Monthly Archives: June 2010

Four Clubs Competing At 2010 Missouri State Cup From Southwest Missouri

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2010 State Cup LogoThe 2010 Missouri State Cup opens this morning and runs June 10-20, 2010 at Legacy Park in Lee’s Summit, MO. The Missouri State Cup is the first leg of the US Youth National Championship Series. U13-U19 Boys and Girls teams will be able to participate in the tournament. Boys will play from June 10-15 and Girls will play from June 15-20.

The 2010 Missouri State Cup will be a round-robin format, which has changed from the single elimination format that was used 2007-2009. Pool play will be held the first three (3) days of each group’s start-date, with the single-elimination rounds taking place over the subsequent days.

Winners from Missouri will travel to the Region 2 Championships, to be held June 25-30 in Beavercreek, Ohio. Winners from Region 2 will then advance to the National Championships, which will be in Overland Park, KS July 20-25, 2010.

Missouri Elite FC logoThere is only one Girls teams playing in the State Cup from this region that I have identified.

U14 Girls – Missouri Elite FC is in Bracket C with a pair of STL Scott Gallagher teams and Lou Fusz SC Elite. The Opening game is Wednesday at 4:00 pm with Semifinals Saturday and Final on Sunday.

U15 Girls – Carrera SC from Columbia is represented in this age group and in U16 Girls.

So in seven age groups, there is one team from Springfield and two from Columbia. Hmmm…

On the Boys side I have identified the following teams:

U13 Boys – Springfield SC 96/97 opens play Saturday in a bracket that includes the Columbia Pride along with Lou Fusz (STL) and United SC (KC), a team coached by Wm Jewell Head Coach Chris Cissell. The winner will be crowned Monday.

U14 Boys – Springfield SC 95/96 is in a group that includes KCFC/Futura, the Avalon Red Devils and STL Scott Gallagher. They open play tonight at 6:00 pm against Avalon. Group winners advance to the semifinals Sunday and Final on Monday.

U15 Boys – Springfield SC 94/95 are in a bracket that includes STL Scott Gallagher and Lou Fusz as well as Futura Juventus. The opening game is at 2:00 pm this afternoon against Futura, semifinals Sunday and Final on Monday.

U16 Boys – Springfield SC 93/94 are in a group with Lou Fusz, United SC (KC) and the Columbia Pride. Opening game is today at noon against the Lou Fusz Gold Popovic squad with Sunday semifinal and Monday final.

U17 Boys – finally a group with more than one local squad. Springfield SC 92/93 is in a bracket that includes two STL Scott Gallagher teams, the Premier and Gold squads as well as the Lou Fusz squad coached by former Missouri State Bear Andy Cooper. The opening game is being play today at 4:00 pm against Gallagher Premier.

Total Demize 92/93 is participating, they are in a three team group that includes Metro Strikers (STL) and Southeast Missouri SC. Opening game is today at 4:00 pm against SMSC. There is also a Columbia Pride team in this group.

With 19 teams, it is the largest age group for boys. Sunday will feature quarterfinals as the six bracket winners advance as will two wild cards. The final will be played on Tuesday.

U18 Boys – SpringHigh Select will be carrying the flag for Southwest Missouri. Coach Alf Bilbao and his squad will play against STL Scott Gallagher Green and Blue and the KC Legends. Opening game is 10 am today against Scott Gallagher Green. The Columbia Pride is also playing in this age bracket. Semifinals Sunday, Final on Monday.

U19 Boys – Total Demize Scorpions is one of five teams playing in this age group. They will open play against the St Louis Cougars today at 10:00 am. There are three STL teams, including a Scott Gallagher team coached by Jeremy Alumbaugh that includes Devon Newport and Ryan Moses, SLU teammates and former two-time State Champions for Springfield SC. That’s what happens when you go to college, your Coach finds the right opportunity for you :)

Everyone in the group plays each other with the winner being determined by points following the final games on Monday.

According to a KC Soccer forum, of the 166 teams overall that are registered for State Cup this year, 33 are from the KC area while St Louis is sending 94 teams. Central Missouri is sending 4 teams (2 – Carrera, 2 – Pride) while Southwest Missouri has 9 teams, including 1 girls U14 team and 8 boys teams (5 – Springfield SC, 2 – Total Demize SC and 1 – SpringHigh).

