Strikers 99 (U9) had a great track record in tournaments this past summer, playing in two tournaments, the Kohl's tournament and the McSoccerfest and taking medals in both.
McSoccerfest July 2007: Champions
Strikers 99 took the field from the very beginning with great determination and tremendous style. The boys practiced hard the weeks leading up to the tournament and it showed. They were determined not to end in second place again.
The team swept the opposition with impressive victories. The passing, positioning, and scoring was spectacular. The boys ended the tournament with a decisive victory in the championship match to take the gold medal.
Kohl's June 2007: Second Place
Striker 99 came into the Kohl's tournament unsure of what to expect, but determined to make a good showing. A few weeks prior, the team had lost a heart breaking championship match at the end of the cross-over season by one point due to a contradictory penalty kick awarded the opponent.
In there first match, the Strikers completely dominated a very talented opponent. The boys held possession of the ball like never before and showed just what they are capable of. After the game, the referee told them he had never seen kids their age play with such style.
In the second match, the boys got over confident and it showed. A bit of laziness from the over confidence nearly cost them the game against an opponent less capable than the first, but to their credit, they stepped it up at the end and won the match. Now sitting in the driver's seat with two wins, they faced their toughest opponent of the match thus far. The boys had renewed focus from the recent brush with failure and easily dispatched the third opponent with another display of speed and style.
Going into the championship match, the Strikers were feeling very confident that the tournament was theirs for the taking. Not long after kickoff, they realized the opponent had other ideas. After giving up a couple early goals due to over confidence, the boys had to fight there way back from a deficit. They played a strong match and eventually took control of the game, but could not overcome the early lead and ended the tournament in second place.
All in all, it was a great tournament and they learned a valuable lesson about getting over confident.
Here's a picture of the team after the Kohl's Tournament. Think Will (far right) wanted to win first place?
