Game vs Junior FC: Preparation for MIC Tournament Opener

Friendly vs. Juniors
3/25/13
5-0

After a long trip across the Atlantic the squad was dying to get a game in. A local club in Barcelona, Juniors FC, Infantil “B”, would be the perfect test for the boys. We arrived for pregame at their modest sporting facility.

Pregame
Warm up was shaky, and the players looked jet-lagged – tired legs caused for some uncharacteristic poor touches. This was the main objective, to get all the junk out before the MIC.

1st Half
To our surprise the game had started and the boys were flying in the faces of a predominately one year older team. Newcomer Owen played a ball across to Imanol in the 2nd minute of the game to get us off to a great start. The Juniors and their parents could not believe the intensity and tenacity that these American boys had. But after 5 minutes the game started to swing the other way. Some poor technique and decision making allowed Juniors to grow in confidence. It became a game of, they attack and we attack. Back and forth, the players were trying to find their legs and their swagger. The half would end at 1-0.

2nd Half
After a motivating and encouraging half time talk the boys entered the field with a different mindset. They were no longer tired, no longer nervous, and they found their swag. Six minutes into the second half Efrain slipped a ball to Uly who took a touch and bent the ball to the far post. It didn’t stop there, 10 minutes in Roma passed the ball to Cesar who calmly touched by the goalkeeper and passed it into an open goal. The boys continued to grow in confidence and after a tricky set piece corner kick that resulted in a goal from Togo’s first time bomb, the game was well over. But it didn’t stop there, to cap off the night, with one minute left in the game, Togo crossed the ball and Owen was able flick over the goalkeeper.

The boys were humble in victory and learned a lot from the experience. Now it’s time for rest and recovery for the MIC.