Another co-ed indoor game last night. If you remember, I missed the first game where we lost 10-2. Last week, my first game with the team, we lost 11-2. Last night, we had a 10:30 pm kickoff (ugh) and lost 11-5. In case you’re not counting, that’s 9 goals for and 32 goals against for a -21 goal differential. Can you say Derby County?

The reasons for the pitiless maulings seems pretty clear to me, and here they are in order of importance:

* Conditioning: Having played more competitive, league-based soccer in the last six months than I have in the last six years, I have a new-found appreciation for conditioning. This factors in to pickup as well, but there you can dog it if you want since no one’s really keeping score and you’re really not letting anyone down. On an organized team, there are subs waiting to get in and people do track the results, so it’s a bit different.

The teams we’re playing can outrun us almost from the kickoff, and this typically means more time on the ball. More time on the ball means you can pick your passes, which translates to more possession and goals. Conversely, the bad is compounded when you’re being outrun. You blow your legs chasing the ball, it’s hard to move the ball fast when you’re tired, and it’s hard for people to get in good positions for passes. Age, in my mind, plays a large part in this since we appear to be older than most of the teams we play too.

* Skill levels: Generally speaking, the guys we’re playing with are better on the whole than our guys, and their women are better than our women. Not by a ton in most cases, and it’s pronounced when you factor in the above point. At equal levels of conditioning I think these games would be tight but we’d probably still lose; add a slight margin of skill to an overwhelming advantage in conditioning and you get lopsided results.

* One-touch passing and movement: This gets third because both of the above play a big part. One-touch passing makes all the difference in the world in soccer as you move the ball so much faster and the opposition has little time to react. For our team, the ball moves slowly and that gives the other team (who is fitter anyone) ample time to regroup. We ship so many goals precisely because the teams we play against play the ball quickly when they get it, and we’re too slow to react.

I sense that some of the guys on my team think that we’re losing because of bad decision-making, the ball not bouncing the right way, or lack of effort. We’re not. The problem, quite simply, is that we’re playing in Division I against good teams who are fitter and better than us. Experience has taught me that teams that are a little worse but are in better condition can often beat you. Teams that are a little better across the board but are in better condition? They pound you.

So, what has my tactical acumen revealed? That when you’re old, slow, and can’t pass the ball well against superior, fitter opponents you find yourself on the wrong side of lopsided defeats. Hand me my Manager of the Month award now, please.

Current Mood: Exhausted |