- East Bay Prep Corner
East Bay Boys Soccer Notes: WSC Preview, Rankings
By Matt Smith
Monday, November 28th, 2011 at 11:03 am in Boys soccer.
The Winter Classic starts today. Who are the teams to beat?
Gold Bracket
Favorite: California
The Grizzlies have still not lost a match since the Division I NCS finals of the 2009-2010 season, so how can we go away from the defending EBAL and WSC champs? Palo Alto returns, and gave Cal a match last year, so look for a possible finals rematch there.
Newark Memorial and Logan, both ranked in the top 15, should be serious challengers as well, while Granada looks like it could be a solid side. The dark horse is Amador Valley. The Dons have a lot of talented youth and the only question is will they be very good right away, or will it take a little time.
Silver Bracket
Favorite: Acalanes
It’s hard to go away from a team that is ranked third in the entire East Bay and returns almost every starter. The Dons will not allow many goals, which is perfect tournaments such as this. I expect Acalanes in the finals.
Campolindo and Albany will provide the biggest challenges for Acalanes and I think it wouldn’t be a big a surprise if two of these three teams make the finals.
Alhambra, Dougherty Valley and Ygnacio Valley are all very talented teams. Alhambra is up and coming and the latter Valley’s are both on the verge of being very special programs. It wouldn’t surprise me to see any of these teams make a championship game run.
Antioch, usually a strong physical Division I team, could pose a challenge and reach the finals in this bracket.
Rankings
Not to much change early on. Richmond climbs a couple of spots, while Albany drops to No. 12 after a loss to El Cerrito. Albany may have been missing some key guys, and in my opinion will still be a major threat and a possible top five team by season’s end.
1. De La Salle (0-0-0)
2. San Ramon Valley (0-0-0)
3. Acalanes (0-0-0)
4. Clayton Valley (0-0-0)
5. Richmond (1-0-0)
6. California (2-0-1)
7. Dublin (2-0-0)
8. Campolindo (0-0-0)
9. Newark Memorial (3-1-0)
10. Mt. Eden (2-0-1)
11. Livermore (1-0-0)
12. Albany (0-1-0)
13. Berkeley (1-1-0)
14. Pittsburg (0-1-0)
15. Logan (1-0-2)
Others considered: Deer Valley (0-0-0), Bishop O’Dowd (0-0-0), Hayward (1-1-0), Ygnacio Valley (1-0-0), College Park (1-0-1), Pinole Valley (0-0-0), Granada (2-0-1), Dougherty Valley (1-0-2), San Lorenzo (0-1-1), Monte Vista (0-0-1).
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November 28th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Yeah, Albany was missing its 3 best players who play for Santa Clara Sporting 93B (best team in CA, #4 in nation) The addition of Borges, Ahmadi, and Alvarez will have dramatic changes on the squad
November 28th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
Hey Matt is there a link to the website for the tournament?
November 28th, 2011 at 12:54 pm
Here you go!
http://winterclassic.50webs.com/
November 28th, 2011 at 1:05 pm
You’re the man!
November 28th, 2011 at 1:22 pm
Just a small heads up about the BSAL changes:
Albany’s prior coach has stepped down this year. From his mouth they lost their two top players from Santa Clara Sporting, including Gabriel Borges.
Kennedy’s prior coach has stepped down. and they have lost a lot of Seniors.
Encinal’s new coach is very good and they may make a small run in the conference.
St. Mary’s returns a lot of young players who are raw but quite good. Senior gk, cb, and forward are all out.
Piedmont lost 3 of it’s back 4 but return a gk who posted 6 shutouts, one being a 2-0 win against Albany before the tourney. They are returning their entire front 5.
Should be fun to see how this league goes. It’s between Albany, Piedmont and St. Mary’s for the top three again, I think St. Mary’s may take #1.
November 28th, 2011 at 2:07 pm
Matt,
You show us with a 1-0 record and we haven’t played a game yet…only a SCRIMMAGE with Campolindo.
