my soccer season blog

1 good 1 bad …game results 04-21-10

JBSoccer — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 16:09:56 +0000

about to take a free kick..playing against the green team

Just when we thought our team would be unstoppable entering the playoffs and all, the unimaginable happened. In our clash with the green team, we suffered heavily from our lacadaisical defending, slow thinking and inability to read plays. This coupled with the fact that a core of the team suffered injuries in the last game we played against Nanu’s team. As such we had about 3 to 4 players (and regular starters) not show up. I also got to the game a little late, and as i was stretching so as not to suffer any injuries the other team was getting busy trying to rack up as many goals as possible before i stamped my presence. i entered the game 3 minutes late saw just as we suffered a 3-0 deficit from the green team. A scoreline that even i knew would take more than a hard work from us, but a miracle to turn around..i’ve played in games like those before where you suffer deficits but dig yourself out of the hole, but not with this team though…that made it a little difficult..if the other guys had shown up i would’ve totally seen it happening…

Anyways, i got in and mesmerized the fans with my dribbling as always, and before you know it i had scored 2 goals..the upsetting thing about it was that the more i scored to catch up, the more our defense relented, and the more they scored..at the end of it all nothing went for nothing and after my 3 goal game the other team beat my team by 7-5. This means disaster for the green team the next time we play because now they’ve teased the beast and they’ll have to dance to its tune when next we meet…i’ll stay mentally ready till then, but as far as i’m concerned they will not be able to handle me…i promise

Good news though from the other passion in my life currently, which is coaching…well, the high school team i and Nanu coach went undefeated this season and we’ve made it to the playoffs after going on a 7-0-0 wining streak. I should’ve been 8, but we didn’t get to play Annie Camp because of bad weather conditions when we were supposed to…the playoffs were supposed to start this weekend but just like always, the weather messed it all up…Its the first time ever that Ridgfield High ihas gone undefeated, and we (i.e Nanu and myself) are happy to be a part of that history..especially since we played other teams that had far more subs than we ever did..the most we ever had for any given game was 3 subs, whereas other teams had 12, 16 depending…we beat them all…when i think about this,my own team performance in the Jonesboro league means nothing…this kids have really inspired me on the essence of hardwork and i can’t wait to deliver them their very first trophy..lets wait and see what will happen with that

dribbling my way through the defense

Here’s a video from the last game:

Shutdown!!! game results 04-18-10

JBSoccer — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 15:38:28 +0000

The game against Nanu, Alejandro and Dr. A’s team went as we expected. All the mouth popping had gone on all week long and it was time to put our games to test. The game started with my team blazing right out of the gate, on fire throughout the whole 90 minutes. It didn’t help them either that they didn’t have Nanu, their most influential player of the season so far, and my roommate, as he was out of town taking care of some personal things.

The game started with my teammates taking charge, without even letting me carry the burden of scoring like i usually do and before you could say “Jack Robinson” we had score 3 goals…I had to get in on the score sheet right?..just so that i put my bid in and i didn’t hold back either. I scored my goal in beautiful fashion, an act that has somewhat become my trademark in the league…i had to dribble all the way from defense through the midfield, through their defense, shimmied their goalie before slotting in the ball to the bottom right corner. As the guys on the sidelines put it, “everyone just stood watching because they were so intrigued by the footwork that they didn’t know if to stop me or jump for joy”…comments like that only make you smile, because it means you’re doing something well, and having fun doing it.

The opposing team tried to creep back into the game, but our offense was way too strong that defensively we took more risks than we would normally..the long and short of it all was that we ended up pounding the other team to a 7-2 win..one of our most dominating wins of the season..at this point i don’t even keep track of my goal tallies anymore..as they now become burdensome to keep counting…hopefully, i’m able to score for my team when we need it the most..pictures from the game are depicted below..enjoy

sitting catching my breathe at half time

walking back into our goal scoring galore exhibition...

Everything’s good right now!!!

JBSoccer — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 22:54:36 +0000

So you know the result of the last game?, so you know that i coach a high school soccer team?..Well, we won our game again on wednesday, with me scoring 3 goals..and with my roommate out of town, i acted as the only coach to work with the kids in the two games they had scheduled till he (Nanu, my roommate and the teams other coach, actually the main coach, with me as the assistant) returned from his trip…well, would you be surprised to find out that my team won both games, the first ending a 6-1 win and the second ending a 4-2 win..both games had their questionable calls but we won’t even dive into that, the result says it all…the team is good and on a roll like their coach’s team…Lets see if i’ll be able to do the double..winning with the kids and winning the championship with my team…only time will tell…

Back to playing in the adult league, my team won against George’s team 5-2..the painful thing about it was that George himself wasn’t present to get a wiff of it…even though his girlfriend had bragged about his team winning it all this season..i’ll just have to wait for him to be present with his girlfriend the next time we play his team so that i can serve his team up, firsthand…

Here’s a clip of the game with George’s team

On a roll!!!

