With surprise winners at last years Boy's finals, who are some of the favorites coming into this fall season? Who are some of the top players in the metro area?
X-man--you gotta relax. It's a coaches poll--do you really expect them to follow every other team like you do? Why do you respect their opinions in the poll while you rip many of them endlessly here.
I'd say Osseo, Coon Rapids, and Centennial get a shot. The others are riding on past years' laurels. (see Wayzata) Rare, because usually that conference is virtually ignored.
The great thing about polls is we get to see how good they are in the playoffs.... outside of the first 5 in AA and Totino-Grace in A nothing is certain about any of the teams in the polls.
Prior Lake is terrible, they tied a bad Burnsville team...just stop. Cretin is...well...not good.
EP is decent, but is it me or has the talent statewide gone WAY down this year. The Apple Valley, Anoka, Wayzata, Jefferson, and Burnsville teams from 01-07 would easily shell EP or Edina 4-0.
I do expect the talent to pick up in the coming years and hopefully this is just a fluke season but it has not been pretty to watch IMO.
If Cretin-Derham Hall is not good then read the results of past 6 games and ask yourself are the wins over Coon Rapids and Woodbury a fluke? Tue 2 7:00 PM Forest Lake W 3-2 Thu 4 4:00 PM Coon Rapids W 3-0 (#5 in State) Sat 6 5:30 PM Park of Cottage Grove W 4-2 Mon 8 5:00 PM Woodbury W 4-3 (#9 in State) Wed 10 5:00 PM Mounds View W 2-1
The talent has not gone down from last many years but actually improving along with the game in general as more qualified coaches coming onto the scene. You don't see a lot of (very common) kick-n-chase style and balls going w/o direction. The midfield play is getting more time than before. The build-up in attack is there. The team concept is there. You don't see many teams have one or two kids running from end to end to win the game or kids dribble like Maradona. The game is changing for the better but at slower pace but it's better.
Marqueis Gray's Tutor said... me xman,
Prior Lake is terrible, they tied a bad Burnsville team...just stop. Cretin is...well...not good.
EP is decent, but is it me or has the talent statewide gone WAY down this year. The Apple Valley, Anoka, Wayzata, Jefferson, and Burnsville teams from 01-07 would easily shell EP or Edina 4-0.
I do expect the talent to pick up in the coming years and hopefully this is just a fluke season but it has not been pretty to watch IMO.
When was the last time Maple Grove beat Osseo? Reading from Osseo Boys Soccer website: http://www.osseosoccer.com/mens 9/28/2004 Osseo 4-1 Maple Grove 9/27/2005 Osseo 0-0 Maple Grove 9/26/2006 Osseo 0-0 Maple Grove 9/19/2007 Osseo 2-1 Maple Grove
I have Osseo dominating midfield and attacking plays with strong defense. Maple Grove has been playing weak teams so far and not tested throughly like Osseo.
Anonymous said... MG v. OSSEO THURS. Night any thoughts on the huge rivalry?
Maple Grove is lucky with easy first-half schedule so far. They have some real tests coming: 9/18 Osseo 9/20 Tartan 9/23 Anoka 9/25 Centennial 9/30 Coon Rapids 10/2 Park Center 10/4 St.Louis Park
This should be a good game and it's one of my "Games to Watch". I have a 1-1 tie. Anonymous said... Me xman...prediction on Lakeville North vs Eagan matchup tonight at North. 16/9/08 10:08 AM
Top 10 in Action - Tuesday 9/16 1. Eden Prairie (Away 7pm at Bloomington Kennedy) 2. Edina (Away 5pm at Hopkins) 3. Apple Valley (Away 7pm at Lakeville South) 4. Osseo (Home 7pm vs Coon Rapids) 5. Coon Rapids (Away 7pm at Osseo) 6. St. Louis Park (Home 7pm vs Benilde-St. Margaret's) 7. Anoka (Home 7pm vs Centennial) 8. Maple Grove (Away 7pm at Elk River) 9. Woodbury (Home 7pm vs Park of Cottage Grove) 10. Robbinsdale Armstrong (Away 7pm at Wayzata)
Games to watch Coon Rapids vs. Osseo | 7:00 PM at Osseo Centennial vs. Anoka | 7:00 PM at Anoka Eagan vs. Lakeville North | 7:00 PM at Lakeville North
TIME CHANGE: LN vs Eagan at LN is at 8pm... something about a JV game at 4 in the stadium before girls at 6pm and boys at 8pm.
Which brings a thought, would there be more attention paid to high school soccer if games were later in the evening? Maybe girls play home when boys play away at the same time (7pm kick off?) or all start times at 6pm and 8pm...
An international exchange student here for the start of the school year was not allowed to play soccer. Why wouldn't the MSHL let the kid play HS soccer? Are they worried that HS's are now recruiting kids from Europe? The MSHL is a joke.
Many times an exchange student is not allowed to play because of a paperwork issue or because the athlete is too old to be considered a high school athlete.
I agree that there are many things the MSHSL does that are not necessary but I would assume they have these rules to send a "uniform" message.
Unfortunately, this sends the wrong message to students, especially visiting students.
me x-man - Just a thought, what will your post look like if MG beats Osseo?
Prediction, Coon Rapids 2-0 over Osseo. Coon Rapids plays a physical game and most of their players have played together all summer. They have a solid defense and goalie. They communicate well and Osseo will not be able to take advantage of the miscommunication errors that have been their bread and butter.
I like the idea that JV games could be played in the stadiums with a 4:00 start. But varsity games that end at almost 10:00 gets the visiting team home by 11:00. With 3 games a week, that's a tough schedule.
3:28PM They have been confusing to say the least. This game tonight has a foundation of premier kids (LVN)against a bunch of C1 kids (Eagan), who got destroyed at the State Cup. Either way, the game doesn't mean much other than bragging rights. Neither team is playing with much consistency and have no chance to win the conference. Lakeville has one of the weakest sections in the state and if they don't advance this year, it has nothing to do with the quality of players.
Games should be played on Saturday nights, under lights, on grass, in small venues such as Apple Valley Johnny Cake or Edina Braemar.
Games on artificial turf in these large football stadiums will never appeal to me.
If you really want MN High School soccer to appeal to the masses, make the MN High School game 8v8 on a U12 field because:
- increases game action - decreases bootball - increases the technical aspects of the game - our players aren't athletic enough to cover the full field - we don't have enough good players to have good 11v11 teams - a smaller, cozier field is more enjoyable for the typical student spectator
Sorry but the talent overall has been down this year and way way down from three years ago. Kids do understand the game better but the top atheletes are not playing. I have not seen a player yet that makes me say wow, this has been the first year in 18 years that I can say that, and yes I have seen all the top kids mentioned on the site. The best atheletes are moveing away from soccer in this state and if we did not get all of the imagrants coming and playing the state would have very very few players who are fun to watch.
What a game between Osseo and Coon Rapids. The best game in conference. Osseo down 2-0 at half but came back with 3 goals and CR scored with header from corner kick to tie the game. In OT Osseo dominated the play but can't score. Almost but no. Crazy game!
Top 10 in Action - Tuesday 9/16 Results 1. Eden Prairie (Eden Prairie 1, Bloomington Kennedy 1) Tied 2. Edina (Hopkins 3, Edina 2) Lost 3. Apple Valley (Apple Valley 3, Lakeville South 1) Won 4. Osseo (Coon Rapids 3, Osseo 3) Tied 5. Coon Rapids (Coon Rapids 3, Osseo 3) Tied 6. St. Louis Park (Benilde-St. Margaret's 0, St. Louis Park 0) Tied 7. Anoka (Centennial 0, Anoka 0) Tied 8. Maple Grove (Elk River 1, Maple Grove 0) Lost 9. Woodbury (Park of Cottage Grove 2, Woodbury 2) Tied 10. Robbinsdale Armstrong (Robbinsdale Armstrong 1, Wayzata 0) Won
Games to watch - Results Coon Rapids 3-3 Osseo Centennial 0-0 Anoka Eagan 3-1 Lakeville North
Predictions - Results Coon Rapids 1-3 Osseo (Final: Coon Rapids 3-3 Osseo) No Centennial 2-1 Anoka (Final: Centennial 0-0 Anoka) No Eagan 1-1 Lakeville North (Final: Eagan 3-1 Lakeville North) No o 0-for-3. Not good. Try again another day.
A few thoughts o Edina lost to Hopkins is an interesting score. Edina should be better than that. o EP got a let down after beating up on Apple Valley? Tied 1-1 Bloomington Kennedy? What's going on here? o Cretin-Derham Hall 5-3 St.Paul Academy and CDH should get in Top 10. o St. Louis Park should slide more in Top 10. o Maple Grove lost to Elk River 1-0 and I suspect they're sliding rest of season. They should be out of Top 10 next week. o After beating Armstrong, Minnetonka lost three straight games. Just a blip of glory I guess. o Bloomington Jefferson 2-0 Minnetonka and making a come back to Top 10? o Osseo has a good chance in winning their conference title and winner of 5AA Section. Centennial is a tough opponent there. o Coon Rapids is for real. They'll win their 7AA Section. Anoka is the only tough opponent there. o Woodbury shouldn't be in Top 10 if they can't beat Park of Cottage Grove.
I've seen numerous games over on the east side of the twin cities, including about 3 of St. Paul Centrals. Maybe Central shouldn't be ranked, but don't count them out. They've had a few blips against top teams but only by a goal and have always been in those games. They have numerous kids who can score goals, a central midfielder in Sam Mann who really seems to be a step above most of the other players on the field. Not only technically good, but outstanding vision and the ability to get the pass there with the correct weight. He's fun to watch.
The team is 6-0 in conference, outscoring they're opponents 25-1, which may be saying more about the St. Paul conference in general then Central. But still, they have to get the job done and they have, very convincingly. There non-conference record goes like this. ****** Stillwater Tourney Central 2, Wayzata 0 Central 0, EP 1 (Championship game) ******* Mpls SW 1, Central 0 Central 1, Edina 1 Mahtomedia 1, Central 0 Central 0, Maple Grove 0
The Suburban East Conf is not as strong as in the past. Look at Cretin, they were destroyed by Eastview, a good result with Coon Rapids. I am not so sure on Cretin in the top 10. A good run but no chance they are a top 10 team.
Prior Lake only has one loss, they have some tough games in the next few weeks. Kennedy is much improved and give them credit for getting a tie with EP.
How about this section Eden Prairie, Edina, Jefferson, Prior Lake. 4 losses between the 4 of them, you have a much improved Kennedy and Chaska team in this section too. YIKES!!! I am glad we are up north.
Hopkins 3, Edina 2 Hopkins was up 2-0 35 min into the game controlling much of the play. The D fell apart for a bit and Edina took advantage scoring twice in 2 min towards the end of the half. Edina only had 3 shots at halftime and 2 went in. 2nd half was a little more even but Hopkins held much of the ball and got a goal about 20 min in. Last 3 min were an all out Edina attack but they didn't threaten the net too much.
Eagan completely dominated possession and play. The score should have been 4-1 at the half (it was 1-1). Lakeville is all about offense and frequently sends 4 men up. They are fast and physical, but a little week in their foot skills. Eagan is a top 20 team, just not sure where.
Top 10 in Action - Thursday 9/18 1. Eden Prairie (Home 5pm vs Bloomington Jefferson) 2. Edina (off) 3. Apple Valley (Away 5pm at Rosemount) 4. Osseo (Away 5pm at Maple Grove) 5. Coon Rapids (Home 5pm vs Anoka) 6. St. Louis Park (Away 5pm at Fridley) 7. Anoka (Away 5pm at Coon Rapids) 8. Maple Grove (Home 5pm vs Osseo) 9. Woodbury (Home 5pm vs Hastings) 10. Robbinsdale Armstrong (Away 5pm at Hopkins)
Games to watch Anoka vs. Coon Rapids | 5:00 PM at Coon Rapids Bloomington Jefferson vs. Eden Prairie | 5:00 PM at Eden Prairie Robbinsdale Armstrong vs. Hopkins | 5:00 PM at Hopkins Lakeville South vs. Lakeville North | 5:00 PM at Lakeville North Osseo vs. Maple Grove | 5:00 PM at Maple Grove
Predictions Anoka 1-1 Coon Rapids Bloomington Jefferson 1-3 Eden Prairie Robbinsdale Armstrong 1-2 Hopkins Lakeville South 1-2 Lakeville North Osseo 3-1 Maple Grove
Why would you consider Lakeville North and Lakeville South a game to watch? One team has lost 4 of their last five with a tie, and the other has lost 4 of its last 5. Seems like an ugly game among two sinking teams from the same city.
Lakeville North and Lakeville South poor results this year just another indication of the poor training so many of those players are getting in their home club.
1:50pm O.K., I'll bite with some facts. Lakeville North was one of the best teams in the state last year (fact), going undefeated in the regular season (fact), winning a tough lake conference (fact), in spite of two high schools that have caused a diluted talent pool (fact). I think you need to check your facts. Just a reminder Lakeville South Girls won the state tournament last year (fact) and also produced Ms. Soccer (fact). Pull your head out of your...Lakeville Club program might not be a good example to support your point, however improvements can always be made at every club level (fact).
