The OSA News Bulletin  

VAUGHAN, ON – This week’s guests on OSATv TouchLine with host Anthony Totera include:

• Joey Lombardi & Sam Medeiros – Ontario U16 Girls Team Head Coach and Assistant Coach respectively – on the Team’s 2011 March Break Tour to Spain; the experience of playing teams from a football “culture” which is home to the European and World Champions with teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid and Villarreal; their pride in the team’s performance, including a 3-2 come-from-behind win against a tough Barcelona FC side; Team Ontario’s strong possession play and their ability to organize tactics around defending, pressing, etc.; the role of Ontario’s Regional, Provincial and National Team Centre (NTC) and World Cup Team programs in developing the Women’s game in Canada; the importance of certified and qualified coaches in evolving the game in Canada; the importance of competition against teams from countries like Spain, who represent the current benchmark for the technical side of the game; the role of trust and respect between coaches and players in allowing the players the freedom to be creative and letting the game be the teacher; the importance of staff and players working together as a team towards a common goal in reaching higher levels than would be possible playing as individuals; the Europeans’ football “culture” reflected in their use of game “savvy” versus the North American concept of “fair play”; the differences in players’ drive to excel coming from countries with a football “culture” where soccer excellence can be a “ticket out of the ghetto” versus the North American culture with its relatively high standard of living; and the difference between coaching females who need more freedom to be creative versus males who need more structure and organization on the field.  

• Kayla Adamek, Veronica Bosco & Jenna Hellstrom – Ontario U16 Girls Team members back from their successful 2011 March Break tour to Spain – on the different style of tactical play exhibited by the European teams versus Team Ontario’s hard, physical approach; taking to the pitch strong and hard as a way of overcoming nerves playing Europeans for the first time; the role of coach Lombardi and Medeiros’ targeted training in preparation for playing against European-schooled tactical sides that are very fast on the ball; the experience of playing in a soccer-crazed country like Spain and lessons learned about the tactical side of the game; the importance of parental support in enabling Ontario athletes to strive for higher levels and represent the Province of Ontario and Canada well — Hellstrom and Adamek’s parents have been driving 3 to 5 hours each way every weekend for the last 3 years for their daughter’s training at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan while Bosco’s parents have been driving 4 times per week from Oakville for the last 3 years; and the inspiration and lasting influence of coaches at key junctures in their playing careers – Ruben Flores (Bosco); Kevin Roach of the Panhellenic Storm and Rob Gallo, Laurention University Women’s Coach (Hellstrom); and Gloucester SC’s Mike Lanos, Region 5 Coaches Mark Hearn who passed away in 2007 and Alex McNutt, as well as Team Ontario Coaches Joey Lombardi and Sam Medeiros (Adamek).

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Filed under: Club and Team News, Competitions & Special Events, District News, Member News, OSA Podcast, Player Development, Team Ontario, The OSA News, University Soccer   Related Posts:  Ontario U14 Girls Win 5-0 Over Alberta | Ontario U14 Girls Post 3-0 Win Over BC In Game 2 | Ontario U14 Girls Win National All-Stars Opener | Ontario U14 Girls Dominate Québec 4-0 For Gold | Ontario U14 Girls Dominate Manitoba 10-1 In Game 3 |