Soccer in America...A Chance to Brag

It seems I have been demoted from SoccerBlog since my "comment" to one of Shourin's posts is taking its sweet time getting up on the site. Nonetheless, SoccerBlog is lamenting the lack of coverage of the MLS title game (1 - 1 tie, Houston in PKs over the Revolution) and complains about the drought of goals. But not all soccer in America is "goal challenged."

My U10 Boys team finished with an impressive 6-1-1 record this past fall season. I was very happy with the level of play and was also lucky to have some great filler kids. By filler, I mean that most coaches move with a small group of players anchored by their son/daughter. In this case, my son and about 5 friends formed the core of this team. As they are older this year then last (when the same core group went 4-3-1), they did have some advantages, but any advantages can be quickly lost if the kids you get from the draft to round out your team are not very good. This year, they were nearly all very good.

Like many coaches' sons, mine played a critical role. He is a goal scorer...that is what he does. In our 8 games, we outscored opponents 37-15 and HE outscored them 19-15. Our average game was a 4.6 - 1.9 victory and our one loss was a 3-1 loss against a weaker team. (We hit the post 5 times!) My son scored 3 hat tricks and had a 4 goal game in the last game of the season. I would also note that the goal is 12x6, not the regulation goal.

Who says goal scoring is not part of soccer!

Now, I will say that our defense this year was much stronger then last, but it was anchored by two talented, younger players with whom I rotated in an older player to fill. We did have one very weak player (though his problem is a lack of focus rather then a lack of ability), but I had enough depth to cover. Finally, we did have some very good goalkeepers.

I would point out that defense at a young age is "easier" then offense. In fact as a former striker and attacking midfielder, I can tell you that an inferior defender can still screw up an opposing offense if he/she plays conservatively. What happens to these players as they grow up???