All in all a very
successful tournament. We needed to be tested. We needed to
see how good we are and start believing in ourselves.
We learned a lot.
We found we can compete
with top level teams for most of a match.
We learned we need to work
on our conditioning so we can play with intensity for an
entire match.
We now know some players
can play at a much higher level than they have shown so far
this season.
We learned we have to get
back in coverage a lot faster.
It makes it much easier
when we talk a lot to direct play and encourage our
teammates.
We can head the ball, but
it does help to keep our eyes open and use our body to
direct and power the ball.
We must face the ball after
a penalty or turnover. Jog backwards so you can see the
field and any moves the opponents are making.
When defending stay goal
side so you can force the attacker in the direction YOU want
him to go.
Effective slide tacking
will shut down attacks.
We must keep moving to open
spaces when we have the ball.
We must pressure an
opponent with the ball, and if he gets by us... we must
immediately drop back to back up the next player who took
him on.
If we get an open "look"
and are clear we must take a shot. Keep it low and put some
power behind it.
We don't have to shoot from
way out to score. If you get clear take the ball in close
and challenge the goalie to make his move. Then you can tap
it past him to score.
We play much better when we
are not trying to make fancy plays and bicycle kicks to get
featured on ESPN highlights. (Give some thought to how many
opponents at this tournament you can recall making fancy
plays. Zippo! Zilch! They were all focused on playing good
soccer and winning games)
We can be a
great team when we start to believe in ourselves, work to
improve our skills, improve our conditioning, communicate
better on and off the field, never give up, and always play
to the best of our ability.
