Andres Made the B Team (Again)

Not-so-breaking news: Andres still loves soccer.

This fall he is, once again, on Newton's second best travel team. This is great--we love the coaches, Andres enjoys playing with all of his teammates, and the other parents generally support the team and don't yell too much. It's all good. Sure, Natalia and I both thought that this might be the fall that he was bumped up to the top team, since a handful of the best players from last year's A team have graduated into the academy soccer pipeline. But he didn't make it. Oh well. He didn't seem too broken up about it.

OK...full disclosure: I was a little bit broken up about it.

This shocked me. I've tried to be very cool on Andres' athletic performances over the years. I'll cheer a little, I'll clap, but I mainly try to stay quiet. Or I just get behind my camera. And you know why? Because there is no shortage of parents who are convinced--convinced!--that their kid is the next Christian Pulisic, and they want everyone on the field--from the coach, to the other players, to the ref--to know that. It's lousy. Oh and as Andres plays more and more competitively, it gets worse, too.

Driving the ball upfield.

The netminder at work.

So anyway I try not to be that guy, because that guy is clearly not really cheering on his kid as much as he is trying to deal with his own insecurities through his kid's athletic performance.

But I was upset that he didn't make the team. (I became even more agitated once I found out who did make it instead.) And why was I upset? Why did I care so much?

I think it was because I thought he really deserved (deserves!) to be on the best team in town. Andres is a solid player. Solid. He sees the field really well. His passing unlocks defenses and sets up his teammates for strong runs down the sideline. He seldom gets beat on defense, and usually succeeds at forcing his man outside, minimizing attacking threats. In short, he is able to apply most of the skills that his coaches have been teaching him the past few years. Sure, he's not the biggest or fastest kid out there--but he is one of the smartest. And I wanted all of that--his sense of the game, his attention to his coaches, his on-field attitude, his desire to reward teammates--I wanted all of that to be recognized, because I thought that would send a good message to him--keep working hard, keep creating, keep playing the game the right way, and good things will happen.

Alas, that didn't happen. So he's on the B team again.

But lemons do make lemonade, and this minor bump in his progression to be the next Christian Pulisic--ha! Looks like I am one of those parents after all--has provided an opportunity for us (me, mainly) to talk about how he can improve and where he sees his soccer career going over the next few years.

These talks are always fun because I'm not his soccer coach, I'm actually his dad, and so going into the conversation we both know that he's going to either dispute or ignore everything I have to say.

For example: I tell him that his size is his greatest natural asset on the field, and I encourage him to use it more to his advantage. Andres, naturally, doesn't see it that way, and laments being the smallest kid on the field.

Another example: I tell him that when he is playing striker, he's got to take more chances--take more shots, make more aggressive runs, attack the defense more relentlessly. Let the midfield and defense worry about the counterattack. He has another analysis. Nobody passes to me, he says. Sometimes he just ignores me. That's fun.

But he does talk to me about his future. He still envisions a career in the Premier League. Manchester United is his preferred destination, though he has told me he would tolerate playing for Manchester City. Good to keep your options open, right? He's also said that he would accept a spot on the Revolution, though that's much lower on his list.

Leaving defenders in his wake.

Attacking the ball.

He's 10 now, and the pace and intensity of soccer will continue to heat up over the next few years. Club soccer will take up more of his time (if he chooses to continue to play, which I bet he will). He'll have to make some sacrifices about what sports and activities to cut. And there are likely to be a number of disappointments down the road, too. One thing that Andres' participation in club soccer has taught me is that there are a lot of good soccer players out there--and none of them, unfortunately, is the next Christian Pulisic.

Club soccer has also taught me that no matter the age, size, or skill of a player, there are always opportunities to play (and clubs that are willing to take your money). Sometimes, when I'm watching Andres play at a tournament, my attention will wander away from the game at hand, and I'll check out a nearby 11 v 11 U17 game. How much money and time have those kids (and parents!) spent on club soccer? And for what? Do I want that for Andres?

The simple answer now is that I don't know. Yes, committing to soccer would require a big investment, and sacrifice on everyone's part. (I'm not sure how much longer poor Lucia will tolerate being dragged to games.) But Andres' youthful confidence that Manchester United is in his future makes me smile. Who am I to deny his dreams of playing at Old Trafford? If that goal is what drives him to keep working hard, then we may as well just let him play and enjoy the ride, wherever it takes him. (Even if it takes him to City.)