Ryan Trares
Sometimes people can surprise you with their kindness.
What a refreshing feeling that can be.
As I wrote about a few weeks ago, Anthony has been gunning for his first soccer goal this season. He’s been close a couple of times — a few wide-open kicks, tries that bounced right into defenders, a boot that just bounced away from the goal.
I’ve been encouraging him to keep trying; as both his coach and his dad, I wanted him to not lose confidence just because the end result wasn’t what he wanted.
Part of the issue stemmed from Anthony’s approach to play. His personality is more laid back and cautious.
Many of his teammates are the opposite. The team is a really fun one this year, with boys who have all played soccer in the past and are enthusiastic about learning the game. There’s also a few players who you can tell have been into the game for years.
They’re fast, aggressive and strong. Growing up watching ethereal players like Messi and Ronaldo, they think nothing of gaining possession of the ball and trying to dribble their way all the way down the field and try to score on their own.
The other coaches and I have tried to preach the importance of passing, moving the ball around and creating space for better shots on the goal. But in the middle of a game, those lessons go out the door — perfectly understandable for second-grade boys, where competition is king.
So it’s happened on a few occasions where Anthony has looked ready to score a goal that some of the bigger, faster boys get to the ball first and tally the point. Again, understandable, but my dad instinct can’t help but kick in.
In our recent penultimate game, you could tell from the start what kind of a match it would be. The other team was trying their best, but some of our better players were running rampant. A flurry of goals came quickly.
The league emphasizes to its coaches that at this level, the games are about development and fun, not who wins or loses. They tell us not to keep score. Of all of the kids on the field, and parents on the sidelines, I’m the only one who’s not — everyone else is keeping meticulous mental notes on the results.
Little did I know that last Saturday, the kids were also keeping track of something else.
Over the course of the game, most of our players had scored at least one goal. Our two forwards were probably approaching a half-dozen goals each.
But as the fourth quarter reached its final minutes, I could see them talking among themselves. Turns out, they were plotting for one more big goal. Only later did I learn it was to make sure Anthony scored one before the game was over.
In the final minute, that opportunity came. On a breakaway, I could hear them yell, “Get it to Anthony!” A few passes, and Anthony had the ball all alone in front of the goal. He knocked it into the back of the net.
You would have thought he hit the game winner at the World Cup. His teammates buried him with slaps on the back and high fives. The smile wouldn’t leave his face for the rest of the afternoon.
Anthony knew that his teammates helped him reach his goal, and he filled me in on the plan afterward. As a coach, I was pleased to see the teamwork and camaraderie building over the season.
As a dad, I was floored to see that even in competition, kindness won.
Ryan Trares is a senior reporter and columnist for the Daily Journal. Send comments to [email protected].
