Sunday, September 27, 2009

The Clash at Eagle Crest

For those who witnessed this game I don't need to say any more. For those who didn't, oh you missed a good one. We all know the history between these two teams. Epic games of monumental proportion. And Saturdays game lived up to any and all expectations.
It was a classic battle of speed and agility vs control and power. I will say this, the Rush squad has more overall team speed than any team Sodium will face [in Oregon] this year, hands down. Out of the gate Rush was on the attack and the Sodium defense [The four horsemen of Moscoe, Coon, Frey and Luty] was pushed. But rise to the occasion they did as Hadley and company were shut down time and time again. But do you think that discouraged them? No way. The Rush attack was relentless all day long. Sodium did some attacking of their own as MAC, Emmy, Payton, Marisa and the forwards took every opportunity to rip shots from all angles. Midfield, a definite strength for Rush, was anchored by Sodium's Erika Cook who had several drives deep into Rush territory.
Can you say physical play? A minimum of four times during the match play had to be halted so a player could be attended to or carried off the field. And believe me, I have seen dirty play, but not today. These girls were giving everything they had, were leaving nothing and not holding anything back. Hard, tough, aggressive play for 70 minutes took it's toll on both squads.
In the end the score was zero/zero but it might as well have been 25/25 with the amount of bruises and the level of exhaustion, both mentally and physically, both team experienced.

Rest assured Sodium faithful, we will see Rush again. And believe me, it will be classic.

UP NEXT:
10/3 vs United SA Hotshots @ PCC Rock Creek. 4:30PM kickoff.
Stay tuned for the "Rumble at Rock Creek" update.

From an outdoor table at Niblick's the parents yell; GO SODIUM!!

Friday, September 25, 2009

Sodium heads East to take on Rush

To fight for sole possession of first place in the Gold Division bracket, the lady warriors road trip to Eagle Crest this weekend to take on the always tough OR Rush 95G Nike. In what will assuredly be an epic battle Sodium hopes to gain supremacy by beating Rush on their home turf. A feat, I might add, that has escaped Sodium for the last 3 years. The last time these two teams met [April] Sodium had a limited roster and ended up with a 1-1 tie. This time we will have a full roster so we will be bringing the 'A' game.

Have a safe trip everyone and we'll see you at the hotel tonight!

GO SODIUM!!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

A great Saturday all the way around!

To start off with several of the Sodium team volunteered their time to help with the Summerset West Soccer Club's team picture day. Normally they hire high school students for this event but this year Sodium offered some of our very responsible players to help. Picture day went very smoothly and to show their appreciation, SWSC is donating to each volunteers player account.
Thank you ladies for helping a sister club. Thank you SWSC.

The lady warriors hosted a friendly against an always tough Sherwood Force squad. Play was back in forth as the first half ended 0-0 with no real stand out plays. Coach Tom must have lit a fire under Sodium at half time because they came out the second half with poise and purpose. Play was isolated in the Force end of the field the entire half with Sodium showing calm and control as they passed meticulously, communicated constantly and controlled the pitch. The first score came on a perfectly placed Lexi Frey corner kick that, it seemed, the entire team waltzed into the net. You could tell Sherwood was not going to roll over. The play picked up and became faster and more physical. The Sodium team answered with a relentless attack on the Force goal. The second and final score came just before the final whistle as Lexi Frey again delivered a beautiful cross to awaiting Emmy Owens to put the icing on the cake. 2-0 the final. Thanks Sherwood for making the trek to REC and for a great game.

And, to make the day just a bit sweeter, Sodium's friends from the South [Eugene Magic] traveled to Lakeridge HS to take on the defending State Champion LOSC Extreme. Not having attended I can't comment on the level of play but I am sure it was a battle! Both these teams know how to win and play a physical game. After the dust had settled and the final whistle blew the Magic had handed LOSC an unprecidented league opening loss! Wow! What a way to throw a monkey wrench into the standings! The magic team should be proud of their accomplishment this weekend and ride the momentum into their next match!

Up Next:
Sodium travels to Eagle Crest to take on 'The Beast From The East', OR Rush 95G Nike. Rush has never failed to deliver a great match against Sodium and this game should be no different. Rush is coming off an impressive win against always tough United SA Hotshots and the lady warriors will need to lace'em up and bring their 'A' game this weekend.

Rest, focus and practice hard this week Sodium, it's going to be a classic battle.

See you on the pitch!

