Soccer FAQ's

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q:It's September 10th, can I register my kids to play?

A: Depends. Some divisions are closed and other divisions are open. Send us an email and we'll see if we can accomodate you.

Q: My son is registered to play but just broke his arm and will not be participating, may I get a refund?

A: If the request is made before the start of the games, the answer is yes. If your request comes to us in October, yep, you guessed it, the answer is no.

Q: I registered in May but the coach has not called us, what's up?

A:Because of the last minute flood of registrations (up to 25% of our total 1000 kids), rosters had to be made up late. If you have not heard from a coach and it's getting very close to game day, please let us know. Next year, we will be implementing a stricter policy by setting a deadline around August 1st and possibly refusing any applications received after that time.

Q: Do you have an office and a telephone number?

A: Technically, no. We have a meeting place where the MTL Organization has meetings and events. It's location: 12 Old Indian Rd. We do not have a central telephone number. We prefer to use email: mtlsoccer@gmail.com

Q: I registered my two kids - a Little Kicker and a 3rd grader. I don't like the coaches' hairstyles and I'd like to request both to be moved to other teams. Is this possible?

A: MTL will honor requests prior to team formation for all Little Kickers. We do not honor requests for other divisions. Period. Due to the more competitive nature in the older divisions (grades 1/2 and up), we randomly generate teams taking into account player's age, gender, and ranking (which is done by Coaches at the end of the season). This assures fair team makeup. Sorry - car pooling, friends and associates, family are not valid for switches. Siblings of the same age group will be placed on the same team. Our goal is to have maximum participation and repeat customers. Stacking teams and making exceptions discourages this.

Q: How do I get a season schedule?

A: Click on the schedules and standings link on the left. Rules, schedules, and standings are given.

Q: My daughter loves to play soccer - can we play on Saturday and Sunday?

A: Sure, as long as there are Saturday and Sunday divisions for her age group (LK, 1/2, and 3/4). You will need to register and pay for both days. We are working on our online registration that will allow for multiple discounts - this should be available next year.

Q: There is a slight drizzle outside, are the games cancelled and how do I find out?

A: Wet grass, slight drizzle, moderate winds, light flurries usually won't be enough to cancel the games. Put heavy into those scenarios and the Coach will probably call about a cancellation. In some cases when there is heavy rainfall on the day prior to games, fields may become unplayable due to poor drainage. Check the website for weather related news (be sure to refresh your browser).

Q: Our coach has put together an after-game snack schedule, what should I bring?

A: Typically, low fat, low sugar (you know, the stuff kids hate!) will work. Fresh fruit is probably the best snack kids can get (oranges, apples, watemelon, etc.). Most kids bring water, so just the fruit works. If you are not bringing fruits, please be aware of diet restrictions some individuals may have.

Q: My kids go to school in West Orange but we live in another town, can we participate?

A: Unfortunately, our by-laws restrict the program only to those living in West Orange- irregardless of where they may go to school. On the other hand, if you live in West Orange and your kids go to school outside of West Orange, you are eligible to participate in our program.

Q: I'm a Coach and just downloaded the Coach's Manual. The first page has a volunteer disclosure. What is this?

A: The volunteer disclosure statement has to be printed, filled out, signed, returned to the Commissioner PRIOR to the start of the first game. The NJ State Youth Soccer league requires this from every volunteer Coach.

Q: What is offsides?

A: This video demonstrates the offsides rule. In a nutshell, offsides is called when the ball is passed to a player who is between the goalie and the last defender.

Q: Are coaches paid?

A: Ah, no. But each Coach gets a Polo Coach's shirt, a team ball, a whistle, first aid kit, a free clinic, and a group of smiling faces!

For the younger divisions (1st/2nd graders), the attention span for these players is quite short and they need to keep active. The drills below can be used for any age group. Prior to practice, be sure to have the kids bring a ball since a lot of these drills depend on each player having a ball. Typically, practices should be kept to 60-80 minutes at least once per week and work on basics for about 30 minutes and the rest scrimmage. The following drills require that everyone have a ball.

1. A simple drill you can start off with is to make a circle about 20-25 ft diameter depending on how many kids show up. Use the flat orange discs or cones. Discs are better because they are safer. At the blow of your whistle, have each player dribble the ball in the circle going in one direction. They have to keep the ball in the circle and they have to be able to navigate around traffic. Make the circle smaller if they want the challenge. Whistle again and they have to freeze. Whistle again they have to now change direction and dribble.

