PLAYING TIME...... DO YOU EARN IT OR EXPECT IT??
COVER STORY
By Brooke de Lench
The Fifty Percent "Solution"?
One year, when my sons were playing travel soccer, they had a coach who I will calll Nick. The season consisted of eight games, one every Saturday afternoon. The policy of the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association was for every child to play a minimum of fifty percent of each game.
Seems fair enough, right? Think again. The way it worked on Nick's team was for six of the players (one of them his son) to play between seventy-five and one hundred percent of the game while the remaining twelve boys (including two of my sons) shared the remaining time. Sure, they all played fifty percent of each game, but thirty-five minutes, instead of the upwards of seventy the "favored six" played each week.
The Coach’s Favorite
One of the players seemed to get special consideration. Ricky was a strong, natural athlete: big, fast and tall. Yet, despite the fact that he had never played travel soccer, missed all but two of the team's sixteen weekday practices!! due to other sport team commitments, he never came out of the game! Ever!
The favoritism that Nick showed Ricky wasn't lost on the parents, many of who grumbled on the sidelines about how unfair it was that he was always playing.
Building Resentment
It wasn't lost on the players either. Most players were essentially sharing a position with another boy and by the end of the season, each had played the equivalent of four full games, while the "lucky" six had played almost eight full games.
Yet, each family paid the full price for their sons to be on the team.
Since it is generally agreed that the more one plays, the better one tends to get, not only did playing the less developed players less than the more skilled and experienced players make it harder for them to catch up to the other boys, but, worse, it made being on the team less fun and tended to build resentment among the "have nots" towards the full time players which was clearly destructive of team chemistry and cohesion.
Playing, Not Winning, Should Come First
Dr. Milton Fujita, a California-based child-adolescent psychiatrist, has seen plenty of children harmed by participation in sports. "Organizing games for children is fine as long as it's organized so all the kids who want to play actually get to play,";he says. "When the whole issue of winning becomes primary, then participation suffers.. Winning is kind of inherent. You can't really de-emphasize it. But winning at all costs is something that needs to be looked at very seriously," says Fujita.
Condensed from an article by Ellen Carter, Detroit Free Press
With 38 million children from 6 to 18 playing sports in school, recreation leagues and travel teams, the pressure is on young athletes to be stoic team players regardless of age.
This year, thousands of kids from across the country in sports ranging from baseball to soccer will be spending a whole lot of time not getting into the game.
“Do I have a problem with younger kids sitting on the bench? Yes, I do” says Rick Wolff, sports psychologist and chairman of the Center for Sports Parenting. “When kids are under 12 years of age, it is absolutely wrong to have a situation where the coach says, in effect, we’re here to win.
No coach can predict how much better a kid will get as they get older. You’re not going to improve if you don’t play.”
Wolff and other youth sports advocates say teams should give equal playing time to all players through the age of 13, period.
They indicate fewer kids would drop out of sports if this were the case. Nationally, nearly three-quarters of all kids drop out of sports by age 13. Ironically, it is not until the age of 14 those psychologists indicate children are developmentally ready to handle sitting on the bench as part of being on a competitive team.Providing equal playing time for younger athletes is the ultimate objective, however, knowledgeable coaches and educators agree, there are certain caveats that should govern playing time even with younger players. Just as one would expect in a classroom, discipline, effort, attendance all are important factors that can influence the amount of playing time for young athletes. For example, allowing a star player to start after missing several key practices during the week over another child who has attended each practice does little in the way of instilling the values of commitment, team work, etc.
Even at an early age, coaches and parents can begin to teach the principles of effort, teamwork, and self-discipline.These concepts are no doubt at odds with real life.
Ever since travel teams were invented, the goal has been for the best team to win – even if some kids ride the bench for most of the game.
Compounding the issue, is the fact that parents and children really don’t separate emotionally until the mid-teens thus creating an atmosphere where what happens to the young athlete may feel to the parent that it’s happening to them. Thus the feelings of rejection and anger that a child has due to sitting out becomes present within their parent(s).