2:33, If you look at Lakeville South girls team last year you'll see several of their best players were long time members of the Bangu Club so I really don't think you can give the Lakeville club near as much credit as you would like.
Jefferson 7 in a row without a loss. 5-0-2 during that span and have only given up two goals in the past 7 games. That kind of defending and organization is tough to do in HS. Look for JHS to crack top 10 if they can get past a much improved Shakopee team.
Top 10 Osseo 8-1-2 (Loss to Armstrong) Apple Valley 10-1 (Loss to EP) Coon Rapids 8-1-2 (win over Anoka tie with Osseo) Eden Praire 7-1-3 (Win over AV, loss to Jefferson) Edina 9-2-1 (Win over Jefferson) St Louis Park 7-1-2 (no great wins) Prior Lake (Loss to AV, win over Jefferson) Eagan 10-3 Loss to AV and EP Jefferson 7-2-2 (loss to PL and Edina) win at EP Armstrong 7-3-2 Southwest Tartan Cretin
I have said from the beginning that EP was overrated and would probably not even win conference, yet alone state. they tied Benilde, who is average at best in A. Same goes for SLP. Unless entire state is down, i am not sure either belongs in top 5.
This is a year there are very few dominate teams, the difference between A and AA is not like the past. You could look at matching up teams from each top 10 and would see close competitive soccer matches...... not a lot difference in most the High School Teams out there.
ok i don't live in burnsville or prior lake but they are not bad. they are pretty decent. burnsville could be better but they aren't "bad". I don't know the coach or anything but to me looks like they are just playing bootball. and thats not the type of soccer burnsville played last year or the year before. Prior lake has improved so much this year. they also are a decent team. EP played jefferson on the worse field anyone could play on. If any team was a home team on that field and EP went there i'm sure they would beat EP. Eagan is too improving. They have a good team coming from a good c1 team so they all know how to play with eachother. Lakeville north is the one thats breaking down. they were doing good in the beginning but now there just breaking down.
3:57pm...This isn't about giving the Lakeville Club to much credit, but please, when was the last time Bangu developed anyone from let's say U6 - U11/12. It's the community clubs that are developing these kids. Bangu has always been known for there cherry picking and cool aid.
Top 10 in Action - Thursday 9/18 Results 1. Eden Prairie (Jefferson 1, Eden Prairie 0) Lost 2. Edina (off) 3. Apple Valley (Apple Valley 4, Rosemount 0) Won 4. Osseo (Osseo 3, Maple Grove 0) Won 5. Coon Rapids (Coon Rapids 2, Anoka 0) Won 6. St. Louis Park (Away 5pm at Fridley) 7. Anoka (Coon Rapids 2, Anoka 0) Lost 8. Maple Grove (Osseo 3, Maple Grove 0) Lost 9. Woodbury (Woodbury 3, Hastings 1) Won 10. Robbinsdale Armstrong (Hopkins 3, Armstrong 0) Lost
Games to watch - Results Anoka 0-2 Coon Rapids Bloomington Jefferson 1-0 Eden Prairie Robbinsdale Armstrong 0-3 Hopkins Lakeville South 6-0 Lakeville North Osseo 3-0 Maple Grove
Predictions - Results Anoka 1-1 Coon Rapids (Final: Anoka 0-2 Coon Rapids) No Bloomington Jefferson 1-3 Eden Prairie (Bloomington Jefferson 1-0 Eden Prairie) No Robbinsdale Armstrong 1-2 Hopkins (Final: Robbinsdale Armstrong 0-3 Hopkins) Yes Lakeville South 1-2 Lakeville North (Final: Lakeville South 6-0 Lakeville North) No Osseo 3-1 Maple Grove (Final: Osseo 3-0 Maple Grove) Yes o 2-for-5. Getting tough with all these upsets. But that's HS soccer.
Others - Results Cretin-Derham Hall 4-0 Roseville
A few thoughts o Surprising lost for Eden Prairie or letdown since beating Appley Valley 5-1. o Bloomington Jefferson should be in consideration for Top 10 with win over Minnetonka and EP. o Maple Grove shouldn't be in Top 10 in first place. They should be off next week. o Hopkins should be in Top 10 after beating up St.Louis Park, Edina and Armstrong. o Armstrong should be off Top 10. o Cretin-Derham Hall should be in Top 10. o Mpls SW to play Anoka this Saturday. We'll see how good Mpls SW is. o Rogers 14, Big Lake 0. It's average of 5.71 mins per goal. Is this fair? o Park Center 1, Centennial 0 (OT). Interesting.
8:40 AM...you are right. bangu is over rated. i use to play with them and then it just got too over rated. they dont teach you what community teams do thats why i play with them now. lakeville is a good community club, burnsville is also a top community club...with other teams like eagan valley etc. thats what makes there high school team good cause most of them play witht here community and they know how to play with eachother.
Here's a storyline that would be neat to have unfold.
Jefferson and Prior Lake, with some upsets, could meet in the section finals. Everyone knows Jefferson has had a top coach for years. Prior Lake has been showing huge improvements in recent years. The Prior Lake coach is one of the best players in Jefferson history who played for Jefferson's coach in the 1990s. Prior Lake's assistant coach is one of the best female players in Jefferson history, winning player of the year about 15 years ago.
It would be fun to see that matchup unfold as both teams are well-coached and very competitive.
Top 10 in Action - Friday 9/19 1. Eden Prairie (Away 5pm at Fargo South) 2. Edina (off) 3. Apple Valley (off) 4. Osseo (off) 5. Coon Rapids (off) 6. St. Louis Park (off) 7. Anoka (off) 8. Maple Grove (off) 9. Woodbury (off) 10. Robbinsdale Armstrong (off)
7:22pm. Predicted the outcome but I don't think it was a slaughter, correct. My understanding the field conditions were less than ideal. But I'll give credit for the prediction. Now here's my prediction...Jefferson does not make it out of there section.
I used to play for Bangu (I now play in college). I think Bangu is great. We went to a lot of great tournaments and most importantly, we won State Cup multiple times. Playing at the Regional Tournament was the best soccer tournament I've ever played in (and I've played in the dome for the high school tournament). Bangu provided me with the best opportunity to play in the most competitive games with the best players. High School soccer doesn't even compare, so who cares how well your high school team plays together? If you're good enough to play for a summer select team, make the most of it.
9:31pm Let me get this straight, If your summer select does well, than who cares about the high school team and how well they play together? This would explain why High School Teams who have premier players on them seem to under achieve. Am i missing something?
Maybe I'm missing something... What 9:31 seems to be saying is that his Bangu soccer experience was more competitive than high school. Are we really going to try and argue that point? The kids dead on and I'm no Bangu lover...
10:01am soc mom this is a quote from your son..."so who cares how well your high school team plays together?" How does this make him dead on. I do agree about his summer soccer experience being more competitive than high school...if that's what he was trying to say...but that's not what he said.
me xman...I agree about Bloomington Jefferson, don't know enough about the other two squads. Bloomington is due for a let down. Hopefully they don't loose that horeshoe this week.
Osseo is not that good--IF you go at them. They were lucky in the Coon Rapids game--CR is a deep group.
MG had real chances. Nobody could score. Could have been 3-2 easy. Of course, it could have been 5-0 without the MG goalie--a sophomore. He was excellent.
I have the tape from Osseo-CR game. I can tell you that Osseo dominates that game and would have won easily in reg time and OT. CR has no skills and bunch of runners. They sub in fresh legs to run opponents down (nothing wrong with that).
Anon 10:09- Nice try but not one of my boys. (They've been taught not to hide behind anonymity). I still think he hits the nail. If you notice, he precedes your cut with "High School soccer doesn't even compare, so..." But, I am sensitive to his position. Three of my kids played premier / MWL soccer. Then it’s off to HS and sub par team-mates in comparison… (Not everyone goes to a BJ, TG etc…). Don’t get me wrong, they enjoyed their HS experience and were rewarded for their efforts. But it in no way prepared them for college soccer….
Who cares how well your HS team plays together: My point was...you shouldn't choose your summer team based on wanting your HS team to play well together. In the end, the HS product is always poor and a few stars from select teams dominate (i.e. WB).
Choose your summer team based on wanting to play on the most competitive team with the best coach and best players against the most competitive competition. That's why I chose Bangu and had my best years of development there.
And about "missing the point on where my development began," Who cares? I'm always trying to develop. Most importantly, where is my development going to end.
Just don't take HS soccer too seriously. It's only 75 days long, it's ugly soccer, and the top players are already thinking about next club season.
socmom...just a reminder this is a High School blog. This discusion what started by the topics of "development" if you come in at the 11th hour, try to get up to speed. BTW-where are your sons going to college on there full ride soccer scholarships?
I miss the girl’s blog... But fair enough Anon 11:12. I went back and found the “cc development” train of thought. I couldn’t agree MORE. They are the unsung heroes teaching the fundamentals to our 6-12s. But at some point, the not-soc-moms-sons (daughters) want to match up with and against tougher players. Hence the Bangus of the world... But, why is it so insulting to suggest that high school coaches don't "develop" talent? The good ones definitely manage talent better than some!!! Don’t most really competitive athletes, in other sports, look outside their local HS? (Most D1 college roster bios seem to indicate the affirmative). I have nothing but respect for those coaches slugging it out in the trenches. But, HS coaches and CC coaches just can’t do it all for certain types of players. And the kid who started this debate should not be discredited for wanting more. I don’t care if he’s on a full or no ride, a bench or starting player, playing D1orD3. He looked to better himself and should be applauded.
1:00pm socmom...bravo! Now we're getting some where. Thought provoking, stimulating opinions. Thank you for doing your homework and getting up to speed. A- Have a good weekend.
AHAparent said... Okay - yes Coach Marshak has asked us not take part in these blogs, but I just recieved an email from him sent to our entire program (AHA) and I think it is FANTASTIC - it has to do with his brother (a referee) and his comments on officiating in this state... this is REALLY awesome stuff and a lot of people in the community should see it:
Hello all,
Below you will find a diagnosis on issues regarding referees and High School soccer that came from my brother Doug, a Duluth area official who also referees USSF and NCAA level games. This is an extremely well thought out description of a serious problem effecting our sport, and I would like everyone to read this and consider the situation as you come and watch, and support our team this year.
DM
We’re all to blame for the state of officiating As it pertains explicitly to soccer, the problem with referees in high school is one of numbers, training, and finances. It's a "perfect storm" which results in a total roulette wheel. The blame for this falls on numerous sources. I think you should feel free to share this with your parents
1) Numbers
Quite simply it is an absolute struggle to find adults willing to be officials, especially soccer officials. There are numerous reasons for this.
To be a quality soccer official, you need to be in above average shape, and society clearly does not reflect this trend. Most people are not in shape. You can be a soccer official in poor athletic condition, but then you will be a poor soccer official. And for people who watch soccer, as fans or players, it's pretty simple to tell the difference between a quality official that covers a lot of ground and a lousy one that stands in the center circle 75% of the time. Understandably, people don't want to be the idiot in the center who can't see anything because he/she doesn't move.
Time is another reason it's hard to find adults. Most of the adult officials I know up here are in their 50's. People in their 20's, 30's, even 40's are just busy enough as it is. They are working jobs, sometimes two, juggling their kids' activities, etc. Most of our younger officials in Duluth are kids who officiated in high school and are now in college locally. They were the cream of the crop as officials in the local youth leagues, and have sought out challenges. But if you're lucky, even for a youth association like Duluth's that features 250 USSF-registered referees, you might get 1 or 2 a year that are willing to make the jump to high school or college officiating. We've got four guys this year locally, and three of them are doing college assignments and MIA for HS game nights half the time. Kudos to them... they need to work college games to keep climbing the officiating ladder, but it sucks for HS!
And lastly, criticism is a big reason why adults don't do it. I cannot tell you how many times I have sat on a sideline listening to fans bash the referee, and when I tell them, "You know, you have a good eye for this, you should come to a clinic!" The response is always, "Oh, I don't have the time!" or they suddenly back off because it's clear they would not want to take the same kind of abuse they dish out as fans. I don't necessarily blame them... it's frustrating to be cheering for a team and see it getting the short end of the stick. But few people consider the impact of such comments and behaviors.
Finally, the influx of players in HS soccer has not been accompanied by an influx of officials. Thanks to the "fair-ification" of youth athletics, everybody gets a chance now, right? So we have Varsity, JV, B, and C squads for numerous large schools, just so everybody gets a chance to play. Problem is, nobody thought to see if there were enough officials for all these games. A week from this Saturday, I'm doing a JV-varsity doubleheader because the games are at the same site. I could work two varsity games, but we're so busy cramming all these games into an 8-week season, the assignors are trying to put warm bodies on the field, sometimes without being able to show regard for the quality of the match. Simply put, the parents and schools have just assumed that officials will apparently spring from the ether to fill these games.
2) Training
I unequivocally agree that high school soccer referee training is inadequate. 100%. The only requirement is a meeting and the test, and that does not make somebody a good official.
