Indoor seasons heating up

Upcoming Train Wrecks games

Division 2 indoor: Saturday, December 29 (today), @ 9:30 p.m. at the Bladium @ Blasters

Rec Division indoor: Friday, January 4, @ 8 p.m. at the Bladium vs. Dark Horses

Note: Schedules for both indoor teams are linked under the team links section to the right.

You're the best MOM!

Thanks for raising our little soccer club!

Laura is still managing the Rec indoor team. Amy is graciously taking on the D2 indoor and the Spring outdoor team duties. More information to come for when, and to who, dues are due for outdoor.

D2: Starting off the season with a win

Alrighty, sleepy time is over and soccer has started anew. The D2 indoor team kicked things off with a win over Futgol, according to the Bladium's revamped site. We even have our own team page over there. Check it out (It's also a link on this page on the right under "Team Links").

The Rec indoor team starts Jan 4, and I believe Laura, in her last hours of being manager, laid out the details for making sure that all team members have their fees paid before that date. I'll look to link that squads team page once it's up on the Bladium's site.

Get your kicks Saturday...if you want

So it was an even split on practice participation. So, with that said, practice times will be set at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Atlantic fields. I'll post a poll mid-week that can guage interested parties, and then people can decide if they want to show based on the responses (I would say there would probably need to be a minimum of 5 or 6 to make it worth your while).

With that said, who wants to practice this weekend? Respond in the poll to the right. And feel free to use the comments section to leave more detail about your participation.

What better place than to be Indoor in the New Year

Who's interested in starting up the indoor season this coming January? Let's get a head count, then determine if we have enough for one, or two teams. Raise your hand in the comments section.

Train Wrecks FC = Victory

Actor. Director. Editor. Commentator. Diego. Thanks.

Are you a spring chicken?

Some news and notes from the outdoor league, courtesy of Laura. Please respond in the comments section about your interest in the Spring 2008 season:

• Spring Season will kick off Sunday March 2, 2008. 15 weeks of play, 14 official games, friendlies on Memorial Day, May 26. June 8, end of spring season.
• Team deposit of $600 due Jan 4, 2008.
• Need to know as soon as possible who is playing next season, so we can collect deposit from players.
• Roster has been extended to 25 players from 22.
• A possible third division may be created for teams who consistently finish at the top of Div 2 and bottom of Div 1.
• There will be a league social get together on February 17, 2008 at 5 PM at Pyramid Brewery.
• If the new Gilman fields are open by then, we will also be playing there. The Berkeley league has received the following playing days and times:
  
  Gilman North - Sun 1 to 10 PM, Tue 9 - 11 PM, Fri 7 - 10 PM
  Gilman South - Mon 7 to 9 PM, Thu 7 - 9 PM
  

• There maybe be Monday night games next season as well.
• Gabe Catalfo fields closed Nov 26, 2007 to March 1, 2008

Note: if you aren't able to use the comments section, respond to the post notification email and I'll pass the information on to Laura.

Gobble gobble

Happy Thanksgiving Train Wrecks!

No events scheduled for this weekend. Which brings up a question...do we take a break from regularly scheduled practices for the holidays and start back up in January? Use the poll to the right capture your interest [[editor note: poll has been closed and deleted]].

Cue up Queen, because...

we are the champions my friends. Even without our fearless leader, the Wrecks scraped and scrapped to a 3-1 victory to sew up top position in Division II.

Interestingly enough, if we look over Thomas's checklist of things to do that are also signs of a champion, we might only find a few things we did well in this game. Defense seemed to make the right plays at the right moment, and...perhaps...and...well at times we did some of the other things too.

Diego was on point for the first goal to take the Train Wrecks into halftime up 1-0. At the break, Andrew gave a brief vote of verbal confidence with a don't let up in the first 15 minutes speech.

It worked. The second goal came courtesy of a great set up by Brad, leading Amy to put in a cooly struck ball into the back of the net. After the Meerkat's pulled one back shortly thereafter, the two-goal lead was restored when Madelyn sent in lobbing shot that pounced over the keeper and off of Diego's foot. And all was good.

The Train Wrecks ended up with nine wins and two losses (with one of those losses to the top team in division I, who hasn't lost a game all season). It may not be the championship of the world, but we are the champions my friends.

Where's my cigar?

Last call

Outdoor game this week
Sunday @ 3:00 p.m. at Gabe West @ Meerkat FC.

Last game. With a win, the Train Wrecks would win Division II. Thomas won't be at the game but had a few words of inspiration to build off last weeks victory. See his post below.

Practice this week
Saturday @ 2:30 p.m. at the Atlantic fields.
Indoor players not playing outdoor are welcome to kick the ball around as well.

