US Youth Soccer ODP East Region teams have been very active in the past week. Follow along with game recaps from both the Virginia Friendlies and international trips to Costa Rica.
COSTA RICA
Check out some information from the US Youth Soccer ODP East Region teams’ trips to Costa Rica…
Opponent: Saprissa
Result: East Region 02 Girls 1-6 Saprissa
Region 1 Goal
In the second half Brooke Burzynski dribbled past the Costa Rican defender on the left side of the field and took a tremendous shot from 20 yards out to beat the keeper.
Goalkeepers:
Madison Neuendorfer (1st Half) - 4 saves
Kirsten Petersen (2nd Half) - 3 saves
Recap: From the opening whistle, the East Region 2002 team had their hands full with the Costa Rica league champions, Saprissa. Their strong movement off the ball and high restraining line forced our players to adapt to a quicker style of play. The Costa Rican side also finished some good chances and the East Region found themselves down 4-0 at the half. The East Region regrouped at halftime and came out to play a much improved second half scoring a goal and only allowing two against. The East Region grit and determination showed through in the second half. We will take the lessons learned from this match into our next two matches. Chloe De Lyser was voted the USA player of the match by the Saprissa coaching staff.
The US Youth Soccer ODP East Region 2004 Boys team wrapped up its trip to Costa Rica after some great experiences on and off the field. Check out a recap of their adventures, along with some photos, by visiting this page.
VIRGINIA FRIENDLIES
The US Youth Soccer ODP East Region 2005 Girls competed against some talented 2004 squads at the Virginia Friendlies…
Opponent: EPA 04 Girls A
Result: East Region 05 Girls 2-2 EPA 04 Girls A
Goals:
2nd min. - Lilly Short rounded the goalkeeper to score from a tight angle on the right side of the goal after a wonderful combination between herself, Wrianna Hudson & Jillian Gregorski.
34th min. - McKenna Newcome scored a chipped finish over the keeper and into the top right side of the goal after winning a half-clearance from the EPA defense.
Goalkeepers:
Naomi Glassburg (1st Half) - 2 saves
Shelby Pollard (2nd Half) - 4 saves
Recap: Good start for Region 1 as we moved the ball very well and found the extra player when building out and in the midfield early on. The first goal was an excellent team goal, starting with our right back and working through a 10 pass move to make the simple finish for Lilly. They pressed us as we worked on our build-up play and found some success on 18 minutes for the equalizer, but we showed a great deal of resilience to keep building our possession, learning from the earlier moments in the game. In the second half, we pressed them very well and closed the space between Midfield & Defense, which allowed us to regain possession in their half. Much of their success came from the physical dimension and differences between the teams, but we stood up to it well until they finally got their goal with 2 minutes left in the game. Shelby made 2 excellent saves in the second half on 1v1 situations to preserve the tie.
Opponent: North Carolina NC04 Girls A
Result: North Carolina NC04 Girls A 3-1 East Region 05 Girls
Goal:
1st min. - Wrianna Hudson intercepted a pass out from the NC goalkeeper, rounded her and passed into the open goal after some great pressure from Katharina Probst & Olivia Grenda.
Goalkeepers:
Shelby Pollard (1st Half) - 1 save
Naomi Glassberg (2nd Half) - 2 saves
Recap: We scored very early on as the result of a great team press as they attempted to build from the back. We had good spells of possession in the first half and made some half-chances for ourselves but did not find the second goal during that time. We saw our greatest success when we kept possession and were able to change the point of attack from sideline to sideline, something the girls are working very hard to learn & use from our game-plan. We gave up goals on counter-attacking moments, when our possession broke down, however the girls kept working to integrate the plan and saw more and more consistent success as the game went along.
Opponent: Virginia VYSA 04 Girls A
Result: East Region 05 Girls 0-4 VYSA 04 Girls A
Goalkeepers:
Shelby Pollard (1st half) 3 saves
Naomi Glassburg (2nd half) 3 saves
Recap: Very good performance by the East Region girls vs a very direct and physical VYSA team. They pressed us high and had some early success as we adjusted to the tempo of the game but as the first half wore on, we did an increasingly good job of holding possession, changing the point of attack and building possession through our midfielders. The second half was an excellent display of possession soccer. Our girls strung together passing moves of 10-15 and even 20 passes at one point, and created some great chances to score in the process. Overall a great weekend of growth for the team and a very positive weekend!
