With coaches practice started at most high schools, the excitement for the 2009 MN high school season is upon us. Should be a great year for HS soccer with many very strong U16, U17 and U18 girls club teams.
I wonder if Wayzata is overrated at #4. They didn't lose any games, but have ties in their two tough games, another tie against an above average Tonka team, two ties against mediocre opposition, and some weak wins against Class A competition.
We probably won't know until State, as they have a very weak Section, with only Tonka to beat.
wayzata is overrated and in one of the easiest sections. if you are trying to find the best team, you play on turf. these girls are not "turf experts" no matter what AHA says. they are not skilled enough to make ths subtle changes required of turf, but a bad field that is bumpy, uneven and stricken with patches of open dirt is an equalizer for a bad side.
Nobody should apologize for playing hard the entire game during playoffs. Shutting down in the easy early rounds can cost you when you get to a good team later.
why do some of the best teams only win by 4-0, 5-0, 6-0 against competition where they could name the score, while other teams need to crank it up into double digits?
Ann, not even remotely sure what your point is there. And FYI I've never heard AHA refer to themselves as turf experts, thats more something other people on here say to try to take away from their accomplishments... "they aren't that good, they are just used to turf"
As for that AHA team, I wouldn't expect them to suffer on the grass field at Vis next Monday night, they already tied Vis 0-0 on that field once this year, have played 9 games on grass already this year, and also have a grass field they train on.
I think people put WAY too much into this turf vs grass thing. I'd rather see games on turf than some horrible train wreck of a grass field, but if its a natural surface and is in good shape (like Vis for example) there is no reason to take away their home field advantage.
a bad field takes away a more skilled teams advantage, if you do not understand that, you are an idiot. yes they play on the same field, but a quality side that can move the ball, possess and control tempo can be slowed to a standstill if the ball takes four wierd bounces before it hits its intended target. A rainy, swampy field may not equal things out, but it gives the lesser side a fighting chance.
Do not even remotely understand my point? Unless I am mistaken, I was writing in plain english, not sanskrit, what is not to understand?
The Charlie Davies accident is tragic, not just for he and his family but for any hope of the US making a move next summer. He is our only competent attacker that can actually put a mild scare into the defense.
include me in the "have no idea what Ann is talking about" group. just because it was written in plain english doesn't mean it made any sense. not sure what past comments she was referencing. agree with her comments on Charlie Davies.
10:51-I am not an idiot. I would venture to say my IQ is higher than yours. (MENSA level here). If a team can handle the ball better than another team it wouldn't matter if they played on concrete or quicksand. This issue comes up often and people use it a excuses even before the fact. Officiating regularly affects the outcome of games, certainly more than what field teams play on.
officials - yes, I agree. weather - as much if not more than officials. wind, heavy rain, etc... do have a huge impact on being able to control the ball (with the subsequent impact on a grass field). This does negate a significant degree of skill level. grass v turf - probably not much.
Hey Bill, for being so smart I'm surprised your views are so black & white. those in the know usually integrate variables into the thought/decision process.
Love the fact that you have to claim you are in MENSA! Bravo for stating one of the craziest things I have seen on this insane blog. Have you played the game? If you have you would know that a bad field can dramatically change the way a game can be played and hurt a more skilled team. Look at the Litter Box in Bloomington, it is nearly impossible to play wide on that field, allowing a team who plays kick and run up the field (in my opinion a less skilled team)to have an advantage.
Home field advantage is a factor in almost all sporting events. Certaintly not the only factor or the biggest factor, but a factor none the less. AHA got beat two years ago by Blake, a more physical team, on a slow soggy surface and many people attributed the win to home field advantage. AHA beat everyone on the home rug last year (except BJeff) and IMHO home field advantage played a huge part in it. I believe the top seed deserves the home field advantage.
Vis is definitely a well maitained pitch and I don't think the grass pitch will be a huge advantage. A lot of the private school players played in the CAA and the pitches the CAA plays on are usually SPA and Vis. They've all seen that pitch before just like most players are on turf all winter. Also a cold semi frozen lawn is going to start to play like turf.
If the VIS pitch was dangerously out of shape it would be a reasonable arguement to move that game, but that's not the case.
I wish they (any HS team) could play some games at Robbie. Ahhh now there's a pitch.
My boss probably wishes I would do some work today.
The fact that most MN high school games are played unfortunately on football fields also negates the skill level for both teams. The length might be consistent at 120 yards, but the width usually shrinks to 65 yards versus the standard 80 yard field. The narrower field reduces space, congests the players, diminishes passing lanes, and encourages a much more north-south style of play. And to think I came up with all of that and I couldn't pass the SAT because I couldn't spell the name of the test correctly.
This will be the last year Wayzata will get such a 'cake walk' into state. What a joke their section is compared any others.
TP has a sweet deal over there...3000 kids - 1/2 girls, 2 solid feeder clubs with premier level players plus a few MTA players - just about anyone with even a little bit of coaching expertise would be able to get a team to the state tournament with those odds.
tomass, just getting out of my death bed. we'll meet up in the dome.... or Maxwell's!
i belong to mensa too! i show my membership card to the clerk at the liq. store and he says, 'that will be $32 MISTER ems'.
i had been wondering why we haven't heard much 'kill the ref' stuff this season? maybe it's because the talent pool is so shallow? or parity breeds boredom?
when wishing every team good luck the other day i forgot to say goodbye to all the delusional moms & dads ... 1/2 of them are already gone...it will get real quiet in here come tues of next week!
I didn't say was in MENSA. I said my IQ was high enough to be in MENSA. My thinking on this isn't black and white. If one team has better ball skills they will show no matter what the surface. They could use a beach ball and the better skills should show.
