The Blog Is On Vacation

Merry Christmas!  Happy Hanukkah!  Happy Kwanzaa!  The blog has been on vacation for the last couple of weeks, but will return to our regularly scheduled broadcasts on January 1.

Happy Holidays to All!

More on Red Cards Specific to WA Youth Soccer

Andrew Boyd provides some additional detail regarding red cards with respect to playing in Washington Youth Soccer leagues....

There are 7 different types of red cards, and each can have different consequences. When a player receives a red card, they cannot play in the match anymore, and if they were one of the players of record (the active players on the field during the match) the team may need to play short for the rest of the match.

Substitutes who are sent off do not require that the team play shorthanded. In addition, the recipient of a red card is suspended for at least one more match. The WYS disciplinary committee has established the following MINIMUM suspensions of a person receives a red card:


Penalties for being Sent Off:

Serious Foul Play: Examples include, but are not necessarily limited to: when a player, in a violent or dangerous manner intentionally holds, trips, pushes, charges or tackles an opponent from behind: 
     1 match

Violent Conduct: Examples include but are not necessarily limited to: striking or attempting to strike another player, team official or spectator, or unlawfully entering the field of play during an altercation:
     2 matches (3 if conduct is directed towards an official)

Spitting at another person:
     2 matches (3 if spitting at an official)

Denying a goal by handling the ball:
     1 match

Denying an obvious goal score opportunity by unlawful means:
     1 match

Foul or abusive language or gestures: Examples include, but are not necessarily limited to: Foul or abusive language said loud enough for the game official to hear, but not directed at a specific individual. Includes, racial, sexual, religious or ethnic slurs:
     1 match (not directed at another)


     2 matches (directed at a player)


     3 matches (directed at a referee)

Send Off for Second Cautionable Offense during a match:
     1 match
Suspensions can also be imposed if there is an accumulation of points from cards accumulated in the season. Cautions (Yellows) count as one point, and Send Offs (Reds) count as three. If a player receives a Send off because they received two cautions in a match, the total count for that game is set at three. There are 4 cases where point accumulations and cards can result in further suspensions:
• Players/coaches that accumulate three red cards/ejections in a seasonal year will be subject to disciplinary actions.

• Players that accumulate seven (7) points from red and/or yellow card accumulation during the seasonal year will be subject to disciplinary actions.

• A coach of a team receiving fifteen (15) points accumulated from red and/or yellow cards during the seasonal year, will be subject to disciplinary actions.

• The coach of a team that has four players who received red cards during the seasonal year will be subject to disciplinary actions.

Note also that “points” reset each season, and that state tournaments often have their own sections that talk about point accumulation within the tournament play. Points do not transfer between league play and tournament, but suspensions may transfer, if there are no more games from the competition that the player was suspended from (example, player receives a one game suspension from a red card received in the last game of the season, then the player must sit out their next WYS match, which may be the state tournament).

The Red Card

Photo:  Rtimages Dreamstime.com

Finishing the section on Disciplinary Sanctions from Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct, we focus on red cards.
 
A red card is given...

• only to players - not coaches, spectators, or other personnel - and...

• is a formal signal to the player that he or she has been sent-off (kicked out of the game) for...

• committing one of seven sending-off [red card] offences:

           1.  serious foul play

          2.  violent conduct

          3.  spitting at an opponent or any other person

          4.  denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by
               deliberately handling the ball (this does not apply to a goalkeeper within his
               own penalty area)

          5.  denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards
               the player’s goal by an offence punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick

          6.  using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures

          7.  receiving a second caution [yellow card] in the same match

A player, substitute or substituted player who has been sent off must leave the vicinity of the field of play and the technical area..  The full text of the law pertaining to disciplinary sanctions (including yellow cards) is provided below.

======================================

From Law 12

Disciplinary Sanctions

The yellow card is used to communicate that a player, substitute or substituted player has been cautioned.

The red card is used to communicate that a player, substitute or substituted player has been sent off.

Only a player, substitute or substituted player may be shown the red or yellow card.

The referee has the authority to take disciplinary sanctions from the moment he enters the field of play until he leaves the field of play after the final whistle.

A player who commits a cautionable or sending-off offence, either on or off the field of play, whether directed towards an opponent, a team-mate, the referee, an assistant referee or any other person, is disciplined according to the nature of the offence committed.

