Cedar Park Hounds

New Season Update

2009-02-19T14:12:00.003-06:00

New VI season

The season for our senior side has gotten off to mixed start. We began with our first ever cup victory: A smashing 6-0 win on the road to Gtown Gamblers. Following that high-flying start we suffered a pair of crushing defeats that the boys are still trying to recover from. The first was our first VI.247 league match of the season against Broad Street. They are a class team and simply put we were overwhelmed. We hope to do better than the 7-0 loss when we play them again at Milburn Park. We faced another quality opponent in the midweek cup match Greater Poe FC from division V. Despite the fantastic home field advantage we were beaten by a superior team for the second time in a week. Since we've been able to focus on VI.247 better results have started to come. We have a few more weeks before our participation in the Mitropa Cup begins and hopefully we can use that time to build some momentum.

GCI season ends, new one begins

Our youth team has really found its groove on the field. We were the best team in the league for the second half of the Guild of Calamitous Intent season. Our boys went on a 6-game winning streak during which they scored 34 goals and didn't allow a single goal. During that stretch we thoroughly defeated league leaders F.C. Olimipc Youth and ROOS FC. It was enough to give us a chance to win the league on the last game of the season, but our boys came up short in the final match, falling 3-1 to mladi ribari.

We had speculated that we might not participate in GCI again next season, but we are pleased to report that negociations to continue are looking good. It looks like 10 of the 12 teams will be returning and we are pleased with the level of competition. We will report again when this deal is finalized.

Coaching change

After about a season and a half in charge of the senior team head coach Jamie Whittington has asked to be relieved of his coaching duties. He's recommended a replacement, Spaniard Sergio Torres. Torres will take over the job on a temporary basis until the club approves the move. As always Jamie did this for the betterment of the club: "I had a great run both on the field and as a coach during season 37. But the responsibility of both jobs really wore me down and it got to the point where I didn't think I was doing a good job at either. I've fallen down the depth chart at forward and as a coach I don't think I'm adding as much as I once was. Sergio is going to bring the best out of our players, particularly the younger guys. And I can go back to focusing on playing soccer. I'm 32 and have to admit that I'm on the downside of my playing days. But I think I can still make a run where I can have one last hurrah on the field. That's my goal."

Transfers

IN Allen Henry

Allen Henry was purchased from California Wildcats for $74,000. We're particularly pleased with the low price we were able to secure for a player of Allen's quality. He should bolster our defense and allow Larry Yazzie to move up to the wing.

OUT Adolfo Navarro

We've been excited about youth academy product Adolfo Navarro for a long while now. Jorge Leavitt and I agreed that Adolfo has a fine career ahead of him but that our club is not the best place for him to develop. We were able to arrange a transfer to Italian club La Scorza for $339,000. We're sad to see Adolfo go but can't complain about the transfer fee he brought in. We will be following his progress.

OUT Andrea Elba

Andrea wasn't an original member of our club but to most of us it feels that way. Despite playing briefly for Atlanta Arsenal Andrea basically began his career here at CPH and was a vital cog in our machine for 2 seasons. He had injury problems at the end of season 37 but was still valuable enough to fetch a $83,000 transfer fee. Club historians will remember that we acquired Andrea for $1000! He's having a tough time for his new club in France, Cahors. But we know he'll turn it around soon.

OUT Frank Whaley

Though he never received as much fanfare as Adolfo Navarro, Frank Whaley has the distinction of being our first youth academy prospect to be sold to another club. Frank is currently playing with Portuguese club Pacobilhas FC and has even scored a goal for them. We will be very interested to see what he can do.

Released

Nathaniel Tackett

Nathaniel held one of the reserved spots on our roster for youth academy graduates but could never really acclimate to the pro game. He appeared 4 times for the reserves but has decided to not pursue a career in professional soccer.

Benny Porter

Benny Porter has been with us since the beginning but has never claimed a consistent spot in the starting 11. Over the seasons he made 8 appearences for the first team and scored 2 goals. He's been a top notch reserve player and a great guy to have in the locker room, but in the end we had to make room on the roster for younger talent as his position. He will be missed.

Leonardo Escandón

Leonardo is another youth academy prospect who just hasn't been able to make the transition. After 4 appearences with the reserves we were all undecided about whether to continue with Leonardo on the roster. After he suffered a serious knee injury with the reserves the decision seems to have been made for us. We wish him luck.

Morgan Dowdy

Another original club member who always had more ambition that skill. He only appeared twice for the first team and by the second half of season 37 was not able to make the field for the reserve team either.

Next Season's Outlook

2009-01-28T14:52:00.000-06:00

Hello fellow Hounds. This is club general manager Ross Houston here. I wanted to give you the loyal club members a preview of what we've got in store for the coming season.

