Blowouts

espola said:
My son's high school team beat a league opponent 9-0. In the later game at their field the final score was 5-0. Our team mom had brought our boys a post-game meal (fried chicken and stuff), but before they could gather up the gear and finish the food the opponents had locked the gates and turned off the lights.
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Spola that's hilarious from where I sit, but I'm sure it sucked for you & the team.
 
GOBEARGO....There is no perfect solution for a match that has two teams that are nowhere close to each other in ability level.

What a coach should be looking for is "making the best" out of a bad situation. If my team is up 6-0 and it's clear the opposing is not going to be making any kind of a comeback, I'm going to use the rest of the match to implement the things we have been working on in training instead of trying to score 31 goals. We might work on our building out of the back, switching the point of attack, playing back to our GK, seeing how many passes we can connect in a row etc., it's the perfect time to work on those aspects of the game, when scoring is no longer necessary.

A coach, as others have mentioned, can also take players off the field and play a man or two down to try and keep things a little more even. But whatever the case, beating an opponent 31-0 is just stupid. There are other things you can work on in a lopsided game other than just scoring.
 
If the score is 6-0, 10 minutes into a game - you are on the edge of already blowing it.

So many easy ways to keep the score down.
1. Left footed shots
2. Left footed touches
3. Only x number of players in attacking half of field
4. Instead of shooting, pass ball to GK
5. Don't press
6. x number of passes then kick ball to opposing GK

So many other things to do which allow the score to remain reasonable, other team to touch the ball and your team to get "some" work. Playing keep away for 55 minutes is bad too. Two teams having to face each other that are completely different in talent levels is a tough situation. Realizing the situation quickly, communicating a remedy to your players all while not making it too obvious (verbally) to the other team is tricky.
 
TangoCity said:
If the score is 6-0, 10 minutes into a game - you are on the edge of already blowing it.

So many easy ways to keep the score down.
1. Left footed shots
2. Left footed touches
3. Only x number of players in attacking half of field
4. Instead of shooting, pass ball to GK
5. Don't press
6. x number of passes then kick ball to opposing GK

So many other things to do which allow the score to remain reasonable, other team to touch the ball and your team to get "some" work. Playing keep away for 55 minutes is bad too. Two teams having to face each other that are completely different in talent levels is a tough situation. Realizing the situation quickly, communicating a remedy to your players all while not making it too obvious (verbally) to the other team is tricky.
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I had to sub for our BU9 coach because the head coach couldn't make it to the game. We were up 6-0 at halftime, so I sat the 2 best players the whole second half and reversed everyone's playing positions, with a new keeper every few minutes. That meant that a defender who had not taken a shot all year took advantage of his opportunity and scored 4 straight goals. The real coach then had to listen the next week to our 4-goal hero's dad who wanted to get him moved to forward.
 
espola said:
I had to sub for our BU9 coach because the head coach couldn't make it to the game. We were up 6-0 at halftime, so I sat the 2 best players the whole second half and reversed everyone's playing positions, with a new keeper every few minutes. That meant that a defender who had not taken a shot all year took advantage of his opportunity and scored 4 straight goals. The real coach then had to listen the next week to our 4-goal hero's dad who wanted to get him moved to forward.
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They should have promoted you to head coach. At u9, kids should be switching positions all the time.
 
My go-to option for keeping the score in check with younger rec teams:
1. Nobody who has already scored is allowed to score again.
2. Identify a target player (usually one of the weaker players -- preferably one who hasn't scored in quite a while) who is the only player allowed to score. Everyone else can focus on getting the target player a goal.
3. Instead of yelling out limitations (so the other team hears), call players over during the game and spend a minute or two talking to them (effectively reducing the number of active players on the field for your team).
 
You can also assign a "man to man" defense. You can only try to take the ball away from the one kid you are assigned to. No double teaming. No helping out if a kid gets beat.
 
fantasyfutbol said:
OK that was a joke but seriously, would you tell your children's 1st grade teacher not to outperform other schools in a spelling bee. Would that teacher be expected to tell her children to spell slower so as not to offend? Would that same first grade teacher not be supported for writing a newsletter praising the children and explaining his/her teaching technique?
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To complete your analogy correctly: Would you want the winner to keep spelling words correctly for hours on end after everyone dropped out, but the losers are required to sit there and listen?
 
