Saturday, June 26, 2010
2010 USYSA Far West Regionals
The Boys finished in style, beating the pants off Santa Clara Sporting 4-1. Oddly, Santa Clara still advances. The Boys finally found their breath, with Nicky scoring a hat trick, and Stevie putting one in too. A strong game was played by Armand, Kevin, and Matt as well. It's the end of the great and successful season: League Champions, West Coast Classic Champions, Surf Cup Champions, Far West Regional League Champions, Nike Premier Cup Bracket Winners, Dallas Cup Finalists. All-in-all, a pretty good run. Congratulations, Boys!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
2010 Region IV Far West Regionals -- Day 3
Another tough day for the Boys, losing to Arizona 3-2. The Boys gave up 3 goals to Arizona's long-ball play, and had difficulty penetrating their large defenders. Kevin put in WC's only goal in the 1st half, and Brian scored a nice bending shot in the closing minutes. Tomorrow, the Boys face Santa Clara Sporting, who the beat in last year's finals and who has not lost yet at the tournament. It's all about pride, now. . .
2010 Region IV Far West Regionals -- Day 2
When you're playing at 4000'+ altitude, it pays to have subs, and Bayern had lots of them. Unaccustomed to the altitude, the Boys paid the price against Bayern's constant rotation of players on the field, losing 3-0. Not for want of chances, though. Their substitutions resembled a hockey line-change, often 3 at-a-time, and their freshness reaped rewards. In the first half, Nicky beat the defense and the keeper but was slide tackled on the line. In the second half, Kevin struck the cross-bar and, shortly later, went just wide on a 1 v. 1 against the keeper. A nice cross by Steven missed Kevin's and Nicky's head by centermeters on the far post. Bayern played tough and physical, and their goals were clean. Today, the Boys face Arizona, who lost their first match 1-0.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
The Boys visit the U. of New Mexico
2010 Region IV Far West Regionals -- Day 1
We have arrived after a scenic drive through Arizona and New Mexico at the 2010 Far West Regionals in Albuquerque, New Mexico. After a day long drive, including fires and blown out tires, we've all arrived safely. The Boys had a light work out at the Balloon Fiesta Park and will visit the University of New Mexico this afternoon. Tomorrow, the Boys open their quest for a three-peat against the southern California National Cup Champions, South Coast Bayern.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
2010 Nike Manchester United Cup
The Boys defeated Ohio FC on goals from Trevor and Kevin DLT. The Boys won their bracket based on goal differential, and will face the Pateadores at 10:20 a.m. tomorrow.
This is a great feat for the Boys considering they are the only U14 team in the entire tournament, with all other teams being composed largely of U15 players.
2010 Nike Manchester United Cup
At the turn, the Boys find themselves 1-1-1 with 2 games left. Yesterday, the Boys tied Colorado Rush 0-0 at their 8 a.m. game, and lost 1-0 to Real Colorado on a pk due to a handball in the box. The games have been rough, with the team losing a few players. Matt suffered a concussion in the Colorado Rush game, Kevin DLT took a header to the face which left a nice shiner, and it appeared that Brian would be out for the tournament after a cheap foul by Real Colorado left him on crutches. Today, the Boys defeated Vardar FC of Michigan 2-1 on goals by Kevin DLT and Brian who, miraculously, came back from injury to play today. Vardar's goal was money; a viscious bending left footed shot to the upper V from 30 yards out. Kevin's goal came in the last minute of the 1st half after Trevor slotted the ball to Stevie who beat the keeper and got the ball to the line, to be finished by Kevin. With 5 minutes left in the game, Trevor earned the ball at the midfield, slotted it to Stevie who returned the favor to Nathan running up the middle. Nathan struck the ball but the keeper couldn't control it and Brian cleaned up. Pandemonium ensued, backed by the West Coast girls' team on the sidelines.
Tonight, the Boys play Ohio.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Now that's dedication!
An article about our own Cruz Corral in www.topdrawersoccer.com!
Penn and SoCal families log major miles
Article Written By Robert Ziegler, ESNN
In a scene repeated all over the country, Kathy Watts loads daughters Brinley and Bryce into the family vehicle and heads down the Pennsylvania Turnpike en route to soccer training. Across the country, Kristina Corral picks up her son Cruz and a teammate and heads down Interstate 405, also to training.
