Thursday - Going Home

This morning we are packing and getting ready to head to closing ceremonies and then home.

It's been an amazing 3 1/2 weeks with 20 remarkable young women (19 players and my assistant coach Jessica). For a group of young women from diverse backgrounds to live, train, play, have hearts broken and then rebound together and still truely care deeply for one another is amazing. They go home knowing they will all be connected forever. For me, I go home with the memories of seeing them each grow as athletes, soccer players and young jewish women.
But I'm most pleased that I now have 20 additional daughters.

It's been an honor and a privilege to have been entrusted these wonderful young people.

Vivareshicha Adonai V'yshmircha;
Ya-Ayr Adonai panav Aylecha v'yichunecha;
Yee-saw Adonai panav Aylecha v'ya-saym l'cha

May the Lord bless and keep you; may He make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may He lift up His countenance to smile on you, and give you Peace.

Wednesday - Medal Ceremony Pics/Haifa

Today the players had a choice between spending a day with the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and seeing what its like to spend a day as a soldier or going to Haifa to see the Open Women's Final between the US and Israel. Five girls chose to have the army experience and the rest went with Jessica and I (and some of the U18 Boys) to Haifa. The US beat Israel for the Gold 4 - 0 in a pretty boring match, so having a chance to eat and do a little shopping in Haifa was the real highlight.

I have posted some pics of the Medal Ceremony from last night. As you see, it was smiles all around. Tonight we begin packing and preparing for the closing ceremony and departure. I'll do my final post tomorrow morning.

Tuesday - Final vs Canada

There is an old expression that soccer can be a cruel game. Today we felt that cruelty. We knew it would be very different from the previous match although it started out much the same way.
At 1:35 into the match, a beautiful series of 6 consecutive passes resulted in a goal for us. It was just as we would draw it up. We came out playing a 3-5-2 looking to take advantage of our ability to possess the ball and our speed of play. It looked like it would be a repeat of Sunday's match until the referee decided he needed to even things up. After several calls going against us in a row he gave Canada a free kick from about 25 yards out. He told the players to "wait for his whistle". At that point the Canadian girl struck the ball into the net just under the crossbar while we were setting up. When the players asked he just ignored them. When I asked he just smiled and shrugged his shoulders. Unfortunately these things happen when you are the US playing away from home.
We gathered ourselves and got ready for what was now going to be a war. As expected, Canada was rebounded from being deflated from our goal and now was motivated. The match turned a bit more physical with both teams stepping up the intensity. As halftime we talked about getting back to our game of up tempo possession and switching the point of attack. We created opportunities but were unable to finish them off. On to overtime. Two ten minute periods where we continued to create chances to score but had balls cleared of the line or were called for a hand ball or offside.
Tied 1-1 after overtime we went to penalty kicks. I still felt quite confident going into PK's as we have 2 quality keepers who both played in the match and fairly technical players. (I had played both Gabby & Alexa in goal splitting both regulation and overtime between them.) For PK's Gabby got the call since she was the keeper on the field at the end. With Canada shooting first, Gabby saved two giving us chances to win the game. Unfortunately we were not able to convert those opportunities. (the Canadian Goalkeeper did quite we well also). After 5 shooters it was still tied so we proceed shooting sudden death until the 10th shooter when we missed and they had converted.
Shattered is the only word I can think of to describe my feelings for my players at that point. As I stated yesterday, I had no doubt they would conduct themselves with honor and distinction and did not deserve this result but nonetheless I could not have been or continue to be prouder for them.
As stated above, the game can be cruel. However, these amazing young women who continue to carry themselves with class asked if they can get together at a tournament in the states so they can play together again. So maybe its just my perspective as a Dad that I feel the cruelty long after they have moved on to just continuing enjoying each other again.

