Sometimes I ask myself, "Why can't you just avoid controversial topics?"

But I guess at the end of the day, these aren't controversial topics but just topics some people are afraid to touch (like the PR spin I put on that?).

So playing on Sundays - what do you think? Is it time? Don't give me the crap that it's a religious holiday. That may have been the thinking in the 20th century, but it's not now. I go to church and still do other things on Sunday. How many people are actually resting on Sundays? There are a number of Catholic schools that play on Sundays, and countless (actually TOO many) bad basketball tournaments (dribble, brick, dribble, turnover, dribble, timeout with less than a minute to go when a team is trailing by 20.).

So high school sports are being played on Sundays now, so why not soccer? The Pepsi Showdown title game was played last fall on a Sunday. The athletes and parents involved loved playing on a Sunday. Now remember, I'm not saying every Sunday, but maybe three or four Sundays a season?

Wouldn't that make it easier for some who work during the week and on Saturdays to attend a game? I know some are going to say it's a day for coaches to spend with their families, but I would think having more games on a non-school day would ease the stress for everyone. And then you wouldn't have to worry about traffic either, as traffic tends to ease on Sundays. Players and coaches would be home earlier one night during the week if there was a Sunday game. Wouldn't bus rental be cheaper, too, because it's a slow day for bus rentals?

Change is good.

- Joe Trost

Posted by Corner Kicks at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Any time I talk to Joe Moreau, whether it be in person, via phone or most of the time email, I'm always curious about his thoughts. Just as the case is with me, I'm sure there are some out there who don't care for him. But there's no disputing his experience and knowledge.

I still recall the first time I spoke to Moreau back in 1999 when I was a young reporter at The Star in the south suburbs. I was working on a column about club vs. high school - surprise, surprise - and I wanted to know how Moreau felt about the simmering talk at the time regarding girls players skipping the high school season to play club. Moreau, still the head coach at St. Charles at the time, believed then as he believes now that kids need and gain a lot from playing high school soccer in the spring. (For the record, Moreau also coaches club in the high school offseason.)

Point being, I've always respected the thoughts of one of the state's all-time winningest coaches - whether I agree or not. So I was curious which conferences Moreau thought would be the toughest this spring, to see if we were on the same page.

And I feel honored to say we are.

1. Upstate 8
2. DuPage Valley
3. MSL

Thoughts?

- Joe Trost

Posted by Corner Kicks at 01:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Is it in you?

It might be in you, but when it comes to Gatorade's Illinois Player of the Year for girls soccer - guess again.

For the first time in recent memory, Gatorade did not elect a 2007-08 Illinois Player of the Year for high school girls soccer. Hinsdale Central goalie John Shakon won the Illinois Player of the Year for high school boys soccer.

Are you surprised there wasn't a girls winner in Illinois? Things that make you go hmmmm...

And before you even ask, Gatorade has always named the two together - meaning the girls winner has always been named at the same time as the boys.

http://playeroftheyear.gatorade.com/playeroftheyear/state.php?formname=search&lvl=&sprt=GS&yr=2007-08&st=&search.x=27&search.y=10

- Joe Trost

Posted by Corner Kicks at 05:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Ruth Poulin-Vostal and Anne Poulin are well known throughout the St. Charles soccer community.

So while it may surprise some not to see Ruth on the St. Charles North sideline early this season, it shouldn't surprise anyone that another Poulin will be manning the ship until she returns - Anne. Ruth recently gave birth to twins - Lillian and Brennan - and doesn't expect to return until later this season.

There's no doubt Anne will have her hands full trying to figure out a way to knock off conference powers Waubonsie Valley and Neuqua Valley. But with the likes of midfielder Caitlin Winklemen, the first three-sport athlete to play three sports all four years in North Stars' history, forward Leah Dermoss, defenders Lauren Ostarello and Lauren Stoeklin back, it's safe to say there is some talent to work with.

According to Anne, St. Charles North didn't lose anyone to club this spring.

- Joe Trost

Posted by Corner Kicks at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

It figures.

As one person said to me Sunday, I complained the entire winter about the IHSA-YSO making a bonehead decision to start the girls soccer season on Feb. 25 and look at this - it's 40 degrees today. There's little doubt the teams with turf fields will have an early advantage this year, but the IHSA-YSO knows it should've added a week to the end of the girls soccer season - not the beginning of it.

