Earlham College Women's Soccer: July 2011

Monday, July 11, 2011

Farewell Deutschland and coaching colleagues

July 6th, 2011

This morning it was a little harder to rally, however we all seemed to be fairly giddy and goofy on the bus which made five hours pass rather quickly. There was a moment when I felt like I was at adult sleep away camp and I loved it! No sleeping for most of us, we were busy exchanging practice notes and comparing sessions we had scribbled down in previous days- it’s always a good idea to have legible notes if you ever want to implement a session/drills. Checklist for today: all remaining Euros, newly purchased US gear and our last white bagged lunches for the trip(something we were all ready to say goodbye to). Off to Wolfsburg we go.

Frank was completely honest with us when he said in the ten years he’s spent living in Germany he had never been to this city, has no idea what it has to offer and can’t promise anything. Wolfsburg is the home of Volkswagen, Das Auto, and consequently had outlet shopping walking distance from the VW factory. Cooler than the outlet malls was the obstacle course (or what appeared to be) that was set up for testing out the VWs. Inclines, rocky cliffs, drawbridges and simulated street floods. The remaining Euros came in handy and the bridge connecting Das Auto to the actual city of Wolfsburg was convenient. Outlet shopping is the same abroad- Nike, Polo, Calvin Klein, Adidas, Puma, LeCreuset- you name it. Following some impulse shopping, we grabbed a pre-game meal on “fan row” which was hoping with fans, food and lots of German bier. The walk to the stadium was less than fifteen minutes and it was clear most non Swedish Europeans chose to support Sweden. It was the first game we attended that was not sold out. Blonds were plentiful and US fans were loud and obnoxious just like they are here at American sporting events. Watching the Swedish national team warm up it was evident we had met our match physically. We started flat, just seemed a bit tired and not as enthused as the previous two games and at half it was clear. In all honesty, it was difficult to watch. Megan Rampinoe got the start today because Heather O’Reily had a pulled groin and it was unclear if Kelly O’Hara was ready for her first few minutes in today’s match. I must say I remain puzzled with our left back and today did not soothe my worries the least. Stephanie Cox came in the second half giving us immediate energy and a drive to get forward, but is she as effective one on one defensively…? Solo and Rampone remain solid even without a shutout tonight. Leaving the stadium was unsettling because this meant that we would face Brazil come Sunday and most of us recall Brazil beat our US team at the last World Cup in 2007. The household name, Marta, is most definitely a force to be reckoned with, she is crafty and can make something out of nothing. We had to lift spirits with a group gathering in town.

July 7^th, 2011

My last day in Germany- rise and shine and a five hour bus ride back to Hennef. Today we were exhausted, no question about it. We stopped at a rest stop for lunch and had a great meal in the cafeteria. “Great” would be in the eye of the diner, some of us dined German style with sausage, rolls, split pea soup etc. Others indulged in some good ol’ BK aka Burger King. Burgers, fries, milkshakes, it was apparent the hard rolls cheese sandwiches and deli meats were not cutting it for our American group. I am proud to say I stuck to German food the duration of the trip, snagged a fry here and there, so I was the annoying grazer, but managed to refrain from eating American fast food. When we returned to Hennef Sportschule we had one last game of pick up. EVERYONE participated. At this time I will call out JR, who is a coach from Long Island, had not played in any of the sessions, but somehow his MCL was on point this afternoon and he laced up the boots and played on our back line- well done JR. Randy tweaked his hamstring within minutes of our game, but stayed strong, scored a few goals and created opportunities. Coaches forget we have to warm up too;)

Our final dinner was at a golf course/club about 1.5km away through the woods and across the greens. The meal was delicious and the ambiance and company even better. We thanked our leaders, hosts and liaisons and dined in style. Tonight was a fabulous way to end a ten day trip abroad with strangers turned friends.

Needless to say, this trip exceeded all expectations and I hope that’s conveyed through my blogging. To say the NSCAA course was educational would be an understatement; I left Germany feeling enthusiastic, rejuvenated and motivated to continue serving the soccer community and promoting women’s soccer in the states and beyond. We are always representing more than ourselves and from the epic win over Brazil (Sunday afternoon) we were all reminded how much of an impact sports and belief to win can make.

Professionally, I learned a great deal from seasoned and experienced coaches. I feel as though I have an even greater understanding of the game. Culturally, I experienced German futbal, particularly women’s futbal and the significant potential impact of a World Cup victory. The entire trip I was soaking up the World Cup energy and I truly felt a part of our US Women’s National Team squad. As I end my blog and continue watching our women’s team advance I believe a few things are evident. The power to overcome obstacles can never be taken away from an individual and even more a team with a vision, plan and leadership, the 2011 World Cup in Germany may have a lasting impact on Germany, even more Europe, in promoting female futbalers or it may be a short lived celebration. (I am hoping for the former) The US appears far more advanced as far as appreciating the women’s futbal players and that was refreshing to see. May the game live on at home and abroad!

I would like to thank a few people: Frank Carr for encouraging me to apply for a professional development grant, Lyn Miller and the Earlham Professional Development committee for allowing this trip to happen, Jamie Gluck for reminding me that taking a trip like this is a once in a lifetime experience and for my players for their passion and our teamwork!

Stay tuned for US vs. France on Wednesday, July 13th

Monday, July 4, 2011

The U.S. Women Advance through Group C

June 30th and July 1st, 2011

We spent both days based here in Hennef and had four instructional sessions lead by: Frank Wormuth, Director of the DFB Education(AKA Big time coach), Vanessa Martinez (former Mexico National Team player, candidate for her pro license), April Heinrichs (US Women's Soccer Technical Director and U15, U17 National Team Coach as well as former US National Team Coach). Vanessa is a busy woman and in the midst of receiving her PhD so her lecture covered her interests: coaching the female soccer player and understanding the physical and mental aspects and limitations. According to her and research there is no proof that the female athlete and soccer player needs more rest or recovery from matches and/or training sessions. April focused her lecture on what US Women's Soccer is doing to develop technically and due to the ECNL teams, the phasing out of ODP how now they will identify youth talent. The answer: US Soccer Girl's Scouting Network Training Centers.

