- East Bay Prep Corner
Boys Soccer Notes: College Players, Rankings, Standings, Stats
By Matt Smith
Monday, December 12th, 2011 at 1:18 pm in Boys soccer.
We’ve got some local kids doing well in the college ranks. Let’s give them some love this week.
Former Albany High standout Mason Zupan continued his dream of playing soccer, doing so at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO and on Dec. 3 in Pensacola FL the Skyhawks beat Lynn 3-2 to win the NCAA Men’s Division II National Championship. It was the school’s third soccer title and the team finished 24-1.
Zupan, as a redshirt freshman, played seven regular season matches, as the defender scored a goal, and he played in the NCAA Tournament against Metro State.
Chabot College also had a number of local kids recognized recently as Salvador Barroyo of Moreau Catholic High and Jesus Leon from Tennyson High were selected First-Team All Coast Conference.
Carlos Gonzalez of San Lorenzo and Alan Mitchell from East Bay Arts High in Hayward were second team and Leon, former Newark Memorial standout Junior Navarro and Alejandro Gonzalez from Mt. Eden were All-American nominees.
Rankings
No change to the top six. Despite Clayton’s very close and hard to swallow loss against SRV, nobody stepped up to knock them out of the top five. Monte Vista and Amador Valley join the top 15, and very deservedly so. Both look like legit contenders. The EBAL just keeps looking stronger.
College Park jumps up two spots, as this team continues to look impressive and Ygnacio Valley debuts in the top 15 as does Bishop O’Dowd.
1. De La Salle (1-0-0)
2. California (8-0-1)
3. San Ramon Valley (4-0-1)
4. Richmond (3-0-0)
5. Clayton Valley (1-1-2)
6. Campolindo (5-0-1)
7. Acalanes (3-0-3)
8. Dougherty Valley (5-2-2)
9. Granada (6-1-1)
10. Monte Vista (4-0-3)
11. Newark Memorial (6-3-0)
12. Amador Valley (5-1-0)
13. College Park (4-0-3)
14. Ygnacio Valley (4-2-1)
15. Bishop O’Dowd (2-0-2)
Others Considered: Berkeley (4-2-1), Alhambra (5-2-0), Dublin (5-2-0), Las Lomas (3-2-2), Albany (2-2-2), Concord (4-0-0), Pittsburg (1-3-1), Hayward (2-2-0), Logan (3-3-3), Miramonte (3-3-0)
Standings
ACCAL
Team W-L (overall, league) PTS
Berkeley (4-2-1, 1-0-0) 3
El Cerrito (4-1-1, 1-0-0) 3
Pinole Valley (2-2-0, 1-0-0) 3
Richmond (3-0-0, 1-0-0) 3
Alameda (3-2-0, 0-1-0) 0
De Anza (0-2-0, 0-2-0) 0
Hercules (0-3-1, 0-1-0) 0
BSAL
Team W-L (overall, league) PTS
Albany (2-2-2, 0-0-0) 0
Encinal (0-1-0, 0-0-0) 0
Kennedy (1-5-0, 0-0-0) 0
Piedmont (2-3-0, 0-0-0) 0
Salesian (0-1-0, 0-0-0) 0
St. Joseph Notre Dame (1-2-0, 0-0-0) 0
St. Mary’s (0-0-2, 0-0-0) 0
St. Patrick-St. Vincent (0-0-0, 0-0-0) 0
Swett (0-1-0, 0-0-0) 0
BVAL
Team W-L (overall, league) PTS
Antioch (4-4-1, 0-0-0) 0
Deer Valley (0-3-1, 0-0-0) 0
Freedom (2-1-1, 0-0-0) 0
Heritage (0-1-2, 0-0-0) 0
Liberty (0-3-0, 0-0-0) 0
Pittsburg (1-3-1, 0-0-0) 0
DFAL
Team W-L (overall, league) PTS
Acalanes (3-0-3, 1-0-1) 4
Campolindo (5-0-1, 1-0-1) 4
Alhambra (5-2-0, 1-1-0) 3
Dougherty Valley (5-2-2, 1-0-0) 3
Miramonte (3-3-0, 1-0-0) 3
Dublin (5-2-0, 0-2-0) 0
Las Lomas (3-2-2, 0-2-0) 0
DVAL
Team W-L (overall, league) PTS
Berean Chr. (0-4-0, 0-0-0) 0
Clayton Valley (1-1-2, 0-0-0) 0
College Park (4-0-3, 0-0-0) 0
Concord (4-0-0, 0-0-0) 0
Mt. Diablo (0-1-1, 0-0-0) 0
Northgate (3-2-2, 0-0-0) 0
Ygnacio Valley (4-2-1, 0-0-0) 0
EBAL
Team W-L (overall, league) PTS
Amador Valley (5-1-0, 0-0-0) 0
California (8-0-1, 0-0-0) 0
De La Salle (1-0-0, 0-0-0) 0
Foothill (3-2-2, 0-0-0) 0