Nevertheless, most teams will "officially" start practicing today - except for the defending state champ, Waubonsie Valley. With head coach Julie Bergstrom in California working with the under-15 U.S. Women's National Team, the Warriors won't get things going until next week. Bergstrom plans to meet with her girls on Wednesday.

And then you have the Public League teams, battling for space with baseball, softball, track and basketball teams. Yes, I know some suburban programs deal with the same problems, but it's nothing compared to the city.

Tonight, the CPS Principal's Athletic Association Executive Board will meet.

Will CPS finally begin looking for ways to help the sport and its embarrassing, third-world soccer facilities? We'll see.

I would have said fourth-world, but I don't think that's possible.

- Joe Trost

Posted by Corner Kicks at 05:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Back in 2000, I used to write a weekly Sunday feature entitled "Prep Forum."

It was an idea former sports editor Bill Adee (who is now at the Tribune) and I came up with, trying to hit touchy topics throughout the prep world. To this day, I still remember writing a piece about head coaches who didn't teach at the school.

To make a long story short, most schools - per union contracts - must hire from within first. For years, you would have a science teacher coaching soccer just to fill that spot, even though the science teacher didn't know the difference between a basketball and soccer ball before seeing a picture.

Today, however, many former athletes are teachers and that has led to more quality coaches throughout the high school soccer community.

But I still ask this question:

Would you hire a history teacher to teach science? Would you hire a math teacher to teach gym?

The face of high school sports has changed so much from the 1970s to now. Yes, it's team building and yes, it's a social experience through the school. But let's be realistic here folks - there are some very bad coaches out there. Some of these coaches lack communication and people skills, but yet schools allow them to coach.

I'm curious to hear the feedback on this. Some coaches will be upset about this posting, but so be it. Many of them know I'm right on. Please remember, this is not a forum to nail a specific coach.

Here's the main question: Should schools be forced to hire from within first?

- Joe Trost

Posted by Corner Kicks at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

After a little trip to Florida to cover some spring training and stop in Bradenton to see the Chicago Fire, I'm back - a little tanner I must admit. And with the start of the high school soccer season just a week away, here are two things of interest:

Beginning in 2009, the IHSA-YSO has elected to have three classes in girls soccer. While I do understand the debate about providing more opportunities, this is just another example of how our competitive sports society has weakened. Yes, I know a school of 200 students has a hard time competiting against a school with 4,000 students, but come on. I mean, why not have 10 classes? That way, the IHSA-YSO can make more money and hand out even more state titles like they are cupcakes at an AYSO team party.

Girls soccer is not ready for three classes, and the bright folks down at the IHSA-YSO headquarters know that. They do. The problem is that they want to make everything easier, so they have the same model for boys and girls soccer.

And finally...

The Pepsi Showdown girls seeds are posted at http://www.pepsishowdown.us. It will become the largest high school girls soccer tournament in the country when it kicks off on April 1, and will be hosted by Oak Park-River Forest High School.

- Joe Trost

Posted by Corner Kicks at 01:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Even though Cornerkicks was taking a little break, gearing up for the upcoming season and preparing to return to full blog status next week, I had to throw this out there.

Don't you agree that National Signing Day is out of control these days? Come on, just a little bit? Is Hallmark running this so-call holiday? Can I buy an official National Signing Day card to send to a love one?

Seriously, do we need a national day to watch a player sign a sheet of paper? Seriously, folks, seriously? So let me get this straight:

*It's big news when an verbal commitment is made (make sure you get that in the newspaper).
*It's big news when an athlete signs a piece of paper to the college that we already knew they were going to (report the old news again in the newspaper).
*But don't report the story when a number of these same athletes quit within two years (look at the stats over the years).

Don't get me wrong - it's a great honor to receive a college scholarship at any level. But what about the thousands of students who receive scholarships for other reasons? Where is their National Signing Day (Hallmark, if you steal that idea from me, I better receive a check)?

This day has turned into a Dog-and-Pong Show nationwide, which at the end of the day is additional free advertising for colleges and universities that have 90 percent of young adults in debt until they reach the age of 40.

See you next week.

- Joe Trost

Posted by Corner Kicks at 08:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)