A doubleheader on Pablo's first day on the pitch.
Game One action: Pablo's goal kick goes right up the pike and almost makes it to midfield before the silver defense stops it. Having chased the ball down the field, Pablo is there for the rebound. Anticipating a silver take-over, he cannily chops his feet and sprints back towards his own goal to shore up the net he recently vacated. Though he manages to block two potential shots on goal, a third sneaks through.
Game Two action: Pablo sprints to beat the opposition to a loose ball, gets to it just before it goes out of bounds, centers it, and then deflects it before it wanders too close to our own goal, and successfully positions himself between the ball and our net.
Did I get my first taste of soccer-dad-rage in this game? Yes! We had seven players on our team, which makes substitution patterns complicated, but every player should get to play at least a quarter and a half, and Pablo didn't play that much in either of his two games. This was not due to Pablo's play, but to the inexperience of a new coach who struggled to keep track of who had played how much. Ugh!
I didn't say anything to our coach or to Pablo, of course. I don't want to be
that dad. But I was frustrated.
