Adrian Talks Tryouts

No matter how you conduct your soccer try-outs somebody will find a flaw, somebody will be unhappy, even if you opt to keep every player that attends the try-outs. The reason being is that it comes down to opinions and the inability to please everyone.

You can ask the parents or the players what their definition is of a good effective coach and again you will get many different opinions. So trying to educate people to understand the different shades or gray can sometimes be a difficult task. Are you all about winning or does player development play a huge role in your way of thinking?

Clubs and organizations can make their lives easier by portraying their expectations from day one and sticking to it. Gagging fine balance of developing players and swinging the axe to cut players from teams is something that needs to be measured depending on what the club wants to achieve. However if they are to be successful both need to take place.

The approach of keeping as many players at the youngest age group in an academy format seems to be a good avenue to take. However it is probably important to learn from the mistakes which in my opinion are being made be the European clubs. Instead of naming the few elite, you should try to keep all the players involved with the program. We may not be able to find a perfect answer for the definition of a coach but one of the roles and responsibilities is to develop and educate the players.

The mistake that is being made by many of the professional clubs in Europe is that they take the elite few for the younger age groups, but many of them fail to go on and make the grade at the top level. So the process of keeping a bigger pool so that you can develop and mold more players in to the clubs style can take place. This would not mean naming players in to first, second and third teams but to keep players training and playing together so that the club can develop more savvy soccer players.

Eventually the process of cutting and naming of A and B teams has to occur, because clubs have to start separating the elite, not for purposing of winning games but simply because the same caliber of players have to train and play against each other. However there should always be the opportunity for movement to take place between the two levels.

Of course this can cause problems if the process is not clear from the begging to those who are being selected. To keep yourself from the emotional turmoil that parents and players can drag you through during this process, you can keep it clean and simple if you follow some the guidelines below.

1. Put your philosophy across early and stick to it, therefore if you cut players say you are going to and why.
2. Collect as much data on the players during the try-outs and keep the players continuously involved.
3. Have neutral coaches come in and assist you.
4. If the club is going to form a second team, explain that movement can take place in between the teams from season to season. Club directors of coaching should encourage as much communication between the coaches of the two teams.
5. When posting or naming the teams inform the players and parents that if they have not been selected and would like some feedback, that it is the players responsibility to contact you. We recently did this with the Kentucky Youth Soccer Association Olympic Development Program and received zero phone calls from parents but several from players showing their true maturity request information on how they can improve.
6. Stick to your decisions but be fair.

There is no perfect answer to what can be volatile situation but if you remain strong to your ideas and keep avenues and lines of communication open you will gain respect from the people that really matter, the players.

Women’s Soccer Releases 2008 Schedule

The Kentucky women’s soccer team has announced its 2008 schedule which includes matches against perennial powers Duke, North Carolina, Texas and West Virginia.

The Wildcats open the season on Thursday, August 28 when they host the Texas Longhorns. Texas finished the 2007 season ranked 11th (Soccerbuzz) in the country and is an annual contender for the NCAA Championship.

Additionally, UK will participate in the Nike/Carolina Classic in Chapel Hill where they will battle 25th ranked Duke and sixth ranked North Carolina.

Following the trip to Chapel Hill, Kentucky then travels to Morgantown, W.Va. to take on seventh ranked West Virginia.

In addition to the season opening match against Texas, the Wildcats will host eight home contests including six conference schools, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Mississippi State, South Carolina and Vanderbilt.

UK will also host non-conference matches against Oakland and Cleveland State.

For the sixth straight season, the SEC will hold its postseason tournament in Orange Beach, Alabama. The Wildcats will look to become the only school in conference history to make an appearance in all 15 conference tournaments.

Teen hopes to play soccer in Paralympics

For those of you in Lexington, you may have heard the story of Alex Dornbusch, who in 2004 was injured riding his bike. Well, he's recovering nicely and still has dreams of competiting on the soccer field at the highest level.

Check out this story as he tries to fulfill his dreams.

UK MEN'S SOCCER LEADS C-USA IN ATTENDANCE

For all you Wildcats fans, the information below just rolled across my desk.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -For the second time in its three years as a member, the Kentucky men’s soccer team has paced Conference USA in attendance, averaging 888 fans per game in 2007.

The UK men’s soccer team, a member of C-USA for just three years, has led the league in attendance for two of its three years. In 2005, its first year as a member, the Wildcats totaled 969 fans per game with nine home games. In 2006, UK ranked third to South Carolina (1,156) and UAB (954), with an average of 742. UK’s 888 average in 2007, leads the league, with UAB ranking second with an average of 747 fans per game.

“We have great fans,” Kentucky head coach Ian Collins said. “Our students always turn out in force and throughout the State people have always been behind us. In one of the top conferences in college soccer it is imperative that we have excellent fan support, and the attendance numbers over the past three years backs that up. For us to lead the league for the second time in just our third year in C-USA, speaks volumes about the program and the type of fans we have throughout Big Blue Nation. We have a great home schedule in 2008 including South Carolina, Michigan, Memphis and FIU and the players and coaches are looking forward to giving all of the fans something to be excited about in 2008.”

Kentucky capped of its 2007 season with a 5-3 conference record, including the first win over a No. 1-ranked team in program history, a thrilling come-from-behind 2-1 win over SMU. UK returns several key cogs of that team in 2008, including C-USA Defensive Player of the Year Barry Rice, goalkeeper Dan Williams, as well as midfielders Masumi Turnbull, Jason Griffiths and strikers Tim Crone and C.J. Tappel. This along with some outstanding newcomers should give UK a platform for success in 2008.

EKU Women's Soccer Schedule

RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University women’s soccer schedule for 2008 is highlighted by non-conference dates at Fresno State and San Francisco, along with in-state rival Western Kentucky visiting EKU Soccer Field for the first time in the series’ history.

“By diversifying our schedule, we’re going to see a lot of different teams and a lot of different styles,” head coach Lindsay Basalyga said. “And I think that will prepare us well for a very competitive conference slate this season.”

The soccer Colonels will host Western Kentucky on August 24, their first regular season match of the year. A week later, they will travel to play Tennessee-Chattanooga before flying to California for early-September matchups with the Fresno State Bulldogs and the San Francisco Dons.

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