VI.247

We are very much looking forward to our 3rd season in VI.247. We have very high hopes, but we all know that Broad Street is going to be very difficult to beat. Anything short of 2nd place in the series would be a disappointment.

US Open Cup

Despite all our accomplishments as a young club we have yet to win a match in the US Open Cup. Starting tonight we hope to change that. We like our first round draw with Gtown Gamblers and think we have a good chance to come out winners. We will be listening to our club members and will be pursuing success in the league and cup with equal vigor.

Mitropa Cup

Once the US Open Cup is over for us we are currently negotiating to enter the 8th edition of the Mitropa Cup. This 128-team international tournament would give our club a fantastic experience. Hopefully our club will be accepted.

Youth academy

The youth team's participation in the Guild of Calamitous Intent is coming down to the wire. We've done spectacularly well and have an outside shot at taking the title. Immediately after that competition is over we will make an evaluation about whether we want to continue with the Guild of Calamitous Intent. Even if we would like to continue we believe there is a possibility that the league might fold. In that case we will be looking for another high quality competition for our youth academy.

Players

Don't look for the club to make a big splash in the transfer market before the start of the season. We will be looking to make a few smart purchases and will be working hard to integrate a few young players from the youth squad. This course of action is in line with our club philosophy and our current financial situation.

Youth Academy Roundup

2009-01-16T16:43:00.001-06:00

Here are quick notes from the youth academy coach about the progress of each player:

Ed Gaines (GK) - Ed has been a stalwart performer for the team. He's one of a very small group of our players who I think have a very good shot at having a permanent spot on the senior team. He's just turned 17 and I think his chance will come sooner rather than later. When he does move on he will be very missed. Hopefully we can keep him with us for our 4 remaining league games.

Mauricio Guajardo (WB) - A nice versatile defender who is equally comfortable in the middle or outside. Mauricio had a nasty habit of picking up too many yellow cards but he seems to have calmed down in that regard. His prospects of going on to a pro career are really up to him. It could go either way with him.

Jeffrey Parrish (WB) - Right at the point where Mauricio stopped picking up silly yellows it seems that Jeffrey started. Jeffrey is a good defender and at present is justifiably proud of his two goals in our big win over F.C. Olimpic Youth Bucharest. But he doesn't read the game as well as Mauricio or John do. His chances to make the senior side are slim, but for the time being he's a solid member of our team.

Denny Dorsey (IM) - This 15-year old has just arrived to our program but he looks a very good prospect. We haven't seen him in a real match yet but he's looking good in training. He will be getting playing time very soon.

John Ewing (CD) - John has been Mr. Consistency for our defense. He's contributed 8 goals as well which is fantastic for a defender. His defensive skills are very solid but perhaps not spectacular enough to warrant the jump to a pro career. But like a lot of our players he could push himself over the tipping point with a bit more work.

Sean Polanco (IM) - In his relatively short time with the club Sean has come a long way. He's made one of the starting midfield jobs his own and has elevated his game to an impressive level. He's not a fantastic goal scorer, but his passing abilities are fantastic. This is one of the players coach Whittington has his eye on.

Brent Hewitt (W) - Brent's been with us for a long time and it took us a lot of time to find his best spot. Once we saw his potential on the wing he had to bide his time until Tackett and Escandon moved on before he got to start on a regular basis. Brent's a good kid, but winger remains a problem position for us. We're looking for an upgrade here.

Ben Felton (FW) - Ben isn't the most technical player, but that doesn't seem to matter much since he is a born goal-scoring machine. He's scored 20 goals in all competitions in his time with us and I'm pretty sure no one can match that. I'm not sure his game transfers to the pro game, but as long as he scores goals it's hard to argue against him.

Ed Hinson (FW) - Ed is a brilliant player but can be erratic. He's scored 18 goals and has often been our best player. But he picks up a lot of silly cards and can disappear for some games. If Ed can calm down and develop some consistency I think he has a pro career ahead of him. If not he may remain a youth academy legend.

Adolfo Navarro (IM) - Adolfo is one of our players who I think is a lock to progress to the senior team. What's amazing is that he continues to improve. Adolfo is our prodigy and his time with us is limited. I'm also trying hard to keep him with our squad for the rest of the season.

Ted Stoner (W) - Ted is the best of our winger and can play well inside also. He's our captain and his presence on the field is a big asset for us. He's another one of those quality players who might go on to a pro career but might not.

Milan Olson (FW) - We were very excited about Milan when we first discovered him. But over time he's been outplayed by the other forwards on our team. He is a good squad player for us but will not be able to progress to the pros.

Paul Denson (WB) - Paul can fill in in any position on the field, but he doesn't truly excel at any of them. Every team needs a guy like that, but to get a professional contract you need to specialize a bit more.

