van Persie, Arshavin, Fabregas, Walcott, Bendtner.... what a team!

Saturday Night report October 3

I know this isn't the usual time, but I wanted to record the raw, unfiltered emotions.

The men's squad suffered its first loss of the season today, and in a season in which we are 3-1-1, the loss itself is not the end of the world. The way in which we lost, however, leaves me in pain, confused, and befuddled. And I guess I have myself to blame for most of these feelings. I spend hours-upon-hours during the week thinking of the perfect scheme, whether we have the right personel, preparing for all mishaps. And when we are beaten by the unforeseen (because these factors are unforeseeable), I feel really really horrible.....like I do now.

We were beaten by a very fast pitch and several very fast strikers. And we reverted to some of our old habits, losing composure when we fall behind, even though our offense is clicking just fine. They broke through twice in the middle of our defense and twice on the flanks. When they went up 3-2, we suddenly played like the world had collapsed on us. Needless to say that made things worse.

Well, there's no point going further right now to try to fix things for future games. I'm just going to marinade in this horrible, horrible sensation of confusion this evening, and hope that I break out of it soon. I applaud everyone's effort today. I'll take the blame for not having foreseen the pitch conditions.

Georgie? Where's my beer, dammit!

Manager's comments

I appreciate Jeff and Matt writing the reports this week. I had some personal things to take care of on Sunday, unexpectedly. In 7 years of AC D.C., I can count all the games I've missed, and I apologize for missing the co-ed game on Sunday because of my issues.

I have been informed by WISL that there is an automatic 3-match ban on any player using the F-word at a referee. We must be careful about this. Stop talking to the refs and allow your captain to do so for you. Or me. Quite frequently, our rants against the ref make us lose concentration and this is obviously counter-productive. Not to mention if you are banned, then you cannot play for a long-stretch of the season.

Although we are currently playing well, stiffer competiton awaits. We must capitalize on our chances better. There were 2 sitters and 1 golden opportunity that I can recall from the game on Saturday from which we returned empty-handed. Better opposition will make us pay if we miss those. Have a great week.

Monday Morning Report: September 28 - Inglourious Basterds

Matt's Report on Co-Ed game:
This week's co-ed opponent was the half-time orange slices (HTOSs) who usually are a formidable opponent. ACDC was looking crisp in the black jerseys and played an energetic first half in near perfect playing conditions. At one point after a beautiful set of passing resulting in a shot, I over heard one of their strikers asking if we "often practice together". A good compliment from the other team always helps and usually means we're playing and passing well. Having substitutes, and Kevin managing them from the sidlines, helped and we went up 1-0 in the first half after a cracker by Mumbles that even had some HTOS players complimenting.

Second half is where the passing really started to wear down the opposition. We were swinging the ball well and really making them run and chase. We were having numerous opportunities up-front squeaking in behind their back line or working from the sideline toward the goal. Eventually, two more goals dropped in to the old onion bag (Paul & Peter). A scare came in the second half as Robbie came off his line (but outside the box) into a bone crushing tackle into a HTOS player...Rob walked away giving up the free kick and very fortunate not to be booked.

Jeff's Report on Men's game:
This is a fun report to write. With a convincing 3-1 victory, the Mens team went to 3-0-1 and is now in solid grasp of first place. But we still have a long season ahead of us, so lets continue to take it game by game. We also need to be especially concerned with cards, as getting red cards not only forces us to be short for the rest of that game, but means you're ineligible for the next game. That almost hurt us this week, but luckily we were able to put a solid team effort and get the W.

AC/DC started out controlling the game, but despite many opportunities could not finish in the first half. We started out the 2nd half on fire, getting a great chip shot goal from our newest signee, Jake. Jake was great for us on the right flank and after injuring his knee later in the game, we all wish him a speedy recovery. Our first goal was followed by another quick goal a few minutes later from Parham. Unfortunately, we conceded an own goal from a corner kick, but a final strike by Justin put the game away and gave AC/DC the three points and good times to celebrate.

Monday Morning Report: September 21

There is only one way to start this week's report, and that is by congratulating Parham and Meetra for the birth of their little girl, Soraya. The girl looks so peaceful right now, but I wonder how long it'll be when she displays daddy's partying skills. Ooh, watch out!