GO SODIUM!!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Fall Schedule Update

For those of you who had placed all the games on your calendar, sorry. OYSA updated the schedule yet again. Pretty easy though, all we need to do is remove the October 25th game vs FC Portland. :(

So, this fall we never play; FC Portland, SSC Hotspur or Keizer. Hope the next "8 game" schedule is run a little more efficiently than this last one.

See you on the pitch!

GO SODIUM!!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Coach Tom's update from Seoul - Day 4


UNITED Supporters,

It is always exciting to watch soccer on game day in a ‘soccer culture’. Today, Kim and I watched official youth and professional league games. Game day in a foreign country always helps put perspective to soccer culture in the United States. Korea’s soccer culture can rival any country in the world.

Our day began by watching two U12 Boys games in Seoul. The style of play was very technical and tactical, with less emphasis on physical play. The Seoul league is venue based and very professionally run. Venue based means that all teams in the league play at the same field all day game after game. The field was sixty yards by one hundred years and the goals were six feet high by eighteen yards wide. This field size and goal size are smaller then Rec #3. The reason for this is to create game conditions that are appropriate to the age group. If the field and goals are to big the game conditions do not reflect the relative speed and size of an actual soccer game. In other words, young players get lost on the field because the size of the field/goals is too big. The league included four referees; two lines man, a center referee, and a fourth official to handle substitutions. A medical team was present, as well as a professional crew of four employees that tend to any game day details. All teams were organized and uniformed. The highlight was watching a player already labeled the ‘Korean Maradaona’; meaning he is world class player for his age. I had heard about this player all week from various soccer officials and after he scored a hat trick in ten minutes I was convinced he was special.

The Korean equivalent to Major League Soccer is the K-league, abbreviated for the Korean League. Tonight’s professional game was between first place FC Seoul versus second place Jeonjung Motors. The quality of play was very similar to Major League Soccer (USA professional league); physical play and moments of brilliants. Jeonjung scored a great goal thirty five minutes into the first half and FC Seoul answered with two goals in the second half to win 2-1. The game took place in the 2002 Seoul World Cup Stadium. The stadium sits just outside of downtown Seoul in an area that is full of museums and parks. There were many kids dressed in FC Seoul colors. In fact several local kids road their bikes to the game without parent supervision returning home approximately 10:00 PM. Jeonjung boasted approximately two thousands traveling supporters that sang and chanted the duration of the game. FC Seoul dominated team fan support with approximately thirty five thousand fans. Each team boasted foreign players from Brazil, Serbia and Argentina. I felt the Korean players (eight starters per team) played their positions very well but the foreign players added more flair to the game.

This will be my final email from Korea. I have enjoyed recapping the day’s events and appreciate all correspondence from United players and parents.

See you next week!

Tom Atencio
Director of Coaching and Player Development
Tualatin Hills United Soccer Club

GO SODIUM!!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

2009 Fall League Gets Underway

The 2009 fall league opened this afternoon with the lady warriors road trip'n down to Eugen to take on the always tough EMFC 95 Magic.
To prove a point the Sodium squad came out with something to prove, to squelch all the naysayers who said Sodium wasn't deserving of a Gold Division spot. Well, silence them they did. To set a personal best Sodium scored the first goal in 45 seconds! A corner kick line drive from KJ that glanced off the defender that MAC was shielding in front of the goal! But Magic would not be denied. The play was back and forth with Eugene keeper, Sahalie Doe, putting on a clinic and Sodium's own Taylor Luty adding to the great keeper play. Both had diving deflections or sent the ball over the cross bar. Later in the first period KJ again found herself with a scoring opportunity. She ripped a shot just wide of the diving keeper and deflecting off the far post where MAC was there for the finish. Unfortunately, the line judge saw something different and called an offsides. The half ended 1-0. The second half proved to be just as fierce a battle. At the midway point, after a free kick was awarded for a handball, guest player Jill Farley lined it up from 35 yards out. She took aim and let the left leg fly! A rocket just over the skying reach of Sahalie gave the lady warriors a 2-0 advantage! Just before the closing whistle Lexi Frey penetrated deep down the left side, ripped a perfectly placed cross where a flying Jadyn McMillan finished it off her shin! The crowd went nuts until we saw the line judge with his flag in the air. :( The whistle blew and Sodium came away with 2-0 opening victory.

Sodium showed some moments of brilliance on the pitch. Slowed down, controlled play where they would look for an opportunity and take it. Other times they looked a little 'scattered' according to talented assistant coach Niki Brooks. They looked like a team that was still getting their balance, right where they need to be at this point. All told I think it was a good first effort.

Fall Schedule
OYSA posted the full schedule. [Remember, this is subject to change]
9/26 vs OR Rush 95 at Eagle Crest. 12:30pm game time.
10/4 vs ESUFC Arsenal at REC#2. 1:30pm game time.
10/11 vs Sherwood Force at REC#2. 3:00pm game time.
10/17 vs LOSC Extreme at PCC #1. 1:30pm game time.
10/18 vs ESUFC Arsenal at Barlow HS. 1:30pm game time.
10/25 vs FC Portland at REC#2. 1:30pm game time.

See you on the pitch!

GO SODIUM!!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Coach Tom's update from Seoul - Day 3


UNITED Supporters,

Today is Friday September 11.

United coach Kim Un Bong and I meet with Mr. Lee the CEO for the 2002 World Cup and a Korean Football Association Staff Coach. Mr. Lee was very interested in discussing a few topics about America: 1, women’s college soccer and the details of scholarship opportunities for Korean players 2, the upcoming U20 Men’s World Cup and the United States 3, is it possible to bring youth national teams to the USA?

Kim and I explained the various divisions of women’s college soccer and there differences. The female soccer programs in Korea are becoming popular and the expectations are growing. The idea of soccer for women after high school is a new thought process for Korean families. Soccer, until recently has been a male dominated sport in Korea. Mr. Lee was very interested in sending his strongest U16 and U17 players to the United States to play in college showcase tournaments for recruitment possibilities. College opportunities in America are seen as desirable to Korean families.

The U20 World Cup will begin in Egypt at the end of September. The United States is grouped with Germany, Cameroon and yes South Korea. I told Mr. Lee I knew nothing about the US team but was happy to discuss the Korean team. In reality, I do not know much about this age group. We laughed and moved on to the next subject of bringing youth national teams to the United States,

Korea is starting a new identification program for U12 Boys and terming it ‘National Teams’. The purpose of this program is to identify large pools of players and begin the development process earlier. Mr. Lee wants these identified players to travel to the USA to begin the education process of what it takes to be successful player away from home. He wants the players to learn about time zones, jet lag, and different environments. Learning these lessons at an early age will only improve Korea’s chances at winning world championships at the U17 World Cup, U20 World Cup, the Olympics, the Asia Cup and the World Cup. Kim explained his teams were invited anytime.

Have a super Timbers night,

Tom Atencio

Director of Coaching and Player Development
Tualatin Hills United Soccer Club

GO SODIUM!!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Coach Tom's update from Seoul - Day 2


UNITED Supporters,

Today Thursday September 10th was another terrific day in South Korea!

United coach Kim Un Bong and I met with Korean Football Association (aka KFA) officials Kim, Young Kyun Youth Football Association Vice President, and Ki Heung, Yoo of the Korean National League at a Seoul hotel. Both officials have been involved in Korean soccer at the national team level for 42 years. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss similarities and differences of soccer in the United States and Korea.

The Korean federation officials were unanimous that the female program in the United States is very good. US female players compete well, are technically sound and physically fit. On the men’s side both officials agree that the US National Team plays well. They emphasized that American youth clubs are training players better then before, which is mainly judged by how many men are playing abroad, and how well the women’s national teams compete at world championships. I was asked the reciprocal question and responded as follows: the Korean women are improving rapidly with recent good showings in youth world championships. The Korean male players have always been very good technically, hard working, and play a position functionally very well. I did comment that the Korean players need to be encouraged to be more creative on and off the ball. We both agreed that it would benefit Korean and American youth players to have opportunities to play abroad. At the conclusion of this great conversation Kim, Young Kyun and Ki Heung, Yoo wanted to show Kim and I the KFA offices.

The KFA offices are located in a modest eight story building in downtown Seoul. The KFA controls and monitors all facets of Korean soccer. This includes the following: youth soccer, high school soccer, college soccer, professional soccer, coach’s education, all leagues, and national teams to name a few… The office we met in was strictly dedicated to U12 Boys. There are four hundred U12 Boys teams in Korea and this office monitors and organizes all of them. Imagine having all the development for the United States in one building communicating on a daily basis… The highlight was how proud the officials were of their trophy room.

The day concluded with a trip out to a suburb thirty minutes from Seoul called Dong San. There Kim Un Bong, Ki Heung, Yoo and I watch the Industry High School women’s team train. High School and College soccer in Korea are comparable to our best youth soccer programs; the actual schools have nothing to do with soccer. The players train five days a week for two hours. Each session has three designated coaches; a head coach, assistant coach, and goalkeeper coach. The goalkeeper sessions I have seen the past two days have been excellent. The field player training session included much more physical work then yesterdays youth sessions. In fact the first hour of training was spent without the ball; speed work, stretching and some sprinting over distance. The second hour was spent on technical work (passing, volleys, heading), 1v.1, and a possession game. The high school method of training is understandable when you see your players daily. The goalkeepers were working individually the entire time.