Scrimmage on November 25th?
The Dragons would love to get an informal scrimmage going for 3pm the Sunday after Thanksgiving 11/25. Are the Train Wrecks interested?

Join in. Use the comment section to indicate which events you will or will not participate in.

The coach's corner

A word from Thomas:

Trainwrecks, well done. From my unique vantage point in the back, I beheld the most team-like outing from our squad of the entire season. Because to a person we had such an exceptional game and managed to do so many things right, I’d like to touch upon a few things that I thought worked especially well so you can all visualize doing them going into the season’s final match.

There is absolutely no doubt that if you play like you did last night, you will win the season’s final match. Remember that one mark of a champion is consistency!

1. We played 360 degree soccer, playing backwards as well as forwards. The use of drop passes was notable.
2. We let the ball do the work, staying in relative positions on offense so that we kept the field open so we could make key passes to each other. We also moved the ball quickly and set team mates up for opportunities.
3. The passing was excellent, with the right amount of accuracy, touch, pace and timing to be highly effective. Lots of good crosses out well in front of the goalie, where it’s dangerous.
4. We pushed forward and collapsed the field. Additionally, we supported each other by moving towards our team mates to support them. Pass, then move…
5. We controlled the middle of the field. Halfbacks played both offense and defense. Fantastic.
6. Our defense was solid and did what it needed to do. Attacking or judiciously giving ground as the occasion called for. We played as a flexible unit (and Alex was amazing!).
7. We played with calm, cool, collected poise. People took the time to look up and make quality passes.
8. We attacked free balls aggressively. This is so important! That really helped us gain an advantage at key points in the match.
9. Lastly, we managed to get off a number of shots. Good or bad, some of them were the type of shots that we haven’t been taking previously. Making a shot happen even when the conditions aren’t perfect lead to goals. Continue to take them when decent opportunities arise.

The only thing that I think we could still work on as a team is to communicate more on the field. Some people talk, most don’t. It helps to communicate, whether verbally or by physically.

I hope you all play your hearts out against the Meerkats. I have not the slightest doubt that we are the better team!

Slip sliden' to the top

It was mud-gate 2007 on the ol' pitch. If one was sliding one way, they'd be sliding the other the very next moment in their attempt to latch on to the spinning ball. Not to mention there was a capable opponent on the field trying to do the exact same.

And despite all this, the Train Wrecks still managed to come out on top, 4-1. Two mud bricks to the back of the net by Brad, and two by the "loco"motive known more commonly as Gustavo. Meanwhile, Steve managed the nets, as his foot was deemed too lethal in field.

He dove left.
He dove right.
And all but one ball were stopped for the night.

So where does this leave the Train Wrecks with one game remaining to play in the season. Well it leaves on top of the table by one point because the Unicorns lost their match vs. the Galacticos.

Job well done Train Wrecks.

Train Wrecks FC Youth Team in development

Congratulations go to Elizabeth and Robert K. who are proud to be newly expectant parents.

Who's sporting [other than yourself]?

A couple of league notes. First...

The league is accepting nominees for Best Sportsmanship Award Team now. Anyone can nominate a team, as long as the nomination isn't your own team. I've set up a poll, in addition to the weekly game-recap poll where you can submit your votes. Submit votes by [Laura, please provide a deadline].

Though, you may want to wait until we've played our last two games to vote.

Second...

This reminder: November 18 is the last official game for fall. Nov 25, 2007 is the last day that the league can use Gabe Catalfo fields. Arrange scrimmages or friendly games amongst yourselves. Only registered members/players with BCSL are allowed to play for liability reasons. Gabe fields will be closed Nov 26 and will not reopen until spring 2008.

Elimination weekend

Train Wrecks games this week
Outdoor: Sunday @ 7:00 p.m. at Gabe East vs. San P's.

Important game this week, as the loser probably will be eliminated from contending for first place in the league. Only one game remaining after this one.

Practice this week
Saturday @ 2:30 p.m. at the Atlantic fields (note change in field location).

Hit the field. Use the comment section to indicate which events you will or will not participate in.

Testi-goals!

So Train Wrecks win again.

It was 2-0 against the Berkeley Jets when I had to leave. And luckily I still had 2, instead of nothing, when I left the field after what we'll deem as a "groin" injury. I think what this means is that all the Train Wrecks left with a pair to be thankful for.

Gustavo and Oreste fired through for the Wrecks.

Good game overall, as the Andrew was never really tested (other than almost needing to call in some night-vision goggles towards the end). Check out some of the action captured by America's steady eye.

On a side note, the first place team in the division (as of last week), the San P's, lost 3-1 to TCU (no, not the Horned-frogs of Texas Christian Univiversity. Twin Castle United.). The San P's are next up on the schedule for the us.

Soccer Comedy

A little light-hearted fun for the blog.