Granada (6-1-1, 0-0-0) 0
Livermore (2-5-0, 0-0-0) 0
Monte Vista (4-0-3, 0-0-0) 0
San Ramon Valley (4-0-1, 0-0-0) 0
HAAL
Team W-L (overall, league) PTS
Moreau Catholic (1-1-2, 0-0-1) 1
Mt. Eden (4-2-2, 0-0-1) 1
Arroyo (0-2-0, 0-0-0) 0
Bishop O’Dowd (2-0-2, 0-0-0) 0
Castro Valley (0-7-0, 0-0-0) 0
Hayward (2-2-0, 0-0-0) 0
San Leandro (0-4-0, 0-0-0) 0
San Lorenzo (1-2-1, 0-0-0) 0
Tennyson (0-0-0, 0-0-0) 0
MVAL
Team W-L (overall, league) PTS
American (0-5-1, 0-0-0) 0
Irvington (1-6-0, 0-0-0) 0
Kennedy (0-3-2, 0-0-0) 0
Logan (3-3-3, 0-0-0) 0
Mission San Jose (0-9-0, 0-0-0) 0
Newark Memorial (6-3-0, 0-0-0) 0
Washington (1-3-0, 0-0-0) 0
OAL
Team W-L (overall, league) PTS
Oakland Tech (1-1-0, 0-0-0) 0
Castlemont (0-0-0, 0-0-0) 0
Fremont (0-0-0, 0-0-0) 0
Oakland (0-0-0, 0-0-0) 0
Skyline (0-0-0, 0-0-0) 0
Stat Leaders
Name School Goals
Alejandro, Alhambra 8
Grixti, Cal 8
Mendoza, Richmond 8
Ayala, YV 8
Parisi, Dougherty 7
Hartland, Dublin 7
Sandoval, Newark 7
Nodhal, Cal 6
Greenberg, MV 6
Romero, Pinole 6
Name School Assists
Mendoza, Richmond 6
Ayala, YV 6
Borges, Albany 5
Marshall, Dublin 5
Montes, Richmond 5
Townsend, Cal 4
Lomas, Campo 4
Moreno, EC 4
Ellis, Liv 4
Sbrana, MV 4
Sandoval, Newark 4
Dougherty, Newark 4
Damien, YV 4
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December 12th, 2011 at 9:23 pm
Sal BORRAYO of MOREAU…
Everyone seems to spell our school wrong at some point.
December 12th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
I will be at a great start to the DVAL top two. #5 Clayton Valley vs #14 Ygnacio Valley
This game should shake up the standings with a win from either team. These two teams have finished 1 / 2 in the past few years.
Good luck to both !
December 13th, 2011 at 7:26 am
Ok bloggers lets go, it’s been pretty boring so far. Time for more people to chime in. Lets hear some predictions, players to watch(a little tougher without the acadamy players), more score posting and comentary(like sweeper, tack and others)it’s always interesting to hear different views of the game.
predictions for the start of EBAL:DLS 2 AV 0, MV 3 LIV 1, SRV 1 CAL 1, GRA 3 FH 1.
Matt, love the blog just trying to get more chat going. Everyone make sure your “know it all” soccer friends know about blog.
December 13th, 2011 at 8:17 am
The press release said Monroe. I obviously know how to spell Moreau, but I thought Monroe might be a school I hadn’t heard of. Had they said Monroe Catholic, I probably would have figure out it was a mistake on their part.
December 13th, 2011 at 8:21 am
Great early match up tonight- #2 Cal @ #3 SRV, 6pm….
December 13th, 2011 at 8:47 am
Does Las Lomas have a new coach for this year?
December 13th, 2011 at 9:02 am
Look out for College Park. It has a number of long time div. 1 club players who have played together for years.
I have watched some of these boys from u-10 AYSO on through the years and it is a lot of fun to see them mature as players
December 13th, 2011 at 9:51 am
EBAL Predictions for tonight
Granada 2-0 Foothill
De La Salle 3-0 Amador Valley
Cal 2-1 San Ramon Valley
Monte Vista 4-1 Livermore
December 13th, 2011 at 9:52 am
The Truth, Las Lomas does have a new coach this year. His name is Bill Coupe, and I think he coached Amador Valley girls in recent years past.
December 13th, 2011 at 10:56 am
De La Salle 3-0 over Amador? I predict a much closer game, maybe even an upset on the horizon tonight.
December 13th, 2011 at 11:26 am
I will be watching games from DVAL.
Matt – I will help were i can.
