Scrimmage Invite

Alfredo of the Taz Devils have invited my teams to join his in a Scrimmage on Tuesday, October 4th at 8pm at the Willamalane  (map below), The field has been booked for an hour and a half, so it will not be a full game scrimmage. This scrimmage will replace our Tuesday practice for that week.

Please make an effort to show up for this event as it was very kind of Alfredo to have rented the field and put in the work to get this set up. This field is turf and there will be lights.

I hope to see you all there. Grass Kickers I know we have game on Wednesday but hopefully between the two teams we will have enough people show up that a) we can scrimmage and b) it will not be too tiring as we will have subs. Please bring a white shirt!

Game 3 vs. Dandy Lions

Our best game to date of the season! Great job everyone for upping your game and really maintaining and gaining control of the ball!

Olivia has really come into her own as a soccer player, way to go Olivia, great job with being more aggressive in getting your foot on the ball!

Todd scored our goal for this game, way to win one for the team!

We are definitely playing better together as a team, good job on increasing the communication between our players and helping each other out! It was also evident this game that our newer players are starting to find their feet so to say both in terms of skills and also knowing their positions.

This game was a close one and we did very good in both putting the pressure on offensively and protecting our goal with solid defense!

3 games down 5 to go and we are only getting better from here!

Finally special kudos to Daniel for his selfless effort and sacrifices for the Grass Kickers!

That is real blood!

Team BBQ and Shenanigans.

The Grass Kickers BBQ this Saturday was a wonderful spetacular sucess! Thanks everyone who came!

Josh brought his lovely family, we got to meet his beautiful wife, daughter, as well as Cesar's lovely wife. Of course Alejo, our little team mastcot was there soccer ball in hand! They brought amazing greek chicken kabobs that were delicious and went quickly!

Micah also brought his family and we were graced with his two lively children and wonderful wife. (Btw Micah I think one of your kids lost their hat, I will bring it to the next game)

Tyler came and made some amazingly delicious corn (was soo good many people didn't wait for me to go get the butter!) as well as steamed asparagus.

David and Olivia came to the rescue of vegetarians and those overwhelmed by the massive amount of meat with great vegetarian enchiladas, an amazing thai salad as well as (most importantly for me) home made ice cream in both chocolate and vanilla flavors!

Mark came and brought hot dogs and also was a very gracious bartender in making pina coladas for all who were interested. Todd and Ian (with lovely GF) contributed to the drinks and other side dishes which were perfect in rounding out the spread.

The evening ended with smores by the firepit and tired children sated with Wii playing.

All in All it was a wonderful event and I am so glad we did it!

Game 2 vs. Specific Heat

Wow, so I have been a little tardy this last week in posting, sorry guys!

Okay lets see...

Game 2 vs. Specific Heat:

We were down a few girls due to some players being out of town and others being injured but overall I think we did very well. We played together as a team much better than the first game and we improved in our ability to put some offensive pressure on the opposing team!

Also for this game we attempted to use a sub schedule which I would say all in all worked well. I believe everyone felt like they got a decent amount of laying time and also utilizing our new formation and sub schedule allowed us to put our players into the best positions for their talents. So once again please don't forget to RSVP for the games so that I can attempt to make us Sub Schedules!

This game marked also the first appearance of Myeshia who had to miss the last game due to being in Orlando to compete in the Gospel compeition. (side note, congrats to the UO Gospel singers for once again winning the competition!). We also found out that Myeshia will be performing with The Essentials at the Oak Street Speakeasy on October 14th. We will make a team effort to show up and support our teammate as well as let our hair down and dance our ass off!

I am glad to report that this game had pretty much no injuries. Andrea returned to the field after her ankle injury during game 1, and we were so glad to have her! Mark took a few hits for the team, one less mentionable and the other one which proved the superiority of his shin guards to those of our opponents.

Overall a great game~!

Next Game Wednesday the 21st, and don't forget we are the home team so break out your black jerseys!

Sunday Practice Recap

 Great practice today! We had 3 members of the Eugene Timbers Echo Squadron join us, and also Martin, Peter and Natalie from the Legit Misfits! With their numbers we were able to have a great 7v7 game. Thankfully it was not too hot by the time that practice started and I think everyone got some good exercise and also honed their skills.