The height of this parental fervor, say coaches, parents, and athletes, is when children are 9 to 13 years old. Although fewer than 1 percent of child athletes ever become professional athletes, at that point of their athletic experiences, all children might yet be an Olympian, pro athlete, or college star.
Many of the worst incidents of youth sports have featured parents of fourth thru eight graders. Often they are sparked by conflicts over playing time. Of the 32 most serious incidences of youth sports recorded by the National Association of Sports Officials, 26 involved parent or coach violence over games for 5 to 13 year olds.
By high school, playing time issues tend to ease because many sports begin to make cuts, parent coaches fade away, and only the most avid athletes are left. At this point, young athletes begin to emotionally detach from their parents and begin to develop a sense of their athletic abilities and how they compare with their peers. Other interests develop in the teen years that slowly eclipse involvement in sports such as academic and social interests.
The important point to be made however, is that the likelihood of a child dropping out of a sport directly correlates to the quality or experience he or she may have had in the critical years of 9 thru 13 and the type of attitude their parents had in regards to their involvement and abilities.
If teens have any advice for younger athletes from numerous nationally surveys on the topic of sport involvement it is this: Do what you love, and never play just to please a parent or coach. The most important part of participating in sports is the fun and camaraderie of being with other kids. ***********************
The Pulse! No. #67
Here and Now
http://washingtonpremiersoccer.com/forum/index.php?topic=10681.0...and never forget; if there is not enough blah blah blah on the games, you only have "you know who" to blame 
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TOURNAMENTS
Dairy Farmers of Washington Presidents' Cup 2008
December 6th & 7th are the semi finals and Skagit River Park in Burlington.
Girls schedules http://www.wsysa.com/Portals/0/Documents/2009%20Cups%20Info/Girls%20Pres%20Cup%20Semi%20Final%20schedules%20Dec%201%202008.pdf
Boys schedules http://www.wsysa.com/Portals/0/Documents/2009%20Cups%20Info/Boys%20Pres%20Cup%20Semi%20Finals%20Schedules%20Dec%201%202008.pdf
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"Shout out to da newbies"
We see a few brand new posters since the last Pulse Lets give out a Shout and as always, lets give a warm welcome to all new posters!
This week we would like to applaude and give Karma Kisses 
to:Welcome aboard!
onthepitch
Luckysevens ***********************
DRAGON'S EYE ON THE G94'S!!!
DRAGON SHOUT OUTS AND KARMA KISSES To start off this article this week D wants to give a big shout out to the 94 parents and players who were out of town or playing at a tournament during the turkey holiday! Dragon thinks we had a great showing and is givin' out mucho kisses to all the teams!!!
Nomads:
GRFC FORCE 94! Way to bring the "force" Force! 
EVERGREEN GREEN 94! Way to show those Cali teams!
and also our sisters from Duckville
ESFC SUNDERLAND Great job gals!
FC WILL. 94 Great job gals!
Las Vegas Turkey Shoot:
DOSVEEDANYA 94! Great job going 2-2 against tough competition!
Starfire:
CRUSH 94! Great job going 1-2 in the 92 bracket and even getting a victory!
KK's to All!
...and nowDRAGON'S TEAM SPOTLIGHTS!!!
...And now, here is Dragon's 2nd "Team Spotlight"! Very pleased to bring you this each week if I have time. Remember, Dragon is NOT just looking at PDL A teams, P1 teams, Etc....Dragon is looking at ALL TEAMS!!! With that said and without further ado, Here is D's 2nd team Spotlight:SOUTH HILL REVOLUTION 94!!!
Well, would love to say that this is a team with little or no drama or excitement...But Dragon would be lyin'! Their very good coach, Coach Craig "Sarah" Brownlee just left the team on Monday!!! No no, not for a bad reason, but just to spend more time with his special needs son Special Olymics BasketBall team. So, no Drama there 
So who is the coach as of yesterday?? Well it is coach Tony "say halo ta my lil friend" Valone! Tony is a player on the Over30 Red Bull National Champs!! So this should rub off on the gals right! He is also working on his D lic. The new Asst coach is Pavel "The Ukranian Stud"! This guy is not the most "PC" coach out there, but Dragon thinks he will be a good counter balance to the head coach.
