Thoughts on Jurgen Klinsmann at USYS Convention

By Scott Dane on February 23, 2012 11:22 AM
When the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) announced that it hired Jurgen Klinsmann to be the Mens National Team (MNT) coach in July, I was highly skeptical of the hire.  I was never the biggest fan of Bob Bradley, but I think he deserved a more respectable exit than the one that was afforded to him by Sunil Gulati and the USSF.  Klinsmann's record and coaching experience spoke for themselves - (Wikipedia Entry), but I wasn't sure his approach would find success in the US.

At the US Youth Soccer Convention in Boston last week, Jurgen Klinsmann gave the opening speech.  He was entertaining, riveting and his intelligence about the game was extremely obvious.  More importantly his enthusiasm for the game was evident and his demeanor exuded a confidence in his ability to create winning soccer for the US MNT.  

A few of his quotes are below:
"Train the way you play.  Intensity of the game. Develop a flow.  The game is the best teacher."
"I hate the word 'freeze'.  It's very painful...Let the exercise be the teacher."
"Game is all about speed....everything must be done at high speed and at moments when you're out of breath."
"You can inspire a kid, but you can't wake up their inner drive."
"Not a fan of players playing multiple positions.  Everyone has their strongest position and we focus on that." 
"It's not a weakness, it's an opportunity."
"It's your national team."
"Spain never thinks about what they just did, only about what's next."
"Anger never gets you anywhere."
"If you have a special striker, give them an extra 10 minutes of striker training.  Give them a treat."
"I'm not a fanatic about systems.  I want the kids to get better technically."

Obviously each quote must be taken in context, but I think his overall message was that the game is the best teacher and as coaches, we must do everything we can to create environments where the game can teach the players. 

His point about not playing multiple positions was in reference to players around the age of 16. He believes that younger players can play multiple positions, but as players get older they should do what they do best and try to maximize their abilities at that position.

Klinsmann was well-spoken and showed a great enthusiasm about coaching the US MNT.  He seems very open to bringing in players from various avenues (MLS, College, Overseas).  His philosophy seems to revolve around creating the best possible environment for each of the players that are in contention for a roster spot for the MNT for World Cup 2014.  

After hearing Klinsmann speak, I can honestly say that I've been converted to a fan of his and believe that he'll have great success with the US MNT.

Soccer's Heavy Boredom - Grantland

By Scott Dane on February 2, 2012 11:18 AM
I love reading Bill Simmons and Grantland via ESPN.com.  They have a weekly (sometimes more) article on soccer and specifically the English Premier League.  Some of their writers are not only entertaining to read, but are also very clear fans of the game and write in a very educated manner.  

The article below (LINKED HERE) does a great job of answering the age-old question that is always posed during the World Cup by American journalists and TV pundits alike: How can soccer be exciting if ties are allowed?  

And the article references the great Simpson's scene regarding soccer (Warning: LOW QUALITY VIDEO): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGUw8OWa77o

Those of us who are true fans can relate to the edge-of-your-seat excitement that is elicited in a 0-0 match. 

Enjoy the article - with boredom or not!!



