We had some very competitive games this weekend resulting in both wins and losses. This is exactly what our players need. We are very happy with the league thus far particularly because all of our players and all of our teams are being tested. There may be some games where they win by a large margin and there may be some when they get beat up pretty good, overall these experiences are how players improve and we are happy about another great week of games. If you haven't already read the announcement earlier in the day, please scroll down past this article and read about this week's schedule changes.
Fire-Coach Tommy Retzlaff
The Fire were met with an aggressive FC Cary squad this Sunday. Their forwards and midfielder applied hard pressure to the backs during possession and kept the midfield tight. We found ourselves having to make quicker decisions and to be more aware of our options during attack. It took a few minutes to sort out the passing lanes, but thanks to some good vision and passing from Hannah we were able to switch the point of attack and put in two nice goals mid-way through the first half by Grace and Eliah. The match opened up a bit from that point to allow each team their chances, but defense held strong through to half-time. The second half led to a bit more direct play from us as the FC Cary pressure was very high against the backs which put space in behind their defense. Grace and Eliah each found openings in behind allow both to add two more scores to net hat tricks. FC Cary fought back with a free kick goal followed by a "seeing-eye" ball passed our keeper to tighten the game up. Kendall added a late break away chance across the goal to which their keeper made a great foot save, but it fell right back to Kendall who then buried it. As a team, I saw improvement in every player's competition level and some players were able to take it to another level. This was another positive weekend performance for the Fire.
Crew-Molly Skinner and Lindsey Vera
The crew played very well jumping out to an early 5-1 lead. With two girls missing we were able to shift a couple players around and the really excelled in their new positions. Camyrn blawas played great up top pressuring the defense into many mistakes. Emma was outstanding not only as a forward but looking to distribute from the center of the midfield. The players have done well looking to pass out of things and playing through the midfield. We look forward to working with the girls on defensive shape and crossing the ball.
Chelsea-Coach Dwight Findlay (Eric Bratager)
This is a very fun group to work with who really enjoys playing together and always gives their best effort. The game got off to a rocky start with Chelsea going down three goals about midway through the first half while generating little offense of their own. The boys continued to work hard and got better as the game wore on. In the second half, they started to win the battle in the midfield and did a good job of possessing the ball and keeping play in the attacking half of the field, although they were unable to break through on the score sheet for the first 20 minutes. Just when it looked like it was going to be one of those games, Braeden Smith had other ideas and scored a hat trick in the final 5 minutes to level the game at 3-3. Andrew Rosetti made some great saves in goal and Lucas Archimede, Ben Noga, and Gabe Troch played well in the back keeping Roma off the board in the second half. Overall, another great show of heart from this team in battling back to tie this game at the death after being down three goals late in the game!
U9 Everton-Coach Eric Bratager
This was a very good performance from Everton and I was very pleased to see several chances created from switching the point of attack which was something we worked on in training during the week. In particluar, Daniel Wu and Jacob Steinberg showed excellent poise and vision in moving the ball to open teammates. Everton jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, but a talented and determined FCC Roma side kept the game close throughout tying the score at 3 after Everton were caught sleeping on the second half kickoff. Everton continued to pressure the FCC goal and finally broke through late in the game on an Owen Perez winner about seven minutes from time. The entire team played very well in this game and a number of players continue to get better each week and had their best performances this weekend. John White had his best game of the season, scoring the opening goal and playing very well in the back winning balls and making good decisions. Carter Diehl continues to improve each week and played with a lot of confidence taking players on up front and creating several good scoring chances. Ethan Armour had a strong first half in the back and then stepped in goal late in the game doing his best Tim Howard (Everton, US GK) impression to preserve the victory, while his brother Adam was all over the field making life difficult for Roma with his speed and tireless work rate. Overall, a tremendous team effort from all the boys!
Juventus-Coach Nick Cerullo (Carson Porter)
The last time Coach Carson filled in for the Juventus team they did not play well, so the challenge was made to the team to put together a better performance then the last and they certainly did. Julius McPhun had a nice unselfish assist to begin the scoring and the team would not look back. The entire group played well including some excellent defensive work and passing from Adam Trickett. Daniel Brackett came on in the second half, putting together some excellent combination play that led to goals for Juventus. With the game already won, the team was asked to do a little more passing and posession which they could have done a better job with, but overall a good performance without their fearless leader!