The men's squad won the biggest game in the squad's 3-year history on Saturday! Not only did we beat the league leaders; we also assume the league-leading position after the game, while improving our record to 2-0-1 with 7 points. Recalling the days when we were routinely blown out by opponents, and had to fight relegation season-after-season, this squad has come a long way. To your left, you'll see a slide show of the pictures by Carlos documenting our victory.

Some reasons for our improvement are obvious and it's not about signing new players. The team is arriving at the pitch early this season. We are focusing when the game starts and no longer conceding early goals. That alone has made a huge difference. On Saturday, instead of conceding early, we attacked with force and rhythm, and Mumbles sent an absolute cracker past their diving goalkeeper. What a strike!

As the game settled in, some of our weakness began to reappear. We tended to pass the ball off like a hot potato, and the hasty passes went astray frequently. As our composure on the ball got better, the passing did as well. When we used the wings on attack, the quick 1-2s yielded great results. Clearly we need to do more of that this season.

We unfortunately conceded a goal before half from a set piece, and then a moment of utter insanity in the second half left us with 10 players. Curiously, the game changed at that moment and not in the way one would have expected. Either our opponent stopped playing (did they think they've won?), or we decided to turn it on. Passing and movement off the ball both got better for us, and a brilliant group effort yielded our second goal, smartly driven home by Peter.

Sunday's co-ed game was a completely different story, unfortunately. We stunk up the pitch so badly that skunks in the Shenandoah National Park were asking each other, "Whew, where is that stench coming from?" Part of the fault was mine. I was expecting a different opponent since UMFC never had a strong squad in the past. However, the team that showed up for them was fast, skilled and well-organized.

But, it doesn't help when one of our players with "fresh legs" shows up and tells me, "I woke up naked on the floor one hour ago!" Aiy, where do we get these guys? The first half was a stalemate, and the second started with Imi hitting the post. Our men clearly got tired by as the second half wore on and our fatigue pulled us out of defensive shape. They put in two through balls that got behind our defenders and scored.

Our fatigue also meant that we were unable to get back into the game. In the end, the score line of 2 nil is probably a bit flattering to our opponent, but we must play better the next time we play these guys later in the season.

In closing, I want to address the many yellow and 2 red cards on Saturday. It's often said that football teams take on the personality of the manager. Not that I want y'all to be obsessive-compulsive, control-freak insomniacs, but I do hope that you can harness your passion. (There is only one thing/one person who makes me lose my cool, and you all know who I'm talking about!)

One needs passion to succeed in football and in life, but uncontrolled passion can only do harm. Nine years ago, my shi-fu (mentor) said to me, "Never let [the operation] deteriorate into a personal battle between you and the tumor." This can be modified to apply to football. You weekend opponents and the refs are not out there to do you personal harm. Screaming at them, or hacking them, won't help you win or get you better calls.

Harness your passion for the game, and play the game. Stop talking to the referees. And let's play better next weekend.

Monday Morning Report: September 14

Some of you must be wondering where the MMR was this morning...

Part of it is that there's very little to say about the nil-nil draw with IHR Riverdawgs on Saturday. As a team, we played decent but not great. We were missing our usual central defenders in Chris and Matt, but kudos to Jeff and Imi for doing an amazing job in that role. Brian had the best chance to score for us, and Ali had an acrobatic attempt (Jan would have broken someone's nose with that chance...ahhahaha), but the nil-nil draw was probably a fair result. Our opponent was definitely beatable, so I can't help but feel like we let one get away from us.

But, we didn't lose....which is important.

The other part of waiting today was for the co-ed schedule to get posted. It is available now at sleagues.com.

Please note that we have a lot of players on this team, with a large reserve pool. Clearly, no one will receive evites for every game, but I try my very best to give everybody a fair chance to participate as much as possible, while keeping the team very competitive.

Watch out for those evites, and please respond as quickly as possible.

Monday Morning Report: August 31

Ah, it's good to have the first men's game under our belts. It's even better to have the first victory of the season under our belts.

The game against FC Griggs was sweet revenge from last season. It was also a game that was truncated by darkness, and punctuated by horrific officiating.

We had a bit of "home-field advantage" going into the game Saturday evening, as several of our opposing players got hopelessly lost going to St. Johns'. But the lack of lights meant that we had a shortened second half, and we had to finish our business before sun-down.

