Monday, June 11, 2012

U13 - Progress in Erie, PA


Our U13 boys were in Erie, PA this weekend for the Erie Premier Cup.

Our record was 1-2 over three games.  Beyond the score, a lot of good things happened that really motivate me to work on what didn’t go well.

This week we will reinforce our ever-improving shape, work on 1v1 defending again, finishing as well as attacking and defending crosses.  Coach Paul will put the boys through a physical workout as well.

Most important about the tournament, the boys had a good time together away from the field at the hotel and our team dinner at a local restaurant.  Our other U13 Boys team was also there and they had a chance to cheer each other on at certain points.

The 2 games we lost we fell victims to our own slow starts.  I am always nervous with this group hen I don’t get a full warm-up in and get them focused on the game.  It’s tough at tournaments because there is very little free grass to get the ball moving and organizers like to get games started as soon as possible following the previous game.

What is getting me more excited with each passing game is that we are spending more time in the opponents half than ever before.  The last two years it wasn’t rare for us to be shutout, but this year we have only been shutout three times in 14 games.  We also left a few tournament winless in 2011 and 2010, but that has yet to happen this season.

This week we have a league game and will be missing a centre defender and our leading scorer.  This will give some other boys a chance to step up and show they can contribute at the same level.

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