DVAL predictions
Northgate 0 at College Park 3
Concord 4 at Berean 0
Ygnacio Valley 1 at Clayton Valley 1
MT. bye.
December 13th, 2011 at 11:30 am
Matt,
Are you covering any games tonight?
Can’t decide whether to go watch Cal vs San Ramon or YV vs CV.
December 13th, 2011 at 11:51 am
DVAL Predictions for tonight
College Park 4-0 Northgate
Concord 9-0 Berean Christian
Clayton Valley 2-2 Ygnacio Valley
December 13th, 2011 at 12:03 pm
Dval
Winners
College Park
Concord
Yv …. This game could be a ref’s game. Will the ref’s be older ref’s whom my not keep up with the speed of play? I just dont see this game being a clean one either.
If anything, the ref’s will have to earn every minute of this game. Not an easy one. Two very good NCS bound teams.
Oldfart- I would go watch this game CV – YV
December 13th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
Futbol 101
I would be very interested in hearing what you thought of the officials at the YV–CV game.
December 13th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
I will be at Cal v. SRV. I don’t think you can go wrong with either that game or Clayton v. YV.
Thanks to those who will be updating. I will do my best to do so as well!
December 13th, 2011 at 12:51 pm
I also agree with Mudhen. Watch out for CP. I think they are for real.
December 13th, 2011 at 1:12 pm
EBAL predictions:
CAL 1 SRV 3- San Ramon hands Cal their first loss as they did two years ago.
Granada 3 Foothill 1
DLS 3 Amador 0
MV 4 Livermore 4
December 13th, 2011 at 1:12 pm
MV 4 Livermore 0 I meant
December 13th, 2011 at 1:18 pm
I will be watching the CP game. And heading to the second half of the CV vs YV game.
Lets see what CP is made off, a lot of good things are being talked about this team.
Good luck to all teams.
December 13th, 2011 at 1:39 pm
Predictions for EBAL
Granada 1 Foothill 1
Player to watch: Foothill’s Christian Clark. Awesome in the air, Tenacious defender, Best Midfielder in this game for sure.
Amador 1 DLS 0… Amador comes to play.
Livermore 1 MV 1
San Ramon 2 Cal 2
Player to watch: Cal’s Nate Grixti. Smokin’ Fast and great finisher. Only a junior. Already has 8 goals this year…
December 13th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
I agree with Natural Righty. Clark is an interesting player. Trying to catch CAL vs. SRV, but I still have an awful lot of coding to do before I can…
December 13th, 2011 at 2:16 pm
Code quickly
It would be good to see you there.
December 13th, 2011 at 5:18 pm
College Park 1. Northgate. 0. Half
CP takes a mild mistake from NG to open up the score. Most of the game has been played in the middle or NG side. Cp has created more opportunities , but has not increased the lead. With it’s 101 soccer style of play from NG of touch , go , spread wide …. one bright moment came with 2 minutes left in the half when a 30+ yard shot rocks CP’s cross bar.
Second half to come .
December 13th, 2011 at 6:08 pm
CP 4-0. Just saw the last 16 minutes in which Northgate did not cross mod linr.
December 13th, 2011 at 7:21 pm
Cal and SRV 0-0 halfway through first. So far a fast paced, physical match.
December 13th, 2011 at 8:00 pm
Cal and SRV 0-0 at half.
December 13th, 2011 at 8:10 pm
What about Berkeley? why are they so low?
December 13th, 2011 at 8:16 pm
DLS 2 Amador 1 with 15 to go in game
December 13th, 2011 at 8:24 pm
0-0 here with just over 10:00 to go.
December 13th, 2011 at 8:25 pm
Any updates from CV – YV?
December 13th, 2011 at 8:53 pm
DLS 2 Amador 1 Final
December 13th, 2011 at 8:57 pm
Cal and SRV scoreless draw.
December 13th, 2011 at 8:58 pm
Yv 3 cv1 final
December 13th, 2011 at 9:05 pm
Yv 3 cv 1
December 13th, 2011 at 9:07 pm
I got to catch the 2nd half of Cal @ SRV. It was quite spirited and ended in a 0-0 tie. Mr. Smith was in the house so I will defer the match report to the pro, though I will say that the keepers earned their stripes tonight.
See you at the (frozen) pitch!
December 13th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
Pitt 6 Hercules 0 final
December 13th, 2011 at 9:29 pm
Northgate came out strong yet was no match for college park.
CP made fast of scoring on NG. Three more in the second half would seal CP’s dominant win. Even after watching this game I can’t give a style of play to CP.
December 13th, 2011 at 9:33 pm
Comp 2 – Pinole 0
December 13th, 2011 at 10:20 pm
Yv vs CP.
First of all what a great game. Both teams played great.
Ref’s– center ref – he did his job. Great help by only one of his AR’s .
