Arundel Soccer

ASA Coaches Meeting
Wednesday, 8 Feb, 6PM
Ark and Dove Church, Odenton

  ASA will hold a coaches meeting on Wednesday, 8 Feb at Ark and Dove Church in Odenton at 6PM till 7:15.  The meeting if for all coaches at all age and play levels.  The meeting is to introduce ASA Technical Director, Bob Thomas, and discuss new and planned programs for ASA coaches and players.

  There will also be a coach training session on Saturday, Feb 25th from noon to 2:30 at Arundel HS.  A flyer for the sessions with trainers and topics will be provided.

ASA Spring Adult Soccer
Now Open

   ASA registration for adult soccer players is open online. Teams will be made in Men's Unlimited, Over 30, Over 40, Coed and Women (Howard County league). For the flyer, click here. For any updated details, see the adult soccer menu tab

   Registration for Adult Beginners Soccer is also open.  The new program is for adults over 18 who have minimal or no prior soccer experience.  Players will receive 8 practice sessions and 8 games designed to provide the fundamentals of soccer and get game experience. 

ASA Spring Online Registration
Open now online!
Flyer/Form     Season Summary

  Online registration for Spring 2012 is open.  Flyers will go to schools and public areas during the first week of January.  Registration is also open for ASA adult soccer players interested in the Anne Arundel County League or ASA Beginner Adults Program.

Season Summary
    Open Registration:  November through Feb 18
    Registration closes: Feb 18
    Space Available Registration: Feb 18 to March 2nd
    Back-To-Soccer Meeting: March 3rd
    First Rec Games: March 17th
    Easter Break: April 7th
    Last Regular Game: May 12th
    ASA Rec Tournament Day: May 19th

Charm City FC
Competing in Maryland State and US Open Cups
Stewart Cup  Rowland Cup  US Open  US Amateur  Cup Summary
US Soccer US Open Site  US Amatuer Cup

 Charm City FC men's team will be competing in the Maryland Rowland and Stewart Cups, the US Open, and the US Amateur Cup this winter and Spring season starting January 8th.  The two state cups play first, and prepare the team for the National cups. Charm City's goal is to do something never done before - win all four Cups.

Charm City FC

   Charm City FC continued its dominant run of play in the Steffen Cup by defeating the MMSL Champions League winner Maryland Bays in the final of the Steffen Champions Cup 3-0 yesterday at Meade HS. The Bays won the league championship posting an undefeated 12-0-2 record and winning Steffen Cup quarterfinal matches over BTPU (7-0) and the Baltimore Juniors (2-1). The Bays were looking to be the first team to win the league championship and cup winner double since the MMSL went to the format in 2009.

   Charm City who finished 3rd in the MMSL Champions League with a 10-3-1 record cruised to the Steffen Champions Cup title outscoring its opponents 19-1 in the three games by defeating Portside FC in the quarterfinals (11-1) and Bushwallers FC in the semi-finals (5-0) before defeating the Bays in the Final. The trophy is Charm City FC's first since the franchise adopted the name in 2009.

   Both the Bays and Charm City will be gearing up for State and National Cups starting in January.

   The Steffen Champions Cup is the top MMSL cup.  After the conclusion of the regular season the top 4 clubs from the Champions League, top 2 from the 1st Division, and top 2 from the 2nd Division will compete in a knock out tournament to determine the Steffen Champions Cup winner.   The Maryland Majors Soccer League is the premier amateur adult soccer league in the State of Maryland and one of the premier adult soccer leagues in the United States.  The MMSL is a member of the Maryland State Soccer Association, United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA), United States Soccer Federation (USSF), and FIFA. The Champions Division is restricted to regionally or nationally ranked teams.

    Are you a great player looking to play on one of the best men's teams in Maryland?  Contact us about Charm City or the additional new Maryland Majors team fielding in 2012.

Teams Seeking Players

 Coaches seeking to add players should enter there team here and provide written details for player tryouts.  To add your team, please email here.  To inquire about teams, please contact the registrar or see the team tryouts page.

BOYS

GIRLS

Youth Soccer 101
Weekly Practice Sessions and Library for Coaches

    ASA is offering free practice plans and a drill library for all Rec Program and County Program coaches and assistants.  Sign up online and practice plans will be emailed to you that are specific for your age group.  They are free for all ASA coaches and can be used or modified as coaches need.  All ASA head coaches and assistants in Rec should sign up.  Coaches anywhere in ASA are free to sign up as well.

Details here.  Register here. Sample plans U5  U6/7  U8/9  U10/11

Coach Survey
For player ages U6, U7 and U8
Load Survey Here

  Arundel Soccer is surveying its Recreational program coaches for future participation in league play.  Coaches in current player ages U6, U7 and U8 are asked to complete a short online survey to help ASA plan ahead.  They survey will take approximately 1 minute.  All coaches with players this age are asked to participate.

Volunteers and Vacancies
**Adult League Coordinator**
**ASA Coaching Director - p/t**
**Media and Marketer**
**Sports Administration Intern - ASA**
**Assistant General Manager - Chesapeake Charge**
**Sports Administration Intern - WPSL Chesapeake Charge**

   ASA is seeking one or more volunteers for Webmaster or website assistant to help us maintain several websites and create new ways to get information out to players and families.  Knowledge of computers and web applications for users is needed.  programming or HTML skills are not required.  If interested, please contact admin@arundelsoccer.com for more information.
    ASA is also seeking staff, players, and management personnel for the WPSL Women's Chesapeake Charge Interested people should also contact info@ChesapeakeCharge.com.