Wallace Machado (S) - Wallace and Paul are very much in the same boat. Wallace is a versatile player but has never managed to claim a starting spot on the team. His chances of promotion are very slim.

Gus Longoria (W) - Gus has stepped in and played well during a critical portion of our season. He's got a starting winger position for now but I'm not sure if he's a prospect for the long term. If he has the capacity to learn and improve that evaluation might still change.

Agustín Adrián Pérez (IM) - His first and thus far only match with us was our fantastic victory over F.C. Olimpic Youth Bucharest. Agustín played a fine match and scored a goal for us. He's at a high level for a 16-year old but it's still too early to tell how good he could end up being. He should get consistent playing time over the course of next season.

*******************

Neil Benoit - Didn't spend much time with us and never played up to the level our club expects.

Nathaniel Tackett - Despite his promotion to the senior team Nathaniel had a spotty record with the youth academy. He showed some talent but was never a real standout. He was primarily an inner midfielder for us though Coach Whittington has tried him on the outside.

Chad Jones - Didn't spend much time with us and never played up to the level our club expects.

Leonardo Escandon - Another promoted player who had only an average youth academy career. He was a decent winger for us, but never a gamebreaker.

Frank Whaley - A very good midfielder in his time with the youth academy. Like Tackett and Escandon he wasn't a prodigy but was good enough to earn a callup to the senior squad. He started his youth academy days badly but developed into a very consistent inner midfielder.

Francis Wilson - We played Francis in the middle of the field for a long time and didn't discover until very late that his real talent was on the wing. That talent earned him a well deserved callup to the senior squad where I think he might hold his own.

Jamie's End Of Season Wrap Up

2009-01-15T16:40:00.008-06:00

I'm very proud of the season our club has just finished. We missed out on our series championship by a bit, but we've accomplished many things we can be proud of. Normally during the course of the season I shy away from making any public statements about the state of the team or of specific players. But between seasons it seems appropriate for me to let the members of the club know what my opinions are of our players and our prospects for the future. I'll run down each player and briefly say what I thought of their performance this season as well as what I expect of them next season. Coach Leavitt will be doing the same later on for the youth academy.

Stanton Zimmer - When we brought him in early in the season we expected him to compete for the starting job. Instead of competing he seized the job as his own and never let go. Our decision to let him play through a rough patch of form early on paid off. By the end of the season he was a rock for us. I hope he stays with the club for the rest of his career.

Bart Driscoll - Bart has had his best season yet for us and rattled in 6 goals. But with additions like Yazzie and Horne it's been hard for Bart to bring his defensive work up to their standard. Fantastic work, but he needs to solidify his defensive play or be content with less playing time.

Larry Yazzie - Larry is another player who we had to be patient with at first. But we were well rewarded in the end. 5 goals and solid defensive play. His name is written in pen on the lineup sheet.

Michael Novak - We always knew Michael was a special player but he didn't really get a chance to show it last season with the injury. With 10 goals in all competition he scored more than most of our forwards. He never missed a start and I don't expect him to miss many next season.

Bob Horne - Bob did everything you want from a midseason acquisition. He fit right into the squad and became the undisputed leader of the defense. His injury at the end of the season was very unfortunate. He should be recovered for the start of the next season and continue to be the heart of our defense.

Andrea Elba - He underperformed last season and in many ways redeemed himself this season. He's not the flashiest player on the field and his midseason injury cut his productivity. But he's been consistent. He might have to make way for younger players to come up and get some experience with the first team. Andrea's been a real pro but he's not an integral part of our plans for next season.

Anselmo Cruz - Another one of our original players who had hard luck in our first season who was able to really blossom this season. He only missed one game all year and has in my opinion been our best and most consistent player. Frankly his spectacular wing play has made it plain that the players we've tried on the other wing are not up to his standard. Anselmo is a young player who I hope is with this club for a long time.

Adam Isaac - Adam had a very rough start to the season. He was not particularly impressive last season, so he knew he was going to have to start producing the goods. But he had that breakout game in our home match with Flying Monkies. After that he never looked back. He's been in fine enough form to relegate yours truly to the substitute's bench.

Jamie Whittington - It's hard to evaluate my own play but here goes: I've had a very good run since I've been with this club. This season I scored 12 goals in all competitions for best on the team. But towards the end of the season my form has dropped off at the same time that other forwards on the team have been stepping up. I think I will play a smaller on field role next season.

Antoine Draper - When you wear the number 10 you have a special responsibility not only to win but to entertain. Antoine scored 8 goals from midfield and was the engine of our offense. For my money he was a very close second to Cruz for the team's MVP. Hopefully he'll be around for many more seasons.

