Manolo's Blog

2012 05 19: San Francisco FC vs Paz, 3-5
0-1, 0-2, 1-2, HT, 1-3, 2-3, 2-4, 3-4, 3-5… LOSS!

4-2-3-1 formation, starting lineup:

James L.
Patrick M. – Jason – Hugh – Laurent
Paul W. – German
Paddy – Michel – Olivier
James D.

subs: Andrew, John, Carlos, Demetrios, Manolo
goals: Michel, Paul W., James D.

Pichichi:

3: Olivier, James D.
2: German
1: Paul W., Michel
(I am missing goals scored for a few games)

6th game of the season, played at McInnis, grass in poor condition, warm sunny day.

Paz is the old Pas, strong team with few weaknesses.

This is a game that we should’ve won, as 4 of the goals we allowed were defensive errors. We started well, we showed better ball control in the midfield, which translated into creating more opportunities than the opposition. Half way into the 1st period we slowed down considerably, that’s when they took advantage of 2 of our errors, they scored twice. Their first goal we were defending 4-on-2, 3 of our defenders went to the corner to defend the same skillful guy, he managed to make a perfect cross to the second post, the guy scored easily. Then there were 2 chips over James that could’ve been defended a little better. The only decent goal that they scored was the last one.

Some of our defenders were saying that they didn’t have enough support from the midfielders in defensive endeavors. We need to correct this, as we should always have 1 midfield available to help, that’s one of the reasons that I like the 4-2-3-1 formation, so let’s make sure that not all midifielders attack at the same time.

I also noticed that, in general, the guy with the ball gets little support, which in some instances forces our error. 2-touch scrimmage is a good way to correct this, as it forces you to think quickly, increases overall awareness at all times, and it keeps you moving constantly, so let’s keep drilling at practices.

The BAD:

- We allowed too many goals.
- John re-injured his calf.
- We lost control of the midfield at some stages of the game.
- Poor finishing

The GOOD:

- We look good in the new uniforms! (see pictures)
- Some good phases of ball control.
- Some superb solo skills
- Lucky on 2 of our goals, as the ball rebounded on us (James and Michel), the other one was a well taken PK by Paul W.

The rest of the games are easier on theory, but we don’t have any margin for error, they are must wins for us if we are to finish in the top half of the table.

There’s no game this week end (Memorial day). Next game (June 2nd) we face Pars at Piper Hall, back to turf!

Hopefully I will see all of you at Laurent’s restaurant on Monday at 6pm.

Please provide your comments.

PS: I added one new picture album (selectable from the top menu)

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2012 05 12: Inter Marin vs San Francisco FC, 3-5
1-0, 1-1, 1-2, HT, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 3-4, 3-5… WIN!

4-2-3-1 formation, starting lineup:

James L.
Thomas – Jason – Patric M. – Ronan
Paul W. – Andrew
Carlos – Paddy – Laurent
James D.

subs: Olivier, Michel, German, Demetrios, Manolo
goals: German(2), Olivier, James D.(2)

Pichichi:
I need to get the goal count for previous games, so please let me know how many goals you scored at each game.
3: Olivier
2: German, James D.
1: Olivier

5th game of the season, but this is my frist review. Played at McInnis, grass in poor condition, warm sunny day.
We started the season with 2 defeats: 3-0 to RM FC, and 4-2 to the RM Spurs. Then got 2 straight wins: 7-2 to Flamingo Int., and 3-2 to Goal Diggers.

We came into this game knowing that it would be a physical battle, we know that Inter Marin is a very competitive team with good quality players all around. They hate to lose, and when they are losing they can get rough. We did a good job countering their physical style with our superior technical skills.

As Andrew stated, this was an important game for us, since historically Inter has been our closest rival in our fight for a top half of the table spot. Today we delivered a very good performance, we had a stronger show in all aspects of the game, and we have to take pride in that.

James and the back 4 had a solid game today. We didn’t allow Inter to use their size to dominate air balls, but they gave us a little trouble on the ground balls, as they have skillful players that can quickly turn and create danger. However, when I look at the big picture we have some work to do… stats don’t lie! A look at the table clearly shows that we are allowing way too many goals. This is an issue that has been chasing us for a few seasons now. Many of these goals come from careless mistakes, lack of concentration, and improper defending in set pieces. Also, we have a tendency to defend way too deep, which allows for more dangerous situations close to our box. We have to evolve our defending style, and by that I mean that our midfielders should be the contention line, we have to stop the opposition before they progress into our own 1/3 of the field. Discipline, fitness, and commitment will get us there.

On the positive side, I have to say that our back 4 is becoming better at playing the ball with precision and composure. I hear lots of compliments towards Laurent in his defensive endeavors, and I share the same opinion. Not only can he defend, but he can quickly become an attacking weapon on the wing, without compromising our defense, as we have good awareness in the team to compensate for his attacking runs.

Our midfield is definitely stronger with the additions of some new players, Paul W. in particular. I honestly believe that we have the potential to become the best team in the league, but we have to correct our mistakes. When it comes to midfield we have to be a little more patient with the ball, “enjoy” ball possession. I know that’s difficult to do in a crappy field like McInnis, but we have the skills and the potential to become a dominant team, ball possession needs to be our trade mark… and remember, if we have the ball, they can’t score.

For a few months now we have been suffering from lack of efficient artillery, the addition of James D. is a quantum leap forward. Olivier and James D. proved today that we have the speed and skills to tackle a good quality defense. Michel and the wingers provide tremendous attacking power as well. I am really excited about the remaining games of the season.

The BAD:

- We allowed too many goals(3), one of them came from a careless mistake, however, I have to praise Paddy for voluntarily subbing himself to clear his mind, I love that kid! He also redeemed himself by contributing in some of the goals we scored today.
- Yes, we scored 5 goals, but we need to score more, and we all know it. The more opportunities that we create, the more goals that we will score, the more lethal that we will become.
- We lost control of the midfield at some stages of the game.