I have been told that within the next 2 years MSHSL is going to implement a grading system for officials. Level 3 officials will be the "cream of the crop"... you will have to be level 3 to work state games. You'll have to be at least level 2 to work playoff games. And you'll have to undergo some sort of training program to "level up", so to speak. It's an improvement. Not an end-all, but an improvement.
All HS governing bodies are concerned that severely increasing training requirements could result in a decrease in officials due to increased time commitment. I think the push is to make those training programs "at-home" via the Internet, thus allowing officials to stay up to date on their own time. Ideally, if the entire training program could be online with the league restricting its hand-on approach to on-field assessments and feedback, that would likely be the most productive system.
3) Finances
As we discussed earlier, this is a stickier one, and is joined to the others. I get $67 for a HS center, and could do that by only taking the online rules meeting and passing an open book T/F test. On the other hand, to maintain my Grade 7 USSF level (if I wasn't an instructor) I would have to attend five hours of recert each year, plus do a maintenance assessment, not to mention 16 hours of classroom plus a minimum of 100 games just to get to that grade 7. If I want my 6, I need another 125 games, plus 3 assessments, plus 19 hours of classroom. And when I do U17 summer games (HS age level), I work 10 minutes longer than a HS game and get paid $35. So if you wanted to make refereeing worth your time, which one would you do?
Now, the difference is that I want to be a good referee, not just make a wad of cash each fall, so I do all that USSF stuff. But if the pay difference is that severe and the requirements so much less, I mean, let's be honest here, what do you expect people to do?
It's even more complex than that. I can't speak for the Cities, but up here, the ADs decided after years of pushing for it in negotiations that they would only pay a cap for JV crews. If we want to put 3 on a JV crew, we can, but they're not paying more... split the same amount 2 ways or 3. So all of the younger, less experienced officials are now working JV games as 2-mans, but then they go back to diagonal system of control for varsity. They're not even doing the same system! And the reason is that the ADs don't care. So the ADs are indirectly affecting the quality of officiating by refusing to recognizing JV games as a training ground and eliminating a source for valuable experience.
So the end result of this perfect storm is that it's hard to crack down on a subpar official, when if you do so, there isn't anybody else to take his/her place. We are all responsible for this. From coaches and fans who make the job unappealing through abuse, to the high school association not providing good training, to athletic directors slashing budgets and ignoring the impact on officiating, to referees not having the time to become good at what they do.
And to sum it up, two weeks ago the assignor up here asked me to do a presentation on foul recognition at our association meeting after watching an official with 15 years of experience absolutely ruin a girls game by not calling anything. He said it was a slugfest, and the guy called nothing. The assignor was muttering to me that he didn't know if he felt comfortable having this person center games in the future. Well, this Saturday I'm doing two games, and on one of them I will be an AR for the very same guy. The assignor has no choice... other options are less qualified than this guy. If you don't give him centers, then somebody even worse takes his place. What are you gonna do?
I told all of you knuckleheads a month ago that BJ was going to win it all. They are loaded with talented players. If the coach just lets em play they are a cinch to win it all.
Whoever said the field conditions in the EP Jefferson game were horrible should not be allowed to post. get your info straight Jefferson went to EP and beat EP on the turf. yes the bloomington stadium is the worst field in the metro. I know DS and he want to play away in the sections. yes very difficult section you can pick who you want and I will take the field. No favorites in this section. A lot of good teams out in the sections.
I think "socmom" and "not socmoms son" both get it. I also think high school football is great because of the passion players play with for school pride. The level is much higher in club football, but the passion is much higher in HS football.
In my humble opinion, high school football is where the common players can fulfill their needs whereas club football is where the uncommon players can fulfill their needs.
1:28pm "I told all of you knuckleheads a month ago that BJ was going to win it all"...I must of missed the State Tournament Championship game...what did Jefferson win by, and who did they play?
the point is that if you play with your community club team and they were good then im sure you can be a good high school team, i think thats where its getting at. some indiviuals may be playing with bangu or wings or blackhawks but THEY dont change the high school team itself. you gotta be a team to be a good. if you were a TEAM in the summer then im pretty sure your a TEAM in high school season. good or bad you all played as a team not ohhh we have blah blahh blahh that plays for bangu or wings or whoever. THAT INDIVIDUAL PLAYER does not change how good the team is.
Who cares how good your high school TEAM is in when it's low level kickball? Isn't it better to have a good club team playing at a higher level?
I won state for both club and high school. The high school tournament was a lot of fun and I'll remember it forever, but the club championships were at a much higher level and far better for me as a player. My club team would have stomped by high school team.
well that is true. but high school is like representing your school as is club representing your club as well. high school is suppose to to be like the MLS to us but it doesnt happen cause no one cares about high school soccer. its all about football. thats why its low level. i guess your right who cares about high school soccer right? but to met back when i was in high school wich was like 2005 so 3 years ago it was big rather than playing club...to me club was just pre season. but for those tht play for now thunder academy or high level club soccer your right thats more important than high school soccer.
this debate of HS and club is as old john mccain. I can't remember any newspaper writing about the games any club team plays in the summer. I can't remember any club making announcement about sportmanship. where does MYSA compare with MSHSL or coaches association? let's not kid ourselves. would kids from C3 go to watch their top team play. Yes maybe if the kids are forced. HS soccer provides a chance for these egotiscal superstars to play soccer with kids of less soccer caliber but good GPA. We get to see how they can make others be better players. Look at the HS team, an ODP player next to the valedictorian or kid going to MIT. wow - I can tell you who will be without a job tommorrow. Tell that MIT kid he is terrible and let's see who is going to help you with your math problems? For all its worth, all players should play as much HS as there is and let's enjoy the kids time in HS and not get into debates as to which one is better. I suppose we all want to see good players demonstrate their talents next to less talented players. I want to go to games and not deal with "I pay and then my kid plays" parents. Money talks in traveling but the coach talks in HS. If your kid is a superstar in traveling and does not go by school rules, they don't get to play - period.
EP and BJ are both good along with Edina and Prior Lake, that is a tough section. Anoka won it all last year but other than that when was the last time a team from outside the Lake or Classic Lake won a AA title? I think Stillwater over 10 years ago. Edina 3, Apple Valley 2, Wayzata, Armstrong, EP and Jefferson 1 each. That is 9 years before Anoka. With that being said I will take AV, EP, Edina or Jefferson to win it. It wont be a team outside the Lake or Classic Lake this year.
A lot of kids who play club soccer are unbelieveable students. Be careful with that one. Soccer players in general are better students than the general population at schools. We should all be proud of that.
It is one or the other cause at the game EP had no attack. Don't ask me how they scored 5 times on AV. I don't think it was Jefferson just being that good, but they made EP just kick it over the top every time. And with there solid defense, EP's small forwards struggled. The ideal kick and chase but mostly just from EP. If you want to beat Eden Prairie put your tallest/ best i guy in the air as sweeper and they will struggle finding any other offense that does not come from kick and chase..
high school soccer, club soccer, who gives a crap? Kids should play soccer everyday because it is fun. They should play for club, for school, and for the backyard neighborhood championship.
Also, I believe that somewhere in hsmom's post she attempted to paint the odp/club/talented player as egotistical, undisciplined, and stupid. While claiming that the less talented player has a good gpa. hsmom, perhaps this is a reflection of the team your son is on but it is pretty unfair to declare that good soccer players are lesser people than their less talented teammates. So please refrain from saying idiotic things like that again- all except for the knock against john mccain... please continue bashing that guy and then make sure you vote for someone else in november.
Top 10 in Action - Saturday 9/20 1. Eden Prairie (Away 12pm at Fargo North) 2. Edina (Away 7pm at Chaska) 3. Apple Valley (Home 1pm vs St. Paul Academy) 4. Osseo (off) 5. Coon Rapids (Away 3pm at Minnetonka) 6. St. Louis Park (off) 7. Anoka (Away 3pm at Minneapolis Southwest) 8. Maple Grove (Home 7pm vs Tartan) 9. Woodbury (Away 1pm at Mounds View) 10. Robbinsdale Armstrong (off)
Games to watch Anoka vs. Minneapolis Southwest | 3:00 PM at Minneapolis Southwest Coon Rapids vs. Minnetonka | 3:00 PM at Minnetonka Bloomington Kennedy vs. Prior Lake | 3:00 PM at Prior Lake Park Center vs. Spring Lake Park | 1:00 PM at Spring Lake Park
Predictions Anoka 1-2 Minneapolis Southwest Coon Rapids 2-1 Minnetonka Bloomington Kennedy 1-2 Prior Lake Park Center 1-2 Spring Lake Park
hsmom, How many college coaches go watch high school soccer games? Hardly any if any! Club soccer when played by a top club is on a completely higher level than high school soccer. It's not your fault you don't know any better, your kid probably grew up playing Rec or C2 or C3 and you just don't know any better. You obviously have some issues with good players so I will leave it at that. I only have one word for you "Therapy". So all bad players are smart and will be successful in life and the good players will be looking for help with their homework. Your nuts and bitter.
On our way home from a college showcase tournament, five players were in my car talking about the college search. The topic of ACT scores came up and I learned that their scores ranged from 27-32. Not bad for a bunch of premier team players.
anon 2:27 let it known that your ego and that of your kids is now showing. you are the first ones to put down HS soccer and give it no place for existence. read previous blogs and see how the bashing is so bad about hs soccer. one minute there is no need for top colleges, the next minute top soccer is where the action is. how can you flip flop so bad like john macain I dont understand. there mediorcre hs players will do well in school and the top hs soccer players - the ones we all want to see play for our top clubs will struggle if not directed the right way. go see the results for yourself.
Umm, hsmom the captain on our team is in the international baccalaureate program with a 4.3 and is a state cellist. Many consider him one of the best forwards in the state and until an injury; he was on the ODP State Select team. The stupid dummy!
Jefferson has no one with the speed and physical play of Ryan Schlitter. He and Eagan will slash and burn the Jefferson defense. Final score Eagan 4 Jefferson 1
whoever is going with jefferson losing 4-1 to Eagan is so wrong. Jefferson has given up 2 goals in the last 8 games. Anything is possible since its HS soccer but that is a big time stretch. Whoever wins the EP, Edina , Jefferson, PL section plays AV in the State Final
Apple Valley boys will win the Lake. They have 1 loss so minus 3 points with three to play, Jefferson minus 4 points. two ties, with four to play, Ep minus 5 points with four to play. Eagan minus 6 points. Jefferson has the toughest schedule left with Eagan and AV, but dont count out dropping pts to Chaska. I think Jefferson is the best team in the Lake but have given away too many pts and have a tough schedule. Go Eagles.
Top 10 in Action - Saturday 9/20 Results 1. Eden Prairie (Eden Prairie 3, Fargo North 0) Won 2. Edina (Chaska 1, Edina 0) Lost 3. Apple Valley (Apple Valley 2, St. Paul Academy 0) Won 4. Osseo (off) 5. Coon Rapids (Minnetonka 1, Coon Rapids 0) Lost 6. St. Louis Park (off) 7. Anoka (Minneapolis Southwest 1, Anoka 0) Lost 8. Maple Grove (Maple Grove 1, Tartan 0) Won 9. Woodbury (Woodbury 3, Mounds View 2) Won 10. Robbinsdale Armstrong (off)
Games to watch Anoka 0-1 Minneapolis Southwest Coon Rapids 0-1 Minnetonka Bloomington Kennedy 2-0 Prior Lake Park Center 2-2 Spring Lake Park
Predictions Anoka 1-2 Minneapolis Southwest (Final: Anoka 0-1 Minneapolis Southwest) Yes Coon Rapids 2-1 Minnetonka (Final: Coon Rapids 0-1 Minnetonka) No Bloomington Kennedy 1-2 Prior Lake (Final: Bloomington Kennedy 2-0 Prior Lake) No Park Center 1-2 Spring Lake Park (Final: Park Center 2-2 Spring Lake Park) No o 1-for-4 and keep trying...
A few thoughts o Edina lost again? What's going on here?
Top 10 in Action - Week 9/15 Results 1. Eden Prairie Tie. Tue 16 7:00 PM Bloomington Kennedy T 1-1 Loss. Thu 18 5:00 PM Bloomington Jefferson L 1-0 ? Fri 19 5:00 PM Fargo South Win. Sat 20 12:00 PM Fargo North W 3-0 8-1-3 Fargo North
2. Edina Loss. Tue 16 5:00 PM Hopkins L 3-2 Loss. Sat 20 7:00 PM Chaska L 1-0
3. Apple Valley Win. Tue 16 7:00 PM Lakeville South W 3-1 Win. Thu 18 5:00 PM Rosemount W 4-0 Win. Sat 20 1:00 PM St. Paul Academy W 2-0
4. Osseo Tie. Tue 16 7:00 PM Coon Rapids T 3-3 Win. Thu 18 5:00 PM Maple Grove W 3-0
5. Coon Rapids Tie. Tue 16 7:00 PM Osseo T 3-3 Win. Thu 18 5:00 PM Anoka W 2-0 Loss. Sat 20 3:00 PM Minnetonka L 1
6. St. Louis Park Tie. Tue 16 7:00 PM Benilde-St. Margaret's T 0-0 Win. Thu 18 5:00 PM Fridley W 2-1
7. Anoka Tie. Tue 16 7:00 PM Centennial T 0-0 Loss. Thu 18 5:00 PM Coon Rapids L 2-0 Loss. Sat 20 3:00 PM Minneapolis Southwest L 1-0
8. Maple Grove Loss. Tue 16 7:00 PM Elk River L 1-0 Loss. Thu 18 5:00 PM Osseo L 3-0 Win. Sat 20 7:00 PM Tartan W 1-0
9. Woodbury Tie. Tue 16 7:00 PM Park of Cottage Grove T 2-2 Win. Thu 18 5:00 PM Hastings W 3-1 Win. Sat 20 1:00 PM Mounds View W 3-2
10. Robbinsdale Armstrong Win. Tue 16 7:00 PM Wayzata W 1-0 Loss. Thu 18 5:00 PM Hopkins L 3-0
Should be dropped from Top 10 Anoka, Maple Grove, Armstrong.
