So, this coaching soccer thing takes up a lot of time…..and then there’s that darn work thing that gets in the way. But, now that the ECU season has wrapped I am officially out of excuses….it’s time to get back to bloggin’. A lot has happened since my last post so let’s catch up a bit. Since it was ECU that was taking up all my time, let’s start there.

Eau Clare United

After a lost season, ECU was back for the Spring/Summer season in 2021. Fielding Boys and Girls teams from U9/10, U11/12, U13/14, U15 and High School Boys, the season ran April – June. After a year of zoom training, socially distanced training and no contact training….everyone was ready to get going this spring. Players, coaches and I think especially parents. It was time. Glad we were safe, but yes, it was time!

Most of our teams kick started the season with some Friendlies in La Crosse against Rush Wisconsin. And that was a real test of where we were as a club. I think a few teams fared well, but for many of us, it was a reminder, we had a little ways to go, to catch back up to clubs who had been playing during the year we took off from games and tournaments. Rush being one of those clubs that didn’t shut down much over the year. But I must say, it was good, it gave us a real sense of where we were as a club, as a team and individually, as players and coaches. Our plan on getting back going was to have teams play in the Southwest Classic League, with one exception, a talented U13 Boys team who we set up in MYSA League 1. And we trained. And we focused on a new training philosophy of small sided games with a focus on possession soccer and forcing players to adapt and make quick decisions. And we got better. The players and coaches bought in. And during our League portion of the season our teams fared very well. We won a lot more games than we lost and even when we lost, we played well. And then we shifted to Tournament play for the back half of the season. And with more training and more improvement, the results started to happen. Our first tournament as a club was Apple Valley. I think I have it right….4 teams took home the titles. Now to be fair, we were in Silver and Bronze levels, but hey, first tournament in a year and we took home 4 trophies. I’ll take it!

The Moment We Were Back

It was at Apple Valley when I think I realized we were back as a Club. The final Sunday and on side by side fields over the course of two hours we had quite an afternoon. First up, U13 girls in a tough game where they took a lead, but then it was tied after regulation. On to a PK shoot out. Drama, excitement, a lot of nerves, and players from 3-4 other ECU teams with their parents all gathered around the field. When the shoot out started, the girls from the U14 team all ran to that end of the field to cheer on the U13 players. Very cool! And the U13 girls came thru, scoring all 5 of their shots for a PK Shoot Out win!! I think officially, our first tournament championship post covid. And then playing at the same time on the two fields, the U13 Boys and the U14 girls playing for a title. The U13 boys finished it off first, winning in regulation. This is one of our best groups and the first of a few titles for them. And then, the team I coached, U14 Girls, tried to wrap their game up in regulation, a bunch of shots and a few good opportunities, but the game ended 0-0 and went to a PK Shoot Out. Yes, back to back ECU girls games going to PK Shoot Outs. Crazy! Exciting! and yes, lots of drama. At this point I looked beyond the nets and saw 4-5 of our coaches watching. I saw players and parents from several teams also watching. It was a real club experience. And just like the U13 Girls, our players came through and hit all 5 of their shots and we took the trophy as well. I can tell you the cheering, the yelling, (maybe a few tears thrown in) and the team huddle after that win was like releasing an entire year of pent of energy. Talking to parents….the excitement, the nerves, the cheering, were dripping off everyone. We were back, we did it, and we did it in style!

After the ECU Tournament, St. Croix Cup and Appleton tournament I did a little calculation after chatting with the coaches. Tournament Championships: 7 Tournament Runner Ups: 4. Here is the best part, 6 teams are included in the total. U12 Girls-2 titles. U13 Girls-2 Titles. U14 Girls-1 Title. U13 Boys- 2 titles. U12 Boys-2 Seconds. U19 Boys 2 Seconds. And just sayin, the girls did pretty good. Who Runs the World….Girls!!!! So now we build from here. If you watched our teams during the Friendlies and then you watched our teams during the Appleton Summer Shoot Out, you might not have believed they were the same teams. The improvement was massive! The possession soccer we were coaching was on full display. Playing against older and/or higher quality teams, our Girls teams really showed their stuff. We pushed many of these clubs right to the edge. Our Boys teams stepped up as well, with some high quality games and a Tournament title for the U13 Boys and a very tough PK Shoot Out loss in the finals for the U19 Boys. What a way to finish off the season. I’ll leave you with one image that for me sums up the season. Can we give players an experience they will remember. Can we help build good kids. You be the judge.

Season Stats

Look at those smiles, a cold rainy weekend for sure, but I’ll always remember those smiles!

International Updates

UEFA Champions League. Chelsea! Chelsea! Chelsea! It you were not aware, I am a Chelsea fan. And I know, you are thinking bandwagon since they just won Champions League. But the story is a little better than that. When I first started getting into soccer in the early 2000’s, I started coaching my sons in AYSO. My second was a left footed player and his first year of ECU was in 2006, where he played left back on his team. And his number was 3. One weekend we were channel surfing and came across a Premier League game. We started to watch and the team in Blue (my favorite color) had an amazing player, playing left back, and he was left footed, and you guessed it, his number was 3. Bingo, Karma, Fate, not sure what to call it, but it felt right. We have been Chelsea fans since that day. Thank you Ashley Cole for helping shape my soccer passion. 2021 marks Chelsea’s second Champions League title, their first since 2012 after just missing out a few years earlier on a painful “slip” on a PK that would have clinched their first. Sorry John Terry for that memory. What a year for Chelsea. They start strong, then sack their legendary coach and all time Chelsea scoring leader Frank Lampard mid season. Thomas Tuchel takes over and starts to make some magic happen. A change in formation to 3-4-2-1 and a change in their defensive prowess. From leaking goals, to basically not giving up any goals. And their rise up the standings started. And then Champions League where they just dominated, taking out Athletico Madrid, FC Porto, Real Madrid and then, arguably the best team in the world, Manchester City. And just in case you were thinking it was just a one game fluke….Chelsea took down Manchester City three straight games over 6 weeks to end their season. April 17 a 1-0 win, May 8 another win by 2-1 and then in the Champions League final 1-0. A deserving champion and Kings of Europe!!

Women’s Champions League Winner this year was FC Barcelona who claimed their first ever Champions League title. The Spanish National team is really good, so no surprise they have top teams in Spain. And in an interesting twist, Barcelona took down Chelsea in the finals. That would have been something, if the Chelsea Women had won, both titles to Chelsea, but it was not meant to be. FC Barcelona took the title and provided some great news for the club as the mens team struggled a bit this year. Way to go FC Barcelona!

Copa America Championship. Argentina takes the title over Brazil 1-0 on a goal by Angel Di Maria. This is significant because it is the first major title for Argentina in the Lionel Messi era. 15 times champs of Copa America, but the first with Messi. It has been many years of frustration for Argentina, having the best player in the world, but not being able to get any trophies for the National team. And for Messi, trying to live up to the expectations of Diego Maradona and his World Cup glory. But it is done….Messi has his trophy for Argentina.