Chris Goodacre - Chris is a fine player who has improved a good deal from last year. But one thing this club needs very badly is for someone to step up and claim the starting winger job opposite Anselmo Cruz. Chris has played well enough and 4 goals in 6 matches from the wing in nothing to sneeze at. But he didn't claim the starting job consistently and that is troubling.

Tyson Russell - I don't think I've ever known a player more snake-bitten that Tyson. He spent the majority of this season injured and even after he recovered his form eluded him. He only started 2 matches but did manage a single goal in that time. I still believe he has talent but we can't wait forever for it to come out of him. I've made a decision to try and allow Tyson to play his way out of his current poor form. This strategy paid off with Stanton and hopefully we will be just as happy with Tyson.

Dave Bergman - This youngster has been a long term project all the way and is probably still a season away from consistent first team minutes. But he did make 3 starts this season and notched a hattrick on one of those games. If Elba moves on Dave's goal should be to take that 3rd inner midfield position.

Will Leavitt - Will is in much the same position as Dave Bergman. He's a young player who's progressed nicely but will now have to progress even further to keep his spot. Will made a nice run of 3 consecutive starts near the end of the season and scored 2 goals in that time. If Elba moves on Will will compete with Dave for a starting job.

Charlie Melendez - Lost his occasional starting job completely to Stanton Zimmer. Even as a backup keeper I think Charlie is not performing as well as we need. We will be looking for an upgrade here, finances permitting.

Norbert Carlton - Along with Chris Goodacre he had a chance this past season to claim a starting winger spot, but hasn't. That competition will continue and if we don't see a clear winner I will be looking to the transfer market and Norbert will likely be on his way out.

Curt Hamby - Curt might have taken the arrival of Horne and Yazzie as a bad omen for his career, but instead he's responded by beating out Bart Driscoll for the 3rd starting defender role. Despite his youth Curt is a limited player who will likely have trouble holding on to his starting spot in the long run. But he has heart and that's one thing this club can't get enough of.

Francis Miner - Francis has never had a consistent starting job and it looks like Bergman and Leavitt are progressing fast enough that they will keep it that way. Francis is a solid reserve player and a competent spot starter. You need good foot soldiers on your roster. But like Elba he will probably have to make way for a youth movement in the middle of the park.

Benny Porter - No one in this entire organization has more heart and desire to win than Benny Porter. He's never been the most technically gifted player, but he's the soul of our locker room. Despite some pretty fierce competition he recorded 4 starts this season and scored 2 goals. His time at the club is limited and he knows it. But I have complete faith that Benny will make the most of that time.

Evan Williams - This former rock of our defense was displaced by Bob Horne and never really recovered his confidence. He went from full time starter to making only occasional appearances with the reserves with unsettling speed. If he can recover he can be a valuable reserve defender and occasional starter. If not his career might be in jeopardy.

Jeb Jordan - Jeb has been a good kid to have around. But the truth is he's been a reserve player mostly due to lack of funds to find a more experienced player. He's only started 2 competitive games in his career. He's the kind of not-professional-quality player whose service we very much appreciate, but as we continue to progress will have to rely on less and less.

Frank Whaley - Frank occupies the first of our youth academy protected spots. He's got great creativity for a youngster but his passing needs a lot of improvement. He's performed admirably with the reserves and I think he may have a career in football ahead of him. I'm not sure that it's going to be with CPH.

Francis Wilson - Francis occupies the second of our youth academy protected spots. He's only just been promoted from the youth academy and hasn't seen the field yet. We're hoping he can show us something.

Nathaniel Tackett - Whaley and Wilson are officially occupying the two protected youth academy roster spots. This will likely leave Nathaniel as the odd man out. He's still officially on the squad but without the youth academy protection he's going to struggle to stay on. We've tried him in several spots. He will get a few more chances with the reserves, but if he can't capitalize on them he will likely have to move on.

George Lin - The youth camp initiative was not supposed to be a means to find any new players for the senior team. To find a quality player like George was an incredible stroke of luck. He climbed the ladder quickly and finished the season with 2 consecutive starts with a goal in each game. I'm not sure he'll be able to keep his starting spot long term. But this season he was good enough to keep me on the bench and to take longtime reserve player Morgan Dowdy's roster spot.

Patrick McNeil - Another unexpected find from the youth camp initiative. He's fit in well with the reserves, but at his inner midfield position I don't think he has what it takes to break into the first team. Even though he might be a slightly better player he may be the first player who is a casualty of the protected roster spots for youth academy grads.

Leonardo Escandón - With Whaley and Wilson now on the roster Leonardo will be the first youth academy to be bumped from the two protected roster spots. He's currently transfer listed and will be cut if no takers are found. He's a good kid and we tried him in a lot of spots with the reserves. Despite his fine run with the youth team he's just not of sufficient quality to be a pro. We wish him well.