JBSoccer — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 22:30:09 +0000

You can refer to my blog from weeks past..i believe i’ve made it clear time and time over again that losses are meant to either make you stronger such that you make changes or that it means you haven’t prepared well enough…or something within those lines…well, i couldn’t have being more right because we won our second game in a row, so i believe we’re on a roll now as a team…the game has changed so much and i’m getting better and better as the season goes on..the back isn’t giving me any unnecessary ache and i’m playing smarter game after game. I guess scoring more goals makes you feel that way..i added to my goal tally this season by scoring two more goals last sunday..A game which was supposed to be a welcome back not for me alone but to the rest of the players in the league who observed the Easter break…Unfortunately, i came back after not playing for two weeks a little out of form and shape. Two goals at half time pushed our campaign a step further as we won the game 5goals to 1. Did i forget to mention that i’ve also been sick…i played sick, well, partly sick because i was starting to feel better…whatever the case might have been, i made good with myself…why do you think this blog is named “athlete’s passion”…?

Watch a clip of the game

Even jerseys can testify!!!

JBSoccer — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 19:11:38 +0000

Its been a week and a half now since the last time we played..(thanks rain, you’ve really helped out)…but there’s more to look forward to. For instance, using my new cleats to terrorize defenders. The new cleats got me thinking about the old cleats and all the jerseys i wore them on as well as the jersey(s) i hope to wear the new cleats on. This got me thinking about getting a compilation of the jerseys that i’ve used till now.

These are my past jerseys. Note that they are arranged according to the past ones to the most current one.

ASU Indians '04-'06

Necaxa fc '07-'08

International fc '09-'10 season

Necaxa '08-'09

Juve fc '10-'11

out with the old…in with the new…

JBSoccer — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 19:11:09 +0000

This week saw me usher in some new cleats…it even had me singing a song that i had seen on an episode of the cartoon “Boondocks”. The song was called the new shoe song and it went like this: new shoes, new shoes …that’s it..well, it was about time i got a new pair of cleats as the old ones have out lived their time. The old ones have gotten so bad that they’re unworthy to be called cleats. I believe calling them shoes will do, as the feature that distinguishes them as a cleat is absent. The studs have totally rubbed off, and any and every athlete who plays on grass knows that those studs actually serve the purpose of planting the cleats so that the athlete doesn’t slide up and down the pitch.

Let me show you an example of what my old cleats look like:

these cleats have struck fear in the hearts of defenders and goalies alike for years

Though my old cleats have served me well, i hope my new cleats will do just as much as the old ones have done or even more. And did i forget to mention that they look even better…I probably wouldn’t have been able to say the same 3 years ago when i first purchased the old cleats (in Nov, 2007). I don’t think i can sing this cleats’ praises enough you’ll just have to see them for yourself.

Here’s what the new cleats look like:

new cleats..the dirt underneath them indicate the signs of good things to come..i got them dirty from trying them out

Ready to go…

JBSoccer — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 17:34:13 +0000

With the Jonesboro adult soccer league already in full swing one would imagine that i’m getting all the soccer i need taken care of..well, that’s not necessarily true as i am yet to play a single game in the Hispanic soccer league. I’ve received calls to show up and play but time just hasn’t been on my side to allow me get out there and see if i can hold my own against a much stronger and faster set of guys. One thing though is that the Jonesboro adult soccer league has in one way or the other being preparing me for the test to come, so whenever the opportunity opens up i’ll be in the perfect position to grab it.

The weather as well has been flexing its muscles on us. Both in the Jonesboro adult soccer league and in the Hispanic soccer league. Games that ought to have been played have been canceled due to unconducive weather conditions, which in turn leaves player who are supposed to be getting their fitness level up unable to do so. I’m glad though that my back has responded better than i anticipated.

Today would’ve been a perfect day to get on the score sheet once more..and it wouldn’t even matter which league i choose to do so in..The itch to score more is here to stay. I also have pictures from the last game, they were quite funny if you ask me..take a look for yourself and enjoy..

Trying to find something to smile about...

The hat trick hero and your host..

SERVE IT UP!