ASA Chesapeake Charge
Thank you to all for a great season

  All of us at ASA would like to thank all of you who came to support the Chesapeake Charge during the just concluded season.  From a long season filled with road games, the Women's Open Cup tournament and our Region I Campionship, to the fight for the Eastern Conference title against Boston at Arundel, Charge had a great season with nationwide recognition.  We would like to especially thank Lee Rogers and the staff at Arundel HS, the Anne Arundel Department of Recreation and Parks, our uniform sponsor Adidas, the staff at WPSL, the local organizations that supported the team, and all of you who came to games.

  The players, coaches and staff of Chesapeake Charge and ASA sincerely thank you, and you can rest assured that Charge will be back for the 2012 season with a goal of nothing less than bringing the WPSL national championship home to Maryland.

-------------

WPSL Week in Review: Four teams brace for championship weekend
By Kaeley McEvoy

Three months, 62 teams, and more than 400 games have finally led up to the WPSL National Championship. Four teams now remain in the quest for WPSL glory. The Tampa Bay Hellenic, Chicago Red Stars, Orange County Wave, and defending WPSL champions, the Boston Aztec Reserves, will compete this weekend in the WPSL Final Four in Lisle, Illinois. The Tampa Bay Hellenic and Chicago Red Stars reserved their spots earlier in July when they captured the Sunshine Conference and the Mid-West Conference titles, respectively. This weekend, however, the Boston Aztec Reserves and the Orange County Wave played in the Eastern and Pacific Conference Regional playoffs for a chance to compete for the WPSL crown.

In the Eastern Conference, the Aztec Reserves beat a surprisingly impressive ASA Chesapeake Charge squad, 3-0, on Sunday, July 24. The Charge were seeded third in the Mid-Atlantic Division heading in to playoffs. However, the Charge were able to upset the Northeast Division second seed, CFC Passion, 3-1, and the Mid-Atlantic Division first seed, New York Fury, 1-0, to earn a spot in the Eastern Conference final.

The Boston Aztec Reserves, however, we not ready to succumb to another upset by the Charge. After beating their younger sister, the Boston Aztec U23s, 4-0, on Thursday, July 21, the Reserves were ready to capture their second Eastern Conference Regional title in two years. The Reserves beat the Charge, 3-0, on Sunday, July 24, to claim the Eastern Conference Regional Championship.

For the full article, see Our Game Magazine

Coaches Needed!
More kids... More teams... More soccer

    Arundel Soccer is growing again - adding programs and more soccer players each season.  We always need coaches for all ages and skill levels, but in particular need coaches and assistants for Mini-Strikers (U4), and in U7/U8 where we prepare teams and players for league play.  Coaches looking for future league play coming from the Rec program are particularly needed, and please contact us to ask how the ASA team development plan works.  If you have an interest in soccer and would like to learn more about working as a coach or assistant coach at any level, please contact coaching@ArundelSoccer.com.  If you've played soccer as a youth or as an adult or both, please consider giving back a little to the game and to the kids from age 3 on up who are ready to learn.  Training for coaches is provided or paid for by the club.

The Value of Volunteer Parent-Coaches!

    It seems to be the American way that if it costs more, it’s better. It’s not true in this case. According to George Kuntz, AYSO’s Player Development Technical Advisor, and head coach of UC Irvine's men's team.   If you can create good environments, even as a parent coach, you’ll have kids who are excited about the game. They’ll be motivated to play more soccer, to watch more soccer. And that’s the key -- creating an evironment in which they enjoy soccer so much they'll want to play more.  A lot of coaches without much or any soccer experience do a great job. They do their homework, do research, and take courses. They get everyone involved at practice, lots of touches. They’re engaged in making their kids better. …And my sense is there are a larger number of parent-coaches who have played. Are [paid coaches] really giving them something better? I’ve been to their practices. It just depends on who you get. 

For more of the article on coaching adn transitioning kids to more competitive play, see the Soccer American website here.

US Soccer Coaching Curriculum
*NEW*

    After spending much time traveling and studying youth player development in many soccer nations, U.S. Soccer Federation Technical Director Claudio Reyna has developed, written and released the comprehensive curriculum for youth player development. Reyna has been supported in the development of the curriculum by Dr. Javier Perez, who has worked at all levels of the game in Spain, England, Germany and France, as well as the U.S.
    During the Summit Reyna continuously stressed the four main areas of the curriculum that coaches should concentrate on every day in their training and planning. He refers to these areas as the “four pillars.” They are (1) Development over winning; (2) Quality training sessions; (3) Age-appropriate training; (4) Have fun and inspire your players.  Soccer is a game of opinions,’ however, this curriculum can offer a structure which can be complemented by a coach’s own coaching style and flavor! 
    Share the curriculum with its parents so they can also see the structure and player development direction that our governing body, U.S. Soccer, has adopted and implemented. Sharing the curriculum with parents should help with parent education and understanding the player development process at all youth ages, from 6 to 18.”

    Download the Cirriculum PDF here.  View the Introductory Video here.

Find Us on Facebook

 
Arundel Soccer

    ASA has started using Facebook for fast announcements, highlights and interaction.  If you are a Facebook user, become a fan and join in.  Ask questions, share your teams accomplishments, make suggestions and connect with other folks just like you.