And down the stretch they go

Train Wrecks games this week
Outdoor: Sunday @ 3:30 p.m. at Booker T. Washington vs. Berkeley Jets
[note: time change for this game due to the end of day light savings time]

The Berkeley Jets are currently in 9th place out of 12 teams. But don't let their record fool you. The team supports only a -4 aggregate goal difference, with 17 goals for, and only 21 against in the 9 games they've played.

Stick around after the game. Since we're playing in the last game of the day at Booker T., we're in charge of taking the goals down and storing them before we leave.

Practice this week
Saturday @ 2:30 p.m. at the Coast Guard fields (will be moved to Atlantic if they're available)

Get out of the gate. Use the comment section to indicate which events you will or will not participate in.

In all honesty it wasn't a fair fight

After all, the Pirahna's were a little toothless with only 8 players available for our outdoor game last Sunday. The result was rather elementary in determining the win, as 12 goals went in for the Train Wrecks, and zero went in for the fish.

To be honest, I lost track of who scored what. I know that Diego picked up at least 3 in the first 10 minutes of the game. Amy volunteered to sub him out, as there was grave concern for him injuring his golden touch. I believe Amy had added a couple on her own, and Steve definitely sent a screamer in to the back of the goal. Who else? I think Brad added a tally or two...perhaps Celina, Wendy, and Madeline chipped in as well.

Did someone keep count? Let me know and I'll update the post.

Oddly enough though, the official score will read 8*-0, with the asterisk representing a goal-cap limit set by the league.

The Train Wrecks currently sit in second place tied with the Unicorns (who have two games in hand) and 5 points ahead of Twin Castle United (who have one game in hand). And, in two weeks, we have a showdown with the league leaders, San P's.

There's sun in Hawaii?

Sorry for the lack of posts, but the days in Hawaii are long on work, and little on free time. I heard the Train Wrecks disposed of the Galacticos (Real Madrid?) 7-1. This is becoming familiar territory: the winning that is.

Diego again got on the board with another hat trick (anybody wanna change the name of the team to the Hat Tricks?). Gustavo was on the double and Brad and Oreste pitched in a goal a piece. Frankenblair ruled the nets again, only allowing a single goal. And Janine, once again, put the icing on the game by bringing what I hear was a fabulously delicious cake.

This weekends events:

Train Wrecks games this week
Outdoor: Sunday @ 7 p.m. at Gabe East @ Pirahnas
Indoor: Off-season

Practice this week
Saturday @ 2:30 p.m. at the Coast Guard fields (but could move to Atlantic if they are available)

You in? Use the comment section to indicate which events you will or will not participate in.

Keep the ball rolling this weekend

Train Wrecks games this week
Outdoor: Sunday @ 4:20 p.m. at Booker T. Washington @ Galacticos
Indoor: Off-season

Practice this week
Saturday @ 2:30 p.m. at the Coast Guard fields

Game on. Use the comment section to indicate which events you will or will not participate in.

Twin Castle Untied

Another Sunday. Another victory for Train Wrecks FC.

This past weekend, the resilient Train Wrecks pulled out a win in a tough match against Twin Castle United. With the 1-0 final score, our outdoor team leap-frogged Twin Castle U. into third place, 4 points off the pace of leaders San P's.

Diego scored the lone goal of the match on a nice cross from Wendy that followed some nice team passing. Both teams worked the ball well on the pitch, playing controlling football, and at any point during the match momentum could have switched.

However, even with few subs and a patch-work goalie situation in place of injured Blair, the Train Wrecks kept it real, and kept the visitors off the scoreboard.

p.s. Blair, take care of that ankle, and best wishes. We hope to see you on the field as soon as possible.

In through the outdoor; a weekend for everyone

Train Wrecks games this week
Outdoor: Sunday @ 3 p.m. at Gabe West vs. Twin Castle United
Indoor: Off-season training at the Beer Curling session

Practice this week
Saturday @ 2:30 p.m. at the Coast Guard fields

Beer Curling session
Friday @ Drakes @ 4 to 7 p.m. (or later)

Pick-up game
Sunday @ Mosswood Park in Oakland from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Are you ready? Use the comment section to indicate which events you will or will not participate in.

Just the facts, ma'am. Just the facts.

So having to report on events that I personally did not attend requires me to put a little faith in other sources. That's not just a statement of fact, but perhaps a warning (and thanks to those of you for providing me with input on this past weekend's Train Wreck happenings).

First, the latest indoor season ended on slightly dour note. The Train Wrecks lost 6-8. And after further reflection upon the season, the team will be on hiatus for the next league campaign.