European Championships. What an amazing tournament. So much drama and excitement. Let’s look at a few of the storylines. Denmark–on the first day of the tournament, tragedy strikes. Christian Eriksen collapses on the field, during the game, has CPR, and reportedly is brought back, after his heart stopped, and after getting the paddles. OMG! I did not see it live, but even the replays blow your mind. It rocked the tournament. It rocked the announcers. It rocked UEFA officials. What to do. Amazingly, after just hours of delay, the game resumed. Still not sure that was the right move. In case you have not heard, Eriksen is recovering and improving. Not sure his next move or if he’ll play soccer again, but we are all thankful for his improvement. After losing the match, no surprise there, players were crying coming back onto the field to play….Denmark rallies and makes it to the Semi-Finals. England–the mother of soccer, the birthplace of the game, but a long history of frustration. Prior to this tournament, their last big final in an international competition…1966, when they won the World Cup. Yes, 1966. No titles, and not even a finals appearance. Shocking really considering all the great English players over the years. England is in a renaissance of sorts with a ton of young and talented players trying to write a new chapter of English success, and making a finals is a good start. A painful way to lose for sure, especially given the way the PK shoot out went down and the substitutions by Southgate. But hoping they can build on this and get a title soon. Italy–what a story for Italy. After a very humbling and humiliating experience 4 years ago, not making the World Cup, Italy reinvents itself. Adds new players, starts pressing and counter attacking with speed and playing a new game for them. And from the very first game, they look like the best team in the tournament. Their old school defense is clicking, their young and talented GK is hot and their offense is overwhelming teams in attack. Impressive. They make quite a run through this tournament and take down England in a nail biter. The worst thing that could have happened to England, scoring in the first 2 minutes, a record, happens. They sit back and absorb the rest of the game until Italy finds an equalizer. Italy was the better team that day, and wins in PK’s, but man, what if England had keep pressing for a goal. Just me, but felt like after that first goal, they played for a 1-0 win. Ugh. So close!

League Champions

Premier League-Manchester City

FA Women’s Super League-Chelsea

Major League Soccer-Columbus Crew

National Womens Soccer League-Houston Dash

La Liga-Athletico Madrid. No, it was not Real Madrid or Barcelona. They had won 16 of the last 19, but a new champ this year.

Serie A- Inter Milan. No it was not Juventus who had won 9 in a row, another new champion.

Bundesliga-Bayern. Yes, I know, boring, that’s 9 in a row for Bayern Munich. Come on Bundesliga, let’s make it a little more balanced. Every time a team starts to get good (Borussia Dortmund) then Bayern swoops in a buys their good players, uff da!

WIAA High School Girls State

A quick wrap on the girls High School season. In the Big Rivers the story this year was Hudson. Undefeated in conference play and with several top quality players, rumors are three signed D1, so they had high expectations. And they delivered. Memorial certainly tried to make it tough on them in the sectionals, but just could not find that goal to put pressure on them. I think 2022 might be their year, some really strong players returning.

Hudson wins the Sectionals and makes it all the way to the State finals, undefeated at 16-0, but then suffers their first loss of the season against DSHA…Divine Savior Holy Angels. Quite a run for Hudson, and a tough way to get the first loss of the season, but they represented Western Wisconsin soccer very well. Well done ladies!

Other fun stories…Regis, Rice Lake and River Falls all fall just 1 game short of making it to State, each losing in the Sectional Finals. Watch out Wisconsin….Western Wisconsin is coming for that State title.

A new Premier League season is right around the corner, Boys High School Soccer is coming and ECU fall season is about ready to go. I’ll promise to keep things updated…..thanks for checking us out.

FA Cup History

If you are a serious “Football” fan, then the FA Cup is must see and must keep track of every year. Originally dubbed the Football Association Challenge Cup, it is the oldest football competition in the world….and worthy of your attention. It was launched in 1871 as the flagship event of the newly formed Football Association (FA), designed to be a knockout competition for clubs of any level. 16 teams entered the very first Cup and it was won by Wanderers. The first 12 years of the Cup was all about amateur clubs, as the professional ranks had not yet formed. The last amateur team to win the cup was the Old Etonians in 1882. After that, “professional” teams took charge and it has been that way ever since.

The original power house club, Preston North End (the club is still around today) had won 42 consecutive matches back in 1888, but amazingly, lost the FA Cup final to West Bromich Albion, another club still a part of the English professional leagues today. Other oddities in the early days…in 1900 non-league team Tottenham Hotspur won the Cup and became the last non-league team to win the trophy.

The finals moved to Wembley Stadium in 1923. The first cup televised live by the BBC was in 1938, a match between Preston North End and Huddersfield. Dubbed the most famous FA cup of all time occurred in 1953, between Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers. Famous English player Stanley Matthews scored an injury time winner for his first ever Cup trophy at age 38. It also marked the first ever goal by a black player in an FA Cup final scored by Bill Perry from the assist from Stanley Matthews.

The heyday for the FA Cup and the period when it was the ultimate event in football was the 70’s and 80’s. There was very little live programing on TV in those days, ands with only 3 channels to choose from….I know…crazy right….the entire country was tuned into the FA Cup on finals day….it was the Super Bowl of its era. Other than the World Cup every 4 years…the FA Cup was the event! This period was helped by the beginning the the “magic of the cup”, the fact that lower tier teams can enter and pull off some amazing upsets, makes the tournament pretty unique. Several Second Division teams became Cup champions during this period including Second Division Sunderland beating the mega club Leeds United in 1973, 2nd Division Southampton taking down mighty Manchester United in 1976 and finally 2nd division West Ham beating mighty Arsenal in 1980……the last Cup win for a lower tier team, although every year there are plenty of big shock upsets in early rounds.

Some of the shine of the FA Cup has diminished as League titles have become a priority, the Champions League has taken on the title as worlds best tournament along with the World Cup, and the top clubs have started to dominate…. and no more underdogs are securing Cup glory. But we still love it and watch every year….will the lower tiered teams pull off the big upset, how far can teams outside the Premier League last, will a lower team make the quarters, semi-finals, finals….so we watch and cheer for the underdog and the relish in the most famous tournament in soccer….The FA Cup.

Tournament Facts

The competition is open to any eligible club down to Level 10 of the English Football system, which includes the 92 professional clubs in the Premier League and the 74 teams in the next three levels, Championship, League 1 and League 2, as well as several hundred non-league teams in levels 5 to 10. As many as 700 teams have entered in past years. The tournament consists of 12 randomly drawn rounds followed by a semi-finals and final.

The first six rounds are the Qualifying Competition, from which 32 teams progress to the first round of the “real competition”, meeting the first of the 48 professional teams from League 1 and 2. The last entrants are the Premier League and Championship clubs, added for the Third Round. In the modern era, only one non-League team has ever reached the quarter-finals, and teams below Level 2 have never reached the final. As a result, significant focus is given to the smaller teams who progress furthest, especially if they achieve an unlikely “giant-killing” victory.

Team History

43 teams have won the FA Cup in its 149 year history. The top 6 include:

1. Arsenal 14 Last title in 2020
2. Manchester United 12 Last title in 2016
3. Chelsea 8 Last title in 2018
4. Tottenham Hotspur 8 Last title in 1991
5. Liverpool 7 Last title in 2006
6. Aston Villa 7 last title in 1957

3 teams have won 6 Cups, 3 teams have won 5 Cups, 3 teams have won 4 cups. 2 teams with 3 cups, 6 teams with 2 cups and 20 teams have lifted at least 1 Cup trophy.

