Finally! Sunshine and Soccer!

    
     After a two week layoff due to weather our Legends teams were finally back on the field for a day of soccer.  I was able to watch six of our teams in action over the course of the day and I was happy to see lots of that Legends signature style:  skill, patience and stubborn ball possession.
     I managed to record some highlights from the games and, as the video shows, some of our teams are farther along in their commitment to possessing the ball and trusting their skills but they are all on the same path.   As I mentioned in my last post, I do think that the style of play we are teaching is contagious and if we just let the kids play they'll all catch on eventually.
     After watching Coach Johnny's U10 boys start the day with Kaleb, Drew W. and Owen all filling in I headed over to the home fields and enjoyed a thrilling performance from the Girl Power! squad.  Once again they lined up facing a team that clearly had a significant size advantage and once again our girls ignored that and just got to work playing their game.  Not only did they come out on top but the score was actually a little lopsided with six of our seven players managing goals.  Zoe and Hailey B. each scored this time so now we've had goals from everyone this season.  That's what you call Total Football.  In the video you can see how the girls are getting better all the time at playing smartly off the ball and rotating around each other into advantageous positions.
     Our girls showed great skill all game although not all of it is flashy.  Mostly it's just a lot of very competent and smart first touches followed by confident dribbling.  I think that's how the training we do typically translates into game play.  We ask them to attempt very difficult technical skills in practice and the result is that in games their basic level of competence with the ball is raised even if they don't try any dazzling trick moves.  But of course we can count on Ava and Abby to put on a technical display at some point and they didn't disappoint. 
     In the U10 Boys #1 game we had help from Lucas Finley and Owen and Lucas was fantastic, putting in two goals in an amazing performance with the upper division team.  Owen had a goal as well off of a free kick.  Then there was Kaleb.  What can you say about a four goal performance?  He was en fuego!  We also got great play from everyone else on the squad and I'd like you to especially notice in the video the skillfull  play of Drew "Skeletor" Skelton.  You can see him make an amazing shielding move to get open for a shot.
     Unfortunately I didn't get any video of Conner S. using his moves.  He's really getting to the point where his moves usually pay off with a break into open space.  I expect to see him scoring more often now and I hope the rest of the team will mimic his style a bit in terms of his willingness to play the ball right into an opponent's feet and then make a move to beat them.
     Great games kids.  Speaking for the coaches and your parents let me say...Thanks.  We love watching you play.