As far as the team goes, Dragon has only seen them play 3 times this year and must say they started out the season with a major setback..they only had 9 damn players!! Well it appears they fixed this problem by LPTs and after such a bad season last year, Dragon could see that the players "spirits" were really low at the start. After pickin' up some players right at the starts of qualifiers they seemed to be "hurt more then helped" due to all the new faces and not gelling yet...But after the first couple of games they began to school the other teams to storm into P3! If you want to see the game by game results, feel free to look at their website: www.revolutiongu94.com
Two of the games Dragon watched were during season, and got ta watch them play the eventual 1st place team...well Dragon only has to say one thing; "Why didn't this team take 1st place"?? This team "COULD" of won every game, but in Dragon's opinion it was a case of; "I am not showing up for this game"...There is a big amount of talent on this team but they all have to be made to realize this! Hopefully the coachin' change will rejuvenate the gals and make them believe in themselves. If the coach focus' on more tech skill (which some of these gals need) and pushes them to play higher level teams, this team will not be a "good lil team" any longer, but could be Great!!!
Now, lets look at each player. Dragon watched as close as he could, and sorry if you were having a bad game, but this is what Dragon saw....and he calls em like he see's em!!!
Roster:
#2 BRIANNA - (Stopper) This young lady sure knows how to use her body! She kicks the other kids butts when she dives in! Dragon overheard this player started off the season with an injury and can only tell her to follow her rehab schedule..also D would say; 1st touch! Juggle Juggle Juggle at home!
#3 MARYSSA - (Defender) Wow! Is this gal fast (but of course D loves speed on defense), but this gal is also a ball of energy to boot! Dragon would say keep up the speed training (gotta stay fast) and work on your 1st touch and be careful not to "overrun" or "overcommit" on players...remember, your brains are as important as your skills.
#4 DANIELLE - (Keeper) WOW! Dragon saw you last year and your improvment has been GIGANTIC!! D loves the way you go out and challenge players and your punt is one of the best in the state! Dragon loves your attitude and think more keepers need this attitude towards their position. Also love the way you are not afraid to "bark" at your defenders. What Dragon would suggest you work on is your vertical leep..Players at this age can "place" a ball at times, and you need to work on "leaping" in your off time to get those highballs and punch them over.
#7 SYDNEY - (Forward) Dragon loves your crosses and your ball control is 2nd to none on your team. Keep up those dribblin' skills, those will pay off in the future. Your laugh though is your best quality!..as you laughed and clowned around it made your team mates relax and drew them in together as a team...keep it up! Dragon has one word for you though; Left Foot, Left Foot, Left Foot! Don't be afraid to work on this. If you don't, forget moving to the next level. Also, don't be so afraid to take shots from "Way out"..you have the power!
#8 BECCA - (Forward, Mid, Def) Have seen you play in all these positions and must say you are a young "warrior"! Dragon never saw you back down and you are your teams playmaker that is for sure. Your increase in goals can only help your team, and Dragon wants you to shoot more. Dribbling is one of your strongest skills and D would suggest you hold on to the ball a little longer and go 1v1 against more players. Have confidence..you can beat them!
#10 CLARA - (Defender, Mid) Fast is not the word for it...Lightning fast is! You are by far the fastest gal on your team. Your passing is deadly accurate as well...Dragon would only say, don't "Always" pass..you have plenty of open lanes on the field and sometimes you just have to be a ball hog and take it up the gut and take a shot! If any defender can score it is you! Have confidence!