This Years FA Cup

Round 3 just was completed and the draw for the 4th round is done. There are now 32 teams alive for the Cup with the next 16 games in the 4th round scheduled for January 22-25th later this month. Let’s look at the biggest upset of the 3rd Round…..Crawley Town 3-0 over Leeds United. Let me set this up for you….and this is what is so cool about this tournament. Any team from the top 10 levels and including some non-league teams can enter the tournament. It leads to some very interesting match ups and some very interesting results. Leeds United is in the top level, the Premier League and currently sits in the 12th position in the table. Crawley Town is in League 2, the 4th level of English Football and sits in the 7th position in the table. So, what you have is the 12th best team in English soccer facing off against the 75th best team in English soccer. An easy win for Leeds, right….well no, Crawley Town totally dominated the game and scored early to take a lead and then 2 more in the second half for a dominant, exhilarating and a bit shocking win….3-0. Announcers were calling it the “greatest win in Crawley Town history”. And that is just cool. The ultimate little guy knocking off the big boys, and likely the biggest moment in every one of the Crawley players careers…the night they knocked off a Premier League team!

Round Four Match Ups

32 teams remain and here is a quick breakdown of competition.

Premier League has 14 teams remaining. There is still 1 game left in Round 3 between Southampton of the Premier League versus Shrewsbury of League 1 so making the assumption that Southampton will win….but you never know! Championship League has 11 teams remaining. And from levels 3-4-5 we have 4 teams still alive from League 1, 2 teams still alive from League 2 and amazingly, we have 1 team alive from the 5th level….Chorley. Let’s go Chorley!!!!

The Biggest Game of the Round. That’s easy. It’s a blind draw and so sometimes this happens. In round 4 we get the top two teams in English football squaring off…..LIVERPOOL vs. MANCHESTER UNITED. What are the odds you would pull these two out of a hat from a list of 32 teams….crazy but fun for fans.

The Biggest mismatch of the round….at least on paper. That’s easy as well. In round 4 we get Wolverhampton Wolves (14th best) vs. Chorley (126th best). That is an amazing 112 position difference between these two clubs. COME ON CHORLEY, WE WANT THE UPSET! Two other big mismatches include Bournemouth (23rd) vs. Crawley Town (75th) and Cheltenham (74th) vs. Manchester City (3). Can there possibly be more upsets coming. That is the “Magic of the Cup”. Can’t wait to check it out! Will any of the 7 teams in levels 3-4-5 stay alive. How many teams from level 2 will advance. Which Premier League team will get knocked out next!

International Soccer is rolling along and games, mostly without fans, are being played across the world. Lots of player testing and some positive cases popping up, but soccer has been able to control their environment reasonably well. Compare that to our state University, UW Madison, and we are not doing so well. Initially a report of just the QB, reports indicate Wisconsin Football now has 22 positive cases, has postponed their next game, and will need to improve results to avoid additional games being cancelled. The difference….not sure, but a college campus versus a controlled environment of a professional team training facility and fewer contacts might be the issue…..maybe a few more people wearing masks in Europe….not sure, but seems it will be an ongoing story of players testing positive and missing big games in College Football. Locally, club soccer in Eau Claire has completed their Fall socially distanced training. All reports are a successful training season. The big challenge is no games or scrimmages. The kids are managing things well, but as a coach, and I am guessing as a parent, you just really, really want to play some games. And as a player, you really, really, really, really want to play games. But these are the cards we were dealt. While other sports or leagues, or States, say it is okay to play games, I have no issue with the City of Eau Claire and the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association calling a time out. Lots of opinions out there on this topic, but for me, a little caution, a little patience, a little extra time to get this thing under control seems rational and reasonable. Okay, enough of that. I am confident that once WYSA and Eau Claire give us the green light, we will get the players back on the fields with a new sense of excitement and love for the game. Fingers crossed, toes crossed….everything crossed!

Premier League Match Week 7

With all the tournaments, Cup games, Champions League games and such, the current Premier League table is a bit tough to follow. We are completing Match Week 7, but not all 20 teams are wrapping up their 7th game. And the extended schedule means games are coming fast and furious and on many days of the week. As of 12:00 on Sunday as I am writing this post, about half the teams have completed or are playing their 7th game, while the other half sits at 6, and one team is at 5. Games still to be played today and tomorrow to wrap up this stretch of games. The once wacky and completely upside down table is now settling down….just a bit….but still as wide open and crazy as I have ever seen it. Everton and Aston Villa have come down to earth a bit, Everton with draw-loss-loss in the last three and Aston Villa with loss-loss in their last two. Both were undefeated in the first 4 games. But surprise surprise, Southampton and Wolverhampton have jumped up to fill some of that space and both enter the top 5. Crazy. Some big names are far down the table, but as well, have games in hand, and with wins can make a big jump up the table. Things are still wide open and a ton of teams within 3-4 points of the Top 3. But, just so things are not completely crazy….Liverpool is back on top of the table, but unlike last year when they threatened an undefeated season, they already have a loss and a draw and several close calls in their first 7. Let’s take a look at the table.

1. Liverpool 5-1- 1 16 Points
2. Everton 4-1-2 13 Points
3. Southampton 4-1-2 13 Points
4. Wolverhampton 4-1-2 13 Points
5. Chelsea 3-3-1 12 Points
6. Aston Villa 4-0-2 12 Points

Sitting in the next wave are Leicester City 12 Points (6 games). Tottenham 11 Points (6 games), Manchester City 11 Points (6 games) and Newcastle 11 Points. With LC, Tottenham and Man City wins, that would elevate them to Top 4 positions. It’s going to be an interesting year with the Table. Lurking even further back and playing right now….Manchester United in 15th with 7 points (5 games) and Arsenal in 12th with 9 points. At 65th minute, it’s 0-0 and a pretty good game. Arsenal has had a few really good chances and Man U has had a few close headers. I’ll update the results.

Oh man….as I am writing the post, an Arsenal pass into the box….. a Pogba foul, a PK for Arsenal and….bam, just like that, Arsenal up 1-0. Aubameyang hammers home the PK. Still 20 minutes to go, and I am thinking there are more goals! As we look at the bottom of the table and the early Relegation zone, here is what we see; Sheffield United 0-1-6 1 Point, Fulham 0-1-5 1 Point, and Burnley 0-1-5 1 Point. Sheffield United was the darling of the Premier League for much of last season in their first season up after being promoted. This league is tough…now they are fighting to stay up. Fulham, newly promoted, so not much of a surprise. This year’s darling are newly promoted Leeds United. If they can find a way to upset Leicester City tomorrow they would move up into a Top 6 position….crazy. How about some highlights. three really well worked goals in Chelsea’s 3-0 win.

80th minute….still 1-0 Arsenal.

I was wrong…Arsenal 1-0 over Manchester United. Arsenal move to 8th in the table while Manchester United stay at 15th with a game in hand. Still not a place they are happy with 6 games into the season with 2 wins, a draw and three losses.