I 

January 17, 2012 12:05 PM ET
Soccer's Heavy Boredom
By Brian Phillips

Soccer is boring. One of the misconceptions non-soccer fans have about soccer fans is that we don't know this. The classic Simpsons parody of a soccer match -- "Fast kickin'! Low scorin'! And ties? You bet!" -- hangs on the joke that the game puts Americans to sleep while somehow, bafflingly, driving foreigners wild with excitement. Calling the game for Springfield TV, Kent Brockman practically grinds his teeth with frustration: "Halfback passes to the center ... back to the wing ... back to the center. Center holds it. Holds it. [Huge sigh.] Holds it." One booth over, the Spanish commentator is going nuts: "Halfback passes to the center! Back to the wing! Back to the center! Center holds it! Holds it!! HOLDS IT!!!"1 It's a great comedy bit, but it's not really accurate as a depiction of soccer culture. Soccer fans know soccer is boring. Soccer fans have seen more soccer than anyone. We're aware that it can be a chore. Fire up Twitter during the average Stoke City-Wigan match and you'll find us making jokes about gouging out our own eyes with wire hangers, about the players forgetting where the goals are, about what would happen if we released a pride of lions onto the pitch. (Answer: The game would still finish 0-0.) When Ricky Gervais recorded his "David Brent on Football Management" clip for the BBC during the first run of The Office, he snuck in a similar dig at the tedium of some of Liverpool's greatest teams:
Do you think that Alan Hansen or Mark Lawrenson would have had the careers they had if they'd had the skills but not the discipline? If they didn't have the concentration? It's not easy passing the ball back to the goalkeeper every single time you get it. For ninety minutes.
Translation: Those guys were good. Now please, God, someone release the lions. So why do soccer fans do this? Assuming we follow sports for something like entertainment,2 what do we get out of a game for which the potential for tedium is so high that some of its most famous inspirational quotes are simply about not being dull?3 I keep thinking about this question lately, maybe because I've been finding myself drawn to more and more boring games. This past weekend, I sat through the slow cudgeling death of Liverpool-Stoke. The final score was 0-0, but the final emotional score was -5. During Swansea's deliriously fun 3-2 upset of Arsenal on Sunday, I kept switching over to Athletic Bilbao's mundane 3-0 win over Levante. Why am I doing this? I thought, as Fernando Amorebieta whuffed in a gloomy header and Levante pinned themselves into their own half. But I kept checking back. There are two reasons, basically, why soccer lends itself to spectatorial boredom. One is that the game is mercilessly hard to play at a high level. (You know, what with the whole "maneuver a small ball via precisely coordinated spontaneous group movement with 10 other people on a huge field while 11 guys try to knock it away from you, and oh, by the way, you can't use your arms and hands" element.) The other is that the gameplay almost never stops -- it's a near-continuous flow for 45-plus minutes at a stretch, with only very occasional resets. Combine those two factors and you have a game that's uniquely adapted for long periods of play where, say, the first team's winger goes airborne to bring down a goal kick, but he jumps a little too soon, so the ball kind of kachunks off one side of his face, then the second team's fullback gets control of it, and he sees his attacking midfielder lurking unmarked in the center of the pitch, so he kludges the ball 20 yards upfield, but by the time it gets there the first team's holding midfielder has already closed him down and gone in for a rough tackle, and while the first team's attacking midfielder is rolling around on the ground the second team's right back runs onto the loose ball, only he's being harassed by two defenders, so he tries to knock it ahead and slip through them, but one of them gets a foot to it, so the ball sproings up in the air ... etc., etc., etc. Both teams have carefully worked-out tactical plans that influence everything they're trying to do. But the gameplay is so relentless that it can't help but go through these periodic bouts of semi-decomposition. But -- and here's the obvious answer to the "Why are we doing this?" question -- those same two qualities, difficulty and fluidity, also mean that soccer is uniquely adapted to produce moments of awesome visual beauty. Variables converge. Players discover solutions to problems it would be impossible to summarize without math. The ball sproings up in the air ... and comes down in just such a way that Dennis Bergkamp can pull off a reverse-pirouette flick that spins the ball around the defender and back into his own path ... or Thierry Henry can three-touch a 40-yard pass in the air before lining it up and scoring a weak-foot roundhouse ... or Zlatan Ibrahimovic can stutter-fake his way through an entire defense. In sports, pure chaos is boring. Soccer gives players more chaos to contend with than any other major sport.4 So there's something uniquely thrilling about the moments when they manage to impose their own order on it. But I think there's more to the relationship of fans and boredom than just magic moments. I want you to like soccer if you don't already, so I probably shouldn't admit this. But the game gets in your head. Following soccer is like being in love with someone who's (a) gorgeous, (b) fascinating, (c) possibly quite evil, and (d) only occasionally aware of your existence.5 There's a continuous low-grade suffering that becomes a sort of addiction in its own right.6 You spend all your time hoping they'll notice you, and they never do, and that unfulfilled hope feels like your only connection to them. And then one day they look your way, and it's just, pow. And probably they just want help moving, and maybe they call you Josie instead of Julie, but still. It keeps you going. And as irrational as it sounds, you wouldn't trade this state of being for a life of quiet contentment with someone else. All you could gain would be peace of mind, and you'd lose that moment when the object of your fixation looked at you and you couldn't feel your face. Soccer is, in other words, both romantic and tragic, and the soft agony of a bad game is an inescapable part of this. You spend all your time hoping something will happen, and it never does. You get a surge of adrenaline every time the ball flies anywhere near the goal,7 and you're always disappointed. But then, every once in a while, James McFadden will score from 30 yards at the Parc des Princes to give Scotland an impossible 1-0 lead over France, and a ponderous game will go all kinds of nervous-breakdown crazy. And for fans it's practically an out-of-body experience -- not just because it was a great play, but because it was so unlikely that this match could have been graced with a great play to begin with. So it's not that a boring game is purer than an entertaining game or that there's something moral about enduring tedium (although I know fans who might make that argument). I watch soccer to be amazed. One of my favorite books about fandom is Soccer in Sun and Shadow, by the Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano, whose guiding principle is "a pretty move, for the love of God." But the beauty of the game matters more when you know you can't take it for granted -- when it arrives, as Galeano writes, it's a "miracle."8 There was a moment last Sunday when I was flipping between the extremely exciting Swansea-Arsenal match and the generally-not-in-any-way-exciting Athletic-Levante match. Just as I switched over, Athletic's Oscar De Marcos, who had previously failed to score on an easy rebound,9 dribbled straight through two defenders into the area, drawing the goalkeeper out to the right side10 of the six-yard box. Then he lofted a high cross that dropped a foot from the goal line, just inside the left post, just as the lurking Fernando Llorente, who'd sneaked behind the defense, appeared in precisely that spot to head it into the empty net. In its weird, furtive way, the goal was better than the undeniable drama going on in Swansea. It was like a wink from the eye of the abyss. One of those lovely, foolish moments when you think that soccer might love you too.

