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....