# 13 KAWENA - (Forward) Did not get to see this gal play much. She does seem to improve the more she plays though. D heard from a parent that you really didn't get to be with the team early on because of family trips..well Now is the time to make up for it! Try hard, Play hard. Start making all the practices and the team will start to rely on you to score some goals for them, Dragon knows you can do it!
# 14 MARISA - (Defender, Mid, Forward) An all around player, she never hesitated to throw around her body and slam the other players! Never backed down any of the times D saw and was very very versatile! D would say work on your 1st touch at home (juggle), and stop stabbing at the ball and just go all out with a slide tackle if you need to!
# 15 HALEY - (Sweeper/stopper) Great job clearing the ball when your team is in trouble, and also great job at doing headers to clear in all directions as you see fit! Your volleys are also a beautiful thing, and you looked very solid every time D saw you play! Would work on Ladder drills at home to improve your quickness. Your speed is good, but you need to work on your "turn and catch" when a player gets past you. Quickness is the key to your success.
# 16 ZOEY - (Midfield) Talk about a Bruiser! This gal has to be the "enforcer" of her team! She can really bring it when she is on. Also, she is the only Natural left footed player that D saw, and she sent a couple of balls in a couple of games that were at least 50 yards long! Dragon would say keep up what you are doing, but thinks you should do some long distance running or jogging to improve your stamina. That is your main weakness as far as D can tell.
# 17 MEGAN - (Midfielder) Great job looking for a pass always first. You are a true midfielder and always looking for a way to get your team in better position. Head up when you pass is the sign of a great middy! Your ball handling skills are nothing to sneeze at either. Dragon's only advice to you is to Take More Shots!!! Drive the ball right up the middle when you are open and never be afraid to shoot!!
# 18 KELSEY - (Midfield) Great trapping skills is a fine way to start! Your trapping skills are among the best, and you turn your body well while doing so. The first game D saw you must of been starting off slow, but boy did you turn up the heat. Dragon's only saddness in watching you was your aggressiveness..turn it up girl, play hard and have fun! D even bets if you would shoot once in a while you would go from good to Great!
# 20 KRISTIN - (Midfield) The "ice girl" D calls this one for her coolness under pressure, never panics and has great first touch skills. Your shots and passing were also laser perfect. Now with skills like those Dragon feels you should take more shots! Shoot shoot shoot, you have great aim now use it. Also, don't be afraid to body up and be more agressive.
# 21 DANI - (Forward, Mid, Def) Great job at using your muscles to mash through the defenders and get off shots. Dragon likes that you are not afraid to shoot and from the looks of it D would guess you are the top goal scorer on your team right now. Dragon likes that you are aggressive but there are times it can be a bit too much also; work on playing calm when the game allows and show the coolness along with the fire, this will help you go from good to Great!
# 23 ERICA - (Midfield, forward) Love you throwins!! Dragon saw one that went well over 75 feet and looked almost like a corner kick! D thinks that is a very under rated skill out there today and glad to see you have perfected it. Your shots looks pretty darn good too, but as always you could increase the level of your foot skills with more touchs on off practice days. Don't get too wrapped up in the game during the game. There is plenty of time for cheers or tears after the final whistle.
# 26 KAYLEY - (Defender, Mid) What a stud on defense. They must call you the brick house because forwards just bounce right off you and they are surely doomed with you drive them into the corner. Dragon is pretty sure they avoid your side of the field. Now that you have that part down though you need to increase your ball skills; do juggling on your off time and also plenty of shooting drills on off days. Increase your ball control and your clearing ability and people will go Wow!Thats it for this week
~Dragon out ***********************
Brat Jr's YouTube Videos!!
U15 Timbers Red vs Strikers
Timbers Blue vs Reign
Off setting fouls?
Dos vs Kaos
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"...Out on the Pitch"
A 'Crusher' in action 
Crush vs Reign
GU15 Timbers Red vs Sun City
Dos vs Kaos
FC Vancouver watching Timbers
I think I know this guy!
GU15 Timbers vs Reign 
U16 Norpoint vs Storm 
**Please continue to send pix's to the Pulse newsroom! Anything soccer related is welcome!** ***********************
"Help! Is there a Doctor in the house?"
