Abbey Villa S.C. Boys U16 Crowned Champions of the Northeast and State Ranked #1!

Abbey Villa S.C. Boys U16 Crowned Champions of the Northeast!

Abbey Villa S.C. beat F.C. Blazers 1-0 Saturday, May 12th, 2012 to become the 2012 Northeast Region 1 League Champions!  This game pitted two diverse teams with completely different styles of play and club philosophy against each other.  The U16 Blazers, a recruited team that was assembled in the last 12 months, played against our smaller, technically-superior Abbey Villa S.C. team.  The majority of our Barcelona team has played together for several years, developing into a cohesive unit – much like a family – under Abbey Villa S.C.’s guidance and training.

The Abbey Villa S.C. Boys U16 Barcelona team started brightly, dominating play for the first twenty-five minutes.  By using their short, interactive passing game, the boys created some good scoring opportunities, one that hit the cross bar that  the boys say went in but was not given, but they unfortunately failed to capitalize.  The Blazers, who were starved of ball possession, slowly got back into the game, putting pressure on Abbey Villa S.C.’s backline with long throws and long balls.  The Abbey Villa S.C. boys held steady!  After halftime, they got back into their groove.  They moved the ball well together, displaying excellent teamwork.  Soon after, the young men of Abbey Villa S.C. had a good combination play.  They won a corner and converted, making the score 1-0!  Although the Abbey Villa S.C. Barcelona boys missed a penalty shot, they went on to win the game.

Well done, boys!  We’re so proud!  Now, on to the next adventure…where they will be playing some of the best teams in the country.

Abbey Villa S.C. announce Summer Street Soccer!

Summer Street Soccer SUMMER STREET SOCCER  Players are divided into teams of three and play multiple games against other teams.  Players are encouraged to play fast, possession soccer.  This will be a great opportunity for players to practice their skills and work on the technical side of their game.

Location:  Cornell’s Field 229 Hayden Rowe St. Hopkinton, MA 01748

8 Weeks Long On Saturdays !!! July – 7th, 14th, 21st, & 28th August – 4th, 11th, 18th, & 25th

Ages and Times:

6 – 9 year olds, 10 – 11am
10 – 12 year olds,  11 – 12 pm
13 – 14 year olds,  12 – 1 pm
15-16 year olds, 1-2pm

Cost: $80
**$10 pro-rated per date**

To register, email:  academy@abbeyvillasoccer.com  Please mail payments, made payable to and marked “Summer Street Soccer”:

Abbey Villa S.C.
4 Longwood Drive,
Hopkinton, MA 01748

Abbey Villa S.C. Girls U8 Barcelona Take Teamwork’s Winter Session 3 by Possession Soccer Storm!

Abbey Villa S.C. Girls U8 Barcelona Take Teamwork’s Winter Session 3 by Possession Soccer Storm!

The Abbey Villa S.C. Girls U8 Barcelona Team showed great poise during Winter Session 3 at Teamworks in Northborough, winning all 6 of their U8 Girls Div: West Sunday games. The team (comprised of 8 Northborough girls, 5 Hopkinton girls, and 1 Franklin girl) started training together 1 week before Winter Session 2 was initiated. They played 8 games together that session, splitting them equally: 4 wins, 4 losses. The girls continued their soccer skill development and learned to adopt the Abbey Villa S.C. style of controlled, possession soccer. They grew together, and by Session 3, were a force to be reckoned with. The girls played excellent, flowing possession soccer during each of their Session 3 games. They played the beautiful game as it was meant to be played…with grace. We couldn’t be prouder. Well done, Ladies!

Abbey Villa S.C. Boys U13 Barcelona Win Scorpion Bowl 2012

Playing their first outdoor games together since last fall, the boys played some superb possession soccer. They dominated their four games, with at least 70% possession in each game. Winning their first two games 4-0 and 1-0, the boys dominated the games and never looked in any danger of conceding goals. In the third game the boys started strong and played their best football to date. They went out to a 1-0 lead over North Shore. However, the fear of losing then took over and the boys stopped playing their game. North Shore, to their credit, fought their way back into the game. While the boys still dominated possession, with two long balls over the top, the boys conceded two goals to lose 2-1. Playing North Shore again in the finals, Abbey Villa S.C. dominated, winning 1-0 and taking the championship. Well done, boys on a well-played and fun tournament!

MPS Thanksgiving Showcase Boys U16 Elite Blue Winners

MPS Thanksgiving Showcase Boys U16 Elite Blue Winners 11/25/2011 - 11/27/2011   Abbey Villa S.C. Boys U16 Barcelona team claim top spot in the Boys U16 Elite Blue Division.Playing their first games together since last June, the boys played three superb possession soccer games, and secured top spot in the top division of this Showcase tournament. Playing the MPS Knights in game one the boys started the game in flying fashion. With the majority of possession and controlling the game the boys jumped out to an early lead converting one of their many chances. While creating several chances the boys were unable to add to their advantage, the MPS knights to their credit hung in and grab a late equalizer.  “Football is a funny old game”. In game two, the boys needed to dig deep for the first twelve minutes, where Vaughan Azzurri Dragon’s (Canadian team), playing some excellent possession soccer dominated and controlled the game . However, after this early domination the Abbey Villa S.C. boys began to take over the game. While dominating the remainder of the game the boys , with about five minutes remaining , conceded a breakaway goal.  The last game was against Benfica.  After beating Benfica 4-0 last time we meet, the boys knew that we needed to come out strong and play our game. Again with a very strong team defensive display in the opening ten minutes, the boys began to impose their imprint on the game and created several chances in the process. The boys ran out 2-0 winners in the end. Well done boys on a well-played and fun tournament!