The GOOD:

- James D. first game, 2 goals scored…. welcome to the team James!
- German added 2 goals. His header was a culmination to a beautiful play on the left wing.
- Opportunistic Olivier took advantage of his speed to steal the ball from the keeper.
- Great focus and determination, everytime Inter came close in the score, we fought back and scored.

As a final note I want to thank the entire squad for respecting my decisions. I understand that a few of you will disagree with my views and philosophy when it comes to formation, substitutions, and strategy. But the reality is that a team is not a democracy, it can only have 1 leader, 1 game plan, and stick to it. I am open for feedback, I love to talk football. That’s it lads, well done today, thank you!

Please provide your comments.

PS: I added two new picture albums (selectable from the top menu)

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2012 03 17: Real Marin Spurs vs San Francisco FC, 5-3
1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 4-0, 5-0, HT, 5-1, 5-2, 5-3… LOSS!

Starting lineup:

John
Christian – Olivier – Patrick M. – Manolo
Andrew – Paddy
Michel – German

subs: Carlos (late), Demetrios (late), Paul W. (late)
goals: Michel, Paul W., Olivier

Pichichi:
8: Michel
6: Olivier
3: Paddy
2: Andrew
1: Ronan, Demetrios, Barry, Paul W.

3rd game of the post-season played at Piper Hall. Overcast weather, the rain gave us a break for the whole game, excellent conditions. 4-2-2 formation initially, since we only had 9 players available at kick off time.

The BAD:

- 9 players to start, not ideal against the best passing team in the league.
- Only one natural defender in the line up, Patrick M., we paid the price as it took us a little bit of time to adjust to the Spurs tactics.
- Overall, it was a typical 1st half, the Spurs were doing their usual ball movement, their mobile players were clearly exploiting our weaknesses, 5 goals was a fair score.

The GOOD:

- Probably the best 2nd half we have ever played against quality opposition. Night and day. Not only we outscored them 3 to 0, but we dominated the entire 45 minutes at the Spurs own game, passing the ball around. Our passing was superb, particularly in short spaces. We progressed from defense into their own half with ease and confidence. We helped the guy with the ball, our 1 and 2 touches were crisp, and esay to control. We were moving well, with and without the ball. I noticed some frustration in the Spurs players, as they were expecting a continuation of the 1st half… no way!
- In the 2nd half EVERYONE performed at a much higher level. John played outstanding goal keeping, our back 4 was alert and sharp, our midfielders outplayed the opposition, both in defensive and attacking endeavors, and the goals came in!
- Had the game lasted 10 more minutes…. maybe we could’ve made the come back.
- Well done lads!!!

Please provide your comments.

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2012 03 17: Real Marin FC vs San Francisco FC, 6-2

No game review available.

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2012 02 25: Inter Marin vs San Francisco FC, 2-1
0-1, HT, 1-1, 2-1… LOSS!

Starting lineup:

James
Thomas – Hugh – Patrick M. – Ronan
Andrew – Manolo
Christian – Paddy – Laurent
Olivier

no subs

Pichichi:
5: Michel
4: Olivier
3: Paddy
2: Andrew
1: Ronan, Demetrios, Barry

1st game of the post-season played at the beautiful Red Hill Community Park. Sunny, mild temperature, perfect conditions. 4-2-3-1 formation. Today’s plan was to ignore the score and focus on playing the way we want to play. This was our little reward for having finished in the top half of the table for the 3rd consecutive season. Last week we circulated a number of great emails, so this time around we had to walk the talk, stick to the plan, and play unselfish soccer. Offensively we set two objectives, firstly, help the guy with the ball, and secondly, maintain possession. Defensevely our objective was to defend with our midfielders.

Guys, if we want to improve we have to leave our bad habits behind, be brave enough to play the way we want to play. From that point of view I am very pleased with today’s game, as we saw our best defense performance in terms of getting the ball out in a controled manner. I repeat, the final score is irrelevant, we need to focus on our playing style, and today I left the field with good vibes, since I felt that we are moving in the right direction.

The BAD:

- We only had 11 players available, so we had to play with no subs.
- Negativity. Guys, I am going to get tough on this one, as I will not tolerate negative outbursts from anyone. If you have something to say, say so in a positive way, otherwise stay home.
- In the 2nd half we noticed the lack of subs, and our game decayed a bit, as our legs go tired.
- Their first goal was a shot from outside the box, I intended to block the shot (I was outside the box) but it hit my leg and deflected to the 2nd post.. I saw that ball in slow motion going through a few bodies, unfortunately it ended inside our goal. Their second goal came from a counter attack, I found myself defending 2 of their players on our left back zone, I misjudged who to mark and the other guy turned and connected an incredible left footed shot that beat James close to the far post.

The GOOD:

- Great start, we played according to plan, great patience from everyone. Our defense did a fantastic job in supporting each other, making ourselves avaialble to get the ball. We moved the ball patiently and accurately.
- It’s amazing how good things happen when we play simple soccer, and proof of it was that we were creating many more opportunites than the opponents. Our goal came in of those patient plays, Andrew found space in front of the box, he had a chance to shoot and he did in superb fashion, directing the ball to the low left side of the goal, the keeper was not agile enough to get the ball, nicely done Andrew!
- Great effort from everyone, we ran our hearts out.

Please provide your comments.

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(Courtesy of Andrew Laing)

I’ll take the liberty to write an unofficial write up. I prefer to spam you all rather than post directly to Manolo’s blog because i don’t want anyone to miss this equisite prose. Also, it just encourages more interaction (easier to hit reply all,) and then we can post it for posterity.

SF 0 – Real Marin FC 4

There was a general despondency after the match as the reality of how far off we are from winning a game like this sunk in, but it is unwarranted in my opinion (the despondency, that is.) The Spurs game against Athletico Peru was cancelled, and we ended up playing a collective squad of the best players from the Spurs, Real Marin, Peru, and at least the playmaker from the Goal Diggers. Despite this, and the fact that we had a depleted squad ourselves (no more scheduling family vacations mid-season,) we held them to a very respectable 4-0 loss. It could have been a lot worse, as that Peru striker put 3 past us by himself a couple of weeks ago.

