Postgame Fin: Swingin’

Well, Friday I was still limping from the muscle tear that happened last weekend. But Sunday morning I woke up feeling great. Against better judgement I decided to give it a go. I knew that my injury would get re-aggravated, but we were just two wins away from winning the league and I knew that I wanted to be a part of the fight, win or lose. It was a beautiful late March afternoon--party cloudy with a cool breeze constantly sweeping across the freshly-mowed grass.We knew our opponent, the Stampeding Stegosauruses, would be tough. They had only been scored on a few times the whole season, and won every game by a comfortable margin. They, well, stampeded through the season.

We went out on top, but lost the fight.

I felt good after the warmup, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that some friends of the team had showed up to watch. I started off on the sidelines, which gave me a nice view of the other team scoring two quick goals on us. They seemed unstoppable. They had a highly-skilled girl goalie, and their field players moved the ball around well, especially near our goal. They just kept working the ball around the outside, and then hit quick, low drives to the corners. We played hard and our goalie made some great saves, but it's so hard to defend teams that can move the ball so well. But we fought back, and fought hard. When I came in the game, it took only minutes for my injury to come back. I could feel that gooey, fragile scaffolding pulling apart as I sprinted to keep up with the other team's striker. But I was determined to play at least enough to give the other defender a break. In the first half, we just couldn't get the ball in the net. We created great chances and gave as good as we got. But when the whistle blew to end the half, we were down 4-0.

At halftime, I saw one of the opposing players go to check on the score for the other game. They assumed they were going to win, and wanted to get an idea of who their opponent would be for the finals. This assumption showed in their play at the beginning of the half. They were more relaxed and gave us more room to run. We took advantage and created some good chances. And finally, it happened--our defender made a perfect pass across the goal for an easy tap-in by our girl striker who scores the lion's share of our goals. We followed that up with a two-on-one break that ended in a beautiful shot and goal. We kept up the pressure for the rest of the match, but couldn't find two more goals. When the whistle blew, we walked off with our heads high, and it was satisfying to see that our opponents looked relieved instead of elated.

In the end, we didn't seem to take it hard. And how could we? We put up a great fight and had our opponents on their heels for most of the second half. Like Rocky Balboa in the eponymous first movie, we landed the last good shots, but lost the fight. All in all it was a good season. We didn't always win easily or pretty, but we got the job done and fought hard. If our opponents had hit the outside of the post instead of the inside on two of their goals, the game could have ended a lot differently. But that's soccer. Sometimes the bounces don't go your way. We wanted to win it all, sure. That's always the goal. But it's also great to play with the same group of players season after season. You have that same common goal, you back each other up. You know that ten or twenty years later, when you're in different cities and in the peak of your career with teenage kids and a big house, you'll think back fondly on those years you spent with your teammates. It's a stage of life, just like high school, having your first child, or that terrible first job out of college. At some point you'll grow out of it, you'll realize it's time to hang the cleats up and move on to other things. I thought I was there last summer, but I'm still hanging on. Maybe I have one or two more seasons left...

Postgame #5: Limping Across the Finish Line

Our last game of the regular season was on Saturday. We faced an opponent that was in the bottom of the standings with only one win. Though no one said it out loud, our demeanor and preparation showed that we expected an easy win.

But one lesson I've learned--albeit poorly--in my beer league experience is to expect the unexpected. Our opponent came out fighting and scored a beautiful goal in the first few minutes. And then things got worse still: a sudden acute tightness in my right calf. It felt like a marble was suddenly embedded deep down amongst the bundles of fiber. I thought it was a cramp at first, but after a few minutes of waiting for it to go away I knew something was very wrong.

We were playing a Saturday make-up game, so most of our team wasn't able to make it. We had a skeletal squad, with only one sub for all of us. I gritted my teeth and literally limped around the field. We eventually took control of the game. While we had trouble finishing, we ground out a 3-2 win that--while as sloppy as the sodden, muddy field--was surprisingly satisfying.

I don't have much experience with being hurt. I'm lucky that it rarely happens to me. This season, however, I've had a streak of bad luck. My ankle was hurt in an ostensibly harmless maneuver in a pickup game back in February and has never quite been at 100%. Then in the first 6s game of the season, I had a collision that bruised my knee. And this weekend I had to contend with a torn calf muscle. I should have quit playing immediately, and I may yet regret not doing so if I don't heal up in time for a huge game next weekend.