1:20: agreed, but TP doesn't realize it. Instead, he still longs for the old days when opposing schools had trouble fielding a full team of club level players. Maybe that's why he now schedules most of his non-conference games against Class A and Mpls schools. But hey, they will make it to State and they will get a top 4 seed, so all is well on the Westside.
You should see my IQ soar into the high double digits after a few rounds of Patron.
A team with better ball skills would not necessarily be better with a beach ball unless they practiced with a beach ball.
Beach Balls remind me of beaches and beaches remind me of hot summers where adult refreshments are required and that leads me back to becoming more intelligent; so senor, uno more Patron
the beach ball is an equalizer - because it moves so slow and is a large object that even you could look like a skilled player.
how about hockey - two equally skilled teams. One always plays on hard ice in a northern city and one always plays on softer ice in a southern city. The slowness of ice will always throw the timing off of the hard ice team for a period of time.
6:35 Don't get me wrong - the girls he has are talented and probably belong up there. There is just a lot of talk on the westside about how much better the team could be if they had a coach who was ... (pick your term): smarter, better, NICER, could motivate instead of cutting players down, his coaching skills were not stuck in the 70s....
Don't know if this is true but I heard his players HAVE to wear dresses on game day or are sanctioned...didn't we get rid of that in the 60s? Now I like girls in dresses as much as the next guy but seriously...
Hey MNfutbol - how about a thread on the World Cup? We could have a 1000 posts just on Landycakes Donovan alone with all his supporters and detractors. IMHO I think they made the right move putting back in the outside mid slot.
A soccer/hockey coach especially revered by TomASS once described a player by claiming they couldn't score a goal even if they were shooting at a net with a beach ball. Where does that fit into the equalizer/skill/Mensa/beach/patron discussion? Is there a Womensa?
Anyone else think the section schedule this year is ridiculous? Teams with byes get about 10 days off without a game. Even teams that play in the first round don't play for 6 days. Haven't games been played during MEA in the past? Don't like the layout one bit, especially since the weather doesn't tend to get better from here on out. Not to mention class A teams will play three games next week if they continue to win.
I read the last four or five days of posts and I did not see any posts that MA is Dr. Evil of MN Soccer. Come on people, I am sure he did something that made someone mad. Maybe we should get mad at him becuase he hasn't made us mad at him for awhile.
Is this blog dead? All the daughters of the crazies on this blog must have gotten the boot from sections? Good luck to all as teams fight for a state berth this week! Anyone have some upset specials?
Why would East Ridge back out of State? Would be because MA think they are not as good as the other teams, and let the teams that are better than them adavnce? That would be assuming they make State.
What they meant by "back out" is that the people on the blog will be back out to bash or support them. Don't think MA's going to make that mistake twice!!
His TEAM will win state due to excellent players that have gelled to due a top coach. Don't discount what kind of motivation MA brings to this new team...the best.
So much of this blog is dedicated to the coaches and the club teams. Many of you forget that it is the girls on the field that win or lose the games. You give the coaches way too much credit.
If the team's win, the coach did a great job "motivating" and playing a "system". If they lose, it is on the girls. What a shame.
I don't care about MA and his "issues" in the past. The story is the team. Such elitist garbage.
MA is a good coach, but I would never mistake him for good motivator. I would give him some of the credit for East Ridges success but also he has quite a few very good club players who play at a high level and if they lose he shouldn't be ripped apart as a failure. You will only go as far as the talent you have attending your high school. IMHO coachs get and take way to much of the credit for teams success but they also get way to much of the blame for teams failures.
Its amazing the a club coach with huge self inflicted ego that gets booted because of unethical behavior and his no shame side kick the embezzles money from a cathlic school has cronies try to spark some controversary about him and his prowess in high school coaching. It takes away from the solid role models and commitment that the rest or most of the former organization display and sacrifice time to improve the lives and soccer game of kids and parents that commit to it.
Sign up a Tri-Metro team for the state tourney. SPA, Blake, Minnehaha, and Vis are the only ones left standing in section 3A. Should be some great semifinal action!
high school is not club. you can pull the wool over club parent's eyes because they pay mucho $$$ for the honor of playing...not (most) h.s. parents...they don't care (or pay) quite as much so they don't buy into the bullogna...
ems - now I'm hungry thanks for letting me borrow your defective death bed. Glad it still doesn't work but swine flu is going to have to do a lot better against two old cantankerous curmudgeons like ourselves.
At least my nose doesn't look too snout-like anymore.
The MA bashers must be struggling the past few weeks as Eastridge HS has played excellent soccer. The brand new team (do they even have seniors at the school?) started the season 0-3 and people were barking on this blog about the coach.
On Sept 16th the team was 2-5.
Since Sept 16th the team has gone 9-1-1 with the one loss coming to Woodbury by 0-2 score. During this run they've scored 27 goals and only allowed 3 goals. It just took a few games for the coach to learn the players capabilities.
By anyone's standards this has been an excellent job of coaching taking a brand new team that started out 0-3 and have them deep into the sections.
9:42 - no seniors, but at 1050 students, still one of the largest Class A schools (with 4 grades next year do they go Class AA?). They also have at least 4 or 5 MN ODP kids (which is more than most squads). Don't take this is a knock as I think what they've done in their first year is great, but like you stated - facts are facts.
A few of the largest metro Class A schools - Mahtomedi, Simley, Rogers, STMA, East Ridge, SLP, and Park Center has over 1500. I'm sure there are some others out there.
although sheer enrollment doesn't guarantee success, just like in Class AA, it can be a sizable advantage. greater numbers=great player pool=greater chance of quality players and team depth.
