baikelai: November 2009

Lucas has been playing with the Red Fireballs team for a few months now. They play the division 4, less than 8 years old.

Check what Ronen, their coach, had to say about the players.

Aidan: Our fearless goalie of many quarters, you stopped almost every attempt to score against us. I enjoyed your good sense of humor in our practice and games. Your goal earlier in the season set the standard for what the other kids termed a giant kick.

Adrien: If any opponent underestimated you, they got a nasty surprise. You really understand the tactical nature of the game, one of the first to get why clearing the ball will best stop a dangerous breakaway. And those kicks, wow. You have a dangerous leg.

Anthony: A fast player with a good understanding of the flow of the game. I'm grateful for your positive influence on the other guys. You were always very focused and dedicated in practice, and upbeat during the games.

Colby: When you got the ball there was no taking it away from you. Your energy and ability to dribble fast helped the team switch rapidly from defense to offense. Many times you dribbled up, pressed against the line by the other team, but still kept our attack in play.

Dalvin: A hard working player, I could depend on you to fill a position with little notice and know that you'd be focused when you stepped on the field. As a goalie you stood tall through waves of attacks, and as a defensive player you never lost your cool, heading off attackers and slowing down breakaways.

Ethan: Serious, dependable, and skilled, I often used you at the tip of our offense. I could trust you to cut your way through our opponents, easing up pressure on our defense even in hard fought games. And after a while we discovered that under all that seriousness there's a very funny guy, too.

Garrett: A strong, fast player with an ability to draw a mass of defenders to you, clearing up spaces for your teammates to operate in. You assisted several goals in just that way. In practice you helped keep our time light-hearted without ever holding back on effort.

Hamish: When we started you seemed a bit timid fighting other kids for a ball, but you've turned into a model of tenacity. I knew that if I needed a tough fullback you where my guy. As your coach it was a pleasure to see how much you improved from one game to the next.

Kienan: A good dribbler with a great awareness of his surrounding, you cooked up some of the nicest passes we had in our games. In good games and in hard ones, you were always a great guy and supportive member of the team.

Lucas: A great midfielder, I could count on you to bring together our attacks, and to take dangerous kicks at our opponents' goal. Your skill and perseverance helped set a good example to the rest of the team of how to keep pressing ahead no matter the score.

Teilo: An energetic player, willing to invest any amount of effort needed to protect your goalie, then quickly turn the direction of the attack in our favor. Your ability to coordinate the forwards during attacks was excellent. You helped turn us into an actual team, with good words and support for your teammates.

Zach: What a noticeable change you had. You started out unfocused and ended up fighting for each ball, kicking well, executing good passes and sending great throw-ins from the sides. I'm very impressed with the effort you put into becoming a better soccer player.