Sunday, March 1 brought the first practice of the coming season, with a hardy crew of 11 players (how perfect!) braving the mid-30s cold and choppy field conditions of Tower Grove Park.
For the year, we've added our first player born in Togo, as well as first born in Indiana. We've also had our first alum, now a freshman at Dubourg, come back to help the younger cats.
We are also going to welcome our latest Billiken volunteers, who are set to arrive this coming weekend.
Until then...
Monday, March 2, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Bicycles!
It's been far too long since the last post, though things have been in the understandably slow, wintry mode. The cold, though, didn't stop 10 of our players from attending a recent, Saturday morning workshop at St. Louis BicycleWORKS, a non-profit on the South Side that recycles bicycles and gives them back to the community's kids.As said, 10 of the STL United players received free bikes, after completing a three-hour class in bike maintenance, care and safety. In addition to the bikes, they also got helmets and we'll hope that they wear those once in awhile.
If you've got a bike laying around the house, please consider contacting the organization about donating your old ride. As good as option is considering buying your next bike through BicycleWORKS, as they have a couple dozen adult bikes on-sale at any given time, which helps raise funds for the free program for kids.
Here's a link to the group's website.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Angus and Patterson: MLS Combine(rs)
Congratulations to Calum Angus and Kyle Patterson, two former guest instructors of the STL United FC youth team, on their inclusion in the 2009 MLS Combine ranks. We wish both of these Billiken standouts a great amount of health and success in their professional eneadvors.
Here's a nice link to a story on them.
Here's a nice link to a story on them.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
To Kansas City and Back Again
Better late than never...
A couple Saturdays back, the STL United FC Youth Team roadshow put together the Summer 2008 tour, a two-stop, 17-hour marathon to Columbia and Kansas City. In total, 21 players and three harried adults were on the journey, with seven players distributed to each vehicle; mine saw (and heard) "Kung-Fu Hustle" played a mere three times! (What do you want to know about "Kung-Fu Hustle"? I can tell you.)
Columbia was the first stop, as you might expect, and there we played the u-11 team of the Columbia Pride, who are headquarted at a nice little complex on the outskirts of the town. We had too many players, specifically too many players over the age of 11, and the game got quickly lopsided before we adjusted things to a more competitive level. Once we were back at an age-appropriate point, the game was really enjoyable and spirited, with both teams slogging through a really nasty, late-morning August heat. The coach of the program took us on with only a couple days' notice, which was much appreciated.
(Game video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bko1rNJyIL0)
(Post-match analysis video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvYsj9f_l1E&feature=related)
From there, we stopped off a really messy roadside gas station for a shockingly unhealthy round of snack-food ordering. (Note to self: require the packing of fruits and water for the next trip.) This allowed players time to rotate vehicles, allowing a new crop of "Kung-Fu Hustle" viewers to enter my loaned mini-fan. Kids from Mexico, Eritrea, Vietnam, Burma, the Ivory Coast, Somalia and I'm sure another country, or two, jockeyed for space in this car, or that, trying to settle with the cool kids. Funny to watch.
(Snacks video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn8N4b5DXYY&feature=related)
Driving into KC provided one of the best, most unexpected treats for the kids. Downtown KC was hosting an air show on that Saturday and a formation of six fighter jets were criss-crossing the city, at one point flying incredibly low and literally a hundred feet from our van, which set off gales of applause and shouting. Several times, the jets buzzed by or zoomed into skywriting tricks, which was the clear highlight of the relatively-short trip from d'town KC to suburban KC, KS.
The converted baseball field that is home to the Kansas City Wizards, CommunityAmerican Ballpark, is located in a huge plain of stores, shops and amusements, including KC's edition of the Pin-Up Bowl. Unfortunately, shepherding 21 kids around that kind of vast space is a recipe for lost bodies, so we settled on a meal at a chain burrito shop across the parking lot, which was servicable, at best. Our goalie did drop a $1 tip with the manager, setting off the funniest exchange I'd seen long tie.
