Day 4 - On the Road Again

The start of the premier league made getting out of bed a lot easier today. Watching Liverpool beat Stoke City with a cup of coffee and then it was off to the office for our AM session.  To begin we had a chalk board session/meeting as Coach Ouimet called it but not sure the last time I ever saw a chalk board so maybe it'll eventually change to dry erase board session.  Either way it was time to try and recap our previous days efforts with some X's and O's and talk about the game tomorrow and some ideas we want to try and implement.

Onto the field and the session was sharp but much shorter with a 20min 11 v11 game and then into some shooting.  Have to say that Higgins in particular scored some scorchers and there were a few other goals which could have made the headlines.  As we left the field it wouldn't be long until our many Arsenal supporters including McClearn, Shaban and Elwing would be crying in the showers after the discovery that their beloved Gunners we beaten 3-1 at home.  Hopefully we can get a result tomorrow that will cheer them up.

After practice it was time to hit the road and start our journey to Duke.  I do like the new GW bus but no matter how good it looks sitting in traffic is no easier.  Yes the dreaded DC traffic hit again and gave me flashbacks of last year for our first scrimmage which took us to ODU a 3.5 our drive that became 7 hours.  With traffic against us our planned evening session and walk through would be cancelled and it was straight to dinner.

 After dinner it was on to the hotel.  Some final thoughts and notes for the pre game talk tomorrow and its time for bed.

Raise High Moment of the Day
Learning 3 interesting facts I didn't know about each player and staff member on the bus, fun and a great way to pass some time.

Day 3 - Friday Aug 16 and Ted Lasso

After finally getting a good nights sleep it was an 8am start for our morning session with the temperature cool but rising throughout.  A defensive session demanding some passion and willingness to add some physicality to players games was always going to bring some tempers to a boil.  The need for the group to enjoy the hard work of defending is never an easy thing for players to buy into but I hope today planted the seed whats needed to be successful at this level when we don't have the ball.  Coach Ouimet came alive today barking orders, instructions, praise and disapproval at every opportunity making sure the players stayed focus and engaged.

When the players left the field for a lifting session the coaching staff met to discuss everything from player performances, lunch/dinner options, travel plans for our trip to Duke and lastly anything else that comes to mind.  Hoping to get some of the "house keeping" issues taken care immediately I was hoping it would give me time to relax in our break between sessions. Unfortunately I find myself somewhat working throughout the break and before i know it its 2pm and an hour from our next session.

This afternoons session was at 3pm and probably the hottest one so far.  A continuation of the AM theme if was straight into some defensive activities and then finishing with some corners.  This session saw the return of Irizarry.  Impatiently hes been waiting for the call up and with players sitting as a precaution he knew he was getting closer to being called in and playing in his first session.  Like Rickie Lambert receiving the call hes getting picked for the national team, it happened about 3.05pm.. As hes taking the warm up the player numbers just didn't add up and I let him know I'm gonna need him to play.  Sharp as a razor on the ball and off we'll be looking forward to seeing more of Irizarry especially as Ouimet is about 4 weeks from full fitness to get involved.

Raise High Moment of the Day
With the Premier League starting tomorrow, if you haven't seen this yet watch it now: New Spurs Boss Ted Lasso

Day 2 Preseason -Staff Event / Attacking Session

A 9.30am start allowed a little sleep in and a chance to say bye to the family before I got in the car and headed for our Mount Vernon Athletic Complex for the first of our two sessions for the day. After watching the USA come from 2-0 down and win 4-3 yesterday with a Jozy Altidore hat rick and my Southampton Legend Rickie Lambert scoring the winner on his international debut for England it was definately going to be an attacking session.  Shooting or goalscoring always seems to get the players moving and after some goals hit the back of the net it was exciting to watch the players get into the session and add some quality.  A lighter session this morning would keep us somewhat fresh for a tougher physical evening session so it was off to the ice baths and lunch.