FOOTNOTES

  1. This is all from "The Cartridge Family" (1997).

  2. Or, if you object to that word, at least for reasons that are antithetical to the experience of grueling monotony.

  3. Cf. Danny Blanchflower, 1972: "The great fallacy is that the game is first and foremost about winning. It's nothing of the kind. The game is about glory. It's about doing things in style, with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom."

  4. The classic American sports control the danger of appearing random in all kinds of ways -- baseball constantly resets to the same starting position, football does the same while adding 29,384 rules about who can and can't do what on which plays, basketball breaks itself into discrete timed segments, etc.

  5. Whereas following the NFL is like being in a stable, settled relationship. You know what you're getting, good stuff happens all the time, and even if it's not electrifying day-to-day, you're happy. Oh, and you're constantly tuning out commercials, i.e., conversations about how Wanda didn't let Mark take a personal day at work.

  6. That's right, nerds, I'm calling soccer the Swann in Love of sports.

  7. To non-soccer fans, it's amazing how many soccer highlight clips end in missed shots. To soccer fans, this is totally normal.

  8. Here's the full quote: "I go about the world, hand outstretched, and in the stadiums I plead: 'A pretty move, for the love of God.' And when good soccer happens, I give thanks for the miracle and I don't give a damn which team or country performs it."

  9. And apparently missed another easy chance, too, although I didn't catch it.

  10. De Marcos' right side.

Boughton Field Capital Campaign

By Scott Dane on November 14, 2011 5:37 PM

Dear Grand Ledge Soccer Friends-

The success of every match is dependent on it; every team needs it; every program has many of them.  They are the Difference Makers - people who are uniquely qualified to impact a game, their team, the community and a program.  The Grand Ledge Soccer Program has been fortunate enough to have many of these individuals - both on and off the field.  Many boys and girls have grown up playing on and being around Boughton Field and those players have excelled both on the field and in the classroom - and many more dream of being the next Difference Maker. 

I am asking you to continue the tradition of Difference Makers in the Grand Ledge Soccer Program by donating to the Boughton Field Capital Campaign. 

·         The current building has been condemned by the health department and was not accessible during the boys season.  As difficult as this sometimes was (and will be for the girls season this spring), the new building will be a great asset to the soccer community in the future. 

·         Included in our new building is a home lockerroom, a visitors lockerroom, new concession stand that faces the field and restrooms with exterior entrances. 

·         We are also very excited to include an Academic Center that will be available to our student athletes as they continue our rich tradition of academic success.  Because our field is located off-site from the high school, we have a need to provide a safe off-site facility where students can maximize their time.  Our Academic Center will provide an environment conducive to learning.

Over the past three years, the Varsity soccer teams have enjoyed unprecedented success on and off the field.  Since 2009, 20 boys players have been recognized with all league honors and the team has been named All-State Academic each year.  Since 2010, 17 girls have been recognized with all league honors and the team has been named All-State Academic each year. 

The Grand Ledge School District' Sinking Fund provided $115,000, which is approximately half the estimated cost of the structure.  Though we are working closely with builders and contractors to keep costs low, we will still have a substantial cash need. As a special recognition of the Difference Makers, we will be laying a brick pathway. 

·         $1,000 or more donations will receive a 12"x"12 brick in the pathway.

·         $500 donations will receive a 4"x8" brick in the pathway. 

·         All other donors will be recognized on a plaque on the side of the building.

·         Other sponsorship ideas/amounts are most certainly welcome!

Boughton Field is used for much more than just high school soccer matches.  Many of our youth teams use the field for home games and the practice field is used for Mini Comets - our 5-8 year old soccer program.  The Grand Ledge Soccer Club is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization giving you maximum tax benefits when you donate to the Boughton Field Capital Campaign.  Please note that we are raising funds for the new building and other upgrades to the facility.

The plans for the building layout are available on our website, www.glsoccer.net.  If you would like to make a donation, please mail a check made payable to "Grand Ledge Soccer Club" and mail to PO Box 444, Grand Ledge, MI 48837.  Please make sure you write Capital Campaign in the memo line.  Please contact me with any questions regarding the building, or if you have resources that may be helpful to the project.  

Go Comets!!

Scott M. Dane
Varsity Soccer Coach


Final Fall 2011 Comet Update

By Scott Dane on October 25, 2011 10:56 AM
Dear Comet Friends and Supporters-

Our season, sadly, came to a close last Thursday.  Though we drew a BYE in the first round of district play, we were matched up against East Kentwood - winner of 3 of the last 4 state championships.  We truly relished the opportunity to play them, and felt we had nothing to lose.  

In a season that saw many crazy circumstances - own goal loss in double overtime, own goal win and lucky PK miss win, total darkness after a transformer blew - we had one our craziest moments when our star goalkeeper, Sophomore Shawn Carr, was inadvertently kicked in the head and suffered a minor concussion against East Kentwood.  Freshman Jacob Murray was brought up from the JVA team for post season play and he was called into action against the defending state champion, on the defending state champions' home field, in the rain, on turf.  Jacob gave a valiant effort, but we gave up goals that were unstoppable and our season ended in Grand Rapids last week.

