Finally, we're back into soccer season. After another off
season that seemingly wouldn't end, our boys are back on the pitch. We all know
the guys came into camp ready to go as shown by the club jumping straight into
tactics as opposed to conditioning. With several new players joining the squad,
this was probably more important than years past.
As usual, the preseason was just a small glimpse of the team.
Nothing was very impressive, but nothing was very worrying either. It wasn't
hard to see that everyone was working extremely hard to become an unit, and the
new guys were fighting to learn PV's system.
The watch party for the season opener was outstanding. There
seemed to be more people in the Boulevard Member's Club for this event than any
one previous. The club looks to have learned from crowds last year. They went
to the trouble to set several extra tables out to accommodate the large crowd.
The fans at the stadium and the intelligence of said fans
really show that the game is catching on. The silly comments and questions
about game basics are becoming less common.
Sporting came out and played a bit tight to begin the game.
After giving up an early goal, and a few more minutes of strained play,
everyone calmed down. When we began to get our rhythm, Zusi was able to cash in
off of a rebounded shot. The second half showed us what we can expect this
season. The team seemed to mesh very well and earned themselves more open
looks, and two more goals. Rosell and Beiler were both able to put one home.
This will hopefully be the first of many for our new DP.
It was great to be able to be at the Member's Club for this
match. Many familiar faces were in the crowd, along with many, many new
ones. The game was the main focus, not
just being part of the scene. Cheers came after good plays, not just the goals.
There was also a lack of jeering after calls that went against us that were
valid.
It's nice to see the hard work of SKC, and the Cauldron
paying off. Crowds will continue to grow and learn. With the couple of calls
for help that have gone out via the Cauldron, this group of people have shown a
tremendous amount of heart. When Hector needed help, money to help defray
medical costs came pouring on. With Montez' situation, again, money and goods
came flooding in. The sense of community is something to be proud of.
To anyone that has read anything on this blog before, I need
to apologize. I promised more posts, and didn't follow through. My goal for
this year is to be more active. I enjoy getting these thoughts out of my head
and "on paper" as it were. I will make no more promises though. As we
all have to deal with real life, I will post brain dumps as I can. I am looking
forward to talking with more people this year and writing about the fan
experience. This is for everyone to read, but more so for me to look back at
fun times, and show my children how things were "in the old days" as
they mature.
