The Evolving Game | September 2023

THE EVOLVING GAME

The Evolving is BACK!!!

With the words "lockdown" and "New Normal" hopefully in the rearview mirror the soccer community can continue to grow, develop and enjoy our soccer together. We are looking forward to piquing interest, entertaining and informing coaches with a world view on our local game. (hopefully without too many Ted Lasso quotes) Great to be back....!Believe!.... Be sure to follow us on Twitter @EPaCoachingEd, @DOCEPYSA, @EPAYouthSoccer!

Matt Ralph makes the squad!!

Exciting news for The Evolving Game; we have a new contributor

Matthew Ralph is the director of communications for Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer. He has covered soccer at all levels in the Philadelphia area for more than a decade both as a freelance writer/photographer and as the managing editor of Philadelphia Soccer Now.

We are…..300 Penn State

Huntington Valley, Pa. native Erica (Walsh) Dambach, a former ODP coach, picked up her 300th career win with Penn State’s 2-1 win over West Virginia on August 24. Her record at Penn State improved to 260-89-22 since assuming the top job there in 2007.

200W for the explorers Coach

La Salle Women’s head coach Paul Royal won game No. 200 when the Explorers beat Albany 1-0 on Aug. 20.

New Coach heading the charge

West Chester, Pa. native Mark Fetrow, who won a state cup and regional championship with FC Delco as a player, won his first game as head coach of Drexel Men’s Soccer with a 2-0 victory over Saint Joseph’s on Aug. 24. Fetrow, a long-time associate head coach at Villanova, was hired in late July. Villanova head coach Tom Carlin and his family were in the stands along with a group of Villanova players to congratulate him after the final whistle.

Messi comes to town . Megan Rapinoe final game

PSA

Gary Stephenson Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Technical Director

Game Watcher

Messi Mania Came to Chester and It Didn't End Well

If your top striker is out and you are facing one of the greatest players to ever play the game, what do you do to best set your team up for success in a cup semifinal?

Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin was faced with just this dilemma going into the semifinal of the Leagues Cup.

Lionel Messi was coming to town and the talk all over the media was about the price of tickets and the instant production the World Cup winner brought to a team that was languishing at the bottom of the table before he arrived and brought a couple world class friends with him in Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.

Curtin’s own Argentinian goal-scoring threat was out with a hamstring so he had to make a change but he also had to game plan not only against Messi but also against Busquets, Alba and the rest of a rejuvenated Inter Miami squad.

front of a back three with strong defenders on the

But they blew up the whole plan in the third minute when Josef Martinez got behind the back line and beat Andre Blake to his right. Usually so reliable, Blake positioning was off and a shot he’d usually get a hand to and even save hit pierced the net.

Suddenly, a team built to defend leads instead of coming back from deficits was in shock. Blake again was slow to react to a long shot from Messi that found the bottom right corner of the net and with halftime approaching Alba got in behind and made it 3-0 to the visitors.

The damage was quick and shocking. A lineup designed to slow the attack did limit Messi’s touches but it also called on Daniel Gazdag to man-mark Busquets and thus took him out of his usual attacking positions. Lowe, usually so reliable as that third center back, also didn’t have a great day.

Messi Mania Came to Chester and It Didn't End Well

Curtin swapped Michael Uhre for Lowe to start the second half and things did start to stabilize from there but by then the recovery from such a poor first half was nearly an impossible ask. In the end, Miami grabbed a 4-1 win and advanced to the final, where they defeated Nashville SC on penalties.

Popular opinion seems to be that the formation did the Union in but the reality is that the players didn’t execute the game plan and the fine margins that exist within the Union’s system were not met with the collective standard needed.

The criticism was sharp after the game from across the fanbase, stunned and disappointed by another big game defeat. It didn’t exactly help that the boys in blue went on to win the third place game and handedly beat DC United playing in their traditional 4-4-2 diamond but the old adage about every game being unique still applies.

The Union won’t meet Miami again this year unless they pull off a miraculous run to get into playoff contention - don’t count Messi out - but how Curtin and his staff would approach a rematch would certainly be must-see TV.

Photos- Carl Gulbish @carlgulbishpho1

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MEET THE COACH Returning next

Quotes to live by

Rapinoe to Play Final Game

U.S. Women’s National Team legend Megan Rapinoe will play her final game in a U.S. uniform at Soldier Field in Chicago on September 24 (5:30 p.m. on TNT, Universo and Peacock).

Rapinoe will be honored before the match against South Africa - the second in a twogame series - to celebrate her 200th cap, which came in the World Cup send-off match in San Jose in July.

“People may think that my career coming to an end would bring sadness, but when I think back on the past 30-plus years of playing this game, my overriding emotions are joy and gratitude,” Rapinoe said in a news release. “It’s been an unbelievable ride. It will be special to have this one last opportunity to play for my country in front of our incredible fans and get the chance to thank my teammates and everyone who has had an impact on me as a person and player over the years.”

Rapinoe played in four Women’s World Cups, having represented the USA in 2011 in Germany, 2015 in Canada, 2019 in France and 2023 in Australia and New Zealand, famously helping win two World Cup titles. She also played in the 2004 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Thailand as well as the Olympic Games in England in 2012 (when she won a gold medal), Brazil in 2016 and Japan in 2021 (where she won bronze).

Rapinoe is tied with Abby Wambach for third all-time in assists for the USWNT and is one of only eight players in USWNT history with 50+

career goals and 50+ career assists. She is one goal away from tying Christen Press for ninth on the USA’s all-time goal scoring list and is the only player in the 50 goal/50 assist club with more career assists than goals.

The Redding, California native also had a brief stint in Philadelphia during her club career, scoring a goal in 4 appearances for the Philadelphia Independence in 2011. Rapinoe’s final regular season match for OL Reign, where she’s been for the past 11 seasons, is scheduled for Oct. 15 in Bridgeview, Ill. against the Chicago Red Stars.