Thanks,
Rory Gentry
November 28th, 2011 at 2:09 pm
Matt, who did Clayton Valley play?
November 28th, 2011 at 2:32 pm
For some reason, I thought I saw a 2-0 result for Clayton Valley against Antioch. I will remove it. Looking at the schedule now, I see it was YV.
Thanks for the BSAL info, BSAL coach. That really helps and explains things. I will adjust my rankings accordingly going forward. I know Marques Dillard is coaching at Kennedy, so that should really help them.
Sounds like Piedmont and St. Mary’s might be the top two teams.
November 28th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Kudos to Kitamba Douglas for his work at Albany for the last few years.
He consistently produced high quality teams, and mentored his players on the field and in the classroom. This is a thankless, life-consuming and grossly underpaid job; Ko did it with class, with intelligence and with great purpose.
November 28th, 2011 at 2:51 pm
I will miss Ko. If anyone knows who the new Albany coach is and how I can reach them, I would appreciate it. You can email me info at mhsmith78@gmail.com.
November 28th, 2011 at 3:02 pm
I think it is Benjy Toczynski.
November 28th, 2011 at 7:17 pm
Albany 3 Livermore 1
Campolindo 4 Irvington 0
Miramonte 3 piedmont 1
Las lomas 2 northgate 0
November 28th, 2011 at 8:44 pm
Dublin 3 – 0 Hayward
0-0 at halftime but the second half found Dublin’s defense holding its own while Hayward started to slow down. Hayward played great and should be a favorite to win their league due to fast forwards and dynamic mids. However the defense needs a little fixing but then again it is early on; I’m sure they’ll come around by the start of league.
November 28th, 2011 at 8:54 pm
Granada 2 James Logan 0.
Logan was outplayed and outshot.
November 28th, 2011 at 8:55 pm
Saw the Livermore game against Albany. Livermore stinks.
They wish they had all of those academy players back. They will finish dead last in EBAL.
November 28th, 2011 at 9:31 pm
Cal 3 Newark 0.
Cal pressed all night and Newark did not really put any offensive threats together. First night Cal had all of its players back from club. Newark has a couple of very solid players and their defense was tough in the first half. After the first goal though early in the second half they had a tough time.
November 28th, 2011 at 9:33 pm
Cal 3 Newark 0
Was a very one sided game Newark only really had 1 maybe 2 decent chances the entire game.Cal looked very good with all of their players returning from club.
November 29th, 2011 at 6:16 am
I have a question about the Winter Classic tournament. In the Gold Division, there are 4 teams in Group A and 4 teams in Group B. I would have thought the 4 Group A teams would play each other and the 4 Group B teams would play each other, and then the winners of the two groups would play in the finals. On Tuesday and Thursday the games are like that, with Group A teams playing against Group A teams and Group B teams playing against Group B teams, but on Monday night Group A teams played against Group B teams. Does anyone know why this is?
November 29th, 2011 at 7:26 am
Matt, it was Antioch who beat YV on November 22nd in Antioch, but looks like you have the result the other way around.
November 29th, 2011 at 9:38 am
Thanks for the info on Antioch against YV. Not sure what the heck is wrong with me, but I’ll figure it out sooner or later. That’s gonna change the rankings next week. Apologies to Antioch.
November 29th, 2011 at 9:39 am
Soccer2014, good point on the WSC. Not sure how the format works, but what you said makes sense.
November 29th, 2011 at 10:39 am
re: WSC Brackets
Looks like it was done to allow the EBAL teams in the gold groups to avoid each other. At just a glance anyhow.
November 29th, 2011 at 11:03 am
Keep an eye on Alhambra some good talent and good coaching. They will be a factor in league play.
November 29th, 2011 at 12:40 pm
Livermore v Campo tonight. Who do you have?
November 29th, 2011 at 1:06 pm
Haven’t seen either team yet, but gotta go with Campo at this time.