Should be included in Top 10 Cretin-Durham Hall, Bloomington Jefferson, Hopkins.
Cretin-Durham Hall Win. Tue 16 4:30 PM St. Paul Academy W 5-3 Win. Thu 18 5:00 PM Roseville W 4-0 Win. Sat 20 11:00 AM Forest Lake W 3-2
Bloomington Jefferson Win. Tue 16 7:00 PM Minnetonka W 2-0 Win. Thu 18 5:00 PM Eden Prairie W 1-0 Win. Sat 20 12:00 PM Shakopee W 1-0
Hopkins Win. Tue 16 5:00 PM Edina W 3-2 Win. Thu 18 5:00 PM Robbinsdale Armstrong W 3-0 Win. Sat 20 11:00 AM Monticello W 4-0
XMan Top 10 - Week 9/22 1. Apple Valley (12-1) 2. Osseo (8-1-2) 3. Eden Prairie (8-1-3) 4. Edina (9-2-1) 5. Coon Rapids (9-2-2) 6. Bloomington Jefferson (8-2-2) 7. Cretin-Durham Hall (10-3) 8. Woodbury (6-2-2) 9. Hopkins (7-4-1) 10. St. Louis Park (8-2-2)
A few thoughts o Eagan is coming on strong with 5 straight wins. Beat Lakeville North and ending Duluth East 7 wins streak. o Bloomington Jefferson vs Eagan game on 9/23 Tuesday should be one to watch. o Park Center is coming together? Another week should tell if they're real.
Does Jefferson really deserve to be 6 after one victory against EP? They should not be in the top ten until after this week where they play Eagan, AV, and Rosemount
Maple Grove has a very tough schedule this week including coon rapids and anoka, it'll be interesting to see the scores. Especially to see them with two starting players returning to thier lineup. Any predictions?
so youre saying BJ hasn't had a tough enough schedule to be number 6? they have a solid record and just beat the number one team in state. Why should Osseo be number 2 with a far easier schedule?
MG loss to CR, ties Anoka. I don't see anyone coming back that will help them. I know their starting goalie might be coming back, but the Sophomore has been doing well. I saw the Osseo game (0-3) and the goalie couldn't have saved any of the goals--they were all defensive issues. Infact, without an awesome goalie performance, Osseo could have scored 5-6. (Yikes.) Osseo is not only Whitney Browne.
Changing topics slightly--Osseo might have the best offense in town.
Edina lost because they don't score. They will lose again because they don't score. Sure can pass the ball around though.
I agree.. BJ is very talented and are starting to show it. They deserve to be around #6 but we'll see if they keep up the good work this week. I wouldnt say osseo has a much tougher schedule being the the NWSC is tough as well,i would like to see osseo play an edina or e.p. or a.v. team.. some team of that caliber. And i'm interested to see who shows off their talent this week between Anoka Coon Rapids or M.G. All teams have showed glimpses of being in the top ten.
I've seen them. They are good. However, I think you see more of that these days with the influx of immigrant players and natural progression (Freddie Adu being a top example). Football is always improving all over the world. There are more creative dribblers these days than there ever has been (Cristiano, Ronaldinho, Dempsey, etc.). Osseo is a top 5 team.
Combining art of dribbling with quick combination plays was deadly when Osseo dribbler made minced meat out of MG defense. They totally don't understand how to defend against dribblers.
Cristiano has made minced meat out of the entire world last year...does the entire world not understand how to defend against dribblers? Maybe you should lace them up?
MN Coaches Top 10 - Week 9/22 CLASS 2A BOYS POLL 1. Apple Valley (12-1) 2. Eden Prairie (9-1) 3. Osseo (8-1) 4. Edina (9-3) 5. Coon Rapids (9-2) 6. St. Louis Park (8-2) 7. Minneapolis Southwest (8-1) 8. Bloomington Jefferson (8-2) 9. Cretin-Derham Hall (10-3) 10. Woodbury (6-2)
Others receiving votes: Eagan, Robbinsdale Armstrong Class 2A Ranking Provided By: Coaches Association
A few thoughts o Hopkins should have been in and not Mpls SW. o St.Louis Park has easy schedule and got beat by Hopkins. o Get St.Louis Park off Top 10 or they should be #10. o Mpls SW hasn't proved themselves for #7 and got easy schedule.
How is Woodbury ranked? They have won just four of their last seven games - two against teams with one win combined and tied a team with no wins and tied another with just two wins. Very weak conference this year! Do the coaches even look at who these teams have played?
Top 10 in Action - Monday 9/22 1. Apple Valley (Home 7pm vs Henry Sibley) 2. Eden Prairie (off) 3. Osseo (off) 4. Edina (off) 5. Coon Rapids (off) 6. St. Louis Park (off) 7. Minneapolis Southwest (off) 8. Bloomington Jefferson (off) 9. Cretin-Derham Hall (Home 6pm vs Woodbury) 10. Woodbury (Away 6pm at Cretin-Derham Hall)
Games to watch Woodbury vs. Cretin-Derham Hall | 6:00 PM at Cretin-Derham Hall Minneapolis South vs. Wayzata | 7:00 PM at Wayzata
Predictions Woodbury 1-3 Cretin-Derham Hall Minneapolis South 2-1 Wayzata
Anonymous said... How is Woodbury ranked? They have won just four of their last seven games - two against teams with one win combined and tied a team with no wins and tied another with just two wins. Very weak conference this year! Do the coaches even look at who these teams have played?
actually minnetonka has beat a few top ten teams.. and the amazing osseo team tied coon rapids. i dont see why you are making coon rapids sounds like a sluggish team bacause they sure aren't.
State Tourney Predictions Section 1 Rochester Mayo Section 2 EP or Jefferson Section 3 Apple Valley Section 4 Woodbury or Cretin Section 5 Osseo Section 6 Hopkins or Southwest Section 7 Coon Rapids or Anoka Section 8 Elk River
Seeding is top 4 now, not all 8. Seeded teams Section 2, Apple Valley, Osseo, Section 7
Top 10 in Action - Monday 9/22 Results 1. Apple Valley (Apple Valley 5, Henry Sibley 0) 2. Eden Prairie (off) 3. Osseo (off) 4. Edina (off) 5. Coon Rapids (off) 6. St. Louis Park (off) 7. Minneapolis Southwest (off) 8. Bloomington Jefferson (off) 9. Cretin-Derham Hall (Woodbury 2, Cretin-Derham Hall 0) 10. Woodbury (Woodbury 2, Cretin-Derham Hall 0)
Games to watch - Results Woodbury 2-0 Cretin-Derham Hall Minneapolis South 0-2 Wayzata
Predictions - Results Woodbury 1-3 Cretin-Derham Hall (Final: Woodbury 2-0 Cretin-Derham Hall) No Minneapolis South 2-1 Wayzata (Final: Minneapolis South 0-2 Wayzata) No o 0-for-2 oh man I'm going downhill...
Top 10 in Action - Tuesday 9/23 1. Apple Valley (off) 2. Eden Prairie (Away 7pm at Burnsville) 3. Osseo (Home 7pm vs Andover) 4. Edina (Away 5pm at Robbinsdale Armstrong) 5. Coon Rapids (Away 7pm at Centennial) 6. St. Louis Park (Home 7pm vs North Branch) 7. Minneapolis Southwest (Home 4:15pm vs Benilde-St. Margaret's) 8. Bloomington Jefferson (Home 7pm vs Eagan) 9. Cretin-Derham Hall (off) 10. Woodbury (off)
Games to watch - Results Eagan vs. Bloomington Jefferson | 7:00 PM at Bloomington Jefferson Coon Rapids vs. Centennial | 7:00 PM at Centennial Minnetonka vs. Hopkins | 7:00 PM at Hopkins Edina vs. Robbinsdale Armstrong | 5:00 PM at Robbinsdale Armstrong
Predictions - Results Eagan 1-2 Bloomington Jefferson Coon Rapids 1-2 Centennial Minnetonka 1-2 Hopkins Edina 2-0 Robbinsdale Armstrong
1,557 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 801 – 1000 of 1557 Newer› Newest»11:00am...thanks for the clarity.
You can say that... :-)
Hopkins should get consideration....
X-man--you gotta relax. It's a coaches poll--do you really expect them to follow every other team like you do? Why do you respect their opinions in the poll while you rip many of them endlessly here.
I'd say Osseo, Coon Rapids, and Centennial get a shot. The others are riding on past years' laurels. (see Wayzata) Rare, because usually that conference is virtually ignored.
The great thing about polls is we get
to see how good they are in the playoffs.... outside of the first 5 in AA and Totino-Grace in A nothing is certain about any of the teams in the polls.
Cretin?....Cretin!??? Recieving votes? haha coaches poll is a joke.
MG v. OSSEO THURS. Night any thoughts on the huge rivalry?
me xman,
Prior Lake is terrible, they tied a bad Burnsville team...just stop. Cretin is...well...not good.
EP is decent, but is it me or has the talent statewide gone WAY down this year. The Apple Valley, Anoka, Wayzata, Jefferson, and Burnsville teams from 01-07 would easily shell EP or Edina 4-0.
I do expect the talent to pick up in the coming years and hopefully this is just a fluke season but it has not been pretty to watch IMO.
If Cretin-Derham Hall is not good then read the results of past 6 games and ask yourself are the wins over Coon Rapids and Woodbury a fluke?
Tue 2 7:00 PM Forest Lake W 3-2
Thu 4 4:00 PM Coon Rapids W 3-0 (#5 in State)
Sat 6 5:30 PM Park of Cottage Grove W 4-2
Mon 8 5:00 PM Woodbury W 4-3 (#9 in State)
Wed 10 5:00 PM Mounds View W 2-1
Me xman...prediction on Lakeville North vs Eagan matchup tonight at North.
The talent has not gone down from last many years but actually improving along with the game in general as more qualified coaches coming onto the scene.
You don't see a lot of (very common) kick-n-chase style and balls going w/o direction.
The midfield play is getting more time than before. The build-up in attack is there. The team concept is there.
You don't see many teams have one or two kids running from end to end to win the game or kids dribble like Maradona.
The game is changing for the better but at slower pace but it's better.
Marqueis Gray's Tutor said...
me xman,
Prior Lake is terrible, they tied a bad Burnsville team...just stop. Cretin is...well...not good.
EP is decent, but is it me or has the talent statewide gone WAY down this year. The Apple Valley, Anoka, Wayzata, Jefferson, and Burnsville teams from 01-07 would easily shell EP or Edina 4-0.
I do expect the talent to pick up in the coming years and hopefully this is just a fluke season but it has not been pretty to watch IMO.
When was the last time Maple Grove beat Osseo?
Reading from Osseo Boys Soccer website:
http://www.osseosoccer.com/mens
9/28/2004 Osseo 4-1 Maple Grove
9/27/2005 Osseo 0-0 Maple Grove
9/26/2006 Osseo 0-0 Maple Grove
9/19/2007 Osseo 2-1 Maple Grove
I have Osseo dominating midfield and attacking plays with strong defense.
Maple Grove has been playing weak teams so far and not tested throughly like Osseo.
Anonymous said...
MG v. OSSEO THURS. Night any thoughts on the huge rivalry?
Maple Grove is lucky with easy first-half schedule so far. They have some real tests coming:
9/18 Osseo
9/20 Tartan
9/23 Anoka
9/25 Centennial
9/30 Coon Rapids
10/2 Park Center
10/4 St.Louis Park
This should be a good game and it's one of my "Games to Watch".
I have a 1-1 tie.
Anonymous said...
Me xman...prediction on Lakeville North vs Eagan matchup tonight at North.
16/9/08 10:08 AM
Top 10 in Action - Tuesday 9/16
1. Eden Prairie (Away 7pm at Bloomington Kennedy)
2. Edina (Away 5pm at Hopkins)
3. Apple Valley (Away 7pm at Lakeville South)
4. Osseo (Home 7pm vs Coon Rapids)
5. Coon Rapids (Away 7pm at Osseo)
6. St. Louis Park (Home 7pm vs Benilde-St. Margaret's)
7. Anoka (Home 7pm vs Centennial)
8. Maple Grove (Away 7pm at Elk River)
9. Woodbury (Home 7pm vs Park of Cottage Grove)
10. Robbinsdale Armstrong (Away 7pm at Wayzata)
Games to watch
Coon Rapids vs. Osseo | 7:00 PM at Osseo
Centennial vs. Anoka | 7:00 PM at Anoka
Eagan vs. Lakeville North | 7:00 PM at Lakeville North
Predictions
Coon Rapids 1-3 Osseo
Centennial 2-1 Anoka
Eagan 1-1 Lakeville North
TIME CHANGE: LN vs Eagan at LN is at 8pm... something about a JV game at 4 in the stadium before girls at 6pm and boys at 8pm.