Peter was a great example today of the usefulness and effectiveness of always communicating with your team by demonstration great calling out during play and encouraging his fellow players to do so. I think especially for newer players like myself, having good communication on the field definitely helps our game play and helps us be more effective members on the team.

So glad to see everyone, hope to see you all next Sunday. For those that can't join Sunday practices, remember that we will be doing Tuesday evenings also.

As always feel free to bring any friends and family members who want to play (thanks for bringing your husband Bre!) the more the merrier!





Soccer Positions

Here are some helpful descriptions of positions that I have found:

Defensive Positions

Defenders or backs play behind the midfielders and their primary responsibility is to provide support to the goalkeeper, and to prevent the opposition from scoring a goal. They usually remain in the half of the field that contains the goal they are defending.

The job of the center-back, also called stoppers, is to stop opposing players, particularly the strikers, from scoring, and to bring the ball out from their penalty area. Their main task is to mark the most advanced enemy forwards and fight with them in 50/50 encounters. This is the most defensively-oriented field position in soccer. Stoppers have to remain in the backline, almost at all times and usually cover the shortest distance in a match (second only to goalkeepers). Stoppers rarely get involved in offense, except in set pieces like corners and during initial buildup. 

Full-backs take up the wide defensive positions, one on each side of the field. Their main task is to prevent opposition players crossing or cutting the ball back into the penalty area. In some defensive systems, full-backs mark opponents. Most full backs are also expected to provide an attacking dimension by getting up-field along the wings and providing crosses. Fullbacks get actively involved in their team's offense by staying wide, making overlapping runs and pushing up the flank.

Midfield Positions:

Midfielders are players whose position of play is midway between the attacking strikers and the defenders. Their main duties are to maintain possession of the ball, taking the ball from defenders and feeding it to the strikers, as well as dispossessing opposing players. Midfielders can be expected to cover many areas of a pitch, as at times they can be called back into defense or required to attack with the strikers. 

The outside midfielder must be very fit and is supposed to be active in both defense and offense. In defense, the he must mark the widest opponent on his flank. When he finds himself free, the outside midfielder may pinch in towards the middle while remaining on the same level with the ball. This way, he is preserving the defensive compactness of his team. In attack, the outside midfielder must stay wide, especially in the early stages of buildup. By providing width, he will stretch out the enemy defense. The outside midfielder should make supporting runs up the sideline and should be able to carry the ball.

A defensive midfielder, holding midfielder or midfield anchor is a central midfielder who is stationed in front of the back defenders for defensive reasons, thus "holding back" the freedom of the opponents to attack. The defensive midfielder screens the defense by harrying and tackling the opposition teams' attackers and defenders. They also help tactically, for instance, by directing central attacking players out to the wing where they have more limited influence, and by covering the positions of full-backs, midfielders and even the center-backs as they charge up into attack. He roams laterally from sideline to sideline, usually pressuring the ball. If any of his teammates gets beaten in the middle of the field, the defensive midfielder is expected to be first in providing backup. In offense, the defensive midfielder must stay behind the attacking line, collecting rebounds and miss-kicks. He is also expected to make supporting runs and give back pass options, especially when the ball is out, near the sideline.

An attacking midfielder is a central midfielder who is stationed in an advanced midfield position, usually behind the strikers. These players typically serve as the offensive pivot of the team, and are sometimes said to be "playing in the hole". This specialist midfielder's main role is to create goal-scoring opportunities using superior vision and skill. The attacking midfielder is an important position that requires the player to possess superior technical abilities in terms of passing and, perhaps more importantly, the ability to read the opposing defense in order to deliver defense-splitting passes to the strikers. When his team does not have possession, the center midfielder is expected to drop back and pressure the ball. In offense the attacking midfielder should be in involved in the action by making runs towards the ball.

Forward Positions:

Strikers or forwards are the players on a team in the row nearest to the opposing team's goal. The primary responsibility of strikers/forwards is to score goals. Other duties can include setting up goals for other players (usually another forward, but sometimes midfielders as well) and holding the ball up so that other players may join the attack. The job of the forward is not merely to head for goal every time he receives the ball. He must also make runs towards his own goal and support the midfield rather than simply rush forward. Whenever a team is playing with two forwards, they must both move in conjunction. If the ball is on the left flank for example, they must shift towards it so that one of them is in the center and the other near the sideline. By keeping the distance between each other constant, forwards can work the ball effectively while pulling apart the enemy defense. 