November 29th, 2011 at 1:25 pm
I’d have to say Campo.
November 29th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
They need to max point against Livermore to keep the lead in that group. They may end up playing acalanes alittle earlier than expected…
November 29th, 2011 at 5:31 pm
Granada ahead 4-2 against Newark. With the win over Logan last night should seem Granada should sure be ranked Matt.
November 29th, 2011 at 6:09 pm
Granada 5. Newark 2
November 29th, 2011 at 9:02 pm
Look out for Amador Valley.
Tied Acalanes 1-1 in scrimmage.
Beat American 7-0 in scrimmage.
Beat San Leandro 2-0 with 10 players (red card)
Beat Palo Alto 5-0.
14 Seniors
4 Sophmores.
They are big and fast
November 29th, 2011 at 10:07 pm
Livermore spanked again 3-0 by Campo.
Granada wins 5-2 over NM
November 29th, 2011 at 10:14 pm
Is that an Acalanes v Campo match-up I smell for saturday???
November 29th, 2011 at 11:04 pm
It does like Acalanes vs Campo in Silver final.
Saw Antioch lose to Alhambra 2-0. The last goal came in final two minutes with Antioch down a player due to a red card, but doesn’t look like Antioch will have enough to get it done against Acalanes on Thursday.
In one bracket, Alhambra and Dougherty Valley should finish second and third in there group with final standings dependent on Thursday’s results. On the other side, it looks like Albany vs Las Lomas winner will take second with a slight chance of reaching the championship.
November 30th, 2011 at 12:09 pm
Granada has my respect and probably will crack the top 15 at the end of the week.
November 30th, 2011 at 1:11 pm
It looks like at least 3 of the 4 teams that will be either in the consoles or the finals will come from the DFAL league. They remain to be that top league. Any arguments?
November 30th, 2011 at 1:29 pm
The DFAl is certainly one of the top two leagues, without an argument. The argument for the DFAL and the EBAL as the top league in the East Bay is a very intriguing one and it is one I plan on diving into as things unfold this season.
Right now, though, the DFAL looks stronger than it has been since I’ve been doing this.
November 30th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
Alhambra looked better than expected last night. Athletic, quick, very attack-minded as well. Might cause trouble for some teams in DFAL this year. Seems like a strong league.
November 30th, 2011 at 7:53 pm
Dublin 4 – 0 Moreau
Messy game, with the annual suggestion that Moreau needs to shell out the money for a turf field.
November 30th, 2011 at 8:01 pm
Yeah Tack I believe we are in the process of trying to get that done asap. Hopefully in a couple years it will get done, it still needs to be financially approved but its coming!
November 30th, 2011 at 8:21 pm
What about the tri-valley tournament? Any interesting matches?
November 30th, 2011 at 8:28 pm
MoreauFan2 that’s great to hear! I saw a lot of potential tonight ruined by divits and mud so I can’t wait to see how they compete once they have a nice smooth surface.
November 30th, 2011 at 8:50 pm
Tri-Valley Challenge
Thursday, Dec 1st
At Monte Vista HS
5:30 pm – San Ramon v. Castro Valley
7:30 pm – Monte Vista v. Pittsburgh
At Berkeley High
4 pm – Deer Valley v. Clayton Valley
6 pm – Berkeley v. College Park
Saturday, Dec. 3rd (SAT Test Date)
At San Ramon Valley HS
1 pm – San Ramon v. College Park
3 pm – Monte Vista v. Deer Valley
At Berkeley High
1 pm – Pittsburgh v. Clayton Valley
3 pm – Berkeley v. Castro Valley
Thursday, Dec 8th
At San Ramon Valley HS
4 pm – Monte Vista v. Clayton Valley
6 pm – San Ramon v. Pittsburgh
At Berkeley High
4 pm – Castro Valley v. College Park
6 pm – Berkeley v. Deer Valley
Saturday, Dec. 10th
At San Ramon Valley
1:00pm – Pittsburgh v. Castro Valley
3:00 pm – San Ramon v. Clayton Valley
At Monte Vista
12 noon – Deer Valley v. College Park
2 pm – Berkeley v. Monte Vista
December 1st, 2011 at 8:28 pm
Look at for Miramonte. They will be the dark horse in Dfal. Expect big things from them
December 1st, 2011 at 9:12 pm
Well the word just in:
Campo vs Dougherty Valley in the finals
Alhambra vs Las Lomas in the consolation
No acalanes..? Hmm
December 1st, 2011 at 9:19 pm
Pittsburg Vs Monte Vista ends with a 2-2 tie.
