Highland Park looks like they are getting ready

for the playoff run. I wasn't as impressed with defending state champ JJ Pierce. Both videos of them playing Newman Smith are on www.futvideo.net.

futvideo wrote:for the playoff run. I wasn't as impressed with defending state champ JJ Pierce. Both videos of them playing Newman Smith are on www.futvideo.net.

I would agree that HP is the stronger team. But don't get carried away too early. Didn't JJ Pearce shellac HP in the first game this season 3-0?

Highland Park doesn't have the goalkeeping to make a deep run in the playoffs. Their goalkeeper was the reason they got knocked out of the playoffs last year and it hasn't got any better this year.

whowasthatto wrote:Highland Park doesn't have the goalkeeping to make a deep run in the playoffs. Their goalkeeper was the reason they got knocked out of the playoffs last year and it hasn't got any better this year.

I guess you could say the offense was a little to blame also or was that the goalkeeper's fault also? It's funny how soccer is a team game until the goalie misses a few!

Let's see, HP was winning 1-0 until about a minute left in regulation when the HP keeper dropped a ball that was right in her hands and Rockwall tied it up. In the shootout, the HP keeper couldn't stop a single shot, yet the Rockwall keeper saves all 3 of HP's shots. Although there are 10 other players on the field, this was definitely a game that HP lost because of their keeper.

whowasthatto wrote:Let's see, HP was winning 1-0 until about a minute left in regulation when the HP keeper dropped a ball that was right in her hands and Rockwall tied it up. In the shootout, the HP keeper couldn't stop a single shot, yet the Rockwall keeper saves all 3 of HP's shots. Although there are 10 other players on the field, this was definitely a game that HP lost because of their keeper.

So how many shots on goal did HP have? Sounds like HP field players need to work on Finishing shots! Who gets credit for them getting to the playoffs?

whowasthatto wrote:Let's see, HP was winning 1-0 until about a minute left in regulation when the HP keeper dropped a ball that was right in her hands and Rockwall tied it up. In the shootout, the HP keeper couldn't stop a single shot, yet the Rockwall keeper saves all 3 of HP's shots. Although there are 10 other players on the field, this was definitely a game that HP lost because of their keeper.

Maybe the Rockwall players did a great job of placing their PK's? If so, you shouldn't put that burden on the goalie's shoulders.

I'm not one to quickly blame a keeper for a goal. I grew up playing keeper overseas where soccer was God, so I have a lot of empathy for keepers. There are rare instances where a keeper will cost you a game and HP's situation last year was one of those rare ones.

As for how HP got to that point, it was fairly easy for them to beat Heath and Lovejoy just to get into the playoffs. Secondly, HP had a pretty good back line that enabled very few shots to even get to their keeper. It's amazing how a back line can make a keeper's stats look great or horrible. As a matter of fact, the keeper for HP last year was voted Keeper of the Year in the district, but was probably the 5th best keeper in that district at best. Pearce, Rockwall, The Colony and Heath all had better keepers, but HP had a pretty stout back line.

whowasthatto wrote:I'm not one to quickly blame a keeper for a goal. I grew up playing keeper overseas where soccer was God, so I have a lot of empathy for keepers. There are rare instances where a keeper will cost you a game and HP's situation last year was one of those rare ones.

As for how HP got to that point, it was fairly easy for them to beat Heath and Lovejoy just to get into the playoffs. Secondly, HP had a pretty good back line that enabled very few shots to even get to their keeper. It's amazing how a back line can make a keeper's stats look great or horrible. As a matter of fact, the keeper for HP last year was voted Keeper of the Year in the district, but was probably the 5th best keeper in that district at best. Pearce, Rockwall, The Colony and Heath all had better keepers, but HP had a pretty stout back line.

