Emerald Force Soccer Club EMERALD FORCE 04 CELTIC KELVIN SCOTT AND HIS ASSISTANTS, DAVID BRACE AND DAVID COMBS, COACH EMERALD FORCE 04 CELTIC. “We have coached together for many years and have established a good working relationship in which each us has assumed various sub-roles.” Additionally, many of the players have been playing together for years, and “consequently there are times when we have to be watchful not to let practices become too social,” Scott says. “They are team of happy boys who love soccer and love battling for one another on the pitch and then easily switch gears to goofing around pool side at the tournament hotel.” They are also always willing to help anyone is struggling. Scott believes goal setting is important to a team. “We begin each tournament fall and spring season with a planning session where we set developmental goals for the team, outlining a number of topics and themes that we wish to stress and incorporate into our play.” The 2017 Crush Crossbar Tournament champions, Emerald Force 04 Celtic. Front row, from left: Efrain Valencia, Jr., James Wimmer, Keaton Wyrick, Austin Hackett, Ian Scott, Collin Combs, Tyler Fries, Oswaldo Sosa-Cruz. Back row, from left: Jeff Ottaviano, Seth Hammonds, Dane Britton, Khalid Abead, Wyatt Brace, Aron Yamagata Pamental, Nima Bahrami, Kieren Gaertner, Antony Vasquez.
staff also uses this session to identify particular weaknesses in an out of the back with a good deal of creativity and variety. Scott says, individual player’s performance and propose training and coaching “Transitioning to 11 v 11 this year and implementing a back four has strategies to address the problems. really allowed us to expand our style of play as we have two very strong As a coaches and former players, Scott explains that he and wingbacks who are very athletic players who can tear up the wing and his assistants are very competitive, and aren’t happy with 04 Celtic really open our attacking options. As coaches we often joke that our remaining stagnant at one level of play. “We are constantly setting our team would make a great debate team. They are team of thinkers, and sights higher, aiming at being more and more competitive, and being able one of our challenges is to encourage them to get stuck in, body up, to go toe-to-toe with better and better teams. We ask the boys to work and tackle with more conviction.” hard, take more responsibility for their individual skill development, and to 04 Celtic finished regional play as the undefeated first place see their individual success as complementing the success of the team. seed in the East Division. Next up is the Tennessee State League D2 We expect a lot from them, and for as much as you can expect from a tournament, with some tough Western Division teams. “With a good 13-year-old boy, they try hard to reach the goals we set.” This is the first result,” Scott says, “we hope to be able to move up to D1 next season, time the team has entered the Tennessee State League Division II, and which will set the stage for yet another season’s challenge. They are Scott says the league served as a great motivator for the team. as great a team of personalities as a coach could ask for, and we look The 04 Celtic has always considered itself as a possession-passing forward to seeing how being a part of this team will help some of these