 Cautionable Offences

 A player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he commits any of the following seven offences:

 • unsporting behaviour

 • dissent by word or action

 • persistent infringement of the Laws of the Game

 • delaying the restart of play

 • failure to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick, free kick or throw-in

 • entering or re-entering the fi eld of play without the referee’s permission

 • deliberately leaving the fi eld of play without the referee’s permission

A substitute or substituted player is cautioned if he commits any of the following three offences:

• unsporting behaviour

• dissent by word or action

• delaying the restart of play

Sending-off Offences

A player, substitute or substituted player is sent off [shown the red card] if he commits any of the following seven offences:

• serious foul play

 • violent conduct

• spitting at an opponent or any other person

• denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity
   by deliberately handling the ball (this does not apply to a goalkeeper within
   his own penalty area)

• denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards
  the player’s goal by an offence punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick

• using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures

• receiving a second caution in the same match

A player, substitute or substituted player who has been sent off must leave the
vicinity of the field of play and the technical area.

The Yellow Card

Photo:  Keith Barlow Dreamstime.com

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct is the section of FIFA's Laws of the Game that describes among other things, when yellow and red cards are given.

Basically, a yellow card is given...

• only to players - not coaches, spectators, or other personnel - and...
• is a formal signal to the player that he or she has been cautioned for...
• committing one of seven cautionable offences:

               1.  unsporting behaviour
               2.  dissent by word or action
               3.  persistent infringement of the Laws of the Game
               4.  delaying the restart of play
               5.  failure to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick, free
                    kick or throw-in
               6.  entering or re-entering the field of play without the referee’s permission
               7.  deliberately leaving the field of play without the referee’s permission

There are some fine strokes around this, but that's it in a nutshell.  An edited version of the actual text in the law is provided below.

======================================
From Law 12

Disciplinary Sanctions




The yellow card is used to communicate that a player, substitute or substituted player has been cautioned.


The red card is used to communicate that a player, substitute or substituted player has been sent off.


Only a player, substitute or substituted player may be shown the red or yellow card.


The referee has the authority to take disciplinary sanctions from the moment he enters the field of play until he leaves the field of play after the final whistle.


A player who commits a cautionable or sending-off offence, either on or off the field of play, whether directed towards an opponent, a team-mate, the referee, an assistant referee or any other person, is disciplined according to the nature of the offence committed.


Cautionable Offences


A player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he commits any of the following seven offences:


• unsporting behaviour


• dissent by word or action


• persistent infringement of the Laws of the Game


• delaying the restart of play


• failure to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick, free kick or throw-in


• entering or re-entering the fi eld of play without the referee’s permission


• deliberately leaving the fi eld of play without the referee’s permission

A substitute or substituted player is cautioned if he commits any of the following three offences:


• unsporting behaviour


• dissent by word or action


• delaying the restart of play

Adidas Kit - Womens & Girls

Here's our new uniform for the women and girls.  This is the first year that Eastside FC has had a women's cut uniform kit available and we're pleased that adidas and Eurosport were able to provide this to us.

We're still rounding up the photos of the training jacket, pants, backpack, ball, etc.  Stay tuned for the accessory posting.

As indicated yesterday, the logo's are provisional. The logo's are provisional. We're still looking at various logo color combinations as well as number styles. Additionally, we're hoping to secure a uniform sponsor which would incorporate the sponsor's logo, including perhaps an MLS/European style logo configuration with the sponsor's logo prominent on the chest. Stay tuned for updates on this.
Adult women's sizes:   XS, S, M, L, XL

Girls uniforms are the same color combination as the womens', however the uniform is a youth cut available in youth sizes.

Youth size range: XS, S, M, L, XL

And again, the youth XS and youth XL sizes are new to us in the switch to adidas.

If you have questions, please direct your inquiries to EFC's Uniform Program Manager, Suzi Kuenster, at suzikuenster@msn.com

Away jersey

Home jersey

Shorts (optional white short not shown)

Red sock

White sock

Adidas Kit - Mens & Boys

The photos of our new adidas kit are in.  Here they are for the men and boys uniforms.  We'll showcase the women and girls' kit in tomorrow's post. 

The logo's are provisional.  We're still looking at various logo color combinations as well as number styles.  Additionally, we're hoping to secure a uniform sponsor which would incorporate the sponsor's logo, including perhaps an MLS/European style logo configuration with the sponsor's logo prominent on the chest.  Stay tuned for updates on this.

Adult men's size range:   S, M, L, XL, 2XL

Boys uniforms are the same color combination as the mens', however the uniform is a youth cut available in youth sizes.

