Conviction - A Powerful Weapon!

Today's training session focused on conviction, the second C in my 4 C's mantra. I've always told players I don't care if mistakes are made as long as you do it 100%. It's funny how even if you make a wrong decision, if you do it all out, it almost always works out OK. I think young players today both in college and at the youth level spend way too much time worried about making mistakes. Pressure from coaches, parents and teammates put's players in a defensive mindset, more looking to not make a mistake, rather than looking to make something happen.

If you sit on our sidelines ever, you'll always here one of my favorite sayings "don't play to not lose, PLAY TO WIN!"

Notre Dame Match Recap!

Last night we had the chance to play Notre Dame, who this last season finished ranked number 5 in the country. I've always said in order to be the best you have to play the best. Spring is an opportunity for players to improve and raise their game to the next level. You always want to win and play to win, but the journey to get there is what spring is about. The chance to see the speed of play at the top level is certainly something that will be a huge benefit for this group.

I was extremely pleased with the play of our strikers, Lizzy Karoly and Jackie Torda, as both had great work rates and did a good job holding the ball. We created some great chances and Chelsea Cody did a very good job of playing those two in. The fact we had so many corners was extremely encouraging and showed that we have the ability to be dangerous against the best teams in the country!

I felt defensively our 1v1 and small group defending all over the field was poor and is something that the team struggled with because we didn't keep the field compact enough. As young as our group is I felt we got a little rattled and just retreated and dropped, giving Notre Dame way too much time and space. All of there goals were a result from too much space and give Notre Dame credit, they capitalized.

The good news defensively is that we played them straight up as I wanted to see how far away we are from competing at that level. By no means were we pinned in our own back third, scrambling. We actually showed the ability to break down their defense at points and maintain posession. I think if we have a normal defensive effort from our mids and back line and don't panic it's a pretty even match. That's what's exciting - walking away knowing we're not far off.

The game certainly served it's purpose though, as obviously we're dissapointed in the result, but I walk away even more confident that we have the ability to play at that level. The trick for us is to do it consistently and have every one of our players believing they belong at that level!

Team Defense A Top Priority!

Yesterday's practice focused on one of our main themes this spring - defensive organization and work rate. We've got a great core of both extremely intelligent defenders as well as blue collar defenders, so one of our keys this spring is to mesh these two mentalities. A lot of it goes back to my post from yesterday - communication!!!

We'll spend a lot of time working on small group defending because that foundation is something that gives you a chance in every game no matter who the opponent is. I've got a couple of basic rules for defending that I always try to emphasize:
1) You don't have to win the first ball in team defending-just make it predictable for everyone else.
2) If one player goes we all go!
3) Balls bouncing, backs turned to goal-these are chances to capitalize defensively.
4) Move as the ball moves.
5) Last but not least-remember the pressure is on the attackers; so as long as the ball is in front of you, for the most part you'll be fine.

One of the nice things is, we certainly have a group that is very talented and creative offensively so they will create chances no matter what. As long as we're organized and disciplined defensively we'll have a chance to win every game!

Cornstone For Success- 4 C's!

I've always had a motto with my programs based around what I call the 4 C's -Confidence, Coniviction, Composure and Communication! I truly believe these four qualities are the cornerstone for any succesful team. This spring we've been focusing a great deal of our time on the fourth C, possibly the most important, communication.

I always remind our players that the more information they give, the easier they make the game for their teammates. This past fall the saying "Cheat Outloud" came out of team, which meant give your teammates as much information as you can don't just keep it to yourself. Too often players have the answers and know the solutions but keep that information to themselves. This stems from another one of my favorite quotes (can you tell this is a big emphasis with our program yet): Knowledge without action is wasted! It's always been amazing to me to watch 2 teams that dig into a knock down, full out match and are exhausted in a 0-0 tie late in the game and 99% of the time the team that communicates better wins.

Outside of the normal opportunities in training to work on communication we spend a lot of time working on the respect and trust factors that lead to communication. Even last night a large group of our team went to the TCU baseball game after training. They make a point to do things away from the field together to help spurn that respect.

We'll also do different games with the team to focus on the type of communication they give each other. Right before spring break we had a relay race with groups of 3 where 1 teammate was blindfolded. The course took the blindfolded teammate up the stairs around buildings, under fencing, down hills basically all over the place where the teammates had to give concise, direct and accurate information to direct their blindfolded teammate.

It's definetely an area where we will always continue to focus because I truly believe as a wise man once said: "The easiest way to break the human spirit is to rip us away from our conversations; we must never, never stop talking, as deep and far as we can go."