A Overview of Penalties and Offenses

Just wanted to give some clarification for our newer players on what counts as a foul or will incur a penalty in the game. The following information was obtained from the FIFA. I hope this is helpful and also as we have just the one referee in games I wanted to make sure everyone knows what behavior is acceptable or not acceptable and to be aware of it when it happens.


A direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a player commits any of the following seven offences in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless or using excessive force:

• kicks or attempts to kick an opponent
• trips or attempts to trip an opponent
• jumps at an opponent
• charges an opponent
• strikes or attempts to strike an opponent
• pushes an opponent
• tackles an opponent

A direct free kick is also awarded to the opposing team if a player commits any of the following three offences:

• holds an opponent
• spits at an opponent
• handles the ball deliberately (except for the goalkeeper within his own penalty area)

A direct free kick is taken from the place where the offence occurred (see Law 13 - Position of free kick).

An indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a goalkeeper, inside his own penalty area, commits any of the following four offences:

• controls the ball with his hands for more than six seconds before releasing it from his possession
• touches the ball again with his hands after he has released it from his possession and before it has touched another player
•  touches the ball with his hands after it has been deliberately kicked to him by a team-matetouches the ball with his hands after he has received it directly from a throw-in taken by a team-mate

An indirect free kick is also awarded to the opposing team if, in the opinion of the referee, a player:

• plays in a dangerous manner
• impedes the progress of an opponent
• prevents the goalkeeper from releasing the ball from his hands
• commits any other offence, not previously mentioned in Law 12, for which play is stopped to caution or send off a player

The indirect free kick is taken from the place where the offence occurred (see Law 13 - Position of free kick).

Cautionable offences

A player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he commits any of the following seven offences:

• unsporting behaviour
• dissent by word or action
• persistent infringement of the Laws of the Game
• delaying the restart of play
• failure to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick, free kick or throw-in
• entering or re-entering the field of play without the referee's permission
• deliberately leaving the field of play without the referee's permission

A substitute or substituted player is cautioned if he commits any of the following three offences:

• unsporting behaviour
• dissent by word or action
• delaying the restart of play

Sending-off offences

A player, substitute or substituted player is sent off if he commits any of the following seven offences:

• serious foul play
• violent conduct
• spitting at an opponent or any other person
• denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball (this does not apply to a goalkeeper within his own penalty area)
• denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player's goal by an offence punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick
• using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures
• receiving a second caution in the same match

A player, substitute or substituted player who has been sent off must leave the vicinity of the field of play and the technical area.

Ankle Injuries

In light of Andrea's ankle injury this past game, and the fact that I also rolled my ankle during that game a bit I was looking at some information on taping/wrapping/bracing. There are good videos and how tos for taping and wrapping out there for anyone who is intersted. Also I found the below article which I found to be some interesting food for thought. It is an exerpt from this article

Taping Pros and Cons

In most cases, athletes prefer taping because it's customized and less bulky. Although taping may be the method of choice, drawbacks exist, one of which is cost. If an athlete needs repetitive taping over an extended time, costs can be considerable.

What's more, a qualified person needs to apply the tape appropriately. If it's applied incorrectly, ankle joint support will be inadequate and other problems, such as blisters, tape cuts and biomechanical problems may occur. If taping is the chosen method of support, the athlete must have a quality tape job that's applied by a qualified person.

Another disadvantage is that taping loses its effectiveness shortly after play begins. Studies have shown that taping support decreases between 40 percent and 50 percent anywhere between five and 20 minutes into the activity.² Shapiro et al. also showed that quality of support deteriorated with use when athletes taped their ankles.³ But taping does help prevent ankle injury. A landmark study by Garrick and Requa (1973) concluded that taping did have a significant role in preventing ankle sprains vs. ankles without protective taping.⁴

In addition, taping can assist in preventing ankle sprain injuries by assisting with proprioception. Heit, Lephart & Rozzi assessed the proprioceptive effects of ankle taping of 26 subjects by evaluating ankle joint position sense.⁵ This study demonstrates that ankle taping improves joint position sense in the stable ankle. Robbins, Waked, & Rappel studied 24 healthy subjects and the effects of taping on foot position awareness.⁶ This study suggests ankle taping improves proprioception before and after exercise.