Referee blew a penalty call in the late minutes favoring Pittsburg.
December 1st, 2011 at 9:30 pm
Granada 2 Palo Alto 0
December 1st, 2011 at 9:42 pm
looks like Cal Granada final for Gold Div. My view is that Cal is the team to beat in looking at the scores across the table. Made the Cal/Logan game tonight. Not much of a game. Cal dominated early and often. 4-0 at half. Logan was pushing in the end but too little too late………4-1 final. Amador lost to NM. I am sure they will bounce back.
December 1st, 2011 at 10:49 pm
Tri Valley Challenge Scores
San Ramon 2- Castro Valley 0
Pittsburgh 2 -Monte Vista 2
December 2nd, 2011 at 12:07 am
I agree with Bench Warmer,I attended the Granada-Palo Alto game tonight. Granada’s squad plays with heart, the skill level lacks in comparison to what I witnessed Monday night….Cal vs. Newark. Could possibly be a lopsided game. I do agree Matt, Granada should probably crack the top 15….however will struggle against the top tier teams.
December 2nd, 2011 at 8:15 am
Tei-Valley Challange Scores
Clayton Valley 1 – Deer Valley 1
Berkeley 1 – College Park 1
December 2nd, 2011 at 8:33 am
I had the pleasure of seeing a few of the WSC games…Got to see Alhambra vs Mission SJ, high pressure from SJ kept them in the game but a 1-0 win by the dogs was enough. The dogs have about 3 key play makers, with some of those players down… i don’t see the dogs with a deep bench to keep up all season.
Northgate vs Piedmont
I had read before about watch out for Northgate and NCS for them. They are working on it and still will need a lot of work. With teams like Clayton valley, Concord , College Park and Ygnacio Valley I just don’t see how they can pull it together.
I didn’t get to see YV play yet so on Saturday i will. They are displaying a high power offense scoring 17 goals in 3 games. It may be that Dougherty Valley woke up a sleeping giant, lets see Saturday.
I will also stay for the remainder of the Silver games. Alhambra vs Las Lomas & Campolindo vs. Dougherty Valley
Good luck to all!
December 2nd, 2011 at 10:00 am
Campolindo is looking to build on their success last season, finishing #1 in Matt Smith’s East Bay Poll. They lost a ton of talent to graduation last year, but appear to have reloaded; and without one of their top players (kicking for the football team) they have started well and are playing for the Silver Division Championship this Saturday against Dougherty Valley.
The depth of the DFAL this season is amazing and they may be on par witht he EBAL this season. Looking forward to a very entertaining season this winter.
December 2nd, 2011 at 1:05 pm
Matt-
What are your thoughts on the classic’s results??
December 2nd, 2011 at 2:16 pm
A little surprised to see Acalanes not reach the final, but I feel like they play a similar style to Antioch, so a low-scoring draw is not a surprise. And Antioch is a Division I playoff caliber team, so that is not a bad result at all.
Very impressed with Campolindo’s results. I’m wondering if they would be the best team in the gold bracket as well. Would have loved to see them match up with Cal or Granada. I also think Las Lomas, Alhambra and Dougherty Valley are making the DFAL look very, very good.
I’ve been hearing good things about Granada, that they play with heart, and that is no surprise. Chris Salazar is a very good coach and his boys always play hard for him. I’m expecting them to go all out against Cal.