Which brings a thought, would there be more attention paid to high school soccer if games were later in the evening? Maybe girls play home when boys play away at the same time (7pm kick off?) or all start times at 6pm and 8pm...
Just a thought
More attention would be paid if the games were played on a Friday night and it generated a lot of revenue.
An international exchange student here for the start of the school year was not allowed to play soccer. Why wouldn't the MSHL let the kid play HS soccer? Are they worried that HS's are now recruiting kids from Europe? The MSHL is a joke.
12:10pm Do you have the facts on why he wasn't allowed to play?
Many times an exchange student is not allowed to play because of a paperwork issue or because the athlete is too old to be considered a high school athlete.
I agree that there are many things the MSHSL does that are not necessary but I would assume they have these rules to send a "uniform" message.
Unfortunately, this sends the wrong message to students, especially visiting students.
me x-man -
Just a thought, what will your post look like if MG beats Osseo?
Prediction, Coon Rapids 2-0 over Osseo. Coon Rapids plays a physical game and most of their players have played together all summer. They have a solid defense and goalie. They communicate well and Osseo will not be able to take advantage of the miscommunication errors that have been their bread and butter.
Maple Grove couldn't beat crippled up Champlin Park? That says for it all. BTW, you see how Rogers yes Rogers waxed Champlin Park.
I like the idea that JV games could be played in the stadiums with a 4:00 start. But varsity games that end at almost 10:00 gets the visiting team home by 11:00. With 3 games a week, that's a tough schedule.
Any thoughts on Eagan? Consider this- They have only lost to #1 Eden Prairie and #2 Apple Valley.
Ok, Ok, the Owatonna game is confusing. An off day, or not that good of a team?
Tonight we find out with a game AT Lakeville North.
3:28PM They have been confusing to say the least. This game tonight has a foundation of premier kids (LVN)against a bunch of C1 kids (Eagan), who got destroyed at the State Cup. Either way, the game doesn't mean much other than bragging rights. Neither team is playing with much consistency and have no chance to win the conference. Lakeville has one of the weakest sections in the state and if they don't advance this year, it has nothing to do with the quality of players.
Games should be played on Saturday nights, under lights, on grass, in small venues such as Apple Valley Johnny Cake or Edina Braemar.
Games on artificial turf in these large football stadiums will never appeal to me.
If you really want MN High School soccer to appeal to the masses, make the MN High School game 8v8 on a U12 field because:
- increases game action
- decreases bootball
- increases the technical aspects of the game
- our players aren't athletic enough to cover the full field
- we don't have enough good players to have good 11v11 teams
- a smaller, cozier field is more enjoyable for the typical student spectator
3:57 Rock on! And then we can play with a size 4 to spice it up. And maybe add walls. Yeah--we could play it in off-season hockey rinks...
Any scores from tonight's NW Suburban boys?
Elk River - 1
Maple Grove - 0
Coon Rapids 3
Osseo 3
Anoka 0
Centennial 0
Park Center - 4
Blaine - 3
Interesting scores tonight...
Eden Prairie - 1
Bloomington Kennedy - 1
Hopkins - 3
Edina - 2
Andover anyone?
Sorry but the talent overall has been down this year and way way down from three years ago. Kids do understand the game better but the top atheletes are not playing. I have not seen a player yet that makes me say wow, this has been the first year in 18 years that I can say that, and yes I have seen all the top kids mentioned on the site. The best atheletes are moveing away from soccer in this state and if we did not get all of the imagrants coming and playing the state would have very very few players who are fun to watch.
What a game between Osseo and Coon Rapids. The best game in conference. Osseo down 2-0 at half but came back with 3 goals and CR scored with header from corner kick to tie the game. In OT Osseo dominated the play but can't score. Almost but no. Crazy game!
Maple Grove lost to Elk River? OMG. How was the game?
AV 3 LS 1
Got any game thoughts on Edina-Hopkins game and EP-Kennedy game?
How did Lakeville North do tonight? It was supposed to be part of there easier schedule coming up.
Top 10 in Action - Tuesday 9/16 Results
1. Eden Prairie (Eden Prairie 1, Bloomington Kennedy 1) Tied
2. Edina (Hopkins 3, Edina 2) Lost
3. Apple Valley (Apple Valley 3, Lakeville South 1) Won
4. Osseo (Coon Rapids 3, Osseo 3) Tied
5. Coon Rapids (Coon Rapids 3, Osseo 3) Tied
6. St. Louis Park (Benilde-St. Margaret's 0, St. Louis Park 0) Tied
7. Anoka (Centennial 0, Anoka 0) Tied
8. Maple Grove (Elk River 1, Maple Grove 0) Lost
9. Woodbury (Park of Cottage Grove 2, Woodbury 2) Tied
10. Robbinsdale Armstrong (Robbinsdale Armstrong 1, Wayzata 0) Won
Games to watch - Results
Coon Rapids 3-3 Osseo
Centennial 0-0 Anoka
Eagan 3-1 Lakeville North
Predictions - Results
Coon Rapids 1-3 Osseo (Final: Coon Rapids 3-3 Osseo) No
Centennial 2-1 Anoka (Final: Centennial 0-0 Anoka) No
Eagan 1-1 Lakeville North (Final: Eagan 3-1 Lakeville North) No
o 0-for-3. Not good. Try again another day.
A few thoughts
o Edina lost to Hopkins is an interesting score. Edina should be better than that.
o EP got a let down after beating up on Apple Valley? Tied 1-1 Bloomington Kennedy? What's going on here?
o Cretin-Derham Hall 5-3 St.Paul Academy and CDH should get in Top 10.
o St. Louis Park should slide more in Top 10.
o Maple Grove lost to Elk River 1-0 and I suspect they're sliding rest of season. They should be out of Top 10 next week.
o After beating Armstrong, Minnetonka lost three straight games. Just a blip of glory I guess.
o Bloomington Jefferson 2-0 Minnetonka and making a come back to Top 10?
o Osseo has a good chance in winning their conference title and winner of 5AA Section. Centennial is a tough opponent there.
o Coon Rapids is for real. They'll win their 7AA Section. Anoka is the only tough opponent there.
o Woodbury shouldn't be in Top 10 if they can't beat Park of Cottage Grove.
I've seen numerous games over on the east side of the twin cities, including about 3 of St. Paul Centrals. Maybe Central shouldn't be ranked, but don't count them out. They've had a few blips against top teams but only by a goal and have always been in those games. They have numerous kids who can score goals, a central midfielder in Sam Mann who really seems to be a step above most of the other players on the field. Not only technically good, but outstanding vision and the ability to get the pass there with the correct weight. He's fun to watch.
The team is 6-0 in conference, outscoring they're opponents 25-1, which may be saying more about the St. Paul conference in general then Central. But still, they have to get the job done and they have, very convincingly. There non-conference record goes like this.
******
Stillwater Tourney
Central 2, Wayzata 0
Central 0, EP 1 (Championship game)
*******
Mpls SW 1, Central 0
Central 1, Edina 1
Mahtomedia 1, Central 0
Central 0, Maple Grove 0
SPC couldn't beat MG but Elk River did.
The Suburban East Conf is not as strong as in the past. Look at Cretin, they were destroyed by Eastview, a good result with Coon Rapids. I am not so sure on Cretin in the top 10. A good run but no chance they are a top 10 team.
Woodbury boys average this year, Park CG boys below average.
EP and Jefferson Boys and Girls games on Thursday could be some good games.
Tonka not that good on the boys side
Prior Lake only has one loss, they have some tough games in the next few weeks. Kennedy is much improved and give them credit for getting a tie with EP.
How about this section Eden Prairie, Edina, Jefferson, Prior Lake. 4 losses between the 4 of them, you have a much improved Kennedy and Chaska team in this section too. YIKES!!! I am glad we are up north.
That section is stronger than the state tournament. I agree, I'm thankful to be out east.
Did anyone see the Eagan - Lakeville North game?
12;51pm...Somebody is fishing, for a game they we're at. What are you looking for?
Hopkins 3, Edina 2
Hopkins was up 2-0 35 min into the game controlling much of the play. The D fell apart for a bit and Edina took advantage scoring twice in 2 min towards the end of the half. Edina only had 3 shots at halftime and 2 went in. 2nd half was a little more even but Hopkins held much of the ball and got a goal about 20 min in. Last 3 min were an all out Edina attack but they didn't threaten the net too much.
Osseo should have won the game against Coon Rapids. Only if they can finish off the play. That game was exciting.
Eagan completely dominated possession and play. The score should have been 4-1 at the half (it was 1-1). Lakeville is all about offense and frequently sends 4 men up. They are fast and physical, but a little week in their foot skills. Eagan is a top 20 team, just not sure where.
Put a fork in Lakeville North. Eagan on the rise. Look for them to be considered in the top 10 if they win out this week.
Anybody get a score on the Eastview Rosemount game. I know, I know...who cares. Just curious.
Edina looked sluggish, but the biggest problem was poor decision making by goalie, causing two goals
BIG GAME TO WATCH
bloomington jefferson vs. eden prairie
At ep high school 5:00
both very strong teams
EP will slaughter Jefferson.
Top 10 in Action - Thursday 9/18
1. Eden Prairie (Home 5pm vs Bloomington Jefferson)
2. Edina (off)
3. Apple Valley (Away 5pm at Rosemount)
4. Osseo (Away 5pm at Maple Grove)
5. Coon Rapids (Home 5pm vs Anoka)
6. St. Louis Park (Away 5pm at Fridley)
7. Anoka (Away 5pm at Coon Rapids)
8. Maple Grove (Home 5pm vs Osseo)
9. Woodbury (Home 5pm vs Hastings)
10. Robbinsdale Armstrong (Away 5pm at Hopkins)
Games to watch
Anoka vs. Coon Rapids | 5:00 PM at Coon Rapids
Bloomington Jefferson vs. Eden Prairie | 5:00 PM at Eden Prairie
Robbinsdale Armstrong vs. Hopkins | 5:00 PM at Hopkins
Lakeville South vs. Lakeville North | 5:00 PM at Lakeville North
Osseo vs. Maple Grove | 5:00 PM at Maple Grove
Predictions
Anoka 1-1 Coon Rapids
Bloomington Jefferson 1-3 Eden Prairie
Robbinsdale Armstrong 1-2 Hopkins
Lakeville South 1-2 Lakeville North
Osseo 3-1 Maple Grove
Jefferson will slaughter EP
Why would you consider Lakeville North and Lakeville South a game to watch? One team has lost 4 of their last five with a tie, and the other has lost 4 of its last 5. Seems like an ugly game among two sinking teams from the same city.
Jefferson slaughter E.P? Get back to study hall son. LVN vs LVS... Rivalry games are always fun to watch.
Lakeville North and Lakeville South poor results this year just another indication of the poor training so many of those players are getting in their home club.
1:50pm O.K., I'll bite with some facts. Lakeville North was one of the best teams in the state last year (fact), going undefeated in the regular season (fact), winning a tough lake conference (fact), in spite of two high schools that have caused a diluted talent pool (fact). I think you need to check your facts. Just a reminder Lakeville South Girls won the state tournament last year (fact) and also produced Ms. Soccer (fact). Pull your head out of your...Lakeville Club program might not be a good example to support your point, however improvements can always be made at every club level (fact).
watch out tonight osseo
2:33,
If you look at Lakeville South girls team last year you'll see several of their best players were long time members of the Bangu Club so I really don't think you can give the Lakeville club near as much credit as you would like.
Jefferson 1 EP 0. Glad I went back to study hall
Osseo 3 - MG 0
PC 1 - Centennial 0
EP lost? Wow! What's going on? They've figured out how to beat EP?
Centennial lost to Park Center? Now that's another shocker after EP.
Jefferson 7 in a row without a loss. 5-0-2 during that span and have only given up two goals in the past 7 games. That kind of defending and organization is tough to do in HS. Look for JHS to crack top 10 if they can get past a much improved Shakopee team.
Other NWS scores?
Coon Rapids 2, Anoka 0
Where else you get ton of friends and cheerleaders cheering for you no matter how bad you are?
The game is not that important to some but the memories do...
Anonymous said...
Minnesota high school soccer sucks.. IT IS HORRIBLE!
18/9/08 6:19 PM
Lakeville South 1, Lakeville North 1 F/OT
Rivalries are always fun...
Andover 1, Elk River 0
Another shocker for xman.
who are the candidate for MR soccer 2008 in both polls A and AA
Class AA: Whitney Browne.