Missouri Class 3 All-District 12 Girls Soccer Honors

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Courtney Busby, Hillcrest Hornets (2010)

Courtney Busby, Hillcrest Hornets (2010)

District MVP – Autumn Lewis (Joplin)
District Offensive MVP – Courtney Busby (Hillcrest)
District Defensive MVP – Miriam Dashtipour (Willard)
District Goalie MVP – Brittaney Dunn (Willard) & Sarah Nichols (Central)

District Coach – Geoff Meiss (Willard)

ESPN Recognizes Harry Keough, Uses A Photo of Mine

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Harry Keough, member Soccer Hall of Fame, STL July 2006

Harry Keough, member Soccer Hall of Fame, STL July 2006

In a story titled “Harry Keough Was There When US Played England” that is on the ESPN Page 2 website, writer Kelley Carter opens her story this way:

Former U.S. national team member Harry Keough laughs at his favorite memory of the 1950 World Cup match. Keough — who eventually won two U.S. Open Cups, seven National Amateur Cup title and coached the Saint Louis University men’s soccer team to five NCAA titles — said it wasn’t just beating England, 1-0, in a group match.

It was what happened thereafter.

“The English players were very, very gallant. They shook our hands at the end of the game and said ‘You chaps played well.’ I was very impressed because I, myself, knew how much it meant for them to win that game,” says Keough, 82. “They developed the game. And us coming in and beating them had to be a blow to them.”

That’s why this Saturday’s matchup is so significant.

You can read the rest of the story here and check out the video interview I did with Harry in April, prior to the inaugural AC St Louis game in St Louis.

The USA game against England, the opening match for both teams in the World Cup, is Saturday at 1:30 pm. Join me, and an international community of fans, at Farmers Gastropub in downtown Springfield for the game. Owner Bill Griffiths runs a classy British style pub and has guaranteed that World Cup soccer is the priority in his establishment for the next month. No Cardinals game conflicting with your desire to enjoy the world’s game, it is World Cup 2010 Headquarters in Springfield this year.

Farmers Gastropub is located in the Wilhoit Building, which is the building directly South of the YMCA downtown. Plenty of parking in a lot on Jefferson and Elm, you’ll see the outdoor seating area when you drive into the lot directly ahead of you. There will be several screens and food that receives great reviews for Bill’s attention to fresh, locally produced ingredients. Join us!

Springfield Soccer Club Changes Tryout Schedule, Allowing Attendance At All-Star Game

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In an ongoing effort to grow the game of soccer in the Springfield and surrounding areas, the Springfield Soccer Club has moved its tryouts scheduled for Tuesday, June 22 to Thursday, June 24

Download the flyer for specific dates and times for each age groupSpringfield SC Tryout Flyer2010, Revised

The Southwest All-Star game has been scheduled for Tuesday evening as well. SSC feels it’s important that younger players are able to attend/support the All-Star game and watch the seniors play their last HS match in Springfield before they head off to college fields. All of these All-Stars have given a lot to the game of soccer, and the next generation has the opportunity to show a great big “Thank You” to these players.

“It will give the young kids an opportunity to watch representation of their future high schools play the game. Hopefully it also gives them something to shoot for in the future for themselves to play in this game”, says Eric Sorlie, Director of Soccer Operations for the Springfield Soccer Club. “I encourage any and all young players to go out and attend the game with their family. It’ll be a great atmosphere and wonderful opportunity for them to learn from some very good players”.

“They will also have a chance to cheer on the first ever High School State Champions from Springfield in the Springfield Catholic Girls HS team”.

A ceremony is planned between the girls and boys game to congratulate Coach Ben Timson and the girls from Springfield Catholic.

The 2010 game, which will be the 6th annual event for the Boys and the 5th annual event for the Girls, will be played on Tuesday June 22nd at Springfield Catholic High School.

What: 2010 Southwest All-Star Game
When: Tuesday June 22nd
6:00 pm – Girls game
8:00 pm – Boys game
Where: Springfield Catholic High School

Visit the club website www.springfieldsportsclub.com for team pictures. Additional pictures can be found at www.SGFsoccer.com

World Cup Checklist – Are You Ready?

