Memorial Day Practice Report

Patrick Mulcare
May 27, 2008

The Crew had a rare Monday practice because of the Tuesday US Open Cup game and the pleasant weather made for a nice training session.  After the customary warm-up routine the Crew split up into two teams Blue and Orange.  The Blue team was Chad Marshall, Alejandro Moreno, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Andy Iro, Gino Padula, Duncan Oughton, Brad Evans, Jed Zayner, Eddie Gaven and Robbie Rogers.  Team Orange was Andrew Peterson, Brian Carroll, Steven Lenhart, Ryan Miller, Danny O'Rourke, Ryan Junge, Adam Moffat, George Josten, Cory Elenio, and Emmanuel Ekpo.  There were no guest players and in goal were Mike Lapper, Vadim Kirillov, Andy Gruenebaum, and Kenny Schoeni.

The teams played on a field with two goals set up on the end line corners of the eighteen yard box and another two goals in a parallel position at midfield.  Each player was allowed three consecutive touches and neutral "Yellow" player Nicolas Hernandez was allowed four toches for the team with the ball.  Each team defended a pair of goals next to each other at each end of the field.  Team Orange scored the first two goals, O'Rourke and Moffat followed by two "Blue" goals by Rogers and Evans.  The fifth goal did not immediately end the ten minute (approx.) game but it was scored by the blue clad George Josten.

Toward the end of the day the weather got just a bit dark and breezy as the Crew practiced some set pieces.  Ryan Miller and Robbie Rogers took some corners from the West side while Corey Eleino and Brian Carroll took some from the East corner.  Carroll and Rodgers stayed on the same sides to send in some forty foot free kicks to Crew players crashing the net.   After the official end to practice Moffat, Rogers, Moreno and Evans worked with coach Sigi Schmid on making twenty foot shots on goal in spite of a defensive wall.  Andy Iro worked on long distance passes with Mike Lapper and I found out the rules to the game I saw from afar at the end of last week's Tuesday practice. 

There were some jokes being made because it took close to an hour to find a winner to the competition last week.  There are four teams of two and to win each person must score two goals from each side of the field.  You start in the middle of the field and pass to your teammate standing out on the wing.  That player must handle the ball with his right or left foot depending on the side of the field he is on and cross it back to midfield within two touches.  The original teammate had to then beat goalkeeper Kenny Schoeni with a one touch shot.  The  teams were Marshall/Junge, Zayner/Gaven (who replaced sore-footed Steve Lenhart after ten minuetes,) Josten/Miller and Ekpo/Barros Schelotto.  I think it took at least twenty five minuets to find a winner, but the Zayner/Gaven team won while the Marshall/Junge team finished last.