One AR on CV side was one sided, if Yv got three calls there way that was a lot. His offside rule was that new to the sport.
Like futbol 101 predicted , it was a tough , hard , fought game from both teams. No 50/50 ball went unchallenged.
CV- they are a great team but yv’s speed was too much for them. Yv scored first from Ayala (Tata) . While in this first half he had miss an open goal shot which hit the cross bar, he made up by opening the score. With 10 left till half , cv became a direct team with a full on long distance attack. Between flicks and one timers they manage to equalize the score with no time left in the half.
1-1 at half
With 11-12 minutes in Yv scores it’s second goal. Now this game becomes heated with even harder tackles and yellows began to fly. The pace at times was slowed by subs and fouls. Cv kept it’s cool going back to it’s flicks and one timers, yet too direct and some what predictable. Yv had at times a very difficult time defending that style of play.
With a set piece from a corner Yv strikes again.
3-1 … 10-14 minutes left Yv strongly defended it’s two goal lead.
Final whistle came not soon enough , while in between that time double yellows and more cautions came out.
Final 3-1 Yv victorious !
December 13th, 2011 at 10:23 pm
Granada 1 Foothill 0 final. Very close game
December 13th, 2011 at 10:27 pm
Matt- let’s keep an eye an this Yv player called Tata last name Ayala.
Again scored , his 9th goal and he is only a sophomore.
I hit on my predictions … Concord , college park, and Yv all win.
Any good game to watch for tomorrow?
December 13th, 2011 at 11:02 pm
Matt, my son was highlighted on cal high bay area sports on sunday of you want to post the link.
December 13th, 2011 at 11:48 pm
who is this mason zupan character?
December 13th, 2011 at 11:52 pm
Very good game today between CAL and SRV. I like what I see, Matt will report on it.
December 14th, 2011 at 2:01 am
Btw, from SRV CAL game, I thought the ref did a really good job, calling it when it needed it to be called, while letting the boys play a physical but fair game.
December 14th, 2011 at 6:29 am
Go YV! Colleges are already interested in young Tata. Glad to see Nate Grixti getting recognition. He was a member of the State ODP 95 team last year. Talented and smart soccer player. I know many of the more talented high school players because of club soccer and it’s fun seeing them contribute to their respective h.s. successes.
If YV’s offensive continues to carry the defense I expect to see rise in the rankings. The coach has done a great job not only with training but also keeping the boys focused on academics. He rarely has boys become ineligible because of grades – a problem that plagued the previous coach.
December 14th, 2011 at 6:32 am
11 v 11 thanks for the highlights.
December 14th, 2011 at 8:08 am
DLS Showcase this Fri & Sat..lots of good teams.
December 14th, 2011 at 8:16 am
De La Salle Showcase Schedule all games at DLS
Friday 12.16
1pm Clayton Valley vs Berkeley
3pm Deer Valley vs Bullard
5pm SRV vs Santa Margarita
7pm DLS vs Alisal
Saturday 12.17
12pm Richmond vs Bullard
2pm SRV vs St. Francis
4pm Campolindo vs Clayton Valley
6pm DLS vs Santa Margarita
December 14th, 2011 at 9:01 am
Your very welcome soccermom. Its great to have the support of all the parents coming to these soccer games. I do believe that YV has a dual head coach system. How they do it i dont know? Its working. Keep it up.
December 14th, 2011 at 9:44 am
Great game at Clayton last night.The game was very fast and physical. I agree with 11v11 that Clayton had a big problem keeping up with the speed of YV. YV had a better game plan coming into the game and made it work.
Tata and Damian up top for YV are very hard for teams to keep up with the speed and skill of this players.
Clayton had #21 I believe his last name is Gomez, he was very good and kept his team in the game with his energy.
The younger coach from YV is the head coach. The parents from YV really like what his done with the program. Every great coach has to have a great assistant as well.
Came out very impress with the speed of play from this game.
December 14th, 2011 at 11:22 am
My mistake on the coaches at YV , its just what i have read.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:18 pm
What was the final score of the Concord match?
Hey Chris Hoffman,
I couldn’t find the link, but if you have it, feel free to post it in the comments
December 14th, 2011 at 1:24 pm
Concord won 11-0
December 14th, 2011 at 2:23 pm
Concord 11-0 was that a soccer game or American football? Yikes.
December 14th, 2011 at 7:31 pm
Checking in from Acalanes as they host Dougherty Valley. And I just found out that Dougherty Valley is a Division I team this year.
December 14th, 2011 at 7:51 pm
Hayward and O’Dowd finished at 0-0.
December 14th, 2011 at 7:58 pm
Acalanes 1-0 at half.