International Soccer Updates

The Nations League has completed their first 4 of 6 games in the initial rounds. The top 4 Groups will compete for a Championship. This tournament has been a little controversial. Over the years, National Teams across Europe have played friendlies, to prepare for European Championships, to prepare for World Cup qualifying or Olympic qualifying. Many of these games were more relaxed and allowed countries to try new players, rest players, etc. But now…UEFA gas decided….we need another tournament. And countries now are taking the “friendly” matches a bit more serious, no rest for top players, no getting young players some time on the field to develop. The Club teams are not excited. Top players are off to play for their country and they come back a bit tired, or sometimes with a knock, for the next run of league games. I guess we will see. Of the top 4 groups, many of the 16 teams are still alive. Round 5 will start to clear up the top two teams from each group advancing. Games in the middle of November for Round 5.

UEFA Champions League has completed round two of the Group Stages. Still 4 games to play in Group stages before we advance into the Top 16 Round. Match week 3 of 6 starts this week with games on Tuesday and Wednesday. All the top tams are doing well with the exception of the All Time best team in Champions League, Real Madrid. RM sitting in 4th and last in their group after 2 games. They need to pick it up!!

National Womens Soccer League (NWSL) has completed their fall season. A shortened 4 game Fall season was held to help build awareness while also dealing with COVID. The fall season, dubbed the Community Shield for the winning team, and in a show of unity with their local communities, each team played for a charity or organization with the top 3 winning clubs passing on a donation on behalf of NWSL, sponsored by Verizon. A great concept. The top 4 finishers for the Fall season.

1. Portland Thorns 3-0-1 10 points
2. Houston Dash 3-1-0 9 Points
3. Washington Spirit 2-1-1 7 Points
4. Sky Blue FC 2-2 6 Points

Earlier in the year, the Challenge Cup tournament was held to kick off the season. The 23 game tournament finished with a Houston Dash 2-0 win over the Chicago Red Stars. In very encouraging news, the ratings for the games carried on CBS channels and streaming services was up significantly, almost 500% up, breaking records for viewership. More people watched Women’s Soccer this year than at anytime in the sport’s history. Let’s keep the momentum going. Here are some highlights from one of the games this fall. If they have games like this, count me in!

FA Women’s Super League has completed 5 of their 12 game schedule so far thus fall. Games will kick off again next week after a break in play for international play. Standings after Match Week 5.

1. Arsenal 5-0-0 15 Points
2. Everton 4-1-0 13 Points
3. Manchester United 4-1-0 13 Points
4. Chelsea 3-1-0 10 Points but with a game in hand.

Bristol City winless and in the Relegation Zone in 12th.

MLS continues its run to finish the regular season having just completed Match Week 21 of 23 for the Fall season. Just three weeks of games left before the playoffs begin. The playoffs expand to 18 of the 23-team league and kick off in November culminating the the MLS Cup on December 12th. Top 5 teams in each division with just a few games left….likely the MLS Cup champions comes out of this group.

Eastern Conference Western Conference

1. Philadelphia Union 1. Seattle Sounders
2. Toronto FC 2. Sporting KC
3. Columbus Crew 3. Portland Timbers
4. Orlando City FC 4. Minnesota United
5. NYC FC 5. LA FC

A few highlights for our “local team” Minnesota FC.

I promise…more blogs coming your way. Hang in there with me.

Premier League Match Week 2 Update

It’s Back!!!! The English Premier League kicks off the 2020/2021 season next weekend with games starting on Saturday. Have I mentioned it’s the most difficult league in Soccer. Have I mentioned even the 20th rated team likely can beat a top ranked team on any given weekend. I think I have…..but here we go. Can Liverpool maintain the standard of excellence of this past season when they crushed the points and led wore to wire, winning easily. Will Manchester City and Pep make it a two horse race? Can Arsenal maintain their late season form and be a contender? Can Chelsea’s 6 major new signings catapult them up the charts? Will Manchester United be consistent all season and get back into a title chase? Is Leicester City fading? Can Tottenham make a jump with Mourinjo and another year to work his 3-year magic? Get your popcorn ready, this should be a good one.

A little tease….if you were ever curious how talented these top players are…check out this little snippet of a few top young Chelsea players messing around. Including Captain America…Christian Pulisic. Fun stuff.

UEFA Nations League has started their second Match Day and teams are beginning to advance. It is an interesting concept, a third big UEFA tournament in addition to World Cup and the European Championships. Its 55 teams broken up into 4 distinct groups of teams. In general, the intent of the Nations league is to replace some of the International Friendlies that occur each year, as well as use the games as part of qualifying for European Championships as well as World Cup qualifying. For Group A, the top 16 clubs in Europe, there is a semi-final and final after the early rounds. In the inaugural nations League, Portugal was cropped Champion in 2018. The League ruins biennially….I think that means every two years :). Fro the other three groups, there is relegation and promotion aspects to consider. The lowest team in each group is relegated down, while winners from B-C-D are promoted. Over time, clubs can make their move up the rankings to earn a shot at a Nations Cup title. In the top 16 and going for a title from Group A include:

1. Netherlands, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Poland
2. Belgium, England, Ireland, Denmark
3. Portugal, France, Sweden, Croatia,
4. Spain, Ukraine, Germany, Switzerland

This should get exciting as Group A advances into the next rounds. Some highlights of one of the top games so far.

MLS Update

We are about halfway thru the adjusted MLS season of 18 games and Playoffs. Teams will continue games until early November at which time the Top 18 will make the playoff rounds commencing with the MLS Cup on December 12th. Soccer in a snow storm is a distinct possibility with many top teams playing in the North. The top teams from each conference as of this week.

Eastern Conference Top 5

1. Columbus Crew 20 Points
2. Toronto FC 18 Points
3. Orlando City 16 Points
4. Philadelphia 15 Points
5. Montreal Impact 13 Points

Western Conference Top 5

1. Sporting KC 17 Points
2. Seattle Sounders 15 Points
3. Houston dynamo 13 Points
4. LASFC 12 Points
5. Minnesota FC 12 Points

Before I get into the fast and furious start to the Premier League and provide some other league updates, I wanted to start this post with a Team of the Week segment. I am not sure how many people heard this story but I feel it’s one that needs to get some additional coverage. We play sports because we love them, we love the competition, we love the game…..and we might hate to admit it, but we all love a winner! We bask in the glow of the winning team, the championship team, the players who have reached the pinnacle of their sport.

But, I think we also love that sport sometimes becomes a microcosm of life and society. And this week, in the midst of a crazy world, another moment in sport caught my attention. The Team of the Week is USL Soccer team, the San Diego Loyal.

Founded in 2020 and coached by the most successful US Soccer player to date (but watch out for Pulisic to take that over some day), Landon Donovan, the San Diego Loyal entered into the conversation this week with their most recent two games. One of 35 teams in the USL Championship league (the division just below the US top division, Major League Soccer) the San Diego Loyal were fighting for a playoff spot this week when they became the center of the conversation regarding “doing what is right”, even if it is a little painful. In their game on September 23 against LA Galaxy II, a 1-1- draw, the team says there was a racial slur directed at one of their players, a Black defender, Elijah Martin in the 71st minute of the game. The game ended, but in an interview, Donovan indicated the team left that game feeling they missed an opportunity and felt bad they did not do more in the face of the incident. Should they have stopped the game, should they have walked off the pitch. It bothered them. The team asked for the result of this game be forfeited, the point they earned, dropped from their results…..an important point as they are fighting for a playoff birth in the USL championships.

