Growing Pains: Impressions from a Soccer Match
Last Sunday Silk City SC got its first taste of 11 on 11 action. It was both beautiful and terrifying.
Sunday was a perfect day to be outside. Temperatures were in the mid 70’s, and a few puffy fair weather clouds dotted the sky as I approached Charter Oak Park, our team’s home field. Our team captain Kobe had asked for everyone to arrive at 3:30. It was important that we discuss tactics and warm up together before the game.
I looked at my phone and sat down by one of the goals. 3:28, and I was the only one there. The afternoon was off to a great start. I sat for a moment and then decided to put on my cleats and shin guards. I had not worn shin guards for over twelve years, and I felt like some kind of clumsy, heavily armored knight. I stood up and moved around, trying to adjust to the new sensation. Our goalkeeper, Nolan, approached in the distance.

As our teammates continued to arrive, I warmed up and stretched, reassuring myself that my performance did not ultimately matter. This game was just a scrimmage, after all. I mentally replayed the intro to ACDC’s For Those About to Rock a thousand times in my head, psyching myself up.
You’re a strong defender, Alex. Remember to close down the space. Don’t jump into tackles. Your best friends are right next to you. You can do this.
Coming from cycling, a sport where mental toughness is paramount, I know all about positive self talk and the importance of mental preparation. I was ready to play. But where was the other team? The match was supposed to start around 4:15, and it was now 4:30.
I ended up losing track of time as I fed crosses into the box for my teammates. I think taking shots or volleys on goal without pressure is a terrible way to warm up, but I haven’t told them that yet. Besides, out on the boundary I was by myself and could think clearly about what I had to do during the game. The sound of the ball thunking off my foot was satisfying, and I felt powerful.
My concentration was finally broken by a stream of players in yellow kits approaching the field. The opposition had arrived. After a brief conference regarding our formation and tactics, we were ready to play.
The first twenty minutes of the match were hellish. I was expecting this, as this was the first time that our entire team was able to play together on a full field. We began the game trying to use a 4–2–3–1 formation, but it morphed into something like a 6–3–1 as we struggled to escape our own half.
Out at right back I quickly lost the confidence that I had built up during the day. I found myself outnumbered on the wing with no help in front of me, and was almost constantly in a 2 on 1 situation. This enabled the two players opposite me to pass between each other, forcing me to press whoever was on the ball. The other player would then make a forward run and receive the pass, forcing me to sprint back to stay goalside of them. This resulted in an early goal from a cross that I was unable to block.
Sprinting back and forth between these two players was exhausting, and I began to panic on the ball. Undoubtedly some of my other teammates felt the same way. There were countless turnovers in our own half, which allowed our opponents to sit their two center backs at the halfway line and commit everyone else into the attack. One of our center backs scored an own goal, and I conceded a penalty kick from a handball in the box, which was equally demoralizing. Luckily the ensuing shot missed.
Before the game we had arranged to make certain substitutions at the 20th minute, and I had already been selected to come off. This was good. I needed the break both physically and mentally. I watched the rest of the first half and took notes.

By halftime, we were somehow only down 4–2 thanks to a couple of quick counterattack goals, and the tone of our halftime meeting was surprisingly relaxed. My good friend Ryan, one of our holding midfielders and one of the wiser players on our team, made a good point: These guys were not dribbling around us; it was not a question of personal skill. Their team was relying on quick passing and movement. Every time one of their players had the ball, he would not panic. He would wait for one of us to press, and then find the open man before we got there. Granted these are the fundamentals of soccer, but when you’ve been chasing ghosts and panicking for almost an hour even the basics can go out the window. If they could be so successful just by stringing simple passes together, we could do the same.
We also decided to keep a flat back four instead of trying to get the fullbacks into the attack. This made a lot of sense, as during the first twenty minutes of the game I had tried to spread wider and move upfield while we were in possession. Inevitably I would get caught up the field as the ball got turned over in our own half, necessitating even more sprinting on my part.
These fairly simple halftime adjustments ended up working pretty well. Everyone seemed to have calmed down, and we were able to possess and move the ball much more. The back four also pushed up and down the field very cohesively as a flat unit. There were points in the second half where I was standing on the halfway line as a center back, and our attackers had barely gotten that far up in the first half. After moving to center back I regained my confidence, and as the game slowed down a bit I was able to get back into a groove, using my size to my advantage to win some headers and bully the opposing strikers a bit.
The game ended 6–2, but everyone felt much better after the second half. We produced way more chances and defended much more effectively. After reflecting for the past few days, I am left with the following impressions:
- As a defender it is best to kill the ball and play from a spot. Let the opponent come to you and tire out, don’t dribble up the field to them.
- SIMPLE PASSES ARE ALWAYS THE ANSWER. Do not go long. At this level most players can’t accurately play long balls.
- Defending is not only about tackling. I had one of their attackers stranded on Alex Island during the second half and no one wanted to pass to him. When they did try and play a through ball, I was in a good position to stop it. This frustrated and demoralized the attacker. Take away those attacking options!
- We have a clutch goalkeeper who makes good saves. All of the goals we allowed were defensive breakdowns. This needs fixing and the defensive players have to work out who is going to mark who when there are lots of bodies in the box.
- Playing soccer requires a warrior mentality. You can’t be timid when challenging for the ball. Obviously you don’t want anyone to get hurt, but don’t be afraid to lean in a bit or use your body to get leverage.
- Our passing needs work. Lucky for us, this is something that can be fixed easily with practice. It should improve as we continue to play together.
- Positive self talk is important. Learn from your mistakes and don’t be afraid to talk to yourself during a game. It will help you remember the fundamentals, and it might even intimidate your opponents a bit.
The match was good for our team, painful as it was at times. Ultimately there is nothing better than playing together as a team with your friends, and for our first outing it was not the worst result. Silk City SC looks to improve, and with a bit more chemistry and playing time the squad looks to threaten in the Connecticut Soccer League this season.