December 14th, 2011 at 8:09 pm
matt,
here is the link. he is a pretty great kid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqMzvIvROeM&list=PL76F5D473449D5E80&index=1&feature=plpp_video
December 14th, 2011 at 8:31 pm
Just read that DV is a Division 1 school this year. Is that based solely on student population size or is there another component? Curious mind, here.
December 14th, 2011 at 8:35 pm
It’s based purely on enrollment, and they went over the threshold by about 50 kids.
Acalanes is up 4-0. I think this team is very good.
December 14th, 2011 at 8:43 pm
Wow, Chris. That’s incredible.
Let Tommy know I’m certainly rooting for him.
December 14th, 2011 at 9:36 pm
Dublin 3 – 1 Las Lomas
Basic soccer game, very little ref involvement, average intensity. It’s good to see Dublin get back on their feet, but Las Lomas is struggling this year with their team being a majority of juniors. Dublin can’t take much away from it, but three points is three points and at the end of the night that’s all that matters.
December 14th, 2011 at 11:29 pm
Campo 3, Irvington 0
December 14th, 2011 at 11:36 pm
Alhambra miramonte score?
December 15th, 2011 at 7:11 am
3-3 Alhambra miramonte
December 15th, 2011 at 9:39 am
Here are a couple HAAL scores reported to me…
Arroyo 1, San Lorenzo 1
Moreau Catholic 1, Tennyson 0
December 15th, 2011 at 10:11 am
Oh by the way Hartland added two more goals last night. If you haven’t been able to see him play this year I highly suggest you do. He is unstoppable up top and will be a strong candidate for DFAL mvp
December 15th, 2011 at 11:00 am
De La Salle vs Monte Vista tonight at MV
Should be a good game.
December 15th, 2011 at 11:04 am
I almost went to that one, but I am spreading the love and I’m going to Mt. Eden.
December 15th, 2011 at 5:02 pm
Mt. Eden and San Leandro are 0-0 at half.
December 15th, 2011 at 9:16 pm
Cal 6 Livermore 0
December 15th, 2011 at 9:45 pm
DLS v. MV…1-1 tie final score. Monte Vista’s very young but looks pretty good!
December 15th, 2011 at 10:14 pm
Upset of the day:
Pinole Valley 4 Berkeley 2
December 15th, 2011 at 11:19 pm
Concord takes another win against Freedom 2-1 which there now 6-0
December 16th, 2011 at 9:40 am
Mt. Eden’s Elias Jose Lopez is a fantastic player. He’s very explosive and creative. I enjoyed watching him yesterday.
San Leandro has some kids back from football and are looking much improved. They are a smaller team, so to have a chance against top Division I teams, they need to stay away from allowing set pieces and free kicks.
So traffic on the blog has been very slow and there hasn’t been as much participation as in season’s past. I thought this season would really take off, so if there is anything that I can do to get you guys more active, please let me know.
December 16th, 2011 at 10:02 am
suggestions….. Maybe have someone in each league be the updater for the league ? Have them when ever possible go to some games and write a report and highlights of the game and or players.
Give fliers to some of the parents in the stands about this blog. Many may not even know about this. Do the same if you can get a representative from every league to help.
Starting with the DLS showcase , Winter Classic, Tri-Valley, NCS…. and so on. Some may start next year , but its a start.
December 16th, 2011 at 10:24 am
oh i think it’s just the holidays upon us all. it’ll heat up.
EBAL scores from last night:
Cal 6 – Livermore 0 ouch
Granada 2 – Amador 1
Monte Vista 1 – De La Salle 1
SRV Foothill? not in the paper today
December 16th, 2011 at 10:59 am
SRV – Foothill takes place on 12/29, most likely because of SRV participating
in the DLS Showcase this week-end.
December 16th, 2011 at 11:00 am
SRV v Foothill was postponed until 12/29 as SRV plays tonight and tomorrow in the De La Sale showcase.
December 16th, 2011 at 11:02 am
More controversy always helps. You could stop doing a solid job and blow up the rankings. I am *sure* we would get 200+ enraged soccer fan posts.
/sarcasm
Right now I think it is honestly the by product of the rankings shaking out the way most people imagined and how pre-season results predicted them to go.
December 16th, 2011 at 11:04 am
Lol, El Pata, that was hilarious.
I hope to crank things up after the New Year and get to where we were last year with 300-400 comments.
December 16th, 2011 at 12:56 pm
I think its always kind of slow at the beginning of the season. After Christmas I’m sure that things will start heating up again.
December 16th, 2011 at 12:57 pm
Concord might be 6-0. They have not been tested by any good team yet. They will not finish in top 3 in DVAL.
December 16th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
There’s the kind of stuff we need. Predictions like that.
I would like to see Concord play. I plan on seeing YV a couple of times in the upcoming weeks.
Anyone know who scored the goals and had assists for them yesterday?