And then fate intervened. Life is funny that way. Their next game, September 30th, just a week later, was against the Phoenix Rising, and the result of this game would determine if they made the 16-team Championship group. A week to think about their actions from the LA Galaxy game. A week to let it soak in a bit. And then it happened…..just before the halftime break, a free kick, a goal, a tussle of two players. San Diego Loyal player Collin Martin, an openly gay player, was allegedly called a homophobic slur by a member of the Phoenix Rising. The Phoenix player denies the claim vigorously and has sent out tweets backing the LGBTQ community, but to me that’s not the point of this story. Maybe the Phoenix player did not make the slur, but the story for me is San Diego’s reaction to the alleged slur. The Phoenix player has faced some harsh criticism and angry tweets directed his way, but I want to focus on the San Diego Loyal. A week to think about their actions from the LA Galaxy game. A week to let it soak in a bit. After the incident, at the end of the half, the game stopped as the Landon and Collin discussed the alleged slur with officials of the game. Red Card, no red card, what to do. San Diego wanted the player removed from the game, the opposing coach just wanted to play and move on. The player was not removed. Halftime ensued. There was a ton of discussion in the San Diego locker room, discussion about forfeiting the game. Not playing the second half. In an interview, Collin was uncomfortable initially, this was a big game, playoff implications, and he did no want to be the reason they missed the playoffs. But then the feeling changed, to the amazing support he was receiving from the team. San Diego returned to the field, took a knee at the start of the second half whistle…..and walked off the field…..forfeiting the game, their 3-1 lead, and a chance at the playoffs. Wow! Sometimes life and doing what is right is more important than winning. Sometimes the long term statement is more critical than the short term glory of the win. Sometimes in life, you get another shot to do what is right.. San Diego Loyal, we salute you as the Team of the Week for taking a stand, for supporting your player, for telling us that treating people with dignity is important….as important as the win……..even if the opposing player didn’t say it. Well done San Diego Loyal!

Premier League Week 4 Recap

The Premier League is underway and things are off to a fast start. In what has been described as the craziest start to a Premier League campaign ever, there have been some strange results, some surprising results and some teams looking good while others are still finding their way. We have just finished off Week 4 so let’s take a look at some of the more interesting story lines.

Everton. Leading the table and off to a 4-0 start is Everton. Carlo Ancelotti, hired last year and now having time to instill his philosophy, Everton is starting to play their best soccer in years. A few player additions like James Rodriguez and a few youngsters are starting to become stars like Dominic Calvert Lewin and Richarlison. Watch out Top 6, Everton is for real!

Manchester City struggling. Expected to be the primary competition to Liverpool with many expecting them to retake the title, Manchester City is out of the gate a bit slow. A shocking 5-2 loss to Leicester City and then a 1-1 draw against newly promoted Leeds United have Man City fans in a funk. They have the coach and the talent, so no panic yet, but a bit surprising.

Manchester United 1-6 vs. Tottenham. Yes, Manchester United gave up 6 goals. 4 coming after a controversial red card, but still, 6 goals. What the heck is happening up in Manchester. Some transfers may be needed to inject some more energy in the club.

A crazy game for sure. A goal in the first 30 seconds. Tottenham strike back for two quick ones. And then the Red Card. A pretty soft one for sure, and its always a bit awkward when players seem to “work” the issue a little, but no question there was a strike. Man U fans were not a fan of that call. The goal I loved was the double Nutmeg goal to get to 4-1. First the cross megs the defender and then the shot megs the GK. Crazy!

Aston Villa is 3-0. Last year Aston Villa needed a point on the final day of the season to avoid relegation…..this year they are out of the gate 3-0 and looking like a different team.

And the biggest surprise so far this year…..

Aston Villa 7 Liverpool 2. I need to write that again even for me to believe it. Aston Villa, the team that just avoided relegation last season, just smoked Liverpool, last years runaway champion, 7-2. I still can’t believe it so lets take a look at the highlights. How did that happen!

A few mistakes, a few deflections, a few offside traps that did NOT work and bam….7-2. Have I ever told you this is the hardest league in professional soccer. The season is going to be crazy.

Premier League Table.

1. Everton 4-0-0 12 Points
2. Aston Villa 3-0-0 9 Points (1 game behind)
3. Leicester City 3-0-1 9 Points
4. Arsenal 3-0-1 9 Points
5. Liverpool 3-0-1 9 Points
6. Tottenham 2-1-1 7 Points

Chelsea, Leeds, Newcastle and West Ham round out the Top 10. I have been tracking the Premier league for the past 3 years or so and have never seen a Table like this before, regardless of how many games have been played.

Relegation Zone. Burnley, Sheffield United and Fulham each have 0 points and are in the bottom 3.

League/Tournament Updates Around the World

National Womens Soccer League.

Founded in 2013 and an extension of leagues dating back to 2001, The NWSL is three games into their current season and represents the top professional women’s league in the US. With 9 current teams and 2 expansion teams planning to join, the league appears to be on solid footing. Owned by the teams and with a connection to United Sates Soccer Federation are all good signs. The current standings after three games.

1. Portland Thorns 7 Points
2. Washington Spirit 7 Points
3. Houston Dash 6 Points

The remaining teams include: Chicago Red Stars, North Carolina Courage, Sky Blue FC (New Jersey), Utah Royals, Orlando Pride, OL Reign (Tacoma, WA). Expansion teams include Louisville (2021) and Los Angeles (2022). The champions the past two years have been the North Carolina Courage. A combination of US National team players, international players and college players. Some names you might recognize….Julie Ertz, Abby Dahlkemper, Crystal Dunn, Sam Mewis, Becky Suaerbraun, Lindsay Horan, Kelly O’Hara and my new favorite player, Rose Lavelle.

FA Womens Super League.

In England, the top professional league for women is the FA Women’s Super League. Teams that are affiliated with English professional clubs. In addition to the top league of 12 teams , there is also a Championship division of 11 teams and a third tier of 24 teams. Promotion and Relegation are part of the English system, much different that the US system where the teams own the league and teams are protected. Three games into the new season and the current Top 3 in the Super Cup are:

1. Arsenal 9 Points
2. Everton 9 Points
3. Chelsea 7 Points

The remaining teams include: Manchester United, Manchester City, Reading, Brighton, Tottenham, West Ham, Birmingham City, Aston Villa and Bristol City.

Current Champion: Chelsea

As well, with the success of the FA Super League and with the cash influx from their parent clubs, there has been a recent influx of talent from America. A big sponsor in Barclays helps a ton as well. That’s a bummer for the NWSL, but it was bound to happen. As the women’s game becomes more popular, as TV rights flow in money, salaries in the top leagues will increase…..and players will want both the increase and the challenge of playing in the best league. Recent moves to England include:

Alex Morgan signed with Tottenham. Tobin Heath and Christen Press signed with Manchester United. Sam Mewis and Rose Lavelle signed with Manchester City. Good luck ladies.

MLS Update. The season is 15 games completed with games continuing thru early November. 8 teams from each conference will make the 16-team playoffs with will run thru November and end with the MLS Cup on December 12th. The Top 4 from each conference after 15 games.

Eastern Conference Western Conference

1. Columbus Crew Seattle Sounders
2. Toronto FC Portland Timbers
3. Orlando City FC Sporting KC
4. Philadelphia Union Minnesota United

Nations League. The next round of games between Europes best National teams takes place between October 10th and 14th. That will complete 4 of the 6 initial round games and determine the next round of games.