Browne would be a great choice
team is doing well and he is scoring a lot of goals
Top 10
Osseo 8-1-2 (Loss to Armstrong)
Apple Valley 10-1 (Loss to EP)
Coon Rapids 8-1-2 (win over Anoka tie with Osseo)
Eden Praire 7-1-3 (Win over AV, loss to Jefferson)
Edina 9-2-1 (Win over Jefferson)
St Louis Park 7-1-2 (no great wins)
Prior Lake (Loss to AV, win over Jefferson)
Eagan 10-3 Loss to AV and EP
Jefferson 7-2-2 (loss to PL and Edina) win at EP
Armstrong 7-3-2
Southwest
Tartan
Cretin
I have said from the beginning that EP was overrated and would probably not even win conference, yet alone state. they tied Benilde, who is average at best in A. Same goes for SLP. Unless entire state is down, i am not sure either belongs in top 5.
This is a year there are very few dominate teams, the difference between A and AA is not like the past. You could look at matching up teams from each top 10 and would see close competitive soccer matches...... not a lot difference in most the High School Teams out there.
Marqueis Gray's Tutor
ok i don't live in burnsville or prior lake but they are not bad. they are pretty decent. burnsville could be better but they aren't "bad". I don't know the coach or anything but to me looks like they are just playing bootball. and thats not the type of soccer burnsville played last year or the year before. Prior lake has improved so much this year. they also are a decent team. EP played jefferson on the worse field anyone could play on. If any team was a home team on that field and EP went there i'm sure they would beat EP. Eagan is too improving. They have a good team coming from a good c1 team so they all know how to play with eachother. Lakeville north is the one thats breaking down. they were doing good in the beginning but now there just breaking down.
3:57pm...This isn't about giving the Lakeville Club to much credit, but please, when was the last time Bangu developed anyone from let's say U6 - U11/12. It's the community clubs that are developing these kids. Bangu has always been known for there cherry picking and cool aid.
Top 10 in Action - Thursday 9/18 Results
1. Eden Prairie (Jefferson 1, Eden Prairie 0) Lost
2. Edina (off)
3. Apple Valley (Apple Valley 4, Rosemount 0) Won
4. Osseo (Osseo 3, Maple Grove 0) Won
5. Coon Rapids (Coon Rapids 2, Anoka 0) Won
6. St. Louis Park (Away 5pm at Fridley)
7. Anoka (Coon Rapids 2, Anoka 0) Lost
8. Maple Grove (Osseo 3, Maple Grove 0) Lost
9. Woodbury (Woodbury 3, Hastings 1) Won
10. Robbinsdale Armstrong (Hopkins 3, Armstrong 0) Lost
Games to watch - Results
Anoka 0-2 Coon Rapids
Bloomington Jefferson 1-0 Eden Prairie
Robbinsdale Armstrong 0-3 Hopkins
Lakeville South 6-0 Lakeville North
Osseo 3-0 Maple Grove
Predictions - Results
Anoka 1-1 Coon Rapids (Final: Anoka 0-2 Coon Rapids) No
Bloomington Jefferson 1-3 Eden Prairie (Bloomington Jefferson 1-0 Eden Prairie) No
Robbinsdale Armstrong 1-2 Hopkins (Final: Robbinsdale Armstrong 0-3 Hopkins) Yes
Lakeville South 1-2 Lakeville North (Final: Lakeville South 6-0 Lakeville North) No
Osseo 3-1 Maple Grove (Final: Osseo 3-0 Maple Grove) Yes
o 2-for-5. Getting tough with all these upsets. But that's HS soccer.
Others - Results
Cretin-Derham Hall 4-0 Roseville
A few thoughts
o Surprising lost for Eden Prairie or letdown since beating Appley Valley 5-1.
o Bloomington Jefferson should be in consideration for Top 10 with win over Minnetonka and EP.
o Maple Grove shouldn't be in Top 10 in first place. They should be off next week.
o Hopkins should be in Top 10 after beating up St.Louis Park, Edina and Armstrong.
o Armstrong should be off Top 10.
o Cretin-Derham Hall should be in Top 10.
o Mpls SW to play Anoka this Saturday. We'll see how good Mpls SW is.
o Rogers 14, Big Lake 0. It's average of 5.71 mins per goal. Is this fair?
o Park Center 1, Centennial 0 (OT). Interesting.
8:40 AM...you are right. bangu is over rated. i use to play with them and then it just got too over rated. they dont teach you what community teams do thats why i play with them now. lakeville is a good community club, burnsville is also a top community club...with other teams like eagan valley etc. thats what makes there high school team good cause most of them play witht here community and they know how to play with eachother.
Rogers 14, Big Lake 0
It's average of 5.71 mins per goal. Is this fair?
It's not fair nor funny to me.
Rogers should have taken players off the field (play short) after 6 goals.
Here's a storyline that would be neat to have unfold.
Jefferson and Prior Lake, with some upsets, could meet in the section finals. Everyone knows Jefferson has had a top coach for years. Prior Lake has been showing huge improvements in recent years. The Prior Lake coach is one of the best players in Jefferson history who played for Jefferson's coach in the 1990s. Prior Lake's assistant coach is one of the best female players in Jefferson history, winning player of the year about 15 years ago.
It would be fun to see that matchup unfold as both teams are well-coached and very competitive.
I like Prior Lake and it's too bad they have an easy schedule now.
Top 10 in Action - Friday 9/19
1. Eden Prairie (Away 5pm at Fargo South)
2. Edina (off)
3. Apple Valley (off)
4. Osseo (off)
5. Coon Rapids (off)
6. St. Louis Park (off)
7. Anoka (off)
8. Maple Grove (off)
9. Woodbury (off)
10. Robbinsdale Armstrong (off)
8:58am...Finally someone with some credibility offers up a reasonable opinion. Have a great day!
7:22pm. Predicted the outcome but I don't think it was a slaughter, correct. My understanding the field conditions were less than ideal. But I'll give credit for the prediction. Now here's my prediction...Jefferson does not make it out of there section.
I used to play for Bangu (I now play in college). I think Bangu is great. We went to a lot of great tournaments and most importantly, we won State Cup multiple times. Playing at the Regional Tournament was the best soccer tournament I've ever played in (and I've played in the dome for the high school tournament). Bangu provided me with the best opportunity to play in the most competitive games with the best players. High School soccer doesn't even compare, so who cares how well your high school team plays together? If you're good enough to play for a summer select team, make the most of it.
me xman...what do you see in your crystal ball? I think we have a couple new teams to crack the top ten.
9:31 am...you've missed the point. Where did your development start? When did you start playing with Bangu? BTW - What college?...DCTC?
the lakeville north vs lakeville south game was a 1-1 tie, not a 6-0 game
9:31pm Let me get this straight, If your summer select does well, than who cares about the high school team and how well they play together? This would explain why High School Teams who have premier players on them seem to under achieve. Am i missing something?
9:41am 6-0 I believe was the girls outcome. The LVN vs LVS ended 1-1
Maybe I'm missing something...
What 9:31 seems to be saying is that his Bangu soccer experience was more competitive than high school.
Are we really going to try and argue that point?
The kids dead on and I'm no Bangu lover...
New to Top 10. I'm looking at Hopkins, Cretin-Durham Hall, and possibly Bloomington Jefferson.
Drop out of Top 10 should be Armstrong, Maple Grove, and possibly Anoka.
Anonymous said...
me xman...what do you see in your crystal ball? I think we have a couple new teams to crack the top ten.
19/9/08 9:33 AM
Please discuss HS soccer and not comparing to traveling soccer.
We all know that HS can't be as good as select teams.
10:01am soc mom this is a quote from your son..."so who cares how well your high school team plays together?" How does this make him dead on. I do agree about his summer soccer experience being more competitive than high school...if that's what he was trying to say...but that's not what he said.
me xman...I agree about Bloomington Jefferson, don't know enough about the other two squads. Bloomington is due for a let down. Hopefully they don't loose that horeshoe this week.
Osseo is not that good--IF you go at them. They were lucky in the Coon Rapids game--CR is a deep group.
MG had real chances. Nobody could score. Could have been 3-2 easy. Of course, it could have been 5-0 without the MG goalie--a sophomore. He was excellent.
Me-x
Osseo is severely overrated. You should know that.
I have the tape from Osseo-CR game. I can tell you that Osseo dominates that game and would have won easily in reg time and OT. CR has no skills and bunch of runners. They sub in fresh legs to run opponents down (nothing wrong with that).
MG...pfleese...
What they should be in ranking?
Anonymous said...
Me-x
Osseo is severely overrated. You should know that.
19/9/08 10:24 AM
Anon 10:09-
Nice try but not one of my boys.
(They've been taught not to hide behind anonymity).
I still think he hits the nail.
If you notice, he precedes your cut with "High School soccer doesn't even compare, so..."
But, I am sensitive to his position.
Three of my kids played premier / MWL soccer.
Then it’s off to HS and sub par team-mates in comparison…
(Not everyone goes to a BJ, TG etc…).
Don’t get me wrong, they enjoyed their HS experience and were rewarded for their efforts.
But it in no way prepared them for college soccer….
Who cares how well your HS team plays together: My point was...you shouldn't choose your summer team based on wanting your HS team to play well together. In the end, the HS product is always poor and a few stars from select teams dominate (i.e. WB).
Choose your summer team based on wanting to play on the most competitive team with the best coach and best players against the most competitive competition. That's why I chose Bangu and had my best years of development there.
And about "missing the point on where my development began," Who cares? I'm always trying to develop. Most importantly, where is my development going to end.
Just don't take HS soccer too seriously. It's only 75 days long, it's ugly soccer, and the top players are already thinking about next club season.
-9:31
socmom...just a reminder this is a High School blog. This discusion what started by the topics of "development" if you come in at the 11th hour, try to get up to speed. BTW-where are your sons going to college on there full ride soccer scholarships?
not socmom son...Your a funny guy.
I'd compare HS soccer more to International. Pro clubs are better, etc...
But the kids care--there is a pride thing in it.
11:47am...another person who get's it.
10:54am "and the top players are already thinking about next club season"...And who might t h o s e players be?
HI
hi
What is up?
nm u?
Nothing really, thanks.
I miss the girl’s blog...
But fair enough Anon 11:12.
I went back and found the “cc development” train of thought.
I couldn’t agree MORE.
They are the unsung heroes teaching the fundamentals to our 6-12s.
But at some point, the not-soc-moms-sons (daughters) want to match up with and against tougher players.
Hence the Bangus of the world...
But, why is it so insulting to suggest that high school coaches don't "develop" talent?
The good ones definitely manage talent better than some!!!
Don’t most really competitive athletes, in other sports, look outside their local HS?
(Most D1 college roster bios seem to indicate the affirmative).
I have nothing but respect for those coaches slugging it out in the trenches.
But, HS coaches and CC coaches just can’t do it all for certain types of players.
And the kid who started this debate should not be discredited for wanting more.
I don’t care if he’s on a full or no ride, a bench or starting player, playing D1orD3.
He looked to better himself and should be applauded.
1:00pm socmom...bravo! Now we're getting some where. Thought provoking, stimulating opinions. Thank you for doing your homework and getting up to speed. A-
Have a good weekend.
AHAparent said...
Okay - yes Coach Marshak has asked us not take part in these blogs, but I just recieved an email from him sent to our entire program (AHA) and I think it is FANTASTIC - it has to do with his brother (a referee) and his comments on officiating in this state... this is REALLY awesome stuff and a lot of people in the community should see it:
Hello all,
Below you will find a diagnosis on issues regarding referees and High School soccer that came from my brother Doug, a Duluth area official who also referees USSF and NCAA level games. This is an extremely well thought out description of a serious problem effecting our sport, and I would like everyone to read this and consider the situation as you come and watch, and support our team this year.
DM
We’re all to blame for the state of officiating
As it pertains explicitly to soccer, the problem with referees in high school is one of numbers, training, and finances. It's a "perfect storm" which results in a total roulette wheel. The blame for this falls on numerous sources. I think you should feel free to share this with your parents
1) Numbers
Quite simply it is an absolute struggle to find adults willing to be officials, especially soccer officials. There are numerous reasons for this.
To be a quality soccer official, you need to be in above average shape, and society clearly does not reflect this trend. Most people are not in shape. You can be a soccer official in poor athletic condition, but then you will be a poor soccer official. And for people who watch soccer, as fans or players, it's pretty simple to tell the difference between a quality official that covers a lot of ground and a lousy one that stands in the center circle 75% of the time. Understandably, people don't want to be the idiot in the center who can't see anything because he/she doesn't move.
Time is another reason it's hard to find adults. Most of the adult officials I know up here are in their 50's. People in their 20's, 30's, even 40's are just busy enough as it is. They are working jobs, sometimes two, juggling their kids' activities, etc. Most of our younger officials in Duluth are kids who officiated in high school and are now in college locally. They were the cream of the crop as officials in the local youth leagues, and have sought out challenges. But if you're lucky, even for a youth association like Duluth's that features 250 USSF-registered referees, you might get 1 or 2 a year that are willing to make the jump to high school or college officiating. We've got four guys this year locally, and three of them are doing college assignments and MIA for HS game nights half the time. Kudos to them... they need to work college games to keep climbing the officiating ladder, but it sucks for HS!
