MSC Fusion All Stars: My Site News

After a tough spring season playing Gold Bracket teams in the 8v8 State League Jamboree and 5 11v11 games against U13-U14 teams, the Fusion are setting our sites on the Presidents Cup!  This end of season tournament will mark a clear end of the 8v8 games on smaller fields and the official beginning of playing 11v11 on a full size field with a size 5 ball.  I am excited about the coming transition, yet, we are not yet done with all we had set out to accomplish this Spring!  So, lets train hard these next few weeks and finish well!

Go Fusion! 

Fusion, after our cancellations, I was glad to get one match in on Saturday..  Soccer is a physical sport and as our ladies increase in age, it is going to get very physical.  Saturday's game demonstrated that.  Our overall game play with passes, short support and overlapping runs have greatly improved.  This was definitely apparent at the beginning of the game as we were playing keep away and moving the ball at will.  We had over 5 great goal scoring opportunities, with 3 right in fromt of the net and eithier kicked the ball over or wide of the goal (and their keeper made some good saves).  Our overall defense looked good, but we were getting to many people out wide and left some large openings in the center of the field.  

Positive take aways:  Short Support; Passing; Communication

Areas that need improvement:  Finishing; Shoulder Tackle and Block Tackle & Compact Defense using Pressure/Cover

Tuesday night, we have an 11v11 match!  See you on the pitch! 

With rain-outs and only 6 State League Games all scheduled as double headers, the Spring season has been off to a slow start with only 3 games played in the first 10 weeks!  However, the Fusion are getting ready to kick it into high gear with 9 games coming fast and furious!  (4 League Games and 5 friendlies)  Then, we have the Presidents Cup on May 18th and 19th.

So, pack up those chairs and coolers and let the games begin!

GO FUSION! 

The Fusion kicked off their Spring 2013 season defeating a U14 team from Mountain Home by a score of 3-2.  In the Fusions' first ever 11v11 match, it took a little while for our ladies to settle into a good rythym of playing on the big field.  Mountain Home's all star ODP player was quick to show her speed and skill with the ball as she had a break-away right up the middle of our defense resulting in a 1v1 situation against the keeper and she placed a perfect shot in the corner of the net.  Fusion did not let that phase them as we have been down in games before.  Within two minutes, we had a breakaway and scored the equalizer!  Every minute of the game had great offense and great defense.  With about 10 minutes to go, we held our 3-2 lead after numerous attempts to penetrate our defense!  It was an awesome game to watch and it was great having our ladies back on the pitch!  Our ladies are really playing well together.  Playing time was difficult to manage last fall. (15 players playing 8v8)  I will be making a conscious effort to ensure all our players are playing 1/2 the game for our 8v8 games this spring.  I know the 8v8 games are our actual league games, but I am more focused on the 11v11 games and preparing for next fall!

Great Job Ladies!

Parents and players,

I have placed the below information together as it is never to early to start thinking about college and the scholarship opportunities that are available!

Placing together a resume and a recruiting video are very important as a player competes for scholarship monies.  Happy Reading!

Promoting Yourself in a Competitive Soccer World

http://www.active.com/soccer/Articles/Promoting_Yourself_in_a_Competitive_Soccer_World.htm

A One-Stop Guide to Soccer Scholarships

http://www.active.com/soccer/Articles/Crunching_the_Numbers__Soccer_Scholarships_htm.htm

With the final score of Fusion vs NW Arkansas 3-3, this tie solidifies the Fusion Fall 2012 record at 4 Wins, 3 Losses and 1 Tie in State League play.  Not bad for our first Classic season!  Adding the Texarkana games and the Wolf River Classic Tournament, our Fusion Ladies completed their fall season with 8 Wins, 5 Losses and a Tie.

As the holidays approach, most families (like my own) are looking forward to slowing the family schedule down and taking some much needed time off!  However, soccer will not completely stop for those who wish to work on their skills!  The winter months have many soccer opportunities, such as the Olympic Development Program, which will be kicking off in December!  Fusion will also offer periodic skills sessions for our ladies and will also offer an occasional scrimmage.

Great Fall season ladies!  I am proud to be your coach!

Barry M Schnaitman

In just 12 weeks after forming as a Classic Team, the Maumelle Fusion All Stars entered their first Classic Tournament with a 4-3 State League Record and the knowledge that we can compete with any team!  However, our ladies did more than just compete!