And so we did....despite the ref cancelling our goals and calling niggling, non-existent fouls on us. We started off frantic. The transition from our summer home on the small pitch clearly hurt us, as our positioning was way-off. We lost composure and made a lot of errant passes. This led to their goal mid-way in the first half. Fortunately, we picked ourselves up, and got our equalizer just before the interval. It came off a nice lay-off from Mumbles, and Peter rifled it home.

As much as our small-pitch practices hurt us in the first half, it helped with our stamina in the second. The timing of our passes got better as well. Our second goal came after Ramon was brought down in the box. He then fired the ensuing PK onto the right post, and got the correct bounce this time. The "nail in the coffin" came from Ali as darkness descended. Final 3-1.

We should have had a fourth. Parham took the ball to the end line on the right, and crossed a beautiful ball to Mumbles who had sprinted all the way from mid-field to meet it. The goal was called off because of "off sides," which is clearly an error. Fortunately, the game was in hand by that time, and the ref's error didn't cost us.

It was a great team win. I think Imi played every position on the pitch at some point that day (thanks for the flexibility), Robb had some fine saves, Le Chef made some enormous sprints and the defensive-line was solid. Everyone contributed. Having said that, it is clear that we have to improve. I think everyone made at least one pass directly at our opponent, and when we hold onto the ball too long, the "open man" gets closed down. We have to find the "open man" who is usually, at least on Saturday, on the wings. I think James was wide open on the right flank at least 5 times.

Having four subs helped us as well, but please realize that we all have to share minutes. I try to do the best job I can to make sensible substitutions. If I am making frequent subs in your position, it either means I think you are out of shape (like Jeffy....doh!)...or I expect you to run, run, run.

OK, that's a wrap. No Wednesday nights anymore because students have returned, and there's no space. Stay tuned for possible Labor-Day kick-about.

Thank You

Robb made me this birthday present for wearing in the operating room. Now, I can be day-dreaming of trophies while operating. Great!

Every year on this day, I am thankful for AC D.C. and what it has brought to my life. I am especially grateful for those friends and advisors on the team, who listen to me pontificate, whine or complain day-in, day-out.

I hope that the team and your teammates bring as much joy into your life as they do mine. Let's go out this year and win some more trophies!

Monday Morning Report: August 17

Happy Birthday, Jeff!

George complained to me that I was too lazy to write Monday Morning Reports during the summer.  As I always do what Georgie wants, here it is.

Today is Jeffrey Nelson Cruz's 30th birthday.  So, everybody, please join me in wishing a happy 30th to our favorite eight-year-old.  Unlike me, Jeff is very uncomfortable celebrating his birthdays, and the "big one" has got to be extra unnerving to him.  Nevertheless, send our captain an email or facebook message to wish him well.

In other news, the men's team season is nearly at hand!  First game is 8/29, and I am already aware of some attendance issues.  We'll have an evite on this game this week.  Hope to see some of you on Wednesday evening for practice.  On that day, I will also show you some of the genius presents I have received from well-wishers.

For those of you who are playing EPL fantasy, Carlos demolished us this week with Cesc Fabregas.  Graeme is currently in second place as one of his defenders scored on a header.  I also had a defender who scored a header, but I stupidly left him on the bench (doh!).  And how is it possible, that Mumbles has only 19 points?  Nuts.

Have a great week, people.

Columbia Tournament - Sunday - ACDC Wins

After 5 games consisting of 300 minutes of soccer in hot sun, 60 capri sun, several waters and gatorades, scoring 21 goals and giving up 0 goals, we won the Columbia Tournament this year.

We played well on day 1 but with weaker competition, it was easy to prevail. Day 2, the competition was more intense but we kept up our incredibly crisp passing, took subs when needing them, and kept constant pressure on the teams in the Semi and Final eventually breaking them. With numerous contributions from each team member, it was great to play as a team and win as a team. Thank you all for making it such a fun time.

Notable from today's play were a couple solid blocks from Anna in goal to keep a clean sheet. Morgan popping her ACDC goal scoring cherry sending a shot over the keeper's head. Alex came up huge in the final getting the scoring machine started by sneaking in behind the defense on a long ball and punishing their keeper. Mumbles' head was a soccer ball magnet on corner kicks despite his stature with several headers on frame forcing the keeper to make saves. "Little Jamie" as she was referred to on the pitch today, to avoid confusion with our own 6 foot Jamie Lang, was anything but little in each game. She would drive to the end-line and cut toward goal drawing pressure and then selflessly dish off the ball for others to score. Awesome job guys!