Youth size range:   XS, S, M, L, XL 

Both the youth XS and youth XL sizes are new to us in the switch to adidas.
If you have questions, please direct your inquiries to EFC's Uniform Program Manager, Suzi Kuenster, at suzikuenster@msn.com

Away jersey

Home jersey

Shorts (optional white short not shown)

Blue sock

White sock

Storage Shed at Preston Park

Storage shed at Preston Park

Drawing:  Emily Buchwalter, Medici Architects

You may have noticed our little tan-colored jobbox on the north side of the fields.  We store our corner flags, net repair materials, and tools in it.  It's stuffed fuller than the 20 lb Thanksgiving turkey we had for dinner last night and inadequate to the task.  We need storage space to properly house the gear necessary to keep our fields and equipment in tip top shape.

Thankfully, a few good folks have stepped up to advance the creation of a storage shed that will be used by King County and EFC.

Our plan is to build the shed Amish-style, with volunteer help under the supervision of men who know what they're doing.

So, in no particular order, thanks to...

• Brad Bastian.  BNBuilders.  Brad and his team will do the supervising.

• Derek Cowart.  Pinnacle Lumber & Plywood.  Derek has agreed to donate much of the materials.

• Emily Buchwalter.  Medici Architects.  Emily spearheaded the drafting of construction drawings and engineering, with able assistance from Michelle Leszcynski and engineering from Brian Lampe of BTL Engineering.

• TJ Davis and King County Parks.  Permits and gap funding.

Pics of the Week

Here are five new images from photographer David Pang.  These were taken at the recent US Club Soccer Washington Cup.  The team is the G98R (U11) girls, coached by Michelle French, playing against FC Crush.

David's shots are consistently high in quality.  I've talked with him about his camera, it's setup, where he tends to shoot from, and what part of the field he concentrates on.  Despite duplicating all those factors, my images come up short in comparison. 

Which goes to show image quality comes from the mind and the eye of the photographer - not necessarily the equipment.

Enjoy.

Eastside FC keeper Sophie Butterfield fights through the crowd to block a corner kick.

Photo: David Pang

Maud Van der Kooi clears a ball before an on-rushing Crush player.

Photo: David Pang

Alexa Kirton (Eastside FC) fights off a determined Lauren Hudson (Crush) for a header.

Photo: David Pang

Sophie Butterfield passes the ball to start an attack.
Photo: David Pang

Catie Buck advances the ball up the field to continue another Eastside attack on Crush.

Photo: David Pang

Overview of Our Adidas Partnership

As you've heard, we have a new partnership with adidas for player uniforms.  We recently finalized the agreement and I wanted to share with you some of the highlights...

• The Uniforms Themselves.  First and foremost our players will wear the best quality uniforms available in the market.  We will be starting with the Condivo line next spring.  The kit is engineered with ClimaCool fabric which conducts heat and sweat away from the body through a combination of heat and moisture-dissipating materials, ventilation channels and three-dimensional fabrics that allow air to circulate close to the skin.  The kit also features ForMotion technology, engineered to fit an athlete’s body in motion through 3-dimensional design and by flattening the seams to reduce irritation.  Our players will enjoy increased comfort and performance from this outstanding uniform.  Stay tuned for pics of the kit.

• Coaches Kit.  Each coach will receive a complete kit for coaching.

• Scholarship Uniforms.  The club will receive 45 player uniform kits in support of our scholarship program.

• Marketing Support.  EFC will be considered a priority club for purposes of adidas marketing initiatives and campaigns and competition events.

• Bonus Program.  Additional jerseys and polo shirts will go to teams who win state and regional championships.

• International Training Program.  EFC will have access to the adidas International Training Program which offers travel to educational/developmental experiences with top adidas partner clubs including Real Madrid, Chelsea FC, Liverpool FC, Bayern Munich, Hamburg, Bayer Leverkusen, Riverplate, and Fluminense.

• adidas-Sounders FC Partnership.  adidas and Sounders FC offer us access to Sounders coaches clinics, chalk talks, private clinics, and practice visits.

We look forward to this exciting new partnership.

B94R team finishes #2 in Far West Regional League

EFC's B94R team (U15).  Coach Dan Strom.

