by Bob Mueser

DSL – Week 7 Email

Good Evening:

Just a few items for this week's soccer email:
1. Kindergarten Programs – Let me know if your school has a kindergarten program and if you are looking for a few scrimmages and/or if you are interested in having a tournament style experience for them either at the end of this season or next.  It may be a little tight to get it in this fall, but I'd like to gauge interest and either pull something together with the help of another school or possibly fold something into next spring's DSL tournament if they are interested.
2. Score Control – At the JV and Varsity levels, I am seeing some score cards come in that exceed our league rule of maximum goal differential of 7.  As a reminder, games that result in a goal differential of 8 or more are subject to immediate review and may be set aside and not count for standings as violative of that rule.  If you have any questions on this rule or how to mitigate excessive score differentials, please reach out to me in advance so that we can discuss.  Once the violation occurs though the conversation is much different than what it would have been had we had a discussion prior to the infraction.
3. Developmental and All Girls Tournament – Friday, October 11th is the last day to register teams for the DSL Developmental Tournament or to change your registrations.  After Friday, work will begin on the scheduling and each school will be expected to field a squad as registered.  In the unlikely event that a team has to withdraw after this Friday please note that registration fees are still due, as a lot of time and care goes into the scheduling of games and if you pull out after Friday, I cannot redo schedules and will still need to pay referees for their time at the field, even if you decide not to play.  This usually is not an issue and I don't expect it to be one this season, but I wanted to make sure we were all on the same page and you understood the rationale of having things final for Friday. 
I expect Saturday the 26th to be a very busy tournament day as we have already broken our previous record for tournament size.  As a result, we will probably be using every minute of our 8am to 8pm field slots and may possibly need to extend this to 9pm.  I'll get you all a schedule as soon as we are able and in the meantime, please review your school's current registrations below and let me know if any changes are needed.
SCHOOL NAME 1st   1st/2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd/4th 4th JV Girls Varsity Girls Total
Aquinas Academy 1 0 1 2 0 1 1 1 7
Archangel Gabriel  1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 4
Ave Maria Academy 2 0 2 2 0 1 1 1 9
Blessed Seelos 3 0 3 2 0 1 0 0 9
Blessed Trinity Academy 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
Butler Catholic 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
Carlow 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Christ the Divine Teacher  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Divine Mercy Academy  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Eden Christian Academy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Guardian Angel Academy 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 6
Holy Cross Academy 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 4
Holy Family 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Holy Sepulcher 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
Mary of Nazareth  0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 3
Mother of Mercy Academy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Northside Catholic Assumption 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Our Lady of Fatima 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 4
Providence Heights Alpha 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
Sacred Heart 1 0 3 1 0 2 0 2 9
St. Bede 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 4
St. James 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
St. Kilian 3 0 3 2 0 3 1 1 13
St. Louise de Marillac 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2
St. Monica 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Sts. Peter and Paul  0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Southhills Catholic Academy 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 3

by Bob Mueser

DSL – Week 6 Email

Good Evening:

Just a few things as we enter the 6th week of our season.
  • Make up games – I know that there are some games that still need to be made up.  We are hitting October here pretty quickly and the hours of daylight are decreasing while the amount of rain is increasing. If you have not identified a makeup date for any past games that were not played, please do so immediately.  It will only get more challenging to reschedule those later in the season and unplayed games will either not count for standings or could result in forfeits being assessed.  The two games that I know of that need to be rescheduled, but have not yet been are listed below, if there are others though, please let me know of those and keep me updated on the reschedule process:
    • Need make-up date and game time for one suspended game in Week 2 (St. Kilian-W Varsity with Aquinas).
    • Need make-up date and game times for two cancelled games in Week 4 (AAG JV & Varsity with GAA).
  • Offsides – I would encourage teams in the first and second grade age groups to start working offsides into their practices and their games starting this week so that the concept is not one of first impression when they arrive at the DSL tournament on Oct. 26th.  
  • Tournament Registration – Registration for the Oct. 26th Tournament is open and will remain open until October 11 or when a bracket fills up completely.  The tournament will include brackets for all teams in grades 1 through 4, as well as girl-only 5v5 teams in grades 5 through 8.  Currently the 2nd Grade Bracket is filled and the 1st and 3/4 grade brackets are close to being filled.  I can also confirm that to date we have registrations sufficient enough to play all 8 contemplated brackets: 1, 2, 1/2, 3, 4, 3/4, JV Girls, Varsity Girls.  We are one target to have one of the biggest tournaments ever for the diocese. Once registration is closed, it will take me a bit to put together the schedule and figure out how to get all of the games in that day, but that is a good problem to have.
That's it for me, as always, don't hesitate to reach out with any issues, concerns or questions.
by Bob Mueser

DSL – Week 5 Email

Good Evening:

Just a few things as we enter the fifth week of our season.
After last week's email on some rule reminders, I was asked to follow up with some other reminders, they are as follows:  
1. Slide Tackling – Proper slide tackling is permitted at the Varsity level only when contact with the ball is made. Slide tackling is not permitted at the JV or Developmental level. For Varsity players, no slide tackling from behind is permitted.