Arsenal-Coach Fabio Suarez
Arsenal suffered their first loss of the season Sunday to a very good FC Tottenham team. While Arsenals attack was relentless the boys first loss came as a wake up call. The feeling at the end of the game was that if we play FC Tottenham again the result will be in our favor.
Coach Fabio is proud of his boys for never quiting and for playing hard all game.
AC Milan-Coach Andy Truex (Fabio Suarez)
CASL AC Milan came out firing!!! Scoring two goals in 10 minutes it looked like this one was in the books already. Not ready to give in was FC Cary as they came back with two goals of their own. While we enjoyed the game and all the goals, we must appreciate the team unity of AC Milan as they refused to lose this game when momentum changed. It is easy to work hard when everything is going your way. Milan showed us no matter what the situation, they were not going to let up!!! Good stuff boys!!!
Barcelona-Coach Jill Fulton
CASL Barcelona jumped out to an early lead on Sunday over a very
talented FC Cary Breakers team. Overall, the YTS girls displayed good
passing abilities as well as strong finishing skills. The first half
was highlighted by two spectacular long distance goals coming from
Christine Lauture. The second half was a much more even contest that
saw some very good soccer from the FC Cary team.
Madrid-Coach Kelly Miller (Jill Fulton)
On Sunday, CASL Madrid competed against a very strong FC Cary Sol
team. The CASL group played well together combining passes throughout
the field. The first half saw both teams benefit from indirect free
kick goals resulting from "pass backs to the goalkeeper." The second
half was equally exciting with both teams creating several goal
scoring opportunities. Mackenzie Gower was excellent all over the field for the Madrid team.
Manchester United-Coach Caleb Norkus
This weekend U-9's Manchester United showed signs of improvement, but took another tough defeat in the end against the always-impressive FC Cary. Innis Powell demonsrated his ability to defend after recovering from a cold last week, and he attacked dangerously as well. Jack Hicks scored a pair of goals as he returned from a trip that kept him out last weekend, and proved that Man U is truly at its best with him on the pitch. Peter Glenn had a good presence in net, showing once again that he can do it all. Nick Atkinson took a stint in goal as well, playing tough in every role he was assigned.
Lazio-Coach Caleb Norkus
U-10's Lazio had a very close game with cross-town rival FC Cary, who scored first. Although Lazio had more possession of the ball, and showed much promise of outscoring their rivals, they fell short of victory. A very tall and well-coordinated keeper from FC Cary made many key saves to preserve their result, including a Colton Pleasants-special free kick that was going into the top corner. Joey Daley was dangerous in the attack, just missing a sweet volley that sailed above the cross bar. Colton Howell opened up the score line for Lazio, playing with sheer tenacity as he out-sprinted the keeper to the ball off a breakaway and poked it past him. Kelvin Oudjit held down the defense, and along with Brighton Boshart, displayed a possessive style. Jake Vrolijk played with his head up and also showed his ability by making an excellent overlapping run with Aaron Teal that almost resulted in a goal. Ben Zahavi continues to show signs of improvement, as he blazed up and down the sideline, matching his natural speed with ball control. The highlight of the game may have been the goal celebration from Colton Pleasants. The always fiery youngster displayed the passion of this intense game as he buried one into the net and slid on both knees at the midfield. Surely, this game showcased future stars in the making.
Roma-Coach Fabio Suarez (Carson Porter)
In-demand head coach Fabio Suarez was double booked on Sunday and wasn't able to be on the sidelines for a very good match vs. FC Cary. Very much a team effort, this game demanded each players very best. Thomas Hitchins was dead solid in the back and Cameron and Kishan worked to get the attack going. Robbie Deckelbaum entered the game up front and caused a lot of problems, eventually creating several goal scoring opportunities. Spencer put in an honest and hard days work, fighting and scrapping for every ball. The game had excellent players on both teams and proved to be a great game. Well done Roma.
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