I wanted to provide a view of nationals from a coaches perspective. What were we thinking about? What were the challenges? How did we approach each game. This is a technical look at my experience from nationals and the preparation leading up to nationals. I apologize ahead of time for the length, but I want to give some detail.
When we were U14 and made it to nationals I don't think we understood what we were there for. When I say that I don't mean just the players. I include myself in that statement. Oh yes, not only have the players learned along the way, the coach has too. What we learned is that you have to be willing to change and adapt. Most of all we learned that every game will provide a significant challenge. Arriving again at U18 was awesome. The players knew exactly what we were there to do.
Background Factors Leading Into Nationals
Systems of Play - In 90% of our games a 3 forward system is best for us. Most teams have struggled to deal with our pressure in that system. At the highest level we know that there are teams that can deal with our pressure so we have opted for a more defensive approach in those games. Anyone that has ever seen us play knows that we are an attacking team, but I have learned that at the top level you just can't concede goals and win. Games and opponents dictate the system. We try to play the system that can make us successful against a given opponent. For example, against Minnesota Thunder in the regional semi-final we knew from experience that they struggled with our 3 forwards and did not have overly dangerous attacking individuals so we played 3-4-3. The result ended 5-0 in our favor. In the regional final against Michigan Hawks we knew it would be a more defensive game and they were talented in attack so we played 4-2-3-1. The result ended 1-0 in our favor. We certainly have systems that we are more comfortable in than others, but we set it up based on the circumstances. I have asked the team to play many systems over the past few years so we are comfortable in most. More importantly we have the talented players to fit most any system.
Substitutions - One of the biggest strengths of our team is that we have 20 very capable players. In the past I have tightened our rotation in big games. I think that has hurt us at times. I have put a lot of faith in our bench this year and it has paid off. In every game at regionals all field players that dressed played a part in every game. Many big games this year have been decided by players off of our bench. The season is very long and demanding. I credit our bench for a great deal of our success this year. We weren't about to change our thinking leading up to nationals.
20 Players Means 2 Sit - The hardest part of regionals and nationals was the knowledge that if we stayed healthy 2 players would not be able to dress for each game. Having 20 players has been great for training and cover throughout the season, but with every player fit to play it was very hard. These decisions were based on current form, opponent, chosen system of play and other factors. Examples of other factors were the possibility of going to penalties, getting players rest, etc... Emotion is not involved in these decisions. As a coach they are the toughest decisions, but also your responsibility. When you have 20 very capable players it's even harder. If I had it to do over again I would take 20 players on the team. The reality is all of these players will face fierce competition at the college level. We have and will continue to create the most competitive environment possible.
Distractions - With these players going off to college we never had everyone at training in the 3 weeks leading up to nationals. Many players had to go to summer school, college camps and college orientation. There is much planning that also goes into going to nationals. Hotels, transportation, meetings, media obligations and meals. I just try to shield the players as much as possible from any outside distractions. It is tough. You try to keep things as normal as possible. All the parents, siblings and grandparents are there as well they should be. Fortunately we qualified for the final after our second game which allowed some free time for the players and their families. It is a delicate balance between preparing properly and enjoying the experience. It's an art, not a science.
When we were U14 and made it to nationals I don't think we understood what we were there for. When I say that I don't mean just the players. I include myself in that statement. Oh yes, not only have the players learned along the way, the coach has too. What we learned is that you have to be willing to change and adapt. Most of all we learned that every game will provide a significant challenge. Arriving again at U18 was awesome. The players knew exactly what we were there to do.
Background Factors Leading Into Nationals
Systems of Play - In 90% of our games a 3 forward system is best for us. Most teams have struggled to deal with our pressure in that system. At the highest level we know that there are teams that can deal with our pressure so we have opted for a more defensive approach in those games. Anyone that has ever seen us play knows that we are an attacking team, but I have learned that at the top level you just can't concede goals and win. Games and opponents dictate the system. We try to play the system that can make us successful against a given opponent. For example, against Minnesota Thunder in the regional semi-final we knew from experience that they struggled with our 3 forwards and did not have overly dangerous attacking individuals so we played 3-4-3. The result ended 5-0 in our favor. In the regional final against Michigan Hawks we knew it would be a more defensive game and they were talented in attack so we played 4-2-3-1. The result ended 1-0 in our favor. We certainly have systems that we are more comfortable in than others, but we set it up based on the circumstances. I have asked the team to play many systems over the past few years so we are comfortable in most. More importantly we have the talented players to fit most any system.
Substitutions - One of the biggest strengths of our team is that we have 20 very capable players. In the past I have tightened our rotation in big games. I think that has hurt us at times. I have put a lot of faith in our bench this year and it has paid off. In every game at regionals all field players that dressed played a part in every game. Many big games this year have been decided by players off of our bench. The season is very long and demanding. I credit our bench for a great deal of our success this year. We weren't about to change our thinking leading up to nationals.
20 Players Means 2 Sit - The hardest part of regionals and nationals was the knowledge that if we stayed healthy 2 players would not be able to dress for each game. Having 20 players has been great for training and cover throughout the season, but with every player fit to play it was very hard. These decisions were based on current form, opponent, chosen system of play and other factors. Examples of other factors were the possibility of going to penalties, getting players rest, etc... Emotion is not involved in these decisions. As a coach they are the toughest decisions, but also your responsibility. When you have 20 very capable players it's even harder. If I had it to do over again I would take 20 players on the team. The reality is all of these players will face fierce competition at the college level. We have and will continue to create the most competitive environment possible.
Distractions - With these players going off to college we never had everyone at training in the 3 weeks leading up to nationals. Many players had to go to summer school, college camps and college orientation. There is much planning that also goes into going to nationals. Hotels, transportation, meetings, media obligations and meals. I just try to shield the players as much as possible from any outside distractions. It is tough. You try to keep things as normal as possible. All the parents, siblings and grandparents are there as well they should be. Fortunately we qualified for the final after our second game which allowed some free time for the players and their families. It is a delicate balance between preparing properly and enjoying the experience. It's an art, not a science.
Coming soon...Part 2 - The Games at Nationals