This type of game is just a training exercise, nothing more. We should use it to try and get used to playing under fire. For example, mid-way through the 2nd half we could not get the ball over the half way line from goal kicks. The ball wasn’t travelling very far, and they were picking it up every time. We were already down 3 or 4 at that point, so why not just start practicing playing it out from the back under pressure? We were losing it anyway, so there was nothing to lose. But if we are going to do that we need to be more supportive! No more bollockin team mates for losing the ball. I know we could give the ball to Thomas every time and even with 3 players round him, its unlikely he is going to give it away easily. Patrick too can play with a lot of composure. Paul and I could be looking for the ball more too. 4-0 vs 8-0 makes no difference.

There was also a lot of criticism about our defensive strategy. I would argue that the goal of these tougher matches is to sort out a defensive formation that can stand up to the barrage we come in for. If we try to play more aggressive against these guys we’ll be down a couple of goals early and then it turns into a free for all. Without Michel, we have a hard time getting the ball to the front men anyway, so why not just work on our defensive formation. We can work on moving forward against the weaker squads. Ken did a good job of dropping back to pick up the ball, and if Michele was on the pitch we might have turned that into something.

So we played very well under the circumstances. James had a cracker, and it would have been 8 had he no made some miraculous saves. It should have been 0-0 at halftime, but a poor throw was immediately couped back into the net. And while it was hardly against the run of play, the scoreline at half time was due to some great defensive work from the makeshift back line. I can’t count the number of times I saw Ronan and Patrick throw themselves in to head dangerous balls clear, intercept threw balls, and generally shut down some very good footballers. John had a great game too–he gets the most improved award for the season hands down, and put himself in the running for man of the match today in his own right. He tackled hard and was very composed on the ball. Thomas, from the right back position, is probably one of our best attacking players and very rarely looses the ball. He used some great vision today to make up for a slight immobility. Sure we started to break down a little in the 2nd half but that is to be expected against the calibre of the opposition we faced. They changed almost their entire lineup in the 2nd half, replacing some great players with real professionals. But there were some positives even then. We had more running with the ball today than I have seen all season (absent Michele, of course!) They have a great midfield and we got creamed there, but we were able to break out on a number of occasions and that is a portentous sign.

Christian had a great 1st half, playing the ball inside and making the run out wide. The few chances we had were the fruit of this endeavour (notice the french spelling.) Good to see Ken and Paul back out there too; we benefit so much from the combined experienced these guys bring–even if they don’t touch the ball, it just brings shape and poise. And what I would give to see a fit Sean out there! Its hard for us as a team to make the transition to a full pitch, and it’s twice as hard if you don’t do it every week. We lack ball winners and that is what Sean brings (as well as a lot of skill.) Manolo, as always, was selfless and spent most of the time directing efforts from the bench.

Anyway, we avoided relegation again for the 3rd season running, and that is a good 1st half of the season in my book. Sure there is a gap between us and the two or 3 top teams, and we need to pick up a couple more players if we want to compete with these guys. But even if we don’t, we’re playing good football at times and its a lot of fun with a good squad.

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(Courtesy of Hugh Reynols)

San Francisco v tamapalis sat feb 11

Nice day for soccer – rain held off and sun poked through

James
Thomas Hugh Patrick Ronan
Manolo paddy
Lauraunt Michele Andrew
Olivier

John and christian

Let’s face it these guys were not particularly good and yet we
struggled to beat them. First a run down of how the game panned out.

We opened with a lucky break, some loose passing between tams back
line was stolen by Olivier in the first 5 minutes. The crafty
Frenchman walked it back and slotted the ball home himself. Nice
start…. Unfortunately that may have been the last time Olivier was
onside in the first half I reckon we had 10 or so off sides called
against us. Tam didn’t have to tackle or run… Luckily we fixed this
in the second half.

I’m trying to remember if we threatened the goal again in the first
half. We did have a couple of corners delivered well by Manolo but
nothing dropped. Laurent back to seek glory had some nice touches but
again too far from goal to be a threat.

Andrew had a 5 minute yellow card “rest” for some sort of off the ball
discussions with a tam player and about the only serious shot on goal
in our half was stopped and held well by James. In defense I averaged
1 in 3 crap kick outs (!) but got away with it because they were so
rubbish. Patrick dominated everything in the air and Ronan, Thomas and
John kept things under control on the wings.

With both laurant and Thomas carrying niggley injuries we really
needed our subs. John contributed well in the back while Christian
added a bit of aggression in midfield as people started to tire.

The second half proved a bit of a slog. Olivier and Michele started to
combine much better with clever runs into the heart of tams defense.
Paddy started to get a lot more room and had some great attacks down
the left wing but actual shots on goal were few and far between.
Michele was closely and physically marked but did get one sweet ball
across from the left corner… Straight across the open Tam goal but
no yellow shirt to pick it up.

Midway through the 2nd half thomas was beaten for speed and isolated
so he did the right thing.. Far from goal in an ugly but not too ugly
fashion pulled his man down well before he was close to goal. Yellow
card sure but clever play – threat defused and no one hurt… Fine
work from my fellow defender.

Manolo did well holding up the ball, as a mid fielder should – the
fact that he was doing it at our 18 yard line did lead to some raised
voices from me. I’d like to see fines introduced for anyone taking
more than 5 touches that is not streaking toward the opposition goal
but that’s just me…

Andrew had another very solid game, lots of movement from defense to
attack. Great one twos and never (is that possible?) caught in
possession. Eventually even Andrew slowed down and Christian again
stepped up and had a couple of really solid defensive tackles late in
the game to clear the threat.

In the last moments tam threw everything at us and just when we
thought the win was safe the two most polite guys on the team combined
for a pantomime clearance… No after you, no I insist after you..etc

Final whistle blew for an ok result. James didn’t have to make a stop
in the second half but unfortunately we failed to punish Tam and put
the game out of reach.

We need to really up our aggressiveness and hunger for the ball and
driving toward the goal. 50:50 balls in the air were often not
contested by us, passes were intercepted because we didn’t move to the
ball. Rarely did strong tackles go in.