My DD and I were talking about a college game she this Friday and what her coach told them. Their opponent has lost all five of their games 11-0, 10-0, 2-0, 8-0, 10-0 with only 6 total shots on goal. My DD said their coach told them that "we do not stop scoring until we are ahead by at least 12 than we will go into a 10 passes before you can shoot and only from outside the penalty area." My DD asked the coach why a 12 goal lead. The coach said the goal differential will help them in the overall standings. He also said that if they were his youth team he could cap the scoring at a 6 goal lead.
 
Surfref said:
My DD and I were talking about a college game she this Friday and what her coach told them. Their opponent has lost all five of their games 11-0, 10-0, 2-0, 8-0, 10-0 with only 6 total shots on goal. My DD said their coach told them that "we do not stop scoring until we are ahead by at least 12 than we will go into a 10 passes before you can shoot and only from outside the penalty area." My DD asked the coach why a 12 goal lead. The coach said the goal differential will help them in the overall standings. He also said that if they were his youth team he could cap the scoring at a 6 goal lead.
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That big a goal differential does not matter in NCAA or NAIA post-season selections - is it a conference thing?
 
coachrefparent said:
To complete your analogy correctly: Would you want the winner to keep spelling words correctly for hours on end after everyone dropped out, but the losers are required to sit there and listen?
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Don't claim to complete my analogy correctly. The winning team doesn't shoot goals into an open net for hours on end after the opposing team drops out/sits on the sidelines and are required to sit there and watch. That doesn't happen in soccer, spelling bees, or any contest where the objective is to outperform the opponent DURING the contest.

You don't have to agree with the analogy but by creating a straw man argument you are only exposing your own lack of touch with reality.

Blowouts can be handled many ways, but as long as the coach makes a sincere effort to not embarrass the other team, then we can say he did his due diligence. When referencing teams in this thread, we shouldn't speak about what the coach's intentions were unless we were there. That would be speaking out of turn. What remains true that if the blowouts are happening, we need to look at why these teams are competing against each other and see if what the real problem is parents. Parents lack of touch with reality thinking their little Fred or Frida belongs on a club team. AYSO is not a bad word, it is a great league with great attitudes and wonderful people. If your team is getting blown out, you might need to stop looking across the field for blame and start looking in the mirror.
 
TangoCity said:
If the score is 6-0, 10 minutes into a game - you are on the edge of already blowing it.

So many easy ways to keep the score down.
1. Left footed shots
2. Left footed touches
3. Only x number of players in attacking half of field
4. Instead of shooting, pass ball to GK
5. Don't press
6. x number of passes then kick ball to opposing GK

So many other things to do which allow the score to remain reasonable, other team to touch the ball and your team to get "some" work. Playing keep away for 55 minutes is bad too. Two teams having to face each other that are completely different in talent levels is a tough situation. Realizing the situation quickly, communicating a remedy to your players all while not making it too obvious (verbally) to the other team is tricky.
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I had that exact scenario this past weekend. It was pretty tough, I think it was 7-0 about 15 minutes in. I gave them the non verbal instruction of no more scoring for the half. If I had let the kids go, I have no doubt we would have been at 10-12 minimum by half. When we got to the half time talk, it was kind of funny because this particular team was in a different position. They were not sure what to do but as I do with every team I coach they know that I do not allow my teams to just run riot on another team. We discussed what we thought would be the best thing to do to help us get better and not embarrass the other team. One of the kids suggested, since we are all right footed, only left foot passes and shots. We work on it a lot, but as many of you know when you have little kids they are married to that magic right foot no matter what you say. Also, it is not a top team so even their right foot is not what it needs to be. Needless to say, it worked extremely well. The kids struggled mightily, the other team had some chances, and stringing 3 left footed passes together to get to goal was very unlikely. In the last minute, we hit a good pass down the line, a kid crossed it without falling down, and another ran in and first timed it into the goal. It took us 24 minutes, but they were finally able to get it done. The whistle blew soon after, final of 8-0. We didn't embarrass the other team, and the kids were very happy for the kid that scored with his left. We also didn't press, came back to the half on goal kicks, and dropped off on throw ins. FF, I know you think your analogy works but I disagree. Don't get the value of education and youth sports mixed up, I make a living doing both and they are COMPLETELY different in almost every way. Maybe that is my problem, I have spent too much time with kids over the last 25 years so I have 0 interest in humiliating a bunch of 7 year old kids. I just don't think Darwinism has a place everywhere.
 
