Coach predictions for next year

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50LsvwmgJ7Ihttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50LsvwmgJ7I

Alice's Update!

[From me -- not Alice -- see you all, most likely, Saturday Night for the playoff game against Novi Jags Green 01]

Hello Everyone.

Here is the schedule for next weekend June 9 & 10. The two games this weekend will heavily determine where we are finish. The Pacesetters and LCSC will not be participating in the playoffs. After our games this weekend we will know if we are playing once or twice on June 9. I will have parking passes sent to me for Lyon Oaks Park for that weekend. See everyone tonight at the meeting.

Let’s get the girls excited about winning this weekend. GO FORCE!!!!!

GAME#		Time	Home		Away	Location
			Quarterfinal
2000 QF1		12:30 pm	4th Place	vs	5th Place	Lyon Oaks County Park field 2
			Semifinal
2001 SF1		6:30 pm	1st Place	vs	Winner Quarterfinal #1	Lyon Oaks County Park field 1
2002 SF2		6:30 pm	2nd Place	vs	3rd Place	Lyon Oaks County Park field 2
Sun, June 10, 2012
GAME#		Time	Home		Away	Location
			Championship
2003		11:30 am	Semi-Final #1 Winner	vs	Semi-Final #2 Winner	Lyon Oaks County Park field 1

Under 13 Y Girls Division 1		Pts	GP	W	T	L	GF	GA	GD
1.	Grand Rapids Crew Juniors 00 Gold	21	7	7	0	0	35	2	33
2.	Canton Celtic 00 Black	15	7	5	0	2	17	14	3
3.	Pacesetter Premier 00 Red (league only)	10	8	3	1	4	13	12	1
4.	Michigan Jaguars 00 Green	7	6	2	1	3	7	10	-3
5.	LCSC 00 Meteors	5	8	1	2	5	4	15	-11
6.	TNT Dynamite 00 Red	3	6	1	0	5	5	28	-23
Under 13 Y Girls Division 2		Pts	GP	W	T	L	GF	GA	GD
1.	Pacesetter Premier 00 Black (league only	22	8	7	1	0	30	2	28
2.	Canton Celtic 00 White	11	7	3	2	2	14	12	2
3.	Force FC 00 Purple	10	6	3	1	2	17	7	10
4.	Michigan Jaguars 01 Green	10	7	3	1	3	10	15	-5
5.	Michigan Jaguars 00 White	8	6	2	2	2	11	10	1
6.	Waza FC 00 Blue	4	6	1	1	4	5	12	-7
7.	LCSC 00 Meteors Blue (league only)	0	6	0	0	6	3	32	-29

More on racism in European Soccer

U. of Michigan Professor comments on upcoming Euro 2012

Yet soccer competitions involving national teams tend to foster stereotypes and chauvinistic tensions, said Andrei Markovits, a professor of German studies at the University of Michigan who has written

“I’m sure there will be all sorts of nasty catcalls against dark-skinned players on all sides,” Markovits said of Euro 2012.

But he added: “I don’t see this as only Eastern European, except by shade or degree. It’s ubiquitous in Europe. Somehow the soccer stadium has remained the last bastion of unmitigated maleness. You can behave badly and be proud of it, the way you can’t in virtually any other venue in Europe.”

Click on link for full story  Racism and Soccer Are in Play at a Big Event in East Europe

Kyra's Dad's Write Up, Pacesetter Tournament 2!

PACESETTER TOURNAMENT part 2

One other thing about game 1 that my middle aged brain failed to recall: While it's true our girls had a hard time controlling play in the first half, we did have some success on the counter attack, but were thwarted each time by the odd but effective strategy employed by the Whitecaps of playing their backline way up, so as to earn an offsides whistle nearly every time we sent a pass into their zone. The go-ahead goal that Christina put in after a tough angled strike by Rhea, was called back on one such occasion.