P.s. I heard the worst thing I could imagine from an opposition when
we played the goal-diggers a few weeks back.. “you guys are the nicest
team we’ve played against in the league” – we gotta do better

H

Sf 1: Tam:0

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(Courtesy of Andrew Laing)

4-1 Win. I just wish Manolo had been there to enjoy it because we finally played the kind of football that he advocates. Felt like a practice–a lot of passing from the back good breaks out of mid-field and plenty of threat up front. Seriously, the score could have been 8 or 9.
The lineup worked pretty well against this team (who were, admittedly, one of the weaker teams in we’ll face.) There was a little bit of adjusting to new positions for most people, but all in all it worked pretty well. We did go down to a blunder by James toward the end of the 1st half, but we should have been a couple up by then anyway.
We made some adjustments at half time to put people back into more traditional roles–Olivier went up front again, and Jason and Patrick fell back into sweeper/center back. Michel felt more comfortable in the mid-field, but we kept to the basic 4-3-3. Then we ripped them apart. Herman, Paddy, and Michel were working the ball well and linking up, for the 1st time this season, with the back 4. Lots of good ball possession, passing the ball backwards in short, crisp formation. Herman and Michel in particular were finding a lot of room to break forward, and diagonal balls in behind were creating a lot of room for Christian and Demetrios.
Olivier put us level with a good strike, Paddy nailed a penalty, Michel finished off a good effort by Patrick, and Olivier got a second. Oh, and Hugh hit a screamer that took a lucky bounce off of an air pocket and struck the crossbar.
Bye the way, we ended up with only two subs (including me.) Simon was a no show, and the others bowed out. Too bad because it was a fun one for sure. I hope I wasn’t too draconian in my pre-game analysis, but I wanted to set expectations. That said, it was anticipated that everyone who showed up would get a good run out.
Starting line-up:
———————————-James
———————————-Brian Cluff
—–Ronan——————-Olivier——————–Thomas
————Hugh—————-Patrick—————-Jason
—————–Paddy———–Michel———-Herman

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2011 12 17: Marin FC 40 vs San Francisco FC, 3-1
1-0, 1-1, HT, 2-1, 3-1… LOSS!

Starting lineup:

James
Barry – Simon – Thomas
Paul
German – Andrew – Paddy – Ken
Michel – Olivier

subs: John, Demetrios, Manolo

Pichichi:
3: Michel
1: Ronan, Paddy, Demetrios, Barry

4th game of the season played at athe beautiful Red Hill Community Park. Sunny, mild temperature, perfect conditions. 3-1-4-2 formation. Very even game at all levels, except at making errors, where we were clearly the winners. 2 of the goals were blatant defensive errors, the 3rd one was a header from a corner kick.

The BAD:

- Slow start, we couldn’t adjust well to the fast turf, our passing accuracy was below par. Marin FC 40 did better than us in the first half, showing good manners at ball possession
- Slow start by some of our players… guys we need to arrive early and warm up properly, so that at kick off time we are ready to play. If any of you is not fully recovered from an injury, please stay home, as we have plenty of healthy players willing to get into action. That’s what Jason did today and I thank him for that.
- The 3-1-4-2 experiment failed, so we will be reverting to our usual formation at the next game, or maybe a 4-1-3-2.
- Had 2 or 3 scoring opportunities, perhaps more than our opponents, but this season goals don’t come easy, as we struggle to find the end of the net.

The GOOD:

- Better 2nd half, we felt a little more comfortable with the ball, and our passing was more frequent and accurate.
- At the end of the game some of their players said that we were the best team they’ve faced this season… we will see when we face Goal Diggers, Mill Valley and Atletico Peru.
- The goal: Ironically, our only goal was produced without the intervention of our midfielders, as Paul makes a long range assist to Michel, who survives the physicality of his defender, clears alone towards goal, and beats the keeper with a precise shot between the legs.

Our next game will be January 14th against Mill Valley. At this game I will not set any invitation restrictions, but I will name the selected 14 players from all available players. If you want to secure a spot, you have to prove it in practice and by performing at game time. I have a weakness for players who can maintain ball possession…

Please provide your comments.

Happy holidays everyone!

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2011 12 10: Pars vs San Francisco FC, 1-2
0-0, HT, 1-0, 1-1, 1-2 WIN!!!

Starting lineup:

John
Barry – Ronan – Patrick M. – Thomas
Andrew – German
Christian – Manolo – Mark
Michel

subs: James, Demetrios

Pichichi:
2: Michel
1: Ronan, Paddy, Demetrios, Barry

3rd game of the season. Sunny, mild temperature, perfect conditions. 4-2-3-1 formation.

The BAD:

- It takes us effort and concentration getting into a rhythm. Perhaps we try to rush the play, our anxiety to score might be the reason we feel compelled to only look forward, instead of slowing down the play until we feel comfortable with ball possession.
- Christian re-injured his ham string early in the game, which left us with only 1 sub for most of the game, but frankly, I don’t think that the lack of subs was an issue.
- Mediocre first half, we were surprised by Pars level of play, as we expected a less competitive team, given the results they’ve had in their previous games. They have a good creative midfielder and a skillful striker.
- Their only goal came about 1/3 into the 2nd half, a quick counter attack on the left side.

The GOOD:

- John started as keeper, he did a very nice job until James arrived. It’s good to know that John can step up to the plate and do a decent job in James absence. John almost scores a goal, he hit the post after a direct kick that rebounded off their goal keeper.
- Solid performance by James/John and the back 4, Patrick M. had an outstanding game.
- Some good triangulations between Andrew, German and Manolo, although sometimes it seemed like an overcrowded midfield, we had to manage very quick touches to get out of trouble. We need to spread on the field when we have the ball, so that we can buy a little more time and space to control the ball.
- As a team we played better after we went down in the score, that extra 10% we put into the game made the difference. Their goal was the catalyst to put a little more desire in winning divided balls. That little extra made us play with more alertness and energy until the end of the game.
- Michel found his mojo! He came to the rescue with 2 superb goals, well done Michel!
- The goals: The first one was from a direct kick from the right side of the box, Michel places the ball perfectly on the low left side of the goal. The 2nd goal was generated on the right wing, Mark and Demetrios put pressure on their left back, Demetrios manages to pass the ball to Michel at the edge of the small box, Michel quickly turns and gets rid of his opponent, which leaves him one-on-one with their keeper, he makes no mistake and finishes to the low right side of the goal.