The US Youth Soccer ODP East Region 2004 Girls competed against some talented 2003 squads at the Virginia Friendlies…
Opponent: Virginia VA 03 Girl's B
Result: East Region 04 Girls (3) vs. Virginia VA 03 Girls B (0)
Goals:
15 min. — Corner Kick by Avery Parks, flicked on with head by Nicole Wilson with a half-volley shot/ goal by Taylor Menter to Goalkeepers left.
35 min. — Emily Riggins slid a ball to her left to Alyssa Kenealy who penetrated on a dribble into the box for a low cross, where a defender committed a handball violation in the box, awarding us a Penalty Kick. Alyssa Kenealy shot low to the GK's left and scored
45 min. — Natalie Zibinskas intercepted a pass by the opponent in midfield and played a penetrating pass to Alyssa Kenealy who went 1v1, dribbled by the defender and shot past the GK (to GK Right) from 25 yds out.
Goalkeepers:
Martine Royds (1st half- 3 saves)
Kayla Bower (2nd half- 1 save)
Recap: Virginia put us under a lot of pressure in first 10 minutes. We battled defensively, then found our rhythm with early entry balls from our defenders to the midfielders, who then 1-2 touch combined with each other to link up and spring in the forwards. Once we found rhythm, we defended high and pressured quickly to keep the ball in our attacking end to create dangerous opportunities. VA then went to very direct play, in effort to break our press with long ball play. Our backs did a fantastic job of dropping off to keep play in front of them.
Opponent: EPA 03 Girls B
Result: East Region 04 Girls (1) vs. EPA 03 Girls B (0)
Goal:
25 min. — Quick combination play to Daniela Michaels who played Alyssa Kenealy in on a run that allowed her break behind the defender. Alyssa then cut inside for a shot far post and goal.
Goalkeepers:
Kayla Bower (1st half- 1 save)
Martine Royds (2nd half- 2 saves)
Recap: EPA had much depth and a lot of physical presence. It took a couple minutes again for us to adjust, but our backs did another great job keeping their attackers in front of them, jumping on passes to intercept them and winning big tackles. Our midfielders exhibited great composure on the ball with good ability to absorb hard contact in tight spots. They were incredible in breaking the pressure by breaking lines with their initial pass or looking to switch the point of attack. Our wing players were much more involved today, finding themselves in 1v1 positions and having the confidence to penetrate at them. We had many threatening crosses with many players crashing the box for volley and half volley shots on goal. This forced their goalkeeper to make many saves. Extremely happy with back to back performances as such.
Opponent: North Carolina 03 Girls A
Result: East Region 04 Girls (0) vs. North Carolina 03 Girls A (3)
North Carolina Goals:
5 min. — Lost possession in central midfield and conceded a quick counter with our backs going forward. NC player got behind and finished the 1v1 shot vs GK for goal.
20 min. — Lost possession in wide midfield, lacked pressure and slotted a ball between 2 backs with a backside runner getting in with a shot and goal
38 min. — Turnover on our goal kick, player in quick transition finished with a breakaway goal
Goalkeepers:
Kayla Bower (1st half- 2 GAA, 1 save)
Martine Royds (2nd half- 1 GAA, 3 saves)
Recap: The score does not truly represent how well the team played. North Carolina punished us on a few mistakes we made, utilizing their pace and strength to quickly counter-attack on us and get in behind. North Carolina was a well organized team with a plan to beat us with big passes and in transition. They executed well. We did not lack opportunities ourselves, earning 5 corner kicks, and a few threatening shots that had North Carolina on their heels at times. Our team showed our technical ability with good ball movement and build up when we gained possession. What has been impressive is how many numbers we get forward and into the box, at times getting 5-7 in the attacking third. However, North Carolina got us when we had these numbers forward and too flat. We did not have the balance in support to lay off or prevent the counter. Though we made adjustments, 2 goals against proved too much to come back from as fatigue became a factor too. This team made the staff and parents extremely proud with their will and determination. They earned many great results, were extremely productive and very receptive to the game plans.
The US Youth Soccer ODP East Region 2004 Boys competed against some talented 2003 squads at the Virginia Friendlies…
03 VYSA Boys 7-0 East Region Boys 04
Recap: Weak performance from East Region Boys. The boys did not expect such a quick, direct physical game from the VYSA team. VYSA team started pressing very high and had success with that. Our boys tried to adjust after the half time with some possession but still had issues with the physical aspect of the game. We gave up goals on fast breakaways, also on losing possession in the midfield and corner kicks where size was also a matter. At the end of the game boys liked the experience but did not expect a fast physical game like this.
