Meet the Team

Just a reminder, the parents of the players have requested that I use their team nicknames on the blogs.

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Terminator

If you watch ESPN enough, you will hear the commentators talk about a player who doesn't have the great "numbers" but can just play the game. You also will hear them discuss a player's "intangibles." If you married those two conversations together you would be talking about the Terminator. She is not the biggest player on the team. She is not the fastest player on the team. She does not have the best ball skills. When you put her into a game, she just plays. She is easily one of the best ball defenders on the team. She is smart. And she shares one quality with Old School in that she doesn't back down from anyone. Terminator is one of those kids you love to coach. She works hard and absorbs new information like a spunge.

Terminator got her name the morning she showed up for practice with her sports glasses on. The name also matches her hard nose, take no prisoners approach to defense. Terminator is one of my starting full backs. She starts the game paired with Old School. Old School usually attacks the ball while Terminator covers the middle of the field. This is exactly how I want it because Terminator is like a defensive coach on the field. She tells her teammates where or how to play and they actually listen to her. The best part is her instructions are almost always correct. There is only one other player on the field with the confidence to order other players around and who is respected enough by his teammates that they actually listen. Most coaches hope for one player who can be their coach on the field, I have two.

In AYSO games you can only insert substitute players four times during a game. To keep my midfielders fresh, this spring we will switch midfielders and full backs during the game. We will be playing in Florida in July after all. In preparation for this idea I have been playing my full backs at midfield during the last session of indoor soccer. Faced with the new challenge, Terminator took the same approach she has taken to everything else, she just played. Of all the full backs, she looked the most comfortable in the position. She did a very good job. The girl never ceases to amaze me.

Continue to log on and follow Terminator and the rest of the team. Check out our fundraisers.  If  you would like to make a donation to the team please send it to 315 North Street, Paw Paw, Michigan 49079.  Please make any checks payable to AYSO Region 250.  Thank you for your generosity.

Go Crushers!