Albert, Bears One Up Hot Soccer Moms

Coach Oscar celebrates Albert Martinez's game-winning goal Sunday night against Hot Soccer Moms.

In a game where both sides were evenly matched, despite a much younger and quicker Hot Soccer Moms squad, Club Bad News Bears used experience and team work to take the win 1-0.

It seemed as if the 0-0 tie would hold.  Both clubs had numerous goal opportunities, with every shot just sailing to the left or right.  Club Bad News Bears would shut down Hot Soccer Mom's speed with a solid defense.  Hot Soccer Moms would disrupt passes and breakaways with their youth.  At times, the game was pretty much a stand still, but at halftime, the Bears coaching staff saw an opportunity for victory.

"They are pretty fast," pointed out Coach Oscar, "but they are tiring themselves out.  They can't get past our back four."

The observation was spot on, as during the second half, despite a few scoring opportunities, Hot Soccer Moms' offense began to slowly deteriorate, and their defense breaking down one player at a time.  In the 65th minute, Albert Martinez took advantage of a deflected shot off the goalkeeper and send the ball at the back of the net to break the tie.

Hot Soccer Moms tried to push the ball forward with time slowly running out, but the Bears defense held off any attack.  In the end, the Bears held on to a 1-0 victory, to the satisfaction of the coaching staff.

"Everybody played their heart out," said assistant coach Scott.  "The win was well-deserved."

The Bears played with several new players on the squad, but the communication and team work displayed throughout the game ultimately became the difference maker tonight.

Club Bad News Bears will take on Katy SDA next week, March 4th at Bear Creek Park's Field #12.

MatchDay Preview: The Road to Soccer Immortality Begins Tonight

Club Bad News Bears (0-0-0) vs. Hot Soccer Moms (1-0-0)

February 26, 2012     8:00pm CST

Bear Creek Park Field #5

Houston, Texas

The road to soccer immortality begins tonight for Club Bad News Bears.  If the club is serious about finally hoisting a championship trophy over their heads, then no match is more important than tonight's against Hot Soccer Moms.  If the players are truly "on board" with Coach Oscar's new-found vision for the team, than this match is perfect for each and every player to show it.  Tonight, the Bears write their own story that will forever be remembered in soccer history.

As is always the challenge, both of these clubs have never met before.  With that, there are plenty of unknowns that both sides will have trouble creating strategy for.  Who are their best players?  What's their preferred formation?  What are their strengths and weaknesses?  Unfortunately for a coaching staff, those questions and more are answered during the game, but it will be the team who can react to these unknowns quickly and adjust.  The Bears have the advantage in this department, despite not doing so well on opening day against new opponents.  Assistant coach Scott is looking forward to the challenge presented to the club.

"It's not going to be a walk in the park tonight against our opponents, but I have the utmost confidence in our players.  With our speed and talent, we should be able to make quick adjustments to anything that Hot Soccer Moms throw at us."

Tonight's game will be a bit on the cooler side, as temperatures will be down in the upper 50s by game time.  There's a slight 10% chance of rain, but field conditions shouldn't be affected by the 8:00pm kickoff.

Club Bad New Bears:

• 1st meeting against Hot Soccer Moms.  Last game the Bears played was a 2-2 tie against Heatstrikers to close out the 2011 Fall season.
• The Bears will be without defender Ashley Castaldo (personal obligations). 
• With the release of a few players, including Lorena Reyes, the Bears will have to learn quickly on developing a team rhythm.
• The Bears should focus on smart passing; look down field and pass with a purpose.

Hot Soccer Moms:

• 1st meeting against Club Bad News Bears.  Won their last game 3-0 against Katy SDA this season.
• 1st season in the HWSA. 
• Posting a shutout during their first game, the Bears should find a way to get past a defense that hasn't allowed a goal this season.
• Since they are new to this league, they don't have a lot to lose.  The pressure is more on their opponents who have been in this league before.

Injury Report:

No injuries to report at this time.

Suspension:

No suspensions to report at this time.

Head-to-Head All-Time:

First meeting between both clubs.

Bears Conclude Practice Today

Several players get a final practice in at Bear Creek Park before their season opener tomorrow against Hot Soccer Moms

Coach Oscar Aviles and assistant coach Scott Machala were on hand for a co-op practice between several members of Club Bad News Bears and an all girls squad, led by former Bear and current TFC Thunder player Lorena Reyes.  The temperature was in the mid-50s this morning at Bear Creek Park, but it didn't stop those Bears in attendance from fine tuning their skills before the big game tomorrow against Hot Soccer Moms.

Coach Oscar is looking at having more of these practices made available to the team throughout the season.

"I can't force anyone to come out and practice, but the practices will be there.  Players who do show up will see how beneficial the practices are and that they do really help."

In attendance were Emilio Estevez, Rachel and Sophie Ammar, and Soso.

Assistant coach Scott seemed excited for those that did show up, but did appear a little concerned for those that didn't.

"I know that it's hard to accommodate everyone's schedule.  I hope that we can get more players out here next time.  The ones who did show up today really benefitted from all of the drills and scrimmaging today."

The Bears coaching staff is looking at having two practices a week throughout the season, one on Thursday evenings and the other on Saturday mornings.


 

Season Opener Venue Changed

Bear Creek Park has seen the most Club Bad News Bears games in the club's history, although no season opener wins.