GAME 2

A 6:40 am trip back to the fields wasn't ideal for a few sleepy girls and some groggy parents (gotta love that hotel bar!). Of course we couldn't complain too much about the early start time with temps for the day forecasted to be well into the mid 90's. The crisp morning air was absolutely perfect, and it wasn't long before the girls, and even the parents, were up to full speed. With the whistle blowing promptly at 7:30, the girls were determined to make this their morning against a worthy opponent from suburban Pittsburgh, Victory Express. And from the start, this looked more like a Force game than the previous day's match. Even with the larger, more physical opponent, our girls used their speed and quick, instinctive passing to set the tone. Without Zoe in the middle, terrific play by Lauren, Rhea, and Grace provided some nice opportunities early on. But the team in blue wasn't about to back down and it seemed on this morning they would be the ones to exploit with the counter attack. But leave it to our superb backline to deny any foray into the Force end. Not enough can be said of the outstanding play of Annabelle, Emmi, Jill, and Sophia. All weekend long, they would reliably and deftly quell the panic of the parents on the Force sideline. All weekend long, they would frustrate even the most skilled attackers. As the first half wound down, and with the intense action on the field, it was clear we were in for another tightly contested match. Halftime found a visit from a Victory dad to some of the Force parents. He was very complimentary to our girls, he thought they were more skilled and quicker with decisions than his team. He felt teams from western PA were at a disadvantage because of the lack of flatland. Interesting theory.

Maybe his words were an omen, because during the second half we sensed that, sooner or later, the Force would capitalize. It looked as though Victory Express had no answer for the speed and finesse of our girls up front. Anastasia, Sawyer and Kyra took turns challenging the defense. Jazzy, Christina and Rhea all had near misses on net. Shoot the ball and good things will happen. And shoot they did. So here it was with 10 minutes left, and finally, the moment we had been waiting for. Lauren to Grace to Rhea, who as she so often does, finds a deep angle and launches one, far post. Shoot the ball and good things DO happen. Just ask Rhea's Mom. 1-0.

Of course we can't forget the "Golden 5 Minutes" - and it was 5 minutes of sheer terror among the Force families. Annabelle's mom was so tense she was compelled to turn away and watch the game on the neighboring field. The girls of course were more composed, skillfully turning away any attack. And as our last line of defense, Kate was impenetrable. Kate impresses me as quite a leader on the field, and when called upon is as skilled as any young goalkeeper (this would be put to the test in game 3). 5 minutes and counting, where's the insurance goal? Oh yeah, Sawyer! We've seen this before- a nice delivery from midfield found a streaking Sawyer with one defender to beat. 2-0. And that would do it. Thank the soccer gods.

GAME 3

So here we were, just one win away from moving on to the playoffs. Maybe this could really happen. Hold on though, not so fast. The final opponent would be none other than the mighty Ohio Premier Eagles, who currently sat in first place, having beaten the other two teams seemingly with ease. Big. Athletic. Skilled. Fast. one look at them on the field and you get the impression this is a team of u-14 or u-15 girls. And rumor has it they're coached to play a bit dirty. Mid-afternoon on a 90 degree day against an invincible team. No Zoe. This could get ugly. The only way to find out of course, is to play the game. The opening whistle immediately confirmed our worst fears. It looked as though OP had no weakness. Were they that good? Maybe our girls were a bit sluggish in the hot afternoon sun. Nothing was going their way. The barrage we faced in the first 15 minutes was something to behold. But as I touched on earlier, Kate was equal to the task, stopping anything and everything that came her way. All you need to know about Kate and our fantastic defenders is this: None of the 10 teams in the u-12 11v11 bracket allowed fewer goals than the Force. It is a true testament to the players that we have in the back. Of course it helps to be lucky sometimes, as was the case late in the half when we were called for a penalty in the box (go figure!?!). A skilled OP striker, one on one against Kate? There was certainly a sense of inevitability with this one. But again, thank the soccer gods, the shot rang off the crossbar! Could it be? scoreless at halftime against this team? Consider it a moral victory.