Dallas Cup Memories

We're very lucky to live in a place where within a quick drive you can take in every major professional sport, including Nascar (I've been to a race but still haven't figured out that one yet)! Once a year one of the best amateur sporting events in the world comes to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, the Dallas Cup Soccer Tournament. Teams from around the world come in and compete in this youth soccer event in what is a truly unique showcase of the sport's international flavor. This year was no different as Liverpool, yes that Liverpool from England, beat Tigres of Mexico in the finals of the Super Group yesterday at Pizza Hut Park.

I always love this tournament as I was lucky enough to get to participate in 2 U19 Dallas Cups, including the 1993 Super Group, as a member of the La Jolla Nomads. There's nothing like it as an 18-year-old walking out in front of 6,000 screaming fans with drums beating and chants going. I played teams from Mexico, Russia, South America, Italy and England. Two of the highlights included getting to play against future Italian National Team player Dino Baggio (Roberto his brother made world cup history the following year missing a penalty in the world cup final) and losing a tight quarterfinal match in Lake Highlands Stadium in front of a packed house to favorite Tahuichi who went to lose to Real Madrid in the final!

Brings back some great memories, but time to get back to reality and go have a run to realize I'm definately not 18 any more!

Happy Easter!

Just want to wish everyone and their families a very Happy Easter! We got the opportunty to head north to Iowa to visit my grandparents, and celebrate my cousin Andy's college graduation along with Easter. Although, it was a little too snowy and cold for my liking it was a great time. Little Zak got to see a bunch of cousins he had never really met, as he was only 6 months the last time we visited Iowa. It was a blast watching him run around with all of the kids. Especially nice was getting to spend some quality time with my grandparents! It's always worth the trip to see them.

Tomorrow it's back to work as we prepare for the heart of our spring season, with matches versus Notre Dame, Texas Tech, Baylor and Arkansas on tap over the next four weeks!

Meet A New Horned Frog: Alex Matthews

Alex Matthews will join the Horned Frogs from Stockton, California where she attends Lincoln High School. Alex is a three year letter winner for Lincoln where she lead the Trojans to an undefeated league championship in 2006 and a repeat championship in 2007. She was an all conference performer both of those years. Alex is also an exceptional tennis player for Lincoln where she has lettered four times suffering only four losses in doubles league play while collecting over 35 doubles wins as a member of the #1 doubles team for the Trojans. Alex plays her club ball for the California Cougars. While playing for the Cougars, Alex was a invitee to the 2008 USL Y League National Olympic Development Program Camp which is made up of the top players in the USL Super Y League from around the United States. We first saw Alex last summer when she attended the Dan Abdalla Soccer Academy where she impressed us with her ability with the ball, her composure and creativity, as well as her athleticism. We are very excited and happy Alex chose to become a Horned Frog. We look forward to her arriving on campus. We wish Alex all the best with her senior high school season, and welcome to TCU!!!!

Meet A New Horned Frog: Alex Mechalske

Alex Mechalske is no stranger to TCU. She has been a Horned Frog fan as long as she can remember and now she will have fans cheering for her. A native of Ft Worth, Alex is a four-year letter winner from Nolan Catholic High School where she was a teammate of current Horned Frog, Jackie Torda. She is a four-time first-team all-state selection and was named TAPPS Defender of the Year in 2007 and the District 1-6A Defender of the Year in 2008. Following her junior season, Mechalske was named to the Dallas Morning News All-Area Super Team. She is also a four-time all-district selection and was named to the Fort Worth Star Telegram All-Area Super Team for three-straight years. Mechalske led Nolan Catholic to four state runner-up finishes and was named to the all-tournament squad the past three years. Alex also was named the Nolan Catholic Player of The Year three years. She also excelled on the golf course where she was a four-time all-district selection and led the Vikings to the 2007 state championship. The Fort Worth native plays club ball for the Dallas Sting Soccer Club. With the Sting, she was a state cup finalist and a regional championship qualifier. Mechalske was also honored with the State Cup Fair Player Award. Academically, she was an academic all-state selection and was named the Nolan Catholic Female Athlete of the Year twice. We are looking forward to having Alex in purple. Welcome to TCU!!!!!!

Capacity Crowds Fill TCU Sporting Events This Weekend!

For the start of spring break, outside of our normal 70 degree weather (thank goodness for that if you look at the picture from Thursday), it certainly didn't look like the start of a week off of school in the stands. Last night almost 6,000 packed the Daniel Meyer Coliseum (DMC) for a great men's basketball game in which the Horned Frog men battled to the end against the #24 ranked BYU team on senior day. For an arena that doesn't sit much more than that, what a great atmosphere!

Then you throw in over 4,500 that packed Lupton Baseball stadium yesterday and today, as the Horned Frog's took 2 of 3 from the #2 ranked team in the country, the Ole Miss Rebels. Congrats to the baseball team as this was the biggest series win in the history of TCU Baseball. This is what big time college athletics is all about! Being a part of a Top 25 athletic department, playing in front of big, loud crowds is awsome, and playing against the best the nation has to offer.