 In between today's sessions I had a chance to take part in our Athletic Department staff and coaches event at the Vern.  After starting with a game of kickball I was then paired with our very own, Jessica Bernheim from athletics communication and the voice behind all those interviews I'm sure you've listened to lol.  Anyways in was tennis and against Dawn Buth tennis legend at the Vern and head women's tennis coach.  Dawn was rather kind not to embarrass us too badly and I must say I had some fun.  After some other team events/games I already knew us coaches can be a competitive lot but I came to realize that us coaches have nothing on the competitiveness and will to win of some of our athletics dept. staff.  Putting their bodies on the line we had turf burns, injuries, bending of the rules and flat out unsportsmanlike behavior.   Great event and hope everyone heals quickly.

Back to the PM session and following up on the AM session it was attacking again and trying to get the ball in the back of the net followed by a scrimmage.  Adding some defenders seemed to kill the free flowing goal scoring we had experienced this morning or maybe it was the good work of our goalkeepers that was proving to be the stumbling block.  Either way we weren't finding the net as frequently as I would have liked but when we did it was a goal worth watching.  The 11 v11 scrimmage was played at a high tempo and dare I say it, almost too quick to begin with as it was like watching a track meet.  It settled down and allowed both teams to establish a rhythm without losing the intensity so it was a good way to end the Day 2. 

Raise High Moment of the Day
After spending the day with the players  and members of our Athletic Department staff I was home by 8.15pm and able to say goodnight to the kids, looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow.

Day One Preseason - Blogs Back, Teams Back

My daily blog is back!  Just a reminder that my reasons for starting a blog last Fall was to add some humor and insight to the everyday goings on of my life, everything soccer and most importantly the GW Mens Soccer Fall season.  During this Fall I hope you enjoy my everyday ramblings and keep up to date with how the season progresses.

We're finally back!!!  After a long summer of entertaining family and working hard with no vacation our first day of preseason was finally here.  With everyone passing physicals the previous day were we at full strength for the first session and the DC summer could not have cooperated better as the temperatures stayed in the 80's. 

A quick check on our aerobic fitness and we were straight into our BUFF V BLUE or Returners V Rookies scrimmage.  The first half went in favor of the new lads but the failure to capitalize on their chances would prove costly as the last 20 saw the returners experience take control of the game and finish 3-0 winners.  Not one to complain about officials but I have to say that Coach Irizarry showed some rustiness in the middle and confirmed that he has a future in coaching but certainly not in officiating.  After some post session Q and A for some of the guys the first session was in the bag and everyone came through healthy.  End of session Video

PM SESSION
After a midday break we were back on the field for an early evening session.  A lighter session which involved a little possession but most importantly an ending scrimmage that was rather lively and played at a pretty frantic pace and intensity.  If the players can keep that up for the rest of preseason leading into our first games I will be very happy and impressed.  Before I end I want to welcome Bernadette Burke our new athletic trainer to the program and welcome back Matt Pasquinelli who after a summer sabbatical rubbing shoulders with the creme de la creme of Goalkeeping coaches is back in his office in the six yard box.

Just a reminder you can follow me on twitter on the handles above or visit our GW Soccer Website for all the latest news and upcoming events.  Take a look at our newcomers video to meet our new guys and I hope to add some more videos as we move through preseason.

Raise High Moment of the Day
Everyone being healthy and fit and the end of the day.

Movember November and Travel

Its been a while since my last blog as its been a busy month.  With the season over and the players starting their off season strength and conditioning program Coach Irizarry and I have been traveling most weekends hitting the recruiting trail.  After a trip to Surf Cup in San Diego last week and a nice visit to good friend and Alumni Andy Drykaman and his family and good friend Simon Yeoman who hosted me it was back to the east coast.  A brief couple of days in DC and I left for Florida this weekend to attend the USSF Academy showcase.  As we search for the next GW soccer players for 2013 and beyond I am happy with the progress so far and hopefully we can close the deal on some players we are recruiting and get the 2013 class finished off.

Off the field the players are working hard in the gym and all the injuries we had during the season seem to be recovering so I am looking forward to the Spring and getting the boys back on the field.  Academically I am optimistic that this semester will be a good one for the team as we strive for excellence in the classroom.  The players also gave their time to help for thanksgiving by collecting a thanksgiving basket and I'm not sure they knew where half the items were on the shopping list but they got it done so good job lads.

