We've got work to do

Boys, boys, boys – Now that my vein is back behind my eyeball again (thanks Wes), I’m ready to write. Maybe not. That game was a dose of reality for us, plain and simple. It was humbling, and it really torqued me off that we played like week-old-out-in-the-sun poopoo after dominating the early part of the game and early in the 2nd half. It’s like we just shut down and went into “mail it in” mode. As you may tell, I am still hopping mad about the game. We gave it away to them. Not only did we give away the game, but we gave them the confidence to play us harder the next time in 5 weeks.

In a nutshell, here are some of our more glaring mistakes:

1) Our subbing was horrible – We had forwards going in for defenders, and vice versa. At one point, we had an entire team with no defenders out on the turf. We got caught with guys out of position, and guys resorting to play whatever they felt like playing or naturally gravitated to. We WILL change that for next game. We will institute a 'buddy' system, where 2 or 3 guys are rotating with each other in the SAME position. No flip-flopping around the field.

2) Our defense got flat — We did not get back after being on offense, and they counterattacked quickly while we were still up front. We gave them way too much set-up space and time, and were not aggressive in the looseballs and 50/50's. It was really bad and evident in the second half.

3) We just seemed to just quit – We played to run out the clock, not win the game. Guys were walking around and not hustling. We need to give 100% and get off. If you're not hustling and giving it 100%, get off the turf and let another guy go for it. That's the nature of the indoor game. And if you’re done for the night, then go to the far bench and sit down, take a breather and let me know if we need to switch other guys around for you. This was also happening because guys were playing well beyond 3 minutes and off.

4) We need to shoot for placement, not power - Please don't try to pummel the keeper. Kicking it straight at him is the worst you can do--because he'll catch it. Kick it off to one of his sides, or to the walls around him, because he has to adjust and shift to respond to it, and then someone else can get the rebound and put it in. Please stop the massive power shots from way outside also. We need more precise shots on goal, and they need to bounce off the boards to set things up close.

We need to pick up our intensity for the remaining games. We actually have one of the easier schedules, but if we play like that, we will barely win half our games--and I'm being generous at that. Guys, this is what it is like having the bullseye on your back. Since you're the champions, EVERYONE we play is bringing their "A" game. Will you?

Cost: $45, either in cash or check

Next Game: Tuesday Jan 29th at 10pm vs. The Gasp