UEFA Champions League 2020/2021. The best of the best, the ultimate soccer tournament is back. Champions League groups have been set and the first of the home and away games in the Group Stages starts October 20th. 8 groups of 4 teams, the 32 best Clubs in Europe will battle for the premier trophy in club soccer.

Keep checking in…..planning some video of ECU Covid practices in the very near future.

Well, feels like it is time for a Premier League update, it’s been 4 weeks and you need to get caught up. There have been some developments we need to talk about so let’s get into it.

Liverpool drops points. So it finally happened. Liverpool did not win a Premier League game in Match Week 9. Liverpool had been on a roll the past few months and it extended into last season as well. The final 8 games from last season and then Liverpool had reeled off 9 straight to start this season. 17 wins in a row in what I think is the toughest league in World soccer. 17 wins in a row……let that sink in for a minute…..with wins over Some of the top teams in Europe. Crazy! They came up against Manchester United last week, a Man U team really struggling and buried way down the table. But Man U rekindled some magic of old seasons and drew with Liverpool 1-1. So, there is hope for the rest of the league, 2 points dropped.

Christian Pulisic announces himself on the world stage. American soccer is always looking for the next American hopeful. The player who will spark American youth players to go pick up a ball and head to the pitch for a game. The player who will lift a nations hopes and dreams and spark our National Team. Maybe that player is Christian Pulisic. A native of Hershey, Pennsylvania with both parents who were soccer players, Christian separated himself early as an elite youth player and in his teens headed to Germany and landed a spot on top Bundesliga team Borussia Dortmund. He was successful in Germany and became one of the youngest members of the USMNT still in his teens. He has shown flashes of stardom and had some special moments, but still was just outside of the elite world players. In the summer, Chelsea (my team in the premier league, big big fan) signed Pulisic to join them in the English Premier League. A big step up in his career. He started strong with multiple starts, but no goals. He hit a little wall the past month and was not getting many minutes. A few strong games coming on as a sub with a few big assists in the last week lead to a start today for Chelsea vs. Burnley. And then this happened.

I want to mark this down as a “remember when moment”. Playing in the toughest league in the world, Pulisic becomes the youngest ever player at Chelsea to record a hat trick, he is still only 20 years old. And a perfect hat trick…score with left…score with right…score with a header. Unbelievable! Wow! Can he continue to develop….can he become a top flight player in the league….can he become the face of American soccer…..can he inspire a generation of young players….well that’s a lot of questions and expectations, but this kid is the real deal. I am pulling for him. Feels he has the drive, talent, and temperament to be that dude! Let’s enjoy the ride.

Big 6 might be in transition this year. There has been a pretty consistent Top 6 teams in the Premier League the past 10 years. Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham. This year, it feels like it might only be a Top 4. Tottenham is mired in 10th and the greatest club in Premier League History, Manchester United is 15th. Uff da. Leicester City, shock winner of of the Premier League A few years back is rolling along in 3rd and looking very solid.

Race for the Top 4

1. Liverpool. 8-1-0. 25 Points. 9 games.
2. Manchester City. 7-1-2. 22 Points. 10 games.
3. Leicester City. 6-2-2. 20 points. 10 games.
4. Chelsea. 6-2-2. 20 points. 10 games.
5. Arsenal. 4-3-2. 15 points. 9 games.
6. Crystal Palace. 4-2-3. 14 points. 9 games

Sheffield United, Bournemouth, West Ham and Tottenham round out the Top 10.

The Relegation Zone

We now have enough games to start some trends. There are 8 teams within 3 points of the relegation zone. That’s a lot of nervous and anxious fan bases out there. The current bottom three include:

18. Southampton with 8 Points. 19. Norwich City with 7 points. 20. Watford with 5 points.

Champions League Update

The annual competition of the top clubs in Europe is well under way with teams having played 3 of the 6 round robin matches to date. There are 8 groups of 4 each. The leaders of each group:

1. PSG (France)
2. Bayern Munich (Germany)
3. Manchester City (England)
4. Juventus (Italy)
5. Napoli (Italy)
6. Barcelona (Spain)
7. RB Leipzig (Germany)
8. Chelsea (England)

High School Soccer Playoff Updates

Regional Championships were held today. Here are your winners in Sectional 1:

Eau Claire Memorial defeated Stevens Point 3-1

Hudson defeated Wausau West 8-0

Green Bay Preble defeated #1 Bay Port in a shootout to advance.

Appleton North took down Appleton West in a shootout as well.

Sectionals Round 1 are now set.

#1 EC Memorial vs. #2 Hudson on Thursday at Memorial.

#2 Appleton North vs. #4 Green Bay Preble on Thursday at 7 in Hudson.

After a series of rain outs and games postponed, the BRC was back in action last night and featured the game of the year so far. It was the first “BIG” game of the year with Hudson hosting Memorial. These teams have combined to win the last decade of BRC titles and most of those Memorial. Chippewa Falls snuck one in awhile back. They are the current two favorites again this year, but don’t sleep on Rice Lake. Last weeks game between Hudson and Rice Lake was postponed and we would have learned a lot about Rice Lake and if they are a contender.

Let’s are a quick look at the results so fate this week.

Rice Lake handled Menomonie 6-0 to stay undefeated in BRC play.

North and Menomonie battled to a 0-0 tie.

Game of the week. Memorial scored late in the half to counter an early PK goal by Hudson and earned a hard fought draw with Hudson. It was a physical game, with yellows flying around and a red card as well. I have been able to catch most of the Memorial and Hudson games the past few years and they all seem to be very physical contests. Both teams have skilled players everywhere. Both teams tend to press hard whenever they lose possession and this leads to some real physical battles on the pitch. Midfield gets very crowded in these games, so no surprise a few of the yellows came from this area of the pitch. The goals. Hudson scores on a PK in what could be described as questionable. Always frustrating when PK’s are given, when it is not clear or obvious. Uff da! Memorial responded with a quality goal later in the half started by a Will Hartman surging run, a pass into the Jacob Peloquin for the assist on the goal by Evan Smith. On the night Hudson put more shots on goal, 11-3 and Scott Knowlton made a few really nice saves for Memorial, one a pretty amazing save to keep it at 1-0. I can imaging it was a bit nervy and edge of your seat in the second half, but both teams managed thru and it feels like a pretty deserving result. If Memorial can hold serve in their remaining BRC gams then they get a shot at Hudson at home later this year that could decide the BRC Champion. Really anxious to see how Rice Lake fares against Hudson and Memorial. Is this a two horse or three horse race.

High School Coaches Poll

Marquette continues to hold the top spot in D1 again this week. Of note, Hudson dropped out of the top 10 with their recent loss and although a winner last week over River Falls, the coaches were not impressed and dropped Memorial down two spots to #8.

Rice Lake holds onto #9 in D3 and New Richmond has the #9 spot in D2.

MLS Update

Minnesota United is currently holding onto the #3 spot in the Eastern Conference, two points out of second wi5 a game in hand. pretty good stuff for our local MLS team. Might have some playoff soccer to go check out this fall!

