THUSC Sapphire to join coach MJ (aka "Coach RedCard") on his new club/team

[Unregistered]

Leave the parents and the kids alone. It is not anyone's business but theirs and only time will tell if it is a disastor for them or if they will all end up with scholarhips. Let's worry about our own kids and dont ridicule others for the choices they have with theirs.

[Unregistered]

Leave the parents and the kids alone. It is not anyone's business but theirs and only time will tell if it is a disastor for them or if they will all end up with scholarhips. Let's worry about our own kids and dont ridicule others for the choices they have with theirs.

Considering that many of our kids have been yelled at, commented toward and targeted, we are worrying about our own kids. Isn't that what this debate is about? If he was a negative influence to his own, that is one problem. Its that everyone around is a potential victim makes this a bigger issue.

Hoping for a positive result.

[Unregistered]

I guess you have nothing to worry about... he's not around your child anymore.. so move on. You're definitely interested since you keep checking out the blog every few hours to keep spouting off some more angry comments.

Move on.. we all have.

And as for looking at other states on the blog, I look at 3 or 4 different states because of connections we have with soccer families, tournaments and just plain interest.

Looking forward to some good soccer in the upcoming year!

[Unregistered]

Because he is a dear family friend and the fact that his reputation is being tainted anywhere in this country is upsetting to my family and I. That is why someone from SoCal is on this forum. As far as him being red carded here in Ca a few months ago, I was there. The ref could not even speak English. He had no reasonable reason to throw him out. There were many coaches ask to leave that weekend by the same ref. Not to mention the fact that the game prior to that, one of his players ended up in the hospital due to a ref not controlling a game. As a parent I would rather have him thrown out of a game for trying to protect my daughter then have my daughter throw out her knee. THINK PEOPLE.

You almost moved your entire family to another state because you wanted your daughter to follow a youth soccer coach . . . and you want us to think?

You blame the 8 red cards on OR refs being a little sensitive (even though no other coach came close to getting that many with a moajority of coaches getting no red cards) . . . and you want us to think?

You are surprised a SOCal ref doesn't speak english . . . and somehow that is relevant to getting a red card. If I was to think about that . . . oh never mind.

[Unregistered]

You almost moved your entire family to another state because you wanted your daughter to follow a youth soccer coach . . . and you want us to think?

You blame the 8 red cards on OR refs being a little sensitive (even though no other coach came close to getting that many with a moajority of coaches getting no red cards) . . . and you want us to think?

You are surprised a SOCal ref doesn't speak english . . . and somehow that is relevant to getting a red card. If I was to think about that . . . oh never mind.

I was thinking the same thing. Imposter!

[Unregistered]

Considering that many of our kids have been yelled at, commented toward and targeted, we are worrying about our own kids. Isn't that what this debate is about? If he was a negative influence to his own, that is one problem. Its that everyone around is a potential victim makes this a bigger issue.

Hoping for a positive result.

There are coaches in nearly every Premier level club around the country that "yell" at their players and several right here PDX that regularly use profanities who were involved in deciding that MJ's behavior needing correcting. Can you say hypocrites?

If your measure for MJ’s fitness to coach young soccer players is his being awarded Red cards from the people who pull on the Referee’s Jerseys in Oregon then you are neither being an objective observer of the quality of officiating or factoring in his 12 years of coaching behavior in which he received only 6 red cards.

Add to this the fact that a Referee threatened Tom Atencio as the Mercury coach in the mistaken belief that he was MJ and you can get the clear impression that the Oregon officiating community had it in for MJ’s style commenting on their performance.

[Unregistered]

There are coaches in nearly every Premier level club around the country that "yell" at their players and several right here PDX that regularly use profanities who were involved in deciding that MJ's behavior needing correcting. Can you say hypocrites?

If your measure for MJ’s fitness to coach young soccer players is his being awarded Red cards from the people who pull on the Referee’s Jerseys in Oregon then you are neither being an objective observer of the quality of officiating or factoring in his 12 years of coaching behavior in which he received only 6 red cards.

Add to this the fact that a Referee threatened Tom Atencio as the Mercury coach in the mistaken belief that he was MJ and you can get the clear impression that the Oregon officiating community had it in for MJ’s style commenting on their performance.