2. Heading – Heading is not allowed for Developmental and JV players. For Varsity players, heading is allowed with the following exceptions
by Bob Mueser

DSL Week 4 email

Good morning:

Just a few things as we enter the fourth week of our season.
At the Developmental Level, here are some rule/protocol reminders:
1. Build Out Rule – Grades 1 through 4 should be playing the build out rule.  This rule is meant to allow players to build out defensively on a goal kick or keeper stop without the offense crashing the net immediately.  Once the keeper has the ball or a goal kick takes place, the offensive opponent should retreat behind the build out line and not advance until (i) a second defensive player touches the ball or (ii) the ball rolls out beyond the build out line.  Once either item (i) or (ii) occur, offensive players can then advance beyond the build out line.  At grades 1 and 2 the build out line should be midfield.  At grades 3 and 4 a separate build out line should be marked that is midway between the penalty box and the kickoff circle.  This build out line replaces midfield line for off side determinations as well.  On Grass field the build out line can be marked with field paint (usually a dashed line) or cones.  On Turf fields, the build out line can be marked with tape, cones or flat rubber discs.

2. Off Sides – Grades 3 through 8 will play their entire season with the off side rules in place.  Grades 1 and 2 start the season without that rule in place to simplify the learning process for them.  By the first week of October I would encourage 1 and 2 grade teams to start introducing offsides into your games to get the players used to it.  The end of season tournament on Oct. 26 will have the offsides rule in place (although for grades 1 and 2 it will be limited to obvious offside calls (as determined by the refs).
3. Score Control – I know that this can be difficult, especially at the younger levels, but please see the DSL rule book for guidance on effective ways to control the score and utilize them on your game days.  Some of the easiest solutions are putting offensive players in defensive spots or vice versa, focus scoring to weaker players who don't often score, reducing the amount of players on the field until a competitive balance is reached or offering the other coach a chance to put an extra player or two out there to even things up (this last one also needs referee ok).  Also, if you find yourself on the wrong side of a mismatch and the coach offers to let you put more players out there please take them up on that.  It will make the play more enjoyable for all involved.
Tournament Registration – Registration for the Oct. 26th Tournament is open and will remain open until October 11 or when a bracket fills up completely.  The tournament will include brackets for all teams in grades 1 through 4, as well as girl-only 5v5 teams in grades 5 through 8.

by Bob Mueser

DSL – Week 2 Email

All:

Please find an updated coach contact sheet, the only changes are with respect to the first grade St. Kilian contact information.  Use this sheet when contacting opposing teams for this week's games.
Also, at this point, all rosters should have been submitted.  I am missing the following rosters from the following schools, please submit signed rosters ASAP.  Not having rosters submitted could result in forfeitures and impact playoff/tournament eligibility.  If you believe you sent it in already but are listed below, please resend as it is possible that I missed your email.
1. Archangel Gabriel – all rosters are outstanding
2. Ave Maria – all rosters are outstanding
3. Blessed Seelos – all rosters are outstanding
4. Blessed Trinity – all developmental rosters are outstanding
5. Eden Christian – JV roster is outstanding
6. Guardian Angel – all rosters are outstanding
7. Holy Family – all rosters are outstanding
8. Our Lady of Fatima – all rosters are outstanding (as are registration fees)
9. Alpha – Developmental rosters are in, but to the extent any JV/V players are playing with Seelos those rosters are due as well
10. St. James – all rosters are due
11. St. Kilian – all rosters are due
12. Sts. Peter and Paul – all developmental rosters are due.
That is all, good luck this weekend and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Rob

by Bob Mueser

DSL – Week 1 email

All:
As we head into the week I wanted to get you all a week one email that has the following attachments, in word/excel and pdf format:
1. Final Coach Contact List (applicable to grades 1-8)
2. Form of Player Roster (applicable to grades 1-8)
3. Form of Game Card (applicable to grades 5-8)
With respect to the contact list, I recommend including both the head coach from the other team and the soccer coordinator from the other team when reaching out to one another to coordinate game day details.
With respect to the Player roster, each school should complete a roster for each team and have the school's principal or priest sign to attest that the students are attending the school before Friday, August 30.  If your school is combining with another or having a player or two from another school joining, both principals/pastors need to sign off (and as a reminder, any school combinations need to be approved by me in advance or such schools risk having the games forfeited).  Each school is required to turn this roster in.  Failure to do so can result in any games played forfeited as this is how we make sure schools are having students from the school play and no other players.  If another team raises roster questions for your team I rely on this form to start my inquiry and failure to complete it and turn it in a timely manner results in the presumption that you have ineligible players playing on your team and that your games played to date are forfeited.  Finally, Schools are permitted to update this roster to include additional players on or before your fourth game (the update needs to be signed by your principal/pastor as well).  After the fourth game schools are no longer permitted to add new players.
With respect to the game card, JV and Varsity coaches should print two copies of it; have player numbers, player names and head coach names fill in, as well as the other relevant blanks; turn one copy into the referees and the other copy to the opposing coach.  At the end of the game the winning team (and with respect to a tie, the home team) should immediately upload the results using the web page and/or QR code.  If you have any questions don't hesitate to reach out (although in full disclosure I may be out of cell range a fair amount this weekend so leave a message if I don't pick up and I'll get back to you once I am able).
Finally, remember that the home team is responsible for paying of the referees fees and that should be done prior to the start of or immediately following, the game (PIAA refs are $50 per referee, per game and the JV/V games have two refs per game (so $100 per game).  If developmental teams are using PIAA referees then it is also $50 per referee, per game and if they are not PIAA referees the home teams set the referee pay scale.
That's it for me, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out (although my availability Friday through Monday may be somewhat limited).
Rob
by Bob Mueser