Game breakdown:
Game 1: 5-0
Game 2: 6-0
Game 3: 0-0
Semi Final: 6-0
Final: 4-0


Walter - Jeff wore his throw back just for you. As a team, we hope you enjoy your vacation in Italy and we all request that you please put ACDC in the far far back of your mind while there....I'm sure you'll setup a celebration when you're back.

Singing off my duties as manager....
Whitey

Columbia Tournament - Saturday

First, thanks for everyone really gelling as a team today on the pitch. Some of you are not naturals in the positions where I (Walter in spirit) had you but it worked well. Apologies for not being able to recall who scored all the goals, since I'm new to the coaching thing, I'll have to remember to jot them down when I can. Outstanding play all around with 11-0 goal differential. As a defender wtih ACDC, I haven't witnessed goals like that since...well..it's been a while.

Game 1:
Walking all over the first team

Game 2:
A field that a good buddy of mine would have said in a thick Spanish accent "I cannot play in dez conditions", despite that - we absolutely shelled the opposition. There keeper was suprisingly very strong despite the players on the pitch. His blocks came at a high price though, ending when we sent him out late in the 2nd with a broken hand (if you were wondering, that is why he didn't shake). George has been there..

I'm still not sure who let King George VII take a penalty kick but in the end, it didn't matter with the score line. Plus, now I can be sure to poke fun of him. Paul or Mumbs if this happens again.

Game 3:
The first two games were a breeze for us but not so on the 3rd. We dominated possesion especially in the first half against a team with few subs and far less talent. In the second, we had a ball that some would have said crossed the goal line and one goal called back due to offsides. It happens. We were saved by the cross bar (and a favorable call) on one rocket of a shot. Anna went in on a slide on another and saved the team from defeat. Well done Anna.

Somehow, they packed the box and played for a draw and got it. Unfortunate, but we'll need to learn methods to penetrate should this happen to ACDC again.

Sunday:
With game 3 under our belt, we won't be so cocky when we head into tomorrow's match at 9am. Get some rest, stay hydrated, and have fun on the pitch again tomorrow.

~Whitey, the Walter in spirit but slightly less OCD. :-)

Monday Morning Report: July 20

The Bob Marley Tournament !

A handful of us were invited to join forces on Saturday with Washington Express (Jeff's former WISL team) to play the Bob Marley Tournament out in Landover MD.  In the picture (right), you'll find Jeff, Khalid, Matt, Robb and Paul.

If you want to learn how NOT to run a tournament, this would be the place.  We realized beforehand, that the Jamaican influence makes this tournament very "laid back."  But arriving on the designated time of 9am, we found out that our first game was not until 11am "at the earliest."  

After our first game, we chilled out with some excellent, freshly-cooked Jamaican food (that deep-fried red snapper looked outstanding), and Matt "the Chef" Welch was learning all the tricks from the vendors.  And then we played our second game around 2:30.

Looking very perplexed at the empty fields not being used, we were then told that our third and final game wouldn't be until 6pm or later.  Being frustrated at the completely lack of organization, the entire team decided to walk out!

How was the football?  Actually, it was quite high quality....on the part of our opponents.  The eight other teams were all very fast and physical (with not a single white person among them!), and it was apparent that they play together routinely.  Having a "mixed-together" team like ours did not help our chances.  But highlights included:

- numerous eye-popping saves by Robb

- Paul scoring our only goal 

- me being able to turn my brain off and just play (for a change, I didn't have to organize Jack!)

Well, at least we got some tournament football under our belt this summer.

Monday Morning Report: July 13

Today's report is all about the hilarity, which is the WISL meeting. Once every 6 months, the men's league commissioner, the iron judge Chip Terrill, runs a meeting with all the managers (at least the ones who are brave enough to show up), the referees, and the "field fund" comptrollers to discuss, debate and disturb. Last night's meeting was at the Green Turtle, and as in the past, it was full of smoke, gunpowder and machismo.

The evening started innocent enough with someone asked for a written statement for the "field fund." The WISL field fund was established in the late 90's to help the league get a permenant home. Great idea. But with the advent of the turf fields, and many, many legal wranglings with local municipalities, the ultimate goal of the fund has taken on many guises over the years. The fund now has >$400,000, but when it comes to getting a field, or even helping high schools get lights for their stadiums (so their football games can be moved to Friday nights, out of our way) etc., that money counts for beans. Last night's request for a revised, written mission statement went nowhere. That's 30" of my life I can't get back.