Lastly, I think Cal is impressive. To lose all the fire power they lost, but to still be unbeaten to this point is something to be proud of.
The WSC is showing me that there are quite a few good teams out there, and it will take a while before only a few standout above the rest.
December 2nd, 2011 at 2:24 pm
Gotta give some love to Miramonte as well. The DFAL is deep.
I also agree with an earlier statement about watch out for AV. I knew they were upcoming, and by January, nobody will want to play this team.
December 2nd, 2011 at 5:40 pm
Heyy matt
Whats the deal with the teams that arent playing in the Winter CLassic? Especially for the teams in the HAAL??? Ive been a little out of it now that i have Finals Coming up, Im actually mostly curious about MT EDEN and SLZ…how are they doing??
December 2nd, 2011 at 6:11 pm
San Lorenzo is 0-2-1 after a recent loss to Alameda. I think Alameda is much better this year. SLZ should probably still factor in the league.
Mt. Eden is 3-0-1 after a tie in their first game, have won three straight.
And I hear you on finals. Law school finals are taking place right now.
December 2nd, 2011 at 8:04 pm
The DFAL has been a very competitive league for the past 5-6 years.In spite of the generally smaller schools size the caliber of the player is,and has been,very high. Looking at starters I think they have always matched with the large school EBAL teams when looking at first 11( with some exceptions of course). The difference is,and will be, the subs coming in.But, that being said the DFAL is a top notch league.
December 2nd, 2011 at 10:54 pm
The EBAL is putting lots- read my lips- lots of players to cellege- there is no comparison with the dfal- all-star score between leagues 49-00.
December 2nd, 2011 at 11:16 pm
BigDog
There is no doubt that the EBAL is the strongest league, but who are the lots of kids you are referring to? Last year I can only think of 4 that went on to play in college, and only a handful from other years.
December 3rd, 2011 at 12:14 pm
How is the EBAL the stronger league? DFAL has 4 teams representing them in the consSolations and finals.
December 3rd, 2011 at 12:20 pm
Livermore came in last and would win the DFAL. Enough said!
December 3rd, 2011 at 12:36 pm
I heard a kid from Granada just verbally committed to Cal Berkeley with a scholarship.
December 3rd, 2011 at 12:40 pm
DFAL #1
the DFAL is a very strong league, no question.
in this years winter classic
4 DFAL teams in SILVER (Lower) bracket
4 EBAL teams in GOLD (Higher) bracket
December 3rd, 2011 at 1:45 pm
socreer fan- we’re talkin’ football here.
Last year major college Atkinson twins ( ND)
Renard- dls ( Boise) wynn- dls (OSU) previous yr- foothill- marion(OSU) ward- dls ( OSU)
Monte Vista- they have several at Stanford – nottingham, erytle, linemen from MV and San Ramon
a host of others from dls to smaller schools( sac st, reno, etc.)
these are just guys coming to mind- there’s more.
Previously, kellar and wright QB’s. also several kickers from MV, SRV and DLS.
December 3rd, 2011 at 2:00 pm
You’ll have to excuse BigDog, as he is on the wrong blog. Run along De La Salle worshiper and go back to the football blog.
December 3rd, 2011 at 3:15 pm
Dublin 7 -1 (pk) Salesion
Good warm up for Dublin heading in to league as no one really knows much about them since they did not participate in the WSC.
December 3rd, 2011 at 3:36 pm
BigDog
Oh I thought you were talking about soccer. Yea, it’s crazy how many kids the EBAL sends do division 1 schools.
December 3rd, 2011 at 4:41 pm
Anyone have the score for the YV vs Miramonte game and Antioch vs Piedmont?