Morgan Dowdy - Morgan was a scrappy player with our reserves for the past two seasons, but we explained to him his limited chances for first team action and he decided to pursue a career outside of football. We wish him the best.

Hard Luck For Tyson Russell

2008-11-13T13:37:00.001-06:00

Tyson Russell has had a hard soccer career thus far. The 25-year-old began his professional career only 2 years ago and in that short time has endured more setbacks than most footballers experience in their entire career.

Russell is originally from upstate New York. He was playing recreationally there when a new club was formed named "You don't know". That club has already folded and didn't accomplish much in their short existence, but they did recognize Russell's potential. But Russell was only on the books for a week. In a bid to raise cash to start the club Russell was sold to Italian club Aygo for $72,000.

After flying out to Italy Russell soon learned that Aygo were only speculators and had no intention of playing him. Within another week he was sold to Italians Polisportiva Ciaccolata.

At Polisport is where Russell's real soccer education began. His prospects looked bright at first. He got his first start with the senior team in round 2 of season 36. He didn't score a goal, but he made a decent debut in a 4-0 win for Polisport. It wasn't enough to impress the coaching staff, however. For the bulk of the season Russell saw regular time with the reserve team. He played well and scored goals at a brisk pace, but he couldn't seem to get a second chance with the senior team. Russell said of the experience, "It was a very hard time. After so much turmoil with the transfers and the travelling it was at least nice to have some routine. But I felt like my good showings for the reserves weren't being noticed."

His persistence did finally pay off, and in round 13 of that season he got another chance with the senior squad. The club won again, and this time Russell scored in a 3-0 win. That was enough to Russell to finish the season with some hope for the future. "I only got 2 games in, but I felt good about getting more time the next season."

Russell's optimism looked to be justified. He played regularly in the club's preseason friendlies. But in those matches he suffered a series of injuries, the last of which was a horrific ACL tear. For the final insult Polisport decided to sell him rather stick by him through the rehabilitation. "It made me sick to my stomach," said Russell. "It was the first glimmer of hope I'd had and it was taken away so quickly."

That's when Cedar Park came calling. Coach Whittington had enacted a policy of buying injured or out of form players on the cheap and rehabilitating them with the club. Cedar Park purchased Russell from Polisport for $81,000. "We knew we were taking a chance," said Whittington. "But I also think that Tyson will be able to repay the first one who gives him a real chance." Russell missed the first 4 rounds of the season rehabbing his injury. When he finally appeared in the starting lineup for the round 5 matchup against A&M FC it had all the makings of a triumphant return. In the 13th minute Russell scored his first goal for his new club to put them up 1-0. But 20 minutes later he crumpled to the field in agony, this time an MCL strain in his other knee. It will be at least 4 more weeks until he can try to play again.

So in a season and a half of being a professional, Russell has made 3 appearances. The good news is he's scored in 2 of those 3 matches. It's impossible to say what the future looks like for Tyson Russell, but you can hear the desperation in his voice when he talks about it. "If I can't play this game I don't know what I'll do. I'm fully committed to playing again, and I think Cedar Park is the perfect environment for me to recover in. I don't want to be anybody's charity case. I want to contribute."

CPH Youth Academy Promotes First Player

2008-10-27T16:07:00.003-05:00

For months the speculation has been flying about who the first player would be to ascend from the youth academy to the first team. That speculation came to an end this week when Nathaniel Tackett was promoted to the senior side.

There is some reservation about Tackett being the first choice. He's been a solid contributor to the youth team, but not a standout. He appeared 11 times for the youth team and register 3 goals, 2 of which came against the Cambridge Run. He moved around the field and eventually found a home in central midfield. Jorge Leavitt defended the choice by saying, "You have to understand what the purpose of this youth academy is. For each kid we need to take that kid as far as he can go. So whether or not Nathaniel is our best player is beside the point. We've taken Nathaniel as far as he can go on this team. It was time to let him move on to see what he can achieve elsewhere while at the same time giving another youngster a chance."

Jorge Leavitt and coach Jamie Whittington conferred with Tackett about his first team prospects. The club policies state that Tackett is entitled to a protected spot on the roster. But if both player and management agree the player can be sold to another club where his prospects might be better. In Tackett's case all parties agreed that he would have more chance of playing first team soccer at another club. So immediately after being promoted Tackett was put on the transfer list.

Said coach Whittington, "We would have loved to have our first youth player come right into the first team lineup, but people need to understand that that's not realistic. Nathaniel has evolved beyond our youth team but doesn't fit in with our senior team, so it's best for all of us if he goes on to another club. We didn't pressure him into this at all. It was a mutual decision."

