State Cup Post-Mortem
Having romped our way through the PA East State Cup (Indoor), it's worth examining some of the factors that led to the success enjoyed on the day. Mainly because a confession and quest for absolution feels necessary.
To a significant extent, playing in the "B" division gave the LMSC side a leg up; our club is so large, and we have so many players in a given age group (over 40 at the U12B stage) that we enjoy a built-in advantage. Following a fall DELCO season in which the Quick Boys played well but lost more than they won, competing with the top tier in a one-day EPYSA state level tournament seemed a stretch. Ironically, concerned that the team ought to enjoy success as a part of supporting their development, I willfully shelved many of my principles for the day. In retrospect, we might have fared alright in the "A" division, and a part of me feels regretful that we didn't try that level; as it was, the boys had a good time and enjoyed top-dog status deservedly and there is substantial benefit to that experience for young players.
What may be of real interest as the discussion of what is best for a given player, an organization, the sport itself continues, is the manner in which the team was asked to play. Unlike the outdoor season, and the YSC league we're currently competing in, the team was told to take advantage of the fact that EPYSA plays the state cup on a field with boards surrounding the entire field, even to a couple feet above the crossbar on the goals. This set-up ensures a couple things: first, the defense is constantly numbers-down, as the attacker may use the boards to create a 1-2 for himself; second, the attack needn't play a ball forward with any real accuracy- it virtually can't go out of bounds so as long as the front players are willing to chase things down (and that's easy enough on a small field) any ball forward is a good one. Then, shooting from every spot on the field is a safe bet (the goals at Body Zone had crossbars that not one of the GKs I saw could reach with a ladder!) as the net is entirely surrounded by boards. Any miss will remain in play, and the defense will always be facing the wrong way when it rebounds.
The goalkeeper and all defenders were specifically told to ensure that should any ball they play be at risk of being turned over to the opposition, they opt instead to lump the ball as deep into the opponent's half as possible. It is a credit to the boys that they executed this instruction very close to perfectly. Over the five games (120 minutes of soccer) I struggle to recall more than a handful of giveaways in our half. I rolled my eyes at
myself when, in the final, HMMS had their GK rolling the ball out to their backs...what a hypocrite I am! But the grey areas are what make these processes so challenging (and therefore fun to be a part of) and while I can accept a certain amount of criticism for turning my back on my principles, training Monday night was all about keeping the ball, connecting the team, and using skill rather than brute force to succeed. So I'm not a total thug.
So what's the takeaway? The boys had fun. Scored lots of goals. Got some prizes and played the final in front of the Rats in a raucous atmosphere. (Congrats to the Rats on winning the "A" cup!) That's great for a group of kids to experience. They also defended like madmen, something we work on all the time, and so hopefully the value of that work was underscored. They showed tactical flexibility in playing direct, dump and press football rather than building out of the back, and that's something I think every college coach would love to have more of; kids who can alter the way they play on the fly. And, hopefully, the day shows that playing for wins exclusively negates any real need to teach players to play the game in it's most skillful iteration.
I'm not writing that previous sentence with much judgement...it's just that, for me, I'd rather learn to do something in it's most creative and challenging form. I'm snobby this way, maybe. Most folks are like that when it's something they're passionate about, I suppose.
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