The first game of the playoffs was Sunday morning. It was agonizing for me to not be able to be there. My team fought their way to a 4-4 tie and then won in a shootout. I took some comfort in knowing that my efforts helped us get a favorable seeding, but it's tough to be sitting at home when you know your teammates are out there, fighting for that win. You want to be with them, to share in the victory or go out fighting your hardest.

Next weekend we face the league's number one seed. We have some experience against them, and while they plowed through every team in their path, we have some ideas on how to handle them. Two wins are all that stand between us and our best season ever. But they will require every ounce of mettle, skill, and grit that we can summon. All there is to do is wait for the big day and take care of myself as best I can.

Postgame #4: Hustle, Girls, and a Goalie

Back to back games last weekend and back-to-back victories. Even after playing hundreds of 6s games, I still have revelations every now and then. What I learned last weekend is that the three most important components of a 6s team are hustle, girls, and the goalie.

• Hustle - 6s, fast as it can be, can also become a major stalemate if teams aren't willing to work for goals. The small goal frames make it difficult to score from outside of the box, but it's nevertheless tempting to rip a shot from distance. Most such attempts are harmless and aren't even on target. But a defender joining an attack can create a substantial advantage, with three attacking players moving the ball around 2 defenders. This is how most of the goals are scored--not by blazing fast, perfectly-placed shots, but by working the ball around and getting close enough to the goal to easily jam it in before the goalie can react.
  

  Bust it if you want to win

• Girls - Because of spring break and other obligations, we only had two girls who were able to show up. Luckily, they were the two most badass girls in town. Four out of our five goals during the weekend were scored by one of our girls, and the other one made some huge plays on defense to shut down major scoring chances. We boys just futzed around and looked nice. Really, we did our part and played well, but the quality finishing and lockdown defense of our ladies were a major part of the difference.

• Goalie - Quality chances are going to happen, and it's common sense that a good goalie can carry the team. Our goalie happens to be a machine in terms of his consistency and reflexes. He genuinely hates getting scored on. Fortunately, that rarely happens. In Sunday's game, he came through with two huge saves at the end of the game to keep the shutout.

So what's missing here? Guys, of course! Guys are largely redundant. The best teams have good guys, but a competent guy and goalie can shut down almost any guy attacking by himself. If everyone hustles, and the girls can finish or keep the play alive, and the goalie can stop the difficult shots, you're going to go far.

This Saturday we play our last regular-season game. We're a lock for the upper division playoffs. The key is to win the last game, and by a large margin. This will ensure a favorable first-round matchup when the playoffs start the next day.

Standings after six games

Postgame #3: Game On Your Foot

I played the role of Looten Plunder

Today Five Points Pizza faced their biggest challenge yet--Planeteer United The connection between the two teams ran deep. We had all played together on various teams for the last five years. But the Planeteers had a solid lineup. They had a girl goalie and not a single scrub amongst the guys on their roster. This is a fearsome combination in 6s soccer. Four skilled guys playing in the field is difficult to handle. But Five Points Pizza came out fighting. The game was tough at the beginning, with the Planeteers putting intense pressure on our end. The game went back and forth--rough but clean. In the second half, we had the lion's share of quality scoring chances, but on almost every one we came within inches of finishing.We were thoroughly shutting down some very highly-skilled opposition.

Nevertheless, with five minutes remaining we were up 2-1. The Planeteers got a red card for reasons I still don't understand, and we scored on the free kick. But then--but then! I got drawn over to one side of the field, and the Planeteer girl playing in the field snuck into open space. I turned around in time to see her convert a cross into a goal. 2-2 and the lead was gone.

With the Planeteers playing a man down because of the red card, we got into a 4 on 2 situation. As soon as it developed, I knew the game would be on my foot. I charged downfield with my teammates, trying to stay open. About ten yards away from the goal the ball came skipping across the grass, straight to my left foot. All of the game's drama--the hard tackles, the missed chances, my goalkeepers typically solid and heroic performance--was right there, coalesced into that scampering sphere. I wound up and connected. The timing was perfect, and my shot was true and hard. I glanced up to see the ball heading straight for the top left corner of the goal. A few milliseconds later, to my horror, it sailed a few inches over the crossbar and harmlessly out into the grassy void. The game ended almost immediately afterwards and we lost in a shootout.