Champions League is Back

The group stages of the Champions League started this week. 8 groups of 4 have started round robin play with the top 2 teams qualifying for the knockout rounds. A more focused post coming to update standing, but just get ready. These are the top 32 clubs in Europe competing…..there are a bunch of really good games. Liverpool, last years Champions League winners have already been upset in the first match…..3-2 to Napoli…..if you have not checked it out before, you need to follow the Champions League.

The summer lull is about to come to a screeching halt! Everyone has had their summer fun, vacations are about done, school is right around the corner and SOCCER IS BACK! And it’s about time I got another post up….I know…it’s been a few weeks. But I get a summer break too, right!!

In honor of the Premier season kicking off, I dropped in the link below. It’s a few years old but still makes me laugh. If you’re reading the blog you’ll get it, trying to teach American sports fans about the beauty of the World’s game….plus I love Jason Sudeikis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRqypM7jb5Y

US Professional Soccer Format

Let’s start with a little MLS update. I have not spent much time on MLS in my blogging history, so figured let’s spread the love a little. The Premier League is where the best soccer in the world is played,. but the MLS is OUR LEAGUE, so let’s discuss. First, a little brief history for those not aware.

The MLS is a 24 team league and represents the top tier of US professional soccer. There are actually three levels of professional soccer in the US sanctioned by the USSF, the United States Soccer Federation. Division 1 is the MLS, formed in 1993 but played their first games in 1996. Division 2 is the USL Championship league with 36 teams formed in 2010. Finally, the Division 3 has two leagues, the National Independent Soccer Association and USL League 1….formed in 2018 with a combined 18 teams. Over the years, leagues have come and gone, but this is how the current structure is set up.

What is different about US Soccer is we are the only major Division 1 program that does not use Promotion and Relegation to control the flow of teams. It is uniquely American, once you are in a league and pay your fees, no matter how bad you are, you get to stay in the league. To get entry into the MLS, you need to be awarded an expansion franchise, and pay a large fee, to get added. It’s all about the Benjamins as the say in America. It would be very interesting if we adopted a promotion-relegation format. The bottom three teams getting demoted to USL, while the top 3 USL teams getting promoted to MLS. Maybe that spurs some competition, we develop better players and better teams?? Maybe? But that’s not the system. MLS controls that, controls player salaries, controls the influx of European players, etc. Everybody’s got to make some money!

MLS Quick Guide and Fun Facts

MLS first season was in 1996 and consisted of 10 original members (in bold below). Two original clubs left MLS; NY/NJ Metro Stars and Tampa Bay Mutiny. FIFA made it a contingency of securing the 1994 World Cup, that the the US form a Division 1 league. MLS now consists of 24 teams currently broken into two conferences. Eastern and Western. The Eastern Conference is comprised of the following teams (the current standing as of August 2): Philadelphia Union, Atlanta United, DC United, NYC FC, NY Red Bulls, Montreal Impact, New England Revolution, Toronto FC, Orlando FC, Columbus Crew, Chicago fire and FC Cincinnati. The Western Conference is comprised of the following teams: LA FC, Seattle Sounders, LA Galaxy, San Jose Earthquakes, Minnesota United, FC Dallas, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, Houston Dynamos, Sporting KC, Vancouver Whitecaps and the Colorado Rapids. 14 teams make the playoffs and the title game is referred to as the MLS Cup. With 24 teams and about to expand to 27, MLS is the largest professional soccer league in the World.

–Average attendance in the MLS of approximately 20,000 per game, and ranks 3rd among all US professional sports. #1 is the NFL, followed by MLB. MLS Soccer is ahead of the NBA and NHL is attendance. Interesting!

–The Atlanta United club just broke the attendance record for a regular season game this past weekend, with attendance in excess of 72,000 fans to see a regular season soccer game. Wow….who would think that was possible a few years ago. In Atlanta, the United might be more popular than the NFL Falcons.

–Current MLS Cup holders are the Atlanta United franchise. They won the title in just their second season in the MLS.

–12 teams have won the MLS Cup since 1996: LA Galaxy (5), DC United (4), San Jose (2), Sporting KC (2), Houston (2), Columbus, Chicago, Seattle, Toronto, Real Salt Lake, Colorado and Portland.

–Expansion is upon us, teams now paying upwards of $150M to get into MLS. Inter Miami FC and Nashville FC join in 2020 while Austin FC joins in 2021. Future expansion to get to 30 teams is in the works. Expansion teams coming up from the USL Championship League.

–The Foreign Contingent. One of the success stories of MLS has centered around a combination of developing US talent but also being a spot for aging International stars to have one last chance for glory. If you are approaching the end of your playing career in Europe or South America, then coming to the MLS is a path to glory and big bucks. With less talented teams and players, these older stars can still dominate the game and fans will definitely come out to see them play. David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Kaka, Drogba, Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry, Andrea Pirlo, David Villa, Carlos Valdarrama, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole top the list of foreign players that played or or playing in the MLS. Thes players are a key component of the MLS strategy. They provide salary exemptions for players so clubs can take advantage of the opportunity.

–Season Update. The season runs March thru October with the MLS Cup scheduled for November 10th. Enjoy some top goals so far this year! Good stuff!

Premier League is Back

The Premier League licks off next weekend with the first game scheduled for Friday August 9th with Liverpool facing off against Norwich City. Regular weekly updates to follow.

Game of the Week: Manchester United vs. Chelsea. Two Top 6 teams from last year kick off the season with a bang. Manchester U trying to return to glory and a Top 4 finish while Chelsea, under a two term transfer ban and a new coach, try to use their youth to hang onto a Top 4 finish while they wait for their young players to develop.

Three teams were promoted last season and rejoin the Premier League: Sheffield United, Norwich city and Aston Villa. Good Luck!

High School Soccer

Teams can start tryouts/practice the week of August 19th….seems later this year….and games kicking off as early as the weekend of August 24th. More blogs coming to prep for the Big Rivers Conference season.

Avengers Assemble! The battle cry of the ECU U9Boys as they gather to take the field before a big U9 game during the Eau Claire United Tournament this past weekend. It has been a refreshing experience coaching this team and remembering all the joy from playing soccer and the goal to get the next generation of players to love the game. Scores…well everyone, no matter the age, knows the score….but that’s not the focus. Have Fun–Play Hard–Learn to Love the Game! That’s the motto!

How can you not just love this picture. Smiles everywhere, just a bunch of boys wanting to have some fun. I have to tell a little background here–I know you want to know—you are curious about the jersey’s…I knew it! Pretty early into the winter training the boys started asking about a team name. Every practice—“Coach–what is our name?” That was the most asked question–not about training, or when will we have tournaments, the question of the day was always about our name. Thunder? Lightning? Wildcats? (my favorite obviously with the UK connection), Storm?–the list kept growing. So we get to our first tournament and are on the sidelines for the first game warming up, and Henry and Harry just can’t stop thinking about the name. Seems pretty critical to them that we must make a decision about the name! And then, eureka! The boys have an epiphany! The name must be the AVENGERS! Our goalie will wear a green pinnie….so of course, the Goalkeeper will be HULK! Hulk smash ball and save goals! Prior to the game the coaches call out….Avengers Assemble, and no matter how much distraction there is, no matter how much chatter there is, the boys come together quickly! It’s AWESOME! Happened to see these jerseys online and it was just fate, had to have them. We passed them out and took our team photo after the end of our second tournament. They have now become our warm up jerseys we wear to each game, just like the pros do it….and then we change into our game jerseys. Above the boys were doing there Avenger poses! Do you see it? Harry appears to be morphing into Iron Man. Henry and Elliott are going full Hulk! Owen has his shield up…so obviously that’s Captain America! Jackson (with that hair) must be Thor, plus he’s pretty strong for 8! Nolan and Rylan look like maybe Hawkeye, sitting in the background, looking for a target. Lucas looks a bit Spidey, so let’s go with Spiderman. Spencer—let’s see–looks to be shrinking –so let’s go with AntMan! Cooper is obviously in charge-so that makes him Nick Fury. Me—well I am in all black–someone needs to be the female lead–so that makes me Black Widow (sorry Scarlett, somebody has to be you).

