Same old song, but it just keeps getting better

This past weekend my U8 Rec and U9 Academy teams took the field and showed again why focus at an early age on foot skills and encouraging 1v1 play to beat defenders and gain confidence with the ball are so very important.

For the U8 group positions and passing are just ridiculous to conceive when many times their greatest challenges are keeping their heads up, knowing where the goal is, and trying not to defend against their own teammate.

I watched as the other team patiently set up their players at the beginning of the game into 3 forward and 2 goal box fence posts then struggle the rest of the match to keep them in these spots or get them to move from them; how confusing for a 6-7 year old.  "What the heck do you want me to do coach?!"

Once again, I set all of our players up on the bottom of the midfield circle with their only instructions to possess the ball, keep it at their feet, and do a move and head to the goal.  This time, even the referee looked over at me in the beginning to see if I really wanted all five girls in this odd formation.  Absolutely!

The girls never gave up throughout the whole game; in fact, they picked up on my own cheering of the team with their own chant of "Don't Give Up! - Don't Give Up!" when a group of our players were working hard near our bench to push it towards the goal...even the other coach was getting a kick out of it.  Definitely the kinds of cheers I prefer to those which focus on the win or the score; motivating, yet not antagonizing the other team.

I passed out two game balls to Ava and Dakohta.  Ava's enthusiasm, attitude and effort to encourage her teammates to try harder were wonderful.  She was constantly challenging them to "DO A FAKE SHOT!" and she did quite a few of her own.  After one game, she herself has really honed in on to what is happening in the game and is less solely ball focused; great progress in such a short time.  Dakohta was a picture of perfection when it came to playing up and down the field and tirelessly pulling the ball away from attackers’ feet resisting the urge at this age to just kick it.  She was very cool and calm no matter where she was on the field, especially gaining control in front of our own goal and like a seasoned vet moving it out and away from the goal box and down the field and even once going from goal line to goal line for a near score.

Other notables...AUBREY!!! Whose shirt was not in the mouth and she was fierce on attack, even throwing out some moves.  Lilly the mosquito had an "AHA!" moment and after once or twice of on field direction, she stopped trying to grab the ball from her team and made her way to the front of the goal to poach.  Brooklyn helping coach and getting her team set up on the field during dead ball kicks and throw-ins.  Everyone else is showing so much improvement I really look forward to each training session with them.

Great work girls, I loved watching this game!

U9 had their Academy opener in Lexington and as I put it on the club Facebook page, "Put on a talent show of skill."  The end resulted in the host club director telling our girls, "We now know what we need to work on."

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see all the action as our girls were split into two squads, but the host club was kind enough to let us play fields side-by-side so I could at least turn around and glance at the action and talk to them at half-time.  Besides one veteran in Karolyn, my group was all new Legends girls and some younger guest players, but you wouldn't have known it from the effort and product they put out.  I could have given game balls to each player, but my four over the two games we played went to Maryah-Y and our three guest players; Hailey, Abby and Ashley.  Maryah was crazy with the ball at her feet, throwing in turns, carry-overs, stop hops, and I believe a scissor or Rivelino.  This kind of improvement for less than 2 months as a Legends player and coming from a local rec program is pretty impressive.

Hailey, Abby and Ashley got a taste of some leveled up competition from what they were used to and didn't disappoint me, their parents and the other teams' coaches.  Cryuff turns, Maradonas and play behinds helped create the space they needed to walk a tight sideline.  Hailey set herself up in space for numerous poaching opportunities; Ashley was stalwart in her ability to get back on the ball and place her body between her and the oncoming attacker and then turn things into an attacking opportunity for herself.

Abby had the other coach scratching his head on how she moved so gracefully.  She did finally begin to realize she couldn't make it all happen and showed a nice head up thoughtful pass to center.  She began to tire out and made on last move to create space between her and a defender, saw a teammate in center and put it right at her feet as they moved downfield.  Right after she got the pass off, her hands went to her knees and she took a mighty well deserved breath.

Karolyn, Isabella, Ellis and Mariyah-I have to be mentioned here to as they continue to put in serious effort and have outstanding moves of their own.

Coach Dave led a group of veterans against the host club's most experienced group in their first match and made it a possession nail biter.  What they didn't know and I knew is they had the draw of trying to score on an older U10 player who was helping out due to the host club being down a few players.  I had complete confidence in them to handle the challenge and even if they failed would put on a good showing.

I could hear Coach Dave asking them to get back on defense several times and when I turned around, I usually saw Kelsey taking the ball back before the other team had a chance to go on the attack.  I did get to see Caitlyn move around confidently in our own goal box doing a Maradona turn to go out to the sides of the fields.  They both received game balls along with Payton and Olivia.

I know Payton was throwing moves around and made her way to the goal several times for her effort.  Each time she made sure to let me know about it, which is great, but my question to her every time was "How did you do it?"  She said, "By doing moves, like Maradonas."

What's most impressive as we go along with these girls is not just that they are doing the moves, but they are continually increasing the speed at which they do them and at more and more of the right times.  We are also seeing small blurbs of active team work regardless of the combinations of players...why, because they are all growing each and every week as individual players and they too know each and every one of them are growing and can trust in one another to be there and handle the ball.

Not all our games and outings will be as glowing as this past weekend and I expect us to take more than our fair share of clobberings, but I do know each we will learn something new about ourselves every time no matter the outcome.