Monday - Rest, Recuperation, Preparation

Today we spent the day resting and preparing for the Gold Medal game against Canada tomorrow at 11:00 am. (4:00 am est)
The players slept in and we met for lunch at 11:30 am. At 1:00 pm we took a brisk 45 min walk through the Kibbutz and then spent the next 45 min doing stretching, some yoga and relaxation exercises. Jessica then took the girls to he pool for an hour.
We have begun what we're calling "team segregation". That means for the 36 hours leading up to the final match we are staying away from the other teams and athletes as much as possible and keeping together as a team. In some cases its as much a state of mind as a practical reality since we are living amongst the other athletes. The intention is to focus attention and energy on the task ahead rather than get caught up in the usual hustle/bustle of others.
Tonight we'll have dinner as a team and then our Madrich (which is an Israeli counselor assigned to accompany each team) is doing a program with the girls. (BTW our Madrich Molly, is from Boston and has been great)

We'll meet for breakfast tomorrow at 8:oo am, have our tactical meeting at 8:45 am then board the bus to head over to Wingate around 9:15 am.

The culmination of all we have learned about the the game, each other and ourselves will be tested tomorrow. Regardless the outcome I feel very confident that each my young women are prepared to represent themselves, their families and our country with honor and distinction.

I'm hoping that the next picture I post will have gold in it!

Sunday - USA Beats Canada 3 - 0 to Finish Group Play Undefeated

Today we beat Canada 3 - 0. But, more importantly was how we did it. The game was at Nuerim Field which is on the small and tight side so we played a low pressure, 4 - 5 - 1 direct style. As expected they came at us right from the opening whistle playing 4 flat in the back and looking to pressure us. We scored in the first 2 mins and then again 10 mins later. We also platooned our subs by making wholesale changes midway through each half since they aren't as fit or deep as us. They were very frustrated by what we were doing and kept yelling over to their bench that all we were doing was playing kickball. I do have to admit that it wasn't very attractive but as I told my players, we were looking to set them up for Tuesday's Gold Medal match which will be played at Wingate Stadium which is a nice big, fast pitch. (wink)
We scored the 3rd goal in the 3rd min of the second half to secure things. They never really found a solution for our clog up the middle tactic. I'm quite sure that they will come with a renewed intensity on Tuesday. They are a good team with some dangerous players up top and a quality keeper in goal.

After the match we went straight to Tel Aviv Beach and spent a couple of hours enjoying the Mediterranean. Canada, Finland and the Spanish Volleyball teams also went.
When we returned from the beach we had quick showers and then on the bus again to head over to Ra'anana for a concert with several thousand kids. It was one of Israels top bands and the crowd was mostly under 21. (The pics are of the after effects of playing a match in the morning and a couple of hours at the beach)

We just had a quick meeting before the team headed to bed to talk about keeping focused for the next 36 hours. We're very close to finishing out what has been an amazing 3 1/2 weeks the way we've planned all along.

Friday - Interesting Morning Event and Shabbat

This morning we had the opportunity to attend a special premiere of a new Israeli movie called "Size Matters". It's about 4 Israeli guys who form a sumo wrestling team. A very funny movie.
I recommend keeping your eye out for an opportunity to see it when it comes to the states.
After the movie were got to meet two of the lead actors. It was fun, relaxing morning before I released the girls to spend Shabbat (Fri night/Sat) with family who are here. After being away from family for 3 weeks I know that everyone was looking forward to spending time (and going out to eat) with their families.
The Soccer Coaching Staff even had an opportunity to go out for dinner at a wonderful restaurant in Herzliya. For anyone who has an opportunity to visit. The restaraunt is called ZooZooBar and features Pan-Asian cuisine. We all definitely enjoyed a couple of hours in our "civilian clothes".
We will re-assemble Saturday night and begin preparations for our matches with Canada.
We play them Sunday in final match of pool play with both of us undeated and looking ahead to the medal game on Tuesday.

Shabbat Shalom Ya'll

Thursday - Rolling along

Today we played Finland and while they were a pretty athletic group, the tactic of man marking that they used was disasterous for them. Good for us though. Once we got used to them chasing us all over the field it was just a matter of time before our tempo of possession and ball movement opened the game up. I was surprised that they stayed with that tactic throughout the whole match, even after it was clear they weren't nearly as fit or technical as we are. 7 - 0 was the result with their keeper putting in a courageous effort.
We play Canada on Sunday in the final group match and then we will play them on Tuesday for the final game since we both have won all of our matches. Should be quite interesting as they are much improved over 4 years ago and play a pretty direct, physical game.
They have been scouting us at each of our previous matches so I think I'll show them a different look and give them something to think about before the final.

