Well Oiled Machine...Er Team

Some times I wonder whether my oldest team is a bit too relaxed and last night both confirmed and mystified my expectations at the start of our Monday night match (yep, odd to have a Monday Night Football game). To avoid traffic I left the house quite early and arrived nearly 45 minutes prior to the start of the game. To contrast that highly paranoid behavior, my team on average arrived a mere 4 minutes prior to the start of the game, mostly meandering in toting their water: no hustle, completely relaxed. And how did they perform in the game?

Relaxed, calm and controlled. From the start of the game they flawlessly executed basic give-n-go passes that freaked out the other team. With speed and determination, yet in complete control, the team worked together, pushing passed the opponents to take shot after shot. After the final 2 players trickled in we were up to 3 subs and never felt overly taxed on the field. Their grooming as a team was omnipresent (even the other coach remarked at how well they complimented each other's play) while individual contributions often lead to phenomenal, jaw-dropping plays.

In a victory of 5-0 as visitors, especially after our opening loss as the home team, our spirits were lifted, our confidence strengthened and I believe we'll be ready for Saturday's match against a very talented GSSA team that has spanked us mercilessly in previous seasons. Hopefully the other team's confidence will be their downfall as my relaxed squad comes in and plays according to our rules, our style of play and out classes the other team.

Something that stood out in my mind as quality and worth mentioning was how some of our developing players contributed in unexpected ways. From great personal hustle, taking the ball strong between players and passing based on patterns learned in practice, these players left memorable moments on the playing field rather than holes in their positions as in previous season. This great change, nearly metamorphic, seems distill upon these young men on a regular basis and it is absolutely gorgeous to witness.

Congratulations to my well oiled team. You deserve last night's win and may they keep coming our way! Go Strikers!