Tackett himself is excited about his future. "I would have loved to have played for the first team, but I'm more interested in getting consistent playing time. Cedar Park has been very up front with me, and of course I've developed into the player I am because of them. I hope to always maintain some connection to the club, but I'm looking forward to leaving the nest."

UPDATE: No buyer for Tackett was found, so he's settled in with the reserves. His first team prospects are still not good, but in the coachs' view he can continue to develop with the reserves for the time being.

CPH Pulls Off Surprise Draw With Panathinaikos

2008-10-27T16:07:00.002-05:00

The senior team recorded what most observers are calling the club's biggest result in years by securing a 0-0 draw with massive series favorites Panathinaikos. GM Ross Houston could hardly contain himself: "It's hard to expect the coaches and players to be content with a draw, and they aren't. But any objective observer knows what a massive result this is for us. Everyone thought we were years away from getting a result against a team like this."

Panathinaikos had the better of the early exchanges and missed their first 2 chances. But the tide turned when standout Panathinaikos midfielder Bertil Normand suffered a nasty injury in the 17th minute. From then on CPH gained a small edge in the midfield play and was able to create a few chances of their own. Anselmo Cruz went close in the 34th minute to give Hounds some hope before halftime. After the break Hounds resumed their fine play and Adam Isaac probably should have grabbed the lead in the 75th minute. After his miss the momentum swung again as Norbert Carlton was shown his second yellow card in the 80th minute. From that point on Hounds were on the defensive, but in the end were able to keep the clean sheet.

Panathinaikos will undoubtedly view this as an upset, though they will still be confident of taking all 3 points when the two teams rematch later this season. For the time being, Hounds can celebrate.

Jamie's View

2008-10-27T12:58:00.001-05:00

Every so often I think the readers of this blog need to hear an assessment of the team directly from the coach's mouth. Coach Whittington recently agreed to sit down with me for an interview to give the fans an idea of what he thinks of the current team, the new club policies, the youth academy, and the future.

RH: So let's start with the current team. Goalkeeper seems to have been a frustrating position for you.

JW: You're right about that. We started the team with Charlie Melendez in goal and very quickly Herschel Womack was brought in to challenge him. Coach Alfaro thought he could improve on those two and brought in Dominik Čejka. The whole international debate aside, I think the idea at the time was that the 3 of them would compete for 2 spots. What I don't think anybody expected was that Dominik would have such trouble adapting and that Charlie and Herschel would respond to the situation so well. I think there are many reasons Dominik didn't work out here, and I think it's unfortunate and not completely fair that the blame for that debacle ended up falling squarely on coach Alfaro. As for my coaching tenure I've been content to let Charlie and Herschel compete for the starting spot every week. They've done reasonably well, but I think we all know that we still need to improve at that position. And then on top of all that upheaval we now find out that Herschel has suffered what looks like a career-ending injury. We've brought in a new keeper named Stanton Zimmer. We made this move out of necessity, but we also think Stanton can be the improved keeper we all know we need. He's had a rough career where he's been a professional for a lot of years, but has had a lot of trouble getting games. He had a very rough first outing with the reserves, but unlike the situation with Dominik I'm committed to giving Stanton a lot of games to get his form back. Unfortunately I can't say the turmoil is over. But we're hopeful that Charlie and Stanton will be a reliable team for a while.

RH: In contrast it seems like your first choice defense has been very stable.

JW: Yes, very much written in pen. Evan Williams in the middle, with Bart Driscoll and Curt Hamby on the sides. It says a lot about that trio that both coach Alfaro and I have both been comfortable with a 3-man back line. The only player I think you'll see getting some time back there is Larry Yazzie. When Larry was brought in coach Alfaro was still in charge, but I was already in the loop for transfers by then. We recognized Larry as a very versatile player. We weren't sure if he could take one of the wing back starting spots, but we already knew he could play wing or even up top. Larry's had his ups and downs since he's been here, but his versatility is priceless to us. But our main 3 have done great. Curt in particular has helped us out a lot by scoring all those goals.

RH: Just like the Cedar Park teams of old, the attraction seems to be the dynamic central midfielders.

JW: Yes, we've always liked that system and we've always had pretty good players to fit it. The 3-5-2 comes from this. I'm very happy that we're finally seeing some stability here. Antoine Draper, Michael Novak, Andrea Elba, those are the guys. Antoine and Andrea are the magic-makers that we count on. Novak is another one of those guys who can play in different positions.

RH: You also haven't had the luxury of playing with consistent wingers.

JW: The competition has been brutal and often times the performances have been below our standards. In my mind only one of them has truly stepped up and grabbed his spot and that's Anselmo Cruz. On his day I think he might be our best player. The others, Norbert Carlton, Chris Goodacre, Josué Mahon, they've had their moments. You will see them all in and out of the lineup.

