State of the Team Address 2012

Thank you, Mr. Lassiter, Mr. Gill-More, Mr. Strasser and Mr. Lencioni. Once again this evening, I have the distinct honor and pleasure of addressing FC Spare Tire Nation as part of the annual State of the Team Address, and the opportunity is one I relish.

FC Spare Tire continues to be a team much admired and sometimes feared in our league. Granted, we are still one of the oldest if not the oldest in Open Sunday competition, but at the end of the day, we’re more than holding our own.

Ladies and gentlemen, FC Spare Tire strives for and achieves excellence no matter the season, no matter the division. Some form of history is made these days with almost every passing game. As we celebrate our 10 years in the Greater Seattle Soccer League, I am proud to say the state of our team is strong.

While we don’t have accompanying hardware, we won the competitive fall regular season campaign—it was our eighth such title – which, at a title per year, it’s not bad. Not bad at all. Some teams struggle to win just one before folding. Since our inception into the GSSL we have faced somewhere near 120 opponents in five subdivisions … I probably don’t need more than two hands to count how many of them are still around.

But I digress. I can get a little long-winded when I talk about such soccer history and our place in it after 10 years in our league. It was a fateful evening, that winter night when two slightly drunk forefathers of our team clinked bottles of beer and suggested they start up a new soccer team … we all are continually in debt to Don and Steve for their vision of what is today the coolest men’s GSSL soccer team. As a result of this team, we have this site, and the number of hits it gets each year tranlates to one each half-hour of every day from visitors around the Puget Sound, state, nation and world. Not too shabby. 

Just as we’ve endured highs and lows during our time as a team, the past year has also experienced its good and bad days. Much to my personal denial, Steve’s broken leg from the fall 2010 semi-final playoff game caused him to miss the entire 2011 season.

Today, the Lassidawg continues to slowly but surely improve. After no physical therapy for six months, Lassiter started up again last month in the hopes of doing basic things like run around with his almost eight-year-old.

“As for a timetable in returning to soccer,” Lassiter says, “there isn't one because I have little or no desire to play. I am happy to show up and give my opinions from the sidelines.”

It’s not what Lassiter fans hoped to hear as an update from him, but please take heart: he’ll be on the field again for us this year—you heard it here first and it’s something I guarantee. Stay tuned.

Staying on the injury front, utility man Matt Loesch, fifth all-time scoring leader, is unfortunately on the shelf this season. During a recent knee scope, they found that his ACL is gone and has been for a while. Not good news. You need an ACL to play the beautiful game. He’ll show to a game to provide more of an update, so here too, stay tuned.

In better health news, defender Leo Berk is back after missing half the year last year with ACL-MCL issues of his own. A healthy Mike Gill-More tore up the scoring last year with 27 goals en route to leading our division in scoring during the regular season all four seasons. He’s got enough scoring leader T-shirts now for every day of the week with three more in case he doesn’t like the feel of any in particular. He and Brandon Smith up top accounted for just about exactly half our goals last year, and with a few more conversions we all know they have in them this year, their scoring output is sure to delight.

Speaking of delightful: Shelby Dobbs. The man has a new pair of goalie gloves for each season. There’s always something magical in each. Dobbs leads the team in appearances in the net with just over 150. One-fifty!! A juggernaut in the goal, Dobbs and his 1.96 GAA will concede his 300th any Sunday now. That being said, we all know we’ve lost count at how many he has saved.

Critics have long claimed Tire’s trapping and passing has been a sore spot pretty much since the team’s inception. Well I’m here tonight to tell you that the critics may be on to something. But barely! There were games in the past year when the observant eyes of Nate Burger and Kelly Antoncich commented voluntarily that our passing looked crisp! That it looked sharp! Better than ever! Those are wonderful times! But Tire is Tire, we are what we are, and we may revert back to touches as soft as bricks on occasion. The point is: we’re improving.

We’ve had nothing to do but improve when we are placed in higher divisions. And when I say that, friends, I mean division 2. Anyone who’s had the pleasure of hearing me whine and moan about being placed in D2 quickly reminds me that if we’re there, we deserve to be there. Fine, fine, I can buy that. What stands out to me is our -41 goal differential all-time there, and our 6-19-7 record there. Not my favorite numbers, but as I’m reminded, “as long as we’re competitive, it’s fine.” Two-thirds of our games this past year were settled by two goals or less. So indeed it is. Indeed it is.

We tip our cap to our exclusive jersey sponsor for the past four years, Pagliacci Pizza. In Pagliacci-sponsored uniforms, Tire went 62-51-27. Soon Tire will debut a new set of kits with three acclaimed sponsors for 2012. While some of you know who they are, I am holding their names close to the vest for now until they debut in two to three weeks. I will only divulge that we are proud to have our new sponsors, and jersey colors do not change … much. Once again. Stay tuned.

I tell you to stay tuned also to enjoy what will unfold in the year ahead. Does Tire win another championship trophy? When does midfielder Doug Hodson enter the Century Club for scoring (he’s nine away)? Does Smith lead Gilly in goals scored this year? Will Brian Speir show up to play anytime soon? Time will tell for all.

So I close tonight by repeating what we already know: we’re a strong team with the future on our side. Once we get into our groove, wins are the result.

We are strong, we are Tire. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless FC Spare Tire.