In outdoor action, the Train Wrecks rolled to 6-0 victory, with Brad's 3 goals pacing the team. That makes three games in a row where a Train Wreck has had a hat trick. Jaki, Diego, and Thomas each deposited the ball into the back of the net a single time to round out the 6 goals.

And depending on the reliability of my sources the following also happened:

• Birthday boy Blair turned 49.
• Andrew came to the rescue, saving a goal, by clearing a ball of the line with his head, and followed it up by saying " and Bob's your uncle."
• Janine baked a cake, but isn't sure who ate the piece with the laxative pill.
• Diego was drunk.
• Steve brought snacks and drinks, and charged only a nominal fee.
• Carlos Marin came dressed as Carlos Marin.

Seriously. This all supposedly happened. Here's the proof. (click for Amy's pictures)

Scottish kung-fu

Not sure if everyone is up to speed on Champions League play. But the latest drama is one for the box office, rather than the field.

In the match between Celtic and AC Milan, Celtic scored a late 90th-minute winner. During the ensuing celebration a Celtic fan ran on to the pitch and past the AC Milan keeper, Dida. As he did, the fan either "tapped" the keeper, or "viciously attacked" him. Here's a quote from the Celtic chief, 'All I saw were the TV pictures. He took a couple of steps after the fan and then obviously made this decision that he should go to ground. Unless I missed something he was carried off on a stretcher for what seemed to be the lightest tap you can imagine.'

What's even better is that in this electronic day and age, it only took 24 hours for someone to post a video of the incident, complete with a Phil Collins soundtrack.

1, 2, 3, ah. ah. aah. Let's get in on the Count.

Train Wrecks games this week
Indoor: Friday @ 7 p.m. at the Bladium vs. PK Ibuprofin (last game of the season)
Outdoor: Sunday @ 1 p.m. at Gabe West vs. Gold Diggers

Practice this week
Saturday @ 2:30 p.m. at the Coast Guard fields

Time to count 'em up! Use the comment section to indicate which events you will or will not participate in.

A site unseen; now seen

The league Web site is now active. It's permanently linked under the Team Links section on the blog.

And a note from our sponsor...

Laura is sharing the following from our league's front office:

Gabe Fields will not be ready for winter play as planned. Winter play was supposed to start Dec 3. I was able to get Monday nights and planned to have 7x7 or 6x6 games but it's not going to happen. No reason was given. The fields should be ready for spring. I will bid mostly Sunday slots for our games but will take whatever is available. That means if the Sunday slot that I bid for is not available and a week night slot is open, I will take it. If a Sunday afternoon slot is not available and a morning slot is open, I will also take that.

You and your team should be flexible and don't complain and whine if we get all morning slots or week nights at the Gabe fields. Schools from El Cerrito, Albany, Berkeley and Richmond and over 30 sports leagues, clubs and groups will be bidding for Gabe fields.

I'm not sure exactly what this all means in terms of Winter vs. Spring. If you have a question, let's leave it in the comment section. We can then take a look at outstanding issues and present back to the league for further clarification.

The Urban Freestyler

Not sure how many of you have seen Urban Freestyle sports. I saw a show on GolTV highlighting some footballers doing their tricks in the streets of London. Sort of a contrast between joga bonita and the gritty environment of city streets. Enjoy.

Let's go streaking!

No, we're not talking about what may have happened in Vegas for a few of our Wrecks (we'll try to keep that little run-in with the law on the DL, okay Brad?). We're talking winning streak.

Behind a hat trick from Jaki, and complementary goals from Brad and Robert H. respectively, the Train Wrecks sent the Marauders to a 5-1 defeat in the outdoor league. That's two wins in a row; a bonafide win streak.

In other action, the indoor team managed a point in their Friday night tussle, equalizing the opponents 8 goal output.

And a quick shout-out to Steve, who, under the directive loitering of Diego, helped change Antonia's flat tire. Bravo, Steve. You're a good man.

Check out Amy's pics of the outdoor and tire-changing action.

Are we having fun yet?

A new study shows that "A friendly game of soccer works off more fat and builds up more muscle than jogging. Danish scientists, who conducted their research on 37 men, also found the soccer players felt less tired after exercising than the joggers because they were having more fun."

For more, read the Washington Post article.

Thanks to Andrew for contributing this post idea.

Autumn is here, so let's talk reds and yellows

A post from the league to Laura about fair play and discipline:

Managers, a reminder: If you see anything on field that is dangerous or that could lead to dangerous situation, please go see the opposing team manager right away. You don't have to wait for halftime meeting with ref. For example, if you or your team identifies a hot and out of control player, that player should leave field for 5-10 minutes. Encourage your OWN players to get a hot teammate off the field.

Introduce yourself and the captain to the ref at beginning so if you need to talk to him he knows who you are. If one of your players is getting elbowed, for example, they should talk to their captain and/or manager, who can then point it out to ref.

