BEAVERTON, OR -- Who doesn't love good news? The squad received not one but two pieces of good news going into the week of the tourney. First, WNG Drew was about 85% and believed he would be healthy enough to hit the pitch after taking a week off to rehabilitate his knee that was injured in the Diadora Cup. Secondly, FWD/MID Eric from last year's team accepted Coach Abdella's offer to guess play for the team.

Coach Abdella turned up the intensity in practice focusing the squad's attention on continuous, movement without the ball, execution, conditioning, and proper diet. Friday: Please finish lunch by 2 p.m. The body needs time to digest. The players need to be light in their stomachs but not starving. Definitely NOT full. Eat lunch high in carbs. No Pizza, No Turkey, No red meats, No Caffeine, No soda! Drink water with the meal.

Arrive in town no later than 3 hours before kickoff. You don't want them to have restless legs.

Saturday: Wake up early by 8 a.m. Eat a big breakfast. Again, higher in carbs, low in sugar. Snack healthy... bananas, apples, other fruit, crackers, peanut butter. Drink plenty of water throughout the day as it will be hot.

Next game will be at 6:30 p.m. so plan on eating a very large lunch. Same as Friday! Stay away from that pizza. Although it is high in carbs, it is also high in fat and will be like a weight in their stomachs. Make sure your player is finished with eating by 3:30 p.m.

The team dinner has been finalized thanks to Lucy. We will be eating Saturday night, 8 p.m., at Noodles & Company 7216 NE Cornell Rd Hillsboro, OR 97124 http://www.noodles.com

Sunday: Stay tuned.... We may have a 9:30 game or 11 a.m. That will determine breakfast!

Night and day is the first thing that comes to mind while watching the squad play this weekend. The ’96 White team has failed to capitalize on their opportunities and find themselves with back to back losses of 1-3 at the end of day two of the 2008 Beaverton Cup Group "A". Coach Abdella has been changing up the lineup looking for that spark but to no avail. The boys have given all they have but our team defense as a whole has been inconsistent. Tanner has shined in between the pipes, stopping on many occasion 2-3 shots at point blank range. Injuries to Drew and Jaylon have not helped but we are WPFC; no excuses. Let's hope the team can pull it together on Sunday and end the tourney on a positive note.