One competitive game that I'm back for, and I'm already beaten to a pulp so much to keep me in bed for an extra two hours this morning. Part of the reason for that is how I got 80-85 minutes of playtime when I expected and asked for 45, another part is the two niggling injuries I went in with. Thankfully, my ankle's doing fine.
Take a look at my sock, though.
Take a look at my sock, though.
That lovely stain is thanks to this nice raspberry shown below, which I got from sliding in baseball. And don't ask what the black stuff is, I'm not entirely sure.
The best thing about it was that I was able to actually squeeze blood out of my shin pad after the game.
Otherwise, I took a kick to the calf on a slide tackle that reminded me of my calf contusion two years back. Thankfully, I can walk this time around, and I should be good for Sunday's game.
We played a team of old Polish folks who shirt-tugged like nobody's business, and I played right back before getting subbed out due to the kick to the calf. Our team was doing horrible up until the end of the first half, we had no offensive linking whatsoever, and the closest thing to a goal we got was (albeit pretty close) a disallowed header off a corner for pushing off. The other team simply outclassed and out-conditioned us. The closest thing to an offensive I was able to create for right back was a give and go that ended in me getting fouled, then a nice little roulette move to beat a guy, which also ended in me getting fouled. Our opposition went up two goals before the half.
In the second half, I played on the right side of midfield. From here, it felt like I could control the game much better than I was, but that might've been because my fullback partner was more involved this time around. I worked hard for every ball and had a few good link-ups, but ultimately nothing came of it. Closer to the end of the game, our goalie got injured, and our striker played in goal, so I played up front. Were it not for a few stray passes, I probably could've made some plays, but in that last 15 minutes, the only time I got the ball in their offensive third was a loose one that I chased down then crossed inside for my strike partner. It was about as on-target as you could ask for, but again, nothing was made of it. For the last 5 minutes and 10 minutes of stoppage time, I switched into midfield, but I was really too tired to do much.
We lost 2-0, playing a considerably better second half, against a team that has been together for years.
It was a good taste of all the positions that I could end up playing, though. I think our team could be pretty good if we worked on some of the passing and moving and cut some of the fat, if you know what I mean.
And by that, I mean conditioning.
And cutting players.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a repeat of a Brazil game to watch.
Otherwise, I took a kick to the calf on a slide tackle that reminded me of my calf contusion two years back. Thankfully, I can walk this time around, and I should be good for Sunday's game.
We played a team of old Polish folks who shirt-tugged like nobody's business, and I played right back before getting subbed out due to the kick to the calf. Our team was doing horrible up until the end of the first half, we had no offensive linking whatsoever, and the closest thing to a goal we got was (albeit pretty close) a disallowed header off a corner for pushing off. The other team simply outclassed and out-conditioned us. The closest thing to an offensive I was able to create for right back was a give and go that ended in me getting fouled, then a nice little roulette move to beat a guy, which also ended in me getting fouled. Our opposition went up two goals before the half.
In the second half, I played on the right side of midfield. From here, it felt like I could control the game much better than I was, but that might've been because my fullback partner was more involved this time around. I worked hard for every ball and had a few good link-ups, but ultimately nothing came of it. Closer to the end of the game, our goalie got injured, and our striker played in goal, so I played up front. Were it not for a few stray passes, I probably could've made some plays, but in that last 15 minutes, the only time I got the ball in their offensive third was a loose one that I chased down then crossed inside for my strike partner. It was about as on-target as you could ask for, but again, nothing was made of it. For the last 5 minutes and 10 minutes of stoppage time, I switched into midfield, but I was really too tired to do much.
We lost 2-0, playing a considerably better second half, against a team that has been together for years.
It was a good taste of all the positions that I could end up playing, though. I think our team could be pretty good if we worked on some of the passing and moving and cut some of the fat, if you know what I mean.
And by that, I mean conditioning.
And cutting players.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a repeat of a Brazil game to watch.
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