In order to encourage clean play in our League the following rules are now in effect:

1. Any player with 4 yellows in one season is suspended one game. 3 further yellows (after a 4 yellow suspension) will be cause for another suspension and appearance in front of Disciplinary Committee (DC). Note that this is cumulative through the calendar year. A calendar year begins in Spring season and ends in Fall season. It means cards and disciplinary points carry over from Spring into Fall.
2. Any team earning 10 Disciplinary Points (DP's) in Spring Season loses 1 points in Spring standings.
3. Any team earning 20 DP's total for Spring and Fall seasons loses 2 points in Fall standings.
4. Any team earning 30 DP's total for Spring and Fall seasons loses 3 points in Fall standings

BCSL report:

Note: this is a very long post...pushing other posts further down in the page. To note your participation in games and practices this week, please scroll down.

Laura has shared the most recent Berkeley Co-ed Soccer League Commitee report from Sept. 25, 2007

The Comments Committee (consisting of four team managers who have volunteered) accepts suggestions and complaints at bcsl-comments@hotmail.com. All questions received since the spring season are addressed below. Responses have been vetted with league management.

Summary of Key Items:
• Website: League needs a website to be up and consistently running. A group of volunteers should be supported in taking that on.

• Scheduling: League management and team managers need to determine desirability of playing at times other than Sunday afternoon and evening.

• Regular league managers’ meetings would be useful for discussing ongoing items.

Questions and Responses:

1. "Can we get linesmen to help refs?"
There are not enough referees available to do this. An alternative would be to have league members serve as linesmen to help with offsides and out-of-bounds calls. Whether they are paid or serve as volunteers, this will require extensive organization. This is possible if a committee of motivated and capable individuals is willing to put the time into organizing it. Those individuals most strongly interested in having linesmen are encouraged to meet to see if they can come up with any viable proposals.

2. "Can we get practice fields?"
Field space is difficult to find in our area. Carmen typically lets managers know when we have the option of reserving space for practices or pick-up games. This is useful. Many teams play pick-up or have practices, so a good way to get practice space is to contact team managers.

3. "Can we enforce the minimum age requirement?"
Carmen has addressed this by requiring a copy of each new player's ID to verify they are old enough.

4. "What's the plan for how many new teams are allowed in?"
As team managers, we do not know. This is a question for league management. Letting new teams in can affect scheduling, fields, and the feel of the league. The league will presumably have more field space available in the future with the completion of the new Gilman fields, which may alleviate scheduling difficulties. We all appreciate the opportunity that the league has given us to play soccer, and it is a good thing to extend that opportunity to others. This is a good topic for the next league managers’ meeting.

5. "What happened to the league structure that teams approved a year ago?
To recap, managers conducted a vote during summer 2006 to determine the most popular structure for divisions and season scheduling. The winning structure had two divisions, a schedule where teams played only teams in their division, no playoffs, and exchange of the top team from Div. 2 with the bottom team of Div. 1 (at the discretion of the team from Div. 2). This structure was used for the Fall 2006 season, but then changed by league management for Spring 2007. The lack of agreement on a decision-making process pointed out the need for better dialog between league management and teams, which resulted in this managers' "comments committee". Since the league continues to grow, and new fields are coming on line, things are in transition. It would be best to settle into a consistent structure, where everyone knows how schedules will be set, how standings will be figured, and how teams will move between divisions. This issue still needs to be addressed over time, and is a good topic for the next league managers’ meeting.

6. "When will tourney results be posted on the website?"
Given that the website went down, the larger question here is (1) sustaining a website, and (2) posting scores. Many simple online features have made the league more user-friendly and fun. To date website tasks has been handled by individuals who eventually move on. It would be preferable to form a team of web-savvy volunteers who will maintain a website for the league. Shared responsibility is more likely to result in a sustainable website.

7. "There is some good scheduling software out there—does the league use such software?"
Yes, scheduling games to allocate times, fields, and opponents is complicated and time-consuming, and the league should use readily available software to do this task. We believe the league does in fact use such software.

8. "Monday night games don't work for all of us."
The league has historically played games on Sunday afternoons and evenings. While we wait for the new Gilman fields to come on line, the addition of new teams resulted in the need to play some games on Monday evening and some games on Sunday morning. It is important to find out how well this works for teams. This a good topic for the next league managers’ meeting.

Weekend to-do list

Train Wrecks games this week:
Indoor: Friday @ 8 p.m. at the Bladium vs. PK Acetominophen
Outdoor: Sunday @ 5 p.m. at Gabe West vs. Marauders

Practice this week:
Saturday @ 2:30 p.m. at the Coast Guard fields

So apparently Atlantic fields may be available for practice. We'll check 'em out, but for now the plan is to meet up at the Coast Guard fields. If you're coming late to practice you may want to scope the Atlantic fields to see if practice has moved (if it hasn't, move on down to the Coast Guard fields).