More than an hour later each will still be driving.
As soccer families continue to seek the best opportunities for their children, families like the Wattses and Corrals are increasingly willing to literally go the extra miles. It is a lifestyle that may seem like too much, even to others already in the all-consuming fire that is elite youth soccer, but Kathy and Kristina have no doubts they are doing the right thing.
“We started here in Harrisburg (with a local club),” Kathy Watts explains. “But we wanted to put our kids in the best situation to succeed and be challenged on a daily basis. That’s why we looked for a team like that.”
Kristina Corral echoes a similar sentiment.
The Watts family
“People ask me ‘Are you crazy? Why don’t you play for a local team?’” she said. “But this was a great opportunity and by now I don’t think it even phases him.”
The Watts’ oldest daughter Brinley plays for a top-notch U16 team, Penn Strikers, whose training and home games are at Eastern Unversity in the Philadelphia suburb of St Davids. Bryce plays for U13 standouts Spirit United in Downingtown. Both locations are more than 70 miles away from the family home in suburban Harrisburg.
Cruz Corral and his ride-sharing teammate Thomas Hutchings play for the highly-regarded West Coast FC U14 team, which trains and plays home games in San Juan Capistrano, well down the 5 freeway in Orange County. They live however, much closer to Los Angeles in Redondo Beach, about 60 miles away (and when it comes to traffic in Southern California, the territory is often worse than the distance).
But there both of the families go, at least 3 and often 5 times a week.
Kathy Watts said that while sitting in a car for 6 or 7 hours at a time for 3 or more times a week isn’t necessarily her first choice for leisure time, the value of the whole thing to her family is unquestionable.
“What I do get is quality time with my kids,” Kathy, who has put 60,000 miles on a vehicle in less than two years, said. “As they get older, there is a lot of time on the computer, texting or doing their own thing. “Because of this I get some very special time with the girls. We share a lot of laughs, a lot of tears and some motivational conversations.
“We all work hard,” she continued. But Randy (her husband) decided we would do anything we could for the kids. There are sacrifices, but that’s why you have children; to give them the best opportunities you can provide.”
Like Kathy Watts, Kristina Corral works full time to go along with her gargantuan chauffeur responsibilities. In their case, the Hutchings drop Thomas off at her place of business, she then swings by her home to pick up Cruz and then down the freeway they go.
Nightmare stories about the commute are fewer than you might think.
“There have been maybe three times we couldn’t make it, where there was a big accident or whatever,” she said. “The coach has been cool about it. Even if we were going to be 40 minutes late he said ‘don’t make yourself crazy.’
Pennsylvania Turnpike
Kristina Corral also noted having some meaningful 1v1 conversations with her son, who is a darting little winger with a ton of creativity and explosiveness on the ball.
Brinley Watts, a strong defender for her Penn Strikers team, said she is well accustomed to the commute and has no regrets.
“Actually, I like traveling for soccer. I love my team and the relationships I have with all the girls,” she said. “Locally we don’t have the same caliber of team and the team is really understanding if we can’t make a practice because of the distance. Even with my older brother (college baseball player), we traveled a lot for his sport, so we were all kind of used to it. I can sleep on the way down and stay up on way home. Being in the car a long time doesn’t usally bother me when it comes to being able to play well.”
Her younger sister Bryce said she has fun explaining to her friends about her road warrior status.
“When I say I’m going to Philly that night they’ll ask if I’ll be at school the next day. They don’t think I’ll come back or realize that we just go back and forth,” Bryce said. “I make sure I stretch and make sure I’m loose so I don’t get hurt from sitting in the car.
“I think my mom is crazy for taking us so much, but I’m glad she does it or else we wouldn’t get the opportunity we’ve had,” she continued. “We have a little book light that we put in the car and we’re just used to doing this.”
Kristina Corral, who has become a complete soccer junkie to go with her career, parent and chauffeur portfolio, added that homework in the car is also a common activity for Cruz. She did note that the commute to practice and games pales in comparison to a trip the two of them are taking in June, when they will attend the World Cup in South Africa together.
I guess the distance of trips is all relative.
