THE SOUTHAMPTON TOURNAMENT

I hope by now everyone who attended the tournament is safe in the confines of their personal dwelling place. I cannot relate on the flight path, but the road travel was accompanied by rain and fog with dead carcasses adding a different picture to the scenery.

After a game or after a tournament each individual parent will have a different view of the event. Ironically the very position that you observe the game from can give you a different perspective on the outcome.  For this tournament I purposefully observed from an isolated position not to be influenced by other voices except for my own pair of eyes.

I had a huge discrepancy with my wife on how the games were played. I used the prism and light being pass through to illustrate my point, that it depends on where you stand depending on the colors seen.

Now after all that mumbo-jumbo let me give my commentary on the games played. There is no doubt that Woodbridge Strikers didn't lose a game... that is obvious. Was the rules against us...No...All rules applied to all teams. Did they played bad...No. Were the officiating unfair to us...No

So what happened then. The rumours circulating around is that we did not finish our chances created. Allow me to introduce a style of play by two country and two clubs. Brazil, Spain, Barcelona and Manchester City all score lots of goals but it's not because they have great strikers (Yes they do however). They have decision makers, meaning that classified as a striker does not necessarily mean you are the only person to shoot on net. Know when to release the ball to a teammates. For those who watch the game on television would have observed that the ball can be in the eighteenth yard box and recirculated back to the defense. It is simply to get the most open opportunity. That's what those countries and clubs do (The Best Option) not necessarily the person with the ball.

It was evident that we dominated possession of all games played. The breakdown tends to occur in the final third. So what is creating this break down. A number of factors can be taken into consideration, such as first touch... very critical....this determines basically everything else.  Also, decision making whether to shoot or pass. Mental state of composure and relaxation can be the difference between a miss or a goal. Summarize from: Soccer the Competitive Edge by Alan Goldberg.

It was great seeing the information that class room session is being introduced. There are different ways of learning so maybe adding this visual, chalkboard aspect will hopefully give the boys a better understanding of the movement with and without the ball. Plus the benefits of laying it off and receiving it in a better position.

Another tournament of learning that we should not rely on someone else's outcome to assist us, but carve out our own imprint that we want from the beginning. Point of interest our boys the Woodbridge Strikers played some sublime  passing soccer at times in all three games.

CONGRATULATIONS to Ethan, Tayvin and Tremaine for receiving the man of the match award in respective games. 👍👍👍

NB Just as I can create a justification for my child's error, so too should I be willing to justify another child's error without being cynical. As a adult and parent, I have a responsibility of integrity without being prejudice.

Next tournament coming......????