Saw an article in Calcio yesterday, the Italian "soccer" rag ,about ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and Italian soccer players which made me stop and think. The incidence of the condition being some 50times more likely in a footballer playing in Italy as opposed to simply living in Italy (and just drinking wine and olive oil! 
), the association was raising eyebrows and awareness. To date no link to heading, insecticides, grass or the Italian propensity to flop has been identified! So I did a literature search and found this article . Read, enjoy and keep drinking Italian wine.
ALS and Soccer: Is there a Connection?
August 5, 2003
In May of this year, there was a media report of a suspected cluster of ALS among Italian soccer players. This is an important observation and warrants scientific study, although at this time it is not clear exactly what the possible association between ALS and soccer playing may be. Since the initial report, the Miami Herald and the National Italian American Foundation have announced and published story updates. In its July 30th 2003 story, "ALS Prober Looking at Soccer Move," the Miami Herald reports that a 10-year British study is underway to track the health of soccer players following the deaths of some British soccer players.
Reports of seemingly increased numbers of cases of ALS among athletics and people with athletic body types are not new. Such observations have been reported over the past few decades. Several studies have been conducted based on many of these reports. Some of them are suggestive and interesting, and others have been negative. No conclusive evidence of any specific associations between athletic activities or body type and ALS has been demonstrated, but there are suggestions that need to be clarified with more research.
At this time, many scientists are interested in how the environment - including life style, activities, occupational exposures, diet and environmental toxicants may play a role in ALS - especially in someone who may be genetically susceptible for developing ALS. All of this is still speculation, but a number of scientists believe there is rationale for this theory to contribute, at least in some part, to the pathogenesis of ALS.
Epidemiological review and possible study of this report of increased cases of ALS among the Italian soccer players is important. A well-controlled study could answer the question of whether there is or is not a true increase in the incidence of ALS among these athletes, or if the number of cases can be explained by chance alone. If there is a true cluster here, looking for risk factors and associations could provide a better understanding of ALS and even possible targets for treatment.
The ALS Association has taken a number of steps to support and encourage scientific investigation into the possible role of environmental and life style exposures in development of ALS. ALSA sponsored a scientific workshop on this topic in May 2003. Five studies funded last year by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registries (associated with the CDC) include ALS. The ALS Association has been involved in the Gulf War ALS studies and the new Veterans Affairs Registry. The investigation of a suspected increase in ALS incidence related to Kelly Air Force Base included ALSA advisors and a prominent role in case ascertainment by The ALS Association's South Texas Chapter.
The suspected cluster of ALS reported among Italian soccer players deserves further exploration to determine if there are risk factors or other information that can lead to a better understanding of the disease.*Send all medical questions for "the doctor" to the Pulse email address************************
WPS FAMILY CIRCLE FOUNDATION!!! 
Luke Beardemphl, a WPFC Academy player...
taken from his website: http://www.carepages.com/carepages/goalkeeper/patient
On July 1st, 2008 Luke was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma disease. This is a cancer of the Lymph system. Luke is scheduled to receive 8 months of chemotherapy then a short term of radiation therapy. Luke was going to be in Hawaii for the start of their soccer camp beginning August 9th. He has now revised his plans and will take a pass on this coming school year due to his illness. Luke plans to return to Hawaii at full strength for the fall semester in 2009. Recently updated plans are for Luke to be admitted into Fred Hutchinson on December 23rd, 2008. Luke will be in a clinical trial and have a tandem Stem Cell replacement procedure. Stephanie and luke will then live at the Pete Gross house (next to the Hutch) until Luke is able to come home in approx 4 to 5 months? Although soccer has commanded luke's focus and energy for the last several years we know Luke has many talents, strengths and gifts within. Only time will tell what becomes of this young stud after he's beaten this latest challenge.
Donations can be made at any Key Bank under "Kickin it with Team Lukestrong" (Available 12-5-08)
UPDATE:
Luke is a warrior……in case you didn’t already know.