And lastly, criticism is a big reason why adults don't do it. I cannot tell you how many times I have sat on a sideline listening to fans bash the referee, and when I tell them, "You know, you have a good eye for this, you should come to a clinic!" The response is always, "Oh, I don't have the time!" or they suddenly back off because it's clear they would not want to take the same kind of abuse they dish out as fans. I don't necessarily blame them... it's frustrating to be cheering for a team and see it getting the short end of the stick. But few people consider the impact of such comments and behaviors.
Finally, the influx of players in HS soccer has not been accompanied by an influx of officials. Thanks to the "fair-ification" of youth athletics, everybody gets a chance now, right? So we have Varsity, JV, B, and C squads for numerous large schools, just so everybody gets a chance to play. Problem is, nobody thought to see if there were enough officials for all these games. A week from this Saturday, I'm doing a JV-varsity doubleheader because the games are at the same site. I could work two varsity games, but we're so busy cramming all these games into an 8-week season, the assignors are trying to put warm bodies on the field, sometimes without being able to show regard for the quality of the match. Simply put, the parents and schools have just assumed that officials will apparently spring from the ether to fill these games.
2) Training
I unequivocally agree that high school soccer referee training is inadequate. 100%. The only requirement is a meeting and the test, and that does not make somebody a good official.
I have been told that within the next 2 years MSHSL is going to implement a grading system for officials. Level 3 officials will be the "cream of the crop"... you will have to be level 3 to work state games. You'll have to be at least level 2 to work playoff games. And you'll have to undergo some sort of training program to "level up", so to speak. It's an improvement. Not an end-all, but an improvement.
All HS governing bodies are concerned that severely increasing training requirements could result in a decrease in officials due to increased time commitment. I think the push is to make those training programs "at-home" via the Internet, thus allowing officials to stay up to date on their own time. Ideally, if the entire training program could be online with the league restricting its hand-on approach to on-field assessments and feedback, that would likely be the most productive system.
3) Finances
As we discussed earlier, this is a stickier one, and is joined to the others. I get $67 for a HS center, and could do that by only taking the online rules meeting and passing an open book T/F test. On the other hand, to maintain my Grade 7 USSF level (if I wasn't an instructor) I would have to attend five hours of recert each year, plus do a maintenance assessment, not to mention 16 hours of classroom plus a minimum of 100 games just to get to that grade 7. If I want my 6, I need another 125 games, plus 3 assessments, plus 19 hours of classroom. And when I do U17 summer games (HS age level), I work 10 minutes longer than a HS game and get paid $35. So if you wanted to make refereeing worth your time, which one would you do?
Now, the difference is that I want to be a good referee, not just make a wad of cash each fall, so I do all that USSF stuff. But if the pay difference is that severe and the requirements so much less, I mean, let's be honest here, what do you expect people to do?
It's even more complex than that. I can't speak for the Cities, but up here, the ADs decided after years of pushing for it in negotiations that they would only pay a cap for JV crews. If we want to put 3 on a JV crew, we can, but they're not paying more... split the same amount 2 ways or 3. So all of the younger, less experienced officials are now working JV games as 2-mans, but then they go back to diagonal system of control for varsity. They're not even doing the same system! And the reason is that the ADs don't care. So the ADs are indirectly affecting the quality of officiating by refusing to recognizing JV games as a training ground and eliminating a source for valuable experience.
So the end result of this perfect storm is that it's hard to crack down on a subpar official, when if you do so, there isn't anybody else to take his/her place. We are all responsible for this. From coaches and fans who make the job unappealing through abuse, to the high school association not providing good training, to athletic directors slashing budgets and ignoring the impact on officiating, to referees not having the time to become good at what they do.
And to sum it up, two weeks ago the assignor up here asked me to do a presentation on foul recognition at our association meeting after watching an official with 15 years of experience absolutely ruin a girls game by not calling anything. He said it was a slugfest, and the guy called nothing. The assignor was muttering to me that he didn't know if he felt comfortable having this person center games in the future. Well, this Saturday I'm doing two games, and on one of them I will be an AR for the very same guy. The assignor has no choice... other options are less qualified than this guy. If you don't give him centers, then somebody even worse takes his place. What are you gonna do?
19/9/08 12:42 PM
I told all of you knuckleheads a month ago that BJ was going to win it all. They are loaded with talented players. If the coach just lets em play they are a cinch to win it all.
Wouldn't post it if it wasn't true.
What do you think the coach is doing wrong with Jefferson?
Whoever said the field conditions in the EP Jefferson game were horrible should not be allowed to post. get your info straight Jefferson went to EP and beat EP on the turf. yes the bloomington stadium is the worst field in the metro. I know DS and he want to play away in the sections. yes very difficult section you can pick who you want and I will take the field. No favorites in this section. A lot of good teams out in the sections.
1:49PM ROGER THAT BIG TIME!!!
I think "socmom" and "not socmoms son" both get it. I also think high school football is great because of the passion players play with for school pride. The level is much higher in club football, but the passion is much higher in HS football.
In my humble opinion, high school football is where the common players can fulfill their needs whereas club football is where the uncommon players can fulfill their needs.
In the end, football is always fun.
#10
1:28pm "I told all of you knuckleheads a month ago that BJ was going to win it all"...I must of missed the State Tournament Championship game...what did Jefferson win by, and who did they play?
guarentee jefferson does not win it all.
the point is that if you play with your community club team and they were good then im sure you can be a good high school team, i think thats where its getting at. some indiviuals may be playing with bangu or wings or blackhawks but THEY dont change the high school team itself. you gotta be a team to be a good. if you were a TEAM in the summer then im pretty sure your a TEAM in high school season. good or bad you all played as a team not ohhh we have blah blahh blahh that plays for bangu or wings or whoever. THAT INDIVIDUAL PLAYER does not change how good the team is.
Monticello is an example of a team that plays together in the summer and fall...with a few exceptions this year...
They have produced some pretty positive results.
Who cares how good your high school TEAM is in when it's low level kickball? Isn't it better to have a good club team playing at a higher level?
I won state for both club and high school. The high school tournament was a lot of fun and I'll remember it forever, but the club championships were at a much higher level and far better for me as a player. My club team would have stomped by high school team.
well that is true. but high school is like representing your school as is club representing your club as well. high school is suppose to to be like the MLS to us but it doesnt happen cause no one cares about high school soccer. its all about football. thats why its low level. i guess your right who cares about high school soccer right? but to met back when i was in high school wich was like 2005 so 3 years ago it was big rather than playing club...to me club was just pre season. but for those tht play for now thunder academy or high level club soccer your right thats more important than high school soccer.
How bad are EP if BJ beat them?
this debate of HS and club is as old john mccain. I can't remember any newspaper writing about the games any club team plays in the summer. I can't remember any club making announcement about sportmanship. where does MYSA compare with MSHSL or coaches association? let's not kid ourselves. would kids from C3 go to watch their top team play. Yes maybe if the kids are forced. HS soccer provides a chance for these egotiscal superstars to play soccer with kids of less soccer caliber but good GPA. We get to see how they can make others be better players. Look at the HS team, an ODP player next to the valedictorian or kid going to MIT. wow - I can tell you who will be without a job tommorrow. Tell that MIT kid he is terrible and let's see who is going to help you with your math problems? For all its worth, all players should play as much HS as there is and let's enjoy the kids time in HS and not get into debates as to which one is better. I suppose we all want to see good players demonstrate their talents next to less talented players. I want to go to games and not deal with "I pay and then my kid plays" parents. Money talks in traveling but the coach talks in HS.
If your kid is a superstar in traveling and does not go by school rules, they don't get to play - period.
EP and BJ are both good along with Edina and Prior Lake, that is a tough section. Anoka won it all last year but other than that when was the last time a team from outside the Lake or Classic Lake won a AA title? I think Stillwater over 10 years ago. Edina 3, Apple Valley 2, Wayzata, Armstrong, EP and Jefferson 1 each. That is 9 years before Anoka. With that being said I will take AV, EP, Edina or Jefferson to win it. It wont be a team outside the Lake or Classic Lake this year.
A lot of kids who play club soccer are unbelieveable students. Be careful with that one. Soccer players in general are better students than the general population at schools. We should all be proud of that.
It is one or the other cause at the game EP had no attack. Don't ask me how they scored 5 times on AV. I don't think it was Jefferson just being that good, but they made EP just kick it over the top every time. And with there solid defense, EP's small forwards struggled. The ideal kick and chase but mostly just from EP. If you want to beat Eden Prairie put your tallest/ best i guy in the air as sweeper and they will struggle finding any other offense that does not come from kick and chase..
high school soccer, club soccer, who gives a crap? Kids should play soccer everyday because it is fun. They should play for club, for school, and for the backyard neighborhood championship.
Also, I believe that somewhere in hsmom's post she attempted to paint the odp/club/talented player as egotistical, undisciplined, and stupid. While claiming that the less talented player has a good gpa. hsmom, perhaps this is a reflection of the team your son is on but it is pretty unfair to declare that good soccer players are lesser people than their less talented teammates. So please refrain from saying idiotic things like that again- all except for the knock against john mccain... please continue bashing that guy and then make sure you vote for someone else in november.
Thank you,
-Sam
Top 10 in Action - Saturday 9/20
1. Eden Prairie (Away 12pm at Fargo North)
2. Edina (Away 7pm at Chaska)
3. Apple Valley (Home 1pm vs St. Paul Academy)
4. Osseo (off)
5. Coon Rapids (Away 3pm at Minnetonka)
6. St. Louis Park (off)
7. Anoka (Away 3pm at Minneapolis Southwest)
8. Maple Grove (Home 7pm vs Tartan)
9. Woodbury (Away 1pm at Mounds View)
10. Robbinsdale Armstrong (off)
Games to watch
Anoka vs. Minneapolis Southwest | 3:00 PM at Minneapolis Southwest
Coon Rapids vs. Minnetonka | 3:00 PM at Minnetonka
Bloomington Kennedy vs. Prior Lake | 3:00 PM at Prior Lake
Park Center vs. Spring Lake Park | 1:00 PM at Spring Lake Park
Predictions
Anoka 1-2 Minneapolis Southwest
Coon Rapids 2-1 Minnetonka
Bloomington Kennedy 1-2 Prior Lake
Park Center 1-2 Spring Lake Park
That's a lot of 2 to 1 games... tons of upsets too
hsmom, How many college coaches go watch high school soccer games? Hardly any if any! Club soccer when played by a top club is on a completely higher level than high school soccer. It's not your fault you don't know any better, your kid probably grew up playing Rec or C2 or C3 and you just don't know any better. You obviously have some issues with good players so I will leave it at that. I only have one word for you "Therapy". So all bad players are smart and will be successful in life and the good players will be looking for help with their homework. Your nuts and bitter.
On our way home from a college showcase tournament, five players were in my car talking about the college search. The topic of ACT scores came up and I learned that their scores ranged from 27-32. Not bad for a bunch of premier team players.
WOW... CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! YOU MUST BE PROUD... DID THAT HAVE COMMENT HAVE POINT???
anon 2:27 let it known that your ego and that of your kids is now showing. you are the first ones to put down HS soccer and give it no place for existence. read previous blogs and see how the bashing is so bad about hs soccer. one minute there is no need for top colleges, the next minute top soccer is where the action is. how can you flip flop so bad like john macain I dont understand. there mediorcre hs players will do well in school and the top hs soccer players - the ones we all want to see play for our top clubs will struggle if not directed the right way. go see the results for yourself.
Anyone have any predictions on the Jefferson vs Eagan game on Tuesday?
Umm, hsmom the captain on our team is in the international baccalaureate program with a 4.3 and is a state cellist. Many consider him one of the best forwards in the state and until an injury; he was on the ODP State Select team. The stupid dummy!
This blog proves that the U.S. is being dumbed down.
Jefferson has no one with the speed and physical play of Ryan Schlitter. He and Eagan will slash and burn the Jefferson defense. Final score Eagan 4 Jefferson 1
What's the score for Edina vs Chaska?
Monticello now knows who's the boss...
Hopkins 4, Monticello 0
whoever is going with jefferson losing 4-1 to Eagan is so wrong. Jefferson has given up 2 goals in the last 8 games. Anything is possible since its HS soccer but that is a big time stretch. Whoever wins the EP, Edina , Jefferson, PL section plays AV in the State Final
I agree with 254am less than 2 goals scored in the game and I would guess 1-0 final either way
Apple Valley boys will win the Lake. They have 1 loss so minus 3 points with three to play, Jefferson minus 4 points. two ties, with four to play, Ep minus 5 points with four to play. Eagan minus 6 points. Jefferson has the toughest schedule left with Eagan and AV, but dont count out dropping pts to Chaska. I think Jefferson is the best team in the Lake but have given away too many pts and have a tough schedule. Go Eagles.
Any top ten predictions?
Just saw Edina lost to Chaska in the paper. What happened?