03 NJYSA Boys 3-0 East Region Boys 04
Recap: Good start for East Region Boys, as we moved ball better and well forward which gave us some opportunities. Boys started building confidence and trust in each other which creating a better possession game. Also playing out of the back was much better executed. Disregarding the size difference East Region Boys started to believe in there capability to play soccer and gave NJYSA an OK fight. You could see that this boys where a different team as the day before and tried to play soccer whiteout being scared. Two easy goals decided the game. The third goal was just scored with 5 minutes left in the game as we tried to push up more. Much better performance from our boys.
03 NCYSA 2-1 East Region Boys 04
Recap: Very confident start from our boys, as they did learned to adapt on quicker play and bigger body size from the opponents before. We moved the ball very well and with much more confidence as in the previous games. Movement off and with the ball was also much better which created always an opening or chance for us to score. Our defensive shape was much better which showed at the end of the first half with 1 goal behind. Second half against the wind was even a better performance since the boys started playing possession going forward and using more the wing players. In a fast break way we received a second goal. This time our boys did not give up and kept playing which resulted in a goal scored by Gerber Chevez with 15 min left in the game. At this point it was all East Region Boys playing but we did not get the equalizer.
The East Region 2005 Boys teams competed at the 2018 Virginia ODP Friendlies Tournament, held Feb. 23-25. at the Warhill Sports Complex in Williamsburg, Va.
The Boys arrived on blustery Thursday afternoon with rain in the forecast, received their team and room assignments and immediately departed for training. Since December was the last the boys had competed together, we chose to remind them of our system of play and style through some phase – play/functional training. We also addressed the movements off our throw ins deep in our half. Coach Rick Meana took the Blue Team and Coach Mike Kleinert the Red Team. Later that evening following Dinner we addressed a few hypothetical tactical “situations” for the weekend.
The following morning after breakfast the entire pool enjoyed a lighthearted “regeneration” session in a bit of a rain that was concluded with a spirited soccer tennis tournament in the hotel parking lot. We learned that many games scheduled to be played on grass had been canceled due to poor field conditions and as such our games would be played in 25 minute halves on Friday and Sunday, with Saturdays games two – 30 minute halves.
Friday, Feb. 23:
North Carolina 05 (0-0) East Region 05 Blue
The Blue Team kicked off the first game of the evening playing North Carolina’s U13s to a 0-0 draw. The game was quite competitive with both teams playing good soccer and creating chances. North Carolina’s GK made a couple of key saves late in the game to deny the East Region’s Red 05s a victory.
EPYSA 05 (2-0) East Region 05 Red
Next up the Red Team played a physical match versus Eastern Penn’s 04s and lost 2-0. The physical play bothered the boys and they never really found their rhythm. The major area of concern was mainly ball possession from the back into midfield. Our poor midfield shape caused us to easily lose ball possession and Eastern Penn capitalized with several counters that caused havoc for our back line.
Saturday, Feb 24:
EPYSA 05 (0-1) East Region 05 Blue
Our first match pitted the Eastern PA 05s against the East Region’s Blue Team. From the opening whistle the East Region dominated play getting in behind EPA with cunning and skillful attacking play from the midfield into the forwards and creating several chances from the flanks. Fortunately the East Region was awarded their only goal on the weekend late in the first half as the team played a highline pinning EPA in their half. Our Center Back Preston Thompson from a Correy James back pass, struck a laser into the upper 90 from 45 yards.
North Carolina 04 (7-0) East Region 05 Red
Most likely the best soccer playing opponent the Red team faced all weekend. From the opening whistle the North Carolina team dominated possession creating many chances and connecting on several. The boys did their best to counter but just could not keep possession in the opponent’s half. North Carolina’s team pressed very high and caused us to have to play quickly out from the back. A few goals came off of losing the ball in our back third. A lot was learned in this game regarding our speed of play.
Sunday, Feb 25:
Virginia 04 (6-1) East Region 05 Red
The Blue 05s lost to a talented Virginia Team, 6-1. Our midfield and back four struggled to stay compact and close down spaces and as a result we got stretched. Our speed of play was severely lacking in the midfield and it was clear that the weekend’s fast physical play had taken its toll on the confidence of many of our players.
Virginia 05 (0-0) East Region 05 Blue
The 05 Red Team followed with a tremendous display of relentless yet skillful attacking soccer as they drew 0-0 against a determined Virginia 05 Team. Both teams showed attacking flair and created several chances. Following a spirited first half, the second interval was played mainly in the Virginia half as East Region’s 05s persisted with a skilled attack both through the middle and down the flanks pinning back the Virginia midfield and back four. Virginia responded with a few dangerous counter attacks as the East Region pushed to secure a victory.