Luke is loved deeply.
Luke is full of faith.
Luke is courageous and brave beyond belief.
Luke has touched the lives of many.
Luke is going to do great things in his life.
Luke will never walk alone.
Because of these reasons and many more, we will gather for a night together as “Team Lukestrong” to show our love and support of Luke and his family. Please join us on
Friday, December 12th for “Kickin’ it with Team Lukestrong” to be held at St. Patrick’s Parish Banquet Hall located at 1001 North J Street in Tacoma. The party will start at 6:30 pm. Please join us for food, drinks, dancing, and fun. Donations will be accepted at the door and will help the Beardemphl family absorb some of the costs associated with Luke’s care.
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Keep ECFC Coach Brooke ( Sockem ) in your thoughts as she nears her due date ( Dec 10) and as always EFC Coach Michelle French ( Frenchie) as she battles cancer with the most spirit I have ever seen.Our prayers and good thoughts are with you all!***********************
ASK THE PRESIDENT
We know that rosters need to be finalized like 5 days before the first State Championship Cup game is scheduled for our age group. However, there is this thing called "Cup Tied" that occurs as of the tournament draw which takes place on Dec. 6 at 7 PM. It is my understanding that we would need to be released from our club (and therefore have a firm commitment from the new club) before 7 PM on Dec. 6. It would appear we are stuck with the old club if we are not removed from their roster by this date/time. Is that true? I think we can sign onto the new club anytime as long as it is more than 5 days before the first game for our age group.
Do you know the rule on this, or can you pose the question to someone else? It seems this "Cup Tied" thing is not real familiar to the coaches/teams and it causes much stress to those of us that "think" we know how this works.
This applies to ONLY the US Youth Soccer Washington State Championships
Tournament Boys and Girls U16, U17, U18 and U19 teams. These teams may
have a 22 player roster per the tournament rules. Cup tied simply means
that the rostered players on these teams as of the draw date become "cup
tied" to that team as of the draw. They may not change teams as of the
draw. It does NOT mean that the team roster is frozen. The team may
still add new players and transfer in players. They simply may not
transfer any players to their team from another team that is in the
U16-U19 Championships Cup.
The draw on December 6th is for all the Commissioners teams and just the
BU15-U18 of the Challenge and Championships tournament. Cup tied
applies only to the Championships Cup so the only teams that become cup
tied on December 6th are the BU16, BU17 and BU18 Championships players.
So my advice to this mom-manager-
If her player is rostered to a Championships BU16, BU17 or BU18 team
that he DOES NOT want to play on then he needs to immediately contact
his association registrar and ask to:
1. Be transferred to the state cup team he DOES want to play for.
2. If transferring to the new team is not possible as this time for
whatever reason, then he needs to ask the registrar to at least unassign
him and removed him from the cup roster he does NOT want to play for
before the December 6th date. This basically makes him a free agent. He
does not need to immediately transfer to the new team as their rosters
do not freeze until 5 days prior to the first tournament game of the
gender age group.
Thank you
Doug Andreassen***********************
OTHER NEWS AND GOSSIP AND TIDBITS:
Food DriveAll of the food was donated by different teams at ECFC. Each girl/2 girls were assigned teams and it was their responsibility to work with team coach/mgr to arrange a date that a pick up of food could be made. I and my manager made the initial contact to let the coach/mgr know what was happening and then the girls had to do the rest of the leg work. We did 2 shifts at the University District Food Bank and a lot of the girls who did the first shift decided to stay for the 2nd. They got to choose which job they wanted: sorting, stocking, passing out items, etc. A great experience!!!In Dec. the girls are goign to Children's Hospital to deliver fleece blankets they are making for the patients. The hospital said they are short blankets so the team is making them. It takes about 1 hour for 2 girls to make them and then as a group we will go and pass them out to people over the holiday.