We watched our U18 boys play Canada today and come out with a 1 - 1 draw, playing a man down to put them into the medal round.

After the boys game, some of the girls and I walked over to the shopping center next door for falafel. Some of the girls had McDonalds. Guess they needed a taste of home after being away for 3 weeks.

Tomorrow we are going to an event being held at the Cinema City and then the girls will be joining their families for Shabbat. Time for some recharging before we head into the battle with our neighbors to the north.

Wednesday - A Lesson in Gracious Winning

Today we played Great Britain. We won 8 -1 but the score wasn't nearly as impressive as how our girls conducted themselves. From the beginning we knew we out matched them both in level of play and fitness. They were also without their starting goalkeeper who spent the night in the hospital for dehydration and their best player who was in a cast from their match with Canada the day before. At halftime with the match in hand at 5 - 1 we talked about playing good quality soccer rather than just pushing it forward for more goals. I told them that if we played the game the way we've been training that goals would take care of themselves. We also talked about our responsibility to promote women's soccer by being good ambassadors for the sport. We knocked the ball around with 1 & 2 touches and defended collectively with low pressure. As such, we still scored 3 more goals. During the match the coach from GB came over to me to tell me that a couple of his girls were so anxious about the match that they didnt sleep the night before. He told me they had seen part of our match against Israel and he also told me that his girls all have so much respect for US Womens Soccer that they thought they were playing 19 Mia Hamms today.

After the match our girls got together and did a cheer for GB to show our respect and appreciation for their efforts. After that the lovefest began. Both teams came together for a picture and the players started trading gear, trading email address and before you know it there was even dancing on the field. It was a true expression of what the Maccabiah is all about.

One of my girls said it felt like they were our little sisters.

Sometimes the best plays of game happen after the whistle blows. And sometimes EVERYBODY gets to win.

Tuesday - Game Day finally arrives!

We got home after midnight from the Opening Ceremonies and met for breakfast at 8:00am for an 11:00am kick off against Israel. I was concerned about how tired we would be from last night but felt a bit better when I was told the Israeli team was also at Opening Ceremonies as well. Still, I was ready for an ugly match on both sides.

As expected the Israelis came right at us playing a pretty direct style and were able to manage a goal. It came off of a ball that was being clearing out of the penalty box and bounced off of the back of an Israeli player and into the goal. As it turned out that made us focus and raise the level of intensity of our play. We picked up the tempo and created several chances before getting the equalizer before halftime.

As the girls came off the field their comments were that they didn't feel tired or pressured at all and were quite confident. In the second half we put on a display of soccer that had even the referees and security personnel remarking that they had never seen young women play at that level before.

We exploded for 3 goals, with the Israelis only managing to cross midfield a few times.

After the game when the Israeli coach to shake me hand, he kept saying over and over "beautiful" "beautiful". Yes it was!

We wore our Ethan Zohn, Grassroots Soccer shirts during pre-game warm-up as a tribute to Maccabi Soccer Alumnus Ethan Zohn who we selected at honorary Captain for Maccabi USA Soccer.

Tonight we'll relax and enjoy a pool party here (not too late) and then prepare for Great Britain tomorrow at 4:00 pm.

Monday - The Maccabiah has Begun!

Today was another of those amazing days. We had a light training session at Wingate and then were able to scout Canada vs Israel who we play first. We watched the first half and then got to see the second half of our U16 boys against Israel. It was 0 - 0 at half with a pretty large contingent of American families there. Midway through the second half the Argentine's arrive because they had the game following and since we are staying with them at Shefayim they started banging their drums and cheering for the US. Our boys scored in the 86th min and held on to win. A great result for Coach Goldfarb and the boys. The girls were so pumped up they were ready to play right there! They made a tunnel for the boys to run through as they came off the field just like they were a bunch of U8's. LOL

In the afternoon the girls decorated the hall with red/white/blue streamers, flags and banners and then at 4:00 pm we left to head to Ramat Gan Stadium for Opening Ceremonies.

