Well, it came later than I hoped, but we finally got our first win yesterday and coupled it with another one today. Our team is starting to understand the system and my expectations for each position.
Yesterday we won a cold and rainy game. I told the kids that with the field being so wet, they shouldn't be shy about shooting from distance. It was imperative, as it always is, to make sure the shots hit the target. "Force the goalie to make a save." We went into the halftime break down 2-1. After some second half adjustments and reminding the kids to win the 50-50 balls and to shoot and clean up rebounds, we came out explosive in the second half, scoring six goals on our way to a 7-3 win. There was a stretch where we won about either or nine 50-50 balls in a row--and that made me happy. We also got some goals from a new player. Until that game, we had only gotten goals from two different players. Well yesterday, a new player emerged as a scoring threat and he announced his presence loudly, scoring four goals! It was a good way to get the first win, and it felt great (despite the horrible weather).
This morning, we played a team that I knew was going to challenge us. The field was still a bit wet from all the rain yesterday, but the sun was out. It was still cold, with a game time temperature of about 45 degrees. Our boys went out strong, holding possession and dominating play in the early minutes. We finally had our breakthrough and got a goal from our leading goalscorer. He took a shot from distance but followed his shot, looking for a rebound. His pressure forced the goalkeeper to clear it before he was ready, and we won a throw-in deep in their half. We got our goal off the ensuing throw-in from the guy who started it all.
The second goal came off of a rebound. I have begun teaching the boys to shoot far post if they are coming in at an angle. Today, we generated an attack from our left flank, and the stopper/midfielder took a shot to the far post. The goalkeeper tipped the shot away, but our striker was there to put the shot away. 2-0. Our third goal came off of a corner kick. The defense failed to clear the ball well, and our "garbage man" who sits at the 18 on corner kicks found the ball at his feet and took a shot from about 16 yards out. He found the side netting of the far post--beautiful goal.
We came into halftime with the score of 3-0. I asked my team to keep up the intensity, but to focus more on defense. I liked that we hadn't conceded a goal, and wanted to keep it that way. While their offense made several pushes, we did a decent job defensively of not giving them any clean looks at goal. The one clear shot they had, the striker missed it wide (something my players know they can't do). We also had about four opportunities of our own, but three of them were players who don't play much offense and seemed a bit flustered in front of the goal. We could have scored 7 goals easily in this game, but more importantly, we could have given up 4 but didn't. The game ended 3-0, and shut outs are my favorite types of wins.
Five games into the season, we have a record of 2-2-1. Hopefully we can keep our winning ways moving forward.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Us 2 - 2 Them
This game was great up until the final two minutes. I was really proud of the boys for how they responded to our tournament and came out strong in this game. We stuck with our 1-2-1-1 and it seems like the boys are getting comfortable with this formation.
We started the game doing a pretty poor job of keeping the ball, but played great defense. We did a good job of holding our shape and marking up. There were a few times when our defenders would pinch to the middle too much when their was no attacker on their side, but we corrected that pretty early.
We came out with the first goal, but unfortunately the referee called it back. We turned a defensive stop into a counter-attack by passing out of the back. Our stopper/midfielder accepted the pass near the right sideline and sent a through ball to the striker who ran onto it and took it down the right flank. The midfielder who sent the pass then made a run to the middle of the field and made a run to basically the penalty spot. The striker played him a cross and the midfielder scored on a one-touch shot. It was a great goal following great build-up, but the ref said that the striker took the ball past the touchline before sending in the cross. The ref was near the middle of the field, and both teams' players reacted as if we had scored--our boys celebrated, the other team threw the ball to the middle of the field and the goalie seemed down after conceding a goal. However, the ref. said it was a goal kick, so we had to quickly readjust.
Our opponents responded by scoring a goal after keeping the ball pretty well. My team definitely needs to work on possession and making better passes. Sometimes they forget to see the pass before making it. With a minute left in the half, we turned defense into attack and scored a breakaway goal after two good passes. We had momentum going into the half, and I felt pretty good about being able to build on the lead.
We started the second half very strong, dominating possession, keeping the ball out of our half, and creating some chances. In the first ten minutes of the second half, we probably could have scored four different times if my boys either took a shot one touch earlier or took a shoot with their weak foot. One kid, who would later score, could have scored two with his left foot. We'll have to work on taking early chances and not being afraid to shoot with both feet. Finally after generating a great attack, My team took the lead on a beautiful shot that went far post and landed in the side netting. It really was a fantastic finish and I was so happy with how we had been playing.