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SportsIllustrated_WC2010Do you have all of the necessary tools in place? Let’s go through the checklist:

High Definition TV – I upgraded recently and fortunately made the call for follow up service with enough notice. I waited 8 days for Mediacom to come to my place and fix the service and now I’m going to miss the visit. Think they’ll make it back before the World Cup ends?

DVR – have you used it recently? Do you have enough room to capture 2-3 days of games as you try to keep up?

Smartphone – I’m an iPhone user and ESPN has created a great application for the World Cup. There’s a nice review of six apps for the iPhone here and I see Fox Soccer Channel has released one now as well. Still time to download one and work on your bar patter so you can sound like a knowledgeable fan!

Any recommendations out there for the Blackberry user?

Speaking of well-educated fans, what else might you want to have around? Let’s start with the big boys on the block. Did you see Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week (see above). According to the US Soccer website, This marks the third straight World Cup that SI has previewed the tournament and the U.S. Men’s National Team on the cover.

There is a large feature on Landon Donovan from SI senior writer Joe Posnanski, a spread on the entire team, as well as a breakdown of USA’s Group C from senior writer Grant Wahl. They are on the newstands now!

Soccer America also offers one which you have to order online unless someone knows if B&N or Border’s is carrying it.

As a final fallback, you can always check Google for whatever information you might need. As you begin that journey, start with a basic search – World Cup. The graphic at the left is what you’ll see at the bottom of the page. Go Sergy!

And remember – SGFsoccer.com has partnered with Farmers Gastropub to show all of the World Cup games (except the 6:30 am games and Monday games) at the British-style restaurant and pub located downtown. Join us Saturday for the US vs England match which kicks off at 1:30 pm.

Farmers Gastropub is located in the building directly South of the YMCA on Jefferson Avenue downtown. Parking is available in the lot located at Elm and Jefferson, directly North of the Catholic elementary school.

Total Demize SC Tryout Information

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From the club website: Total Demize Soccer Club (TDSC) offers year round professional coaching for boys and girls of all ages as well as a variety of club programs for players of all skill levels. The Total Demize Soccer Academy (TDSA) is the introductory stage for youth development from ages 6-8. Our TDSC League Teams provide our next level of club participation. Finally, the TDSC competitive and college search programs provide development for exposure to High School collegiate and professional levels of soccer in Southwest Missouri. Below are the times and dates for the tryouts:

Who: U6,7,8 Boy sand Girls
When: June 21 June 22 from 6:00-7:00 pm, and July 10 from 11:00 am-12:00 pm

Who: U9-U14 Boys and Girls
When: June 21 June 22 from 6:00-7:30 pm, and July 10 July 11 from 11:30 am – 1:00pm

Who: U15-U19
When: June 21 June 22 from 7:15-8:45 pm, and July 10 July 11 from 1:00-2:30 pm

All tryouts will be held at Rogersville Soccer Park.

Program Highlights:
* Experience Professional Coaching Staff
* Local, Regional & National Exposure
* College Showcase Tournament Play
* Kansas City Heartland League Play
* Club Indoor and Outdoor Training Facilities
* Speed, Agility, Strength & Conditioning Training
* International Club Model
* Direct Exposure To The United Soccer League’s Premier Development League & Premier Arena Soccer League.

Please arrive 30 minutes before your designated team building and tryout start time for registration. This is an opportunity to meet the coaches, players and team managers to learn more about Total Demize Soccer Club.

Espana – World Cup Favorite? Tuesday 2pm Game vs Poland!

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David Villa, Espana from ESPN

David Villa, Espana from ESPN

ESPN has released their World Cup preview issue. They offer some teaser material on the website regarding Spain

It’s easy to get carried away drawing parallels between a country and its national soccer team, but it’s hard not to notice the anxiety that has simultaneously gripped Spain’s financial markets and its soccer fans. While the nation tries to stave off fiscal panic, the sporting faithful are fending off doubts about the product on the field, on the eve of what should be Spain’s finest hour.

A year ago, La Furia Roja were the prohibitive favorites to hoist the World Cup Trophy. What’s more, this summer was supposed to provide the punctuation mark on an era of Spanish sports conquest, when years of global success in everything from hoops to auto racing would be capped off by a thrilling triumph in the world’s favorite game. But headlines that once trumpeted, “They Reign in Spain,” are now just as likely to be flipped into questions asking, “Can Spain Ever Reign?”