Our final record was 7-8-2.  
We finished 5th in the CAAC Blue Division.
We scored 25 goals.
We conceded 34 goals.
Our leading goals and assists player was Sophomore Zach Garfield (8 goals, 7 assists)
Shawn Carr had 6 shutouts on the year.

It should also be noted that Seniors Mitch Perkins and Josh Wissner will be named All-State All-Academic (awarded only to seniors).  This is the third consecutive year we've had multiple All-Academic honorees.

The boys had a lot to be proud of - they vastly improved throughout the season and were competitive in games that many of the soccer "experts" predicted would be blow outs.  We tried to play the game the right way - with crisp, skillful play.  We worked hard from the first practice (7am on August 10) until the last practice.  We had lots of fun and improved.  

Overall, I think all of the boys will agree that they enjoyed being on the team.  Everyone wants to win more goals, score more goals and end with a state championship.  However, I think everyone on the team will agree that the season was a success.

Thank you for your support all year - thank you for braving the cold weather last week.  I looked in the stands and saw so many familiar faces even though the game was an hour from home, it was raining, it was cold.  Comet soccer is more than just the players on the field - it's the families - and we're blessed to have such a great support group.

Go Comets!!!

Scott M. Dane
Grand Ledge Varsity Soccer Coach

Comet Update 10/4

By Scott Dane on October 4, 2011 10:12 AM
Dear Comet Fans & Friends-

The JVA team continues their successful season - though they dropped their match against East Lansing, they played an exciting match against Holt that resulted in a 2-1 victory.  Both goals were scored by Freshman Emmery Macsay with Freshman Jacob Murray recording the win in goal.  The JV teams continue to work hard to prepare the players for success at the Varsity level - this includes playing philosophy, skill development, competitive drive and rebounding after losses.  At no point during the season has the JVA team dropped consecutive games.  This is testament to the boys and their desire to make the Varsity team in the future and have success when they get there.

I believe the season can be separated into three different phases - there is the regular season, the conference tournament and the state playoffs.  We have just completed a successful regular season - six wins, five losses and two draws.  We were involved in some very competitive games against some of the top competition in the area.  We registered five shutouts and outscored our opponents 22-15.

And now the second part of our season begins - the CAAC Cup.  Because of our fifth place finish in the league, we qualified for the CAAC Silver Cup and will host Jackson NW on Wednesday, October 5.  Jackson NW finished 4th in their conference.

Heading into last week, the Varsity team was still in contention for first place in the CAAC Blue division having only suffered one conference loss.  Hopes were high and expectations were beginning to mount for a team that was picked to finish 7th in the conference.  Before the final two games of conference play, East Lansing and Holt were tied atop the standings by the thinnest of margins.  We had the great opportunity to play them both in the span of three days - an opportunity the boys were looking forward to as it gave them the chance to continue their success on the field against top competition.  

The East Lansing match started in a nightmare fashion as we gave up 2 goals in the opening five minutes.  Though we fought hard throughout the match, we dropped the game 3-0.  Hopes were not dashed as we headed to Holt with high expectations that we could bounce back and put in a quality performance.  And we opened the match in dream fashion - Senior Nathaniel Kraus served a free kick from just inside midfield that was won by Senior Josh Wissner.  Josh worked hard to beat a few defenders in the penalty box and the ball fell to Sophomore Zach Garfield who smashed home his team leading 6th goal of the season.  

Holt was able to pull a goal back just before halftime, but we entered the half feeling confident that the game could be won.  With 20 minutes left in the game, we conceded a bomb of a shot - one that was hit from distance, with incredible pace and placement.  We like to believe that we can control every aspect of the game, but the shot that we gave up was a stunner.  Only minutes later, one of the craziest situations in my coaching career occurred as a wild storm rolled in and quickly brought heavy, cold rain - and aided in blowing a transformer that knocked out power at the field.  As the lights went out and the scoreboard flickered, the players were ushered off the field and used cell phones to provide a glimpse of light to find their bags and jackets.  Unfortunately for us, the game was considered final and we finished the week with consecutive losses for the first time all year.

Our regular season concluded with a 6-5-2 overall record, and 3-3-1 in the league.  I have talked with the boys all year about building on each match in hopes of peaking at the start of the 3rd season.  Though last week may have been frustrating in terms of results, we still saw a lot of great moments of play, growth and development of players and a sense of accomplishment for the body of work throughout the regular season.  Now we turn our attention to the second season - the CAAC Silver Cup.  

While I was prepping for this update, I found this quote:
A bend in the road is not the end of the road... unless you fail to make the turn.

It seems appropriate as our season has had many bends in it - lop-sided loss to DeWitt, tough overtime loss to Okemos, two losses last week.  Yet there remains a calm confidence among the boys as we head to our conference tournament.  No one likes to lose, but we understand that it's part of the process and we know that with hard work we will continue to find success on the field.  I'm confident that the boys will make the turn this week and will put forth their best effort in an attempt to advance in the CAAC Silver Cup winners bracket.  