Inside the ComAm, the team patiently lined up for the "human tunnel," which allows fans a chance to have the players of both teams wander through them on the way to the center circle. That was cool, though at least 500 were on the field, which made the lines pretty dense. Still, it was fun to stand out on the fieldturf and see what a stadium looks like from that vantage point.
Settled into our seats in the higher level of the park, we were finally able to watch the center piece of the trip: a match between the Wizards and FC Dallas, who scored in the seventh-minute. From there, both teams engaged in a card festival, with a good dozen yellows and reds meted out by the overworked officials. KC scored with moments left in regulation, which had the kids amped for the final few moments, except for the couple contrarians who decided to cheer for Dallas, undoubtedly to antagonize the locals.
A few scoreless minutes of OT and three lost kids later, we were back in the rolling caravan and immediately jumped on the wrong highway, which added 20-minutes to the long drive back, though it did allow for "Kung-Fu Hustle" to be screened before even leaving KC.
After a stop in Columbia for more junk food, the players finally began to chill out, the sugar wearing off around Chesterfield, at which point the van became quiet, after several rounds of ghost stories and "Which do you like better, Mexican food or American food?"-type questions.
Dropping off the last player well after 2 a.m. I was reminded of why this trip - and this team - has value. That last player was locked out. No key. His parents don't have a phone. And despite the fact that it felt about 90-degrees out and muggy in the middle of the night, all the family's windows were open. We knocked. We tossed rocks at the windows. We knocked some more. By this point, the kid's half-delirious with sleep and I'm no better. Finally, someone came to the door a good 20-minutes into this process.
It's not universally true, but a lot of the kids on this trip would never had the chance to make such a trek, if the team didn't exist and if funding wasn't obtained through generous sources. At 2:30 a.m. on a wearying night, that was never clearer to me.
It was an interesting, reflective way to end a successful, March-through-August season of soccer.
A couple Saturdays back, the STL United FC Youth Team roadshow put together the Summer 2008 tour, a two-stop, 17-hour marathon to Columbia and Kansas City. In total, 21 players and three harried adults were on the journey, with seven players distributed to each vehicle; mine saw (and heard) "Kung-Fu Hustle" played a mere three times! (What do you want to know about "Kung-Fu Hustle"? I can tell you.)
Columbia was the first stop, as you might expect, and there we played the u-11 team of the Columbia Pride, who are headquarted at a nice little complex on the outskirts of the town. We had too many players, specifically too many players over the age of 11, and the game got quickly lopsided before we adjusted things to a more competitive level. Once we were back at an age-appropriate point, the game was really enjoyable and spirited, with both teams slogging through a really nasty, late-morning August heat. The coach of the program took us on with only a couple days' notice, which was much appreciated.
(Game video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bko1rNJyIL0)
(Post-match analysis video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvYsj9f_l1E&feature=related)
From there, we stopped off a really messy roadside gas station for a shockingly unhealthy round of snack-food ordering. (Note to self: require the packing of fruits and water for the next trip.) This allowed players time to rotate vehicles, allowing a new crop of "Kung-Fu Hustle" viewers to enter my loaned mini-fan. Kids from Mexico, Eritrea, Vietnam, Burma, the Ivory Coast, Somalia and I'm sure another country, or two, jockeyed for space in this car, or that, trying to settle with the cool kids. Funny to watch.
(Snacks video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn8N4b5DXYY&feature=related)
Driving into KC provided one of the best, most unexpected treats for the kids. Downtown KC was hosting an air show on that Saturday and a formation of six fighter jets were criss-crossing the city, at one point flying incredibly low and literally a hundred feet from our van, which set off gales of applause and shouting. Several times, the jets buzzed by or zoomed into skywriting tricks, which was the clear highlight of the relatively-short trip from d'town KC to suburban KC, KS.