Some other numbers from the MSHSL site: BSM - 873 Blake - 505 Burnsville - 2984 HM - 861 (AA) And, my personal favorites:
Climax High - 36 Eagle County Christian Academy - 1 (but I hear that kid is a heck of a chess player) Forest Lake - 2299, which proves that size doesn't always matter
Class A soccer boys and girls is absoulutely terrible. Soccer should be a 1 class system. Their is always one or two good small schools and then the rest are completely terrible.
and most of the bigger schools (University of EP, Wayzata, Woodbury, Coon Rapids, EV/AV/LKV/Edina, etc...) do. The only difference is with the MTA's of the world, at some of the age groups, the majority of the best players do no play for the local feeder program but obviously play for the high school.
The reason there aren't any playmakers in Minnesota is because Minnesota coaches are a lazy lot. It's much easier and less time consuming to teach boot ball (oops,meant Direct). They are a bunch of ol slugs who'd rather guzzle beer and smoke stogies.There's only one coach who's really committed to teaching and demonstrating techniqe and his teams do very well year in and year out. He's a real soccer coach.
6-2 edina leading burnsville late in the game. ldG is a very good player who makes things happen all over the attack zone. j.s. hat trick for the 1st 3 goals. c.b. added a couple.
if folks are going to have 1v1 private conversations on this blog there is this thing called text messaging..... would save the rest of us from having to read such dither.
EP-Edina game will be an entertaining one! EP is defending well, but isn't scoring goals at the same clip as Edina, who is also defending well.
EP's strength is possession, not necessarily scoring goals at will, and their team defending. Edina is a goal scoring machine right now, but did give up some chances and goals.
I haven't seen EP play in a few weeks, and wish I could see this matchup.
Also of note, good to see Lakeville North in the finals of their section as well as Eagan v. EV. I'm pulling for LN to get through and I don't see Eagan laying an egg.
Oh, and 1:04 and 1:08, is it okay that I comment on these games or is it adding the the "dither"????
I perfer to think of my posts more as blither rather than dither.
SPA is the team to beat in the section of death. I don't think the foul weather will affect them. SPA is pretty deep across the board. Vis has some good passing up top and plays the fast-break counter attack very well. The Blazers also has an excellent goalie. Predict SPA 2-1 over Vis.
2:36 - with TV, there is a guide which tells you what is on. with newspapers there is a heading which tells you what the story is about......nice try though. but if it makes you feel better - You Win!
Splitsville - agree with your analysis. Do you see Blake over Minnehaha (they beat them 2-0 earlier this year). If both SPA & Blake win, who do you see winning the title?
This year Blake has played their best soccer against their most solid opponents, so it will be interesting to see if they can get through the section, or even a tough semifinal game, with such a youthful squad.
EAGAN SHOUDL GO AHEAD OF WZTA just to teach TP a lesson about strength of schedule, what, do they play 13 games and most non-conference against A teams
Finally some negative comments re: MA. I was beginning to think people who post to this blog were beginning to think there were topics other than MA. I mean really all, of MN Soccer revolves around him. If we didn't have MA to talk bad about, what would happen tho this blog? Oh yeah.......He turn my daughter into a newt too.
Ok - this is a serious question. If people do not like MA and/or the things he has done, why do they invest so much time and effort posting their views? If you do not like something so much, why waste your valuable time and energy? Soccer is such a small part of our lives and it is short lived so why not focus on the good aspects? I do not understand it myself.
What? All of MN soccer does not revolve around the little man, but as long as he continues to be actively involved in MN soccer, the little man's mistake will live on and be the subject of jokes.
11:41 PM -- Do you really believe that soccer is such a small part of the little man's life or his compatriots over at mta? But I agree that focusing on the positive is generally better for all.
I spent about 90 seconds of my time posting this view.
10:25 is clearly insecure and what we would all call a hater. Some coaches leave positive legacies, others can only talk in envy about those coaches' legacies, have little chance of matching achievements, and thus revert to criticism. I feel sorry for people like 10:25, but whatever floats your boat I guess.
My predictions: 1A - La Crescent over Lake City (need to take out Kasson M. first) 2A - Mankato E over Mankato W 3A - SPA over Vis, Blake over Minnehaha, SPA wins 4A - Eastridge over Mahto, St. Croix Luthern over Simley, Eastridge advances 5A - Park Center over Rogers 6A - BSM over SLP, Orono over Waconia, BSM advances 7A - Esko over Cloquet 8A - East Grand Forks over Apollo
1AA - Rochester John Marshall over Lakeville North 2AA - EP over Edina 3AA - Eagan over Eastview 4AA - Woodbury over WBL 5AA - Centennial over Mounds View 6AA - Wayzata over Armstrong 7AA - Coon Rapids over Anoka 8AA - Brainerd over Elk River
something tells me 12:16 might live on the east side of the river. but in all honesty, WDB is one of the two favorites (them and winner of 2AA) and East Ridge is a very solid team and wouldn't be a huge surprise.
i can pretty much guarantee you that if we knew who 10:25, 11:28, etc... was it would become clear that somewhere, some way, somehow, in his/her mind, MA done one of his/her daughters wrong. now, he/she will quickly respond stating that's not true, but then that would beg the question.....if not personally affected, why such loathing?
LM over LN is a stretch and east ridge, although playing well of late is not a shoe in to get in, other then that agree with 1216. Best game of the night EP v ED.
Jealous of TP, maybe ten or twenty years ago! The man is reluctant to schedule any real competition and plays the bare minimum of games. His teams are not what they once were and his section is a cake walk. What is there to be jealous of? If they get the 3 seed over Eagan it is a sham!
Blake 1-0 over Minnehaha. Both teams left everything on the field. Blake capitalized on a nice set piece with about 15 minutes left. Both keepers made some huge saves, but Blake had a few more quality chances. Blake actually lost their starting keeper in the first half, but their freshmen backup filled in admirably. Blake vs. SPA should be a good one!
