Were you there today or is that statement just based on prior knowledge of how the fields there drain after a bunch of rain?

Muldoons and Polo Fields are swamps. Tell your players to bring waders and floaties. Be prepared to swim.

To be fair to Muldoons/Summer Hill, there are fields there that hold up well to rain, and then there are fields that are at the lowest points and stay wet for some time. I imagine the fields that hold up best are the ones being most utilized on Saturday and Sunday. Couple that with the fact that this storm is "only" supposed to be a 1/4 inch of rain in Poolesville, and the fields might be ok this weekend. Those could be famous last words, but hopefully the fields are not terrible this weekend.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's not entirely accurate. Nearly all of the Saturday games were moved from Muldoons/Summer Hill. Many were moved back on Sunday, but a minority of Sunday games are being played at different locations. All of this will help the wear and tear at Muldoons/Summer Hill somewhat, but I would expect some of the fields there to develop significant mud patches by the third or fourth game on Sunday, just like last year.

well we can't see the schedule but were told all our games are at the same field just different times. I can't speak to other teams but somehow we got stuck with the crappy field, hope others got the better end of the stick.

Yeah. Our U11G is still playing at Summer Hill. How expensive is it for them to buy a large tarp to cover the field during a rainstorm just like they do in football, and other sports? Granted they have to buy tarps for 10+ fields.

I hope you're kidding.
Forget about the massive expense for a second...can you imagine the man-hours it would take to cover/uncover 15 acres or so of fields?
Plus, one of the reasons they're bad is because they're at low points, and the rain flows down to the fields, which makes covering them pretty useless.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's not entirely accurate. Nearly all of the Saturday games were moved from Muldoons/Summer Hill. Many were moved back on Sunday, but a minority of Sunday games are being played at different locations. All of this will help the wear and tear at Muldoons/Summer Hill somewhat, but I would expect some of the fields there to develop significant mud patches by the third or fourth game on Sunday, just like last year.

well we can't see the schedule but were told all our games are at the same field just different times. I can't speak to other teams but somehow we got stuck with the crappy field, hope others got the better end of the stick.

Yeah. Our U11G is still playing at Summer Hill. How expensive is it for them to buy a large tarp to cover the field during a rainstorm just like they do in football, and other sports? Granted they have to buy tarps for 10+ fields.

Anonymous wrote:That's not entirely accurate. Nearly all of the Saturday games were moved from Muldoons/Summer Hill. Many were moved back on Sunday, but a minority of Sunday games are being played at different locations. All of this will help the wear and tear at Muldoons/Summer Hill somewhat, but I would expect some of the fields there to develop significant mud patches by the third or fourth game on Sunday, just like last year.

well we can't see the schedule but were told all our games are at the same field just different times. I can't speak to other teams but somehow we got stuck with the crappy field, hope others got the better end of the stick.

That's not entirely accurate. Nearly all of the Saturday games were moved from Muldoons/Summer Hill. Many were moved back on Sunday, but a minority of Sunday games are being played at different locations. All of this will help the wear and tear at Muldoons/Summer Hill somewhat, but I would expect some of the fields there to develop significant mud patches by the third or fourth game on Sunday, just like last year.

Anonymous wrote:I am glad they are rescheduling the games and finding alternative fields. Kudos to Bethesda. I was sure they were going to stick with Muldoons/Summer Hill.

Now watch them reschedule games, except at those locations . . .

looks like they did stay at Summer Hill, just moved the games around to "let the fields dry". Ummm, NEWSFLASH Bethesda, those "fields" ( more accurately known as horse pastures as someone already pointed out) will not dry anytime soon. Be prepared to be stuck in the mud and play in the mud all weekend folks.

I am glad they are rescheduling the games and finding alternative fields. Kudos to Bethesda. I was sure they were going to stick with Muldoons/Summer Hill.

Now watch them reschedule games, except at those locations . . .

All,
Due to the complexity of rescheduling so many games the revised Saturday and Sunday Schedules WILL NOT be available until Friday Morning.

Brad Roos
Tournament Director

hopefully the boys weekend also gets moved to turf.

They are having issues posting the schedule. Should be up by 6pm.

Thanks so much for sharing. I did not see/find any info on their website. Please post more info/updates if you find out more information. Thanks again!!

Looks like they are cutting u16-19 to just two games per new email. This I guess will open things up for others to play at the soccerplex which was in good shape last weekend.

From the tournament site...

All grass fields have been completely saturated for most of the season and currently that continues to be the case. Just this past Monday and Tuesday we received over 2 inches of additional rain with more expected on Friday.

That being said, we are committed to playing as many of the games this weekend as possible. We have secured additional turf fields for both Friday and Saturday to assist if we have to make some changes to the schedule on those days. I am currently working with all of my site managers to determine the best course of action moving forward. My goal is to have any changes to the schedule available by 6 p.m. on Thursday evening and would ask teams to check the schedule at that time for any updates. You can also contact your age group coordinator if you still have any questions regarding any part of the tournament.

As a longtime coach, my frustration in traveling to tournaments in the past was not having any information regarding possible scenarios or information regarding the schedule. We in Bethesda are committed to being as transparent and timely in our communications to the teams as is humanly possible. At this point it will not do any good to email me regarding questions on the schedule as no decisions have been made at this time.



Thanks and I look forward to seeing everyone this upcoming weekend.

--Brad Roos, Tournament Director