The converted baseball field that is home to the Kansas City Wizards, CommunityAmerican Ballpark, is located in a huge plain of stores, shops and amusements, including KC's edition of the Pin-Up Bowl. Unfortunately, shepherding 21 kids around that kind of vast space is a recipe for lost bodies, so we settled on a meal at a chain burrito shop across the parking lot, which was servicable, at best. Our goalie did drop a $1 tip with the manager, setting off the funniest exchange I'd seen long tie.
Inside the ComAm, the team patiently lined up for the "human tunnel," which allows fans a chance to have the players of both teams wander through them on the way to the center circle. That was cool, though at least 500 were on the field, which made the lines pretty dense. Still, it was fun to stand out on the fieldturf and see what a stadium looks like from that vantage point.
Settled into our seats in the higher level of the park, we were finally able to watch the center piece of the trip: a match between the Wizards and FC Dallas, who scored in the seventh-minute. From there, both teams engaged in a card festival, with a good dozen yellows and reds meted out by the overworked officials. KC scored with moments left in regulation, which had the kids amped for the final few moments, except for the couple contrarians who decided to cheer for Dallas, undoubtedly to antagonize the locals.
A few scoreless minutes of OT and three lost kids later, we were back in the rolling caravan and immediately jumped on the wrong highway, which added 20-minutes to the long drive back, though it did allow for "Kung-Fu Hustle" to be screened before even leaving KC.
After a stop in Columbia for more junk food, the players finally began to chill out, the sugar wearing off around Chesterfield, at which point the van became quiet, after several rounds of ghost stories and "Which do you like better, Mexican food or American food?"-type questions.
Dropping off the last player well after 2 a.m. I was reminded of why this trip - and this team - has value. That last player was locked out. No key. His parents don't have a phone. And despite the fact that it felt about 90-degrees out and muggy in the middle of the night, all the family's windows were open. We knocked. We tossed rocks at the windows. We knocked some more. By this point, the kid's half-delirious with sleep and I'm no better. Finally, someone came to the door a good 20-minutes into this process.
It's not universally true, but a lot of the kids on this trip would never had the chance to make such a trek, if the team didn't exist and if funding wasn't obtained through generous sources. At 2:30 a.m. on a wearying night, that was never clearer to me.
It was an interesting, reflective way to end a successful, March-through-August season of soccer.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Amazin'
Yesterday, our New Dimensions season was back on, for the first of two remaining weekends. This time, we'd be at the St. Luke's facility, just across the City border in Richmond Heights. The kids always like playing at Luke's and I understand why: all five fields are tightly-packed. Not so much so that the games are impacted. But enough to give the sense that this is, pure and simple, a field meant for lots of soccer. Throw in a few metal bleachers, some free watermelon and cheap concessions and you've got a nice, little venue for the game.
Unfortunately, yesterday first meant the pruning of our team. Out of a big, extended family of kids from Somalia, four of the older players were trimmed from the ranks. Throughout the year, I've tried to be tolerant of behavioral issues and consistently found myself frustrated by the lack of progress on this. After some truly inappropriate comments to/about myself and other players, the cuts needed to made. Some pained conversations ensued, but I held firm on the need to let some kids go.
The three youngest of the family were allowed to stay, and they'll be brought into the St. Francis Cabrini program for the fall. Hopefully, with additional structure and a continuance of playing with the same teammates, they'll cut down on the antics and will become positive, team players. Here's hoping; they're young enough to invest the extra time and effort.
Last night, overall, gave me a definite pause in thinking about how to treat the whole, while also keeping individual kids in the program. Not for the first time, we had a new dynamic. And there was plenty of opportunity to watch that new dynamic, with four different sub-teams playing five games.
What I saw last night was probably the single most enjoyable experience I've had in six years of coaching, including the three years of the STL United FC model. I don't want to make it sound as if a couple kids were holding back the rest, but the overall sense of spirit was never better than last night's five games. Good karma was in play. And individual "a-ha" moments were happening all over the place.
Jordan, a seventh-grader, was incorporating some ball cutting that Calum Angus had just taught him earlier the week. He was attacking with impunity and netting plenty of goals.