Agree Eden Prairie played well had some good opportunies first half. Edina played one their best defensive games of the year. Some underclassmen stepped up big time. Edina played as a group one of their best games linking up on offense. Senior depth helped win lot of one on one possessions. Coach did good job of aligning players and switching formations on timely basis, Eden Prairie with lot of underclassmen returning will be frightfully good next year.
"I don't understand why everyone thinks Rosenthal will get MR. SOCCER, he is the lead scorer but what has he done to get it, score goals? that is nothing. I think either one of there senior D lines will get it or simply someone else. There are other good players out there playing as well or even better than him, but i guess we will have to see."
1,477 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 801 – 1000 of 1477 Newer› Newest»I wonder if Wayzata is overrated at #4. They didn't lose any games, but have ties in their two tough games, another tie against an above average Tonka team, two ties against mediocre opposition, and some weak wins against Class A competition.
We probably won't know until State, as they have a very weak Section, with only Tonka to beat.
wayzata is overrated and in one of the easiest sections. if you are trying to find the best team, you play on turf. these girls are not "turf experts" no matter what AHA says. they are not skilled enough to make ths subtle changes required of turf, but a bad field that is bumpy, uneven and stricken with patches of open dirt is an equalizer for a bad side.
Is the Sibley 6-0 over Eagan score correct. major upset
10:09-Why would the field be an equalizer for either team? The field is the same for both teams, as is the temperature, rain, etc.
looks like yesterday was "pad the stats" night for many teams. happens every year in the first round of sectionals.
Eagan beat Sibley 6-0 the score posted on Game Face is incorrect.
Here we go again, "pad the stats night"?
Guess your team lost.
Nobody should apologize for playing hard the entire game during playoffs. Shutting down in the easy early rounds can cost you when you get to a good team later.
Get over it, some teams can score, others can't.
I agree that shutting down in the early rounds can cost a team, but 18-0? Did that really need to happen?
Who won 18-0 ?
why do some of the best teams only win by 4-0, 5-0, 6-0 against competition where they could name the score, while other teams need to crank it up into double digits?
and the cheer from the crowd is just as loud for goal #1 as it is for goal #10....
Stats. Run em up every chance you get. Goals not so easy to come by from here on out.
Ann, not even remotely sure what your point is there. And FYI I've never heard AHA refer to themselves as turf experts, thats more something other people on here say to try to take away from their accomplishments... "they aren't that good, they are just used to turf"
As for that AHA team, I wouldn't expect them to suffer on the grass field at Vis next Monday night, they already tied Vis 0-0 on that field once this year, have played 9 games on grass already this year, and also have a grass field they train on.
I think people put WAY too much into this turf vs grass thing. I'd rather see games on turf than some horrible train wreck of a grass field, but if its a natural surface and is in good shape (like Vis for example) there is no reason to take away their home field advantage.
a bad field takes away a more skilled teams advantage, if you do not understand that, you are an idiot. yes they play on the same field, but a quality side that can move the ball, possess and control tempo can be slowed to a standstill if the ball takes four wierd bounces before it hits its intended target. A rainy, swampy field may not equal things out, but it gives the lesser side a fighting chance.
1018
Do not even remotely understand my point? Unless I am mistaken, I was writing in plain english, not sanskrit, what is not to understand?
The Charlie Davies accident is tragic, not just for he and his family but for any hope of the US making a move next summer. He is our only competent attacker that can actually put a mild scare into the defense.
include me in the "have no idea what Ann is talking about" group. just because it was written in plain english doesn't mean it made any sense. not sure what past comments she was referencing. agree with her comments on Charlie Davies.
10:51-I am not an idiot. I would venture to say my IQ is higher than yours. (MENSA level here). If a team can handle the ball better than another team it wouldn't matter if they played on concrete or quicksand. This issue comes up often and people use it a excuses even before the fact. Officiating regularly affects the outcome of games, certainly more than what field teams play on.
officials - yes, I agree.
weather - as much if not more than officials. wind, heavy rain, etc... do have a huge impact on being able to control the ball (with the subsequent impact on a grass field). This does negate a significant degree of skill level.
grass v turf - probably not much.
Hey Bill, for being so smart I'm surprised your views are so black & white. those in the know usually integrate variables into the thought/decision process.
Monticello 18
Brooklyn Center 0
Real classy!!
Bill
Love the fact that you have to claim you are in MENSA! Bravo for stating one of the craziest things I have seen on this insane blog. Have you played the game? If you have you would know that a bad field can dramatically change the way a game can be played and hurt a more skilled team. Look at the Litter Box in Bloomington, it is nearly impossible to play wide on that field, allowing a team who plays kick and run up the field (in my opinion a less skilled team)to have an advantage.
Home field advantage is a factor in almost all sporting events. Certaintly not the only factor or the biggest factor, but a factor none the less. AHA got beat two years ago by Blake, a more physical team, on a slow soggy surface and many people attributed the win to home field advantage. AHA beat everyone on the home rug last year (except BJeff) and IMHO home field advantage played a huge part in it. I believe the top seed deserves the home field advantage.
Vis is definitely a well maitained pitch and I don't think the grass pitch will be a huge advantage. A lot of the private school players played in the CAA and the pitches the CAA plays on are usually SPA and Vis. They've all seen that pitch before just like most players are on turf all winter. Also a cold semi frozen lawn is going to start to play like turf.
If the VIS pitch was dangerously out of shape it would be a reasonable arguement to move that game, but that's not the case.
I wish they (any HS team) could play some games at Robbie. Ahhh now there's a pitch.
My boss probably wishes I would do some work today.
splitsville
The fact that most MN high school games are played unfortunately on football fields also negates the skill level for both teams. The length might be consistent at 120 yards, but the width usually shrinks to 65 yards versus the standard 80 yard field. The narrower field reduces space, congests the players, diminishes passing lanes, and encourages a much more north-south style of play.
And to think I came up with all of that and I couldn't pass the SAT because I couldn't spell the name of the test correctly.