We host Jackson NW on Wednesday, October 5 at 4:00pm - please note the change in start time.  The JVA team will play Jackson NW immediately following the conclusion of our match.  If the score of the Varsity game is tied after regulation, it will immediately go into a penalty kick shootout (no overtime).  The winner of the match will play the winner of the Haslett vs. Lansing Catholic match.  We will host the 2nd round (win or lose) on Monday, October 10 with a 4:00pm Varsity start.

Thank you again for all your support throughout the year.  The coaching staff and boys are grateful when we see all of the support of the community at our games - home or away.

Go Comets!!

Scott M. Dane
Grand Ledge Varsity Soccer Coach
E: scott@glsoccer.org
www.glsoccer.org

Comet Update 9/27

By Scott Dane on September 27, 2011 12:49 PM
Hello Comet Fans-

For starters, I'd like to give a JV update - though brief, it at least provides some results and highlights.

The JVB team dropped a home match vs. East Lansing on 9/21, but rebounded with a victory against the Eaton Rapids JV team on 9/22. Freshman Collin Feldpausch scored the game's lone goal and number of players shared in the shutout as goalkeeper.  At last minute save by Freshman Josh Setnicky sealed the victory for the JVB Comets.

The JVA team has continued their successful season.  They defeated Jackson on 9/15 with goals from Sophomore Noah Dunn (2), Freshman Christian Hocquard, Freshman Emmery Macsay and Jawad Jawad.  Assists were tallied by Noah Dunn, Christian Hocquard, Emmery Macsay (2) and Freshman Ben Smedley.  

The Jackson victory was followed up with a shutout against Lansing Eastern on 9/21.  Goals were scored by Ben Smedley and Jawad Jawad.  Freshman Jordan Herrick recorded the shutout.  The scoring duo of Ben and Jawad continued in a 2-0 victory over Lansing Everett on 9/22.

My good friend Mike Avery coaches the Valparaios Mens Soccer team - in his weekly update, he sent the following quote: 
"The best journeys are those that answer the questions that at the outset, you never thought to ask."

The quote seems incredibly appropriate for our Varsity team this year.  At the beginning of the season I asked the Varsity team to set some goals - including where they wanted to finish in the league standings.  We were picked to finish 7th (out of 8 teams) by the coaches in a pre-season poll.  I won't reveal the goal set by the boys (until next week), but it's important to know they did set a goal and we're working hard to accomplish it.  I will tell you that winning the league was not the goal set by the boys.  Yet, with two wins this week, we would position ourselves to potentially finish in a first-place tie in the highly-competitive CAAC Blue Division.  It's been a wild season filled with ties and unexpected wins by all teams involved.  

Last week we entered halftime of our match against Eastern up 2-0 after first half goals from Freshman Luke Menne and Senior Mitch Perkins.  It was the 6th consecutive game that we entered halftime with a lead.  However, two second half goals by Eastern sent the game into overtime - the second time in 8 days we played an overtime match.  Though both teams created chances, the score remained 2-2 and ended in a draw - adding further drama to the CAAC Blue standings.

The Eastern game was followed up with a home match against Lansing Everett - a team that was struggling in the league by record, but not by performance.  In one of the more lucky games of the season, we defeated Everett 1-0 on an own goal.  And - a last second penalty kick by Everett rang off the cross bar and out - to preserve the 1-0 victory.  It was Sophomore Shawn Carr's fifth shutout of the year.

Today we host East Lansing in a game that will have big-time implications on the league standings.  East Lansing is in a tie for first place (with Holt) with a 3-0-2 league record.  We then travel to Holt for our final regular season match on Thursday.

Today we also honor our seniors - a group of boys who have given years of commitment and dedication to the Grand Ledge soccer program.  It's always a special moment when the entire starting line up is made up of seniors.  We want to make sure to thank our seniors and we hope to send them off with a victory!!  Kick off for the varsity team is 5:30pm at Boughton Field.

I'm not exactly sure where our journey will end up, but I have definitely enjoyed the season and am proud of the boys' accomplishments thus far.  

Alan Holben is one of the area's premier photographers.  He has been very gracious is taking pictures at a few our matches.  

As always, feel free to follow us on Twitter - @glsoccer or join our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/glsoccer

Go Comets!!!

Scott M. Dane
Grand Ledge Varsity Soccer Coach
scott@glsoccer.org
www.glsoccer.org

Comet Update 9/14

By Scott Dane on September 14, 2011 12:12 PM
"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Well Comet fans - for those of you who were at the game last night, you all witnessed a group of young men who played a match with great vigor and enthusiasm.  The boys should be commended for their approach to the game and their ability to execute a game plan.  Last night's match was a prime example of hard work, dedication and commitment paying off in the field of play.  From the start of the game until the end of the second overtime, our boys displayed an incredible amount of energy and enthusiasm and nearly pulled off one of the surprise results of the season in the Lansing area.