Pros and Cons of Ankle Braces

Like taping, ankle braces also offer advantages. First, athletes can reuse the brace each time they participate in an activity. In the long run, this is a financial advantage.

Second, athletes can apply the ankle brace themselves after they've been properly instructed on doing so. Third, ankle braces restrict the range of motion for a longer period than taping.² And fourth, a study has shown that ankle braces do a better job of preventing or reducing the recurrence of ankle sprains.⁷

Other studies have looked at the effects of prophylactic braces and tape on an inversion moment force applied to the ankle. Many of the braces helped resist inversion at a level comparable with or exceeding the capability of the freshly applied tape. Braces that were not as effective as the tape could be readjusted and their effectiveness restored.³

Taping and bracing have positives and negatives, but do they impede athletic performance? In a study that looked at both taping and bracing on athletic performance, taping only had a minimal negative effect on physical activities, such as vertical jump, shuttle run and a 200 meter run in comparison to ankle bracing and a control group.⁸ This indicates that taping and bracing wouldn't interfere with the athlete's performance.

Another study conducted by Verbrugge compared the effects of taping vs. bracing on 26 male athletes during an agility run, a 40 yard dash and a vertical jump.⁹ Their study suggests that bracing and taping don't impede athletic performance.

As we mentioned earlier, the decision to tape vs. brace is one of the most debated issues in sports medicine. Many of the articles commonly referred to as "definitive treatment" are merely descriptive observations gathered from empirical observation and from what we experienced as athletes ourselves.

After a lateral ankle sprain, we brand a person as having an increased risk of reoccurrence. Why? Are we sufficiently looking at issues, such as altered hip muscle recruitment patterns? Are we placing athletes in "crutches" for prolonged periods, inhibiting their ability to interact in complex environments that require efficient patterns of neuromuscular control?

If we, as clinicians, knew the best way to do something, then we'd all follow the same approach. We must carefully review the literature, listen to those who require intervention and be willing to change when we need to."

I also found this step by step instructions with pictures for taping an ankle, and also this one for taping for plantar fasciitis.

I hope this is helpful. I will also be posting more information on training and injury prevention both on here and on our Team Cowboy site. Let me know if there is specific areas you would like me to focus on.

Game 1: vs. Slow Motion

Great Game and Wonderful Teamwork! It was our first game as a team and I think it went great! I am so impressed by the awesomeness of all of our players and how friendly, cooperative and encouraging everyone was! We have a really good group of people for whom I am so thankful and I am very excited for this season! I will update the score on Team Cowboy as soon as they are up tomorrow (honestly I got a bit confused and lost track towards the end)

First game was a bit rough though I think we did very well all things considered. I am happy to report that most of us got out unscathed (see team highlights below), and overall, again as it was our first game together, I am excited at the promise that our team showed.

Game Highlights include (among many)

• Ian earned his title of team captain by scoring our first ever goal as a team, go Ian!
• Heather rallied for the girls by having made the closet shot of all the girls, dang that stupid post!
• Andrea was amazing and dedicated and took one for the team having suffered our first (but hopefully minor) injury in the pursuit of team victory. 
• Scott did double time as forward and goalie and doing a great job as both.
• David, our goal keep, was willing and ready to take sacrifice when needed and did with a ball to the face!
• and finally to the family and friends who showed up to cheer us on!

Good job team! Can't wait for our next match! And remember, I fully expect us to cheer and shout and scream like 14 yr old girls at a Bieber concert whenever we score!

Administrative details:

• There will be a scrimmage/practice/pick up game this Friday at Spencer Butte Middle School at 7pm. I am inviting both my teams and we are to scrimmage against the Taz Devils. 
• Practice this Sunday at 3pm on the fields next to UO Rec Center (map below).
• I will be holding Sunday and Monday practices (Monday time and place TBD) which I will open to both my teams in hopes of encouraging higher attendance - look for details on Team Cowboy
• For the next game I will bring a cooler (if you have one I can use please let me know) with a gallon of water, a bag of ice, ice packs, ace bandages/athletic wrap (Ian and anyone else feel free to contribute). If there is anything else we should have in the team equipment box (my car trunk) please let me know.
• Finally, my dad Sam (number 7) will be changing to a part time player as a full game is a bit beyond his abilities at his age (though I must say, if I do so myself, that he is in pretty darned good shape for his age).

