In a frightening preview of my own impending senility I somehow forgot the game time Sunday...even though I had it on my google calendar...even though I'd just sent an email to the team reminding them of the time only a day before...even though I was actually at T&C just two hours before the game. My apologies to everyone, especially the players and my thanks to Coach Ben for covering for me and to Wyatt for covering for Owen.
Naturally I was somewhat rattled by my own inexplicable schedule discombobulation but the team was fine thanks to Ben's leadership. When I arrived they were down two goals, which was surprising, but within a few minutes they had tied it up and then taken the lead. They were doing so generally by playing the sort of confident possession-style soccer we'd seen on display in the last game.
Before I go further in analyzing the game I want to stop right here and emphasize that last point. They were playing possession soccer. Not just some of the players but rather all of them. Every player on this team and in fact on all the Legends teams have bought into the idea that the way to play the game is to get control of the ball and to dribble. With my younger teams they are at a stage where they attempt to dribble and be deceptive and possess the ball all the while knowing that we may not get a win. They have taken me at my word and accept that the real goal in these games is to improve your skills not accumulate wins...so be bold and use your skills and the wins will take care of themselves. With this U10 Boys team though, they've reached another level. They want to possess and dribble the ball because now they've had a taste of how easily they can handle other teams when they play that way and I couldn't be happier with their progression. I'd say I'm proud of them but what I really feel is grateful. They've put in the work. They are taking the chances. I'm thankful to have a group like this to work with, to be working with kids who clearly love the game so much and who are genuinely committed to it. They don't just play soccer, they are soccer players.
So then what happened? To Ben and I it looked like they had the game in hand, that they were controlling the pace and that their persistent efforts to dribble deceptively were frustrating the other team. Yet, over the second half, even though our players seemed to feel that they were in control, they also started playing as though they were "chasing" the game. That's a phrase you hear used in tv coverage of pro soccer to describe a situation where a team is down a few goals late so they have to commit to a full-scale attack, "chasing" the game but risking giving up more goals on easy counter-attacks as they leave their defensive third more and more empty. It's similar to the situation in American football where a team that is down has to rely heavily on their passing game to catch up quickly and in so doing they risk the dreaded "pick six".
In this instance our boys were drifting toward the ball, crowding into the corners or against the wall, each seemingly unaware of where his teammates were. As a result the other team had some easy opportunities to get in to open space with the ball and rush to our goal. I think each of the boys was feeling that they had a chance to score a goal and so they each wanted the ball but in chasing after the ball this way they end up missing some opportunities. They are still at a stage where they may feel that they are basically taking turns being on the attack. They haven't had enough experience with cooperative play to realize that you can be on the attack even when you are off the ball.
Next game we'll set a few goals for everyone in terms of challenging themselves to try some new move. I think the way to get them back on track is to remind them that the goal for each of them is to improve their skills regardless of the score.
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