Alrighty then, tally time! Use the comment section to indicate which events you will or will not participate in.

Banana Splitsville

It was mixed weekend for the Train Wrecks.

The indoor team couldn't seem to rescue enough points to overcome S.O.S. in a 2-13 loss. It didn't help that Madelyn played for the souls. On the other hand...

Madelyn did play for the Wrecks on Sunday in their outdoor game. Diego, he of the golden foot, deposited three goals, to the Berkeley Hawk's lone tally. Check out Amy's pic's from the action.

Animal planet

So I was reading about this kid from Brasil, Kerlon, who's perfected what's known as the seal dribble. Apparently, the move frustrates opposing players and they've vowed to take him out. Kerlon has said he will continue to use the move until it is made illegal (or perhaps until someone takes him out permanently).

In other animal planet news...Andrew has found this PETA non-approved gem. Squirrel on!

Outdoor league weather cancellation number

Rain, and unplayable conditions, are sometimes unavoidable. If there are questions about whether an outdoor league game will be canceled due to weather, please call this information line:

510.981.5161

A weekend with TW FC

Train Wrecks games this week:
Indoor: Friday @ 9 p.m. at the Bladium vs. SOS
Outdoor: Sunday @ 5 p.m. at Gabe East @ Berkeley Hawks

Practice this week:
Saturday @ 2:30 p.m. at the Coast Guard fields

Raise your hands if you're sure! Use the comment section to indicate which events you will or will not participate in.

The Champions League scorecard: Round 1

And the award for best acting performance in a drama goes to....

the Unicorns. Unfortunately, the Train Wrecks lost their outdoor game this past Sunday to the tune of a hard fought 2-1 scoreline. Our lone goal came courtesy of Wendy on fine run and strike from a very difficult angle.

Adding to the shutout for this weeks Soccer Emmy's, the Train Wrecks were handed a 7-10 defeat in the indoor category.

A big welcome to Gustavo, who played with the outdoor team this weekend, a heart-felt goodbye to our young duckling, Anna, who is off to become a Banana Slug, and a happy birthday to Antonia, who is past the banana slug stage and onto whatever animal-phase describes full blown adulthood. What is that anyway?

And Janine, thanks for the feast. The only thing missing was a jousting competition.

Creative inspiration

Thomas is always saying to practice our first touch...here's a little inspiration for that one, and the one after that, and the one after that one, and the....you get the picture (or should I say video).

On tap for the weekend: Who's in?

Train Wrecks games this week:
Indoor: Friday @ 7 p.m. at the Bladium vs. Mayhem
Outdoor: Sunday @ 4:20 p.m. at Booker T. Washington @ the Unicorns

Anna-banana-fofana-banana-slug?
This weeks outdoor game will be Anna Carlson's last as Train Wreck before shipping of to her college life at UC Santa Cruz. Let's send Anna off in style, with a Train Wreck victory!

Practice this week:
Saturday @ 2:30 p.m. at the Coast Guard fields (unfortunately, youth leagues are using the better fields)

Show of hands!
Who's coming to what? Use the comment section to indicate which events you will or will not participate in.

Baby you can drive my car (for a good cause)

It doesn't always have to be about soccer does it? Especially if there's a good cause behind it. Whether your a car enthusiast, or looking to support life-saving research, you might dig this: The Ultimate Drive for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Basically, you get to drive any model of BMW (try out the 750Li, Z4 convertible, or X5 ), and for every mile you do, BMW donates a dollar for breast cancer research. Have a lotta fun. Do a little good.

post idea by Carlos

US: 2-time World Cup champions!

Check out the World Cup, women's edition, being played in China. The US, two-time champions, play tomorrow vs. the People's Republic of Korea (North Korea to the rest of us).

post idea by Amy

They've been scrubbed

Scrubs 2 - Train Wrecks 8 (outdoor)

A fine effort by the outdoor team last night with lots of good ball movement, passing, and of course, scoring. Tallying for the 'Wrecks:

Oreste with 2 goals
Diego, Brad, Anna, Jaki, Robert H., and Amy, each with a goal. (Did I correctly credit everyone? If so, final score is 2-8).

Defense did well, despite my (Marc) howler of a clearance attempt that led to the Scrubs first goal.

Bocas Locas 5 - Train Wrecks 9 (indoor; unconfirmed score)

On another note, the indoor team beat Bocas Locas last Friday. I believe the score was 9-5, but I have to admit I was watching my beer more than the game.

Your thoughts on either game? Post a comment. And don't forget to vote for the play of the (outdoor) game.