It was alot of standing around and waiting but the girls all had a good time taking pictures with the other delegations.

Around 8:15pm we began to enter the stadium. Seeing the faces of my players as they entered the stadium is one of the things I most looked forward to. 50,000 cheering fans and on live TV was definitely a new experience for most.

US Olympic Gold Medalist, Jason Lesak was the final torch bearer who was chosen to like the Maccabiah flame. Truely an electric moment in during a once in a lifetime evening.

Sunday - Game Prep & Family Visits

Sunday we trained at a field that is right on property at Shefayim where we are staying. We worked on re-start situations. I think we could be dangerous on corners since we have several players who are fairly strong in the air. However as I explained to them, just being able to head the ball isn't enough. nowing where/how to make the runs as well as targeting the service is critical.
After training the girls had an opportunity to visit with family who have begun to arrive. Getting hugs and Food from family was well appreciated.

Saturday - Rest & Recuperation Day

Today is Shabbot so there no transportation available to get to training fields. It works out well for us as day to allow catch up on our rest. I told the girls that the plan was for manditory sleeping in and I didn't want to see them until lunch at 11:30 am. As expected no one had a problem with this. ;) After lunch we took a little run around Kibbutz Shefayim and did some fitness work. We then had a intra-team soccer tennis tournament that was quite competitive and spirited with since there was Iced Coffee on the line for the winners. (Iced Coffee in Israel is more of a frozen frappachino and therefore is quite a valued prize)

Later in the evening, Ron Schneider who is the Assistant Coach for the U18 boys(and former Israel National Womens Coach & and current Director of Soccer Education for the Wingate Institute) did a video session for the U18 boys and the girls. He showed highlights of Euro 2008 and then spoke about pressure defending. (when to play high/low pressure & maintaining compactness)

Tomorrow we are hoping to get to Wingate to train and watch the U18 boys play their first match. But the transportation system thusfar seems a bit shaky so as I mentioned earlier, we are definitely in the "hurry up and wait mode".

*Note: The Israeli management model is based upon a military structure and therefore anyone who has to make a decision needs to get permission of the person above who needs to get permission from the person above and so on. As Americans we are used a more fluid, flexible style of management so it requires patience and persistance on our part to function.

While it creates some moments of frustration for our coaches, it provides some hilarious stories to share when we all get together at the end of the day. The soccer coaches have established a running card game of Spades each evening after curfew which gives us a chance to wind down and decompress. Fortunately we have a great soccer staff. Adam Cooper(St. Mary's College), my assistant Jessica Stegman and Preston & Sean Goldfarb (Birmingham Southern Univ).

Those of you who know Preston can imagine his organized, German mentality "functioning" in this environment. I'll leave it for you to read his own blog.

Friday - Training at Wingate/Coaches Learning Experience

This morning we had our first training session at Wingate. As expected it started out rather slow since it had been a couple of days since we've been able to train. Jessica took Gaby and Alexa and did some technical training with the keepers. I worked on re-establishing the tempo of possession that we had developed prior. By the time the keepers joined us for a intra-squad scrimmage we were firing on all cylinders again. In fact, I had orginally planned on a 90 min session but the level of play was so good and we seemed to be in such a good zone that I allowed the play to continue an additional 20 min. We played the final 10 min golden goal but both keepers were playing extremely well so I ended it a draw and we went to penalty kicks.
After training the girls hung out around the hotel. Some of them working on their tans. (here's a picture of Hannah sporting her #3)

I attended the soccer technical meetings with other coaches back at Wingate.