Club Bad News Bears assistant coach and defender, Irma Sanchez, reported last night that the venue for this Sunday's season opener against Hot Soccer Moms has been changed.  Previously to be held at Houston Amateur Sports Park, Field #3, the match will now be played at Bear Creek Park, Field #5.

The Bears are 0-3-1 at Bear Creek Park on opening day, being outscored 3-13, this includes a 2-0 shutout loss to Growling Trout at field #5.  However, Bear Creek Park has seen the most Club Bad News Bears games, 35 to be exact, where the Bears hold a 15-14-6 record, outscoring their opponents 68-59.  The last time the Bears played at field #5, they tied Invictus 1-1.

Heavy Rain Cancels Weekend Opener

Houston and the surrounding areas endured quite a bit of rain earlier today, more than enough for the HWSA to cancel all games this weekend, especially for Club Bad News Bears' season opener against FC La Masia.  The game will be rescheduled for a later date and time.

I guess that rain dance FC La Masia did work...

Week 1 Recap

Club Bad News Bears and Pluma

Mountain Coffee play to a 0-0 tie on

Sunday. 

Four out of the six teams opened up the 2011 Summer season this past Sunday.  Club Bad News Bears and Pluma Mountain Coffee played to a 0-0 tie with a grueling heat present.  FC Happy Meal would score the league's first win with a sound 4-1 victory over Growling Trout.  Both Invictus and AFC Renegades were not scheduled to play during Week 1.

The standings now reflect FC Happy Meal solely at the top with 3 points, followed by the Bears and Coffee tied in second with a point each.  Growling Trout, Invictus and AFC Renegades bring up the rear with 0 points after one week of play.

Hot Start for Bears (Literally) with Tie

     Coach Oscar congratulates the Bears after battling a tough opponent, and the heat, to a 0-0 tie.

For the first time in club history, the Bad News Bears opened up their season with a tie against Pluma Mountain Coffee.  In front of 10 supporters, the 0-0 score reflected not only a strong defense for both clubs, but also a heat that exceeded 90 degrees on the field, causing fatigue and exhaustion.

Both squads had great opportunities to score goals, but the ball hit everything (from shins to crossbars) but the back of the net.  Both goalies were impressive, as Coach Oscar Aviles watched his squad battle the heat from the goalie position, while Pluma Mountain Coffee's goalie constantly kept his team subbing in and out to avoid tired legs on the field.

Despite two water breaks at the midway point of each half and a solid effort by both teams, the final score would prove the heat (and both team's defenses) were too much for either side and a 0-0 tie would be the final result.

After the game, Oscar pointed out to the Bears that it was a "great effort against a tough team."

"It was a 'heated' game," noted Marvette Limon-Machala.

The Bears should keep their heads up after this performance, as it's not everyday a Division 5 team finishes with a scoreless tie against a very experienced Division 3/4 team.

Club Bad News Bears (0-0-0) vs. Pluma Mountain Coffee (0-0-0)
June 12, 2011 -- Bear Creek Park

Scoring Summary:
No Goals Scored

Misconduct Summary:
No Cards

Attendance: 10

Weather: Sunny and 92 degrees
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial

MatchDay Preview: Club Bad News Bears Tough Opener Ahead



Club Bad News Bears (0-0-0) vs. Pluma Mountain Coffee (0-0-0)

June 12, 2011     6:00pm CST

Bear Creek Park, Field #4

Houston, Texas

Tonight's game will no doubt be a tough one for both teams as temperatures are forecasted to top 92 degrees by kickoff at 6pm, with only a 10% chance of rain.  Here's a preview for both teams.



Club Bad News Bears:

• First meeting against Pluma Mountain Coffee.
• This will be the Bears first game since their 2-0 victory over Heatstrikers during the 2011 Spring season.
• Club Bad News Bears are 2-5-0 on opening day, being outscored 24-14.  Breaking it down even further, the Bears are 2-2-0 when opening day games are played at 6pm, being outscored 16-10.  Even further, when playing at Bear Creek Park on opening day, the Bears are 0-3-0, being outscored 13-3.
• The last time the Bears played in the Summer, they finished in third place in a tough Divison 4 league, totaling 15 points, an 5-3-0 record, outscoring their opponents 18-7.
• After Thursday's practice, Coach Oscar Aviles commented that "it was a great first practice".  He also noted that "it was good to get the rust off and we'll see how it goes for opening day."

Pluma Mountain Coffee:

• First meeting against Club Bad News Bears.
• This will be Pluma Mountain Coffee's first game since their 4-1 defeat from Agoholics during the 2011 Spring season.
• Pluma Mountain Coffee is 2-1-2 on opening day, outscoring their opponents 12-10.  Breaking it down even further, their record is 0-0-1 when opening day games are played at 6pm, tying their opponent 3-3.  Even further, when playing at Bear Creek Park on opening day, their record is 1-1-1, outscoring their opponents 7-6.
• The last time Pluma Mountain Coffee played in the Summer, they finished in seventh place in a tough Divison 3 league, totaling 8 points, a 2-4-2 record, being outscored 14-31.

Injury Report:

No injuries to report at this time.

Suspensions:

No suspensions to report at this time.

Head-to-Head All-Time:

This will be the first meeting between the two teams.