RH: As for the forwards, you don't seem to have a problem writing your own name on the team sheet.

JW: Well, I've been fortunate enough to score at a pretty regular clip in my time here. As long as that continues nobody seems to complain too much about my name in the lineup. I hope that I'll be the first one to recognize when it's time for me to have a seat on the bench. My strike partner Adam Isaac has been consistently good enough to hold on to his starting place, but not good enough to take his goals and keep his confidence up. I think he might have a break out if he can just get that first goal.

RH: You are the first coach who has to deal with the new club policies approved by the members. Can you talk about those? What do you think about them?

JW: I think the whole idea of club members having a real say in how their club does business is fantastic. Even if I disagree with particular points I am wildly in favor of the overall idea. As for particular policies, I think the emphasis on the youth academy and developing youngsters in general is fantastic. I'm looking forward to the day when we have some youth academy graduates on the senior roster. I'm not much of a fan on the limit on international players. I understand the reasons behind it, but we play an international game and it's going to make it hard for the coaches. The policies about stadium expansion and ticket prices don't really effect me, so I don't have much of an opinion there. That's your department. I also appreciate getting the support of the members by getting elected.

RH: Do you follow the youth academy?

JW: I do, but maybe not as much as you might think. I have enough to worry about with the seniors and the reserves. Also there is a lot of trust between Jorge Leavitt and myself. So occasionally he'll whisper in my ear about some player he thinks might make the senior roster some day.

RH: Where do you think this club is headed in the future?

JW: It's hard to say. I don't know if we can make it to division IV like the previous incarnation of the club was able to. We've changed our priorities and that kind of thing might no longer be possible. I think we can win in division VI, no doubt about that. I think we can win some competitions with our youth academy as well.

RH: Thanks for you time.

JW: No problem boss.

General Meeting Notes

2008-09-30T16:38:00.001-05:00

The first general meeting of the club's members was held this past weekend. The following club officials were elected:

Head Coach - Jamie Whittington

General Manager - Ross Houston

Head of Marketing and Sales - Peter Heit

Youth Head Coach - Jorge Leavitt

Whittington, Houston, and Leavitt have already been serving in those positions. The Head of Marketing and Sales position was new and club legend Peter Heit will lead that effort.

The members passed the following general policies:

* The team should have a maximum of 5 international players. We recommend trying to keep the number at 3 so that emergency transfers won't be held up because of nationality. There is no minimum number of international players.

* The club should pursue league games and US Open Cup games with an equal commitment. Any other competitions should be considered secondary without an explicit recommendation from the members.

* The club has an ongoing mission to promote local players. Youth team academy players promoted to the senior team but still under the age of 21 shall have 2 protected roster spots. These players cannot be fired or transferred from the club without the player's consent.

* All efforts must be made to ensure that the youth academy team and the reserve team have as many matches to play as possible.

* The roster size must be at least 24 players at all times. (Including the 2 youth academy spots)

* We do not wish to be a club that makes short term money buying and selling players. When we acquire a player in the transfer market we expect that player to be of service to the club on the playing field for at least a season. In general we want our players to have careers at our club, not stints.

* As the stadium expands we want ticket prices to remain affordable. Terraces, basic seats, and seats under roof are all acceptable options, but we do not wish to see any luxury boxes or other VIP seats in our stadium. This would undercut our values as a club of the people.

* We would like to prioritize an expansion of Milburn Park to at least 20,000 before the end of season 38

Support for the policies limiting internationals and discouraging short term players was probably spurred on by the short stint at the club of goalkeeper Czech Dominik Cejka. The 37-year old was brought into the club to compete with Charlie Melendez and Herschel Womack for the starting spot, but so failed to impress that we appeared in only one reserve match before being dismissed. The incident has raised a lot of questions about the player evaluation process.

As expected some of the policies have to do with supporting players from the new youth academy. We are glad to know that the members of our club are of the same opinion as we officers are about the importance of this new part of the club. After some initial difficulties finding competition for the academy team we have now found a strong youth league for our boys to play in. We've started the season well with a 2-1 record and are optimistic about a strong showing.

Regarding the stadium we are confident that we can expand our stadium within the given timeframe. We might even be able to expand before the end of season 37, but we appreciate the members agreeing to a more flexible timeline.

This Is Your Club

2008-08-12T15:16:00.004-05:00

We've finally come to an agreement about how to share ownership of our club with you, our supporters. The premise that has underlined this resurgence of Cedar Park Hounds is that we want to be a club of the people that represents the community we come from. To do that we need your voices to be heard, and this is how.