Who's talking about moving the game from Vis?
This will be the last year Wayzata will get such a 'cake walk' into state. What a joke their section is compared any others.
TP has a sweet deal over there...3000 kids - 1/2 girls, 2 solid feeder clubs with premier level players plus a few MTA players - just about anyone with even a little bit of coaching expertise would be able to get a team to the state tournament with those odds.
Gee...what next? Can we blame the U10 ball girls?
124 - depends how well they do in helping the home team ;-)
I bet if we go back a few years we could find a post on here.
tomass, just getting out of my death bed. we'll meet up in the dome.... or Maxwell's!
i belong to mensa too! i show my membership card to the clerk at the liq. store and he says, 'that will be $32 MISTER ems'.
i had been wondering why we haven't heard much 'kill the ref' stuff this season? maybe it's because the talent pool is so shallow? or parity breeds boredom?
when wishing every team good luck the other day i forgot to say goodbye to all the delusional moms & dads ... 1/2 of them are already gone...it will get real quiet in here come tues of next week!
ems
I didn't say was in MENSA. I said my IQ was high enough to be in MENSA. My thinking on this isn't black and white. If one team has better ball skills they will show no matter what the surface. They could use a beach ball and the better skills should show.
1:20: agreed, but TP doesn't realize it. Instead, he still longs for the old days when opposing schools had trouble fielding a full team of club level players. Maybe that's why he now schedules most of his non-conference games against Class A and Mpls schools. But hey, they will make it to State and they will get a top 4 seed, so all is well on the Westside.
424:
MENSA so what?
I could live in MESA if I wanted.
You should see my IQ soar into the high double digits after a few rounds of Patron.
A team with better ball skills would not necessarily be better with a beach ball unless they practiced with a beach ball.
Beach Balls remind me of beaches and beaches remind me of hot summers where adult refreshments are required and that leads me back to becoming more intelligent; so senor, uno more Patron
If neither team practices with a beach ball the relative skill difference will still be evident.
tanygaard! you are welcome at our table later in the month!
ems
the beach ball is an equalizer - because it moves so slow and is a large object that even you could look like a skilled player.
how about hockey - two equally skilled teams. One always plays on hard ice in a northern city and one always plays on softer ice in a southern city. The slowness of ice will always throw the timing off of the hard ice team for a period of time.
ems- accepted
oh good my moniker is back
6:35 Don't get me wrong - the girls he has are talented and probably belong up there. There is just a lot of talk on the westside about how much better the team could be if they had a coach who was ... (pick your term): smarter, better, NICER, could motivate instead of cutting players down, his coaching skills were not stuck in the 70s....
Don't know if this is true but I heard his players HAVE to wear dresses on game day or are sanctioned...didn't we get rid of that in the 60s? Now I like girls in dresses as much as the next guy but seriously...
Hey MNfutbol - how about a thread on the World Cup? We could have a 1000 posts just on Landycakes Donovan alone with all his supporters and detractors. IMHO I think they made the right move putting back in the outside mid slot.
splitsville
A soccer/hockey coach especially revered by TomASS once described a player by claiming they couldn't score a goal even if they were shooting at a net with a beach ball. Where does that fit into the equalizer/skill/Mensa/beach/patron discussion? Is there a Womensa?
Dresses - come on - someone's daughter isn't getting to play.
It was the nicest thing he ever said about my kid and at many moments very true
Anyone see any big upsets tomorrow or Monday?
Did Lake City (#9 seed) actually knock off Rochester Lourdes (#1 seed) in Section 1A? If true, there's your big upset.
Anyone else think the section schedule this year is ridiculous? Teams with byes get about 10 days off without a game. Even teams that play in the first round don't play for 6 days. Haven't games been played during MEA in the past? Don't like the layout one bit, especially since the weather doesn't tend to get better from here on out. Not to mention class A teams will play three games next week if they continue to win.
It'll be nicer Monday than it was this week.
I read the last four or five days of posts and I did not see any posts that MA is Dr. Evil of MN Soccer. Come on people, I am sure he did something that made someone mad. Maybe we should get mad at him becuase he hasn't made us mad at him for awhile.
If East Ridge gets to State they will be back out. Although maybe not in force because as ems said most of their teams will no longer be playing.
Is this blog dead? All the daughters of the crazies on this blog must have gotten the boot from sections? Good luck to all as teams fight for a state berth this week! Anyone have some upset specials?
Why would East Ridge back out of State?
Would be because MA think they are not as good as the other teams, and let the teams that are better than them adavnce? That would be assuming they make State.
What they meant by "back out" is that the people on the blog will be back out to bash or support them. Don't think MA's going to make that mistake twice!!
16/10/09 10:20 PM -- Ok, let's do a survey. How many people want MA to win state?
Is he playing?
His TEAM will win state due to excellent players that have gelled to due a top coach. Don't discount what kind of motivation MA brings to this new team...the best.
12:54 must have a kid on his club team.
Are they allowed to eat candy during the season? How do you keep High School kids from eating candy?
Self-disciplne and committment to the team. Beyond that? Who knows!
So much of this blog is dedicated to the coaches and the club teams. Many of you forget that it is the girls on the field that win or lose the games. You give the coaches way too much credit.
If the team's win, the coach did a great job "motivating" and playing a "system". If they lose, it is on the girls. What a shame.
I don't care about MA and his "issues" in the past. The story is the team. Such elitist garbage.
MA is a good coach, but I would never mistake him for good motivator. I would give him some of the credit for East Ridges success but also he has quite a few very good club players who play at a high level and if they lose he shouldn't be ripped apart as a failure. You will only go as far as the talent you have attending your high school. IMHO coachs get and take way to much of the credit for teams success but they also get way to much of the blame for teams failures.
I see three minor upsets coming...
Armstrong over Tonka
Osseo over Cent.
Stillwater over WBL
It's good to see the tonights weather conditions will improved over last week.
Its amazing the a club coach with huge self inflicted ego that gets booted because of unethical behavior and his no shame side kick the embezzles money from a cathlic school has cronies try to spark some controversary about him and his prowess in high school coaching. It takes away from the solid role models and commitment that the rest or most of the former organization display and sacrifice time to improve the lives and soccer game of kids and parents that commit to it.
Eastridge 1
SSP 0
Good game....hard fought...even contest
sounds more like 7:12 is the one with the axe to grind.
Eagan 7
AV 1
woodbury 3 Hill Murray 0
Centennial wins in shootout.
7:12, You're spot on. This guy is not improving lives or teaching his players anything about life:
http://www.roadtoregionals.com/97-journal/2009/5/20/rebuilding.html
Section of death...
SPA 4-0 over Highland
Minnehaha 1-0 over DeLaSalle
Blake 4-0 over Trinity
842 right on
Visitation 2-0 over AHA.
WBL - Stillwater? (Girls)
8:42--after reading that I want to yell that he is coaching 12 YEAR OLDS!!!!! wow.
He's a witch!
He's a witch!
Burn him! Burn him!
MA turned my daughter into a newt......
....she got better...
Do you think he weighs as much as a duck?
Sign up a Tri-Metro team for the state tourney. SPA, Blake, Minnehaha, and Vis are the only ones left standing in section 3A. Should be some great semifinal action!
WBL 2
Stillwater 1
high school is not club. you can pull the wool over club parent's eyes because they pay mucho $$$ for the honor of playing...not (most) h.s. parents...they don't care (or pay) quite as much so they don't buy into the bullogna...
ems
nothing like the customary bitter ems posting to end the day.....
ems - now I'm hungry
thanks for letting me borrow your defective death bed. Glad it still doesn't work but swine flu is going to have to do a lot better against two old cantankerous curmudgeons like ourselves.
At least my nose doesn't look too snout-like anymore.
See any good games last night tomASS?
The MA bashers must be struggling the past few weeks as Eastridge HS has played excellent soccer.
The brand new team (do they even have seniors at the school?) started the season 0-3 and people were barking on this blog about the coach.
On Sept 16th the team was 2-5.
Since Sept 16th the team has gone 9-1-1 with the one loss coming to Woodbury by 0-2 score. During this run they've scored 27 goals and only allowed 3 goals. It just took a few games for the coach to learn the players capabilities.
By anyone's standards this has been an excellent job of coaching taking a brand new team that started out 0-3 and have them deep into the sections.
Remember it's single A soccer. Don't get so dramatic.
Any true upsets from yesterday (other than a #5 beating a #4 or a #3 beating a #2)?
Saw spa play yesterday. Seemed like a good squad. Players work well together. Don't know their coach but they seem well coached.
I don't think 7:27 is being dramatic. Facts are facts. The record and improvement are easily checked.
Does the school have seniors?
9:42 - no seniors, but at 1050 students, still one of the largest Class A schools (with 4 grades next year do they go Class AA?). They also have at least 4 or 5 MN ODP kids (which is more than most squads). Don't take this is a knock as I think what they've done in their first year is great, but like you stated - facts are facts.
What is the smallest school still in tiurney?
What is the cut-off point between A & AA?
A few of the largest metro Class A schools - Mahtomedi, Simley, Rogers, STMA, East Ridge, SLP, and Park Center has over 1500. I'm sure there are some others out there.
The smallest school is Lake City with 402.
Mahtomedi - 1149
Simley - 1022
Rogers - 1139
St Michael Albertville - 1199
East Ridge - 1050
SLP - 1184
the surprise was Park Center at 1560. They should be a Class AA school.
Spa is smallest. 3 something
although sheer enrollment doesn't guarantee success, just like in Class AA, it can be a sizable advantage. greater numbers=great player pool=greater chance of quality players and team depth.
See Wayzata and EP as examples A and B of size = quality players; Wayzata's JV probably would have been the favorite in their weak section.
Some other numbers from the MSHSL site:
BSM - 873
Blake - 505
Burnsville - 2984
HM - 861 (AA)
And, my personal favorites:
Climax High - 36
Eagle County Christian Academy - 1 (but I hear that kid is a heck of a chess player)
Forest Lake - 2299, which proves that size doesn't always matter
Class A soccer boys and girls is absoulutely terrible. Soccer should be a 1 class system. Their is always one or two good small schools and then the rest are completely terrible.
MDW in attendance at EVHS vs Rosemount game last night.
and most of the bigger schools (University of EP, Wayzata, Woodbury, Coon Rapids, EV/AV/LKV/Edina, etc...) do. The only difference is with the MTA's of the world, at some of the age groups, the majority of the best players do no play for the local feeder program but obviously play for the high school.
bville edina tonight should be decent. to see who earns the right to get smoked by EP
Wdby's top player out for playoffs. AA (and Ms. Soccer) up for grabs.
Eagan has the most talent in AA now due to Woodbury's injury....we'll see
What happened to her? The vote is probably already in as the banquet is this Sunday.
Ankle injury. In a cast for a couple weeks. Will miss seeing her ripping it up on the field in sections/state. A great player to watch.
Woodbury will be fine
who cares about MDW
4:34...why MDW?
The reason there aren't any playmakers in Minnesota is because Minnesota coaches are a lazy lot. It's much easier and less time consuming to teach boot ball (oops,meant Direct). They are a bunch of ol slugs who'd rather guzzle beer and smoke stogies.There's only one coach who's really committed to teaching and demonstrating techniqe and his teams do very well year in and year out. He's a real soccer coach.
and the award goes to........................?????
What happened to CS?