Additionally, over the course of two days we had four field sessions lead by Frank, Vanessa, Nancy Feldman(BUs coach) and Randy Waldrum(Notre Dame's coach). While all the instructional sessions were informative I must say I personally enjoyed Nancy and Randy's field sessions the most. Nancy started with the basics of defending and Randy went over patterns of attacking from the half. It was great out on the field, moving my body, listening to instructions, coaching points and being challenged physically and mentally. There's nothing better than putting yourself in a player's shoes from time to time to refresh perspective.

July 2^nd, 2011

Saturday morning began at the DFB(governing body of futbal in Germany) Head Quarters in Frankfurt where we toured the building and learned about the club/professional futbal (soccer in the states) organization in Germany. Unlike the states, clubs are clearly organized in divisions. On the men’s side there are 11 divisions and on the women’s six throughout Germany (5 states) there are 22 clubs. The top division on the men’s side is the Bundesliga and division 1-3 are professional players. On the women’s side the top division is the only professional league. The similarities are that more men’s soccer is shown on German television and Germany "seems" to be at a similar place as far as the appreciation for female athletes as the US. The difference is that in the US soccer started and continues to be a sport for girls/women, but in Germany and most other European nations is has been a sport for the men that the women are now trying to break into. However, the established clubs who have added women's teams have done it properly.

Later in the day we arrived at Hoffenheim, a club dedicated solely to girls and women. We were welcomed with open arms to tour this elite club hosting U6 through U20 teams. This particular club blew my mind. While the US couples university education and competitive soccer the Europeans and in this case, the Germans, organize clubs and playing soccer independently from gymnasium (highest track for high school) and university studies. While at Hoffenheim it was evident this facility dedicated was completely to developing women. Their motto was study, play, work and serve. We sat with an English speaking seventeen year old, Sophie Howard, who has been a part of the program for three years.

Tonight we caught USA vs. Columbia. As I was standing in line for a hot pretzel (how can you not) before the game I saw a handful of American looking soccer players. Turns out Brown soccer is on their pre season trip to Germany and enjoying US’s second game with us. I have a connection to Brown soccer as my sister played there from 2004-2008 so it was good to see some familiar faces. We watched and loved the US dominate the Columbia team. It was obvious our strength and athleticism played a part in this match and Columbia’s team rather new at 9 years old were unable to get a solid opportunity on frame. They have the speed up top and #11 was solid in the midfield, but I must say their goalkeeper looked more like a disaster than a shot stopper and their overall strength palled in comparison to our US players. It looked like women played girls. I thought Rampinoe did fantastically bringing energy and charisma to the left side, along with a goal! Tobin Heath and Stephanie Cox also contributed some solid minutes. If you were not able to watch, Lori Lindsay got the start and it is her brother, Jason Lindsay, who played for Roy.

July 3^rd, 2011

Off to Leverkusen… this morning we began with a lecture from Janet Rayfield. Janet has been with our NSCAA group for the past three days. She is a very successful coach at the University of Illinois and a former player at Chapel Hill. She is in Germany to work and is on the US Women’s National Team as a scout. Three others serve as scouts, but Janet has been kind enough to share with us the powerpoint she will email the USWNT staff. Immediately after her game she hopped in her rental car to drive seven hours to scout Brazil again tonight. Should we play Brazil in a later round, thank Janet Rayfield. We had a short drive to Leverkusen to check out another German futbal club, meet some coaches and most importantly see the actual Bayer Leverkusen stadium(one of the 9 World Cup sites) and where the professional games take place. No lie, we were given the grand tour of the stadium, spa, home team locker room and even walked through the doors that professionals and World Cup teams walk through! I sat on the bench and felt like a world cup player for a half second (in my mind’s eye). Nine groundskeepers tend to the stadium field and all the practice fields, needless to say, it's pristine.

At the Leverkusen stadium we were taken to the VIP conference room for a small bite, coffees and cappicionos and had discussion with Christian, the Director of Events and in charge of the women’s Bayer Leverkusen teams, Dorrean, coach of the Bundaslingua (Professional top level) team and Wolf who coaches the second level of the women’s team. I truly enjoyed Dorrean and her story. It’s funny how you can instantly connect with someone and even though she spoke in German and our liaison, Frank, translated everything, I felt like this is a young female coach I would absolutely LOVE to play for. Hard to put a finger on it, just know when you experience it. She scurried out of the meeting a bit before two in order to prep her professional team (who finished 8^th in their first year of the professional league) for their 3pm game vs. UNC Tarheels. While I’m far more inclined to root for anyone besides UNC we were in Germany so in essence we were rooting for the states. UNC Women’s squad (who are on their summer training trip) have been traveling throughout the country and were pretty banged up on their last day. They had ten healthy field players and three goalkeepers. I mention this only because I learned a lesson today: It can happen at any level to anyone. Anson Dorrance spoke to our group before kickoff and told us his plan and formation (typical 3-5-2). His most dominate player, Crystal Dunn, is recovering from compartments syndrome and was only permitted to play two :25 minute increments and he was going to have to have a goalie step in as a field player. The squad pulled away with a 2-0 victory and a decent amount of playing time on the field for his goalkeeper. This evening we will watch Brazil play at the Bistro in the Hennef Sportschule, walk into town and take it easy because tomorrow is the 4^th!