Written and edited by Jim Walker
-- November, 2011
A publication of the Keeper Club
Written and edited by Jim Walker
NOVEMBER TRAINING
Calendar for keeper training at Dyess Park during November:
3--Keeper Club group photo, 5:15pm
Regular goalkeeper training, 5:30pm
Junior Keepers, 6:45pm
7--Regular goalkeeper training, 8pm
10--Regular goalkeeper training, 5:30pm
Junior Keepers, 6:45pm
14--Regular goalkeeper training, 8pm
17--Regular goalkeeper training, 5:30pm
Junior Keepers, 6:45pm
21--Regular goalkeeper training, 8pm
24--NO training, in observance of Thanksgiving
28--Regular goalkeeper training, 8pm
Keeper Club group photo will be taken at Dyess Park Thurs., Nov. 3, 5:15pm
All regular goalkeeper training is open to boys and girls 10 years and older; Junior Keeper is open to beginning keepers 10 years and younger. Roland Sikinger conducts training on Mondays; Jim Walker on Thursdays. Fee for regular training is $50 per ten-week package ($100 if not playing for the Cy-Fair Youth Soccer Club or the Dynamos). Fee for Junior Keepers is $25 per ten-week package. The final package of 2011 is currently running through Dec. 15 for all keepers. Please make check payable to Keeper Club and mail to Dynamos, attn: Loree, 10924 Grant Rd. #224, Houston 77070.
KEEPER CLUB FEES FOR OCT. 17 THRU DEC.15 NOW DUE
KEEPER KWIZ
“Humpty Dumpty” was the answer to last month’s puzzler. Humpty sat on a wall and received a yellow card, so remember, keepers, once you set up the wall, don’t sit on it! Winner of a new ball, bearing the Houston Dynamo logo, is Ethan Brasher, a young man who started with Junior Keepers, and now is doing a great job during regular training. For this month’s prize of a new soccer ball, enter by emailing the answer to this question--why did the Keeper Club change the name of the Christmas party gift exchange from White Elephant to Krazy Keeper? Answer is elsewhere in this newsletter. Send to Jwalker332@aol.com. All readers of this newsletter are eligible to enter.
PARTY TIME!
The annual Keeper! Club Christmas party will be held Thurs., Dec. 15 at Dyess Park. For nearly 20 years, goalkeepers have been gathering to woof pizza and Powerade as well as swap gifts and goalkeeper stories, so this will be a fun time for goalies young and old, and in between. Activities begin at 5 o’clock with a training session, followed by food and the annual Krazy Keeper gift exchange, contests for prizes and guest appearances. The only requirement: each keeper is requested to bring an item found around the house the family no longer wants to keep, or something purchased for less than $10. Wrap it and, in a random drawing, another “lucky” keeper will be honored (forced, whatever) to take it home. Never know what treasure or trash will turn up when our guys and gals exchange gifts. This once was called a white elephant gift exchange, but the white elephants complained, so Krazy Keeper seemed appropriate. Donations of dessert will be accepted.
Kick Cancer Camp
WHAT A BLAST!
Last December’s camp at Dyess Park to raise funds for children’s cancer research was termed “a blast” by many of the youthful campers and founder Glenn Davis promises another great time this year. Dyess Park again will be one of the Houston-area camps (others at Houston Baptist University, Centennial Park in Friendswood, Bear Branch Park in The Woodlands), Albion Hurricanes facility on Campbell Road, Meyer Park and Lindsay Lyons Park) which will host Fiesta’s three-day Kick Cancer camp on December 16, 17 and 18. Camp cost is $55 per child (ages 7-18) and $25 for Soccer Tots (ages 2-6). To register go to www.cccfund.org. Camp direction will be provided by Dynamos’ staff and visiting coaches. Surprise guests last year included Houston Dynamo players Geoff Cameron, Corey Ashe, and Brian Ching.
Troi Story
BACK IN THE U. S. A.
Following a successful career at Cy-Creek HS and St. Edward’s University, former Dynamos goalkeeper Troi Jorgensen, a longtime Keeper Club member, was offered a three-month stint with a semi-professional team in Sweden. Juggling her training and playing schedule with a job in a coffee shop, Troi completed her adventurous undertaking a few weeks ago. Here’s the latest chapter in the Troi Story.
