First game of 2014 in a World Cup Year!!
I want to offer my apologies for an eVite gone bad. Maybe it was the Polar Vortex that caused the email anomaly...but, bottom-line, it took a lot more communication to put the game together this week. And then, the final count was uncertain due to the confusion. Including the fact that 10 minutes from game time, only three Orangemen were standing on the field. But things worked out and we had a great team...with a final showing of 12 players...our numbers were at 13 because the Metros were gracious enough to provide us with their ringer, a young kid name Alexandro, who we’ve play against before. What was funny is the Metros manager came to me to ask if we had any underage players...and I said no, not tonight. They had an underage player show up, but they wouldn’t let him play unless we had one to balance it out. So they asked him to stand down. When they realized we were only 10 at kick-off they told him to put on an orange jersey and join us. Who was I to turn them down? As it turns out, we had 11, I looked around for the 11th player, but he was no where to be found. Chris, forgot his cleats, so he left for home to go retrieve them. Turns out, had he been there, we probably wouldn’t have let Alex play. But, Alex really aided our midfield team and contributed to the outcome of a very fun and well played fixture.
First, the funniest headline of the week, the Polar Bears at the Chicago Zoo are going inside because it’s too cold to stay outside. But even though the week started at 2 degrees above zero, with a windchill minus 10 below zero, by game time on Saturday, we were up to 49 degrees, and mercifully, it stopped raining. Otherwise it would have felt like we were playing in a rain forest with the balmy temperatures, the mist and fog, and humidity.
Here was the side last night.
Gene - played some fullback/halfback
Chris - played some fullback and halfback
Johnny H - sweeper
Mauricio - stopper and fullback
Alfredo - halfback
George - stopper halfback and fullback
Tommy - central midfield and stopper
Karl - fullback
Kendall - striker and halfback
Will - striker and halfback
Freddy - fullback and central midfield
Mooch - striker and halfback
Alexandro (Alex) - central midfield and striker
Final score was 0-2. We held the metros to one goal in the first half and one in the second half.
Both goals were rather soft. The first one Gene had both hands on it...he jumped too soon and couldn’t decide to catch it or deflect it over the bar. As the ball was coming into his hands on his descent he decided to deflect it over, but as he was dropping he deflected it up and into the top of the net. Soft goal.
On the second goal, Chris got caught off his line. Had he remained at home, he would have easily stopped the goal. Another soft goal. That’s not to say he made a spectacular save against a 1 v 1 at point blank range with his feet...by all estimates that one should have been a goal.
We passed incredibly well through the midfield. By always keeping the ball moving I’d say we probably actually had more possession than Vienna. I’d like to have the stats on that… We were stringing pass after pass together. Being patient, getting our heads up, and always looking to pass. Our possession and defense really thwarted the Metro attack...infact...with the exception of the two soft goals, and the great save Chris made, the shots and the challenges on goal were dealt with reasonably well. Can’t really say they deserved much more. We defended well on their corner kicks...the Metros are known for scoring on corner kicks...but no real threatening opportunities emerged.
We had a number of shot opportunities...none that really challenged the keeper, because as always, the Metros have a top defense. We took a few shots from outside, that were weak. But we did pass into the box and had a number of chances, but again, the Metros speed broke the plays up before they were are real threat. But we were passing well and getting the crosses in. The best opportunity came late in the game, Mooch had an easy opportunity to score. We worked the ball the outside right, Alex, made a move and got in behind. Mooch was standing in front of the goal, Alex passed the ball in, between the two defenders. All Mooch had to do was get his favored right foot on it, but choose instead he sensed the keeper had the direct shot to the near post covered so he decided to open up, let the ball run across his body, and hit the ball far post, with the outside of his left foot. He had plenty of time to think all this through. But when he went to execute, as the ball came across his body, it was moving too fast for him to hit the ball with this left foot, on the roll, firmly. He barely grazed the ball, and just helped to assist it across the box, rather than direct it on goal. He should have just crushed it with his right for straight ahead. A missed opportunity that will haunt him all week.
Will brought out Freddy to the match. Freddy has some great skills and was a fine addition to the side last night. Great ball control, and great positioning.
Last issue...Mooch had a run it with the ref last night. The ref called a good game from my perspective, but when a Metro guy went down in a flurry of arms and legs and then continued to play the ball while he was on the ground, Mooch pointed the play out to the ref. The ref didn’t want to hear it and threatened him with a red card. Mooch rarely gets in trouble with the ref, but felt as the manager, he was permitted to question the ref. This ref wasn’t hearing any of it and told him the manager has no special privilege. After the game he explained his call...that in our league you are allowed to play the ball when you are on the ground so long as it’s not considered a dangerous play. From my perspective, if the player is on the ground and winning the ball from an opposing player, if it’s not a slide than it has to be considered a dangerous play. However, I’m more concerned about his statement that the manager has no special privilege to talk to the ref. This in my mind doesn’t sound like a reasonable position. So I will check into his view with the league.
Bottom-line. With the Metro’s two soft goals and one goal that should have been, I award them 1 point total. For the goal that Mooch missed...I award one point. The outcome of the game should have been a tie...considering we’ve lost to the Metros by the score of 0 to 10 in the past, we can be proud of this game. I applaud everyone for the effort to pass the ball last night. It was an amazingly fun game because of all the passing and possession we had. We were not chasing the game by any stretch...we were taking it to them and they knew it.