Saturday and Sunday, Nov 21-22, our B94R (U15) team finished up competition in the Far West Regional League.  This league is comprised of some of the best teams in the western United States from Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Washington.  Overall, the boys finished second in the league against top notch competition.  Teams in this year's BU15 league included:

Final Four Standings

LAFC Chelsea
Eastside FC B94R
Albion White
Aztecs FC Premier

Plus

Sereno South 95 White
TSA Red B95
Real So Cal White
San Diego Surf Boys 94-95 Academy
South Bay Force Black
Sereno 95 Boys White
SC delSol 95 Boys
Striker FC VI
DMCV Sharks B94 White

Here are Coach Dan Strom's observations about the final 4 round of competition and what it takes to compete at this level....

"In the first game the boys were beaten by a team of fantastic players from LAFC Chelsea. We did not play our best game and they played flawlessly.  The score [5-1] indicates they punished us for every mistake we made.

The last two games were good performances, especially beating the # 3 team in the region, Albion, who, in their third game, tied the Chelsea team.

The lesson was not lost on our players:  the next time they play Chelsea they will be ready to compete against the best team in Southern California and one of the best in the nation. WCFC from Southern California was the U14 national champion and came in 2nd to Chelsea in the fall Coast League.

I guess the lesson from the 9 games (7-2) of the Far West Regional League this fall was that when competing with the top teams in the region, a bad or average game performance will result in a loss.

Our previous regional tournament experience, Surf Cup, and out-of-state tournament play provided the necessary foundation for later success. What’s more, team speed and athleticism is a must and technical proficiency is critical and needs to be trained constantly in the U10 - U15 years.

This weekend, there was no substitute for a fine first touch under pressure and the ability to play fast.

Just a couple of observations...."

Tom Bunnell Named KingCo 4A and NSCAA Washington State Coach of the Year

Tom Bunnell, the head coach of the varsity girl's soccer team at Issaquah High School, and one of EFC's coaches, was named the KingCo 4A Coach of the Year and NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) Washington State Coach of the year. These are Tom's 11th and 12th Coach of the Year awards since he has been with the Issaquah girl's program for the last six years.



Tom and the IHS girls varsity soccer team just finished the high school season, with a trip to the championship game against Skyline. The game ended in penalty kicks for a final score of 2-1.  The game showcased many EFC players.

Tom is the our goalie coach. In addition to being the head coach for IHS, Tom also coaches Skyline’s goalies Tina Vargas and Jill Stika, who are EFC players as well.  Tina and Jill made a couple of key saves during the game and the penalty kick tiebreaker to clinch the win for Skyline.

Tom's connection between Issaquah, Skyline and EFC teams is indicative of the nature of the game – we compete fiercely, but in the end, we’re one interconnected community of people.  It IS a beautiful game and we love it.

This season's championship game marks his 5th trip to the big game in girl's high school soccer. His teams have tallied three State championships and two Runner-ups.

Congratulations Tom!  We're lucky to have you in the family.

US Club Soccer Washington Cup Tournament Successes

Three Eastside FC teams were crowned champions at the 2009 US Club Soccer Washington Cup at Starfire last weekend.

Congratulations to our girls GU11R, GU12R and GU13R teams for taking home the championship trophy. Each team dominated in their bracket.

Coach Michelle French hands out pennies for the warmup to the GU11R championship game.

Photo:  Mike Racine

GU12R Champs.  Coach Kelly Smith

Photo:  Jeff Sullivan

GU13R Champs.  Coach Chance Fry.

Photo:  Mike Racine

GU13W, coached by Emily Cole, earned a semi-final finish.

Coach Emily Cole debriefs her team after a very strong showing against WPFC.

Photo:  Mike Racine

Check out this video from Phil Emory of a key goal for GU13W...

This was the third match for our GU13W team.  They need a 3-0 victory to advance. So with the score 2-0 in the 54th minute, EFC's Wolfie Pendelton intercepts a pass, sends it up to Kellcy Emory for the assist to Julia Meade and the game winner.
Video:  Phil Emory

For those receiving our blog posts via email, you can view the clip here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL2YWrt3W2A

Hillary Zevenbergen Cascade Conference Player of the Year

Hillary Zevenbergen

Cascade Conference Offensive Player of the Year

U18 Red Team Player, Hillary Zevenbergen was named the Cascade Conference Offensive Player of the Year.  Hillary is a 4 year varsity player at King's High School in Shoreline in Division 1A where she excels athletically and academically.

She has been recognized with All League First Team honors for three years and her freshman year she was recognized as Second Team All League.

"Hillary has a great combination of athleticism and soccer sense. She is capable of putting the ball in the back of the net and also getting her teammates the ball in scoring situations." said EFC Coach Tom Bialek.