December 16th, 2011 at 1:03 pm
For YV?
December 16th, 2011 at 1:04 pm
I just checked the newspaper and it has the YV boys score under the girls. Ayala scored his 3rd hat trick of the season.
December 16th, 2011 at 1:06 pm
Now he has 12 and is the East Bay leader. Looking forward to seeing him against Alhambra.
December 16th, 2011 at 4:00 pm
Any more comments on DLS – MV?
December 16th, 2011 at 4:26 pm
Any scores from DLS showcase??..Under the weather here.
December 16th, 2011 at 4:45 pm
Cokito – I was at the game. The first goal by DLS was a BEAUTIFUL shot from 20-25 yards out into the top right corner from a mishandled ball by MV. Then MV stormed right back with a goal of its own with a controversial physical goal from a set piece. The game then developed into a very chippy game with 4-5 yellow cards and a red card handed to MV. MV had a very good chance with about 5 minutes to go with a 1 on nobody but failed to convert. All in all a very good back and forth game which was very surprising considering MV has 3 or 4 seniors and many sophmores playing out there. EBAL looks very competitive this year.
December 16th, 2011 at 5:19 pm
Thanks, Fimugator. There used to be a lot of bad blood between these
schools a few years ago. Maybe there still is…
December 16th, 2011 at 8:17 pm
Oh there definitely is. Lots of students showed up and both sides were screaming cheering and booing.
December 16th, 2011 at 8:30 pm
I agree with DVAL1. Concord is untested. Don’t think they will be able to beat the stronger schools. We’ll see.
December 16th, 2011 at 9:55 pm
Concord High has some of the best players from club teams around Contra Costa, don’t underestimate them. Just watch them take over DVAL.
December 16th, 2011 at 11:01 pm
DLS lost the final game to Alisal at the showcase tonight, 1-0, with a goal shortly after a laser beam free kick by Alisal. Quite a physical game with many chances for DLS but their only goal was disallowed on an offside call. Very well played by both teams. $3 admission was well worth it. More games tomorrow, with DLS, Campo, Richmond and SRV all facing out of town opponents.
December 16th, 2011 at 11:19 pm
Any one know the DLS score?
December 16th, 2011 at 11:22 pm
cv 3 berkeley 1 dls showcase
December 17th, 2011 at 12:06 am
Clayton 3 – Berkeley 1
Bullard 2 – Deer Valley 1
Santa Margarita 1 – San Ramon 0
Alisal 1 – DLS 0
December 17th, 2011 at 2:26 am
Hi Matt great job on this wonderful blog you’re keeping. I’m just wondering who do you think will come out on top in the HAAL? The competition in there isn’t the same this year as it has been in the past. Also, Elias from Mt.Eden is a very solid player, how does he stack up with the rest of the East Bay in talent?
December 17th, 2011 at 11:51 am
Mat could you please remove my comment on the 15th please. It wasn’t me making the comment. Thank you.
December 17th, 2011 at 12:23 pm
Nojan, I removed it.
To answer TeamSamba’s question…
I think Elias is one of the more talented players I’ve seen this year. I think he stacks up very well with all of the top talent. Incredible with the ball, and his touch is almost perfect every time, whether it be when he is exploding away from a defender or when he is controlling a ball in the air.
I think Hayward is the team to beat, in my humble opinion. Though San Leandro has something cooking as well. In the end, I expect about four or five teams to be in the running. Hayward, Bishop O’Dowd, Mt. Eden and San Leandro and then I am expecting a surprise team as well.
December 17th, 2011 at 3:23 pm
Richmond beat Bullard 4-0. Very impressed by Richmond.
December 17th, 2011 at 4:31 pm
Matt, what in particular was impressive?
speed, skill (usually their strong suits) size? (usually not their advantage), strong goalkeeping?
Quick restarts?
EBAL will be seeing alot of Richmond here soon.
I know others have commended Richmond for scheduling tough EBAL opponents, but don’t forget it takes two to tango. Those EBAL teams have to say yes to yet another tough foe as well!
December 17th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
The precision passing was impressive. They moved the ball with great ease and the through balls and the crosses were usually very dangerous.
They are very fast, very technically skilled and seemed to have found some very able keepers. Definitely a team to keep an eye on as a legit contender this year.
December 17th, 2011 at 6:38 pm
O Dowd 1-0 over Castro Valley. 1 goal allowed in first six games. Got to give the defense their props.
December 17th, 2011 at 6:39 pm
Matt,
It was good to see you east of the tunnel again.
I would add that Richmond was quite impressive on the narrow DLS pitch. On their wide home turf the keep-away game gets even tougher, because with more room to work with it is easier to find space and get separation. 90% of their game is 1 or 2 touch give and go. And you better be alert when they get inside of 30 yards, they like to shoot early and often.