On the soccer field, our ladies were undefeated!  From whistle to whistle, our ladies accomplished a 1-0 Win, a 2-2 tie, a 2-0 Win in the Semi-Finals and a 1-1 tie in the Championship!  It was only the technical skill aspect of the game that caused us to fall short.  This shortcoming was due to coaching as we never prepared our ladies for Penalty Kicks.  Keeper training has also not worked on defending PK's.  It is a technical aspect of the game that we shall never forget to prepare for in the future!  

We dominated every area of the field in every game.  We had more shots on goal in every game because our forwards and midfield were hustling to win every ball and shooting as opportunities opened!  We had more time of possession due to quicker transition from defense to offense and offense to defense!  We allowed very few shots on our goal due to our strong defensive presence and midfield support.  Our keeper only allowed three goals! (The Least goals allowed by all teams in our bracket in the tournament) https://events.gotsport.com/events/results.aspx?EventID=24302&GroupID=214304&Gender=Girls&aGE=12

Though we were short one player on Saturday and two on Sunday, there is no doubt that every single player contributed to our success this weekend.

Team Success was:

1.  The SUPPORT they had for each other, to include AnaGrace, who could not attend, but was on the Maumelle Soccer field Saturday asking how Her Team was doing!

2.  The deepening of friendships through the shared experience of facing adversity and finding success TOGETHER!

3.  The CONFIDENCE gained as each successful play occurred!

4.  The TRUST established between teammates as players covered for each other on every play.

5.  A NEVER QUIT ATTITUDE was developed, as displayed by players who made a mistake ALWAYS using immediate chase to hustle back into a defensive position.

6.  The TRUST players learned to have in their coaches as we made substitutions based on the opponents speed and skill.

7.  The TEAM FIRST attitude displayed as players allowed their teammates to carry the weight if they were injured!

8.  Most important, our ladies realized THEY ARE the championship caliber players that we see in them and they now BELIEVE!

GO FUSION!

Hey all you Fusion Fans, we had our toughest weekend of play and remained strong battling right until the final whistle!   With one win and one loss, we now are 4 wins and 3 losses for the season with one State League game remaining!  I am really proud of our ladies for all they have accomplished thusfar during our first Classic Season! 

With our longest Saturday of the season, our ladies played every minute like the champions they are!  Beginning our Saturday with a 9:30am start at our rival Bryant, this was a win that was desired by all!  As expected, this was the most physical game of the season!  Hip checks, shoulder checks and even elbows flying, yet our ladies held their composure and played just as physical without reacting to the fouls.

Though we began the game very flat, our defense remained strong and was able to repel a number of runs they made against us!  The core of that defense against Bryant was Gabie, Savannah and Nyah and Ellie B filling in at defender during the end of the game.  Our midfield and forward positions were solid across the board with Ellie B, McKenzie, Claire, Brooklyn, Ellie C, Anna, AnaGrace, Chloe F, Bella, Chloe S, and filling the center of the field was Logan with an outstanding game!

As a team, we woke up at about 22 minutes into the first half and really began controlling the center of the field.  From that point on, we held the ball on the offensive end of the field for much of the remainder of the game.  Great job ladies! 

Notable plays were Logan and Brooklyn making a beautiful overlapping run in the middle third of the field during the second half.  Wall passes between Chloe S and Anna S and penetrating runs and shots from Anna S and Chloe F.  We also had solid performances from Anna and Ellie C in the goal.  Awesome job Keepers!

Our lone goal came from a quick decision from Savannah on a free kick above the 18.  Savannah's quick thinking  allowed her to get the ball placed down quickly and the shot off before the defense could get set!  Great job Savannah and GREAT job to all our ladies for an outstanding effort!

FORT SMITH began with an unexpected arrival on an 11v11 size field.  This created big challenges as there was far to much space to cover for the number of players on the field.  However, we adapted and settled in for a battle!  With the game at (either 0 - 0 or 1 - 0) at half, we were right in the fight and again, just like Bryant, we battled until the final whistle.  Unfortunately, their goals were all on break aways!  We had repelled their ladies all day while remaining in a 2 3 2 formation and our shape was good.  Though we had some nice shots on the goal and displayed good passing and had some break aways, the shots simply were wide, or off the crossbar and their keepers made some nice saves for them.

Though playing on this field has some definite disadvantages due to the size and speed of their team, it also showed more clearly some passing problems we are having and we also identified that we need to work on transition from offense to defense and back to offense!  All in all, a great fitness challenge and was great learning experience for all as we prepare for Memphis!

Well Done Ladies!

Hey Fusion Fans,

The 2012/2013 season has arrived and we are ready to get back on the pitch!  Ensure your player has plenty of water and hydrates before every practice.  See you on the Pitch!

Fusion Coachig Staff