6-2 edina leading burnsville late in the game. ldG is a very good player who makes things happen all over the attack zone.
j.s. hat trick for the 1st 3 goals. c.b. added a couple.
ems
ems - hope Edina can knock off EP in the section final as IMO it'll be a while until they will contend for any titles if they don't succeed this year.
that's true for a lot of teams...any other scores from tonight?
that's true for a lot of teams...any other scores from tonight?
i agree 740.
ep had only given up 2 goals the last time i checked. set plays will determine the winner...turf will not be a factor with any weather.
ems
ems where cb and js going to college?
ems, thanks for the update. After our game last week, I knew Edina was hitting on all cylinders.
Soapy
Egan, WDBRY, EP the class right now. WZTA overrated, everyone else not in the race.
EP will get tested by Edina but win out. EV has one player.
js - Northwestern - Soccer
cb - Providence - Hockey
Edina Burnville score?
EP BJ score?
Soapy Soapy Soapy - edina is green they don't use cylinders, solar panels maybe, so what would that cliche be then?
Happy b-lated one to A
tomASS,
The clearly all the blades on their wind powered turbine were working!
A says thanks :)
soapy
Bravo - that one is a winner
shut up 20/10/09 5:23 PM
if folks are going to have 1v1 private conversations on this blog there is this thing called text messaging.....
would save the rest of us from having to read such dither.
Right on 1:04!!!
Is there ever any discussion about the actually games that are being played on here?
Anyone see any of the games from last night? Predictions for the championships??
1:04 and 1:08, i would happily text you if you provide an number.
soapy
Right on Soapy!
1:04 is making a GIANT leap in assuming the rest of this is not dither.
what is dither??
must be the water in Chaska....
EP-Edina game will be an entertaining one! EP is defending well, but isn't scoring goals at the same clip as Edina, who is also defending well.
EP's strength is possession, not necessarily scoring goals at will, and their team defending. Edina is a goal scoring machine right now, but did give up some chances and goals.
I haven't seen EP play in a few weeks, and wish I could see this matchup.
Also of note, good to see Lakeville North in the finals of their section as well as Eagan v. EV. I'm pulling for LN to get through and I don't see Eagan laying an egg.
Oh, and 1:04 and 1:08, is it okay that I comment on these games or is it adding the the "dither"????
soapy
from wikipedia:
Dither is an intentionally applied form of noise....
IMO, when 2-3 friends carry on a personal conversation amongst themselves on an open blog - that is dither.
soapy - your 1:45 post is excellent - definitely not dither.
What are the thoughts on the Woodbury-WBL game on Thursday?
21/10/09 1:46 PM -- stop dithering!
Ouch, looks like someone ruffled some feathers.
WBL will dominate on the attack and Woobury will be back on their heels in defense.
1:04 PM and 1:46 PM if you don't like it, don't read it
2:08 -- are you dithering with 1:52?
i always love it when folks tell you not to read something on a blog. is there an advance warning we all get with a content notification. lol
I perfer to think of my posts more as blither rather than dither.
SPA is the team to beat in the section of death. I don't think the foul weather will affect them. SPA is pretty deep across the board. Vis has some good passing up top and plays the fast-break counter attack very well. The Blazers also has an excellent goalie. Predict SPA 2-1 over Vis.
splitsville
2:23 PM -- Come on...what do you do when you are reading a newspapaer or watching TV and come across something you don't like?
2:36 - with TV, there is a guide which tells you what is on. with newspapers there is a heading which tells you what the story is about......nice try though. but if it makes you feel better - You Win!
Splitsville - agree with your analysis. Do you see Blake over Minnehaha (they beat them 2-0 earlier this year). If both SPA & Blake win, who do you see winning the title?
2:38 PM Stop dithering! We are monitoring you.
Thanks 2:38 PM
I don't think The Blake will get upset two years in a row at home in sections.
I like SPA overall.
splitsville
EP beats Edina in a close match (OT) and SW's head explodes
Eagan 2-0 over EV
LN gets a cake walk to state, what happend to RC and LS?
WDBRY gets more then they would like from WBL but class shows through
Centennial upends MV
WZTA squeeks by ARM (a lil bird told me that TP got a good tongue lashing for his scheduling by some at the all state meeting)
As for the other two sections, who cares they are even weaker than normal
if so, state seeding as...?
1-Wdb
2-EP
3-WAYZ
4-Eagan
Dear Mr Dithers,
What have you heard about Ice Armor Outdoor Apparel for winter ice fishing ?
I'm in my office sleeping on company time right now. Let me know when you can
Dagwood
What is blither?
same as blathering or babbling - you know, long winded talk with no real substance - ie MYSA or the MSHSL
I think that Eagan would go ahead of Wayzata, but the same 4 teams would be the seeded teams
Blathering, yes. Blithering????
This year Blake has played their best soccer against their most solid opponents, so it will be interesting to see if they can get through the section, or even a tough semifinal game, with such a youthful squad.
WBL over Woodbury 2-0
if true - quite an upset. congrats to WBL.
seriously? please confirm...details, details, please....
WBL and Woodbury don't play til Thursday night. Woodbury will have their hands full with their attacking group in full force.
EAGAN SHOUDL GO AHEAD OF WZTA just to teach TP a lesson about strength of schedule, what, do they play 13 games and most non-conference against A teams
Finally some negative comments re: MA. I was beginning to think people who post to this blog were beginning to think there were topics other than MA. I mean really all, of MN Soccer revolves around him. If we didn't have MA to talk bad about, what would happen tho this blog? Oh yeah.......He turn my daughter into a newt too.
Ok - this is a serious question. If people do not like MA and/or the things he has done, why do they invest so much time and effort posting their views? If you do not like something so much, why waste your valuable time and energy? Soccer is such a small part of our lives and it is short lived so why not focus on the good aspects? I do not understand it myself.
there is the new generation of hs coaches who are NOT role models for the student athlete
Anon 11:45pm.....because they are trolling for the MA worshipers.