My mgr coordinates all of this and I am in awe with her- she is AMAZING!!Yakima Sounder Tryouts
This was sent to my email. I tried to respond to it, but got an error saying that this mailbox was not their client. 
So secretive..... But THANKS for sending it in to the Pulse!
Hi Brat,
I guess that the most accurate thing one could say about the tryouts is that they were done in manner very similar to ODP, with a very similar objective. This is not a dig at anyone, the mission of ODP tryouts is to try to find 3-6 superstars. Everyone else put on the roster is filler, water carriers if you will. That is why ODP coaches don't really care if politics comes into play some in the player selection, because after the top 6, they don't really care about #7-22.
Now this may seem harsh, but the mission of the state ODP is to highlite the players that the coaching staff think can get onto the regional team. And highlite those kids is what they do. And of course they cannot highlite everyone. So it does not matter to them who fills out the roster, as long as most of them can support the percieved stars.
At the Sounders tryout, the mission was to find 3 top candidates to compete with several other top candidates in another tryout for one spot to go to training camp. It was not to perfectly identify the top 10 or 20 or 40 players overall at the tryout. And it was not important if number 11 over all at the tryout made it out of the first round, only that those who had a chance to finish in the top 3-4 at this tryout and thus go onto to the next tryout with a chance of being the top candidate.
Besides, 230 players cannot be realistically and fully rated in 3 hours.
First stage was the keepers taken off to work with one coach, and the rest divided up into two groups, each of which were divided up into six sub groups. Each sub group went through 6 stations. ( sub groups and groups made up at random ).
Stations had two evaluators at each.
They were juggling, 3v2, 2v2, 1v1, intensity, fitness.
Less than 40 players made it to the next stage, which was 9v9 (actually 10v10) on a half field.
From there, 2 keepers and 20 field players went full field.
Sawatsky conducted a well run try out, he had clear objectives that he communicated well to the evaluators, and he made sure that things ran well.
The bottom line in any tryouts is if:
1) They were fair?
2) They achieved the desired results.
The answer in this case was most definitely yes.
The talent level at the Yakima tryouts was clearly better than the other tryouts, according to the staff of the Sounders, and they added a fourth selectee where the other tryouts only had 3.
Again, the objective is to pick 1 player from all 3 tryouts, from all the players that tried out, to go for the coveted spot on the Sounders pre-season camp.
Kasey Keller was present, to the great delight of the fans watching the tryouts. He participated very briefly but tellingly in the tryout evaluation process, reminding all the players that this was a once in a life time chance to tryout for a professional team. If a player did not approach the tryouts in a professional manner, if they were not prepared as best as they could be, then that bespoke of them as players.
There were players here who were from Europe and Africa, who had come up from California, Colorado, Iowa, New York and elsewhere. One kid drove up from south Nevada and then tried out.
Tryouts were restricted to players 18 years old and up. Some of the players were in their 30s. A couple in their late 30s. At least one current professional player was identified.
Many of the players trying out could have played in the MLS in the early years, no doubt about that.
My hat is off to Darren Sawatsky for these tryouts. He balanced many competing demands and influences and brought off a tryout that was fair, that gave everyone an honest chance, that was well run, and achieved the results that were desired.
This entire process has given me new insight into the realm of professional soccer in America and how the Sounders are going to be operated.
And I have to admit that I have become more of a Sounders Fan than ever............***********************
"Dragon Coachs Interviews!"Dragon still looking for more interviews (always), send in your information or suggestions to the Pulse! :mrgreen:
If you are a coach, DOC, trainer, or have anything to do with soccer, contact the editor for your chance to do an interview and once again the end of another great effort by all on the Pulse staff! Thank you for all your help in getting the Pulse out!
If you would like to donate to WPS click below to go to the front page and click on the Donate button:
http://washingtonpremiersoccer.com/Thats it for this weeks Issue of the Pulse, hope you enjoy it...and as always never forget to... Play with Heart & Fire, Heart & Fire Always!
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Topic: THE PULSE - #67 (Read 807 times)