Monthly Archives: July 2010

Registration Deadline for Founders Cup Soccer Tourney is August 6th

Posted on by

Founder's Cup 2010 Tournament LogoLake Country Soccer’s fourth tournament, and newest addition, kicks off on August 28-29. The tournament has been established as a way to generate funds that will go toward equipment purchases for facility maintenance and gift items to honor and recognize the pioneers, the Founders of Lake Country Soccer. 2010 will be the first year we have hosted this event.

The tournament will include the following age groups:

Age Group – Boys – Girls – Roster Size – Format – Entry Fee
U9 X X 14 8v8 $450
U10 X X 14 8v8 $450
U11 X X 14 8v8 $450
U12 X X 14 8v8 $450
U12 X X 18 11v11 $465
U13 X X 18 11v11 $465
U14 X X 18 11v11 $465
U15 N/A X 18 11v11 $475
U16 N/A X 22 11v11 $475
U17 N/A X 22 11v11 $475
U18 N/A X 22 11v11 $475

TEAM REGISTRATION: Click here to register your team for this tournament event. Be sure to read the terms and conditions below when completing your online team registration.

Friday night games may be scheduled for some teams which are within a 35 mile radius of Springfield.
* Boys teams ages Under-9 through U14
* Girls teams ages Under-9 through High School
* 8v8 and 11v11 formats for Under-12 age divisions
* Under-9 boys and girls divisions offered
* Gold & Silver divisions in those age groups where a sufficient number of teams have applied and expressed a desire to compete at a particular level

World Cup Watch Party At Farmers Gastropub Saturday & Sunday

Posted on by

Bill Griffiths, Farmers Gastropub owner

Bill Griffiths, Farmers Gastropub owner

The final two matches of the 2010 World Cup are this weekend. As has been his habit for the entire tournament, Bill Griffith’s and his staff at Farmer’s Gastropub downtown will open their doors for fans of the world’s game. Join us for excellent food, beverages and futbol.

Saturday’s 3rd Place game between Germany and Uruguay kicks off at 1:30 pm as does Sunday’s Final between Spain and the Netherlands kicks off at 1:30 pm. Pre-game broadcast begins at 1:00 pm.

Come early for best seating and enjoy a great meal prepared from locally sourced foods. Viva Espana!

Ozark 3v3 Summer Sizzler July 31st – Register Now!

Posted on by

The 3v3 Summer Sizzler, July 31, is currently taking registrations for U8 through Adult age groups for both boys and girls. The 3rd annual event, which brought in over 65 SW Missouri teams last year, will again be a day of fun, music and lots of soccer! Ozark hosts the event on both their grass field and turf.

The event will be supporting Breast Cancer Awareness again this year in honor of their school nurse, Debbie, who is currently battling the disease. For more information including all necessary forms visit www.ozarktigersoccer.wordpress.com or e-mail SummerSizzler2008@yahoo.com. Hope to see you there!

Download the flyer for SUMMER SIZZLER 2010

Trevor Wachsman Resigns From MSSU Lions

Posted on by

Trevor Wachsman, Missouri Southern Lions (March 2007)

Trevor Wachsman, Missouri Southern Lions (March 2007)

Joplin, Mo. – Missouri Southern women’s soccer coach Trevor Wachsman has announced his resignation in order to take a job as an assistant coach at Division I Utah State University in Logan, Utah. Wachsman’s resignation is effective immediately.

He joins Heather Carins’ staff at Utah State where the Aggies were 10-9-1 last season and finished 5-2-1 in Western Athletic Conference play, good enough for second place in the league. The Aggies won the 2008 regular season WAC title.

“Leaving MSSU is bittersweet,” he said. “My wife and I have made this our home for seven years and have been grateful for the people in our lives. There are so many people that I owe my thanks and my appreciation to at Missouri Southern! I especially want to thank Sallie Beard for giving me the opportunity to become part of the MSSU family, and Kiley Cirillo and Alese Woolard for their guidance and assistance in all things soccer. But most of all, I would like to thank all of the players that I have had the pleasure of working with at Missouri Southern. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of individuals to spend time with. I wish the Women’s soccer program and MSSU athletics my best.”