Hoping the weather holds out for tonight's matches (and fields dry out a bit).
What? All of MN soccer does not revolve around the little man, but as long as he continues to be actively involved in MN soccer, the little man's mistake will live on and be the subject of jokes.
11:41 PM -- Do you really believe that soccer is such a small part of the little man's life or his compatriots over at mta? But I agree that focusing on the positive is generally better for all.
I spent about 90 seconds of my time posting this view.
a classic 90 second example of MN "passive-aggressive".
10:39 AM So much for being positive!
10:25 is clearly insecure and what we would all call a hater. Some coaches leave positive legacies, others can only talk in envy about those coaches' legacies, have little chance of matching achievements, and thus revert to criticism. I feel sorry for people like 10:25, but whatever floats your boat I guess.
My predictions:
1A - La Crescent over Lake City (need to take out Kasson M. first)
2A - Mankato E over Mankato W
3A - SPA over Vis, Blake over Minnehaha, SPA wins
4A - Eastridge over Mahto, St. Croix Luthern over Simley, Eastridge advances
5A - Park Center over Rogers
6A - BSM over SLP, Orono over Waconia, BSM advances
7A - Esko over Cloquet
8A - East Grand Forks over Apollo
1AA - Rochester John Marshall over Lakeville North
2AA - EP over Edina
3AA - Eagan over Eastview
4AA - Woodbury over WBL
5AA - Centennial over Mounds View
6AA - Wayzata over Armstrong
7AA - Coon Rapids over Anoka
8AA - Brainerd over Elk River
Final - Eastridge and Woodbury as Champs
something tells me 12:16 might live on the east side of the river. but in all honesty, WDB is one of the two favorites (them and winner of 2AA) and East Ridge is a very solid team and wouldn't be a huge surprise.
11:28 AM Some coaches leave negative legacies and most can't fathom such lunacy.
11:28 AM should feel sorry for the little man, not the insecure one
i can pretty much guarantee you that if we knew who 10:25, 11:28, etc... was it would become clear that somewhere, some way, somehow, in his/her mind, MA done one of his/her daughters wrong.
now, he/she will quickly respond stating that's not true, but then that would beg the question.....if not personally affected, why such loathing?
It takes a big man to call another man little on this blog. It's precious. You just can't make this stuff up. I too pity guys like 10:25.
Any other predictions or analysis? Can we stop talking about MA?
LM over LN is a stretch and east ridge, although playing well of late is not a shoe in to get in, other then that agree with 1216. Best game of the night EP v ED.
edina and ep have always matched up pretty well. didn't last year go to pk's with ep taking it?
i'm leaning toward the scoring flood gates opening tonight for edina and ep not able to circle the wagons soon enough to stay on top another year.
ems
predictions on Woodbury/WBL ?
Agree, the predictions are so much more interesting to read!
Wayzata all the way! Too many jealous posts about TP and/or Wayzata.
Jealous of what?
Eastridge 2 Mahtomedi 1
Eastridge scored their first goal with 13 minutes left and their second off a header on a corner with 12 seconds left.
Tough game in the cold & mud...they deserved it.
wow - sounds like an exciting game. MA has current/former players, one of them known for header goals. Was it Mac L.?
Jealous of TP, maybe ten or twenty years ago! The man is reluctant to schedule any real competition and plays the bare minimum of games. His teams are not what they once were and his section is a cake walk. What is there to be jealous of? If they get the 3 seed over Eagan it is a sham!
SPA and Blake both advance.
edina 1 - ep 0 final
0-0 at half. edina tapped in a goalie stop/rebound off a hard shot.
ems
Blake 1-0 over Minnehaha. Both teams left everything on the field. Blake capitalized on a nice set piece with about 15 minutes left. Both keepers made some huge saves, but Blake had a few more quality chances. Blake actually lost their starting keeper in the first half, but their freshmen backup filled in admirably. Blake vs. SPA should be a good one!
Anyone have a notes from the SPA vs. Vis game? Lots of goals scored!
Edina may have won, but EP played well.
BSM over SLP 1-0 in the last 5 minutes of the game.
EP did play well. Tough Loss for them. That's from an Edina parent!
Lakeville North advances in a 1-0 win over Rochester.
great to see the posts. no throwing stones at the refs, coaches, or ball girls. this is actually fun. let's keep it up.
Agree Eden Prairie played well had some good opportunies first half. Edina played one their best defensive games of the year. Some underclassmen stepped up big time. Edina played as a group one of their best games linking up on offense. Senior depth helped win lot of one on one possessions. Coach did good job of aligning players and switching formations on timely basis, Eden Prairie with lot of underclassmen returning will be frightfully good next year.
Looks like most scores posted. Orono wins. Anything yet on Woodbury? Any comments on the games? Seems like a great night of soccer for the girls.
Woodbury back on their heels all night...... won 6-2. :)
"I don't understand why everyone thinks Rosenthal will get MR. SOCCER, he is the lead scorer but what has he done to get it, score goals? that is nothing. I think either one of there senior D lines will get it or simply someone else. There are other good players out there playing as well or even better than him, but i guess we will have to see."
wrong post.
Eagan beat Eastview 1-0 in OT.
Anyone have a score from Simley and St. Croix Lutheran?
Simley 3, St Croix 0
Surprising score
Goal scorer for ER was not MTA player. Cottage Grove 9th grader.
Simley is a way more dangerous team than St CL with MTA and Inferno duo up top. Already beat ER 1-0 early in the season. Should be a good re-match.
Congrats to Edina. Would have though EP would have handled them based on the talent EP has but I was wrong.
Did MV walk in their game?
Could have predicted the WDB WBL score. WBL can score but lacks defenders who can stop WDB's attacking force, even w/o CS.
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