My season in Sweden is over, and I'm back in the land that I love--America, Texas, and Cypress! Stuvsta, the team I went to play for after completing my career at St. Edward's University, finished the regular league season with a 6-2 record. We played Haninge DFF for our last regular season game and won 3-2 to secure the league title, which automatically placed us in the qualifying rounds. This was a big deal for Stuvsta! Qualifying rounds began immediately the following weekend, with three teams--Stuvsta, Sirus, and Lindsdal--competing. We faced Sirus first, traveling to their home field in Uppsala. The pitch was real grass, very exciting for me and some of our players but definitely not what we were used to, since we played on turf all season. The game was hard fought and the first half was scoreless. Sirus found ways through our team and though we lost the game, 2-0, I was named the match MVP. This loss meant we would play Lindsdal in two weekends, giving us some time to gather our thoughts. The following weekend Sirus played Lindsdal and beat them 1-0, earning for Sirus automatic advancement to the First Division. We met Lindsdal at our home field in Huddinge. There was no score the first half, but we gave up two goals in the second, sending Lindsdal through to First Division. It was a difficult season for Stuvsta, but satisfying especially because at the beginning they were concerned about facing the season with zero legitimate goalkeepers. The Stuvsta committee and players expressed appreciation for my appearance in Sweden and helping them through the season as their only keeper. It was a phenomenal experience for me. I was very fortunate for the opportunity to be completely immersed in a different culture for an extended period of time. Stuvsta is recruiting me back for next season and told me they need better keepers in Sweden. That made me smile! I responded that after I finish my studies I will definitely give it some thought. I am now back in the states, and Texas, and will be going back to school in Spring. And will most definitely continue playing the sport I love.
KEEPERTALK
High fives to Roly the Goalie and his lovely bride Niki on their 23rd wedding anniversary, which took place on Halloween. . .Popular Keeper Club and Dynamos alum Patty Walrath, making her first collegiate starts in goal for Houston Baptist University on Oct. 22, Oct. 27, and Oct. 30 responded with strong performances, including a pair of 2-1 victories, over North Dakota and South Carolina State University, and her first collegiate shutout, a 1-0 decision over New Jersey Institute of Technology. Along with teammate Taylor Gibson, a freshman who scored the winning goal against North Dakota, Patty was featured on the HBU website’s post-game video interview. . .Former Keeper Club member Tomas Feliciano was featured in the Houston Chronicle in early October as a “Teen On A Mission” after making his seventh missionary trip to Mexico to help construct houses. Known as “Zero” by fellow goalkeepers, Tomas was a soccer co-captain at Cy-Ranch HS and now is a freshman at Texas Tech University. . .A familiar figure has returned to Dyess Park as a First Touch and Academy clinician--it’s Daniel Adams, longtime Keeper Club member. . .After a hiatus, Kodi Garcia planned to return to regular keeper training on Oct. 27, but a threat of t-storms closed the fields at Dyess Park. Kodi showed anyway and because the heavy rain never materialized, the U13 Dynamos keeper got a heavy hourlong solo workout. . .Also, welcome back to keeper training to Elliott Eureste, and welcome to Junior Keeper trainees Isabelle Tullier, twins Wyatt and Bryce Fredrickson, and Colby McAllister. . .Among the 36 players called into the current U.S. under-15 boys national team camp is goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann, son of the U.S. national team coach. Jonathan plays for the Irvine (Calif.) Strikers. . ..If you have items of interest for Keeper! or for KeeperTalk, please email to jwalker332@aol.com.
o
Keeper Club's Steven Franke of the Cypress Cyclones
scrambles to make a save in traffic
o
TRAINING LOG
Names of keepers who attended keeper training during October:
3--Elliott Eureste, Aaron Austin, Brady Stonebraker, Elle Cameron, Braden Mann, Kennedy McGill, Grant Steppe, Mallory Majewski, Noah Schroer, Kelsey Cottrell.