Yes let's make sure we blame EVERYONE else for MJ's actions but him. Great thing to teach the kids. He's not a good role model and the fact that he refused to admit he was wrong until he got into trouble proves that. If he had not be suspended he never would have corrected his actions.

[Unregistered]

Where is he now?

[Unregistered]

Yes let's make sure we blame EVERYONE else for MJ's actions but him. Great thing to teach the kids. He's not a good role model and the fact that he refused to admit he was wrong until he got into trouble proves that. If he had not be suspended he never would have corrected his actions.

Well like most blog bitchers you don't know what you are talking about. First let’s talk about "how" he got in that situation. First the poor quality of officiating in NW tournaments is something very, very few parents and coaches would deny. Automatically giving these poorly trained and compensated officials the benefit of the doubt makes little to no sense and saying just because other coaches don't get cards is not an excuse for their poor judgments when dealing with MJ.

Second by their own admission OPl FAILED to follow THEIR rules and procedures to investigate EVERY Red card and thus robbed MJ of "fair warning" and the opportunity to check his behavior. They have as much responsibility for the situation getting to this point as did as MJ. They are after all THE league and ARE responsible for the proper administration of THEIR rules. Had they followed THEIR rule book it is extremely unlikely MJ would have accumulated the Red cards OR he would have been suspended for 3 games earlier as called for in the OPL Manuel.

Third THUSC FAILED in the same manner as OPL as they did not give MJ a written warning that the next Red Card would result in his firing. Neither did they put him on a behavior plan to correct his side line demeanor.

Fourth MJ has accepted responsibility for his behavior and OPL accepted his offer to attendian anger management class.

Lastly how do you know he is not a good role model? Not only did two teams follow him out the door from THUSC but a majority of the parents of one of his other teams showed up at the OPL hearing to voice their support. I guess you would say all of those parents are just crazy, right?

As for his behavior influencing his players, only one player on his older boy’s team was given a Red card during his time as coach, one player out of four teams. Wow what a horrible influence on his players!

I wish you would just be man or woman enough to admit you don't like MJ, if you even really know him, and shut up because there are hundreds of players and parents all over the West coast that would tell you that you are flat wrong and that he is a great soccer coach and role model for competitive athletes.

[Unregistered]

Oh, that perfectly explains the other 8. And I believe the PEOPLE did THINK, that's why he was FIRED. Every coach has friends and parents who have drank the koolaide. Doesn't mean all their bad behavior is justified.

As has been said before. Four teams, 80+ games and only one team saw him get tossed more than twice.

The parents and players of each team did not have a "problem" with his sideline behavior and some would tell you that they felt some of the cards were unjustified and without merit.

Does this mean he shouldn't have quit talking to the boobs in the yellow jerseys? No he should have figured out a better way to protect his players without ******* them off. But your assumption that he is out of control and a poor example for his players is off base and factually incorrect.

[Unregistered]

As has been said before. Four teams, 80+ games and only one team saw him get tossed more than twice.

The parents and players of each team did not have a "problem" with his sideline behavior and some would tell you that they felt some of the cards were unjustified and without merit.

Does this mean he shouldn't have quit talking to the boobs in the yellow jerseys? No he should have figured out a better way to protect his players without ******* them off. But your assumption that he is out of control and a poor example for his players is off base and factually incorrect.

and the world is flat and OJ is innocent and Bush stole the election and and and..get a life. Move on. This topic is old and boring.

[Unregistered]

I understand that to the immediate teams it might not seem inappropriate, but even 2 times is a lot of reds for one coach during a period, even coaches who get a bad rep like Tom don't even rack that kind of stuff up. Look, MJ may be a good coach, but when you look at soccer world wide too many referees are not being treated the way they should be--at all levels. While they get paid, it is a TOUGH job, especially as players get older. Most of his cards resulted from abusive language. Obviously, he had more than just the issue of player safety during this time. If a coach is smart, they find ways to calmly approach it. Obviously other coaches were concerned with their players safety as well, and found other ways to handle it than screaming nasty things at referees.

Another issue you have to consider is when the last red card occured with his (then) U16s. It was a game that didn't even matter in terms of getting into the quarters, because they were in the brackett of two. Obviously seeding can be important, but in the grand scheme of things, his outburst was completely unneccessary, because they were already moving through! I mean, c'mon, their competition would have been about the same caliber either way!