Hillary has played on the G91R team for the past 2 years and will be playing for the University of Washington women's soccer team next fall on scholarship.  Although she's "nervous and excited", the presence of her cousin Louise Albin on the team should smooth the transition.

I asked Hillary about her time here at Eastside FC.   "It's been good.  I really liked the girls.  We've been successful and had a ton of fun.  I've learned about playing at a higher level and working hard for your teammates.  I felt a strong bond with my teammates that I hadn't felt before on my prior teams.  I learned how to push myself to be better."

She still mulling over her future areas of academic focus:  maybe English, perhaps orthodontics, perhaps business.   No doubt there are great things ahead in her future.

Congratulations, Hillary

Duration of the Match

Here's the breakdown of how time is allocated during a match, as described by Law 7 - The Duration of the Match.  In summary:

1. A match consists of two 45 minute halves.
2. A half-time interval is specified up to 15 minutes.
3. Stoppage time, or "allowance for time lost" is added on to either 45 minute half at the discretion of the referee.

For match durations by age in youth soccer, read our prior post here.
Below is the text of Law 7 - The Duration of the Match in its entirety.

Periods of Play


The match lasts two equal periods of 45 minutes, unless otherwise mutually agreed between the referee and the two teams. Any agreement to alter the duration of the periods of play (for example, to reduce each half to 40 minutes because of insufficient light) must be made before the start of play and must comply with competition rules.

Half-time Interval

Players are entitled to an interval at half-time.  The half-time interval must not exceed 15 minutes.  Competition rules must state the duration of the half-time interval.  The duration of the half-time interval may be altered only with the consent of the referee.

Allowance for Time Lost

Allowance is made in either period for all time lost through:

• substitutions

• assessment of injury to players

• removal of injured players from the fi eld of play for treatment

• wasting time
• any other cause

The allowance for time lost is at the discretion of the referee.

Penalty Kick

If a penalty kick has to be taken or retaken, the duration of either half is extended until the penalty kick is completed.

Pics of the Week

Michelle Riley gives us the pics of the week.

Meredith T (GU13B) right up in there vs FC Alliance White

Photo:  Michelle Riley

RJ (GU13B) manages to sweep it away vs FC Alliance White

Photo: Michelle Riley

Sarah R (GU13B) as she serves it up vs FC Alliance White

Photo: Michelle Riley

Wall Drills 7. The Self-Pass

Coach Michelle French continues our series on wall drills by demonstrating the self-pass.  This drill helps you create space to turn in when you receive the ball and there is a defender right on your back.  Check it out - her little ol' feet move pretty quick....



For those of you receiving our blog posts via email, you can view the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcfZDwReCRg

More On Playing the Game

Wall Drills 6.  Inside Outside Touches
Wall Drills 5.  Trapping
Wall Drills.  4.  Juggling
Wall Drills.  3.  The Ol' Two Wall Wall Drill
Wall Drills.  2.  As the Player Turns...
Wall Drills - First In the Series
Introduction to Practice at the Wall
That's Soccer Talk
Shoelace Magic
Practice Makes Progress
Soccer Formations

Is Your Soccer Ball Running Hot and Cold?

Maddie and I went up to the wall yesterday afternoon for 30 mins of wall drills.  Funny thing, though.  Her soccer balls were in our nice warm house.  We pumped 'em up to the correct inflation pressure and headed out.  It was kinda cold at the elementary school where we do wall drills.  After about 30 minutes playing, Maddie says "Dad, this ball doesn't bounce very good."

What's up with that?  Well, we were experiencing a real world example of a basic law of gas physics called Charles' Law.   Charle's Law says that at a constant volume, the pressure of a gas is directly correlated to temperature.  Meaning that as a gas gets colder, the speed of the gas molecules slows down, reducing the impact of the molecules against the interior skin of the ball - the pressure drops and thus the ball goes a little flat.

Here's a practical tip - if you store your balls inside the house where it's warm, you might want to overinflate by a bit so that as the ball cools down outside, it drops into optimal inflation pressure.

We originally inflated Maddie's soccer balls to 7 psi.  When we were done, they had cooled down to 6 psi.  It works in reverse on a hot day.

A low pressure inflation gauge works well to keep your balls at optimal playing pressure.  Why is that important?  Because at the optimal inflation pressure, feel and flight of the ball are just right - which is what your kicking stroke needs to be calibrated to.  Plus, your soccer ball will last longer.  We bought ours online from Eurosport here.  This gauge has a nice rubber housing to keep it from breaking.  It's best feature, however, is a built-in pressure release button.  You can overinflate just a tad and use the button to drop your pressure right smack dab where you like it.