espola said:
That big a goal differential does not matter in NCAA or NAIA post-season selections - is it a conference thing?
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I didn't know so I asked my DD last night. DD did say that her coach absolutely hates the coach of the team they are playing. DD said the coach has told them that he does not like the other coach and they had better beat that team. DD said she thinks her coach just wants to beat the other team to get back at the other coach. DD said she does not know why the two coaches dislike each other. Sorry, that is the best answer I can give you.
 
Socal United said:
I know it is easy to do the math, but it really does not take very long. I remember last year at a game with my team it got ugly early. We scored on 3 passes from kick off, then continued to steal the kick off. Before I could blink, it was 7-0. I looked down at my watch when the 7th went it, we were 3:40 into the game. It was the longest last 36:20 in history. The coach kept apologizing to me, it wasn't his fault as the manager filled out the registration wrong. In the ulittle, you can score in 5-10 seconds. That said, it should never, ever get to that. At the Copa Del Mar we had a certain famous coach in these parts win his 09 games 22-0 and 19-0. Then crowed about it in his email that he sends out....
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http://events.gotsport.com/events/s...485&FieldID=0&applicationID=4110991&action=Go

Is this coach also famous in these parts? Or is this lopsided score a common occurence? Or did you have some personal reasons to call out one coach but see no problem when another does it?
 
No Coach that was his post back in September. I am sure he has long since forgot about it unlike you who whose club it was probably about since you appear to be so butt hurt about it. Did you wait ten months for this? What a troll.
 
Socal United said:
I had that exact scenario this past weekend. It was pretty tough, I think it was 7-0 about 15 minutes in. I gave them the non verbal instruction of no more scoring for the half. If I had let the kids go, I have no doubt we would have been at 10-12 minimum by half. When we got to the half time talk, it was kind of funny because this particular team was in a different position. They were not sure what to do but as I do with every team I coach they know that I do not allow my teams to just run riot on another team. We discussed what we thought would be the best thing to do to help us get better and not embarrass the other team. One of the kids suggested, since we are all right footed, only left foot passes and shots. We work on it a lot, but as many of you know when you have little kids they are married to that magic right foot no matter what you say. Also, it is not a top team so even their right foot is not what it needs to be. Needless to say, it worked extremely well. The kids struggled mightily, the other team had some chances, and stringing 3 left footed passes together to get to goal was very unlikely. In the last minute, we hit a good pass down the line, a kid crossed it without falling down, and another ran in and first timed it into the goal. It took us 24 minutes, but they were finally able to get it done. The whistle blew soon after, final of 8-0. We didn't embarrass the other team, and the kids were very happy for the kid that scored with his left. We also didn't press, came back to the half on goal kicks, and dropped off on throw ins. FF, I know you think your analogy works but I disagree. Don't get the value of education and youth sports mixed up, I make a living doing both and they are COMPLETELY different in almost every way. Maybe that is my problem, I have spent too much time with kids over the last 25 years so I have 0 interest in humiliating a bunch of 7 year old kids. I just don't think Darwinism has a place everywhere.
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My hat is off to you for your approach. I wish all coaches thought this way-- asking players for solutions to problems and giving them challenges without destroying the morale/sprit of the other team. Your team got more out of that half then they did by scoring another 7/8 goals.

The kids are really lucky to have you as a coach. Really, really good stuff. I hope you can keep that spirit.

I see so many coaches who clearly have no idea about these philosophies-- it is all about winning and not growing.
 
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