Announcing Villa Soccer Mini's

 VILLA SOCCER MINI’S

VILLA SOCCER MINI’S

Villa Soccer Mini’s 3-4: soccer program for kid’s ages 3-4 years old.  The program involves games that focus on introduction to a soccer ball, physical fitness and growth while having fun. Your “mini” will be engaged in high level activity and be introduced to very basic beginner soccer skills.  Villa Soccer Mini’s 5-6: soccer program for kid’s ages 5-6 years old.  The program involves games that focus on foot skills, physical fitness and growth while having fun. Your “mini” will be engaged in high level activity and practice beginner soccer skills. Please follow us on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/VillaSoccerMinis

GoalKeepers Wanted

Abbey Villa S.C. goalkeepers wanted.

Abbey Villa S.C is looking for the following goalkeepers to join our teams. Get the best technical training in the state from trainers who care about player development and NOT club glory.

• Boys U16 goalkeeper.

Abbey Villa S.C are looking for a top class Boys U16 goalkeeper (current U15) to join our boys U16 team. This team will play MAPLE Div 1 and Regional come Spring 2012. If you want to join a team of great soccer players and young men whose common goal is to excel and take their game to a higher level, this is the team for you.

• Boys U15 goalkeeper.

Abbey Villa S.C are looking for a top class Boys U15 goalkeeper (current U14) to join our boys U15 team. This team will play MAPLE Div 3 come Spring 2012. Another group of great kids and fine players. Check us out!

• Boys U14 goalkeeper.

Abbey Villa S.C are looking for a top class Boys U14 goalkeeper (current U13) to join our boys U14 team. This team will play MAPLE Div 2 come Fall 2011. Another group of great kids and fine players. Check us out!

Player Checklist -Items for new and current players

New Player Checklist

These items are required for all new players. Existing players are expected to keep their information up to date.

• A current photo of the player for the pass-card. Passport photo size is preferred (2” x 2”).

• A copy of player’s birth certificate.

• Filled out Medical Release form.

• Full uniform order with check.

• For insurance purposes, we need to know if the player will be playing town soccer, if yes which town?

• A Membership/Consent/Release form signed by parents and player.

Humble Coaches Article

Humble Coaches key for Player Development – Article Written By Robert Ziegler, ESNN

As part of his charge to oversee and reform youth player development in this country, U.S. Soccer Technical Director Claudio Reyna traveled to observe some of the legendary professional setups in Europe and South America. He found some things that may be missing from our typical youth club soccer setups. Now this concept of humility may not be too familiar to people who have been around the elite youth game in this country. Reyna mentioned in his presentation at the U.S. Soccer Summit last month at Nike Headquarters (which is where we interviewed him), that this may in part stem from other sports popular in this country. There is a lot of emphasis on coaching decisions, where a coach calls a key timeout, or draws up a play or something, and Reyna surmises this enters into the cultural psychology of American coaches, thinking they have to be very visible and vocal throughout contests. So at a lot of youth fields you will find coaches shouting instructions for nearly every kick of the ball. What Reyna is saying, based on his study of the best examples worldwide, is that this is not a good example of player development. It tends to be coupled with coaches manipulating the game situation in order to win matches (defend with 8 guys in the penalty area so nothing gets through, put a fast guy up front, boot the ball downfield and win lots of tournaments). I’m sure a lot of this has to do with the business model in youth soccer which in the past has rewarded coaches being charismatic enough to recruit a lot of players (through their parents). There again winning games is the candy put out before the paying parents, most of whom have no background in the game, as a way for them to see if the coach is any good. By the time they figure out they are not really learning much in the way of how to play the game at a high level, it’s usually too late in the player’s career. For the few American players who have gone to really excel at the international and professional level, I’m often surprised to find out the early influences they cite are coaches we really haven’t heard of. They are scattered around and not really involved in the highest profile clubs. That is an interesting point to me. When you think about these things it may tell us that while the Academy is a very positive initiative in our soccer history, there still needs to be serious reform among the actual individuals who are coaching in it, as well as at other clubs and in younger age groups. To be sure a number of them are embracing the new initiatives and working to grow in their profession. But there also is a percentage that are not really interested, for whatever reason. I’m personally not that interested in determining or declaring which is which, but if you’re a paying customer at a youth soccer club, or a player trying to be as good as you can be, you should be.

Abbey Villa S.C Comments.

This article was very refreshing and in many ways it validates what we all at Abbey Villa S.C know. Abbey Villa S.C is totally committed to player development. We prove this each time any of our teams set foot on a field. Basically, it is proved by the way we encourage our players and ALL teams to play and follow through on our philosophy. Play total possession soccer without fear and learn from all mistakes. If you are currently playing at a club which places winning and club “standing” (image) over player development, it is time to question “if you can become the best that you can be”. Parents, if you see the signs outlined above ( put a fast guy up front, boot the ball downfield and win lots of tournaments) ) coupled with weekly updates of how many “wins” the club had on the weekend, it is time to question if your child’s soccer education is going to lead him or her to be the best that he or she can be. Lets allow our children to play the game and develop and be the best that they can be. Lets stop selling it and just do it!.. AVSC does! – Regards Des Rice, President Abbey Villa S.C.