Top 10 in Action - Saturday 9/20 Results
1. Eden Prairie (Eden Prairie 3, Fargo North 0) Won
2. Edina (Chaska 1, Edina 0) Lost
3. Apple Valley (Apple Valley 2, St. Paul Academy 0) Won
4. Osseo (off)
5. Coon Rapids (Minnetonka 1, Coon Rapids 0) Lost
6. St. Louis Park (off)
7. Anoka (Minneapolis Southwest 1, Anoka 0) Lost
8. Maple Grove (Maple Grove 1, Tartan 0) Won
9. Woodbury (Woodbury 3, Mounds View 2) Won
10. Robbinsdale Armstrong (off)
Games to watch
Anoka 0-1 Minneapolis Southwest
Coon Rapids 0-1 Minnetonka
Bloomington Kennedy 2-0 Prior Lake
Park Center 2-2 Spring Lake Park
Predictions
Anoka 1-2 Minneapolis Southwest (Final: Anoka 0-1 Minneapolis Southwest) Yes
Coon Rapids 2-1 Minnetonka (Final: Coon Rapids 0-1 Minnetonka) No
Bloomington Kennedy 1-2 Prior Lake (Final: Bloomington Kennedy 2-0 Prior Lake) No
Park Center 1-2 Spring Lake Park (Final: Park Center 2-2 Spring Lake Park) No
o 1-for-4 and keep trying...
A few thoughts
o Edina lost again? What's going on here?
Top 10 in Action - Week 9/15 Results
1. Eden Prairie
Tie. Tue 16 7:00 PM Bloomington Kennedy T 1-1
Loss. Thu 18 5:00 PM Bloomington Jefferson L 1-0
? Fri 19 5:00 PM Fargo South
Win. Sat 20 12:00 PM Fargo North W 3-0 8-1-3 Fargo North
2. Edina
Loss. Tue 16 5:00 PM Hopkins L 3-2
Loss. Sat 20 7:00 PM Chaska L 1-0
3. Apple Valley
Win. Tue 16 7:00 PM Lakeville South W 3-1
Win. Thu 18 5:00 PM Rosemount W 4-0
Win. Sat 20 1:00 PM St. Paul Academy W 2-0
4. Osseo
Tie. Tue 16 7:00 PM Coon Rapids T 3-3
Win. Thu 18 5:00 PM Maple Grove W 3-0
5. Coon Rapids
Tie. Tue 16 7:00 PM Osseo T 3-3
Win. Thu 18 5:00 PM Anoka W 2-0
Loss. Sat 20 3:00 PM Minnetonka L 1
6. St. Louis Park
Tie. Tue 16 7:00 PM Benilde-St. Margaret's T 0-0
Win. Thu 18 5:00 PM Fridley W 2-1
7. Anoka
Tie. Tue 16 7:00 PM Centennial T 0-0
Loss. Thu 18 5:00 PM Coon Rapids L 2-0
Loss. Sat 20 3:00 PM Minneapolis Southwest L 1-0
8. Maple Grove
Loss. Tue 16 7:00 PM Elk River L 1-0
Loss. Thu 18 5:00 PM Osseo L 3-0
Win. Sat 20 7:00 PM Tartan W 1-0
9. Woodbury
Tie. Tue 16 7:00 PM Park of Cottage Grove T 2-2
Win. Thu 18 5:00 PM Hastings W 3-1
Win. Sat 20 1:00 PM Mounds View W 3-2
10. Robbinsdale Armstrong
Win. Tue 16 7:00 PM Wayzata W 1-0
Loss. Thu 18 5:00 PM Hopkins L 3-0
Should be dropped from Top 10
Anoka, Maple Grove, Armstrong.
Should be included in Top 10
Cretin-Durham Hall, Bloomington Jefferson, Hopkins.
Cretin-Durham Hall
Win. Tue 16 4:30 PM St. Paul Academy W 5-3
Win. Thu 18 5:00 PM Roseville W 4-0
Win. Sat 20 11:00 AM Forest Lake W 3-2
Bloomington Jefferson
Win. Tue 16 7:00 PM Minnetonka W 2-0
Win. Thu 18 5:00 PM Eden Prairie W 1-0
Win. Sat 20 12:00 PM Shakopee W 1-0
Hopkins
Win. Tue 16 5:00 PM Edina W 3-2
Win. Thu 18 5:00 PM Robbinsdale Armstrong W 3-0
Win. Sat 20 11:00 AM Monticello W 4-0
XMan Top 10 - Week 9/22
1. Apple Valley (12-1)
2. Osseo (8-1-2)
3. Eden Prairie (8-1-3)
4. Edina (9-2-1)
5. Coon Rapids (9-2-2)
6. Bloomington Jefferson (8-2-2)
7. Cretin-Durham Hall (10-3)
8. Woodbury (6-2-2)
9. Hopkins (7-4-1)
10. St. Louis Park (8-2-2)
A few thoughts
o Eagan is coming on strong with 5 straight wins. Beat Lakeville North and ending Duluth East 7 wins streak.
o Bloomington Jefferson vs Eagan game on 9/23 Tuesday should be one to watch.
o Park Center is coming together? Another week should tell if they're real.
Dropped from Top 10
Anoka, Maple Grove, Armstrong.
Added to Top 10
Cretin-Durham Hall, Bloomington Jefferson, Hopkins.
Does Jefferson really deserve to be 6 after one victory against EP? They should not be in the top ten until after this week where they play Eagan, AV, and Rosemount
Maple Grove has a very tough schedule this week including coon rapids and anoka, it'll be interesting to see the scores. Especially to see them with two starting players returning to thier lineup. Any predictions?
MG can't score so what's the difference.
so youre saying BJ hasn't had a tough enough schedule to be number 6? they have a solid record and just beat the number one team in state. Why should Osseo be number 2 with a far easier schedule?
MG loss to CR, ties Anoka. I don't see anyone coming back that will help them. I know their starting goalie might be coming back, but the Sophomore has been doing well. I saw the Osseo game (0-3) and the goalie couldn't have saved any of the goals--they were all defensive issues. Infact, without an awesome goalie performance, Osseo could have scored 5-6. (Yikes.) Osseo is not only Whitney Browne.
Changing topics slightly--Osseo might have the best offense in town.
Edina lost because they don't score. They will lose again because they don't score. Sure can pass the ball around though.
I agree.. BJ is very talented and are starting to show it. They deserve to be around #6 but we'll see if they keep up the good work this week. I wouldnt say osseo has a much tougher schedule being the the NWSC is tough as well,i would like to see osseo play an edina or e.p. or a.v. team.. some team of that caliber. And i'm interested to see who shows off their talent this week between Anoka Coon Rapids or M.G. All teams have showed glimpses of being in the top ten.
Has Coon Rapids beaten anyone good? Anyone in the top 10? Didn't they just lose to Minnetonka?
Osseo has 4 good dribblers. You don't see these kind of players much these days. They attack hard and break down defense fast.
Maradonna would love to watch them.
I've seen them. They are good. However, I think you see more of that these days with the influx of immigrant players and natural progression (Freddie Adu being a top example). Football is always improving all over the world. There are more creative dribblers these days than there ever has been (Cristiano, Ronaldinho, Dempsey, etc.). Osseo is a top 5 team.
#10
Combining art of dribbling with quick combination plays was deadly when Osseo dribbler made minced meat out of MG defense. They totally don't understand how to defend against dribblers.
Cristiano has made minced meat out of the entire world last year...does the entire world not understand how to defend against dribblers? Maybe you should lace them up?
I wouldn't comparing HS kids with world best player like Cristiano. Messi is another incredible dribbler.
I wouldn't expect HS kids to be able to defend better than the world's best defenders. Joe Cole is another incredible dribbler.
If John Terry can't defend Cristiano, why should HS players "understand how to defend against dribblers?"
Jefferson has only given up 2 goals in the last 8 matches Big week in the Lake Conf
MN Coaches Top 10 - Week 9/22
CLASS 2A BOYS POLL
1. Apple Valley (12-1)
2. Eden Prairie (9-1)
3. Osseo (8-1)
4. Edina (9-3)
5. Coon Rapids (9-2)
6. St. Louis Park (8-2)
7. Minneapolis Southwest (8-1)
8. Bloomington Jefferson (8-2)
9. Cretin-Derham Hall (10-3)
10. Woodbury (6-2)
Others receiving votes: Eagan, Robbinsdale Armstrong
Class 2A Ranking Provided By: Coaches Association
A few thoughts
o Hopkins should have been in and not Mpls SW.
o St.Louis Park has easy schedule and got beat by Hopkins.
o Get St.Louis Park off Top 10 or they should be #10.
o Mpls SW hasn't proved themselves for #7 and got easy schedule.
How is Woodbury ranked? They have won just four of their last seven games - two against teams with one win combined and tied a team with no wins and tied another with just two wins. Very weak conference this year! Do the coaches even look at who these teams have played?
Didn't EP beat AV 5-1?
1. Eden Prairie
2. Osseo
3. Apple Valley
4. Edina
5. Bloomington Jefferson
6. Rochester Mayo
7. Armstrong
8. Woodbury
9. St. Louis Park
10. Eagan
Top 10 in Action - Monday 9/22
1. Apple Valley (Home 7pm vs Henry Sibley)
2. Eden Prairie (off)
3. Osseo (off)
4. Edina (off)
5. Coon Rapids (off)
6. St. Louis Park (off)
7. Minneapolis Southwest (off)
8. Bloomington Jefferson (off)
9. Cretin-Derham Hall (Home 6pm vs Woodbury)
10. Woodbury (Away 6pm at Cretin-Derham Hall)
Games to watch
Woodbury vs. Cretin-Derham Hall | 6:00 PM at Cretin-Derham Hall
Minneapolis South vs. Wayzata | 7:00 PM at Wayzata
Predictions
Woodbury 1-3 Cretin-Derham Hall
Minneapolis South 2-1 Wayzata
Yeah Woodbury played weak teams.
Anonymous said...
How is Woodbury ranked? They have won just four of their last seven games - two against teams with one win combined and tied a team with no wins and tied another with just two wins. Very weak conference this year! Do the coaches even look at who these teams have played?
I like Osseo team. They sure can play the attacking game.
actually minnetonka has beat a few top ten teams.. and the amazing osseo team tied coon rapids. i dont see why you are making coon rapids sounds like a sluggish team bacause they sure aren't.
I'd say Coon Rapids is in the right spot. Woodbury? Nope.
Hopkins is better than Woodbury
The suburban east is not as strong as usual.
No teams in the State Tournament for the SEC
State Tourney Predictions
Section 1 Rochester Mayo
Section 2 EP or Jefferson
Section 3 Apple Valley
Section 4 Woodbury or Cretin
Section 5 Osseo
Section 6 Hopkins or Southwest
Section 7 Coon Rapids or Anoka
Section 8 Elk River
Seeding is top 4 now, not all 8. Seeded teams
Section 2, Apple Valley, Osseo, Section 7
Section 2 winner vs Apple Valley in the Final
Eagan and Jefferson Tuesday night
Woodbury 2 Cretin 0
AV 5 Sibley 0
jefferson will stomp on eagan.
has anybody seen brian grand from north branch play? 22 goals. is he another Class A player that would be an also ran in AA?
Coaches posting with alias bragging about their (sons?) teams. Gotta love it.
My kid Whitney Browne is good!
My team Wayzata should be in top 10.
Top 10 in Action - Monday 9/22 Results
1. Apple Valley (Apple Valley 5, Henry Sibley 0)
2. Eden Prairie (off)
3. Osseo (off)
4. Edina (off)
5. Coon Rapids (off)
6. St. Louis Park (off)
7. Minneapolis Southwest (off)
8. Bloomington Jefferson (off)
9. Cretin-Derham Hall (Woodbury 2, Cretin-Derham Hall 0)
10. Woodbury (Woodbury 2, Cretin-Derham Hall 0)
Games to watch - Results
Woodbury 2-0 Cretin-Derham Hall
Minneapolis South 0-2 Wayzata
Predictions - Results
Woodbury 1-3 Cretin-Derham Hall (Final: Woodbury 2-0 Cretin-Derham Hall) No
Minneapolis South 2-1 Wayzata (Final: Minneapolis South 0-2 Wayzata) No
o 0-for-2 oh man I'm going downhill...
Top 10 in Action - Tuesday 9/23
1. Apple Valley (off)
2. Eden Prairie (Away 7pm at Burnsville)
3. Osseo (Home 7pm vs Andover)
4. Edina (Away 5pm at Robbinsdale Armstrong)
5. Coon Rapids (Away 7pm at Centennial)
6. St. Louis Park (Home 7pm vs North Branch)
7. Minneapolis Southwest (Home 4:15pm vs Benilde-St. Margaret's)
8. Bloomington Jefferson (Home 7pm vs Eagan)
9. Cretin-Derham Hall (off)
10. Woodbury (off)
Games to watch - Results
Eagan vs. Bloomington Jefferson | 7:00 PM at Bloomington Jefferson
Coon Rapids vs. Centennial | 7:00 PM at Centennial
Minnetonka vs. Hopkins | 7:00 PM at Hopkins
Edina vs. Robbinsdale Armstrong | 5:00 PM at Robbinsdale Armstrong
Predictions - Results
Eagan 1-2 Bloomington Jefferson
Coon Rapids 1-2 Centennial
Minnetonka 1-2 Hopkins
Edina 2-0 Robbinsdale Armstrong
Post a Comment