Nordic Recap III

U10s V. Clifton Park
Eventual Champs Fall To OSSC...A Fascinating Game

Of the four games the U10s played, only one was truly in question.  The first game was an 8-0 stomping at the hands of the Capital Soccer Club...ouch.  But the second match the boys rallied to win a 2-0 match on tired legs.  Looking at the two opponents, our guys were more technical and more athletic/stronger/faster/etc. than the second group, less so than the first group.  The third game was the interesting one.  Because I was covering the U12s immediately beforehand at Dorset Park down I-89, I got to the 10s match shortly before half-time.  When I arrived, the team was tied 0-0, and survived with that score until half time.  That's a pretty rare occurrence, to see two U10 teams fail to score in a half.

In the second period, things got interesting.  The OSSC boys were on the back foot a little, but were able to conjure up some attacks regularly, enough to keep the CP team honest.  It was on one of these forays that Dima defended beautifully at midfield, on the left sideline.  Mark Lydford had busted a move from the top of the team to the back, and as Dima forced the ball loose, Mark picked it up and advanced it.  Now, I can't recall who else got involved...I want to say Andrew and Erik were there.  But the bottom line is, as our team attacked, the Erik was kicked as he dished it to Andrew, who scored.  The problem was, the whistle had gone prior to the ball arriving at Andrew's feet, and so the goal should have been disallowed, and the free kick taken (which would have been from outside the area).  Not a bad situation for us (Erik did smash a wonderful free kick home in the following game!) but the fact that the goal was the only one of the game shows how unlikely goals were in this match.

The ref was a high school kid, and clearly wished he had swallowed the whistle.  Truly, it would have been the right call to have allowed the play to continue after the foul (in the current interpretation of the laws, the officials are given a 2 or 3 second grace period to see if the advantage has remained with the attacker after a foul...if it has not, the official may bring the play back to the spot of the foul and award a free kick.  As always, if the play rewards the attacker with a quality chance on goal, a card can be issued after the play without a free kick being given.  Soccer's flexibility in application of the laws remains a standard not met by other sports.)  In the end, even though he had whistled, he indicated that the goal would stand.  The right thing in the bigger sense, but technically incorrect.

Clifton Park were not impressed, but I have to say, their restraint (the coaches) surprised me, given the amount of menacing instruction being handed down from the touchline to the players.  I fully braced for a physical assault on the ref!  We hung on to win 1-0, and the game was truly notable for these reasons:

1. The Clifton Park team was, on the whole, bigger and faster.  At U10, this typically spells doom for the smaller/younger/slower opponent!
2. They had won the previous two games, and were clearly expecting to roll us over on their way to a championship.  They were in fact good enough to win the tournament, going 3-0-1 on the weekend.  That they beat a team that thrashed us by 8 or so on Saturday is of great interest to me.  I very much would have liked to see CP's game against Synergy.
3. They did not sub on the same pattern as we do; randomly by position and without regard for how talented a boy is.  We hurt our chances of winning against teams who do not follow suit.
4. The game was incredibly low scoring.  Our other three games: 8-0 (L); 2-0 (W); 5-2 (L).  Parker had a lock-down first half in goal (probably the longest anyone has played in goal in a game this year for us!) but unlike every opponent we played, we still don't have a specified GK on the team.
5. The advantage we had, if any, was in our technical ability.  Our relatively uniform skill level more than matched theirs.  Despite being bigger or faster, their players did not have the same skill.  One suspects the boys who are "less talented" are probably encouraged to pass...
6. My assessment, without prejudice, as I walked to the field, was that the other team appeared to be superior, and that we'd take another lump.  That's not being negative, it's just that U10s tend to beat the teams they should, and lose to the teams they should lose to, mainly based on physical advantage. Though we do see age differences having an effect, combined with technical ability; a 9 year-11 month old kid has had many more touches on a ball than a just-turned-9-year-old.

While it would be unreasonable to draw any conclusion broadly from this game, it is one of those tiny moments of clarity which pop up from time to time.  Technical skill leveled the playing field, if only for 40 minutes...a little luck in an uncertain referee's decision, too.  Good things to chew over...A fun and memorable result for the boys.

Final standings, we beat the number 1 team (Clifton Park), and the last place team (Capital).  Lost to number 2 and number 4.  Finished in third out of five.  Shockingly, our kids are, evidently, average 10 year olds!  Makes me chuckle that it worked out that way.