Are you game? or practice? or both?

Train Wrecks games this week:
Indoor: Friday @ 8 p.m. at the Bladium vs. Bocas Locas
Outdoor: Sunday @ 7 p.m. at Gabe West vs. Scrubs

Practice this week:
Saturday @ 3 p.m. at Encinal High School

Practice of course is encouraged. With a game on Sunday, a good showing will give us an opportunity to work on our timing, field positioning, and then of course we can all brush up on individual skills.

Turns out, fields are hard to come by with many of the youth leagues starting up. We'll try Encinal High School fields, not to far from Atlantic (drive south past Atlantic fields on Main St.
Go through the light and you'll be on Central. As you head around the bend you'll run in to Encinal High, with a big jet in the front lawn. Fields are out back).

For outdoor events (and really you could do the same if you're playing indoor) use the comment section to indicate which events you will or will not participate in so that we can get a head count (as well as helping Thomas prepare for game day position assignments).

United Television of Nations

Televised international matches this weekend:

EQ2008
Italy vs. France on GolTV @ 11:45 a.m., Saturday
Russia vs. Macedonia on FSC @ 8 a.m., Saturday
San Marino vs. Czech Rep. on FSC @ 11 a.m., Saturday
Iceland vs. Spain on FSC @ 1 p.m., Saturday
Sweden vs. Denmark on Setanta @ 11:25 a.m., Saturday
Malta vs. Turkey on Setanta @ 1:30 p.m., Saturday
Serbia vs. Finland on Setanta @ 3:15 p.m., Saturday

Friendly
Ecuador vs. El Salvador on GolTV @ 4 p.m., Saturday
Peru vs. Columbia on GolTV @ 6 p.m., Saturday
US vs. Brasil on ESPN2 and Univision @ 1 p.m., Sunday

FSC = FOX Soccer Channel

Antonia goes cookoo for coconuts....

and other pictures from Labor Day Weekend Drake'sfest '07.

Link and photos provided by Amy.

Good ol' College Try

I have to admit, that I know absolutely nothing about college soccer. However, the college soccer season has started for both men and women's teams, and there seems to be quite a few teams here in the bay area. If you're interested in checking them out, I've linked some home pages below:

• UC-Berkeley: Mens Womens
• Stanford: Mens Womens
• Saint Mary's College: Mens Womens
• University of San Francisco: Mens Womens
• San Francisco State: Mens Womens

Practice yes; Drake's done; Scrimmage no

NOTE: This post was edited 9/01 8:09 p.m. to reflect confirmation of Saturday's practice.

So to confirm for the weekend:

• Friday: no indoor soccer, but a social at Drake's, 4 -7 p.m. (or later)
• Saturday: practice is on at Coast Guard fields, (at least 7 people replied yes to the poll): 2:30 p.m.
• Sunday: no scrimmage.

2007 summer indoor schedule

Here is the schedule for the remainder indoor games for the summer season. All games are on a Friday and at the Alameda Bladium.

Date/time: 9/07/2007; 8:00 PM
Opponent: Bocas Locas
Result: 9-5 (W)

Date/time: 9/14/2007; 7:00 PM
Opponent: Mayhem
Result: 7-10 (L)

Date/time: 9/21/2007; 9:00 PM
Opponent: S.O.S.
Result: 2-13 (L)

Date/time: 9/28/2007; 8:00 PM
Opponent: PK Acetaminophen
Result: 8-8 (D)

Date/time: 10/05/2007; 7:00 PM
Opponent: PK Ibuprofin
Result: 6-8 (L)

9/1 Practice; 9/2 Scrimmage; Who's in?

Practice 9/1

It's this Saturday at 2:30 p.m. We're moving back to the Atlantic fields for this one. The fields are reportedly in beautiful shape now that the grass has had a chance to thrive without being trampled on.

Scrimmage 9/2

There's a possibility of scheduling one of the other teams for a scrimmage. Laura has already sent out the request via e-mail.

Post your interest in either event in the comments section under this post.

Less labor, more day, even more weekend

So no indoor game this week. What to do?

Come out to the Pepsi fields in Hayward on Wednesday, 5:45-sh to 8-ish. And/or stop by at Drakes, 1933 Davis St. #177 in SanLeandro, on Friday.

Saturday practice info to come.

p.s. If someone knows the cross streets for the Pepsi fields, leave that information in the comments section of this post. I'll map it and add it to the Playing fields link.

content provided by Amy

Wayne Rooney brings the house down

Hangin' tough with Agave FC

Well, our first match of the season, an exhibition affair, went down as a 0-3 loss to Agave FC. But I think if you're an avid fan of just results, we'll give Diego the goal (that the ref didn't see) after he was assaulted in the box. The ball rolled over the line as the dust settled...but the ref claimed he blew the whistle for the penalty, before taking into account that there was actually a shot on goal.