Before the match, I spoke with the boys about their mental and emotional approach to the game.  I'm confident that we're a physically fit team and have worked hard to build a strong base of fundamental skills.  However, being able to execute those skills within the context of a live match is not always easy. The unknown, unpredictability of your opponent can force players into mental and physical break downs.  I asked the boys to raise their level of play - to continue this long process of building and developing individually and as a team.  I encouraged them to use the match as an opportunity to create a moment or memory that will last forever.  

There were many moments last night that will be forever etched into the memories of the players and coaching staff.  Sophomore Zach Garfield muscled past his defender early in the match and guided the ball to the far post where it found the back of the net courtesy of an Okemos defender - that was a moment that build confidence and momentum.  Watching Senior Nathaniel Kraus fly through the air winning head ball after head ball gave the team the opportunity to play more offense and deflated some of the offense that Okemos was trying to build.  The reaction saves and important holds that Sophomore goalkeeper Shawn Carr made gave the Comets the belief that they could win the game because it was going to take a miracle to score on us.  Senior Collin Brickner was an absolute menace across the field creating offensive chances for himself and his teammates. 

As we entered the overtime periods, I urged the boys to believe in themselves - I reminded them of how hard they had worked to be in a position to win the game.  And they tried and tried and tried and gave more physically than we've given all year.  In the end, we were unlucky to give up an own goal to lose the game.  

At the end of the match, I emphasized that each game is a building block; each time we step on the field we are trying to improve and get better.  As much as the result of the game may have been an emotional let down, the upside is that we are playing really good soccer and if we continue to improve, we will be a very good soccer team at the end of the year.  We were picked to finished 7th in the CAAC Blue (Okemos was picked to finish 1st) - there's no way our team - the team that nearly beat Okemos - is a 7th place team.

Last night's game was a prime example of enthusiasm, dedication and commitment leading to something GREAT!!

I  want to thank the fans who were so supportive of the boys last night - it's always reassuring to look across the field and see the Comet supporters.  We play at home again tomorrow night against Jackson - JVA at 4pm and Varsity at 5:30pm.

Thanks again and GO COMETS!!!

Scott M. Dane
Grand Ledge Varsity Soccer Coach
Twitter: @glsoccer

Comet Update 9/12

By Scott Dane on September 12, 2011 10:05 AM
"Inch by inch, play by play, til we finish"
Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday

Dear Comet Fans-

Let me apologize for my delay in sending out this Comet update. Last week was a busy week for Comet soccer with many matches and some exciting results.  I also should apologize as this update only contains Varsity information.  I will work to get the JVA & JVB information from last weeks' games to include in a future email.

The message being sent to the Varsity team this year has been that we need to consistently build on each performance - each game gives us the opportunity to become a better team.  High school soccer playoffs are unseeded and all match ups within a district are done by blind-draw.  Therefore, our regular season is an opportunity for us to build and develop into a team that hopes to peak at the end of the year.  

Haslett posed a tough challenge for the Varsity team as they play an inspired, up-tempo game.  The first half of the game was played evenly until late in the half when the Comets snuck a goal past Haslett.  Senior Collin Brickner beat his defender on the left side of the field and was able to hit a long range shot on goal that found its way through a series of defenders and a few Comets into the side netting of the far post.  The Comets headed into halftime up 1-0.  

Protecting a one-goal lead is sometimes difficult as it can cause the team to play too tense.  However, the Comets demeanor was to be praised as they continued to play attacking-minded soccer and were able to find three second half goals.  The first was an absolute stunner by Senior Josh Wissner - Sophomore Zach Garfield alertly found Josh on a quick throw-in. After a few quick touches, Josh smashed a shot that rattled the cross-bar, hit the ground and bounced back into the top of the net.  Only moments later Senior Mitch Perkins made a driving run towards goal and laid a perfect pass to Junior Ryan Cobb who coolly slotted the ball to the back post a 3-0 lead.  With the opening match of the CAAC Blue the immediate next day, a series of subs were given extended minutes and they took full advantage.  With 7 minutes to play in the game Senior Brandon DeWitt found fellow Senior Nick Alvarado in the box - Nick made no mistakes and fired home the Comets' fourth goal of the game.  

The Comets also turned in their second consecutive strong defensive performance.  Sophomore goalkeeper Shawn Carr made a few big saves that helped keep the clean sheet.  The backline has been anchored by Senior Nathaniel Kraus and Junior Cody Marek who played the duration of the game.

Because of a scheduling conflict at the Sexton field, the Comets traveled to Sexton to play their opening CAAC Blue match the immediate next day after the victory over Haslett.  The hot scoring streak the Comets were on continued early as the opening 3 minutes of the match saw 3 goals.  Senior Captain Kyle Wilson scored his first career Varsity goal with the assist being credited to fellow Captain Josh Wissner; Zach Garfield then started his career day with consecutive goals with assists from Ryan Cobb and Freshman Luke Menne.  The second of Zach's goals was one of the more picturesque goals of the year as Ryan Cobb was able to hit a cross into the box that Zach headed to the far post with power and conviction.  15 minutes into the game, Collin Brickner registered a goal with Josh Wissner picking up his second assist of the game.  Sophomore Joey Snyder then found Zach Garfield on a mini-break away and Zach completed his first-half hat-trick.  And with 13 minutes to play in the first half, the Comets scored their sixth of the game as Junior Connor Thompson scored his first career Varsity goal with the Joey Snyder getting his second assist of the game.