JBSoccer — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 17:33:38 +0000

The title of this entry could have been written in so many different ways..i decided to go with this one…you know that saying that “revenge is a dish best served cold”? well, that couldn’t have applied to anyone else than the team. We won our very first campaign on wednesday night, and it could’t have come against a better opponent than my roommate (Nanu’s) team. If you’ve been following up on the updates of this blog i’m sure you remember that Nanu’s team beat us on the very first game of the season…well, its redemption time and we’ve done well to deliver.

The game was exciting from start to finish (especially for me). It was a game that saw me show an arsenal of skills…dribbling…speed and composure. Right out of the gate i set out to burn the other team. All my goals (three in all) could potentially be considered as highlights of the game. Was it the first goal, which saw me dribble my way around 2 defenders before unleashing a thunderous shot; or was it my second goal which saw me back flick a grounded pass to free myself before chipping the ball over the goalie; Or was it my last goal which saw me dribble, twist and turn my way around 4 defenders before slotting the ball into the net…Whichever one, all i know is that i was on fire. Lets not even mention the number of assists that i racked up…

The most important thing is that we got our first win, and we looked good doing so…My only concern is the motto i somewhat go by: “Its not how well we do it, but how well we keep it up”..lets hope we’re able to keep it up…

Score of the game: 7-3

Goal count: 8 goals in 4 games

i believe i forgot to mention

JBSoccer — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:51:06 +0000

I believe i forgot to mention that i am now officially a coach…I believe i forgot to mention that i’m well off into it now, considering the fact that i’ve been doing it for 3 weeks…I believe i forgot to mention that i coach a team of talented junior high schoolers who make me proud everytime i coach them…I believe i forgot to mention that we’ve played 3 games against other schools and won very convincingly…I believe i forgot to mention that i’m doing this as a way of giving back…I believe i forgot to mention that the present is our gift and our younger ones have tomorrow that is my motivation for doing this…

Not only am i a player but i also coach now. For the first time in my life i decided to do something for other passionate soccer players like myself. Probably i shouldn’t take all the glory for this, i must admit that i coach along with my roommate, Nanu. Together we for a defence offence coaching unit. Me concentrating on the offensive players and him on the defensive player. These kids are young and have tremendous talents. The good thing about the scenario is that they now have me and Nanu to help mould their skills, show them some tips & tricks, and most of all exceed their potentials.

Doing this reminds me of when i was a young kid in Nigeria trying to learn to play soccer. I got kicked off the soccer team twice because the coach said i could play or wasn’t good enough. I had to beg my English teacher who was an elderly man to beg the coach to take me back on the team so i could learn, and even that was to no avail. I’ve learnt on my own though, and gotten pretty good at it too. Knowing that I’ve never had a coach and that i’ve never been coached made taking the gig somewhat uncertain. But when the chance opened up i decided to give it a try and most of all let the kids know the sky is the limit and that no one can tell them that they can’t do what they put their mind to…

I looked around to see who else is playing and found another blog that talks about a prospective superstar like the ones i’m coaching and found Erica 365 blog page. Do visit it and enjoy other blogs linked to it: http://erica365.wordpress.com/2009/09/13/its-soccer-season/

So, if i can’t win any game whatsoever in the league i trust that my kids will do so for me…

UPDATE

junior high school coaching record: 3 wins 0 losses 0 ties

game 1: Win 7-2

game 2: win 6-1

game 3: win 6-0

did someone say bounce back? 3-17-10

JBSoccer — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:44:45 +0000

Offence starts with defence

in the game

: playing for the win…i guess

Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from illness, change, or misfortune. Pretty much, the ability to bounce back. Why do I say this?, well, to start with, we lost another one. The harsh reality of this though is the fact that we’re making improvements and the only way to make such improvements work for us is to stick to this philosophy, fight adversary and breakthrough as a unit.

Our last game was played on Wednesday night. A game that saw me making a complete nuisance of myself by not creating any genuine threat to the opposing team’s defenders. i blame that partly on the slippery field condition…thanks a lot rainfall…Well, one can only blame the weather and surface condition so much, at some point in time or the other one has to take some blame, so i accept that i ought to have done better, especially on a night that my team expected so much from everyone.

The game ended for us in a loss, 3 goals to 2. The unfortunate thing about that is the fact that i have to hear my friend George talk about it for at least the next week and a half or two before i get to deliver my own punishment…and believe me it will be epic..you see, we’ve always had a nice competition, rivalry (whatever you want to call it ) going for a while, the messed up thing about it though is the fact that no matter how many time we beat them during the regular season, it always comes back to hunt us when the playoffs arrive because the end up beating us…when it matters the most..This season though we’ll try to flip that by preventing history from repeating itself…maybe this first game that we lost to George’s team is a sign of that…only the finals will tell…

I didn’t score in this game leaving my goal count remaining on 5

Goal count: 5