Wall Drills 6. Inside Outside Touches

The next installment of our Wall Drill series.  Coach Tom Bialek continues the theme started by Michelle French around inside/outside touches to improve speed of play and turning away from pressure.



For those reading our blogs in the daily or weekly email subscription, you can watch the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smusSt-MPs8

More On Playing the Game

Wall Drills 5.  Trapping
Wall Drills.  4.  Juggling
Wall Drills.  3.  The Ol' Two Wall Wall Drill
Wall Drills.  2.  As the Player Turns...
Wall Drills - First In the Series
Introduction to Practice at the Wall
That's Soccer Talk
Shoelace Magic
Practice Makes Progress
Soccer Formations

Help Bring the World Cup to the Emerald City

Well, you may have heard Seattle is in the running for the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup.  It's still a long way off, of course, but stranger things have happened.  Like a MLS expansion team making the playoffs in year 1.  Hmm.  Read below to learn more and support the effort by hitting http://www.gousabid.com/ and sign the petition to bring the World Cup back to the USA.

===========

In August, the USA Bid Committee announced that 27 potential cities, including Seattle, made the cut to be included in the United States’ bid to host the FIFA World Cup™ in either 2018 or 2022. By the end of the year, the USA Bid Committee is expected to determine 18 final cities to include in its final proposal to FIFA. In December 2010, FIFA will award the host nation for both 2018 and 2022. FIFA and the local organizing committee will then make a final decision, typically selecting several host cities for the selected country about five years prior to the event (2013 or 2017).
The Seattle delegation includes the city of Seattle, the Seattle Sports Commission, Seattle Sounders FC, the University of Washington, and First and Goal. Representatives of these organizations have been working for the last six months to ensure Seattle is included as a potential host city if the United States is selected as a host country.
The USA Bid Committee has challenged the 27 cities to show their enthusiasm and demonstrate their community’s grassroots support for World Cup soccer. Fans are encouraged to sign up to support Seattle at http://www.gousabid.com/. Seattle is currently leading all other cities with more than 15,000 supporters.
The FIFA World Cup™ championship is awarded every four years. The tournament consists of 64 matches, with 32 teams competing for the title over a period of about a month in June and July. The games are played in 10 to 14 venues, with most venues used for a two- to three-week period. The World Cup is one of the most widely viewed sporting events in the world and the 1994 FIFA World Cup™ held in the United States reported approximately $4 billion in economic impact.

The Indirect Free Kick

Beckham waits to take an indirect free kick.

Source:  BBC

Continuing our series on the Laws of the Game, here's the story on indirect free kicks.  Those are the penalties you see where the ref calls a foul, play is stopped, and the opposing team is awarded the penalty.  They take possesion of the ball and kick it to one of their teammates to resume play.  The primary difference between this type of penalty and those associated with direct free kicks are that the list of offences is not as specific and a goal cannot be scored from an indirect free kick.  In other words, you have to pass before you shoot when an indirect free kick is taken.

Here's the section of Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct in italics below.  My own notes are displayed in brackets [].

Indirect Free Kick

An indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a goalkeeper, inside his own penalty area, commits any of the following four offences [haven't seen one of these called yet]:


• controls the ball with his hands for more than six seconds before releasing it from his possession


• touches the ball again with his hands after he has released it from his possession and before it has touched another player


• touches the ball with his hands after it has been deliberately kicked to him by a team-mate [note:  however, the goalie is allowed to handle the ball if it is headed back to him from a teammate because this is not proscribed by the law, ie heading is different from kicking]


• touches the ball with his hands after he has received it directly from a throw-in taken by a team-mate


An indirect free kick is also awarded to the opposing team if, in the opinion of the referee, a player:
[this is the typical scenario we see on the field.  ref blows the whistle, play stops, ball changes hands, play resumes]

• plays in a dangerous manner


• impedes the progress of an opponent


• prevents the goalkeeper from releasing the ball from his hands


• commits any other offence, not previously mentioned in Law 12, for which play is stopped to caution or send off a player.

The indirect free kick is taken from the place where the offence occurred (see Law 13 – Position of Free Kick).

Signal [from Law 13 describing the procedure for free kicks]



The referee indicates an indirect free kick by raising his arm above his head. He maintains his arm in that position until the kick has been taken and the ball has touched another player or goes out of play.