If you want to get a real preview, plan on tuning in tomorrow (Tuesday, 3:00 pm, ESPN2) when Spain plays their final friendly prior to the World Cup. They face Poland.

Here’s a brief look that ESPN offers on Spain from their Group H preview as well.

Head Coach Ben Timson On Catholic’s State Title

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Head Coach Ben Timson and I took some time after the celebrations on Saturday to discuss his title-winning squad and its traditions. It’s a history that stretches back to 1998, very early in Southwest Missouri annals although not the first. I believe that belongs to the Rolla Bulldogs who first kicked off in 1996.

The photo features the Fitzgerald and Renner families who have contributed 7 players over an 11 year period to the program, culminating in Erin Fitzgerald and Veronica “Ronnie” Renner bringing home the title. It’s just one example that continues when you discuss names like Bailes, Dahlberg, Skahan and many more.

Front row, L to R: unidentified with child, Shannon F (2005), Katherine F (2002), Erin F (2010), Hannah R (2007), Maddy R (2009), Ronnie (2010)
Back row, L to R: Mr Fitzgerald, Mr & Mrs Renner

Apologies if I got any of it wrong, leave corrections in the comments and I’ll update it :)

Mike Sorber Is Missouri’s Connection To The World Cup

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Mike Sorber, SLU/US Men's Team Assistant Coach

Mike Sorber, SLU/US Men's Team Assistant Coach

The Post-Dispatch had a pair of excellent articles on Sunday in advance of the World Cup. The first, St. Louis has no playing link to World Cup, opens this way

It’s the first time that a U.S. World Cup team hasn’t had at least one player with a connection to St. Louis, though in the past three events, the lone link has been Brian McBride, who played at St. Louis University but was born and raised in the Chicago area. No player who was a product of St. Louis has represented the United States in the World Cup since Sorber in 1994.

It delves into some of the players that got looks although they missed Jack Jewsbury, with his SLU roots who spent two weeks in camp in January 2009.

The second article, Soccer coach Sorber in right place, looks at the history of Mike Sorber’s introduction to the US National Team and subsequent development as an assistant coach. One of the opening paragraphs offered some background I wasn’t familiar with, that being how Sorber was ‘discovered’.

Sorber was a player at St. Louis University who had never been on a U.S. youth national team and hadn’t even been a college All-American. But coach Bora Milutinovic saw Sorber at the 1991 NCAA College Cup, liked his ability to hold and distribute the ball and called him into camp, which led to Sorber starting all four games at the 1994 World Cup and making 67 appearances in all with the national team.

If you are interested in the history of the game and St Louis soccer traditions, both are a must-read. They also point to a discussion needed here in Southwest Missouri as well as St Louis. Sorber addresses it at the end of the first article I referenced:

“St. Louis is slipping, but we’re not so far off,” Sorber said. “It’s not like the rest of the country is producing (Lionel) Messis or Rio Ferdinands. We still have a long way to go as a nation. But if you look at St. Louis, St. Louis has not done well in a while. … St. Louis soccer has always been built on short passes, but there’s more in the modern game. That’s not enough anymore. There are more pieces.

“At the end of the day, at what level do you want to produce, what standard are you holding clubs to? Are we getting kids ready for college or saying we want to have some players at the national team level or playing in MLS?”

What do we need to do here in our corner of the world’s game? Anyone interested in an in-depth discussion on the steps we should be taking? I’ll be collecting feedback during the World Cup, join me at Farmer’s Gastropub this Saturday for the USA vs England game and help open the conversation. Game time is 1:30 pm, I’ll be there early.

Mamba’s High School Girls Team Holding Kick About

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Mamba SoccerI pulled the following information from an event posted on Facebook: If you want to have a chance to be on the best team, most competitve soccer teams in Missouri, this is your chance to show us what you have. This is informal, girls from all over the region will be there.

Mambas Soccer Club have produced 20 Women Collegiate soccer players and have played in the top rated national tournament in the nation and have one (won?) many of those.

For more information on the Mambas Team contact:

Coach Brian Russel (417) 844-6794
Asst. Coach 2009 Mambas Graduate and Former CMU soccer player,
Abby Anderson (417) 379-3188

This is an open invitation, spread the word and see you there!