Guess it's all just a matter of perspective. If the keeper didn't give up the soft goal, they win. If the "stout back line" kept that shot from getting on frame, they win. If the offense put one more in the back of the net in regulation, they win. How many "if's" do you think there were in that game? Every bad pass, touch, run, etc. was a scoring opportunity missed. You're picking one mistake out of a hundred and saying that's the sole reason for the loss.

They call it a team sport for a reason, sunshine.

The goal in regulation was off of a free kick about 35-40 yards out as a result of a foul by someone in the midfield, not from the back line.

As for keepers getting the blame, how many English don't blame Rob Green for their tie in the World Cup to the USA? I am a big West Ham supporter and hated to see Green commit such a howler, but he deserves the blame for letting Dempsey score.

We'll just have to wait an see how the playoffs unfold. Although HP is tough, their achilles heel is their keeper. Every team has a weak spot somewhere. The 2nd round game between HP and McKinney North looks awfully appetizing. It is probably the best 2nd round match-up out there.

whowasthatto wrote:The goal in regulation was off of a free kick about 35-40 yards out as a result of a foul by someone in the midfield, not from the back line.

As for keepers getting the blame, how many English don't blame Rob Green for their tie in the World Cup to the USA? I am a big West Ham supporter and hated to see Green commit such a howler, but he deserves the blame for letting Dempsey score.

We'll just have to wait an see how the playoffs unfold. Although HP is tough, their achilles heel is their keeper. Every team has a weak spot somewhere. The 2nd round game between HP and McKinney North looks awfully appetizing. It is probably the best 2nd round match-up out there.

You clearly have an axe to grind with this poor kid and are blind to what's obvious to almost everyone else.

She gets voted Keeper of the year in the District for her work during the season, but according to you the credit for that belongs solely to the defense and she really ranks somewhere near the bottom. You hold the offense (and remainder of the team for that matter) blameless in the playoff loss to Rockwall, but hold her solely accountable because she gave up a a single goal and failed to record the shutout.

Did she give up a soft goal? Maybe (clearly, in your opinion). But the loss was a result of a failure to score more than the opponent...and that is a collective team failure.

As for your Rob Green example, the article below puts it better than I ever could...

June 13, 2010, 12:10 PM ET
If you’re an England fan, who do you blame?

Well, there’s Robert Green of course. Green’s ridiculous error in front of goal, which allowed a tame and speculative shot from Clint Dempsey dribble to over the line and give the U.S. an equalizer, was of a piece with a long line of goal keeping howlers for England.

Seaman, Robinson, Carson and now Green, have all been victimized by bad luck, nerves or schoolboy level mistakes during crucial national games and cost England dearly.

You could blame Emile Heskey, the England forward, who when presented with a golden opportunity to score in the second half simply kicked the ball directly at the U.S. goalkeeper. Or pick Shaun Wright-Phillips for your ire. The sprightly midfielder did something similar when set up beautifully by Wayne Rooney.

But if I were an England fan, I would blame Fabio Capello. The England manager, who has been hailed as a prophet for the Three Lions, badly fumbled the most important test of his managerial career for England .
At the national level, it can be argued that the coach’s most important job is to pick the team. The French call the national team coach “le selectioneur” which translates to “the chooser”, because they understand that is the essential part of the coach’s job.
Capello made a mess of his team selection. That is the simple and unavoidable fact. He picked a midfielder, James Milner, still recovering from a virus and clearly unable to cope with the pressure of the international stage, whose wild tackle early in the game earned him a yellow card and an early substitution.
He picked a central defender, Ledley King, who has a chronic knee condition that doesn’t allow him to practice between games. King also had to be substituted at halftime because he picked up another injury.
He also picked an attacker, Heskey, a 32-year-old striker who has scored just 7 goals in 59 appearances for the national team. Heskey was picked because of his supposed ability to set up wonder striker Wayne Rooney. But Heskey performed flabbily other than his 4th minute pass that set up an England goal. You could also blame Rooney himself, who was a non-factor for most of the game thanks in part to marking by U.S. defender Jay Demerit.