The rain started to play a small role in the game and the Comets entered halftime winning 6-0.  The second half was short as Ryan Cobb scored in his second consecutive game to make the score 7-0 and Zach Garfield completed his scoring barrage with fourth goal of the game, ending the match 8-0.  

The Comets registered their third consecutive shutout and improved their record to 4-2-1.  

Even though the opening match of the CAAC Blue season was against the team picked to finish last in the division, the Comets are in a tie for first-place in the highly-competitive division.  As the quote above reflects, inch-by-inch we are trying to improve as a team; play-by-play we are trying to develop into better individual soccer players; til the end when were are operating and functioning as an effective soccer team.  

I have consistently asked the boys to improve every time they step on the field; to build and develop; to understand that mistakes will happen, but those mistakes will help us to learn the game and define us as a team.  Each step we take as a team is one that will help us to find success in the state playoffs.  Until then, we will take the season and each game inch-by-inch and play-by-play.

Thank you for your continued support of Comet soccer!  I hope you have each had the opportunity to see the awesome bench covers at Boughton.  These are still a work in progress as we'll be painting them and developing a way to put up temporary walls.  

After two road games last week, we will host two CAAC Blue opponents this week.  Tuesday, September 13 we will host Okemos with JVA starting at 4:00pm and Varsity at 5:30pm at Boughton Field.  At this game we will be distributing schedule magnets for your refrigerator.  These are courtesy of Dennis Wissner and Aire Serv of Mid Michigan (www.aireserv.com/midmichigan).  Pick one up at the ticket table on your way into the game on Tuesday.  On Thursday, September 15 we will host Jackson at Boughton Field with JVA starting at 4:00pm and Varsity at 5:30pm.

Please remember you can follow us on Twitter @glsoccer and on Facebook www.facebook.com/glsoccer

Go Comets!!

Scott M. Dane
Grand Ledge Varsity Soccer Coach
scott@glsoccer.org
www.glsoccer.org

September 1 Comet Update

By Scott Dane on September 1, 2011 12:40 PM
Dear Comet Fans!

We are heading into the Labor Day Weekend and we've already played four games and been involved in a number of scrimmages.  In my last update I referenced a quote about excellence being a habit - well, we've worked very hard over the last week to train and play at a high level.  Our improvement has shown on the field and we hope that the upward trend of improved performances and results will continue.

On Saturday, August 27 the JVA and Varsity teams traveled to Lansing Catholic for a tough away match.  Lansing Catholic was the Division III State Runner Up last year.  

The JVA team started that match on fire - scoring 3 goals in the first ten minutes of the game.  The final score was 4-1 with goals from Freshman Christian Hocquard (2), Sophomore Noah Dunn and Freshman Emmery Macsay.  Assists were credited to Noah Dunn, Sophomore Alex Fucciolo, Emmery Macsay and Freshman Ben Smedley.  Freshmen Jacob Murray & Jordan Herrick each played in goal for the Comets. 

The Varsity game lacked intensity and focus at the start of the match and the Comets found themselves down 2-0 at halftime.  After some halftime adjustments, the Comets seemed to carry play but were able to crack the goal and lost the match 2-0.

On August 31, the JVA team and Varsity team hosted Charlotte.  The JVA team posted their second consecutive 4-1 victory with goals from Noah Dunn, Emmery Macsay and Freshman Ben Smedley (2).  Noah also picked up an assist as did Ben Smedley and two Freshmen who made their JVA debut - Marty Roesch and Josh Setnicky.

The Varsity team was looking to avenge a 1-0 loss to Charlotte last year.  Early in the game it was evident the Comets were motivated to play well.  In the opening minutes of the game Sophomore defender Travis Shivley received a pass and decided to try his luck from distance.  The thunderous shot struck the cross-bar and went straight down - only to be ruled no goal by the referee.  The shot attempt though was a clear indication that the Comets were going to look for scoring opportunities - and they were aplenty.  Junior Ryan Cobb, Senior Kyle Wilson, Senior Collin Brickner and Senior Josh Wissner all had goal attempts turned away by the Charlotte goalkeeper.  Finally, late in the first half, Josh Wissner was fouled inside the penalty area.  He stepped up and calmly scored his second penalty of the season to give the Comets a 1-0 halftime lead.

The second had much of the same from the Comets.  Early in the half Collin Brickner beat his defender at the top of the penalty box and hammered a shot that the Charlotte goalkeeper was unable to contain.  The rebound was pounced on by Sophomore Zach Garfield who recorded his first career Varsity goal.  Though the Comets were able to create many more scoring opportunities, the game ended 2-0.  Sophomore goalkeeper Shawn Carr registered his first career Varsity shutout.