Last year we ranked 11th in the country in attendance with crowds of over 2,000 ourselves, so we definitely know what its like to have that atmosphere!

Meet A New Horned Frog: Jordan Calhoun

Jordan Calhoun is a proven goal scorer who is going to bring a lot to the Frogs’ front line in the fall. She comes to TCU from Norman, Oklahoma where she is a three time all-conference and all-district player from Norman North High School. Jordan also is a member of the seven-time Oklahoma Youth Soccer State Champion ESC ’90 Black who have been Region III Champions twice and national runner-up twice in the past four years. She will be reuniting with current Horned Frogs Chelsea Cody, Kaylie Garcia and Kelsey Walters who also play for ESC '90. Jordan is a dynamic attacking player who we feel is one of the top forwards in the country coming into the college game. Her athleticism, skill, decision making and composure in front of the goal are outstanding which is why we expect her to make an impact right away. We are very excited to have Jordan join us here at TCU and look forward to the next four years. WELCOME TO TCU JORDAN!!!!!!!!!!

Texas Winter Wonderland!

Ok, so yesterday I was on the field in shorts and a t-shirt enjoying 70 degree weather - Today, the most random thing I've ever seen. As I look out my window snowflakes coming down in a flurry. You certainly won't see this very often - who would have ever thought "snowman" as we get ready for spring break!

Champions League Fantasy Draft!

So one of my favorite things we do in the spring here at TCU soccer is hold a fantasy league based on the European Champions League. I've given the details before, but it's really started to heat up with the first round of the knock out competition almost complete (next week Liverpool and Inter play to finish it up-both teams I've got players from so I should move up quickly should any of my players get a goal!)

Well, Michelle Nguyen has gotten off to a huge start-she's got both Messi from Barcelona and Ballack (whom she stole from me) from Chelsea! She definately has an advantage as her brother is right in the mix and was actually on one of the champions league roster, PSV Eindhoven, last year. In reality she probably has a better grasp of the teams than her brother as she's one that can blurt out most of the rosters from the teams.

The two biggest surprises are actually in the back of the pack. Last years winner, Lizzy Karoly is second to last. She had Kaka from AC Milan as her top draft pick-who would have guessed he wouldn't produce any points for her. Then there's last place, from the coaching staff, Adam Clementson. The english lad who spent time in the England youth system and on the coaching staff of Newcastle (that's a whole different tragic story). You would have expected him to have the pulse of everything, but alas he's gone a drift. His only hope is a big win for Inter next week to keep him the competition.

Definately expect to see some trades coming up in the very near future!

Testing The Focus Of The Week

Yesterday, after a weekend off, the team got back to work with a bit of fitness testing. Over the past 6 weeks the girls have been working their tails off so it's always fun to see the improvements through testing. We do our testing a bit different than most schools and I'll get into that more in the future, as our program is cutting edge. But basically we test on the mile, 40 yard time, T-test (for agility), V02 Max and the Wingate test.

Yesterday, we actually went inside our indoor facility as a bit of moisture made the field outside a bit slippery. All of our 40 yard and T-test times showed drastic improvement, which is great as speed has been our biggest focus the past couple of weeks. The speeds really got fast when some of the football players who just got back from the NFL combine came over to take a look and see how fast the girls were - amazing how that motivation helped!

We then jumped outside for our mile. Once again everyone did very well. After most of our players spent all 90 minutes on the field the other night, I was very pleased to see their recovery. We don't expect them to be at top fitness right now, but everyone was right on track with what we expected. Throughout the week the team will now go individually into the lab to take their VO2 max and then the Wingate Test. This way we can continue to monitor every players individual progress and set up each of their individual programs.

Purple/White Competition Heats Up On Saturdays!

Well after our win last night versus Iowa State, the girls earned a weekend off to relax and get ready for midterms next week. In the spring, we generally will train on Saturdays and use it as a day to scrimmage. We have our team draft 2 teams for the entire spring - one purple, one white - and keep score throughout the entire spring on different contests, grades, fitness testing and then some fun stuff. We'll play full games, small sided games, little technical or finishing contests, but where things really get going is on the days we mix it up.

Basketball is a favorite of the team, and right behind that we've had some crazy intense dodgeball games. Last spring finished up with Purple vs White in an all out knock down match of paintball - it was great! Rock climbing, mechanical bull riding, and softball have all been in the mix. I think next week we've got a game of charades planned - should be fun and I'll let you know how it goes.

The Purple/White Competition definately proves one of the highlights of the spring and helps create a very competitive environment since the NCAA only allows a handful of spring games versus other schools. I'll make sure to keep you posted on how the competition progresses!