For even the experienced soccer player, it's a challenge to connect well with a fast, low ball. We practice it hundreds of times. Without anything on the line, it becomes a somewhat routine thing. I can sink such a pass easily when I'm just practicing or kicking around. But as plenty of soccer players will tell you, there's a special soccer skill that the best players have. Most call it "finishing." Some players never get it, no matter how hard they try. If my brain had sent 1% more neurotransmitters down to my foot to flex my ankle a little harder, if I had been a foot closer, if I had leaned forward more, the ball would have crashed into the net and then dropped gently down, and before it hit the ground I would have been scrambling to tackle my nearest teammate with glee. I've scored plenty of times, but I won't say I have the ability to finish, and today proved why I'm a defender.

The game coalesces and explodes in a single moment.

So what are you left with then? Failure: I like to think that I've grown beyond the point where my on-field failures burden my mind. Tonight, though, I know that when it's all quiet and I'm trying to calm my mind down and go to sleep, I'll see that moment. It's indelibly burned in there, that singular moment when hope turned to failure and the necrotic cascade of regret and self-loathing started. It's just beer league, right? The records get purged when the season's over, the league champs go get drunk a month later at a great party and it all starts again. A season with another hundred triumphs and failures. There's nothing at stake, right? But why do we play? Why do we sacrifice our time and bodies? Because it matters. Even when there's nothing explicitly at stake it matters. It's not rational, it can't be explained to someone who doesn't already understand. A cynic might say I'm fighting back against aging, clinging tenaciously to draining youth. Perhaps. But I know that until my next chance comes to take the field and gain redemption, the memory of that ball drifting harmlessly over the crossbar will be down there, clawing at my attention.

Five Points Pizza is now 3-1 with three more must-win games remaining. A double-header awaits next weekend. Hopefully I can spring forward out of the funk.

Postgame #2: Young Blood

Jung judo chop!

The second scheduled game was mercifully canceled two weekends ago. Mercifully for the field, because it would have likely ended up as a pocked morass of mud at day's end from all the rain the day before. Mercifully for me because my ankle and knee were both still in a constant state of dull pain. There's something to be said for young blood. Even as recently as a year ago, I could play soccer day after day, dish out the licks and take them, and I never had an injury that kept me from playing. I had hernia surgery back in 2010 and I was on the field a week later.

Even if the young blood is no longer flowing in these veins, I believe it's still crucial to keep the blood moving. I've always thought that the key to feeling good or recuperating is to stay active, enough to increase your heart rate and thus move more blood through the tissues. The blood picks up waste and delivers nutrients. Accelerate this, and you accelerate the natural processes that help maintain homeostasis. I don't know how accurate that really is, but it's always worked for me. But when the knee and ankle are both hurting, high-impact exercise can make things worse. So I do lots of low-impact workouts, like the stationary bike and the elliptical.

Speaking of youth, Carl Jung talked about how a man's youth was defined by his urge to fight and conquer. Of course, for us peaceful, law-abiding types, this translates into organized sports. But as I hear the horrible hoofs of age 30 just over those black hills, I have a different outlook on the game. It's more about exercise now. My many goofs and outright failures don't keep me up at night. Nowadays I have to think about my career, my family, and what kind of legacy I may or may not be building. Soccer has its place, no doubt, but it's a much smaller one. While I spend less of my time thinking about the game, there's still a sense of bliss once I'm out there on the grass, breathing in that crisp winter air. And last Sunday we did just that, winning 5-3 in a game that was deadlocked up until the last five minutes. The ladies scored most of the goals, and they did so with flawless execution. Guys are largely redundant in coed 6s. If your girls are good, that's how you get to the finals.

Postgame #1: Soccer Shape

Actual game photo

Victory! A solid 4-2 win. Amongst the huge clumps of uprooted grass was the reddish-brown powder of layers and layers of rust being shaken off. Is iron oxide a fertilizer? I'm not sure. But for every short pass that popped up in the air, there was a sweet, delicate touch that put its recipient in a scoring situation. We played a very, very strong game. Our defense looked great, and improved finishing and communication will come quick as this is a team that spans several years of steady challenges. In a play that exemplified the insanely-fast nature of 6s, our goalie made a save and immediately heaved the ball two-thirds of the way downfield. The ball dipped right behind the other team's last defender onto the foot of our very dangerous striker, who took it in for an easy score. You can attack as a defender, but if you do it carelessly you do so at your peril. Best to err on the side of caution, I've found.

I also got a tough reminder that being in shape is not necessarily being in soccer shape. I bike to work. Six days of the week I either run or go to the gym. I try to live a healthy lifestyle. Yesterday I did a light run and circuit workout in the weight room. I avoided alcohol and got a great night's sleep. But after a few minutes of exuberant sprinting, the cold dry air had shocked my lungs and drastically slowed me down. The only way to get into soccer shape is to play lots of soccer.