2. In the next drill, still using the circle- at the whistle, the players will dribble the ball in the circle with just the right foot – they'll need to learn how to use the inner and outer part of the foot. Do the same as above – change direction etc. Switch foot. For kicks, if someone goes out of the box at the blow of the whistle, they have do 5 push ups, or 5 plyometric jumps, or 10 jumping jacks etc.

3. Still using the box, at the whistle, have them dribble in any direction with either foot. When you blow the whistle again, they have to do a "pull back" and change direction. How this works: the player uses the bottom of their cleat to pull the ball back and change direction 180 degrees – this is a very important move as they get older. Do a youtube for “soccer pull back”.

4. Taking the pull back move further, have the kids come out of the box and line up along a line with them facing you ( you should be 30 ft from them). When you blow the whistle, have them dribble towards you. When you blow again, they have to pull back and change direction (now they should be going in the direction opposite). Do this a few times and change pace to challenge them.

5. Have the kids go back to the line. This drill makes them dribble the ball with the ability to keep their heads up. If they are comfortable doing this, they will be able to actually complete a pass to a fellow player during the game. Now, raise one hand, have them shout how many fingers you are holding up (do 2 fingers to start). Blow the whistle and have them dribble towards you and have them shout nice and loud how many fingers you are holding up. Change fingers every second or so while they dribble. This is fun. When they run out of room, blow the whistle and have them dribble back to the starting line.

6. A coach's favorite – "cats and dogs." Divide the kids equally and have one line on the left side of the goal and another on the right side of the goal. Keep a couple balls with you while you are the goalie. When you shout a number toss the ball out to about 15-20 ft away from the goal and say 2; this means the first 2 players from each side runs towards the ball and they fight to get it score on you. Here, they are forced to pass to each other since it’s basically 2 on 2. After someone scores or misses, they go to the back of the line. Then shout another number (1, 3 or whatever). Do this for about 10 minutes or as long as you can keep their interest.

7. Finally, if time permits, do "rapid fire." Have them line up in front of the goa with the line tailing towards the opposite side of the fieldl, you feed them the ball from either the left or right and have them shoot immediately at the goal. Discourage them from dribbling too much. The objective here is to be able to take quick possession and shoot. You can distinguish who the good shooters are. Make sure you work from both sides since one side will require them to shoot with the left foot – this is a real challenge at this age, unless the player is left footed.

After this time, you can do a scrimmage. It is preferable to have pinnies since they can easily distinguish each other. Make your goals for the scrimmage about 4 feet wide- yes, 4 feet- they have to be able to control the ball and have some accuracy. The goal in a scrimmage is not necessarily to score goals, but to learn how to get and maintain possession as well as learning how to work the ball both individually and as a team. Have them call for the ball during play. This is essential.

Concerning game strategy,you should spread your best players at the far end of the field- one close to the back defending the goal, call him/her the sweeper and another trying to score goals – the striker. The weaker players should be more or less in the middle (or midfield) working to interrup plays and in some cases create plays for the strikers. They should not be in your last line of defense. Most coaches make this mistake by putting the weakest players in the last line of defense - not good. At the start of the game, strategically, keep a more defensive field and monitor the offensive strength of the opposing team. If they do not have strong strikers or forwards, move your better players up but keep that key, strong footed player in the back. He/she doesn’t have to be in the back, they can be second to the back but they need to stay around the goal area.

When the ball is in your opponent’s goal area, no one should be deep in your half of the field. Have at least 2 players stand on the center line (the line in the middle of the field). Make sure you tell them to come forward if they happen to fall asleep next to your goal area. You may want to move your key sweeper up ahead to the two players on the line – but keep him/her in the middle of the field. On the other hand, if the ball is in your goal area, have your strong dribblers in the forward/striker positions stay away from your goal and let them wait up front for the loose ball. This takes a special, patient player. Most kids follow the ball – hey, it’s only instinctive. This is especially important as the ball goes towards your opponent’s side. Draw this out on paper– if the ball is going down the left or right side, someone HAS to be in the middle standing in front of the goal ready for a “cross”. A player on the left must know they have to stay on the left and feed the ball to the striker in the middle and vice versa for those on the right. Point this out in your scrimmage by blowing the whistle and yelling freeze to demonstrate that players on the right should not be going to the left side etc will help illustrate the point.

Lastly, during the match, let the game teach...and only shout positive reinforcement. This is their moment...