Penn and SoCal families log major miles
Article Written By Robert Ziegler, ESNN
In a scene repeated all over the country, Kathy Watts loads daughters Brinley and Bryce into the family vehicle and heads down the Pennsylvania Turnpike en route to soccer training. Across the country, Kristina Corral picks up her son Cruz and a teammate and heads down Interstate 405, also to training.
More than an hour later each will still be driving.
As soccer families continue to seek the best opportunities for their children, families like the Wattses and Corrals are increasingly willing to literally go the extra miles. It is a lifestyle that may seem like too much, even to others already in the all-consuming fire that is elite youth soccer, but Kathy and Kristina have no doubts they are doing the right thing.
“We started here in Harrisburg (with a local club),” Kathy Watts explains. “But we wanted to put our kids in the best situation to succeed and be challenged on a daily basis. That’s why we looked for a team like that.”
Kristina Corral echoes a similar sentiment.
The Watts family
“People ask me ‘Are you crazy? Why don’t you play for a local team?’” she said. “But this was a great opportunity and by now I don’t think it even phases him.”
The Watts’ oldest daughter Brinley plays for a top-notch U16 team, Penn Strikers, whose training and home games are at Eastern Unversity in the Philadelphia suburb of St Davids. Bryce plays for U13 standouts Spirit United in Downingtown. Both locations are more than 70 miles away from the family home in suburban Harrisburg.
Cruz Corral and his ride-sharing teammate Thomas Hutchings play for the highly-regarded West Coast FC U14 team, which trains and plays home games in San Juan Capistrano, well down the 5 freeway in Orange County. They live however, much closer to Los Angeles in Redondo Beach, about 60 miles away (and when it comes to traffic in Southern California, the territory is often worse than the distance).
But there both of the families go, at least 3 and often 5 times a week.
Kathy Watts said that while sitting in a car for 6 or 7 hours at a time for 3 or more times a week isn’t necessarily her first choice for leisure time, the value of the whole thing to her family is unquestionable.
“What I do get is quality time with my kids,” Kathy, who has put 60,000 miles on a vehicle in less than two years, said. “As they get older, there is a lot of time on the computer, texting or doing their own thing. “Because of this I get some very special time with the girls. We share a lot of laughs, a lot of tears and some motivational conversations.
“We all work hard,” she continued. But Randy (her husband) decided we would do anything we could for the kids. There are sacrifices, but that’s why you have children; to give them the best opportunities you can provide.”
Like Kathy Watts, Kristina Corral works full time to go along with her gargantuan chauffeur responsibilities. In their case, the Hutchings drop Thomas off at her place of business, she then swings by her home to pick up Cruz and then down the freeway they go.
Nightmare stories about the commute are fewer than you might think.
“There have been maybe three times we couldn’t make it, where there was a big accident or whatever,” she said. “The coach has been cool about it. Even if we were going to be 40 minutes late he said ‘don’t make yourself crazy.’
Pennsylvania Turnpike
Kristina Corral also noted having some meaningful 1v1 conversations with her son, who is a darting little winger with a ton of creativity and explosiveness on the ball.
Brinley Watts, a strong defender for her Penn Strikers team, said she is well accustomed to the commute and has no regrets.
“Actually, I like traveling for soccer. I love my team and the relationships I have with all the girls,” she said. “Locally we don’t have the same caliber of team and the team is really understanding if we can’t make a practice because of the distance. Even with my older brother (college baseball player), we traveled a lot for his sport, so we were all kind of used to it. I can sleep on the way down and stay up on way home. Being in the car a long time doesn’t usally bother me when it comes to being able to play well.”
Her younger sister Bryce said she has fun explaining to her friends about her road warrior status.
“When I say I’m going to Philly that night they’ll ask if I’ll be at school the next day. They don’t think I’ll come back or realize that we just go back and forth,” Bryce said. “I make sure I stretch and make sure I’m loose so I don’t get hurt from sitting in the car.
“I think my mom is crazy for taking us so much, but I’m glad she does it or else we wouldn’t get the opportunity we’ve had,” she continued. “We have a little book light that we put in the car and we’re just used to doing this.”
Kristina Corral, who has become a complete soccer junkie to go with her career, parent and chauffeur portfolio, added that homework in the car is also a common activity for Cruz. She did note that the commute to practice and games pales in comparison to a trip the two of them are taking in June, when they will attend the World Cup in South Africa together.