Please provide your comments

Cheers!

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2011 12 10: Real Marin Spurs vs San Francisco FC, 8-1
0-1, 1-1, 2-1, HT, 3-1, 4-1, 5-1, 6-1, 7-1, 8-1… LOSS!

I wasn’t there, so there was no report.

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2011 11 19: Inter Marin vs San Francisco FC, 2-3
0-1, 0-2, 0-3 HT, 1-3, 2-3… WIN!!!

Starting lineup:

John
Barry – Paddy – Jason – Ronan
Paul – Manolo
Christian – Andrew – Myles
Olivier

subs: Patrick M.(late), Demetrios(late)

Pichichi:
1: Ronan, Paddy, Demetrios

1st game of the season. Sunny, mild temperature, perfect conditions. Inter started with 10 men. 2 fo their players got injued but kept playing, had it been Inter at full force the outcome could’ve been different. Yes, we got the 3 points, but nobody left the field with the satisfaction of having played a solid game.

The BAD:

- Started the 2nd half with a 3 goal cushion, but we ended up asking for the time.
- Missed a few clear opportunities.
- Lack of ball fluidity. Practice and game time are like night and day, as we never found any passing rythm.

The GOOD:

- Decent 1st half, we had more opportunities than they did, and we took advantage of them.
- Very nice performance by John, who played goalie, as well as the back 4.
- We showed good sportsmanship, that’s a rarity to watch nowadays.
- The goals: great long solo run on the left wing by Ronan, who beat his defender and the keeper. Paddy chipped the ball over the keeper from a very difficult angle on the right side. Demetrios places a ball out of the goalie’s reach on the right side of the goal.

Please provide your comments

Cheers!

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We won the tournament!!! Our first team win in a tournament, and the Spurs were playing in full force, as well as other quality oposition.

WELL DONE!

We had a very nice bbq afterwards with players and families. And the prize was… a case of Stiegl for each player, nice!

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2011 08 20: Real Marin Spurs vs San Francisco FC, 7-0
4-0, HT, 7-0… LOSS!!!

Starting lineup:

Paddy
Thomas – Hugh – Patrick M. – Ken B.
Andrew – Simon
Myles – Michel B. – Nicolas
Olivier

subs: Ronan, Christian, Michel R., Demetrios
support: Sean
coach: Manolo

Pichichi:
14: Olivier
6: Michel
2: Paddy, Hugh, Laurent, Ken B.
1: Manolo, Paul, Nicolas, Jason, Mark, Thomas, Simon, German

Last game of the season, sunny and warm, great conditions. Guys, we lost, but we are improving as a team. This is the 2nd consecutive season that we end up in the top half of the bracket. That’s an accomplishment, and we should be proud of that. But we have to realize that we still need to correct a lot of aspects of our game.

The BAD:

- Humiliating loss to the Spurs. Our game plan was to deny them spaces in our own half of the field, easier said than done!
- We put a good effort, but we didn’t execute the details. When defending we seemed to look at the ball, while white shirts were running by us completely unmarked.
- Myles made a good observation, some times we seem to be wearing horse blinkers. Either we are unaware of our team mates positions, or we we are stubborn in wanting to play on one side of our vision. We have to make a conscious effort to be aware of our best passing option at all times, but especially before we get the ball.
- Could barely put more than 3 passes together. Either we didn’t pass accurately, or we didn’t find the best passing option, or we were pressured to release the ball in a hurry and causing the mistake. That’s why it’s important that we play the 1 or 2 touch in practices. We are much better now than we used to be, but we are not even close to the top teams in the league.
- We don’t play as a unit yet, as we seem to have multiple and conflicting ideas on the field. On the other hand, all of the Spurs players play the same style. Why? For once, the core of the Spurs team plays together 4 times a week. They enjoy 2 practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1 over 40 game on Saturdays, and another over 50 on Sundays, and they have been doing it for years! Many of our most skillful players don’t come to practice, which means that in the best scenario we only get to play together once a week. We can’t expect miracles from such a young team as ours, but we could definitely put more effort in practices towards achieving our goal to become the best team in the league.
- At the end of the game the ref commented to me that the Spurs killed us in the first half in a few counter attacks. We didn’t have the speed to stay with them, or we were unable to defend properly… all the lines, not just the back 4.

The GOOD:

- We kind of improved in the 2nd half. We put more desire into the match, but we were still missing ball fluidity and understanding among ourselves.
- Great get together at Marin Brewing Company to celebrate the end of the season, treat of the team’s funds.

THE FUTURE:

- The season is over. We should expect the winter league to kick off in mid November, which leaves us with a lot of time between now and then. Philip has suggested that we join the East Bay League, as they have an over 40 division. I already sent an email to the league admin asking for the details, but I haven’t heard from him yet. Has any of you played in this league before? If so, please provide us with your feedback.
- Lately we seem to be attracting more and more players, which is a good thing! I already mentioned this before, and I am bringing it up again to get your opinions. What about if we split into 2 teams? Under 1 club, of course. We could split according to several criteria, such as the ability to practice together, age, playing skill, proximity… what are your thoughts?
- Finally, I’d like to invite anyone of you who’d like to lead the team. I don’t mind doing it, but I don’t want to impose myself just because I have been doing it. Any takers?

That’s it guys. Please provide your comments, as I really need to know what’s in your mind.

Sean, please send me those pictures and I will post them in this website.

Cheers!

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(Courtesy of Andrew Laing)

SF vs. PAS

5-1 Loss.