Ball Enters the Goal  [from Law 13 describing the procedure for free kicks]

A goal can be scored [from an indirect free kick] only if the ball subsequently touches another player before it enters the goal:


• if an indirect free kick is kicked directly into the opponents’ goal, a goal kick is awarded


• if an indirect free kick is kicked directly into the team’s own goal, a corner kick is awarded to the opposing team

Procedure  [from Law 13 describing the procedure for free kicks]


For both direct and indirect free kicks, the ball must be stationary when the kick is taken and the kicker must not touch the ball again until it has touched another player.

Position of Free Kick



Free Kick Inside the Penalty Area


     Direct or indirect free kick to the defending team:


     • all opponents must be at least 9.15 m (10 yds) from the ball


     • the ball is in play when it is kicked directly out of the penalty area

     • all opponents must remain outside the penalty area until the ball is in play

     • a free kick awarded in the goal area may be taken from any point inside that area

     Indirect free kick to the attacking team:

     • all opponents must be at least 9.15 m (10 yds) from the ball until it is in play, unless they
       are on their own goal line between the goalposts

     • the ball is in play when it is kicked and moves

     • an indirect free kick awarded inside the goal area must be taken on the goal area line
        parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the infringement occurred

Free Kick Outside the Penalty Area [the typical scenario in this blog posting]

     • all opponents must be at least 9.15 m (10 yds) from the ball until it is in play

     • the ball is in play when it is kicked and moves

     • the free kick is taken from the place where the infringement occurred or from the
        position of the ball when the infringement occurred (according to the infringement)

Here's the best page on FIFA's website that provides links to all their various laws and regulations governing not just the Laws of the Game, including those for FUTSAL, but tournament regulations, transfers, player status, club/agent regulations, rules of conduct, code of ethics, and disciplinary code.

See also Wikipedia's description of the Indirect Free Kick.  It's pretty good.


More on Laws of the Game

The Penalty Kick and Pics of the Week
The Direct Free Kick - Continued
The Direct Free Kick
Hand Ball!
The Field of Play
Sideline Guideline
Hey!  That Player is Offside!!!

Finding the Line

Nope, this post isn't about crossing the ball, or field positioning, or team shape. It's about good sportsmanship and strong but fair competition.  We play in the most competitive league in the state.  We strive to compete as hard as we can right up to the line delineated by the Laws of the Game, good sportsmanship, and fair play.  So, yeah, we like to play team ball and we like to win.

However, there is a line.  And you can cross it.  Here's what that looks like...



For those receiving our blog in email, you can view the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNmPybFK2_o

The New Mexico player, Elizabeth Lambert #15, was suspended from the team indefinitely for her behavior on the field in the NCAA Mountain West Conference semi-final against BYU.  You can read the University of New Mexico's statement on Lambert here.

More on Laws of the Game

The Penalty Kick Plus Pics of the Week
The Direct Free Kick - Continued
The Direct Free Kick
Hand Ball!
The Field of Play
Sideline Guideline
Hey!  That Player is Offside!!!

October Competitive Results

Summary page from Phil's October report. Click on it to see in larger format.

Source: Phil Emory

Here's the latest from Phil Emory, EFC's keeper of competitive results.  Some highlights from Phil's October report....

•  644 recorded matches
• Overall:  1,462 goals scored, 943 goals allowed
• Best mens record:  B98White 11-1-1
• Best womens record:  G96White 18-5-0 (Phil's favorite team)
• Most wins:  G96 White and B94 Red at 18.
• Most goals:  BDevRed at 109 (number 2 has 74)!

View Phil's entire October report here.

More on Competitive Results

September Competitive Results
August Competitive Results
Summer Tournament Results

Support Beaver Lake Park Master Plan Tonight

Tonight, Wednesday November 4th, the City of Sammamish Parks Department will present the Master Plan proposal for Beaver Lake Park.  The plan includes a synthetic turf ball field with lights for soccer & lacrosse.  The soccer community needs to rally strong attendance at this meeting to counter the 20 or so people who oppose this needed field capacity. It is important to support the City of Sammamish’s commitment to our youth.  The immediate neighbors have consistently showed up in force and vocally opposed any change to the park – especially improvements to the ball fields.  Our voices in support are needed to provide balanced input.

The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 - 8:30PM at Sammamish City Hall in the Council Chamber.  The address is:

801 228th Ave SE
Sammamish, WA  98075

Please work your personal networks as well as your calendar to bring out the sports community in force. We could secure another critically needed turf field for Issaquah & Sammamish sports if we invest a bit of our time to attend and express our support.