There is, of course one other factor to blame. The U.S. team, which, though it was extremely lucky, nevertheless probably just about earned a tie in this game. In addition to Demerit’s strong defending, Landon Donovan’s menace-filled roving on the wing, Michael Bradley’s tough midfield enforcing and Tim Howard’s inspiring goalkeeping all combined to shut down the England attack. The speed of U.S. attackers left England ’s defense flat footed in the second half. One almost felt sorry for Jamie Carragher, whose attempts to stop U.S. attacker Jozy Altidore were little short of pathetic.

Last night’s game was entertaining and didn’t change the fact that England and the U.S. are still likely to advance out of this group.
But at the end of the day, two things were made clear in Rustenberg last night. First, the United States has a legitimate claim to a spot in the round of 16 and possibly beyond. Second, England is no longer, if it ever was, a top contender to lift the trophy at the end of this World Cup.
– Christopher Noble

You simply fail to understand what every other soccer parent on this forum inherently knows to be true ... when the team fails to win, it's always the refs fault (or sometimes the coach).

Good perspective on the England loss to the USA. I agree that 100% of the blame does not lie at Rob Green's feet (or should I say hands?) nor the keeper for HP. I will stop singling out the HP keeper for their loss to Rockwall last year.

Getting back to the first thing I said in response to the initial post, I still believe that HP does not have enough talent at keeper to make a deep run. A team needs a strong keeper to bail out the rest of the team's mistakes. The UIL shoot out rule definitely gives a keeper more of a chance than a basic penalty shot, which tends to favor the team with the better keeper. If a weaker overall team packs it in and plays for the tie...

With that said, I think the 4A girls teams with the keepers to watch out for are Wakeland, McKinney North, Rockwall, Pearce and Heath.

whowasthatto wrote:Good perspective on the England loss to the USA. I agree that 100% of the blame does not lie at Rob Green's feet (or should I say hands?) nor the keeper for HP. I will stop singling out the HP keeper for their loss to Rockwall last year.

Getting back to the first thing I said in response to the initial post, I still believe that HP does not have enough talent at keeper to make a deep run. A team needs a strong keeper to bail out the rest of the team's mistakes. The UIL shoot out rule definitely gives a keeper more of a chance than a basic penalty shot, which tends to favor the team with the better keeper. If a weaker overall team packs it in and plays for the tie...

With that said, I think the 4A girls teams with the keepers to watch out for are Wakeland, McKinney North, Rockwall, Pearce and Heath.

Fair enough. And I've got no argument with the rest of it, except of course (and as you previously pointed out)...it was actually a tie. Though your slip is understandable as it no doubt still feels like a loss to everyone on or from that side of the pond.

whowasthatto wrote:The goal in regulation was off of a free kick about 35-40 yards out as a result of a foul by someone in the midfield, not from the back line.

As for keepers getting the blame, how many English don't blame Rob Green for their tie in the World Cup to the USA? I am a big West Ham supporter and hated to see Green commit such a howler, but he deserves the blame for letting Dempsey score.

We'll just have to wait an see how the playoffs unfold. Although HP is tough, their achilles heel is their keeper. Every team has a weak spot somewhere. The 2nd round game between HP and McKinney North looks awfully appetizing. It is probably the best 2nd round match-up out there.

I agree, sometimes you have to blame the keeper. As he pointed out......

Blank77 wrote:
I agree, sometimes you have to blame the keeper. As he pointed out......

For a goal, yes. Not for a loss.

Go back up and read the excellent article by Dr. J. Evans Pritchard, Ph.D... I mean Christopher Noble, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist with an impeccable football pedigree.

And shut up, you. I already had him convinced and now you'll no doubt inspire a retraction. Go away, nobody likes you.

Besides, that voodoo ball clearly had some wicked combination of Minnesota Fats English and Fernando Valenzuela Screwball to it. Freakin thing had eyes, man.

Regardless of what side of the argument I am on, as far as Rob Green goes, still "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles"