Its back on the road and hotel living the last before a home stretch at the Vern. The long bus ride did not get off to a good start when we took an hour to get out of DC and past the beltway. After that the ride was quite smooth with us making good time and able to get a short session in at the field to stretch the legs and get some of the stiffness out. Highlight of the ride probably came after lunch when everyone on the bus including the driver took the mic to tell us 3 things that we didn't know about them. There were some reoccurring themes and several players said that they we chubby, overweight in their younger years although you wouldn't see that now. I on the other hand was a skinny kid and have got larger later in life. A bit of fun for everyone but it told us some things about the group that we may not have known before and hopefully strengthens the bonds within the group. Coach Irizarry acted as the emcee and he may have missed his calling in the entertainment business. I will be putting him forward for the X Factor or American Idol if he can fit it in between our soccer schedule. I will also have to get him a mic for the office as we couldn't get it off him once he got going.
The team meal this evening was great with chicken parm on the menu thanks to Irizarry and his planning. Shaban was in good spirits after his Arsenal spanked my Saints 6-1 today in the premier league and DC United got a needed win against New England this evening. Coach Felix still was missing his first Win for his beloved Liverpool as they tied with Sunderland 1-1. Looking forward to the Liverpool fly on the wall documentary starting tomorrow night on Fox which will see us taking a trip inside the dressing room of a premier league team and how things really go down behind the scenes.
My Welsh mate Jonesy has once again chipped in with his moment of wisdom for this blog so I will use his quote to let him know his moaning does not go on deaf ears. "At some point in our season our players will either have the answers to the problems they face or the reasons why the don't, don't look for the reasons they are merely excuses" Lets hope his team find those answers sooner rather than later.
Early start tomorrow so its off to bed. Games at 11am and you can follow online Live Stats and Video
Magic Moment of the Day
Its Coach Irizarry once again for his restaurant selction and his work on the mic.
Follow Head Coach Craig Jones through the GW Men's Soccer Fall 2015 season
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Friday, September 14, 2012
Weekend Preview
This weekend sees us travel north to Smithfield, RI for a game against Bryant on Sunday at 11am. The game is the start of a 4 game home stretch for Bryant and the end of a 5 game away stretch for us. Bryant have only played 3 regular season games so far and despite not picking up a win they will be buoyed by their home support and a 4-4 tie against fellow A10 conference team URI in their last outing. Last season saw us win 3-2 in the last minute so that will be another incentive for them to turn the tables this time out.
For us its back on the bus for a long trip which we should be used to now being our 5th game on the road. We have continued to get some great support from parents and friends on the road and we hope to see them again this weekend. We will look to build on the way we played last time out but improving the quality of service in the final third to make any possession we have count. We will also be looking to break a trend of WLWLWLW? (including our 2 preseason games).
To follow all our Colonial Athletes this weekend be sure to read the Colonial Athletics Weekend Preview
The weather was perfect for today's practice and the players seemed to enjoy the session after we finished with some shooting and finishing. No changes to the injury report so the travel roster is set and we look forward to leaving tomorrow and practicing tomorrow night at Bryant.
Magic Moment of the Day
Alexandersson "Ice Man" attempted bicycle kick. Thankfully he didn't get injured in the process.
For us its back on the bus for a long trip which we should be used to now being our 5th game on the road. We have continued to get some great support from parents and friends on the road and we hope to see them again this weekend. We will look to build on the way we played last time out but improving the quality of service in the final third to make any possession we have count. We will also be looking to break a trend of WLWLWLW? (including our 2 preseason games).
To follow all our Colonial Athletes this weekend be sure to read the Colonial Athletics Weekend Preview
The weather was perfect for today's practice and the players seemed to enjoy the session after we finished with some shooting and finishing. No changes to the injury report so the travel roster is set and we look forward to leaving tomorrow and practicing tomorrow night at Bryant.
Magic Moment of the Day
Alexandersson "Ice Man" attempted bicycle kick. Thankfully he didn't get injured in the process.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Gymnastics at the Vern
Todays session went very well with the intensity level shown by all the players indicating they all want to be on the travel roster for this weekends game. Coach Pasquinelli our goalkeeping expert? never ceases to amaze me with the amount of equipment he uses each session. Just when I thought i had seen it all, today we had a new set of mini soccer balls and balance ball? for the keepers to work with. Not only that he almost hit me with a soccer ball when I was talking with the players by another errant punt which reminded me of his playing days when I could never figure out where the ball was going to go.
Some shooting to finish the session and after the players failed to achieve the required number of goals in a challenge I threw down it was down to Coach Irizarry to score to save them the forfeit of running. After some recent displays of shooting from Irizarry the confidence level from the group was not high. Up he stepped and from 20 yards hit the back of the net to score to the delight of the group. What followed was the best celebration we have seen this season. The players ran after Irizarry only to be stopped in their tracks in awe as he back flipped in celebration to end the hard days work perfectly.
Not including the longer term injuries we have, a couple of other new injuries from last weekend will see us waiting until the very last moment to select the travel roster for the weekend. With tomorrow being the last session before we leave I will be assessing some guys to make sure they are 100% fit to go.
Magic Moment of the Day
Coach (also gold medal gymnast) Irizarry's back flip
Some shooting to finish the session and after the players failed to achieve the required number of goals in a challenge I threw down it was down to Coach Irizarry to score to save them the forfeit of running. After some recent displays of shooting from Irizarry the confidence level from the group was not high. Up he stepped and from 20 yards hit the back of the net to score to the delight of the group. What followed was the best celebration we have seen this season. The players ran after Irizarry only to be stopped in their tracks in awe as he back flipped in celebration to end the hard days work perfectly.
Not including the longer term injuries we have, a couple of other new injuries from last weekend will see us waiting until the very last moment to select the travel roster for the weekend. With tomorrow being the last session before we leave I will be assessing some guys to make sure they are 100% fit to go.
Magic Moment of the Day
Coach (also gold medal gymnast) Irizarry's back flip
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Practice Day and WCQ Day
A slightly cooler morning temperature meant the weather was perfect for practice. Some fitness with the ball and small sided games were the themes for today as we kept it short with a quick 30 minute lift afterwards. Most guys have recovered from the weekend with one or two kept out of after the warm up as a precautionary move. Couldn't fault the effort in practice and I will be looking for the same intensity in every session this week as we plan for Saturday.
With games throughout the world today I was unfortunately watching the Wales v Serbia world cup qualifier online and I couldn't believe how poor Wales were. An embarrassment and one commentator described the performance as that of a pub team. Good news is after only 2 games in qualifying we are pretty much done so I will not be spending the money going to Brazil in 2014 for the World Cup.
Tonight saw the USA play Jamaica in Ohio in a rematch of Saturdays game in which the Reggie Boys shocked the USA with a 2-1 win in 'The Office" in Jamaica. A defeat for the USA would have put their World Cup qualifying hopes in tatters but in a scoreless first half where the US hit both posts and crossbar and the Jamaica goalkeeper had the game of his life they still needed a breakthrough. It came from a free kick which the GK should have saved, from Hero to Zero and the US got the win they needed and got their stuttering qualifying campaign back on track.
Magic Moment of the Day
Seth Rudolph named Colonial of the Week
With games throughout the world today I was unfortunately watching the Wales v Serbia world cup qualifier online and I couldn't believe how poor Wales were. An embarrassment and one commentator described the performance as that of a pub team. Good news is after only 2 games in qualifying we are pretty much done so I will not be spending the money going to Brazil in 2014 for the World Cup.
Tonight saw the USA play Jamaica in Ohio in a rematch of Saturdays game in which the Reggie Boys shocked the USA with a 2-1 win in 'The Office" in Jamaica. A defeat for the USA would have put their World Cup qualifying hopes in tatters but in a scoreless first half where the US hit both posts and crossbar and the Jamaica goalkeeper had the game of his life they still needed a breakthrough. It came from a free kick which the GK should have saved, from Hero to Zero and the US got the win they needed and got their stuttering qualifying campaign back on track.
