I want to thank everyone, kids and parents, for their participation this session. I've enjoyed coaching these teams so much and I couldn't be more proud of how all the kids have grown as players over these last ten weeks.
Next session, which begins August 7th, I will be coaching U4, U6 and U8 and assisting or coaching U10 and U12 so that, I hope, I can continue to work with all the great kids I got to know over the Winter and Spring sessions. Registration has already started and runs through mid July.
Highlights from our final weekend of games:
(Send pictures if you have any you'd like to see posted)
The U4 Alligators continued to demonstrate very "team-like" behavior, which, in children so young, is startling. While Sam, Cooper and Elizabeth are frequently contesting each other for the ball they are also frequently cooperating and actually trying to make passes. Jackson, of course, knows all about the passing thing and as usual was frequently to be found waiting near the goal. Sam A. and Luke played solid defense again. They both made long runs back from offense to cover on defense like old pros. And Eileen and Ella ran and ran and both came close to having chances on goals. Ella has such a strong kick I can't wait to see her get her first goal.
The Red Wings really stepped up to a challenge this week. Owen was out sick and Will and Braden were out of town so our offense needed to come from our other players. Conner did not disappoint, scoring an excellent goal for us. Katelyn and Shai were very strong in the field, pushing for another goal. The best moment of the game came after a brief conversation I had with Cody about how a defender could take advantage of an open field and take the ball from one goal to the other for a shot. His response to my suggestion was a stoic "ok" and then on our next possession he did it, taking the ball all the way from our penalty box to the other end and only just missing a shot. Another highlight was some very heads up play by Ethan who was clearly trying to read the other goalies' eyes on one play and anticipated perfectly where the goalies' outlet pass would go. Maia was tough throughout and Kendall was showing flashes of brilliance again. Based on what I've seen Kendall do in practice I expect her to really step into the lead roll during the next session as her inner player emerges.
The Red Devils had an absolutely spectacular performance in game one of the tournaments Sunday with a convincing win over Blue. Everything the kids have been working on in practice came together. Gabriel has developed into a shut-down keeper with a great punt and a good sense of the field and in this game he saved a bunch of goals for us. He had great help from Sam and Samantha who played like a two-headed defensive monster. In our last practice Samantha was working on corralling strikers into the corner and letting them have just enough space to bring the ball straight into our keepers' hands. Samantha executed that play perfectly several times. We had solid and smart midfield play from Helen, Easten, Blair and Peyton throughout the game with Easten and Blair doing the best job of playing a true wing midfielder by running up and back as needed. Helen's instinct is usually to fall back more into the defensive side of midfield while Peyton likes to strike deep into the offensive side and both styles helped us. Up front we had Luis, Bryce and Keegan leading the way with a barrage of goals. They ran their triangle over and over again and just wore the other team out. I hope everyone caught their most amazing goal, the first of the game, which featured at least three sharp passes moving the ball deep into the penalty area before a final perfect touch from Luis put the ball right on Bryce's foot for an easy shot. Jordan and Jake handled defense duty and some midfield as our subs and they were a big help. Jake, especially, had his best game in a while.
Even though we couldn't manage a win in the second game the Red Devils continued to do all the things we'd practiced and they never panicked and never gave up. If anything their defense got stronger as the game went on. But the early goals Black scored were enough as Bryce and Luis seemed to be just snake-bit on the offensive side. Sometimes the ball just seems to keep landing at your left foot when you need it on your right. That's soccer. Win or lose I was really proud of the level of intensity and commitment everyone showed in the second game even as it became clear we probably wouldn't get a win. The kids had, over the course of the session, really gelled into a team and I think that in those final minutes when we were down 4-0 they fought on for each other. That's an experience they can carry with them into whatever challenges they attempt next.
World Cup starts June 11th. Go USA! But I'll be cheering a bit for The Boys too.
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