After the soccer technical meetings, all the soccer coaches went to the parking lot to return and there were 4 buses sitting and none of the drivers could take us anywhere without authorization. At one point they were all standing in a circle talking on cell phones at the same time. (loudly I might add) Finally all the coaches were told to get on a bus but I got a call from Harold(our delegation manager) who said they were sending a car for us. We stood around for about 10 mins when another bus pulled up and said "are you going to Shefayim"? We got on and drove up the hill to leave when we came upon the other bus of soccer coaches. We pulled along side and the drivers spoke for a min. We were then all then told to get out and switch buses. It was then like a chinese firedrill with soccer coaches switching buses in the middle of the road and cars behind us honking. After we got on the other bus the driver said he was taking us to Shefayim. BUT, instead of going out the gate he did another lap of Wingate and picked up a group of Australians who were supposed to be staying with us but had changed to another hotel. Fortunately at that point I negotiated with the driver to drop us off first before then going on the figure out how to get the Aussies to their place. We've been spoiled by having the US Delegation handling logistics but now we are at the mercy of the greater Maccabiah bureaucratic system. Truely a learning experience for our coaches. I've been telling the girls to be prepared "hurry up and wait" and now I have a first hand experience.

We had Shabbat dinner together and then the players all hung out and mingled with the other athletes in the courtyard the rest of the evening.
Shabbat Shalom, Ya'll

Thursday - Moving out of Kfar Maccabiah and over to Shefayim

Today was the day we made the move from Kfar Maccabiah to our official accommodation center at Shefayim. After we checked Mark Knue and I took most of the girls into Tel Aviv to the marketplace at Shenkman Rd. Oy Vey! What was I thinking? 15-17 year old girls in a shopping frenzy. I just tried to just stay out of the way.
Thank you to Mark for treating us all to his favorite Tel Aviv pizza place while we were there.

After we got the last group of bargin hunters back to the Kfar we had a meeting with all the US delegation before everyone headed out to their respective accommodation centers. A final pep rally for Team USA and a send off from the US Ambassador to Israel, James Cunningham.

When we got to Shefayim, we settled into our rooms, had an orientation meeting and then had a team meeting where I announced the Captains. During individual meetings with each player it became clear that rather than one or two leaders, we have a group of young women who all have displayed leadership qualities at varying times over the past two weeks. In fact, one of the girls said to me that she thought about it really hard but couldnt pick one or two people who were the leaders because she felt it was a team of leaders. I decided that our goalkeepers will share duties as captain depending on who was the starter for that game as well as rotating the other Captainship amongst the team. Everyone was really pleased with this decision. It continues to amaze me what a remarkable group of young women I have here. They have bonded into a tight cohesive team that respects and celebrates the individual diversity between them.

Tomorrow we have our first training session at Wingate as we move into "competition" phase.

Wednesday - Lunch with the Druze/Beach Party Finale'

Today we had a great learning experience. We scrimmaged the Open Women for a third time. When Jason Neidell the coach of the Open Women (and my room mate here) asked what I wanted out of the scrimmage I told him that I wanted his best out of his team. They totally thrashed us. Not only on the score 4 - 0 but they physically pushed and bullied us around.

We were tired from touring (but so were they), some of us were a bit sick from a stomach bug (but so were they) but the difference as I told the girls was the maturity and experience of the Open Team. They were able focus on the game at hand and take care of the business at hand. They showed us the mental toughness and discipline is needed to preform at the next level. I particularly wanted our players who will be playing in college shortly to experience what that was like. As I said, it was a great learing experience for us.

After the match we boarded our bus for a trip up north to have lunch with the Druze. A people who not only make wonderful food but taught the kids about the diversity of Israel and evidence that people of very differenct cultures can live together and thrive here.

After lunch we went to the Kinerit for a beach party and Bar B Q. We also had a chance to relect on what we saw, learned and felt over the past several days of touring. Unfortunately we also said goodbye to our Fantastic Guide, Rachel Smith. She truely brought history alive for us.

I also was able to sit with each player and have individual discussions about their experience thusfar and their choice of Captain. I was once again amazed at how insightful our players are.

Tomorrow I'll announce the outcome.

Tomorow morning we check out of Kfaf Maccabiah and transfer to Shefyim which will be our home during the competititions.

