Feb 3,
2001 - 04:07 PM
Rams need work on sportsmanship
NEW PORT RICHEY - Following
Ridgewood's 4-1 victory against Gulf in the Class 3A-District 9 tournament
Tuesday night, Bucs defender Nick Kaller wanted a forum.
Upset about remarks made by
Ridgewood midfielder Dan Meyers in the newspaper that day, Kaller said, ``Do me
a favor. Call some of our players next time.''
There seems to be a common
theme in Pasco County boys soccer: bash the opponent. Save the congratulatory
speeches for other, less intense sports like football and hockey.
Some coaches in the county
believe soccer players have a chip on their boot because, in America, soccer is
often a disrespected sport. Call it ``football envy.''
``We're told soccer is a
`sissy' sport, and people actually believe it,'' Ridgewood interim coach Tony
Koutsos said. ``People like you guys see it all the time and know it's tougher
than it looks. There's a lot of contact without pads.''
The fans could have used
pads in the aforementioned Gulf-Ridgewood matchup. It featured the worst kind
of sportsmanship - none. Between Koutsos' raving up and down his bench - much
of it unprintable - and the teams refusing to shake hands afterward, there were
five yellow cards for rough play and a red card for Gulf's Ryan Kaller for
body-checking a Ridgewood player.
Excuse Kaller's mistake -
he thought he was still playing safety for the football team.
``That's probably one game
where there was a lot of talking - between the players and me and [Gulf coach]
Sammy [Koleduk],'' Koutsos said. ``It's just a rivalry.''
It's also an embarrassment.
Ridgewood goalkeeper Pat Lynch pounded his chest with his fist after every save
and usually had words for the nearest Gulf player. Two nights later,
Countryside goalkeeper Brian Linn made 14 saves to carry his team past River
Ridge in the semifinals. All he did after a save was put the ball back in play.
In the final two minutes of
Ridgewood's 1-0 loss to Land O' Lakes Thursday night, Rams players on the bench
shouted inflammatory remarks about Gators coach Mark Pearson and his team.
Let's just say gay rights activists would not be happy.
``They were probably upset
the season was over with. I don't think anything was meant directly toward
them,'' said Koutsos, who didn't hear the remarks. ``If I heard them I would've
said something. I was trying to get the guys on the field to win.''
The Rams are the common
thread in the bad behavior. Lacking the talent of teams such as Land O' Lakes,
Countryside and River Ridge, Koutsos said his team needs to find other means of
motivation. One of those is getting inside an opponent's head.
``If you ever watch
anything in the pros, they all do it,'' Koutsos said. ``I know it's not the
right way to go. I've got to do whatever gets the players to play their best.''
So did Woody Hayes.
Countryside played the Rams
twice since Koutsos took over for Ed McComiskey, who has been out since
mid-season with a foot infection. Cougars coach Dave Sica saw a different Rams
team from the one he saw in an early-season tournament.
``When they beat us at
their place, [Koutsos] was a little arrogant,'' Sica said. ``He was trying to
pump his guys up. I think there's a time to do it and a time not to.''
Koutsos isn't going out of
his way to offend anyone. He said the Rams' chest-pounding is to show the team
has heart.
``We're not trying to
disrespect anybody,'' he said. ``We're not trying to show a lack of
sportsmanship.''
A .500 team playing the
15th-ranked team in the country to a 1-0 loss should be enough evidence of
heart. Respect isn't earned with words or braggart behavior.
Play the game hard. Play
the game right. Be a good sport.
A much better mantra for
the future Rams.