Anna Geldenhuys Named KingCo 3A Player of the Year

Anna Geldenhuys - KingCo 3A Girls Player of the Year

Anna in traffic

Anna Geldenhuys of Eastside's G91R (U18) team has been named Player of the Year in the King County Conference 3A division.  Anna has played her entire club soccer career for Eastside FC, starting at U11.

She attends Sammamish High School and maintains a 3.5 GPA.  She lettered in varsity girls soccer for four years under Coach Karsten Hoffman (an EFC coach) and was named a member of the 2008 and 2009 KingCo First Teams her junior and senior years.

EFC's G91R team is led by Tom Bialek, who has coached Anna since U12.  I asked her about her time at EFC.  She indicated that "U14 was the most fun because we beat Crossfire for the state championship."  She also says the best thing about playing for Coach Bialek is that "He knows how to motivate us.  He can let us have fun, but when it's time to go to work, we understand what we need to do."

Anna's future plans include attendance at Western Washington University and playing on the women's soccer team as a Viking.  She's considering her options, but is thinking about a degree in physical therapy or sports medicine.

We wish Anna the very best in years to come.

More on Player-Parent-Coach

Tom Bunnell Achieves Career Milestones
Trash Goes In Your Backpack
Player/Parent Feedback Survey
Follow Up on Microsoft Volunteer Program
EFC's new uniform distribution partner - Eurosport
Volunteer Hours = $ for EFC
Interested in Playing College Ball?
Lost and Found
Safety First
Keep It Clean
Player Progress Reviews Coming in September

Wall Drills 5. Trapping

Coach Michelle French continues our wall drill series with a little demonstration on trapping.  Trapping is one of those fundamental skills that simply takes alot of practice to master.  It is an essential eye-foot coordination skill that involves taking the ball out of the air and cleaning it up quickly so you can play it.

The only way to get better at trapping is repetition.  Lots and lots of reps.

Michelle seems to have put her time in...

For those of you receiving our blog posts in email, you can access the video on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqzNdjuOtII

Have YOU practiced at the wall today?



More On Playing the Game

Wall Drills.  4.  Juggling
Wall Drills.  3.  The Ol' Two Wall Wall Drill
Wall Drills.  2.  As the Player Turns...
Wall Drills - First In the Series
Introduction to Practice at the Wall
That's Soccer Talk
Shoelace Magic
Practice Makes Progress
Soccer Formations

The Penalty Kick plus Pics of the Week

After a busy couple of days, we continue our series on the Laws of the Game, this time focusing on Law 14 - The Penalty Kick.  The penalty kick, for all intents and purposes, is the result of a direct free kick foul that occurred in the penalty area, also referred to as the 18 yard box.  (Note - the penalty area has dimensions of roughly 44 yds wide by 18 yards deep).

Source:  FIFA Laws of the Game 2009/2010

What distinguishes a penalty kick from a direct free kick is the following:

1. 
   
   the offense occurs inside the penalty area.
   
   
   
2. 
   
   when taking the direct free kick, the ball must be placed on the penalty mark.
   
   
   
3. 
   
   the defending goalie must remain on the goal line, facing the kicker, between the goalposts until the ball has been kicked.
   
   
   
4. 
   
   players other than the kicker and the goalie must remain on the field, outside of the penalty area, behind the penalty mark, and at least 10 yds from the penalty mark (which is why you have the semi-circular penalty arc at the top of the penalty area - it is that portion of a 10 yd circle around the penalty mark that is outside the penalty area).
   

Here is a sequence of photos that show a direct free kick foul being committed inside the penalty area, in this case by the defending goalie.  This young goalie, in the heat of the action and facing an imminent goal in the last minute of a game, goes a little over the top in his efforts to stop the goal from being scored....

Thanks to Todd Ames for this excellent series of images that illustrate the circumstances under which a penalty kick should be awarded.  The Eastside player is Nihar Baxi of the B95W (U14) team.  In this case, a penalty kick was called.  In a later post, we'll cover the circumstances under which a yellow or red card may be issued.  This sequence could easily have called for one...

We thought they qualified as Pics of the Week.

Photo:  Todd Ames

Photo:  Todd Ames

Photo:  Todd Ames

Photo:  Todd Ames

Photo:  Todd Ames

Photo:  Todd Ames

Photo:  Todd Ames

Photo:  Todd Ames

Photo:  Todd Ames

More on Laws of the Game

The Direct Free Kick - Continued
The Direct Free Kick
Hand Ball!
The Field of Play
Sideline Guideline
Hey!  That Player is Offside!!!