Firecracker Tie, but Not For Lack of Trying

New Feature!  Click on the button above for this week's Captains Log.

I included last week's because it was just posted. This week's will be up shortly.

29 September 2005

David Ahlgren

 With airplanes taking off overhead and sewage grates dotting the field, the Firecrackers played their final regular season game for the Summer League.  Although the final result did not end up the way that it looked it would, a three great lessons can be learned.

 Lesson #1

It’s important to have a good start to every game.  The Firecrackers began the game with confusion on the sideline.  Players showed up late, people were still putting on their equipment as the whistle started the game.  Yet somehow, somehow, the Crackers strung together a good 15-20 passes to open the game.  Then about 20 minutes in, Franco Benevento played a great slotted ball to Dave Ahlgren, who finished the ball—first touch, with an S2.  Seven minutes later, Jeremy Basanese headed a great through ball, again to Ahlgren who was taken out by the keeper and still managed to finish the breakaway.  The Crackers stumbled a little when the La Soledads put a goal away shortly before half.  The play leading up to it was a direct result of hustle, winning the ball in the air, and smart passing.

 Lesson #2

Teams don’t give up.  Even down a man (after a La Soledad player got ejected) and down two goals, they kept coming.  The firecrackers scored in the near the end of the second half.  Brian Sturges took a rocket shot, which the keeper deflected, but Ahlgren was there to head it in for the hat trick.  That didn’t matter to the Soledads, because after they finished berating the refs, they got back down to business.  One took a dive (lesson #3) in the box to get a penalty kick.  Then a few minutes later, after what looked to be a ridiculously offside play, they scored the final goal of the game to break even.  The lesson we should take from this is that smart substitutions should be made at the end of the game.  Point taken, lesson learned.

 Lesson #3

Please, please, please, pay attention to this one.  If you are defending anyone, and you have them facing away from the goal, THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT.  I’ve seen it all over the field where a Firecracker has someone pinned up against the sideline, or running backwards, etc., and we hack away at their ankles.  Please, I would like everyone to make a conscious effort to not do this anymore.  Hispanic teams are notorious for making a little tap look like a compound fracture.  We have to know when it’s appropriate to foul.  It’s never appropriate to foul when you have the player right where you want him.  Make him play the ball back, tackle him when he turns, or pressure him into giving the ball away, but NEVER hack at his ankles or push him in the back.

 If the Firecrackers play with the intensity that we had for 90% of the past two games, there is no team out there that will be able to stop us from winning the championship this season.  Let’s concentrate on giving it everything that we have for the next two games!

www.sjfirecrackers.com