We played really well until the last five minutes. We started to get sloppy defensively and couldn't get the ball out of our half. Our goalie made several fantastic saves to keep us in the lead, but our team struggled to maintain possession off of his punts. His punts were great, but we just kept getting beat to the ball. It finally bit us in the butt, and they turned an interception into a goal. When we took the kickoff, the ref blew his whistle to end the game.
I was disappointed that we tied for two reasons. First, and most importantly, I wanted this win so badly for the boys. They went through a tournament where they were way overmatched and unprepared to compete, and I thought we made a lot of progress. I've thrown a lot at them and they've learned so much in just a short amount of time. We outplayed our opponents for most of the game, and I thought the boys really deserved to get the satisfaction of earning the win. The second reason I was disappointed was because the way we let in the second goal was because we lost our shape. We did a good job of staying in good position for most of the game, but once we left what we learned and went back to old habits, we paid the price.
The kids were pretty pleased with the tie, as well they should be. However, I want them to expect to win. I want the kids to feel like a game like this slipped away from them and that they truly earned the win. I think we'll get there once we establish some winning ways, and I love that these boys always have a good attitude.
We have two games next weekend--a home and away with the same team on Saturday (away) and Sunday (home). I don't know much about the other team (or any teams in our league for that matter) but I would like for us to get our first win this weekend. Hopefully we can do just that.
We started the game doing a pretty poor job of keeping the ball, but played great defense. We did a good job of holding our shape and marking up. There were a few times when our defenders would pinch to the middle too much when their was no attacker on their side, but we corrected that pretty early.
We came out with the first goal, but unfortunately the referee called it back. We turned a defensive stop into a counter-attack by passing out of the back. Our stopper/midfielder accepted the pass near the right sideline and sent a through ball to the striker who ran onto it and took it down the right flank. The midfielder who sent the pass then made a run to the middle of the field and made a run to basically the penalty spot. The striker played him a cross and the midfielder scored on a one-touch shot. It was a great goal following great build-up, but the ref said that the striker took the ball past the touchline before sending in the cross. The ref was near the middle of the field, and both teams' players reacted as if we had scored--our boys celebrated, the other team threw the ball to the middle of the field and the goalie seemed down after conceding a goal. However, the ref. said it was a goal kick, so we had to quickly readjust.
Our opponents responded by scoring a goal after keeping the ball pretty well. My team definitely needs to work on possession and making better passes. Sometimes they forget to see the pass before making it. With a minute left in the half, we turned defense into attack and scored a breakaway goal after two good passes. We had momentum going into the half, and I felt pretty good about being able to build on the lead.
We started the second half very strong, dominating possession, keeping the ball out of our half, and creating some chances. In the first ten minutes of the second half, we probably could have scored four different times if my boys either took a shot one touch earlier or took a shoot with their weak foot. One kid, who would later score, could have scored two with his left foot. We'll have to work on taking early chances and not being afraid to shoot with both feet. Finally after generating a great attack, My team took the lead on a beautiful shot that went far post and landed in the side netting. It really was a fantastic finish and I was so happy with how we had been playing.
We played really well until the last five minutes. We started to get sloppy defensively and couldn't get the ball out of our half. Our goalie made several fantastic saves to keep us in the lead, but our team struggled to maintain possession off of his punts. His punts were great, but we just kept getting beat to the ball. It finally bit us in the butt, and they turned an interception into a goal. When we took the kickoff, the ref blew his whistle to end the game.
I was disappointed that we tied for two reasons. First, and most importantly, I wanted this win so badly for the boys. They went through a tournament where they were way overmatched and unprepared to compete, and I thought we made a lot of progress. I've thrown a lot at them and they've learned so much in just a short amount of time. We outplayed our opponents for most of the game, and I thought the boys really deserved to get the satisfaction of earning the win. The second reason I was disappointed was because the way we let in the second goal was because we lost our shape. We did a good job of staying in good position for most of the game, but once we left what we learned and went back to old habits, we paid the price.
The kids were pretty pleased with the tie, as well they should be. However, I want them to expect to win. I want the kids to feel like a game like this slipped away from them and that they truly earned the win. I think we'll get there once we establish some winning ways, and I love that these boys always have a good attitude.
We have two games next weekend--a home and away with the same team on Saturday (away) and Sunday (home). I don't know much about the other team (or any teams in our league for that matter) but I would like for us to get our first win this weekend. Hopefully we can do just that.
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