Lastly, the team BBQ is on the horizon so if you have not RSVPed please do so, I will send out an email confirming meat choice and side dish contribution mid next week before I have to go shopping. 

Great job team, I hope you all had as much fun as I did!

Parking is on the street, it should not be too bad (theoretically) on a Sunday

Important Rules!

Rules for general game behavior

1. Must bring photo I.D.!!!!!! Any photo I.D. will do, including student I.D.s and Costco card (thanks Ian!)
2. If you are late to the game, please hand your I.D. to the referee which he will hold until half-time.
3. No Jewelry - This can result in a yellow card

Rules of Game Play

1. 3 yellow cards will result in ejection from game
2. 1 red card will result in ejection from game
3. 2 ejections/suspensions will result in a player being suspended from the league for the year
4. A soft red card will count as 2 yellows
5. A professional red card will count as 1 yellow
6. Absolutely no sliding or slide tackling. The goalie may slide in the penalty box to retrieve the ball but NOT slide feet first to take possession of the ball from an opponent

Rules of substitution

1. Team in possession of the ball:
• throw-in
• corner kick
• free kick
• when the other team in possession of the ball substitutes
2. Any time during:
• Half Time
• Following a Goal
• Injured player (after playing has stopped)
• cautioned player
• goal kick

League Game Play rules

1. At least 6 players must be present to play with at least 2 women. 
2. If a team begins a game with 6 women and 4 men there is no 2 point advantage for goals made by female players
3. If both managers decide at the beginning of the game that goals made by female players only count for 1 point then the rule stands for the entire game.

Game Day and Field Use

Okay if you have not accepted your Team Cowboy invitation I sent then please do so. Also please RSVP to the games as far as you know so that I can have an idea of who will be coming.

I am going to split the info I got at the manager's meeting into a few different posts and Ian will help me with some of them.

On game days the high school teams have use of the fields until 8:00pm. So some things to note:

• There will be a lot of traffic obviously from our teams showing up and the high school athletes leaving
• remain off the fields until 8:00pm. Do not use the fields unless they are empty.
• do not stand on team sidelines if game or practice is going on, if you wish to stretch or warm-up please do so outside of the stadium.
• Games will start as soon as possible on the dot of 8:00pm. Please make sure you are geared up, stretched and warmed up by 8:00pm

Field use rules

• No Alcoholic Beverages
• No Glass Containers
• No Tobacco Products
• No Dogs
• No Sunflower seeds, gum or peanut shells

On the Team Cowboy site there are links to the maps and directions to each field.

Season Schedule

Week	Date	Home	Away	Field
1	9/7/2011	Slow Motion	The Grass Kickers	N. Eugene HS
2	9/14/2011	Specific Heat	The Grass Kickers	S. Eugene HS
3	9/21/2011	The Grass Kickers	Dandy Lions	ATA (Jefferson MS)
4	9/28/2011	La Mano de Dios	The Grass Kickers	Cal Young MS
5	10/5/2011	The Grass Kickers	Master's of None	Cal Young MS
6	10/12/2011	Legal Thunder	The Grass Kickers	N. Eugene HS
7	10/19/2011	The Grass Kickers	Doodles	ATA (Jefferson MS)
8	10/26/2011	The Grass Kickers	Slow Motion	Churchhill HS

I am setting us up on a site called Team Cowboy. You will each start to get invites to the site as soon as I get this done. On this site it will give you directions to the fields as well as most importantly let you RSVP to each game. This way we can know ahead of time how many people are coming.

Here is a link to the City of Eugene site which also has the schedule and will have the scores and team standings. City Of Eugene Athletics

Also the numbers for each player has been finalized (let me know if i got your number wrong)

 1 -  Andrea
 2 -  Jennifer
 3 -  Tyler
 4 -  Heather
 5 -  Breanne
 6 -  Nancy
 7 -  Sam
 8 -  Olivia
 9 -  Ambur
10 - Nate
11 - Linsey
12 - Daniel
13 - Mark
14 - Josh
15 - Scott
16 - Myeshia
17 - Micha
18 - David
19 - Todd
20 - Ian

Also by my nomination and voting during yesterday's practice Ian is now the team captain. Which means if for some reason I can't come to a game or practice theroetically Ian should be there. Between the two of us we will make sure there will always be a game ball, a pump and (when I am there) goalie gloves.