Next week the JVA and Varsity teams head to Haslett on Tuesday, September 6 and the Varsity team travels to Sexton for their opening CAAC Blue match on September 7 (note: this is a date change).  The JVB and JVA teams will host the Lansing Home Schoolers on Wednesday, September 8 at Boughton Field.  The JVB game will commence at 4:00pm and the JVA game will kick off at 5:30pm.  

If you are unable to make it out to a game, please follow us on Twitter (@glsoccer) for game updates.  We also have a facebook group at www.facebook.com/glsoccer

Lastly, we would like to thank the Grand Ledge Soccer Club for their support in building bench covers, replacing the floor inside the press box and replacing one side of the kick wall over the past weekend (pictures at www.facebook.com/glsoccer). It should also be noted that a number of the high school players came to Boughton after their match at Lansing Catholic and dismantled the bad side of the kick wall in preparation for new boards.  A special thanks needs to go out to Tom Regan, Cliff VanDeusen, Chad (Cliff's friend), Rick Perkins, Dennis Wissner, Chad Marek and Ken Seelman as they spearheaded the projects.  

Go Comets!!

Scott M. Dane
Varsity Soccer Coach
scott@glsoccer.org
@glsoccer
www.glsoccer.org

Comet Update 8/26

By Scott Dane on August 26, 2011 10:38 AM
"We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." ~Aristotle

Every soccer season is filled with ups and downs - especially seasons where you graduated 17 seniors.  Our current varsity roster includes only 6 players who have any varsity experience.  The youth and inexperience that we have will lead to more downs than ups early in the season. This is not something our team will dwell on or let get in our way of our pursuit of success.

The regular season opened with a game against 2010 Division II Regional Finalist DeWitt.  Though DeWitt graduated their top scorer and last year's Lansing State Journal Player of the Year, they still returned the majority of their roster.  Early season games offer the opportunity to evaluate your own team against quality competition - and DeWitt definitely offered quality competition.  We lost the game 4-0, but were able to play all 21 players on the roster and gained valuable experience for our brand-new backline and goalkeeper.  

The JVA team carried the majority of possession against DeWitt, but were unable to find the back of the net.  They ended up losing the match 3-0.  

The JVB team opened their season with an away match against St. Johns on August 24.  The team traveled to St. Johns with a shortened roster due to injuries. However, they put in a dominating performance and won the 5-0 with Freshman Collin Feldpausch registering a hat-trick and Freshman Jaren Scoggins scoring the other two goals.  Freshman goalkeeper Jordan Herrick registered the shutout for the Comets.

The Varsity team and JVA team traveled to Waverly for their first game road game of the year.  The JVA team won the match 8-0 with goals from Junior Josh Chessmond (2), Freshman Christian Hocquard (2), Freshman Emmery Macsay, Freshman Ben Smedley and Freshman Jacob Murray (2).

The Varsity team knew they were going to be in for a tough match up as Waverly boasts one of the more senior line ups in the Lansing area.  Early in the match it was apparent that the Comets were motivated by their lop-sided loss against DeWitt.  Possession was carried by the Comets and they were able to create a few scoring opportunities.  22 minutes into the game the Comets were able to find some possession and Senior Kyle Wilson played a great reverse pass to a streaking Senior Mitch Perkins.  Mitch ran past his defender, got into the penalty box and was taken down by a Waverly defender.  Senior Josh Wissner stepped up and calmly scored the penalty kick to put the Comets up 1-0.  Minutes later a misguided cross by a Waverly player took a few bounces and after some miscommunication between the Comet defenders and goalkeeper, the ball found its way into the back of the net.  

The second half saw the Comets carry play and create scoring chances.  Late in the game Senior Collin Brickner became a dangerous scoring option as a winger, but was unable to find the final touch.  The game ended in a 1-1 draw.  Sophomore goalkeeper Shawn Carr registered 7 saves.

Aristotle's quote above is reflective of the approach we have taken this year.  We know that there will be ups and downs through the season, but we hope that if we continue to train hard and effective, we'll develop a skill set that is necessary for success on the field.  We are striving for excellence in the Grand Ledge soccer program and hope that our habits help us to achieve that goal.

Next up for the JVA and Varsity team is another tough away match at Lansing Catholic.  Lansing Catholic was the Division III State Finalist in 2010.  The JVA game will kick off at 11am and the Varsity game will follow with a 1pm start.

It should also be noted that the players and coaches have agreed that Seniors Kyle Wilson and Josh Wissner will serve as captains this season.  The coaching staff always reserves the right to amend the choices as the season progresses, but we are hoping that Kyle and Josh can effectively lead their teammates both on and off the field this year.

If you are unable to make it to a game, but want to stay updated, assistant coach Matt Kaminski tweets the Varsity matches.  Follow us at @glsoccer.  We also have a facebook page at www.facebook.com/glsoccer

Go Comets!!
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