September 11, 2004

Horatia at the Midfield Line

It is the first game of the soccer season. "Go, go, go!" shouts the opposing coach. "It's five on one! It's five on one! Go, go, go!" And it is indeed five on one: Five of their forwards and midfielders breaking past the midfield line, and we have only one midfielder between them and the goalie--the defenders were playing up and have somehow been caught out on the wings.

But the one is the Eleven-Year-Old. And the five... well, it is the first game of the season, so they haven't been playing together well enough to have a sense of who they can pass to and where the pass recipient is likely to be. And they are eleven too, and so their ball-handling skills are pretty weak.

Their center forward doesn't gain enough control over the ball to even try a pass, and the Eleven-Year-Old takes it away and boots it back up the field into the box...

Posted by DeLong at September 11, 2004 06:30 PM | TrackBack
Comments

Isn't it great to have that feeling of parental proudness? I have twin five-year old boys and love watching them play soccer. There's no better feeling in the world than seeing them run around and have fun.

OK, there is - it's when they ask if I can play with them.

Posted by: PigInZen at September 11, 2004 06:54 PM

Soccer: a really elaborate method for killing grass.

Posted by: Chuck Nolan at September 11, 2004 07:42 PM

Ah Chuck the lawnmowing is not everything. It just isn't.

Posted by: calmo at September 11, 2004 07:48 PM

Bully, I say! Three cheers for The Eleven-Year-Old!

Posted by: Matt Davis at September 11, 2004 07:54 PM

Those are the days! Enjoy em while they last.

Posted by: Luke Lea at September 11, 2004 09:13 PM

Still coaching, first grade thru 12th grade. Being a good liberal, all my players play even minutes, wether they are good, bad or ugly. We win more than we lose, and even win the coveted Championship occasionally. (Not that that matters).

Posted by: STLMartin at September 11, 2004 11:36 PM


Piss on that. Horatio isn't remembered because he got played and three forwards ran past him to buffalo the goalie. Hooray the Eleven-Year Old! Onward to victory!

(I celebrate the catharsis of obsolete tribal loyalty mechanisms via sports)

Posted by: NBarnes at September 11, 2004 11:56 PM

Steve Martin in Parenthood.

Posted by: Dave L at September 12, 2004 07:12 AM

alas, my 9 yr old's team lost, 3 - 0. Interesting side issue, after the game we had several complaints from our kids that the opposing goalie twice stopped balls while inside the goal, so I suppose we should alert those in charge of the league that the (teenage) refs should be mindful of that. Credibility check: we lost 3-0, but the claim of "goals not counted for us" was only 2 consistently.

Posted by: David at September 12, 2004 07:36 AM

Yes and then there's the other game, later on when your child shows enough promise to make the rep team. The parental interest there, does take on the dimensions alluded to by NBarnes. A different sort of entertainment that.

Posted by: calmo at September 12, 2004 08:19 AM

Yesterday marked the opening day for my eleven year old daughter's soccer season as well. Having been cursed with a mother whose athletic aptitude is just short of bone dry, a celebration of her relatively small athletic achievements is akin to the Devil Rays winning the Pennant.

She's not especially serious about soccer, either. She's a social animal and it's all about the girl-chat for her. But somehow when she takes the field...it's glorious just to watch her out there...hair flying in the breeze...face ruddy from chasing down offense and grinning ear to ear.

Oh and they won, too. 5-0.

Posted by: carla at September 12, 2004 10:41 AM

At least they've gotten past the stage where they all run in a big group, each trying to get the ball, then stopping to stare into the sky if a butterfly comes above their heads.

Posted by: Brian at September 12, 2004 11:34 AM

I have long had a hypothesis that the reason soccer is not commercially successful in the US is precisely because it is too popular in the middle class kids. The unique thing about soccer played by middle class kids in the US is that their parents are always there to watch, and it's played so bad. As a result, most middle class parents are so sick of watching bad soccer played by their kids that they don't ever want to pay to watch a soccer game, no matter how good it is. Any truth in this? Parents?

Posted by: pat at September 13, 2004 09:59 AM