Tuesday, Dead Sea, Masada & Dancing in the Desert

Tuesday morning instead of our usual 7-9am training session I decided to let the team sleep in a bit. We met in the lobby at 8am and I took them on a run through the park across from Kfar Maccabiah. When we returned from the run the girls joined Jessica in the pool for some water aerobics and stretching. A nice light workout in preparation for a long day which was ahead.

After lunch we boarded the buses for the trek down south the the Dead Sea for the unique experience of floating and mud treatments at the lowest place on earth.

After showering and changing we headed over to Masada for a tour of the last stand of the Zealots against the Roman army and a ceremony on top of the morning at sunset. A specatular view of a spectacular land!

We then walked down the mountain and boarded the buses for a short ride into the desert to have a traditional Bedohuin dinner. Not only was the food great but inspired by Ami Monson's dancing with the belly dancer the athletes all were up dancing and celebrating.

You'll have to excuse the shortness of this post as its 2:3am and I'm posting this for the second time. As I was uploading the pictures I knowed out my USB cable and the computer rebooted. I lost my original post I was working on. Needless to say I'm a bit tired and cranky right now.

I am pleased there are so many who seem to be following our adventures as I'm gotten a number of emails from you. I appreciate it and the girls all get a kick out of hearing who is out there paying attention.

Anyway, goodnight for now. BK

Monday - Jerusalem Day 2

It was an amazing & remarkable day in Jerusalem. We started the day at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial and as expected each was touched profoundly in an individual way. We began the tour with our guide, Rachel and each was allowed to drift off to experience on their own or with the guide. Unfortunately and as usual, you never feel like you have had enough time to completely experience Yad Vashem. We were able to have a little time together as a team to reflect and share what we saw and felt. Whether it was the first time or second/third, each came away with something different which I believe part of the intent of the experience.

After Yad Vashem we visited Mt. Herzel and saw the graves of Theodore Herzel, the father of modern zionism. We also spent some time at the site of Yitzak Rabin's grave and discussed with our guide the tragedy of him being killed by a fellow jew immediately following giving a speech on peace.

We ended the day with a remarkable Bar/Bat Mitzah service at Hebrew University. Our entire team decided to do Bat Mitzvah together to both reaffirm their faith as well as to support the girls who were doing Bnei Mitzvah for the first time.

A remarkable and moving day for all indeed!

Here are some pictures from the Service. BTW, our team is often to first to join into celebration, dancing or singing. So, your surprised?

Sunday - Jerusalem Part 1

Sunday morning we had our usual training session from 7 - 9 am at Yahud. We spilt the field with the open women and Jessica took the Alexa & Gabby for 45 mins of goalkeeper training. I took the rest of the team to work on making runs in the final third (+ penalty box) and individual defending. The keepers joined us for the second half for the session for a very spirited game of 2 vs 1 + keepers in the box. I am continually pleased at how hard my players train and how focused they are at each session.

In the afternoon we traveld to Old Jerusalem and visited "The Kotel" which is the Western Wall.

Here are 2 pics of our visit to the wall. One is the team prayer "one heart, one team".

After the wall we visited a site called Hezikiahs Tunnel which is a water tunnel underneath Old Jerusalem. It was 45 min in pitch darkness (with tiny flashlights) in water that varied from ankle to knee depth. It was the route that King David lead his army into capture Jerusalem.

Tomorrow we visit New Jerusalem which will include Yad Vashem, Holocaust Memorial. I'm sure it will be a moving experience for us all.

BTW, which over 400 of our delegation here at Kfar Maccabiah now as well as other countries starting to arrive it sometimes takes awhile before I get access to a computer. Thats why it may seem like the posts are a day late.

Saturday Part 2 - The Caves

On Saturday after we played the Open Women we took at trip to Beit Guvrin Caverns. We had to crawl down and through some very small openings in order to reach the caverns. Here are some pics from Beit Guvrin.