Starting Lineup:
?
goal: Myles

Pichichi:
16: Olivier
7: Michel
2: Paddy, Hugh, Laurent, Ken B.
1: Manolo, Paul, Nicolas, Jason, Mark, Thomas, Simon, German, Myles

We simply came up against the best team in the league. The score could have been 10-0, but, that said, a very enjoyable day playing good football on a beautiful morning!

Could it have been different? I think the answer is probably not yet. But there is no doubt that we had a very talented squad out there ourselves today, and we would have been equal to any other team in the league–even Spurs There was a lot of conflicting opinion about how we should have played PAS, but the fact is that we were not strong enough in mid-field today, and that was the difference. These guys have obviously been playing together for some time, and that is what makes the difference–they were able to link up way better than we were and were much more effective as a unit. There was some beautiful football. A couple of their goals were so well constructed I found myself clapping when they went in the back of the net.

But enough about PAS, because there were a lot of positive things going on on our side of the pitch too. The 1st 25 mins of the game were pretty much played entirely in their half, and they were definitely shocked to find themselves on the receiving end of some solid football. We also had a couple of early chances that could have seen us go ahead. Some really good work down the left by Nicolas, who had an outstanding game overall. He fed consistent quality ball into the box. Michel (B) looked dangerous on the ball too, giving us a reminder that we are not outclassed by individuals on even the best opposition the league can offer. We just have to work on linking it all together.

A couple of quick goals changed the character of the match, though, and we suddenly found ourselves under siege. It’s true that we let in 5 goals today, but there were some very promising work in defense. Or rather, in the way that we were trying to distribute the ball out of defense. Patrick, in particular, had a great game moving forward. We’ve been watching this in practice the last couple of weeks and he built on that today–no panic, no risks, just excellent movement and distribution from the back. Great job. Simon was outstanding too–interrupted several good opportunities. One thing I have noticed, though, is that we tend to give opposing wingers too much time to receive the ball. Full backs should be up the winger’s ass (so to speak.) We give too much freedom out wide which causes us endless problems, and this is a pattern we repeat every week. Just a suggestion, but Fullbacks should stick like glue to the last man, and let the sweeper cover the quick turn if they get beat.

What else? Sean had an outstanding 15 mins We seized the momentum back under his good pressure in the middle and penetrating runs. German had another good game and was responsible for our best chance. He chested down a difficult ball on the right and struck a venomous shot from distance that their keeper did well to parry over the bar–a goal against anyone else.

A good goal from Myles, too. Took a through ball from the middle and did well to maintain composure and chip it over the keeper and in off the post.

Well done lads. Despite the score we certainly did not embarrass ourselves today.

We can take Spurs down next week.

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(Courtesy of Andrew Laing)

Good win today lads. 3-2!

It wasn’t our prettiest match and we were a little lucky to hold on, but we got the job done.

Starting Lineup:
John
Han, Patrick, Hugh, Thomas
Andrew, Sean,
Myles, Michel, German
Olivier

sub: Christian
goals: Michel, Olivier(2)

Pichichi:
16: Olivier
7: Michel
2: Paddy, Hugh, Laurent, Ken B.
1: Manolo, Paul, Nicolas, Jason, Mark, Thomas, Simon, German

I think there might have been a bit of deflation today after last week’s great performance. We just didn’t really seem that inspired and were kind of flat. There was at least one sighting of a player flouting the curfew late last night in a Hookah bar, and there were other indications that excessive merry making might have taken its toll. Speaking of revelry, we were missing Paddy today. Peru were under manned at first, and that always throws some weird voodoo into the mix–there is an expectation that you should dominate handily, but it never seems to work out that way. Oh well, we are showing really good composure and spirit as a team to come back from early deficits. We went behind early again today to a good strike from outside the box (John had no chance, and overall played a really good game in goal–thanks for taking one for the team John!) But after that we started to control the game. Time after time, though, we’d see some good possession foiled by the offside trap. The solution to that, of course, is to attack more from midfield and play one-twos through the defence. We’ve got the skill to do it; we just need more practice and confidence. Our 1st goal was a perfect example–a great ball through from Han found Michel free and he turned, ran at the defence and gave it a classy finish. 1-1. We had a lot more chances to go ahead, too, but unfortunately most of them fell to me.

We started the 2nd half well and probably dominated for the 1st 20 mins. Michel made another great early run and won us a penalty. Oddly enough nobody seemed to want to take it, and so it was left to my deadly toe. Still 1-1. No worries, we’ve got Olivier! The supreme opportunist struck again twice in quick succession to put us firmly in the driving seat. However, somehow our game then degenerated into a Fellini freak show (say what?) The proverbial wheels fell, and we were running around flailing, chasing the ball, and kicking any sighting of it clear as wildy as we could. We were lucky to hold on. Peru started to play the way we knew they could given the time, and it was only because they lacked an Olivier up front that we didn’t give up more goals. They finally got a late second, but the ref came to our rescue by halting it before they could equalize.

A good win, though, and we roll on…

My thoughts on what we could do to improve. Basically, the same thing we say every week…

In general, we tend to panic a little in possession and give up the ball up too easily. As Christian was pointing out at half-time, the fault for giving up possession usually doesn’t lie with the man on the ball, but with the rest of us for not making ourselves available and really wanting to receive the pass! In other words, we need a lot more movement of the ball. Move into space and demand the ball. It doesn’t even matter if you’re marked–it’s very difficult to actually take the ball away from someone. If you see someone move into space, give them the ball and then immediately look for it back. That’s how you create more time for yourself as a team. Easy to say, though. When the ball is with the back 4, it is especially critical that we give options to the player on the ball. And in midfield, too, there is not enough short passing going into feet. Too often we are resorting to the long ball over the top rather than trying to keep possession. We should start rewarding each other for effort off the ball. And more running at defences, too. We were definitely missing Paddy and Paul today, and Michel is always fun to watch when he gets the ball at his feet.

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2011 07 30: Persian United vs San Francisco FC, 2-2
HT, 1-0, 1-1, 2-1, 2-2… DRAW!!!