Then came the fireworks.

The infamous Ramon, who runs the Conquistadors, and who refs for the league, brought up the issue of a suspended player. The story was told about the game in which two players went at it. The foul-er may, or may not, have rushed the foul-ee, who may, or may not, have cocked a fist and taken a swing at said fouler. The A.R. saw the swing. Both were ejected, and the fister got a 5-game suspension, and the other, 3.

It all seemed quite calm, cuz it seems like one of the refs (i.e. Ramon) was asking the Commissioner to explain the heavy suspension, until it came to light that the fister was one of Ramon's own players and he didn't see the altercation! The request to start a judiciary committee or an appeal's court went nowhere, as the head ref for WISL defended the Commissioner and the investigation.

Next time Mumble gets rambunctious and gets karate-kicked off the pitch, or Georgie gets mouthy and yells at a ref, I'll worry that I have to tell the story in a Kangaroo WISL court!

The most ridiculous part of the night came when someone requested the regulation of the human spirit. A first-division team complained about the apparent unfairness of the relegation battle they face (season still not decided). At the end of their season, their opponents still fielded full teams, whereas the other team fighting relegation, had the luxury of playing teams that only fielded 8 players. How can you legislate against that?!

That led to a torturous discussion of the forfeit process, and the story about how a team had to forfeit because all their players were stuck in traffic behind a tractor-trailer accident. What has this got to do with relegation-safe teams fielding a "second-tier" squad? Nothing. But the whole topic was inane and ridiculous anyway.

So, the meeting ended with me regretting that I stayed sober for all of this. We paid our money for the fall and the field fund, and then got out.

The fall season will start very early this year, because Labor Day is unusually late. That means we need to get our new recruits all straight and uniforms all ready. And away we go....

Monday Morning Report: June 29

-Another year ends

-The man with two grills

AC D.C. finished its sixth year of playing football on Saturday. Much like the US v. Brazil game on Sunday, ours was a game of two halves.  Against the win-less FC Griggs, we came out strong and dominated possession, made sensible passes and threatening crosses.  Our goal came in the middle of the first half.  Jan, playing his last game in his 6-year AC D.C. career, crossed the ball into the box and Matt Welch finished with aplomb.  

Our problems came in the second half, when an aggressive offense posture led to some glaring defensive errors.  Our play deteriorated to a "fourth grade" level as our opponent kept reinforcing with new substitutions fresh off the highway.  The final score of 3-1 is a bit flattering for our opponents (who still finished below us in the standing), but this is a game we should never have lost.  Oh well.

And so, another year ends.  I awoke today with the bewildering sense of not knowing what to do with myself.  "What do you mean there's no AC D.C. football?"  Such a strange sensation. So, I occupied myself with milling around the house, watching old movies, folding laundry etc.

A big thank you to Matt Welch for offering up his cooking skills.  When a man has two grills, you know he means serious business.  The salmon was simply outrageous.  Keep that coming.

Wednesday work outs to start this week. See you boys and girls soon.  

Monday Morning Report: June 22

With a boat-load of our regular co-ed players out of town this weekend, the squad that played in the semifinals today was more the "extended family" of AC D.C. than the core. It was not surprising, therefore, that our passing and timing were both "off" during the first half against our recent nemesis "Half Time Orange Slices."  We had players of significant skill on the pitch, but to cite a Cruyffism here, "Football is simple, but the hardest thing there is, is to play simple football."  We had trouble clearing our lines, and trusting each other to make the easy passes.

Our opponent took advantage of our miscues quite frequently before the interval.  One of their attacks into the box was cleared away with a perfectly timed tackle by our make-shift right back, Hannah.  Unfortunately, the call for "sliding" was made, and the ref awarded a PK.  They went up 1 nil.

The second half was an entirely different affair, perhaps because of the arrival of Jamie and Ramon.  Who is Ramon?  Why, he's the quicker, younger, skinnier replacement for Mumbles of course.  See what happens when you take 3 weeks off to battle Anacondas in the Amazon?  You get replaced!  Ha!  (kiddin' Mumbs....we luv ya!)

