South Warren 4 Cooper 1

[Yellow Card]

Rough one for the Jags, lost 3 players from the morning match and another early in this one. No way to compete with this good of a team with it being the second match of the day and with only one sub on a very a warm day.

 

The only positive was getting to see 3 great goals.

[shutout]

Cooper seems to be very inconsistent this season. Are they struggling to find a rhythm, or do you just never know what team will show up? I thought at the beginning of the season they may contend for the regional title but if they can't figure it out you can count them out.

[Yellow Card]

Cooper seems to be very inconsistent this season. Are they struggling to find a rhythm, or do you just never know what team will show up? I thought at the beginning of the season they may contend for the regional title but if they can't figure it out you can count them out.

 

I agree that their results have been inconsistent and it is hard to gauge how they will do from match to match. They are still tinkering with their lineup and for numerous reasons they have not had their full squad for half their contests. I am not so sure it is a matter of "who will show up", it is more like "who will be available".

 

South Warren was a pretty good squad and has been ranked fairly high most of this season. This was going to be a good test for the Jags at full strength, I think it is hard to judge a team that was missing 3 players when the match started and lost another just a few minutes in. When you are playing your second match of the day, with one sub, most teams will struggle given this scenario... I'm glad they still played hard and came away with a respectable result given the situation.

[Sir!]

I'm not sold on the value of playing 2 games in one day. On tired legs in game 2 the quality of soccer goes down and chance for injuries goes up. High school soccer with unlimited substitutions is too often played at break-neck pace further contributing to the grind. The only scenario I really see 2 games in one day making sense is early season when you can bring along enough kids to essentially play split-squad games. Mid or late season I just don't get how it makes your team any better.

[Yellow Card]

I think the 2 in one day is a bad idea, for all the reasons that Sir mentions. I am not sure what other options a school has if the School Board does not allow you to play in the events that are held on Saturday and Sunday.

 

Further to your point on subs, because of injuries Cooper was down to 12 players for this one, I think South Warren dressed about 22 kids for the contest.

[Soccer Coach Wannabe]

Two games early in the season can be a good idea, if the coach is willing to use the bench and test his players on the bench. You can't just take 22 players, you need to use 22 players. Yes, it could cost you a game early, but look at the other side which is allows you to start planning for the play-offs, which is really the only time wins and losses count. It can help you early get a gauge on the depth of your bench or maybe even lack of depth, which could help you plan for later in the season.

[Sir!]

I think the 2 in one day is a bad idea, for all the reasons that Sir mentions. I am not sure what other options a school has if the School Board does not allow you to play in the events that are held on Saturday and Sunday.

 

Further to your point on subs, because of injuries Cooper was down to 12 players for this one, I think South Warren dressed about 22 kids for the contest.

 

Another option... schedule a few less games. 21 games is the regular season maximum, not a mandatory minimum. Just because it is permissible, doesn't mean it's helpful.

[Yellow Card]

Another option... schedule a few less games. 21 games is the regular season maximum, not a mandatory minimum. Just because it is permissible, doesn't mean it's helpful.

 

I agree with the fewer games idea, I think they play too many as it is. I would opt for 2-3 per week and never more than 5 over a two week period.

 

In the case of Cooper, they have gone with fewer this season, I believe it is 17 or 18. I think the bigger struggle is being limited to what works when trying to schedule tougher competition. Without having a strong resume, or a suitable field for hosting, I believe that their options are somewhat limited in terms of who they can play, and where.

[gameplayedright]

Up to this point in this thread, 8 post and counting I agree with nearly everything written. A couple of things to add. As Sir said (as far as I know) there is not a "mandatory minimum" games. And I know little to nothing about how you put together a HS season schedule, but if its me, I'm not entering my team in any tournament requiring my team to play two games in one day, either in July, August, September or October. And IMO it clearly should be a KHSAA rule, NO more then one game per day, July 15 though the end of the season.

Next, from my reading this YC is NOT making any excuses. He is simply pointing out issues Cooper is going through, injuries, lack of depth, etc. causing the staff to tinker with the lineup. Just asking, were Cooper JV players available for this trip? Would that have helped, sounds like the 3 injuries left a thin roster very very thin.

[Sir!]

Up to this point in this thread, 8 post and counting I agree with nearly everything written. A couple of things to add. As Sir said (as far as I know) there is not a "mandatory minimum" games. And I know little to nothing about how you put together a HS season schedule, but if its me, I'm not entering my team in any tournament requiring my team to play two games in one day, either in July, August, September or October. And IMO it clearly should be a KHSAA rule, NO more then one game per day, July 15 though the end of the season.

Next, from my reading this YC is NOT making any excuses. He is simply pointing out issues Cooper is going through, injuries, lack of depth, etc. causing the staff to tinker with the lineup. Just asking, were Cooper JV players available for this trip? Would that have helped, sounds like the 3 injuries left a thin roster very very thin.

 

I didn't read YC as making excuses, but rather his responding to shutout's query. And the explanation makes sense. All teams deal with injuries throughout the season and a difficult stretch in the schedule can exacerbate the problem. I might have thought he was making excuses if unprompted he offered injuries and lineup instability as an explanation for underperformance. That's not this thread.

[Yellow Card]

Correct, no excuses, just pointing out what cards the coaches have been dealt. Being short handed right now has forced some of the tinkering, IMO, it could turn out to be a blessing down the road.

 

Varsity only dresses 16 for most matches so the bench is already on the short side. I am not sure what options there might have been to add a few extras for this weekend, or if it was possible because of the Freshman Regional that was also being played.

 

Since this is actually a game thread, I should mention that SW has a very nice player in Emina. I was impressed with his overall skills, and composure on the ball. He also hit a wonderful shot into the upper corner from about 30 yards out, I'm not sure any goalie would have been able to get a hand on it.