Starting lineup:

James
Thomas – Jason – Hugh – Patrick M.
Andrew – Paddy
German – Michel – Nicolas
Olivier

subs: Ronan, Myles, Christian, Manolo
goals: Michel, Olivier

Pichichi:
14: Olivier
6: Michel
2: Paddy, Hugh, Laurent, Ken B.
1: Manolo, Paul, Nicolas, Jason, Mark, Thomas, Simon, German

2nd game of the post season, grass field, sunny and warm.

The BAD:

- A few errors, very few.
- Yellow and red for Paddy… no more drinks at the pub without my permission!!!

The GOOD:

- Outstanding effort from the whole team. We had a game plan and we executed! This might be one of the best games we have played recently. The last 8-4 trashing at PUs hands was still hurting, and today we were not in the mood to get humilliated again. Not only they couldn’t beat us, they were lucky that we didn’t get a well deserved win, as we hit the metal a couple of times, and enjoyed more opportunities than they did.
- Nice job by all lines, everyone played their role with focus and intensity. Ronan was outstanding nullifying their number 7, their creative player. That was the key to dominate the middle of the pitch, which was well commanded by Andy, Nicolas, Michel, Christian, Myles and German.
- Awesome James and the back 4.
- Everyone played well, but I have to mention a player that had a perfect game: THOMAS SCHENKEL. Not only was he flawless in defense, but made numerous contributions all over the pitch, well done Thomas!
- James and some of our our French players came back from vacation/injury, and it showed, welcome back guys.
- Both goals had a French flavor: Christian crosses the ball to perfection, Michel out jumps his markers and scores a beautiful header. Christian does it again, this time to Olivier.
- I am proud of you guys today, well done!!!

That’s it guys. Atletico Peru in the small turf field next week end, 1pm.

Cheers!

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2011 07 23: Inter Marin vs San Francisco FC, 4-2
1-0, 1-1, HT, 2-1, 2-2, 3-2, 4-2… LOSS!

Starting lineup:

Simon M.
Thomas – Jason – Hugh – German
Paul – Andrew
Ronan – Paddy – Dimitri
Olivier

subs: Mark, Myles, Patrick M. (late), Han(late), Manolo

Pichichi:
13: Olivier
5: Michel
2: Paddy, Hugh, Laurent, Ken B.
1: Manolo, Paul, Nicolas, Jason, Mark, Thomas, Simon, German

1st game of the post season, sunny and warm.

The BAD:

- Errors cost us the game. 1 goal from a long distance foul kick could’ve been easily avoided, one conceded PK, and 2 headers from set pieces. All of them could’ve been avoided.
- Never felt comfortable with ball possession, we were a shadow of our practices.
- Poor mobility without the ball. We didn’t know how to find the optimal position to receive the ball or support our team mates, especially in the 2nd half.
- Miscommunication in the field.

The GOOD:

- Welcome to the team Dimitri!
- Decent first half.
- Some flashes of good quality play coming from Paul, Paddy, Olivier and German.
- The goals: Mark receives a ball on the right wing, crosses it immediately, Olivier beats the keeper with a beautiful volley. Paddy drives the play in the middle of the pitch, passes to Olivier on the left side of the big box. Olivier is able to stand 2 defenders and assist German, who finishes in a one touch well taken shot to the lower left of the goal, nice one.

That’s it guys. Persian United on grass next week end, 9am.

Cheers!

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2011 07 16: Real Marin Spurs vs San Francisco FC, 8-1
1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 4-0, HT, 5-0, 6-0, 7-0, 7-1, 8-1… LOSS!

Starting lineup:

Simon M.
John – Jason – Hugh – Paddy
German – Paul – Simon P. – Manolo
Mark

subs: Andrew(late)

Pichichi:
12: Olivier
5: Michel
2: Paddy, Hugh, Laurent, Ken B.
1: Manolo, Paul, Nicolas, Jason, Mark, Thomas, Simon

12th and final game of the regular season, sunny and warm.

The BAD:

- We were missing many of our better players, it was hard to put a team together. We started with 10 players, they had 4 subs.
- We were outnumbered and outplayed. We don’t know how to play the better teams yet. The reality is that the team that controls ball possession wins most of the games. We have to keep working at it and get better.
- RMS were more physical and won most of the divided balls. When they attack the whole team attacks, on the contrary not our whole team defends.
- Let’s be honest, RMS is a pleasure to watch, their movement without the ball is the best in the league, as well as their poise and patience in defense and midfield.

The GOOD:

- Good effort, we ran, we fought, but it just wasn’t enough.
- We dominated the last stages of the game, too late.
- Great goal, well elaborated all the way from our defense. German makes a throw in to Manolo in our defensive zone, Manolo turns and finds Paul in the middle of the field. Paul passes the ball to Paddy who runs the wing and crosses perfectly for Simon who beats his defender and the keeper. Great goal!

That’s it guys. The schedule for the 2nd phase is not out yet, I will let you know as soon as I hear from the league.

Cheers!

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2011 07 09: Atletico Peru vs San Francisco FC, 2-4
1-0, 1-1, 1-2, HT, 1-3, 1-4, 2-4… WIN!!!

Starting lineup:

Simon
Thomas – Ronan – Hugh – Manolo
Paul – Simon
German – Ken B. – Paddy
Olivier

subs: Sean, Michael, Han

Pichichi:
12: Olivier
5: Michel
2: Paddy, Hugh, Laurent, Ken B.
1: Manolo, Paul, Nicolas, Jason, Mark, Thomas

11th game of the season, mild temperature and sunny.

The BAD:

- Slow start, it took us a while to get into a rhythm. We allowed a goal within 2 minutes of play.
- After we got ahead 2-1 it took us a long time to score the 3rd goal. We slowed down a little bit and allowed Peru to get more comfortable with the ball.
- Our finishing percentage was below par, as we could’ve scored a few more goals.

The GOOD:

- Good overall performance, all lines played well, both offensively and defensively.
- We had more opportunities, more discipline on the field, and better work rate.
- We never panicked when we were down in the score, we took advantage of our speed and finishing skills.
- The goals: Olivier steals the ball and beats the keeper. Ken B. receives a ball, quickly turns and shoots with his left foot, he did it with power and placement. Paul’s corner kick was perfectly placed for Thomas header, nicely done. Another vintage goal by Olivier, his 12th of the season!