Fourth of July in Israel

This morning we had our second scrimmage with the Open Women's Team. We played the first 30min very well controlling the play, changing the point of attack and creating several goalscoring opportunities. However, our inexperience kept us from taking advantage of our possession and unfortunately were punished the three times we turned the ball over at midfield giving up goals. We did finally manage an absolutely brillant goal scored from a 4o yrd driven cross from Maggie Zeitz (Def/Tex) who had the ball at the right midfield to the top left corner of the box to Amanda Epstein(Fwd/NY) who took the ball off her chest, touched it one time to the inside and cracked it into the upper corner of goal. Truely a different level of play.
We struggled a bit in the 2nd half until the final 15 mins when we stepped up to high pressure them and created several turnovers and opportunities for ourselves. The scored ended 4 - 1 but another great learning experience for us.

In the evening we had a July 4th B-B-Q at the Kfar Maccabiah Country Club with the entire US delegation of 900 + complete with fireworks at 9pm.

I'll tell you about the tour of the caverns of Beit Guvrin we took in the afternoon in the next post.

Friday July 3rd

Friday we trained from 7 - 9 am and worked on changing the tempo of play (low pressure/high pressure) as well as creating and attacking space behind the play. The girls are work really hard and the session went so well that I ended it early and decided not to continue with the previously planned fitness training. (the was much rejoicing)
We showered and spent the afternoon at a mall as a culmination of two-a-day training being finished in addition to getting away from the hotel while the rest of the US delegation arrived.

In the evening the entire US delegation who are staying here at Kfar Maccabiah had Shabbat dinner together with Rabbi Kula who explained our connection as Maccabi athletes with Juda Maccabi and the revolt for freedom that he lead 20 mins from our location. (this is where the holiday of Channuka comes from).
Jessica Stegman, my assistant coach joined us this evening as well. Jessica is a former goalkeeper at the Univ. of Miami and a 3 time Maccabi athlete. She is currently working in NY with the Lifetime TV Network. After dinner the "girls" had a meeting to spend some time with Jess.
With another 200+ athletes here this place is really hopping. (there are also approximately 400 at another hotel)

Thursday - Scrimmage Game Results

Thursday nights scrimmages were quite interesting. My team played the Open Women who are mostly Division 1 college players. We lost 5 - 2 but we played fairly well. Most of their goals came off of mistakes we made either in communication or rushing our decisions.
The Junior Boys played a local club team and drew 1 - 1 with Coach Preston Goldfarb(Birmingham Southern Head Coach) happy with how his team played.
The most interesting match of the evening was with the US Open Men who played Hapoel Peta Tivah who are a Israeli First Division Professional Team. They played 3 45 min periods as Peta Tikvah brought both their Reserves and First Team. Peta Tikvah won 2-1 but it was a very competative match. In fact, there were quite a number of fans from Peta Tikvah as well as our other teams there with created a great enviroment.
All of our teams seem to be coming together quite nicely considering just being together 4 days.

Training-Training-Training

We have settled into our training routine of 7:00 am - 9:00 am Fitness & Technical Training at Hakoach Field and 4:00 - 6:00 pm Tactical Training at Yahud Field. Yahud is a brand new sport turf field which is an amazing surface to play on. It plays alot like a good Bermuda grass field, nice and fast except it can get a bit hot. Here are a couple of pics of the girls preparing for training at Yahud.

We have a very skillful team although as with most of the young players in the US today they need to be encouraged to express creativity. There is agreement between the entire soccer staff that we are not developing the players to play at the next level in our clubs. But, rather have fallen into the trap of collecting players to gain results at tournaments. That is one thing I hope to be addressing at my own club. (Palm Harbor)

Tonight we will play a scrimmage match with the Open Women's Team which is made up of all Division 1 College players or recent college grads. Should be a great test as the US Women are the best team in the tournament along with Israel. Time for my youngsters to grow up a bit more. I'll let you know how we fare.

Long Day of Travel

Spent ALLLLLLL day Sunday traveling. Here is a pic of my team at Newark Airport just before we boarded the plane. The flight was long and uneventful except that I got to watch Grand Torino. Great movie. In fact I that I watched 3 Clint Eastwood movies on the plane. Hmmmm, I'd didn't realize before about the EL AL "Clint Eastwood Film Festival".