Youth Soccer in Eau Claire

I have had the chance to coach a bunch of age groups from U10 to U16 and both boys and girls. Because we are a Club program , there is a bunch of focus on development, can we get these players to be their best, prepare them for High School, and compete against the best clubs in Wisconsin and Minnesota. For a small club, I think we do a pretty good job. When offered the chance to coach U9 Boys, the youngest group in ECU, and also coach with my son Cooper, it seemed like a great idea. It took a little adjustment for me. Had to find that balance of fun and love for the game….combined with technical skill development and improving foot skills and passing….for me the core of the game. Feels we found that balance and Cooper and I are having a blast. We think the boys are too! I did have a chance to capture some footage in our last two tournaments, although I must share, it’s pretty hard to find time to take video when you are trying to corral 9 eight year old boys….and then, what are the odds you get good video, some good action. A bit daunting. but as fate would have it, I got lucky. I have dropped in some small video snippets showing the boys in action. A few extends past 10 seconds, a few are pretty quick, but all show the joy of playing soccer. I was able to get the first goals scored this year (and I think the first goals ever for ECU) for a few players. I was able to get a few nice examples of dribbling and passing to teammates and I was able to get a few pretty cool reactions. Exactly what you would expect from a bunch of AVENGERS! Check it out!

Harry streaking down the middle and he shoots! Oh man, that was close. Looked a bit like the Atom…but that’s DC Comics, so that can’t be right!

Spencer rips the left foot shot just wide of the post. He has a few nice goals this year and has hit the post and crossbar a few times as well. A nice shot for sure!

Lucas getting loose down the left side, check out those moves and then the amazing pass across the middle to Jackson. Wow!

This is a fun one. Jackson gets loose down near the end line and fires a ball across goal. Nolan collects and fires one right back. The GK can’t quite collect it and there is Thor, I mean Jackson, to Hammer it home (a nice Thor reference I must say). And although he look pretty jacked up from the score, check out the yell from Henry. He goes all Hulk on it! Love it!! I think that’s the fastest I have seen Jackson run, after the goal I mean 🙂 ! So cool!

This is my favorite. I told you it was pretty tough to get video and also coach and manage eight year old boys, but I was able to capture this moment. Owen is a new player to soccer and a new player to ECU. A perfect story for the club really. Not sure if he would like soccer, so we had him attend a few practices.. And now a few weeks later, his confidence is growing, his skills are building and then this happened! The reaction is priceless. Pure joy….pure excitement. So cool. Maybe we have a soccer fan and a soccer player for life. I hope so.

I wasn’t able to get highlights for everyone in the videos. sorry about that, but another tournament this weekend. Rylan, our top scorer, I am hoping to get you in action. Pretty sure you have a few more goals in you! As well. Elliott, our beast mode midfielder, I feel some action shots coming!

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE! SALVO TOURNAMENT THIS WEEKEND.

Wow….that’s a whole lot of cute right there! Mom’s and Dad’s should be very proud! #avengersgetgoals

Time top catch up a bit. The Premier League is rolling along and this weekend is finishing up Week 25. 13 Weeks to go and things are definitely taking shape. Battles are forming for the League Winner, as well, battles will be fought for a Top 4 Finish and finally, the Relegation Zone is heating up as teams position themselves to remain in the Premier League next year.

A few big developments over the past few weeks, first, the big news, Liverpool is human, after losing to Manchester City they have NOT looked like a runaway League Champion. They look vulnerable. The past three weeks have produced a dramatic 4-3 win over Crystal Palace and then two draws against Leicester City and West Ham. Pretty underwhelming results. Manchester City has taken advantage of the dip in form for Liverpool. Over the past three weeks they have wins over Huddersfield and Arsenal but aso a confusing loss to Newcastle. They have picked up a point on Liverpool and after an early match this week have actually caught Liverpool with 62 points. Liverpool will play this weekend with the chance to regain the top spot, but the certainly of a Title no longer exists for Liverpool.

Chelsea have hit a drop in form and are holding desparately to the 4th spot. A bad loss followed by a big win, so the question is which team will show up. The game of the week was Manchester City vs. Arsenal and it featured a hat trick from the leagues best striker, Sergio Aguerro. The second goal is a thing beauty. The third goal…..well…not so much….I think a Hand Ball that was not called.

I keep finding highlights with the cool Spanish announcers. Exciting! Just sounds better in Spanish. In other developments, Gonzalo Higuain has delivered for Chelsea, scoring two goals in his home debut. Can the new striker keep Chelsea in the Top 4? Manchester United are still rolling, having not lost since they named their new manager and fired Mourinjo. Only 1 draw to blemish their run. Now sitting in 5th and looking like a serious threat to finish Top 4. It should be a pretty tight race beteeen Chelsea, Manchester and Arsenal.

Week 25 Recap

Winners over the past week:

Tottenham 1-0 over Newcastle. Kane. Ack soon, so watch out.

Wolves 3-1 over Everton.

Chelsea with the 5-0 thumping of Huddersfield.

Crystal Palace 2-0 over Fulham.

Cardiff City 2-0 win over Southampton.

Manchester United with a tight 1-0 win over Leicester City.

Race for the Title & Champions League Top 4

Win-Loss-Tie 

1- Manchester City 20-4-2. 62 Points. Have played an extra game!

2- Liverpool   19-1-5 62 Points.

3- Tottenham  19-6-0   57 Points.

4-Chelsea   15-5-5  50 Points

5-Manchester United     14-5-6   48 Points.

6-Arsenal  14-6-5   46 Points.

Wolves, Watford, Everton and Bournemouth round out the Top 10.

Relegation Zone

There are now 6 teams within 3 points of the 18th position and fighting to stay up.  Newcastel (24), Southampton (24), and Burnley (24) are sitting just outside the relegation zone. The new bottom three:

18. Cardiff City 6-15-4. 22 Points

19. Fulham 4-16-5. 17 Points.

20.  Huddersfield 2-18-5 11 Points. Unless something changes quickly, Huddersfield is toast!,

Match Week 26/27 Preview

Game of the Week. #4 Chelsea vs. #1 Manchester City. A really big game for both clubs. Manchester City chasing Liverpool and Chelsea hanging on to 4th. Somethings gotta give, probably Chelsea.

Week 27 features Liverpool v. Manchester United. Is Man U going to make some noise and be a player for Top 4 while hurting Liverpool’s chances to take down a Title.

Get ready for an exciting finish to the season. 13 games to go.