Game Afterthoughts

There were no TV cameras or scouts in attendance, but that did not stop the boys from coming out and playing one of the greatest games of soccer we have witnessed from the Woodbridge Striker B05 team in front of parents, grandparents, siblings, friends and soccer lovers alike. During the warm up, our boys had the look of confidence, showing no signs of worry whatsoever about the opponent's  busily going through their drills at the other end of the playing field. The opponent, FC Durham, a strong team in their own rights won all three of their round robin games just like the Strikers. They came to the final with the game plan of stopping our potent offensive players especially Ethan.  Durham got the game going with the kickoff and immediately tried a long range shot that flew wide of the intended target fully protected by Cristian. Thereafter, the Strikers took command of the game by moving the ball around the field with some precisely calculated passes. Coach C...

1st Game The formation change was a shocker, nevertheless, it worked like clockwork  and not a second lost in the transition by the players. The technical director of Dero Academy must have been extremely mesmerized from observing the team play yesterday and how they played today. The coaches exemplified their learned knowledge along with their gained experience in the switching of formation and players placed in different positions. Substitutions were timely and invoked heighten energy on the field that was already of high intensity. In the first game Ethan continued from yesterday's game by netting the first goal. Closely followed by Tayshaun B. with a brace. The highly touted Dero Academy was still in a state of bewilderment as they could not register a single shot on our net. Amrit took the shot of the tournament that rocketed off the crossbar back into play. Tayvin went on a surprising solo run which resulted in a corner kick from his attempt at goal. Thereafter, ...

It was like a day in The Midlands in the UK...cold, damp and overcast with the possibilities of showers looming. Aurora started off brightly by utilizing it's strength with players number 10 and 11 trying to establish a physical presence because of their height difference. It was short lived however, as the Woodbridge Strikers got acclimatized to both the playing surface and weather conditions. All present were then treated to some slick smooth passes of the soccer ball by our boys. Furthermore, the switching of play along with the constant running of the ball into space just proved too much for the opponents. Woodbridge Strikers took the lead in the first half and the opponents tied it up at the start of the second half. It only served to reinforce our dominance in the game with a wonderful hat trick by Ethan, while Marco contributed with a sublime finish also. There were a number of standout moments for individual players... keep it up boys. Great start to the tournament with...

Watching the boys at practice from all indications they are finally coming together as a team. The coaches selected two teams out of the group, wuth each team having a manager. As a parent seated in the stand observing it was both amusing and seemingly professional seeing the manager giving his team talk. The laughter by some of the players during the team talk traveled all the way to the stands and beyond exhibiting a sincere moment of fun...which kids should have at times. It's fascinating at times how the boys are capable of accomplishing all the drills being thrown at them after lengthy running exercises. Before and after practice, one can only be amazed by the boys' high level of mannerism showed in the form of polite handshakes along with verbal greetings. There is an old saying that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. After last Saturday's game I came to fully comprehend that saying. After overcoming being flabbergasted  I was moved by the parents outpouri...

Where do I begin?  The passing, overlapping runs, ball interception,  finishing, or the extra unselfish passes. I choose to start with the most disappointing moment, the cutting of the grass behind Cristian's net while the game was in session, which could have been extremely distracting. The coaches really had no role today other than the selection of who goes on the playing field. The boys started off by executing to perfection the overlapping runs on both flanks by the wing back resulting in some stunning crosses into the penalty box. The attacking midfield trio were stellar in supplying the front line players with sublime passes one after the other. Also, quite evident was the shared brilliance by individuals in the final third of the field with their foot skills. The defensive midfielders worked in tandem with their defense unit forming a blockage in front of the custodian between the post. At times, the finishing was clinical in front of the opponent's goal, which led ...

From my sources I hear that congratulations are in order for the Woodbridge Strikers OPDL BU13 team on an impressive win yesterday, May 06, 2018. Seeing that I was not in attendance, it would be greatly appreciated if folks could share their view point about the game and OPDL experience as a comment. Well done to the coaching staff and the boys again on their first OPDL win.   👍🏾👍🏾 ⚽ 🥅

Like myself, I assume that everyone is anxiously awaiting the kickoff to the OPDL season on Saturday evening even though we still have two key players out nursing injuries, and other prominent players still not at a hundred percent. It's going to be a daunting task. Nevertheless, the squad is more than capable of rising to the challenge that awaits them tomorrow evening. This is where the practice drills will be implemented into real time game situation. Best of luck to the Woodbridge Strikers OPDL BU13 team in their opening game. Don't just be the best team on paper, demonstrate it out on the playing field with a convincing performance. ⚽ 🥅