I sign off watching the England versus Croatia World Cup qualifier played September 9th.

GO SODIUM!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Update from Seoul

Coach Tom sent United supporters and email from his trip to Seoul, Korea. It reads;

UNITED Supporters,

This is Tom Atencio from Seoul South Korea. I am sitting in my hotel room at 8:01 PM Wednesday September 9 which is 3:01 AM September 9 in Portland. The time difference of 15 hours offers challenges in regard to your body’s internal clock not to mention the 12 hour plane ride. When traveling such distances it is important to sleep on the plane and immediately get into to the rhythm of the country visited. This means your internal clock may be saying its bed time but the destination says its breakfast time.

My room faces two hillside temples constructed by Korean kings over 800 years ago. Seoul is a very busy city with all the amenities and challenges of any big city; outstanding cuisine but horrible traffic. This is my second time to Seoul my first was in 2002 for the World Cup. The people are great and usually try to speak any bit of English they may know.

I am here as a guest with United coach Kim Un Bong. I have known Kim since he joined United in 2003. As a director of coaching, I see many resumes and at times some coaching candidates stretch the truth. Kim’s resume was very factual and modest; South Korean National Team, professional player, and an international coaching license. After being with him for one day in the country of his birth he is much more then his resume. He is a well known icon throughout Korea. We are very fortunate to have Kim as a coach in our club; he is humble and classy.

Today we visited Icheon United FC. Icheon is the third largest city in Korea and about an hour driving distance from Seoul. Icheon FC is currently in fourth place in the Korean first division. Professional clubs in Korea are mandated by the Korean Association Football to have youth teams U10-U16, senior youth teams, a second team (which is basically a reserve team for the first division team), and a first division team. Kim and I met with Park, Ee Chun the technical director for the Icheon Club on the professional stadium field which was used during the 2002 World Cup. Park’s job is to hire and develop coaches to train all players in the Icheon club. Park is a very humble man that played with Kim for several years and captained the Korean National Team. I was introduced to the following team coaches: U11B, U12B, U13B, second team, and the first division coach. We saw each team train and conversed with all coaches. The first division coach managed/coached Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

At team training all players begin training by greeting all adults with a bow and hello. I was greeted by all players at training with many taking time to talk to Kim. Training itself was very technical at the youth level with a mixture of juggling, dribbling and possession in very tight spaces. The second team and first team were preparing for upcoming games so training was tactical and light. All teams included speed work during warm up, emphasized consistent work rate and respect for each other. Icheon FC is a first class club!

Keep in mind I am one day ahead, so I will be writing updates each evening.


Tom Atencio
Director of Coaching and Player Development
Tualatin Hills United Soccer Club


I will post all of Tom's updates from Seoul as they come in.

GO SODIUM!

Monday, September 7, 2009

Housekeeping

Don't forget the Potluck tonight at the Beards! A big thanks goes out to the Beards for hosting the Fall Season Kickoff Potluck.

Health - Seems that we all know someone who is sick or was sick in the last 60 days so make sure you are all taking precautions in fighting germs, nutrition and rest.

A good saying I ran across;

"Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard!"

Something to think about as we embark on the fall season.

GO SODIUM!!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Fall League Schedules Are Posted!!

* Remember, according to OYSA, these are not set in stone.

The moment we've all been waiting for, The Fall Schedule;

9/13/09 vs EMFC Magic - 3:00PM @ North Eugene HS

9/26/09 vs OR Rush 95G Nike - 12:30PM @ Eagle Crest Resort

10/04/09 vs ESUFC Arsenal - 1:30PM @ PCC Rock Creek

So, let's look at the numbers;

Teams = 9
Number of weekends from first game to last = 3.5
Number of total games in Premier Gold Bracket = 11

How Many games does each team play in fall Season?
LOSC = 2
FC Portland = 1
SSC Hotspur = 2
OR Rush = 3
USA Hotshots = 2
Arsenal = 2
Sherwood Force = 3
EMFC Magic = 4
Sodium = 3
Average = <3 games

Why so few games? We have plenty of teams, and I see there are NO Gold Premier games played at the REC? Are fields that scarce? I would be open to any comments.

Let's get fired up lady warriors to make the best of the limited schedule!

GO SODIUM!!