Cpher – Lost 44-6. Played a lot more on defense and did a good job at it from what I hear. Missed a lot of this game and, well, at 44-6 there isn’t a whole lot to talk about. One game left.
Basketball Tryouts: Middle school tryouts concluded tonight. Cpher spent a lot of time talking before tryouts that he didn’t think he was that good and would I be mad if he didn’t make the team, either A or B. After saying ‘no’ I pointed out he needed to be a lot more confident in himself…..he’s in great shape thanks to cross-country and he’s still the tallest 8th grader out there.
After the first day as he hopped in the car he said “I don’t know what I was worried about!”. So, we are hopeful that he will get the good news Friday afternoon.
Matthew – Also gets to tryout for basketball this year. Like Cpher, pretty pessimistic about his chances. Unlike Cpher, he has some reasons to be concerned…..he hasn’t touched a basketball in really two years (since he skipped last year after he just missed the A team). But, like Cpher, I tell him he is in great shape, just go out there and hustle and play great defense and do what you can. And I might be disappointed that Cpher might not make the team some day, but, with Matthew it is just a matter of time when his athleticism won’t be enough.
After the first two days of tryouts Matthew was reporting that he thinks the end is near….not doing well at all. Coach called a bunch of kids over to ask them their name; not him. Tell him to keep hustling, buckle down, give it 100% and if that’s not enough then he won’t have anything to feel regrets about. This morning I mention to him not to get too worked up about the asking of names….the coach had Cpher last year and probably didn’t need to ask Matthew who he was…..
Today his tune is different; made a lot of shots, played great on defense, picked up a few rebounds and he is sure the coach noticed. Was on the floor with a bunch of kids who will certainly make the team at the end of the last tryout….a pretty positive sign.
Soccer: Really need to win two of our last three games and the easiest games to win were this weekend. Sadly, we don’t do it, we tie 1-1 and we win 4-1. So next Sunday is a must win against a team we’ve never beaten, the gigantic early puberty kids from Ole.
Saturday was cold, windy, and we were missing our big striker. Probably my first real beef with the coaches; if we knew that we were going to be without our main scoring threat why oh why did we not practice things that would help alleviate that absence on Saturday???
But, we didn’t, and we didn’t look very good on offense. We scored first and then gave back the goal in the second half on maybe my second complaint with our team….sometimes we don’t know the rules! One of our defenders kicks the ball….we don’t think he meant to kick it at the goalie, but, he did kick the ball and he was very close to the goalie….the goalie was bending down to pick it up and continued to do it. That’s not allowed; an indirect kick 2’ in front of our goal. Our kids are just standing around; the other team quickly restarts, pass, pass, goal. To me, at this point after how many years of soccer, this is inexcusable.
Game Report below (the other coach authored this one, so, some different language):
TEAM: 02 BB VS: Force
RESULT: 1 – 1 Tie
ATTACKING STRENGTHS
• Boys started the game well, switching play on numerous occasions.
• Created a number of goal scoring opportunities. However, most opportunities were from a distance.
ATTACKING CHALLENGES
• Needed more composure in and around the box.
• Boys were to eager to shoot, more creativity needed. At times, one extra pass was needed to serve a team mate in a better goal scoring position.
DEFENDING STRENGTHS
• Good team work ethic during moments when under pressure. During the first half, we were under pressure for at least 10 minutes. We defended setpieces well and dug deep, as a team, to see our way through pressure.
DEFENDING CHALLENGES
• Boys needed to communicate a lot more. We contributed to our own downfall after scoring. Hesitation and indecision set in as players lacked necessary
communication.
• Must clear the ball more effectively. It was taking the boys 4 or 5 attempts before we managed to clear.
OVERALL COMMENTS
• Really positive start to the game. As a team, we displayed good width and exploited the opposition in those wide areas. Midfielders showed a better shape when in possession and this allowed us to switch play more regularly. Once we took the lead, we sat back a little and struggled to dominate in the same way. The goal conceded was disappointing. Zero communication led us to a situation we should have avoided. Once the ref made his decision, we were slow to get players behind the ball. Overall, plenty of positives but we needed a more ruthless and clinical edge in the final third.
Game Highlights by clicking below:
Sunday we head east; another 90 minute road trip. Suzanne opts to miss this (avoid what could be some very depressing soccer) and stays home on puppy-duty. Of course, in her absence, Matthew gets his first goal of the year, contributes to another, and plays very well in a 4-1 win.
The assist: Matthew has been taking more and more of the free kicks; I’m not sure why he has been back in this role…he has done well and asserted himself here and his teammates have let him? Just kind of strange given the Lord of the Flies selection process that we had earlier this year. Anyway, they agree that Matthew will pass it off to Zane running down the sideline. Zane makes the perfect cross…we deflect it in. 1-0
The goal: Their goalie was not good on goal kicks….Matthew said after the game that for some reason he kicked the straight to our big striker. Like this one; Matthew identified and took off for the goal and Zach headed it right where Matthew could run on to it. One chip later and we are up 2-0.
The nutmeg: Matthew did a lot of good things today; ‘flicked’ the ball forward off of his head a bunch of times (a big improvement over missing the ball entirely in the wind on Saturday) and hustling and making plays. After the goal he races over to the sideline to stop the other team from getting out of their end…he makes a tackle and gets the ball. He fakes around one guy; he fakes and nutmegs the second to continue down the sideline on a breakaway. Crosses the ball with his left foot (for his left foot, it is a pretty good cross. As far as crosses go, it’s not the best).
No game report, but, again, you can see the highlights if you click below. A lot of Matthew screen-time in this video.
(the nutmeg)