6--Kenzie Peterson, Braden Mann, Noah Schroer, Aaron Austin, Steven Franke, Maddie Saucedo, Allyson Crouch, Mia Posey, Ian Lancaster, Ethan Brasher, John Schmitt. Junior Keepers: Colby McAllister, Bryce Fredrickson, Wyatt Fredrickson, Isabelle Tullier
10--Soggy Fields
13--Aaron Austin, Braden Mann, Noah Schroer, Mia Posey, Allyson Crouch, Ethan Brasher, Maddie Saucedo, Rodrigo Silos, Steven Franke. Junior Keepers: Brayden Polkington, Isabelle Tullier, Jason Marsh, Noah Marsh, Bryce Fredrickson, Wyatt Fredrickson, Colby McAllister.
17--Braden Mann, Kelsey Cottrell, Kaylee Barrett, Kacie Paine, Elliott Eureste, Ethan Brasher, Brady Stonebraker, Jack Sorensen
20--Ethan Brasher, Maddie Saucedo, Mia Posey, Allyson Crouch, Noah Schroer, Aaron Austin, Riley O’Kiernan, Steven Franke, Nathan Dunkley. Junior Keepers: Isabelle Tullier, Grace Tarantino, Colby McAllister, Wyatt Fredrickson, Bryce Fredrickson, Jason Marsh
27--Kodi Garcia (fields were closed but Kodi showed and worked out for an hour)
31--Too spooky even for keepers, so no training
WOODS TO COACH U. S. KEEPERS
Former English national team keeper Chris Woods has joined the U. S. national team staff under Coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Woods has been Everton’s goalkeeper coach for 13 years, and has permission from Everton managerDavid Moyes to take the U.S. job while continuing his role with the Toffees. "I have a ton of respect for him,” saidTim Howard, starting keeper for Everton and the U.S. national team. “He worked nearly a lifetime under (Peter) Shilton, so he knows what it’s about. He’s got to be one of the best in the world. In the Premier League, he’s so, so respected.” The 51-year-old Woods had 43 appearances for England from 1985-93. He was England’s starter at the 1992 European Championship. Woods spent most of his career in England and Scotland but was with MLS's Colorado Rapids in 1996.
QUOTABLE
“The difference between failure and success is doing a thing nearly right and doing a thing exactly right.”--Edward Simmons
"We all have ability. The difference is how we use it."--Stevie Wonder, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and activist.
TIP OF THE MONTH
In Keeper Club training, and in Bring Your Own Keeper workshops, we stress the value of keepers getting a specialized warmup prior to games. Lining up players and blasting away at the keeper isn’t acceptable as it doesn’t give them necessary touches on the ball, and can be harmful mentally. So our suggestion is that an assistant coach, or a parent who is trained, take the keeper aside and provide (by throwing if not adept at kicking) opportunities to field a variety of shots, get on the ground, and positive mental preparation.
KEEPING SECRETS
What would soccer be like without the back-pass rule? It’s likely there would be fewer goals, more goalkeeper possession. Since 1992, the back-pass rule forbids keepers from handling the ball when a teammate intentionally kicks it back, or puts it in the keeper’s direction from a throw-in. In both cases, the keeper is allowed only to use feet. The rule was introduced to discourage time wasting after the 1990 World Cup in Italy when the tournament averaged 2.2 goals per game. The rule change showed results at the subsequent World Cup two years later when USA '94 averaged 2.7 goals. Before the 1990 World Cup, deliberately passing the ball back to the goalie was an effective tool, especially for defensive-minded teams trying to preserve a result. With overtime wasting becoming the norm, something had to give. Unlike most FIFA initiatives, this one was widely embraced by pundits, fans and the International Football Association Board, which amends the rules. The only opponents were keepers, many arguing that scoring was down because strikers failed to do their jobs and not because they'd been doing theirs. Nearly 20 years later, it's hard to imagine the game without the back-pass rule. Major League Soccer certainly is the better for it–-nurturing a generation of present-day goalkeepers, many of whom were children (or unborn) when the rule change was made.--Clemente Lisi, www.ussoccerplayers.com