Nike Classic Cup: White Game 1 vs Carole Stream

First game of the tournament for the White team happened to be at the other complex which was only 1 mile from the main complex.  Problem was that my U11 game finished just 15 minutes before the start of this game.  So to travel this one mile I would have to immediately grab my stuff after the handshake, rush to the fence behind the fields, pull out my James Bond moves to hop the fence in order to get from the U11 game at the back of the main complex to my get-away car waiting for me on the deserted road behind the complex and rush over to the other fields.  

I had a good driver in Papa Sizzle and he was able to get me to the field just as the girls were doing their cheer and getting ready to take the field.   Luckily Phil, our U11 Boys coach, was able to warm up the girls and he had my starting line up all ready to go as I ran up right as we kicked the ball off.

Our opponents were big and they loved to hammer the ball down the field as soon as they came into contact with it.  We came out and started well and we were able to put together a couple passes at times and we hit the woodwork twice off shots by Sprout and Miller but we were unable to score.  Carole Stream was able to create some chances because we struggled to win the air balls and keep a consistent pressure on them because each time we lost the ball they would hammer the ball back at us.  With about ten minutes left Carole Stream was putting pressure on us and they were able to cross and finish to take the lead 1-0 going into half time.  

I was a little annoyed that they had taken the lead because the entire half I kept hearing their english coach yell over and over how skilled his team was after each time they would boot the ball down the field to no one in particular.  It was like listening to the parent who yells “Great Kick!” every time a kid boots the ball down the field to the other team but put into words that sounded like “Oh what a superbly deft ball!  Incredible skill to drop it in there!”  I couldn’t blame him for any negativity towards his girls so that was good, but I kept thinking that there was a reason why England missed out on the Euros last year.  

At half time we talked about the need to win the air balls and tackles so we could keep the ball in their end.  Along with that we needed to value having possession of the ball since we knew what would happen every time we lost it.

The second half started and we played great.  The midfielders and defenders won every long ball and we did a good job of keeping the ball.  Ten minutes in Hannah finished off a break away to tie the score.  We had a number of other good chances during the rest of the half but we were unable to get the winner and the score finished tied 1-1.