THE AWAKENING

I had to go for a walk to calm myself as well as a preventative measure not to respond to the  comment by a parent saying " I thought they were a good team". In all honesty based upon our boys performance last night one would be biased if they disagreed. Therefore, what could have caused such a calamitous showing by Woodbridge Strikers OPDL 05 Boys in this game?

Some suggestions as to the reason for the dismal showing by the Strikers:
- Unaccustomed starting time.
- Cold condition.
- Past their bedtime.
- Just a friendly no significance.
All truthful facts but coincidentally the opponent's faced the exact same situations as our boys and ( their best defender was missing).

Yes, I am dissecting this defeat for all the obvious reasons as we are invited into the TFC tournament plus going to Maryland tournament with high expectations of winning. However, with the showing I witnessed last night there might have to be some reconsideration.
Everyone associated with the players have some form of blame in one aspect or another. The coaches, players themselves and parents.
Wow that's rather a BOLD statement, indeed it is.

Firstly, did the coaches have the correct lineup at commencement to begin with. Furthermore, could adjustments have been made to counter our opponents style of attack. In addition was it deliberately done by the coaches not to have our strongest lineup playing together  at some point throughout 80 minutes. Moreover, in a challenging game the players should in my opinion be placed in the best possible position in which he can excel for self and team . Personally I hold no coaching qualifications only a lover of the game soccer.

There is no doubt that our boys love to win and endorse the attention gained from such an action. Nevertheless, they themselves must be held accountable for their own individual mistakes. Such as failure to run back and assist in defense, challenge immediately upon losing the ball as well as trusting their teammates. Hesitation was highly visible, plays that were normally precise and accurate became stagnant and inaccurate. I was informed that within their team one player has 20 goals and he is the designated striker and the leading assist man has about 7 assist. On the other hand our leading goal scorer has 19 and he is not our designated forward, plus our leading assist player has over 15 assist to go along with 9 goals   and he doesn't always play within the center of the midfield. On the scale of comparison our Woodbridge Strikers should have won. A vital lesson for our boys before two huge upcoming tournament.

Us parents have to learn that it's quite easy to see the play from the vantage position of the stand without any form of pressure physical or emotional. I implore all parents not to call out their child publicly if and when he accidentally makes an error. It distracts their concentration, disrupt the confidence and cripple self-esteem and introduce the possibility of blame. Furthermore let "US PARENTS" all get back together and start cheering on the team. We have gotten helter-skelter as a supporting group, before it was a collective group of parents.

Points of interest our boys must be prepared that they will encounter teams just as good or possibly better and therefore equip themselves to grind out a win. Also, be ready for physical plays and officials not seeing foul against them.

This lost could not have occurred at a more convenient time so that we can work out all the kinks before the tournaments. We are all in it to win it.

Woodbridge Strikers OPDL 05 boys. ⚽ I'll🥅