Missouri Southern will begin an immediate national search for Wachsman’s successor.

Read the entire release here

Wachsman coached seven seasons at Southern, ending his tenure as the winningest coach in Lions history and helping the team to its first-ever national ranking and appearance in an NCAA Division II Regional when the team went 11-4-5 in 2006 and finished in second place in the MIAA with a 9-2-3 mark.

Spain vs Germany Today At Farmers Gastropub

Posted on by

Miroslav Klose, Germany by John Macdougall/AFP/Getty Images

Miroslav Klose, Germany by John Macdougall/AFP/Getty Images

What a match up eh. Everyone thought Argentina vs Germany would determine the champion, but after the dismantling of the South American team it’s hard to tell whether they were truly challengers. Now it seems this match is considered the key game. Of course there’s always the actual final, this Sunday at 1:30 pm, and I’ll be at Farmer’s Gastropub to enjoy the action as the Dutch face…. who?

I used to hold German citizenship, having been born in Munich, so it’s hard to root against the boys but I did pick Spain prior to the start of the World Cup so it would be satisfying to see that result as well. And how can anyone root against Netherlands? So as my buddy Brad mentioned once the USA went out, “Cool, now I can quit worrying and just enjoy some fantastic soccer”.

Here’s my usual survey of what other’s are saying. What about you?

NY Times – Octopus Picks Spain, German Fans Despair

For Spain, the Guardian explores Why David Villa is carrying Spain’s hopes on his shoulders while also noting that Are Spain the most one-club-reliant team in World Cup history? after fielding seven Barcelona players on the field against Paraguay at one point.

For Germany, it seems Joachim Löw’s young Germany have nothing to lose as Germany reap reward of great shift to youth, something begun after they lost to Spain in the final of Euro 2008 but his employers instituted the reforms that have produced more speed, more skill and fresh tactical intelligence after the premature exit at Euro 2000.

Finally, keep an eye on Miroslav Klose threatens to eclipse goalscoring gods.

US Women Face Sweden In Omaha Tuesday July 13th

Posted on by

Alie Krieger, FFC Frankfurt

Alie Krieger, FFC Frankfurt

CHICAGO (June 28, 2010) – U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Pia Sundhage has called up 24 players for the USA’s two matches against Sweden taking place on July 13 in Omaha, Neb. at Creighton University’s Morrison Stadium, live on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. CT, and on July 17 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., live on Fox Soccer Channel at 6:30 p.m. CT.

Tickets for both matches start at $18 and are on sale through ussoccer.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000 and at all Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout the local areas. Groups of 20 or more can obtain an order form at ussoccer.com or call 312-528-1290.

The USA and Sweden, home country of U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage, have met three times since Sundhage took over the helm of the U.S. team, with the USA winning twice and tying once. The draw came in the championship game of the 2009 Algarve Cup in Portugal, a match in which the USA eventually fell after penalty kicks.

“Sweden is one of the world’s high-ranked teams and we have not played very well against them the last couple of times, so that will inspire our players to play well,” said Sundhage. “It is always good to play against a top European team and defensively it will be good to see how we do against the fast and clever players that Sweden has up top. We also get to play two games, so some players who maybe have not gotten to play 90 minutes in a while for the national team may get to play an entire game.”

Twenty-two of the 24 players called up come from WPS; the exceptions being forward Alex Morgan, a rising senior at California, and FFC Frankfurt defender Ali Krieger, the only foreign-based player currently in the U.S. WNT player pool. Against Germany in May, Krieger played her first match for the USA since January of 2008. Krieger is a graduate of Penn State where she won 4 straight Big Ten titles while playing for Ann Cook (Glendale), a Penn State Assistant.