All over Nashville, hundreds of adults will be getting back into soccer shape in the month of February. It's not too late for you! Keep following @soccernashville for information on local pickup games and league signups!

On another note, I had a vicious collision with a guy much more dense than I expected that sent me flying. After the excitement and euphoria wore off I realized I had a severely bruised knee. Once that injury forced me to start limping, I realized my left ankle isn't better either.The heating pad and I are spending some quality time together this evening.

So begins another year of soccer! Thank goodness I'm only playing two days a week instead of five like the good crazy old days. I have no idea how many more seasons are left in this tired body...

2012 Kickoff

Tomorrow is GAME DAY, baby. The first outdoor soccer game in Nashville for the year 2012. It's only appropriate that my team, Five Points Pizza, is playing the inaugural game at 10:50. Nashville Sports Leagues uses the fields at Paragon Mills Park, a pleasant venue tucked away inside a quiet neighborhood off of Nolensville Road.

Five Points Pizza vs. Futbol Club FC

My attitude towards soccer has changed since my daughter was born last August. Before that, there were seasons where I had a game five days out of the week. I was fully "into it," so to speak, and it was great. But things are different now and my priorities have changed drastically. Now I'm back in graduate school and I have a wonderful daughter. My career has taken a major step forward and I'm trying to pick up some more programming languages at home to be more effective in my new role. These have pushed the beautiful game down a few notches. I still enjoy playing soccer, but now it's about having fun and getting some exercise. I want to win, sure. The competitive drive is there, but I don't dwell on the games like I used to. Even small mistakes that I made used to keep me up for hours at night, and I won't even go into the agony a serious gaffe would bring. Soccer was the rhythm to my week: 11s games on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. 6s games on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by a happy exhaustion on Thursday and Friday before it all started again.

There's so much more fighting for my focus these days. It's too soon to say if it's going to affect my level of play. There are many other variables. I hurt my ankle a bit playing pickup last Saturday. It wasn't anything major, probably not even a sprain, but the sharp rushes of pain let me know that something down there in the pulpy mess of tendon and sinew was torn just slightly. The pain is still there, numb yet unmistakable. I fear that a hard tackle or a toe catching in the grass could put me out for a few weeks. But I'm going to risk it. Tomorrow is too big to miss.

What matters now is that tomorrow on a cold morning, on a field still slightly soggy from the week's rain, two teams that have been in the league for years are going to square off once more. When the game's over, the neighborhood kids will have just started coming to the park to play basketball and tag. The next four teams will be warmed up and ready to go. And that's how it's going to be, every weekend from now until December somewhere in Nashville. Hundreds of adults just like me will get a quick taste of sweet victory or acrid defeat and then cleanse their palate over glasses of Yazoo from the local pub.

Life is good.

League Overview – NSL

Nashville Sports Leagues has an abundance of offerings, but they can be narrowed down to the following:

• Coed 6s
• Open 11s
• Coed Futsal

I haven't played in the NSL futsal league. However, I have many friends who say it's a blast, and it fills up quick. If you have experiences you would like to share about the NSL futsal league, pass them along and I'll happily post them here.

Down to business. I'll start with Coed 6s. This is how I started my soccer rebirth in Nashville. By pure chance I ended up getting invited to play on a 6s team. When I got to the field, my heart sank. The goals were small, like kids' goals, as was the field. A quick review of the rules revealed that there was no offsides, and kick-ins instead of throw-ins. "This isn't soccer!" I thought. My opinion changed in the first five minutes. 6s is definitely soccer, and it's fun. When two highly-skilled teams get on the field, the pace is relentless. You always have to be on your toes, and even if you play a defensive role, there is ample opportunity to score. You will get plenty of exercise. Remember "shuttle runs" from high-school soccer, also known as "suicides?" Yeah, the whole game is like one long but extremely fun and exciting shuttle run!