December 3rd, 2011 at 6:03 pm
Today’s Tri-Valley Challenge Scores
Clayton Valley 4 – Pittsburgh 1
San Ramon Valley 1 – College Park 1
Monte Vista 4 – Deer Valley 1
Berkeley 2 – Castro Valley 1
December 3rd, 2011 at 7:42 pm
Hey #82- nice finish by Livermore in the Winter Classic. Better get that fire going since it looks like a long winter in the EBAL cellar
December 3rd, 2011 at 7:42 pm
I did mean post # 62
December 3rd, 2011 at 9:16 pm
Cal 4 – 0 over Granada 2nd half
Amador won a thriller over Foothill 1-0 on penalty kicks
after Overtime play(3rd place).
California looks really strong.
December 3rd, 2011 at 11:12 pm
Campo has one their SECOND straight WSC championship. Beware the cougars..
December 3rd, 2011 at 11:53 pm
I know YV beat Miramonte 3-1.
December 3rd, 2011 at 11:59 pm
YV beat Miramonte 3-1.
Acalanes tied Albany 2-2.
Las Lomas beat Alhambra 1-0.
Yes, Campolindo beat Dougherty Valley 2-1 in the final, but they were outplayed by Dougherty and Dougherty played the better game overall. However, that’s how the game goes sometimes, and credit to Campolindo for getting the result. Watch out for Campolindo and Dougherty.
December 4th, 2011 at 8:20 am
Good morning East Bay soccer fans. I am a semi-professional photographer who happens to have a son on the Cal team so I regularly post photos of the games I attend.
I have some good shots of the PK’s from the Amador – Foothill game available on my website:
http://www.fjphotoguy.com/CalHighSoccer2011-2012/Winter-Classic-Amador-Foothill
Pictures of the finals should be put up by the end of the day.
Couple of hints: If you want to get a print it is probably cheaper to order the image for download and then print it at Costco (you also then have the file to post on Facebook etc..). I also have made pictures available for EBAL teams for end of year banquets. Please shoot me an email at fjphotoguy@gmail.com if you are interested.
Chris G. the FJ Photo Guy
December 4th, 2011 at 8:50 am
Dougherty outplayed campo in the first 20 minutes of the match and it looked like they would get the result however.. Once campo got goal #1 Doughertys heads dropped. They were never able to counter after that which caused goal #2.. They tried to make a late run with 10 minutes left but just didn’t have enough.. The officiating was awful throughout the match. 1 red card was given to each team. Set pieces was a problem for Dougherty all night long.. Escpecially those thrown ins from distance. They created a cluster in the box and caused problems all night long. Take nothing from campolindos victory. They have proved not to be in a rebuilding year winning 4 straight and defending their WSC championship. Dougerty was a tough team and seems to be a contender. Look for those two teams follows close by acalanes and Dublin for the DFAL league. MATT keep up the great work hope to see some updated stats and rankings soon. SEE YOU AT THE PITCH!
December 4th, 2011 at 10:36 am
Matt,
New to the blog and I believe you do a great job on our bay area high school soccer. I was able to catch the Pitt vs Clayton and Berkeley vs Castro valley game this weekend. Pitt looked real good the first half and seemed they would pull away. A couple of key misses and clayton was able to put away a nice free kick. 2nd half cv brought the fire and was able to score in the last 15mins and then 2 more with Pitt pushed up. Great game Clayton is a real contender and Pitt will be really good once the year gets going.
Berkeley was just too much for Castro to handle. Once Berkeley gets healthy and everyone back they will give Richmond a run for the league and make it interesting. They have good size, fast, and good touch.
December 4th, 2011 at 12:55 pm
DFAL#1, you’re the man! I think you might be taking over for Matt Smith For President as my No. 1 guy
I think he must be gone.
December 4th, 2011 at 1:32 pm
I just love reading your notes and putting my opinions in! Can’t wait for the update in the stats and rankings!
December 4th, 2011 at 1:41 pm
Stats, records and rankings coming this week. Probably tomorrow morning.
I’m studying for Evidence today, but I have a good idea of how the rankings will look.
December 4th, 2011 at 2:13 pm
Good luck with your studying!