Anyone can be a member of the club for $200 a year. This fee is completely separate from all ticket sales, though club members will get discounts on season tickets. There won't be different levels of membership. No business membership, no first class membership, no platinum membership. What you get for your money is a real voice in all club matters. Every offseason there will be a general club meeting where the primary order of business will be to elect (or re-elect) members to the following positions:

Head coach (currently held by Randy Alfaro)
General manager (currently held by yours truly, Ross Houston)
Head of marketing and sales (currently vacant)
Youth head coach (currently held by Jorge Leavitt)

Assistant coaches, psychologists, spokespersons, economists, physiotherapists, and doctors will be hired by the head coach and the general manager as necessary.

The second duty of the members at the general club meeting is to propose, vote on, and pass club general policies. These are guidelines that elected club officials and all other club employees are expected to follow on daily basis.

To vote on any of these matters members must either be present at the meeting or have previously submitted an absentee ballot.

Twice during the season there will club meetings at which policies can be debated and voted on, but the elected positions will not be up for election. These meetings will coincide with match days 5 & 10 in the league season.

To be elected to any elected position you must be a club member in good standing for at least one season. "In good standing" is defined to mean that you've voted at every club meeting during the last season. While the club itself is not yet one season old we will consider all founding members.

So that's it. The majority of the definition of what this club is and what it means to be a member we are leaving up to you. Our first meeting will be August 25 immediately following the home game with Tansen. Anybody who becomes a member on or before that day will be considered a founding member and thus will be eligible for elected office at the end of season meeting. The agenda for our first meeting will be to pass a set of initial club policies that we club officials will be bound to follow.

Bumps In The Road

2008-07-24T14:20:00.002-05:00

We've passed several milestones in this new chapter of the club's history. For the most part things have gone better than we could've possibly imagine. We saw over 3000 at the club's "first" home match, a tough 2-1 win over redrhinos. We're currently ranked 4th in our series and believe we have every chance of improving that over the remainder of the series. But we've also had our share of troubles and this new version of Cedar Park Hounds wants to be honest about our shortcomings.

The team performance against Tansen was not good enough and many fans are pointing the finger of blame at coach Randy Alfaro for fielding a less than full strength team. We understand your frustration, but please remember that we are chasing multiple objectives over the course of the season and we are not a big enough club to achieve them all. We placed a high importance on defeating the Cambridge Streak (formerly of Reno no matter what they say) and Randy thought we needed our best players to do it. The consequence of that was a public humiliation on the biggest stage our series has to offer at the Tansen Dome. You can argue that coach Alfaro's priorities were wrong, but you really can't say he wasn't doing his best for the team. We can't ever have direct fan input into team selection, but if the fans consistently tell us what their priorities are, we will respond accordingly, since you are our bosses.

A bit more out of the public eye have been the travails of the new youth academy. The youngsters haven't been getting meaningful matches due to the disintegration of their league, NY Stud Farms. CPH is committed to this league for 7 more weeks and in that time we hope to encourage the other clubs to put together teams capable of participating. We will definitely not be renewing our commitment to NY Stud Farms and will be looking for other leagues for our youth academy to play in.

Back on the bright side, we are very comfortable with the roster of first team players we've assembled. We are very optimistic about our second home match against series strugglers Molson Export. The two following weeks will likely be the most important of our season as we play back to back matches against Davison SC who we consider to be our most important rivals this season. We're very close to releasing the details of our club's membership policy which will place the power firmly in the hands of the fans.

We're Back (And Why We Left)

2008-07-09T16:03:00.001-05:00

Season 32 was a trying time for Cedar Park Hounds. We stated as a club that our goal for the season was to go as far as possible in the cup, and our 7-round cup run was thrilling. But the toll it took on our league performance was plain for all too see as we failed to pick up a single point all season long.

The mystery that many of you have pondered is why the club closed up shop after this season of ups and downs. We probably did owe it to our fans to accept relegation and come out swinging in division V. The common misconception seems to be we quit for financial reasons. After all, that is the customary reason why an American soccer club fails. But the real truth is not quite so tangible. We simply lost our will to compete. It permeated all levels of the club, from the director all the way down to the field crew. With such a mindset we couldn't continue.

We realize now the shock this was for our fans. As we see it there are two things we can do to make it up to you. The first is to offer our eternal and sincere apologies. The second is to make ourselves into a club you can be proud of again.

If you come back you will notice many changes. We will be competing in division VI. The Dog House was torn down a year ago, and our club's new home is at the far more humble Milburn Park. We have made a new commitment to be a club that represents where we come from. That means a focus on American players and particularly on players that we develop ourselves via our youth academy. We may not win all the trophies, but we will be a club with heart. We will be offering fans the opportunity to purchase Barcelona-style membership in the club so that we can truly be a club of the people.

We've made a good start to our season with 2 road wins. (and many division observers didn't expect us to do that.) Our first home game is this Sunday at Milburn Park. Please consider giving us a second chance.