Another issue brought up by a previous poster was that he wasn't warned. I know from several confidants that while MJ was not given an official write up that he could be fired, he had been warned multiple times by the THUSC board. Could the DOC and Board possibly of handled it better? Probably, but MJ was given a type of warning, and should've as a responsible adult (that you all claim he is) taken it better and looked to change, or at least watch his mouth. OPL is in its first real full season, and I'm sure this has been a challenging year. I think for the most part we can be fairly pleased with OPLs start. As for the parents that went to support him, it is admittable by the club that those parents had not had the best experience with the club (which is a shame) and saw MJ as a "savior". I feel for them all that they lost (what they percieved to be) a coach, however, I find it challenging to overlook his behavior as an outsider, who believes that sportsmanship to all involved in the game is necessary in youth sports.

In the end, I think that eventually MJ will return to a club in OR. Over time things will cool down. One thing anyone can be thankful for is the learning experience for ANYONE involved in Oregon Soccer. Its made OPL and DOCS and Club Boards question how the laws and principles of each identity should be better enforced, and its made parents and players question whats truly important to them in a coach. (these changes could be at many different degrees, who knows, maybe no-one cares!)

Although not everyone on this forum may see eye to eye, I wish every team the best of luck in their summer tournaments! :)

[Unregistered]

Wow

As has been said before. Four teams, 80+ games and only one team saw him get tossed more than twice.

The parents and players of each team did not have a "problem" with his sideline behavior and some would tell you that they felt some of the cards were unjustified and without merit.

Does this mean he shouldn't have quit talking to the boobs in the yellow jerseys? No he should have figured out a better way to protect his players without ******* them off. But your assumption that he is out of control and a poor example for his players is off base and factually incorrect.

You make it sound like the only thing this guy ever did wrong was rack up red cards. But where there's smoke, there's fire. I've personally witnessed his behavior at more than one game where he should have been carded (probably yellow), but was not. Furthermore I am personally knowledgeable about other behaviors that were totally inappropriate, but are not tallied anywhere such as red cards. But probably the worst thing this guy did was take away the players' zest for soccer. Look at Mercury's spring record, and goals scored (five losses by shutout), and tell me again how this guy is a good coach.

[Unregistered]

Real villains

It wasn't MJ's fault...it was his parents fault...they raised him. We should give him a cup cake and tell him it's all better.

This thread is all win!

[Unregistered]

You make it sound like the only thing this guy ever did wrong was rack up red cards. But where there's smoke, there's fire. I've personally witnessed his behavior at more than one game where he should have been carded (probably yellow), but was not. Furthermore I am personally knowledgeable about other behaviors that were totally inappropriate, but are not tallied anywhere such as red cards. But probably the worst thing this guy did was take away the players' zest for soccer. Look at Mercury's spring record, and goals scored (five losses by shutout), and tell me again how this guy is a good coach.

Mercury's record reflected two things. #1 They were learning possession ball vs. the kick and chase they had been taught the previous three years. Without going into individual player performance let’s just say that defensive break downs and failure of the Mids to support the front line were the primary causes of their win loss record. If you watched their State Cup run they exhibited the best possession soccer of the teams they faced and controlled the ball more than any team they played. This would not have been possible without MJ’s coaching

#2 A couple of players did not like MJ asking them to do more than what they were comfortable with already and in essence "quit" playing hard and poisoned the team chemistry. A few others were miffed over reduced playing time and were not ready when inserted for their limited minutes.

As for your personal knowledge are you one of the Mercury parents that mutinied? If you are you bear an enormous responsibility for the near implosion of the team. The parents who led this rebellion set a very poor example of how to handle disagreements they had with the coach and forced and Eric to hold a meeting that never would have been allowed at another club. You see if the parents are exhibiting disrespect for the coach how can the players possibly have respect for the coach.

I have never said that the number of Red Cards was acceptable but what I have said it that if we have more mature and experienced referee's he would not have gotten to that point. Tossing a coach is a FAILURE f the Referee to maintain control of the game and it the "easy" thing to do. Again I'm NOT NOT NOT excusing his behavior but I am saying the SYSTEM broke down and we all should expect more from the League, the club AND the officiating.