Magic Moment of the Day
Seth Rudolph named Colonial of the Week
Monday, September 10, 2012
Photo and Tennis
A day off from practice saw us taking a team photo in University Yard. Despite the uniform getting there late from Mount Vernon, not naming names you know who you are, the lads got it done and we weren't too late. From there I went to the office to work on breaking down the game video from the weekend and also to catch up on some emails and paperwork. From the weekend 3 players made the all tournament team Van der Merwe, Ranalli and Rudolph so congrats to them. Article
I got home early enough to watch the Final of the Men's US Open and boy it didn't disappoint. Almost 5 hours of playing and we finally had a British Slam Champion in Tennis. I read somewhere it was 76 years ago that Fred Perry won the last of his titles and it was the exact same day and after he had also won Olympic Gold?? Seems like fate to me but I should check the story for authenticity and fact before I write it in my blog. (too late) It sounds too good not to be true lol. Congrats to Andy Murray!!
Tomorrow its back to practice and planning for Saturdays game at Bryant.
Magic Moment of the day
Relaxing watching the tennis on TV a superb US Open final.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Post Game Blog
After Fridays disappointment I was once again looking to the group to see how they reacted and if they had learnt anything from the last game. I am pleased to say that the response from the group was excellent and without a doubt the best 90 minutes we have played this season. After conceding 2 early goals in our 2 defeats this season it was very important that we started the game strong both physically and mentally to get us off to a good start. I was disappointed to be going into halftime at 0-0 as another 1v1 opportunity had fallen to Rudolph but again a lack of composure in front of goal saw a poor shot hit straight at the GK. The stats once again showed a reluctance by our team to take shots despite us being in good positions so when we do have opportunities we have to make them count.
The second half started with Liberty pushing for the opening goal and dominating possession. There are always times in games when teams will find themselves under a wave of pressure sometimes for prolonged periods so it was important that we got through this first 10 minute spell without conceding. We did just that with some last ditch tackling and mental toughness.
We had spoken at halftime that to break the deadlock we needed that little bit of quality in our service and something special to get that goal. It came from Higgins as he beat his marker out wide and for the first time in the game we had the quality service in the final third that we lacked in the first half. A great cross and Rudolph sprinted almost 30 yards into the box and headed the opener at the far post. We know he can score goals but so far he had lacked that killer instinct in front of goal but this was a strikers goal and you could see the weight had been lifted off his shoulders as his confidence grew. It was only a short time later with a free kick 25 yards from goal that Rudolph had an opportunity to double his tally and ours. He has worked this week on his free kicks after practice so I was especially delighted for him when he found the net with a strike that curled round the wall and went in off the post.
During the last 25 minutes we once again found ourselves under pressure as Liberty pushed for a goal to get back in the game. Our defense stood firm and JP made some great saves to keep his clean sheet the first of his career. This was a great team performance with everyone playing they part as subs coming into the game made an impact and players who played most of the game dug deep to find that extra energy to see us over the finish line.
One thing is for sure, the ride home when you win is a lot easier and the mood in the camp is fun to be around. It was great to be a part of today's performance.
Magic Moment of the Day
Hearing the final whistle and getting the Win.
The second half started with Liberty pushing for the opening goal and dominating possession. There are always times in games when teams will find themselves under a wave of pressure sometimes for prolonged periods so it was important that we got through this first 10 minute spell without conceding. We did just that with some last ditch tackling and mental toughness.
We had spoken at halftime that to break the deadlock we needed that little bit of quality in our service and something special to get that goal. It came from Higgins as he beat his marker out wide and for the first time in the game we had the quality service in the final third that we lacked in the first half. A great cross and Rudolph sprinted almost 30 yards into the box and headed the opener at the far post. We know he can score goals but so far he had lacked that killer instinct in front of goal but this was a strikers goal and you could see the weight had been lifted off his shoulders as his confidence grew. It was only a short time later with a free kick 25 yards from goal that Rudolph had an opportunity to double his tally and ours. He has worked this week on his free kicks after practice so I was especially delighted for him when he found the net with a strike that curled round the wall and went in off the post.
During the last 25 minutes we once again found ourselves under pressure as Liberty pushed for a goal to get back in the game. Our defense stood firm and JP made some great saves to keep his clean sheet the first of his career. This was a great team performance with everyone playing they part as subs coming into the game made an impact and players who played most of the game dug deep to find that extra energy to see us over the finish line.
One thing is for sure, the ride home when you win is a lot easier and the mood in the camp is fun to be around. It was great to be a part of today's performance.
Magic Moment of the Day
Hearing the final whistle and getting the Win.
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