We arrived at Kfar Maccabiah, the sport center/hotel run by Maccabi. Great Facility in Ramat Gan which is a suburb of Tel Aviv. The girls soon realized with a "Wonderful Coach" they have when I told them they were free to spend a couple of hours hanging out at the pool that afternoon.

At 4:00 pm, we headed over the the Hakoach field around the corner from Kfar Maccabiah for an hour of light training. (Hakoach is the training field for one of the clubs here) We did a little fitness and technical training as a way of both getting our bodies moving after the long trip and to set a tone as to the level of expectation I have. I wanted the players to begin to start thinking about their game at a different level and pace they are used to. To be successful on the international level we need to play (and think) the game much quicker. I was very pleased at our work rate and willingness to push ourselves while we were quite fatigued from the travel.

After training, we had an orientation with the other teams here for Training Camp, the other soccer teams, Baseball, Basketball, Volleyball, Rowing are here as well.

It's now 9:00 pm and we are about to have a quick team meeting to review tomorrow's schedule and CRASH! I don't think anyone will have trouble sleeping at this point. Good first day!

Packed and Ready

I've got everything for the next 4weeks into 1 large suitcase and my adidas backpack. I've either gotten very good at this travel thing or I may be buying Israeli underware. (sorry I know thats not a pretty picture)

Travel plans for tomorrow are as follows:
6:30 am Albany, GA to Atlanta
8:35 am Atlanta, GA to Newark
(Preston Goldfarb - Jr. Boys Coach & his son Sean are on this same flight)
10:58 am Arrive in Newark and meet up with my team.
2:30 pm Depart El Al for Tel Aviv.
7:45 am Monday, Arrive Tel Aviv and transport to Kfar Maccabiah which will be our Training Camp home until July 9th.

I'll speak to ya'll from Training Camp after we get settled.

Roster of Players

Here is the roster of Players for the Maccabi USA Jr. Girls Soccer Team. I'll tell you more about each over the next couple of days.

MF Blumenstyk, Julia Morristown NJ
D Cohen, Liza Cincinnati OH
D Epstein, Amanda Jericho NY
D Goodman, Bethany Clearwater FL
D Kalik, Jaclyn Riverview FL
GK Kaufman, Gabrielle West Hills CA
D Knue, Ariana Cincinnati OH
F Knue, Carly Cincinnati OH
GK Levick, Alexandra Cincinnati OH
F Levin, Hannah Chevy Chase MD
D Nelson, Rachel New Hyde Park NY
MF Paz, Danielle Roswell GA
MF Rabushka, Audrey Deerfield IL
D Ragins, Allison Deerfield IL
MF Schrier, Shelby Scarsdale NY
MF Schwartz, Dana Sunnyvale CA
D Zietz, Margaret Bellaire TX
MF Zigelsky, Morgan Franklin TN
MF Zwecker, Haley Atlanta GA

Game Schedules Released

The schedule for matches for our group is as follows;
7/14 11am vs Israel (the National U17 Team)
7/15 4pm vs Great Britain
7/16 9am vs Finland
7/19 11am vs Canada

The Canadians sent us a request today to switch opening matches with them. Funny thing is, they open 7/13 with Israel. Considering how much smack they talked when I met them in Israel in Feb. this request feels a bit like gamesmanship to me. I'm guessing 1 or 2 of their top players may not be arriving in time. Sorry Canada, welcome to International Soccer!

I guess this will make the US v Canada match a little more interesting now.

We haven't even boarded the plane yet and I'm already having fun ;)

Preparations to Leave for Israel

Time to make final preparations to head to Israel for the 18th World Maccabiah Games.

There will be over 5,000 athletes from over 60 countries participating in the 3rd largest sporting event in the world.

For those interested you can find out more at www.maccabiah.com I believe they will be posting videos and results of all of the events on that site.

Sent the final training schedule for the US soccer teams to Israel. We are going over ahead of the US Delegation to hold our training camp at Kfar Maccabiah.

I'm currently making and going through my packing lists for the 4 weeks that I'll be in Israel.

I'll try to keep you all informed as the "happenings" with me, my team (the US Jr. Girls) and the rest of the US Delegation.