ISSUE 4!

MARCH 9, 2010

Yankee United News

Players Shine at Virginia ODP Friendlies
Compared to last year’s sub-arctic temperatures,
the mercury readings were downright balmy at the
ODP Virginia friendlies in
Williamsburg on February 20-21. But
as warm as the weather was, the soccer
was even hotter. Connecticut teams
showed well in this annual tune-up for
the Region 1 ODP tournament.
“The ODP friendlies provide the
opportunity for coaches around Region 1 to
see what talent they have on their teams. Where
they have strengths and weaknesses and where
each team is at in terms of level of play.” notes
Coaching Director Wayne Mones. “This is a very
important step in the process of planning for the
Region 1 ODP Tournament at Rider
University in May. It is a great
opportunity to shine!”
At the U12 to U15 age groups,
Connecticut brought 2 teams of 18
players each. Only one team participated
at U16 and above as the ODP pools are
smaller for these age groups.
Photos of Yankee United players that
participated in the VA friendlies are shown on pages
2 and 3 of this newsletter. See index below each page.

U-15 BlazeWins 2nd Teaneck Title in 4 Weeks

If you ask the U-15 Blaze how they feel about “This provided us with greater competition and
playing in Teaneck, you’re likely to get a hearty allowed us to have a few weeks off without games
rendition of Bon Jovi’s “I Love This Town!” After which helped keep us healthy and focus more on
grinding out a 1-0 victory over the Soccer Institute development. We earned a 9-2-1 record and won 2
they were crowned champions again. of the 3 tournaments and competed well in the third
This time they wanted the green Champions T- tournament, which was a U-16 bracket.”
shirts to complement the blue
ones acquired earlier in the
month.
On this trip to the Soccer
Coliseum, the Blaze received
assistance from three players
from the U-14 Strikers, who
blended in nicely with their club
mates. The 12 player squad tied
East Meadow, Arsenal, and then
beat SI and World Class 1-0 each
en route to the final.
“We replaced an indoor
league with 3 Teaneck
tournaments this Winter.”
Members of the U-15 Blaze, along with three guest U-14 Strikers players,
observed Coach Nicki Pereira.
display their green Soccer Co"iseum Champions T-Shirts.

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ISSUE 4! MARCH 9, 2010

Clockwise #om upper le$, Kiana Rugar (U15 ODP), Katie Danaher (U15 ODP), PAGE 2
Megan FitzGerald U16 ODP), Keely Lockwood (U14 ODP), Alysa Christo (U16 ODP).
 ISSUE 4! MARCH 9, 2010

Clockwise #om upper le$, Eliza Paltauf (U15 ODP), U14 Strikers (Danaher, Lockwood, Paltauf, PAGE 3
Toole), Alysa Christo (U16 ODP), Sabrina Toole (U14 ODP), Kasey Butts (U15 ODP)
 ISSUE 4! MARCH 9, 2010

HIGH SCHOOL
UPDATE
U-16 STARS WIN A-C HONORS Two of DeLucia’s Bethel teammates,
Georgia Ferguson and Autumn Sorice also
Yankee United is proud to recognize six of
received All-Colonial honors for SWC.
its players who garnered All-Conference Honors
for their soccer talents.

Lindsay Macri Alysa Christo

Corina DaSilva Jackie DeLucia Norwalk HS St. Joseph HS
Immaculate HS Bethel HS
In the Fairfield County Interscholastic
Team captains, Corina DaSilva and Jackie Athletic Conference (FCIAC), Alysa Christo
DeLucia, were selected to the All-Conference was named to the All-Conference 2nd team.
team and All-Colonial team, respectively, for the Lindsay Macri, received an Honorable Mention
South West Conference (SWC) . DeLucia, who for FCIAC and was named to the All-Area team.
attends Bethel HS, also is an ODP player and Christo is a sophomore at St. Joseph HS. Macri
was named to the All-State team. DaSilva is a junior at Norwalk HS.
attends Immaculate HS. “As an athlete and a student you should
always strive to excel and differentiate yourself
from your competition.” observes Coach Wayne
Mones. “These girls have accomplished that
goal through hard work and a real passion for
the sport of soccer. It has been wonderful to
have these girls set that kind of example for our
team. With their leadership, I expect the Stars
to accomplish great things in the upcoming
Spring season.”
Could it be that Stars will align for Yankee in
Georgia Ferguson Autumn Sorice 2010? Only time will tell.
Bethel HS Bethel HS

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 ISSUE 4!
Using
Your
Mind
on the
Pitch
Everyone knows that the sport of soccer
requires skill, athleticism, and physical fitness.
But how about the mental fitness? Can your
brain make a difference in the outcome of a
match. The answer is a resounding yes!
Listed below are some observations of
leading soccer coaches on how to use the
mindset to shift the game in your favor.
• Prepare Coaches can quickly tell by the way
their players warm-up whether they are ready to
TECHNIQUES AND TACTICS
MARCH 9, 2010
play: you need to stay focused, visualize the game
you want to play, don’t get distracted with joking
or chatting. There will be plenty of time for that
after the game is won.
• Take the advantage! In the first ten minutes of
the each half set the tone. If you start with the
ball, move aggressively up the field to immediately
put pressure on their defense. If they have the
ball, press them, force mistakes, knock them off
their game plan. The first ten minutes can
dramatically alter the momentum in a game.
• Adjust tactics to reflect the score If your team is
leading, maintain shape and position to avoid
break aways. Play simple, control the tempo, stay
confident and composed. If losing, sustain the
attack, build momentum, increase the tempo of
the game to put more pressure on them. Above
all, maintain composure and don’t panic.
This article is the first of a series on how to improve
the psychological aspect of this demanding sport.
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ISSUE 4! MARCH 9, 2010

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ISSUE 4! MARCH 9, 2010

together players from different age groups is

Academy helping to strengthen all of our teams. A side
benefit is that it gives the players more reason
Program to support each other for games.”
Based on their evaluation as Academy
The Academy program completed its 5th Program participants, the Academy coaches will
week and has exceeded expectations to this select an All-Star team (18 player roster) to
point. Feedback from the younger age groups compete in the US Club Soccer NCS regional
indicate that they enjoy the opportunity to qualifier to be held July 26-29 in Virginia Beach.
train and scrimmage with older, more
experienced players.
Academy Director Nicki Pereira is pleased
with the results so far. “The Academy sessions
are proving to be a great competitive training
environment for the players involved.” she
notes. “Training against players you don’t see
day in and day out provides for greater exposure
to different styles and strengths, keeping
everybody on their toes and taking them out of
their comfort zones. I believe that bringing Matt Mones, Yankee U-12 coach, explains a dri" at a
recent Academy training session.

Yankee Website Update

Later this Spring,
Yankee United’s website
will be migrating from
Blue Sombrero to League
Athletics.
“The migration will
be completed in stages
and some teams may
transition earlier if their
team’s data and schedule
have already been
transferred.” observes
Coach Matt Mones, who
is leading the project.
“There is a fair amount of
work to complete this
project but it will be well Yankee Board Members
worth the effort.”
The capabilities of President/Coaching Director
League Athletics include: Wayne Mones
automatic e-mail and text
message notifications, Administrator and Registrar
online schedules and
scores, easy updates for Dee Demers
news and events, and a
much friendlier user Treasurer
interface. Jack Nogueira
“The goal is to be
completely transitioned Referee Assignor
to League Athletics prior Ed Maloney
to tryouts in June.” says
Yankee President Wayne Goalkeeper Coach
Mones. “We will be much
more efficient with the Mark Pataky
new system.”

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