See you at the pitch!
December 17th, 2011 at 6:50 pm
SRV vs St. Francis ???
Campolindo vs Clayton Valley ???
scores updates observations anyone?
December 17th, 2011 at 6:58 pm
St. Francis beat SRV 1-0.
Clayton beat Campo 2-0.
December 17th, 2011 at 7:08 pm
One other question
I find it curious that in the DLS Showcase that some schools play 2 games and others play only 1
can someone shed a little light on how or why this came to be?
December 17th, 2011 at 7:18 pm
EBALDad,
Each school is limited in the number of games they can play, so some
schools are able to play 2 games, while others can only play 1, depending
on their commitments outside of the showcase (such as non-league games
and tournaments.)
December 17th, 2011 at 8:03 pm
Any details for the CV win over Campo?
December 17th, 2011 at 8:33 pm
DLS 1 Santa Margarita 0.
7 minutes left.
December 17th, 2011 at 9:00 pm
DLS 2, Santa Margarita 0 FINAL
December 18th, 2011 at 12:33 am
There should be a fair amount of shifting in the rankings below #1 & #2. The Richmond matches in January with DLS, MV and SRV are gaining importance, and the CAL v. DLS matches will be can’t miss.
See you at the pitch!
December 18th, 2011 at 11:09 am
I was at the DLS game last night, I saw nothing impressive from neither team. They both had the same style of play and it was boring for the first 60 minutes. DLS manages to win games by the flick and scramble method. What happen to the touch and dribble Brazilian, Dutch style of play. So few teams play like this anymore. I see the long ball in high school more and more each year.
On another note, DLS pulled off a victory. It’s the goals you score that count.
December 18th, 2011 at 12:11 pm
Nature vs. grace, Futbol101…
December 18th, 2011 at 12:39 pm
Same here all DeLa does is play kick ball..Both teams did.You never saw them play the ball quick,instead they sent everyone in the box and just launched a ball in the box and tried to sneak a ball past the keeper.
December 18th, 2011 at 2:39 pm
This has been the way the Ebal and Dfal have played for a long time. They have always played a defensive style looking to score on free kicks, corners, and the worst a long throw in. I have gone to watch these games because they are all close tight physical games which turn out to be grudge matches. It takes alot to play this way because you need the players to be very discplined, but at the end it does not teach them the real form to play futbol. But they get the result.
On the other hand you will never see Richmond, YV, Pittsburg, Newark, Berkeley, and last yrs Livermore play this style of fubol. They will keep the ball on the ground and look to play possesion soccer as like some team called Barcelona. Its hard to play like this when you are playing teams that drop back and counter and look to just win on set pieces and not show a the fans and players a good time. I wish more teams played like this but this is high school and this is what makes it fun.
December 18th, 2011 at 3:52 pm
Such an old worn out discussion. This REEKS of soccer snobber, or maybe just sour grapes.
As many different cultures as there are that play football (soccer) you will get different styles.
(see “how soccer explains the world”)
Should there be height and weight limitations?
Should there be rules against long throw-ins?
Maybe a rule against too many touches. (stop that Messi!)
You play with what you have and with what you are. The team that scores the most goals wins. It’s a simple game, so stop your whining about a style of play that you personally don’t appreciate.
Appreciate that when different styles clash it is a fascinating struggle. This struggle is why football has been the World’s game.
Like MANY things in life there is NO ONE ANSWER.
SO, embrace diversity! Love and appreciate the game, in ALL it’s forms.
December 18th, 2011 at 4:34 pm
Thank you EBALDad, i was hoping someone would say what i was thinking. There are so many different parts of a soccer game, so just because one team is great at one part and poor at another doesn’t mean they deserve to win or lose. I always hear people reporting that some school “deserved to win”. Maybe their style and what they’re good at just isn’t a good matchup for the style they are playing against, simple as that. Barcelona wins because they have perfected their style but they ALSO know how to defend the other styles they encounter. In my humble opinion, I agree with EBALDad; get the ball in the goal no matter what it takes.
Someone noted RHS, YV, Pitt, Newark, Berkeley will never play the direct style, but that is because they are better at the possession one they play. Now the reason you haven’t seen any of those schools win NCS or contend with the EBAL schools in a few years is that they haven’t figured out how to stop the other styles they encounter (notably the direct one). There are my two cents. I for one love watching Barcelona’s style, as well as the high school teams who are good at it, but I also sit on the edge of my seat at every DLS/SRV game too…
December 18th, 2011 at 4:58 pm
EBALDad,
I think it is a valid and interesting discussion, because precisely there is no definite answer.