Some observations:

• There's only one ref, who can't be everywhere. Some self-policing is required, so be mature.
• Win or lose, you get a beer card that entitles your team to a free pitcher of beer at a local hangout. Awesome! That's what beer league is about
• The level of competitiveness is across a HUGE spectrum. There are some teams that are just there for the fun and the beer, and that's fine. But steamrolls are not unheard of. Fortunately, Nashvillians are generally a sportsmanlike bunch.
• NSL has a true playoffs format, and the stakes are high: the winner gets free entrance to an awesome alcohol-soaked Champs' party. It's worth busting your butt for and adds a nice element of drama to the proceedings.
• NSL is keenly aware of the variations in skill among the teams that play in the league, and thoughtfully divides the teams up into two brackets -- upper and lower -- at the end of the season when numbers make it possible. The winners of each bracket are invited to the champs party.
• No ties. If the game is tied at the end there's a shootout. Shootouts happen quite often and if your team is good at them it will make a huge difference in your success.
• If you put together a team of players who've never played 6s, you will probably get ground into a fine paste during your first season. Don't worry! Have a great time and focus on keeping a team together. Once you get some team chemistry and your team members get used to the pace and intricacies of the game  you will be able to hang with the best teams in the league. Having team chemistry and a system in place is the most crucial component to success, not individual player skill.
• There are games on Sunday afternoons all year round, but the spring, summer, and fall seasons have historically offered games on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings. These are played under the lights, and it adds an awesome atmosphere. The rowdy kickball games going on nearby add to the party atmosphere and make it a rollicking good time.

Victory!!!

NSL also offers a 11s league that plays on Monday nights. A few years back, there weren't many teams and the quality of competition was similarly not a high one. Now, though, it has attracted some powerhouse players, and a there is a surprising level of parity among the teams for a recreational league. The venue for the last few seasons has been Antioch Middle School, which is accessible from Nolensville Road and I-24, so it beats having to play down in Franklin on a weeknight. In contrast to MTSA, the games are of course at night, so playing under the lights adds to the drama.

One quirk of the league is that they seem to have done away with offsides. [EDIT: See first comment below. Offsides is back in 2012!] Offsides is tough to call, and apparently some discussions about the rule have led to it being jettisoned entirely. As a defender, the lack of offsides drove me nuts, but it definitely makes things more exciting! When it's all said and done, it's soccer and it's still a blast. Another thing to be aware of is that two teams will have to play at 6:30 each game night. Make sure you plan accordingly!

So there you have it.Briefly, both MTSA and NSL are well worth the time and money. MTSA's focus is on a pure interpretation of soccer, played at professional standards. NSL is no less a quality league, but it's a little more Animal House. You're far more likely to see an "office team" that just wants to have a good time in NSL than in MTSA. But both leagues have top-notch players and can be enjoyed by players of all levels.

Announcement – 3v3 Futsal Tournament 18 Feb

Got this in my inbox today:

From Ultimate Goal Ministries:

We've put the final touches on our first ever indoor futsal tournament to
be held at the indoor facility on Saturday February 18.

3 v 3 (5-6 players per team max)
12 minute halves, 2 minute halftimes, games on the half hour
Starts at 9am, championship game at 4:30pm
3 games guaranteed in first round, then moving to knockout round
Championship game will represent 7 games
2 courts going at once, each court turfed, 72 ft long by 35 wide
No goalies
Cost per team: $95
12 team max. limit
High school to adult (high competition level)

All proceeds go to help support the work of Ultimate Goal among Nashville's
under-resourced youth players as we aim to 'offer players hope and
opportunity that transforms and empowers their lives.'

Additional rules and information upon registration.

To register contact johnstayskal@ultimategoal.net (or once up on the web
site register at www.ultimategoal.net

We also need VOLUNTEER REFS... probably 8 in all if you know of anyone who
can help in that area.

Thanks,

John

Announcement – Franklin adult indoor soccer league

I'm subscribed to a listserv for Williamson County indoor soccer leagues, and this showed up in my inbox today.

Robert A Ring Arena

Two notes:

• While I've never been a registered player, I have been called up on several occasions to play in this league. The facilities are top-notch and made for indoor soccer. The field is high-quality turf, and the walls are hockey-height with the same rounded corners. It's an absolute blast
• However, the old rule (not sure if it's still in place) is that your team has to be 70% Williamson County residents. A big ouch for us Davidson County folk.

Text of the email follows:

Williamson County Parks and Recreation is happy to announce that registration is now open for adult indoor co-ed soccer at the Robert A. Ring Soccer Complex in Franklin.

This season, we're offering two leagues: a Wednesday night recreational division and a Friday night premier division. These leagues will start on February 29 and March 2.

Registration for both leagues will close on February 22, and the fee is $465.00 per team. There are eight spots available in each league, and registration is first-come, first-served.

For more information, feel free to check the WCPR website, or call Joseph Leray at the Franklin Indoor Soccer Arena at (615) 790 5792.