Everyone Wins!

It was a great soccer Saturday. Hannah had a game at 10am, Sam had a game at 10am, and Patrick had a game at 10:30am.

I'm coaching Hannah's team again this year. We are going to be very good. It's not too often I had said that. I have coached a lot of teams. I use to coach Patrick and Sam's teams during the same seasons. I've probably coached 16 seasons of soccer. One year in Layton I had a team that couldn't be touched. They would win by double digits every game.

Hannah's team is very good. How good I don't know, but they are going to be good.

So here is a good story for you. The one loss we had last season was to the team we played this morning.

Last year they beat us good the first time we played them. Something like 6 to 2. I didn't coach the game because I was out sick. My assistant coach Peter talked to me after the game and said that the other team was a nasty group of people. He got yelled at during the game, and after the game. The parents, of the other team were out of control.

When we played them the last game of the season last year it was a doosey. At half we were behind by 2 goals. I still had parents from their team come up to me to complain about my players and the way they played. They felt like we were shoving too much. They had 3 dads running the sidelines yelling at the players. I could tell it was bothering my girls. They were scary. I understood what Peter was talking about. I told two of the mom's when they talked to me "your little girls are going to fall down playing soccer, they'll be okay." Oh they didn't like me.

Here is the real problem. That team was usually killing people by half time. They were hoping for a undefeated season, and all they had to do is beat us a second time. We were looking to finish with one loss and tie them up for 1st place. That game was nuts to say the least. I could make a movie about that game. It's funny that I remember that game clear as a bell from last year.

After the half they scored right as the half began. They were up by 3 goals. They had parents jumping and cheering and running up and down the side lines. I guess it's ok, it just seemed a little over the top.

At that point I walked off the field, and sat down next to Suzi. I said something like, that team is crazy. The coach was complaining to me at that point that his parents are telling him to talk to me about my team shoving. I'll be the first to admit that I had one girl who ran with her elbows up, but I told him "I'll talk to her if you talk to the three that you have who play that way as well." He just smiled, and let it go from there. The parents were yelling at my players, and they were up by 3 goals. I said Suzi "I'm done with that team." I literally sat down in a chair.

She said "don't you quit on your team. You get your butt up, and go tell them to win."

I called them over as we were sub-ing in a few players and I huddled them. I didn't say anything all that profound. Just a "lets beat these guys, we have 5 minutes to score 4 goals, lets get it done."

We scored 4 goals in five minutes. It was the most amazing come back I've ever coached. The last goal came with under 30 seconds. It was great!

We started our season againts them this morning. Not the team I wanted to face right off the bat. I really wanted to score first to make them play from behind. I don't think they have ever had to do that. As a player it feels different to play from behind than to play with a lead. I'm not sure why, but it does. I started with 5 forwards, and one fullback. We scored two goals in the first 5 minutes. After that I dropped two back to fullbacks, and played 3 forwards, and 3 fullbacks. They scored to make it 2-1, and we went into half time with that score.

After the half we scored to make it 3-1. They scored next 3-2. It stayed 3-2 for a long time. I had 3 super players that I usually play as forwards, and I kept them as fullbacks. I keep the forwards fresh by subbing in and out quickly. The forward players never got tired. The other team was running out of gas. At that point I put in fresh legs in at defense, and moved my super players up at forwards again and finish them off with two more goals. Final 5-2. It was a much closer game than the final score says. Hannah had one goal, and her friend in the picture above had 3. It was a great game.

Hannah's team is going to be good. Here is the thing about coaching kids Hannah's age. People think under 8 there isn't much you can do with them. Just go have a good time. With kids under 8 I don't think I've ever had more than two losses in a season. Kids this age can learn a ton about the game too make them good, and they can have fun. So look out for the Lodi Blue Flames. They are dangerous.

Sam's game apparently was a close one. 1-0. His team won. I didn't get to see it. Sam time as Hannah's.


I got to watch most of Patricks game. They won 3-0. Patrick had a goal too! His team maybe a very good team like Hannah's. He has the same team as last year. They were young last year, and they played great. This year they look like stars. It looked like it was their first game. The score should have been higher, they just made some first game errors. Great looking team.