Tom, a fifth-grader, cracked an off-balance, one-touch, side-volley that drew "oohs" from the parent's section. A neat play! Total composure. Good form. Ball in the back of the net.
Nick, a slight seventh-grader, was playing his first soccer. Though his efforts didn't have the same breakthrough moments, in a footballing sense, he was having an obvious amount of fun.
And Thomas, a kid I've coached for six years and heading into his first year of high school this week, settled a long pass with a quick flick, pushing it into the air on a first-touch, then rifling a shot past a defender and into the net. A really, really sharp moment.
In fact, our oldest group was the real revelation. The team was made up of two kids from Vietnam, one from Burma, another from Ethiopia and a young Irishman from South City. Though two of the kids hadn't played in the group before this week, they flashed serious ball skills and fit in neatly. Whereas that age group had been a group of smack-talking sqabblers for weeks, last night's game saw them sharing the ball, spraying it all over the field. Defensively, they were committed. Offensively, they were confidently attacking another team of a high-school-bound players. It was something to watch.
I'm going on-and-on here, when I could just keep it simple.
For whatever reason, last night, every player on the team(s) just seemed to "get it."
It's all paying off. It's happening. Yes.
Unfortunately, yesterday first meant the pruning of our team. Out of a big, extended family of kids from Somalia, four of the older players were trimmed from the ranks. Throughout the year, I've tried to be tolerant of behavioral issues and consistently found myself frustrated by the lack of progress on this. After some truly inappropriate comments to/about myself and other players, the cuts needed to made. Some pained conversations ensued, but I held firm on the need to let some kids go.
The three youngest of the family were allowed to stay, and they'll be brought into the St. Francis Cabrini program for the fall. Hopefully, with additional structure and a continuance of playing with the same teammates, they'll cut down on the antics and will become positive, team players. Here's hoping; they're young enough to invest the extra time and effort.
Last night, overall, gave me a definite pause in thinking about how to treat the whole, while also keeping individual kids in the program. Not for the first time, we had a new dynamic. And there was plenty of opportunity to watch that new dynamic, with four different sub-teams playing five games.
What I saw last night was probably the single most enjoyable experience I've had in six years of coaching, including the three years of the STL United FC model. I don't want to make it sound as if a couple kids were holding back the rest, but the overall sense of spirit was never better than last night's five games. Good karma was in play. And individual "a-ha" moments were happening all over the place.
Jordan, a seventh-grader, was incorporating some ball cutting that Calum Angus had just taught him earlier the week. He was attacking with impunity and netting plenty of goals.
Tom, a fifth-grader, cracked an off-balance, one-touch, side-volley that drew "oohs" from the parent's section. A neat play! Total composure. Good form. Ball in the back of the net.
Nick, a slight seventh-grader, was playing his first soccer. Though his efforts didn't have the same breakthrough moments, in a footballing sense, he was having an obvious amount of fun.
And Thomas, a kid I've coached for six years and heading into his first year of high school this week, settled a long pass with a quick flick, pushing it into the air on a first-touch, then rifling a shot past a defender and into the net. A really, really sharp moment.
In fact, our oldest group was the real revelation. The team was made up of two kids from Vietnam, one from Burma, another from Ethiopia and a young Irishman from South City. Though two of the kids hadn't played in the group before this week, they flashed serious ball skills and fit in neatly. Whereas that age group had been a group of smack-talking sqabblers for weeks, last night's game saw them sharing the ball, spraying it all over the field. Defensively, they were committed. Offensively, they were confidently attacking another team of a high-school-bound players. It was something to watch.
I'm going on-and-on here, when I could just keep it simple.
For whatever reason, last night, every player on the team(s) just seemed to "get it."
It's all paying off. It's happening. Yes.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Captaincy
So, a question, in case anyone's reading and wanting to share an answer.
Last weekend, I assigned out a captain's slot for the last two games, giving the armband, in one case, to a rambunctious kid who was behaving particularly well that day; in the other, it went to a player without great skills, but with a great attitude. I casually gave each the armband, without a lot of hullaballoo, though the remaining players did go on-and-on about their own capataincies afterward. "Why didn't I get that?" "When will I get that?" And so on.