The midfield play in the second half was better, as Ali and Paul learned to trust the new players around them.  Standing in for George, Robb and Anna, our friend Jessie made some fine saves in goal, especially during a break-away in the middle of the half.  Our equalizer came as Paul played a brilliantly-weighted lead pass to Ramon, who was zipping down the right wing (the speed was Toussaintesque!).  Ramon's shot was stopped by the keeper but the rebound was thumped into the goal by Captain Matthew.  Way to lead the team!

We had them on the heels for the last 10" but simply couldn't finish the job.  Then, unlike previous years, we went directly into the PK shootout.  I was optimistic to say the least, because unlike last season, "Orange Slice" didn't have their giant, sure-handed goalkeeper today.  

The first set of 5 shooters took their chances, and we were still tied.  And so, we went into sudden death.  They made.  Paul stepped up.  He buried it.  They made again.  Ramon stepped up. And it hits the post! Ok, Mumbles, maybe you're not fired just yet!  (Just kiddin' Ramon. Unlucky.)

And so for the second season in a row, we are ousted from the playoffs by "Orange Slices" in the penalty shootout.  I am beginning to dislike oranges.  No oranges for me until we beat these guys.

With that result, it's apparent that Jan has played his last co-ed game for AC D.C.  He ended his brilliant six-year career with last week's 1-0 victory.  I am disappointed because this co-ed squad has been producing great football....simple football....throughout this season.  Who knows what would have happened if we were able to keep the integrity of our roster intact for these playoffs?

Anyway....

To quote my countryman in "The Hangover," "Tooduh-roo, mudda fuckahs."

'Til the next co-ed season....

Special Report: Georgie ties the knot

On a beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon in Charlottesville, Georgie married the transcendent Megan Underwood, with just about half the state of West Virginia in attendance (What the heck is that John Denver song?)  Befitting of his moniker KG7 (for King George VII), George got to boss me around, as I chauffeured the groom from point-to-point ("Chop, chop Chinaman!").  Of course, he knows I love him and would do anything for him, so the heavy responsibility of making sure the groom showed up on time was my honor to bear.  

It was a beautiful affair and the weather cooperated nicely even though our polyester shirts and three-piece tuxedos made it a bit sweaty for the groom.  I didn't have the opportunity to roast the groom, nor did I have the courage to snatch the mic from the DJ. But if I had had the chance, this is what I would have said to the guests in attendance:

"You folks may notice something odd about George and his groomsmen.  Two of us are in over forties, and the best man's own wedding took place when George was 13!  So, why does he have these....why does he need these 'mature' gentlemen in his life?  (pause) Clearly, to balance his own immaturity!

We love Georgie Boy, but don't ever try debating him as reasonable gentlemen.  He'll close his eyes, hold his breath and refuse to exhale until he gets his way.  The newest juvenile shenanigan that Georgie has grown fond of, is texting me when he is, shall we say...using the facilities.  If that's not love, well then.....that's really not love. Yuk!

If you look at it 'on paper,' there're very few reasons why George and I should be friends.  Not only is there a gross mismatch in age, we also come from very different backgrounds and cultures.  He's loud and obnoxious.  I'm contemplative and docile.  He cheers for Man U, and I cheer for Arsenal.  But we found each other playing soccer and discovered our shared passion for the beautiful game.  And from there, we discovered other things about each other as well.

Behind the veneer of the beer-guzzling hill-billy and the charade of the loud-mouth yuckity-yuk lies a kind soul...an intelligent person, who is curious about what the world beyond Appalachia has to offer....a sensitive and gentle man to the people who surround him.  He frequently puts other people's needs ahead of his own, and has the spectacular ability of anticipating them to offer help just at the right moments.  

He and I were sharing a plate of wings at Bailey's one time, when I found myself short on napkins.  Being accustomed to our friend Jeff's response at these moments ("Eleonor!  Napkins!!"), I was surprised when Georgie got out of his seat, and returned with napkins...just for me!  And his kindness and consideration for his friends extend beyond just paper products.  It is this gentle kindness, coupled with his youthful exuberance, that us mature gentlemen have grown to admire.

I have grown very fond of George and Megan, and I love them dearly. With all that I am, all that is mine, and everything in my ability, I would give them anything they need to start their life together... and beyond. Ultimately, that is because I know that George would do the same for me.  

Cheers for the beautiful couple."

Well, that's what I would have said, had I the courage to grab the mic.  We love you Georgie! Have a happy and safe honeymoon!