So, could the girls settle in, make some some adjustments and really challenge this team? Incredibly, and proudly to all who witnessed, the answer was yes. Little by little the Force began creating opportunities, buzzing bees Kyra and Anastasia began pestering their bigger opponent with quickness, agility and yes, even physicality. Jazzy began forcing her will with size and deceptive skill. Lauren managed the game from midfield with creativity and flair, what a gamer she is. All of this led to some real chances. During one sequence, there was more action in front of the OP net than in the entire first half. But the soccer gods would not be as generous this time, that perfect bounce would not come, even with Sawyer, Christina and Kyra lurking. Even so, the resilience of our girls began to frustrate the side from suburban Columbus. A yellow card was even given to one particular player who was shoving anyone she came into contact with (just ask Jazzy's Mom).

But just when you thought the tide had finally turned, disaster. A loose ball popped free just behind our defenders leaving Annabelle to chase down a deceptively fast forward. Kate heroically tried to beat her to the ball but just missed. It was a dagger that found the left corner of the net, and the heart. Disaster indeed. Especially considering how brilliantly the defense had played to that point. I'm tempted to say that Annabelle was the player of the tournament, but a nod could be given to any number of our girls. For this game we should give special recognition to Emmi, who always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, always knew when to step up, and always seemed to deliver a perfect ball.

Could our girls find enough for one last push? They gave it their all, but sadly, it was not to be. OP dug in their heels and slowed down the game with increasingly rough play. In the final minutes the size mismatch began taking its toll, and Kyra, even with all her mighty mouse toughness, fell victim to the mayhem with a twisted ankle. And with the referee peeking more frequently at his watch, we new that was it. There would be no back to back trophies. But there's nothing to be sad about. All should be very proud. Responding at halftime and taking a team of that caliber down to the wire is quite an accomplishment. Cookie said as much himself. To him, this was their best match of the tourney. And of course there's something else we can all smile about: NO SECOND NIGHT IN THAT HOTEL!

Although the bar was quite fun. Just ask Sawyer's Dad. And Emmi's Dad. And Stasia's Dad. And Sophia's Dad. And Jazzy's Dad. And Jazzy's Mom. And Grace's Mom. And Lauren's Mom...

Thanks for listening and feel free to share your own thought or memories from the weekend.

Italy's soccer scandal

After Scandal in Soccer, Italy's Leader Urges Break

Kyra's DAD write up!

PACESETTER TOURNAMENT part 1

There's always a bit of excitement and anticipation (even for parents) upon arriving at a tournament venue. This is especially true for tournaments we've not attended before. And our trip just south of the border was no different, as we met at the designated off-site parking to divvy up the six parking passes allotted to the team. That's right, six parking passes. For 14 families. Or is it 15 families? No matter, under Joanna's fearless leadership we managed to squeeze everyone into six vehicles. OK I'm exaggerating a little bit, some of us had skipped the off-site parking and gone right to the venue, but it's more fun to remember it this way.

It didn't take long to get to the fields and it certainly didn't take long to realize that this was indeed a first class event. Well organized, nicely managed, immaculate playing surfaces. It wasn't without its hiccups though, as an AWOL line judge turned a half hour weather delay into a full hour delay for our first game. There was even word of a ref being fired after making a bad call that changed the outcome of a game.