December 4th, 2011 at 2:16 pm
Matt, good luck with that Evidence stuff. Evidently, you are sticking with that law school thing. I am looking forward to your update this week.
One trend that I am noticing is that there seems to be more red cards this season, more than in recent memory. Has something changed this season to “short leash” the players? Is there any legitimate evidence to support my observation, or am I just imagining this?
BTW, FJ Photo Guy in posting #77 does a fabulous job capturing matches from the sidelines. Despite those Grizzlies ties, it is great to review pictures from a match that you watched, and recall various captured events frozen in time. Keep up the good work Chris.
See you at the pitch!
December 4th, 2011 at 3:40 pm
Sweeper-
There were two red cards at the WSC final (1 per team)
Campo vs piedmont had 2 both towards piedmont.. 1 towards a player and a coach
I am noticing this as well.. None of the cards were red worthy either
December 4th, 2011 at 6:10 pm
In followup to post #77, pictures of the finals match are now online.
Granada pics – http://www.fjphotoguy.com/CalHighSoccer2011-2012/Granada-Winter-Classic-Finals
Cal pics – http://www.fjphotoguy.com/CalHighSoccer2011-2012/Cal-Winter-Classic-Finals
Thanks for the compliment Sweeper, I will always do my best to post pics of both teams on the pitch.
Enjoy!
Chris
December 4th, 2011 at 8:01 pm
Red Solo Cup, I Fill You Up.
Red Solo Cup loves the Sweeper and Matt Smith (you both know who I am). You are soccer gods. When I grow up, I want to be just like you. That being said…
This is my first post to the blog. My soccer knowledge has grown in the last four years since my son played at a local high school and has since moved on to play college futbol. I, therefore, am not a soccer officiando nor do I profess to be an expert. I am a fan of the game whose knowledge is limited. Truth be told, I’m a baseball guy and can win many bets (bar and otherwise) with my obscure baseball knowledge. With that, I’d like to comment on The Sweeper’s last post regarding red cards.
I was at the WSC Silver Division final and do have first hand knowledge of why more red cards are being handed out. It’s the violence, baby.
Yes, NCS has dictated that there should be less violence (we call them fights) in the HS soccer game. One way to do that is to hand out red cards as the game nears conclusion. Huh?!?!? That’s right. When the game is drawing to a close and players start to “slow down the game” by needless fouls, red cards will come out. At the Silver final the last red card was a result of a Campo player taking down a DVHS player. According to the center ref (here’s my first hand knowledge), he felt that the foul was worthy of a Red Card under the new rule interpretation since most fights break out in the final stages of HS games. Now those of us that were there might question whether this was a foul or not. One thing we can’t question and should all support is any attempt to reduce the amount of fights that occur at HS sporting events. I don’t believe that this is misquided. In fact, I believe it to be a good rule, in spirit. What I fear is that we will have a plethora of red cards coming out at crucial times in matches that could determine the outcome of a game. I say, let the boys play but be firm and consistent from the opening whistle to the final whistle. That will make for a clean, well-played game.
Thanks to Matt for all he does to promote this sport in the greater Bay Area and for his ongoing promotion of the players who play.
I fill you up…
December 5th, 2011 at 9:56 am
Thanks to Futbolbay#1 and Red Solo Cup for chiming in for the first time. I hope to hear a lot more from you guys.
My thoughts on Red Cards is this. I feel like giving out cards, red or yellow, should be used as a shield, not a sword. I don’t think they should be used as a way to attack, but a way to protect. I feel like they have always been too liberal in handing out cards, and now with this new rule it appears they will be even more liberal. That’s no good.
December 5th, 2011 at 10:57 am
Hey Matt, With all of the Evidence presented regarding Red Cards, I guess that I was not just imagining it. I vote to keep the liberals our of HS soccer! And…NO, I am not a (Red) card carrying member of the communist party.
Hey Red Solo Cup, Welcome to Matt’s world. Do you play (root) beer pong? I see you at all the matches…Cheers!