This month has also seen me grow some facial mayhem known as a mustache in aid of Movember in the hope to raise some money for Mens Health Issues as many around the world do the same.  Today is the last day so tomorrow I will be facial hair free although I have become attached to the tash I'm looking forward to the kids recognizing me again and being free from funny stares and comments.  Its all for a good cause so it was well worth it although next year I may not have the strength to carry the mustache again.  You can still make an online donation to my account if you haven't already and no donation is too small or too big.  Jonsey Fundraising

I will leave you with a picture on my last day of Movember and in the next few days will post some video interviews of the separation of the tash and pre and post tash interviews.

Magic Moment of the Day
Getting back to the hotel to put my feet up and know that after this weekend I get to be at home with my family for at least 2 weeks.

Thank You Seniors and Post Game Thoughts

This evenings game was the last game of our Fall season and we hoped that we could end with a win but unfortunately it wasn't to be.  With Charlotte needing to win to claim the regular season A10 title we were not going to give it up that easy after winning it last year.  I thought our dreaded curse had hit again when Higgins and Ross colliding in the pre game warm up but luckily they both recovered to start the game.

We started slow which put us under pressure from the start.  Just under five minutes and we had given away another silly free kick and we paid the price from the resulting restart to go down 1-0.  After still being under pressure the players showed a resilience that has not been there in many games to absorb the pressure and finally get a rhythm of our own.  I felt the penalty decision was well deserved after a spell of attacking pressure from ourselves and Rudolph playing his final college game slotted the ball into the back of the net after sending the keeper the wrong way on the PK.

Second half was more of a defensive display and occasionally playing quickly on the break and looking for set play situations that had caused so many problems for them in the first half.  It seemed that the game would be heading into overtime when Charlotte found the back of the net to take the lead and see them to victory with less than 5 minutes to go.  OUCH!

A disappointing end to the season but I was very proud of how the guys played today and thought we at least deserved a tie.  It was unfortunately the last game for our seniors, Rudolph, Abaie. Almodovar and Ripperger-Suhler and a big thank you goes out to them for all their efforts throughout their careers at GW.  I am already looking forward to playing with them next year in the alumni game and I hope they have enjoyed being part of the program.

Now its time for our 7 hour bus ride home, lots of movies and hopefully a nap

Magic Moment of the Day
Our seniors!!!!

Back on the Road and Movember

With Coach Pasquinelli not able to be at practice on Thursday due to a broken toe (so he says) I was able to work with the GK's for the first part of the session and dedicated the majority of the time too working on crosses.  An area where I think all our keepers have struggled with this season and an area where we need improvement for the game Saturday.  With Almodovar back in the mix we have 4 goalkeepers fit which is almost as many as the outfield players.

During and after practice today (Friday) the number of players fit for a short moment had increased by one but by the end of the short session we had lost a keeper with Farrell not being able to shrug off the injury that kept him out last week, Aberiajn pulling out due to a hamstring injury that will see him remain at home and Khan is still out after last Fridays injury.   We did get Sandland back so the final score is
Fit GK's 3 -  Injured GK's 1
Fit Players 14 - Injured Players 6
For these last few weeks I have changed the definition of fit otherwise we would only have ten 100% Fit field players:
"FIT"
 -someone who could possibly play for longer than 15 minutes
- has an injury but is going to try and play anyway.

Onto something else as I'm sure you're fed up of hearing me complain.  I have finally gone for it.  With it being Movember I have decided to become a MoBro for the month and try and grow a moustache to raise awareness of prostate and testicular cancer and mens health issues.  I hope to give you photo updates every couple of days so you can see my progress and hopefully make a small donation.
DONATE NOW!!

We have just got back on the bus from another top drawer restaurant choice by Coach Irizarry called Darryls.  As we finish the ride down to Charlotte with an over full belly I write this Blog on the bus I cannot tell you after last week how happy I am that this is our last away trip.  I am disappointed for the players and myself that this will be our last game as it means we have not been successful in achieving some of our goals and playing in the post season but I believe we have achieved many goals and we will build on that moving forward.

Magic Moment of the Day
Holleran putting the moves on Coach Irizarry, he has recovered and I have to commend him on his choice of restaurant for dinner.