GAME 1

Again, there's something to be said for the anticipation of the unknown. The first game at a brand new tournament. Against a team from Cleveland. A team with horizontal pinstripes on their jerseys. Is that to make them look bigger? I wonder what Joan Rivers would say. From our vantage point, they did indeed look bigger, but it wasn't because of their jerseys. As is usually the case, and as would be for the entire weekend, the Force would be outsized. But as is usually the case, the girls have plenty of other things at their disposal to counter with. Could it be enough to bring home another trophy? If we were to judge by the early action in game one, the answer to that question would unfortunately be "no". Aside from a very early strike by Jazzy that struck the crossbar, the Force couldn't muster any offensive control, with the Whitecaps dictating play and keeping our defenders busy for much of the half. A handful of near misses on our goal had the Force parents gasping in near desperation. Nothing, however, elicited the type of gasps that could be heard during a whitecaps throw-in. One particular defender on the Whitecaps could fire the ball like none of us had seen before. Time and time again, facing a stiff headwind, she would launch low trajectory rockets into the box with dangerous results. The speed, skill and discipline with which the side from Cleveland handled their throw-ins was truly impressive. It caught the Force off guard too many times and I think it's safe to say we felt relieved to be scoreless at the half.

Halftime gave the girls a chance to settle in a gain some composure and at the whistle they came out with energy and confidence. Determined, our girls weren't about to back down to the larger side, and eventually their quickness and athleticism would pay dividends. With our midfielders dictating much of the play, the speedy forwards of the Force took turns breaking through the opposing defense only to be denied on each occasion. This action increased the level of intensity on the pitch, particularly in the middle, where Zoe fell victim during a battle with one of the Whitecaps standouts. This would prove to be more costly than initially thought, as a strained (or bruised) groin would keep her out not only the rest of the game, but the remainder of the tournament as well. It's hard to recover from the loss of such a valuable component of the team, but the girls would soldier on. Speaking of crucial loss- It was clear the team did miss the speed and grit of Sophie, she was in the girls' hearts all weekend. Of course let's not forget the fantastic job Claire did filling in.

As time wound down, the Force parents were resigned (or maybe relieved) to a scoreless draw. Indeed, with the whistle, it was quite apparent we weren't in Indy anymore. 0-0. We'll take it.

THE HOTEL

Another sign we weren't in Indy anymore was awaiting us when we exited I-475 at Secor road. Apparently, one of northern Ohio's best kept secrets is the space/time portal that exists just off the expressway, 3rd turn on the left, which takes you to 1979. Yes, the year, 1979. Welcome to the Ramada Inn. In all it's mirrored geometry, fake plants and carpeted walls. This place deserves its own blog post, but a few of the highlights: Water stained stucco ceilings, cigarette burned bedspreads, and a shower that was either scalding, or off. CRT (yes really) televisions, scenic view of a distintegrating parking lot and the faint smell of who knows what. Unless of course you went to the second floor for the working ice machine, where that faint smell wasn't so faint anymore. Sorry Alice, I'm sure you had no idea...

And Sawyer's dad can tell you about his success that night in searching for the team's new coach, I think he even snapped a photo of this elusive character in the waning hours of the evening.

Pacesetter Final

   

Welcome to the 2012 Pacesetter Soccer Invitational

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Games of the 2012 Pacesetter Soccer Invitational

Standings for Div G1211v11
	No.	Div	Time	Field	Home Team		Visiting Team			Type
Saturday, May 26, 2012
	444	G1211v11	12:00 PM	PP26	OP EAGLES BLACK DUBLIN - C	1	0	C - VICTORY EXPRESS
Sunday, May 27, 2012
	433	G1211v11	7:30 AM	PP23	CLEVELAND WHITECAPS - C	2	5	C - OP EAGLES BLACK DUBLIN
	438	G1211v11	3:00 PM	PP23	OP EAGLES BLACK DUBLIN - C	1	0	C - FORCE PURPLE 00
Monday, May 28, 2012
	445	G1211v11	8:00 AM	PP20	PLYMOUTH REIGN GIRLS 00 GREEN - A	2	4	C - OP EAGLES BLACK DUBLIN		SEMI
	447	G1211v11	1:00 PM	PP01	OP EAGLES BLACK DUBLIN - C Finalist	1	2	B - BLAST FC RED Champion		FINAL

Links on the division will produce a listing of the teams in that particular division. Links on the team name will produce a schedule of just that team. (5