Take a look at match day pictures taken by Amy, as well photos from the indoor team's victory last Friday.

Playing fields

Game fields:

• Booker T. Washington at Eastshore Park, Richmond, CA @ Carlson Blvd. and 47th St.
• Gabe (East and West), Berkeley, CA @ Harrison and 5th Street
• Gilman Turf, Berkeley, CA @ Gilman and Frontage Road
  
• Alameda Bladium, Alameda, CA @ US Naval Base

Practice fields:

• Alameda Point, Alameda, CA @ US Naval Base
• Atlantic, Alameda, CA @ Atlantic Ave. and Main St.
• Coast Guard, Alameda, CA @ Coast Guard Base

Team Rosters

Key: G= Goalie; D = Defense or Fullback; M = Midfield or Halfback; F = Forward or Striker; U = Utility player; KW = Knee Wreck or Injured Reserver ; b. = birth date

Indoor Rec: summer '09
Amy Wallin, #8 (M), b. 7/9
Beto, #0 (G)
Brad Peterson, #14 (F), b. 11/21
Daniel Cellular, (M)
Joel Basquez, (D)
Laura Reyes, #4 (Founder, Manager, D), b. 10/24
Madelyn Lanctot (M), b. 7/14
Marc Richardson, #1 (D), b. 7/31
Meagan Gray (F)
Monica Carroll, #12 (F), b. 8/18
Oreste Armenta, #10 (M), b. 11/9
Pedro Paredes, (M)
Thomas Wuttke, #7 (D), b. 5/18

Outdoor: Fall '08
Alejandra Reyes (M), b. 5/5
Alex Toda, #33 (D), b 1/7
Amy Wallin, #8 (Manager, M), b. 7/9
Andrew Johnson (D), b. 11/19
Blair Sly (G), b. 10/7
Brad Peterson, #14 (F), b. 11/21
Janine Carlson, #19 (D), b. 3/14
Konni Stalica (M), b. 12/30
Laura Reyes, #4 (Founder, D), b. 10/24
Madelyn Lanctot (M), b. 7/14
Marc Richardson, #1 (D), b. 7/31
Monica Carroll, #12 (F), b. 8/18
Oreste Armenta, #10 (M), b. 11/9
Pedro Paredes, #? (M)
Robert Hugel (M), b. 6/15
Steve Stoker (D), b. 1/4
Thomas Wuttke, #7 (Coach, D), b. 5/18
Wendy Rockenbaugh, #17 (M), b. 1/28

Inactive:
Anna Carlson (F), b. 10/29
Bob Vaughn (G)
Celina Zisman (M), b. 8/17
Diego Funes (F), b. 8/15
Gustavo Buenrostro (F), b. 1/15
Lee Mackey, #20(F)
Jaki Dixon (F)
Sonya Jubb (M)
Don Kezar (KW), b. 10/7
Carlos Marin (KW), b. 12/25
Robert Keller (D)
Bill Holloway, #9 (D)

2007 Fall Outdoor Schedule/Results

All games are on a Sunday.
@ denotes that the Train Wrecks are the away team
Click the following links for field locations:
Gabe East and West, Booker T. Anderson

Date/time: 8/26/2007; 1:00 PM (Exhibition)
Opponent: Agave FC
Result: 0-3 (L)

Date/time: 9/9/2007; 7:00 PM
Opponent: @ Scrubs
Result: 2-8 (W)

Date/time: 9/16/2007; 4:20 PM
Opponent: @ Unicorns
Result: 2-1 (L)

Date/time: 9/23/2007; 5:00 PM
Opponent: @ Berkeley Hawks
Result: 1-3 (W)

Date/time: 9/30/2007; 5:00 PM
Opponent: Marauders
Result: 5-1 (W)

Date/time: 10/07/2007; 1:00 PM
Opponent: Gold Diggers
Result: 6-0 (W)

Date/time: 10/14/2007; 3:00 PM
Opponent: Twin Castle Utd
Result: 1-0 (W)

Date/time: 10/21/2007; 4:20 PM
Opponent: @ Galacticos
Result: 1-7 (W)

Date/time: 10/28/2007; 7:00 PM
Opponent: @ Piranhas
Result: 0-8* (W)
* The league sets a limit on goals scored at 8. The actual score was 0-12.

Date/time: 11/04/2007; 4:20 PM
Opponent: Berkeley Jets
Result: 2-0 (W)

Date/time: 11/11/2007; 7:00 PM
Opponent: San Ps
Result: 4-1 (W)

Date/time: 11/18/2007; 3:00 PM
Opponent: @ Meerkat FC
Result: 1-3 (W)