Fwd: DSL Schedules and Contact info

Attached please find a final schedule for the Fall 24' DSL Soccer season.  There are several changes throughout that should have been conveyed to affected parties via email, but regardless, please disregard the earlier draft schedule and refer to this one for all games.  Subject to any changes that the teams, ref coordinator and I sign off on, this is the final schedule.
At this time the schedule can be shared with your players.  Please note that any changes to this schedule will need to follow our protocol for reschedules (See previous email for that protocol).  I will not send further revised schedules going forward, but schools are free to reschedule as needed, subject to our protocols and with sign off from me and the Referee Coordinator (if PIAA refs are being used).
Also attached is the most current contact list.  Please review and let me know of any changes or corrections.  As you can see, we are still missing some information.  If any correspondence is required to be exchanged before that information is updated, please reach out to the school's soccer coordinator (also indicated on the contact list).  I am still missing information for the below 4 schools and will plan on recirculating this list one last time the week of August 26th when hopefully all such information will be completed:
  • Blessed Seelos – names and contact info for the 3 first grade coaches
  • Blessed Trinity – email and cell phone for Melissa Seaman, the 1/2 coach and name and contact info for the 3/4 coach
  • Holy Cross – name and contact info for the second grade coach
  • St. Kilian – cell number for Bryan Ross, the third grade coach
Finally, Soccer Coordinators please verify with your coaches that everyone that needs to is receiving my emails.  If there are additional emails that I need to add to my distribution list, please send them my way and I will update the list.
Regards,
Rob Glentzer

by Bob Mueser

Fwd: DSL – Schedules and Coach’s contact info

Good evening, 

Please see below and attached for information relating to the DSL Fall 24' Soccer Season:

Schedules:

For those that have coached before in the league, the format of the Schedules should be familiar.   I've attached both in Excel and pdf formats  In both documents, there is a tab for each of the following brackets:

  • First Grade
  • Second Grade
  • First/Second Grade
  • Third Grade
  • Fourth Grade
  • Third/Fourth Grade
  • USL (bottom 7's bracket)
  • MLS (top 7's bracket)
  • Premier (11's bracket)

Home teams are listed first and are in blue, Away teams are listed second and are in yellow – if something doesn't look right let me know, it may be a typo or I should be able to explain it.    For those that are new to coaching and are having trouble understanding the schedule, check with your coordinator, AD or a seasoned coach and they should be able to explain it.  If you still can't make sense of it, reach out to me and I can walk you through it.  Home game days, times and locations are listed for each school and if you are the away team refer to the hosting teams information rows for those details, unless the cell for your game contains a different time or location, then refer to that specific time/location.  Generally speaking, each JV/V team plays 8 games and each developmental team plays 7.  In developmental brackets that have an odd amount of teams, one randomly selecting team has an 8th game to make sure that all teams get at least 7 because of, well, math.

The attached schedule reflects our best efforts to accommodate all of the requests.  If something changed from the date that you submitted your registration or I was not able to accommodate the request that you made, you will need to reach out to the opposing team to coordinate a new game time, please include me on those emails.    Also, home teams must remember to include me on emails that update game information, and with respect to JV/Varsity matches and developmental matches that PIAA refs are utilized, they must include our referee coordinator, Chuck Pruss, who is cc'd here.  Home Teams, please communicate issues as they are discovered with ample time and consideration provided to all involved.  Away teams please be understanding and as flexible as you can when home teams reach out

by Bob Mueser

DSL Fall 24′ Kickoff Meeting

All:
For this evening's 7:30 pm call it would be helpful if each school had at least one representative dial in so that they can report back to the other coaches from that school.  It would also make sense for new coaches to also dial in as we will be going over various logistics of the fall season, which the veteran coaches know pretty well, but that can be a little overwhelming for the new coaches at first.  
Rob

On Wed, Aug 7, 2024 at 10:26 PM Rob Glentzer <[email protected]> wrote:
Please see below for a link for Thursday's DSL meeting.

Rob

Microsoft Teams Need help?

Meeting ID: 237 332 873 19

Passcode: HWUXon

Dial in by phone

+1 412-790-6214,,16359456# United States, Pittsburgh

Phone conference ID: 163 594 56#

Join on a video conferencing device

Tenant key: [email protected]

Video ID: 111 905 349 6

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