Do other coaches give out nods like this? What's the value in doing so? I've got theories, but would like to hear some more.
Last weekend, I assigned out a captain's slot for the last two games, giving the armband, in one case, to a rambunctious kid who was behaving particularly well that day; in the other, it went to a player without great skills, but with a great attitude. I casually gave each the armband, without a lot of hullaballoo, though the remaining players did go on-and-on about their own capataincies afterward. "Why didn't I get that?" "When will I get that?" And so on.
Do other coaches give out nods like this? What's the value in doing so? I've got theories, but would like to hear some more.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
College Soccer News
My, oh, my. The College Soccer News preview of the '08 Saint Louis University Billikens is like a who's-who of recent volunteer coaches for the STL United FC Youth Team. I'll bold the suspects here, in what's a partial account of the full article.
========
It is hard to picture the Billikens, with so much talent and experience, not being a factor on the national scene in 2008. Senior midfielder Kyle Patterson (10g, 4a), who was the 2007 Atlantic-10 Offensive Player of the Year, will again be the focus of what should be a very balanced Saint Louis attack.
Senior Eric Sweetin, who was hampered somewhat last year with an ankle injury, returns as a stabilizing force in the Saint Louis midfield with three years of starting experience. A healthy Sweetin is a big plus for the Billikens. Senior Brandon Barklage (3g, 5a), who reversed the trend of Saint Louis natives going elsewhere to play when he returned to play for the Billikens after two successful seasons at New Mexico, adds another element to the attack. Junior Josh Aranda (0g, 2a) who also hails from St. Louis should again be in a starting role in the midfield or in the back. Sophomore Beau Bellomy (4g, 1a) and junior Kyle Hayes (1g, 1a) are among other returning linkmen who will be in the mix in what looks to be a very competitive midfield.
Calum Angus, one of the nation’s best backs, will head a backline that has the potential to be among the best in the country. Angus (2g, 0a) was an NSCAA and College Soccer News All-America selection last year in addition to be named the A-10 Defensive Player of the Year. Junior Tim Ream, who was a 2007 First Team All-Mid Atlantic Region selection, and junior Rob Viviano (0g, 2a) who has been a starter for the past two seasons round out an experienced backline. The Saint Louis defense will also get a boost from several talented and very athletic newcomers, including junior James Jaramillo who transfers in from UCLA.
========
It is hard to picture the Billikens, with so much talent and experience, not being a factor on the national scene in 2008. Senior midfielder Kyle Patterson (10g, 4a), who was the 2007 Atlantic-10 Offensive Player of the Year, will again be the focus of what should be a very balanced Saint Louis attack.
Senior Eric Sweetin, who was hampered somewhat last year with an ankle injury, returns as a stabilizing force in the Saint Louis midfield with three years of starting experience. A healthy Sweetin is a big plus for the Billikens. Senior Brandon Barklage (3g, 5a), who reversed the trend of Saint Louis natives going elsewhere to play when he returned to play for the Billikens after two successful seasons at New Mexico, adds another element to the attack. Junior Josh Aranda (0g, 2a) who also hails from St. Louis should again be in a starting role in the midfield or in the back. Sophomore Beau Bellomy (4g, 1a) and junior Kyle Hayes (1g, 1a) are among other returning linkmen who will be in the mix in what looks to be a very competitive midfield.
Calum Angus, one of the nation’s best backs, will head a backline that has the potential to be among the best in the country. Angus (2g, 0a) was an NSCAA and College Soccer News All-America selection last year in addition to be named the A-10 Defensive Player of the Year. Junior Tim Ream, who was a 2007 First Team All-Mid Atlantic Region selection, and junior Rob Viviano (0g, 2a) who has been a starter for the past two seasons round out an experienced backline. The Saint Louis defense will also get a boost from several talented and very athletic newcomers, including junior James Jaramillo who transfers in from UCLA.
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