I guess the distance of trips is all relative.
Monday, April 19, 2010
2010 National Cup -- Boys Start Out Bracket Play with 2 Wins
Monday, April 5, 2010
2010 Dallas Cup Final
Friday, April 2, 2010
Dallas Cup Day 6 -- Semi-Finals
Thanks to Dallas Texans for a class game, and a class act, and to their parents for the words of encouragement following the game. The Boys face LAFC in an "All California" final tomorrow in Pizza Hut Stadium at 2:00.
Dallas Cup Day 6 -- A Preview from our Friends
A preview of the semi-finals from our weblog friends here.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Dallas Cup Day 5 -- Quarter Finals
Congrats to the Boys for coming from behind to beat the Pateadores 2-1 in OT. The Pats opened the scoring in the first half (Torres-to-Chow) in a scramble in front of the goal to take the lead as the boys went into half-time. In the second half, Kevin beat his man down the left side to the touch line and brought it back to the penalty spot where Brian was waiting to put it away. That sent the game into OT. In the first half of OT, Trevor took a free kick from the 45 yard line and dropped it on Nicki's head on the penalty spot, who back-headed it over the goalkeeper's head into the goal. Congrats to the Boys for reaching the semi-finals for the second straight year, and well done by Pateadores for winning their bracket.
Tomorrow, the Boys face Dallas Texans, who defeated the Boys in the Dallas Cup '09 Final.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
2010 Dallas Cup -- Fun at the Embassy Suites
A little relaxation, watching Carlos Mencia and wishing the best to our friends and family back home!
Dallas Cup Day 4 -- WCFC U14s 8, Team America (Va.) 0
Take nothing away from Team America from Virginia; they played hard and played until the end. Teddy lodged his second shutout, supported by strong play from Matt, Juanito, Thomas, and Willy. Kevin (3), Christian (2), Brian (1), Trevor (1), and Armand (1) scored to get the goals necessary for the goal differential. Texas beat Chicago 1-0, which puts Texas, WC, and Chicago all with the same record (2-1-0), but with West Coast having the best goal differential. Dallas Cup haven't posted, but that should put us through to the Quarters, probably against Pateadores -- might as well have played at the Polo grounds! But, it should be a good Derby. Thanks to Texas for getting the job down, and for the soccer gods for shining down on us this morning.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Dallas Cup Days 3-4 -- U14s are 1-1
The Boys unfortunately opened the tournament with a 1-0 loss to Chicago Magic. Some of us actually have to work so I didn't get a post up. Chicago scored on a set piece in the second half on a free kick from the 25 yard line. We put the pressure on the remainder of the game, including Christian hitting the post on a header, but we couldn't score.
Today, the Boys showed more teamwork than individualism and defeated the Texas Soccer Club 4-0. Brian drew a pk in the first 5 minutes of the game, which Christian finished and the game ended 1-0 at half time. With the wind in the second half, the Boys turned on the pressure and Christian drew another pk, which Kevin finished. Christian then scored shortly thereafter from the left side, and Brian finished the scoring off a cheeky combination from Steven and Christian.
The Boys still have a chance tomorrow to advance if Chicago loses and we win big. According to the Dallas Cup website, if that happens, the bracket winner will be determined as follows:
9. In the event a tie breaker is necessary to determine which teams will advance beyond the round robin, the following order of tie breakers will apply:For All Age Groups:(1) goal difference in overall competition; (2) highest gross goals scored in overall competition; (3) head to head competition; (4) least amount of penalty points (caution = 1 point, send off = 2 points); (5) Tournament Manager's decision.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
2010 Dallas Cup Day 2 - Opening Ceremonies
2010 Dallas Cup Day 2
The Boys had a good night's sleep and an a light workout today, then had watched the comedy troupe of the papas 4 v. 4 game. Tonight, the Boys go to opening ceremonies and to the US v. Mexico sub-17 game at Pizza Hut Park!
And, according to Maria's facebook entries, we think the Ortiz' have finally arrived in Dallas en route from California! A brief rest, and they'll be ready for opening ceremonies! 24 hours driving straight from California, baby! Nobody has more juice than the Ortiz'!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
2010 Dallas Cup -- Day 1 -- We're Back!!!
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