Last game of the regular season will be the against the best team in the league: the Spurs. We need to beat them if we don’t want any surprises, as Inter Marin, Tamalpais, and Peru can still pass us on the table.

Cheers!

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2011 06 25: Pas vs San Francisco FC, 4-0
1-0, 2-0, HT, 3-0, 4-0… LOSS

Starting lineup:

James
Thomas – Jason – Hugh – Patrick M.
Paul – Paddy
Laurent – Ken B. – Nicolas
Olivier

subs: Ronan, Pepe, Simon, Andres, Manolo

Pichichi:
10: Olivier
5: Michel
2: Paddy, Hugh, Laurent
1: Manolo, Paul, Nicolas, Jason, Ken B, Mark

10th game of the season, warm and sunny. The grass was in very good condition, but wet.

The BAD:

- Nicolas got injured in the 1st half, ham string.
- Are we allergic to grass? We just can’t get our passing game going on grass, we were slow to the ball, and inaccurate in the passing.
- We lacked aggresiveness as we didn’t mark them close enough. They had the space and time to receive the ball, control it, turn, and pass it forward. Again, again. and again!
- We couldn’r create scoring opportunities, Olivier was a very lonely man for most of the game.

The GOOD:

- We played slightly better in the 2nd half, but score wise it made no difference.

Our next game is critical for us. Atletico Peru will be a formidable opponent, as they have players who have played at the proffesional level.

Cheers!

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2011 06 18: San Francisco FC vs Tornados, 8-2
1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 4-0, 5-0, 6-0, HT, 6-1, 7-1, 8-1, 8-2 WIN!!!

Starting lineup:

Laurent
Christian – Jason – Thomas – Manolo
Simon – Paul
Paddy – Ken B. – Nicolas
Olivier

subs: Mark, James

goals: Olivier(4), Jason, Laurent, Ken B., Mark

Pichichi:
10: Olivier
5: Michel
2: Paddy, Hugh, Laurent
1: Manolo, Paul, Nicolas, Jason, Ken B, Mark

9th game of the season, warm and sunny. Tornados started with 9 players, but they got a full 11 about 20 minutes into the game. We lost Paul to 2 yellow cards just before the half time, so we had to play with 10 players afterwards.

The BAD:

- We allowed 2 goals.
- The 2nd half was more leveled, we still showed better team skills, we played with 10 players, they already had 11.

The GOOD:

- Fantastic 1st half, yes, they started with 9 players and we took advantage of that fact. We put them under constant pressure and recovered the ball quickly. I’d say that we played on their own half for about 90% of the first 45 minutes.
- Very nice defensive performance by Jason, Thomas and Christian. Their first goal could’ve been avoided, but I can’t take away the good job done during 90 minutes, well done!
- Tremendous job by Simon and Paul in the middle of the park.
- Thanks to Laurent for playing goalie in the first half, he kept a clean sheet.
- The Goals: Ken receives a pass from the left side, he shoots and gets defelected into the goal. Paul controls the play in the middle of the pitch, makes a nice pass to Manolo on the left wing, who crosses the ball to Jason, who heads the ball into the net. Laurent (playing keeper at that time) takes a foul kick from about 25 yards, curling the ball into the lower right side of the goal, nicely done! Mark Peachey… yes Mark scored a beauty, he controlled a ball at the edge of the box, dribbled his defender, then shot low to the right side, nice goal!
Olivier “Benzema” hits the target 4 times!!!
1. Header from inside the box after an exquisite pass from Paul over the defense. Olivier heads
the ball over the goalie to the right.
2. Olivier steals the ball from the left defender and kicked it in near the right post.
3. Header at the left post after a long center from Christian.
4. Header at the right post after a pass from ?

The remaning 3 games of the regular seaon will be tough. Next Saturday we play Pas on grass, then Atletico Peru and the Spurs.

Cheers!
Manolo

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2011 06 11: San Francisco FC vs Golden gate FC, 5-1
1-0, 1-1, 2-1, 3-1, HT, 4-1, 5-1… WIN!

Starting lineup:

Ronan
Laurent – Jason – Hugh – Manolo
Simon – Paul
Paddy – Michel – Nicolas
Olivier

subs: Pepe, Ronan, James, Patrick M.

goals: Olivier(3), Paddy, Hugh

Pichichi:
6: Olivier
5: Michel
2: Paddy, Hugh
1: Manolo, Paul, Laurent, Nicolas

8th game of the season, sunny, a little windy. Boy, it feels good to win again!!!

The BAD:

- Michel got injured early in the game, torn calf. I am afraid that it will take a few weeks to heal properly.
- Lost a couple of balls in compromising situations, fortunately we quickly regained control.
- Unfair yellow card to Jason for wasting time, I completely disagree with the ref on that one.

The GOOD:

- Good teams start with a good keeper and a solid back 4, today we had that foundation in place.
- Moving up in the formation, Paul and Simon clearly dominated their territory, they defended well, and distributed the ball nicely. Both of them made great contributions offensively.
- Nice job by our incisive trio: Nicolas, Ken, and Paddy. Whoever played that line today (Michel, Ronan, Pepe…) showed good understanding of each other and a good fighting spirit, which enabled us to win a good number of balls.
- Outstanding Olivier, he earned a hat trick with his typical perseverance and finishing skills.
- Welcome to the team Andres! Today Andres played a couple of defensive roles, well done.
- The goals: Paddy skillfully deflected a ball out of the keeper’s reach; Hugh found a ball close to the small box, hit it first time and found the net. Olivier stole a ball from their CB, passed it to Ken who quickly returned it to Olivier to score an open goal. Great throw in against the wind by Paul, who targeted Olivier, he volleyed the ball out of the keeper’s reach. I forgot one of Olivier’s goals… who remembers the action?

Next Saturday we play Alex Kline’s team, Tornados. We need those 3 points if we are to finish in the top bracket.

Cheers!
Manolo

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