I believe the choice is between playing and winning. It is difficult to do both. The great Socrates played in what possibly were two of the best sides ever in any World Cup, and is remembered largely because of this; but the fact is that both sides were defeated (by inferior teams, in terms of their quality of play) and never won the World Cup. The coach from Brazil then, the great Tele Santana, made the choice to play, and gave us games so beautiful that when they were being played in 1982, civil war stopped for a few hours in Lebanon, so fighters from both sides could watch them. Yes those sides did not win, but maybe it is not all about winning, even in high school soccer, or should I say especially in high school soccer?
December 18th, 2011 at 5:36 pm
EBALdad,
I do appreciate both style and I am not against becasue its like cokito said its high school soccer. The diversity of styles of play and how they come about is wonderful. And you are right the cultures around the schools are what make this fun and gives the coaches the opportunity to show what the kids are about. Each coach does the best it can with what he or she has. This will always be a TRUE discussion and this is what makes Matt’s blog the best and I appreciate the comeback. And Cokito you are totally correct, well said!!!
December 18th, 2011 at 6:31 pm
Cokito and Futbolbay#1,
I appreciate and understand your comments and your tone.
What I was responding to, were these comments quoted below.
“They have always played a defensive style looking to score on free kicks, corners, and the worst a long throw in.”
“but at the end it does not teach them the real form to play futbol.”
“On the other hand you will never see Richmond, YV, Pittsburg, Newark, Berkeley, and last yrs Livermore play this style of fubol. They will keep the ball on the ground and look to play possesion soccer as like some team called Barcelona. Its hard to play like this when you are playing teams that drop back and counter and look to just win on set pieces and not show a the fans and players a good time.”
These are NOT new sentiments but have frequently been expressed here. It is the condescending tone that I am tired of.
As long as we can go forward with mutual respect, something that hopefully is being taught to all the young men out there playing the sport, High School AND Club, then we can hold our heads high.
December 18th, 2011 at 7:34 pm
Ebaldad,
We are good and I understand your side.
December 18th, 2011 at 10:12 pm
I agree with EBALDad. Soccer is full of different styles of play. Yes some teams play kick ball and don’t play “beautiful” soccer but in the end they get the job done and win i.e. DLS with 3 NCS championships in a row. You may not love the way they play but their players are disciplined and skillfull enough to WIN. And in the end you know that’s what every team wants to do.
December 18th, 2011 at 11:52 pm
If I remember correctly, didn’t a lot of the posters praise DLS in 09 with the style of soccer they played? I thought I remember hearing that it was quote unquote some of the best soccer played in this area ever?
December 19th, 2011 at 12:05 am
DLS Showcase was great this year. I must admit Richmond kids played incredible and left me stunned.I have to agree that there’s many styles of soccer and everyone is different…but they made me enjoy watching their game and some college coaches around me were impressed. What an amazing performance both offensively and defensively. They deserve to be followed. Can someone post their schedule…anybody?
cv
December 19th, 2011 at 1:15 am
Yes, Renegades. I, for one, thought that team was beautiful to watch.
December 19th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
Love the discussion here; it’s great to see the global argument of style vs. winning in a local context. I’d like to correct one point from above: Winning soccer matches isn’t about who scores the most goals – it’s about scoring one more than your opponent. Whether you choose a 1-0 strategy or a 6-5 strategy depends on what works best for the players you have. Ask any older Arsenal supporter whether they would choose the trophies of the “boring, boring” George Graham days or the near-misses of Arsene Wenger era. At the end of the day, it’s about trophies.
I love to see the talented, creative kids around here. But I thought the balanced and organized strategy of Coach Volt’s time at DLS was the epitome of team soccer, and I’m hoping that continues.
December 19th, 2011 at 2:28 pm
To counter on styles of play…. Lets go back to 1978 and ” La maquina Naranja”. They posses the ball so beautifully with 1-2 touch and speed of play. They also combine that style with the long ball knowing that they were extremly tall, physical and fast. No one cant say that the Naranja wasn’t one of the best of that time.
Even with the memories of those times with this team, Alemania, Argentina, Polonia and the Papi of futbol Brazil was trouble for teams like this.
We may not like some styles but we have to play with or against them. The best we can do is prepare for those teams and score. Score more then your opponent if you dont want to lose, simple as that.
How many times [ for those that have played the game ]have we scored a goal and it was the ugliest thing on earth. It counted just the same.
Love this game and what it teaches us.
Viva el futbol.
December 19th, 2011 at 4:29 pm
Caravan, the Richmond schedule is up on maxpreps:
http://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/richmond-oilers-(richmond,ca)/soccer-winter/schedule.htm
December 19th, 2011 at 11:18 pm
great stuff
December 22nd, 2011 at 9:27 am
Barcelona wins because they have the best ,most expensive players in the world. They could play ANY style they want to, from through ball to one touch. Period.