Posted in USA

Looking For Eric Now Showing At Moxie Cinema

Posted on by

Looking_for_eric_posterCannes crowd-pleaser Looking for Eric is a tender, life-affirming, and hilarious nod to the possibility of second chances. When down-and-out postal worker Eric Bishop reaches the end of his rope – his two layabout stepsons are set on driving him to an early grave, his second marriage is in ruins, and that’s just the start of his troubles – he finds some unexpected motivation to turn his life around and win back the love of his life from none other than his idol, the legendary footballer Eric Cantona of Manchester United

Moxie Cinema is downtown in the Wilhoit Building, directly South and across the street from the YMCA. Next door to Farmers Gastropub

US Women Leave For U20 World Cup

Posted on by

mollie pathman, 2009 NC Gatorade Player of the Year

mollie pathman, 2009 NC Gatorade Player of the Year

U.S. head coach Jill Ellis and her 21-player Women’s World Cup squad break camp today and depart for Germany for the U-20 Women’s World Cup.

The USA will be playing in Group D along with Ghana, Switzerland and the Korea Republic. The U.S. will open against Ghana on July 14 before facing Switzerland on July 17, with both games taking place at the Rudolf-Harbig Stadium in Dresden, a newly built 27,000-seat venue that will also host games of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The U.S. team will then travel to the recently renovated FIFA Women’s World Cup Stadium in Bielefeld, a 28,000-seat venue, to conclude group play against the Koreans.

Ellis has made a change to the initial roster that was announced on May 31, adding defender Mollie Pathman of Durham, N.C. in place of defender Sade Ayinde. Pathman, who was recently named the 2009-2010 Gatorade National Girls’ High School Player of the Year, has two caps at the U-20 level for the USA. The official roster is not due to FIFA until June 25.

It doesn’t look like there will be any live feeds.

Posted in USA

I’ve Got Netherlands vs Spain in the Final of my Bracket

Posted on by

How about you?

Today we’ll find out if le Oranje can get past the Uruguyans and reach the Final. The game will not be simple, as The Guardian notes, Uruguay is a small nation with a great football history

There are countries with more footballers than we have people,” Oscar Tabárez said last night while assessing the chances of Uruguay, the team he coaches, making it through today’s World Cup semi-final against Holland. But out of their tiny population the Uruguayans have conjured a wonderful football history studded with remarkable individuals. One of them, a key figure in their early international success, was José Andrade.

What do you think of the Dutch? Are they playing the Total Futbol you’ve expected? The Guardian notes Holland holding out to shake off ghosts of Seventies

World Cup greatness is sometimes denied the greats. A bewitching Holland lost the finals of 1974 and 1978 to the host countries, West Germany and Argentina. In the second of those tournaments, the quality continued to be high even though Johan Cruyff had retired from international football. In the circumstances it is confusing that the current squad should hope to take the prize that eluded their illustrious predecessors.

Sports Illustrated is more direct in their assessment with Criticism of a more defensive approach by the Dutch is misplaced

Mourning the demise of “Total Voetbal” these days makes as much sense as lamenting the switch from black and white to color television or the disappearance of horse carriages from city centers. The Dutch moved on decades ago. Most casual observers have simply been too lazy to notice it.

As always, throughout the World Cup, the best watch party in town is located at Farmers Gastropub in downtown Springfield. Kick off is at 1:30 pm, get there early for a late lunch and a great semifinal game!

Missouri State Recruit Andrew Riggs Named St Louis GK of the Year

Posted on by

Andrew Riggs with friend

Andrew Riggs with friend from Facebook

As part of the Missouri Athletic Club High School All-Star game that was played July 1st in St Louis, Andrew Riggs was named the Sam Copple Goalkeeper of the Year. Andrew plays for Zumwalt South and is the younger brother of current Bear’s goalkeeper Alex Riggs. From the Post-Dispatch report on the MAC All-Star game:

The North team hammered the South 10-2 in the 26th annual Missouri Athletic Club High School All-Star Soccer game Thursday at the Anheuser-Busch Center.

With a roster loaded with players from schools north of Highway 40, the North side, skippered by CBC coach Terry Michler, put on a show. They scored four first half goals and knocked in another six after the break.
The South had little to nothing going offensively. After the North side made it 3-0 early in the first half, Vianney grad Johnny Roeckle pulled a rabbit out of the hat. He took the kickoff from Adnan Gabeljic and, while standing in the center circle, blasted it on goal.

The ball ricocheted off Andrew Riggs’ hand and went into the net.