U19 Weekend Recap

Two games in two days is never easy, it's even worse when's it's about 90 degrees out. Throw in some physical challenges and injuries, and I'm just glad the weekend's over. We won the Saturday game against a previously unbeaten team, then tied on Sunday when we couldn't convert the chances we were creating.

It's interesting to watch how these kids handle the pressure of these types of games. Some rise to the challenge, while some struggle with it. Some keep fighting through, others try to find excuses and blame others. That's all part of the learning process though, and something these guys will need to figure out as they move on in soccer and in life.

There were some interesting surprises, players who weren't thought of as being stalwarts of the team stepped up big time in these two games. One is a 14 year old who is playing against players up to 5 years older than him, the other is a quiet, unassuming player who has never really stood out among his peers. Both played nearly all 180 minutes over the weekend, and were huge contributors to the team's success.

The quality of the team's play was much higher this weekend than last. The development is continuing. I'm just glad we don't have any more 2-game weekends coming up...