For the winter season most of Dayton Dutch Lions FC Youth Academy teams play in local indoor leagues such as Wall2Wall, Kingdom or Sportsplex.
This week the U15's Boys and Girls and the U18's played their first game at Wall2Wall.
Age/Gender: U15 Girls
Location: Wall2Wall (Indoor)
Result: 5-0 W
Players: Grace T.; Grace Z.; Olivia; Mollie; Morgan; Meera; Emily; Eva; Peyton; Grace P.; Veronica; Sarah; Anna; Kayla; Paige
Goal(s): Eva (2) - Emily - Kayla - Peyton
Player of the game: Eva
Defensively the team had a good performance, very focused and organized for the most of the game, the girls stayed compact removing the inside space, preventing any chance to the opposite team build up their game, and consequently forcing them to play more direct. The defensive transition moment was also very efficient, with a quick changing of attitude. However the team needs to recognize better which are the moments to press or to stay organized, avoiding some gaps and unbalances on our back line.
Offensively the team presented good moments of soccer, moving the ball around on the ground with a consistent passing game. The team knew how to take advantage of the width to unbalance the opposite defensive line and create space from the outside, either from crosses or individual duels. Despite a good performance, and the 5 goals scored, the team need to temporize better the game, feel confidence to drop the ball and start again, instead of forcing nonexistent options risking some counter attacks.
After the game coach Bruno has the following to say: "it's really good to see these girls playing together again. I'm happy from what I saw here today, it's true that we didn't practice for almost a month, but is also true that we've been together for one year, with pretty much the same game concept, what makes this return to competition easier. Besides the 5 goals scored, I really liked the organization and the dynamic with the ball, however we need to control better our "anxiety" to move up on the field and be more relaxed on the ball controlling better the game and his pace." Concluding "today we decided to nominate Eva as player of the match, she had a tremendous impact to our result with two goals and one assist, she was our leader today."
Age/Gender: U15 Boys
Location: Wall2Wall (Indoor)
Result: 1-4 L
Players: Kyler, Todd, Kevin, Jonathan H., Terry, Caden, Alex, AJ, Hunter, Jonathan C., Stephen. Cameron, Luke (U14), Caleb.
Goal(s): Todd (Jonathan H.)
Player of the game: Todd
Defensively the team was put under a lot of pressure but the team held themselves well. Goalkeeper Kyler was confident and made some good saves and new additions, Todd and Jonathan H. had strong performances.
Offensively the intention and decisions on the ball was many times the right one what created some dangerous moments by the opponents goal. Hunter posed a constant threat with his speed and skills and AJ and Caden found some good combinations in the midfield.
After the game coach Sid said: "This was the first game for us, a team that has many new faces and I am happy with their overall performance. Today we know where we stand and what we need to work on and I hope the boys can keep progressing. Our goal playing here at Wall2Wall is not to win the division but to give everyone minutes in different positions and find our best 11 for the Spring season and the showcase that is coming up.", coach Sid continued, "Todd was nominated as player of the game not only because of his goal but also because because of his tremendous work and constant involvement in defense and offense."
Age/Gender: U18 Boys
Location: Wall2Wall (Indoor)
Result: 0-0 T
Players: Trent; Marien; Drew; Tony; Scott; Bradley; Makay; Cody; Trevor; Matthew; Britton; Micah; Triston; Declan; Tanner
Player of the game: Matthew
Defensively the team had a solid performance. Very organized since the initial whistle, they controlled most of the offensive advances from the opponent. Was great see how they work as a team, for the amount of time that we practiced together the team show already some interesting defensive concepts, with a good transition moment, realizing correctly, for the majority of the times, when and where were the right moments to press. However our defensive game can be more coordinated, involving all the sectors, because will be tough keep that high intensity during all the games.
On offense the boys had a rough beginning to put our game on the pitch, essentially because of a high pressure from the opponent. However after realizing this, we dominated the ball possession, with a good collective dynamic, and constant movement, creating spaces and passing options. Besides that was good to see how they move the ball around, with great combination moments, creating enough chances to open the score and achieve a different score.
After the game coach Lopes has the following to say: "I'm very pleased from what I saw here today, despite the score, I think we had a good performance, I really liked some short combination moments, and the speed of play to break the opposite pressure and reach quickly the danger zones. Despite this I also believe that we need to be more confident and patient with the ball possession, to create and find more spaces to move forward on the field." For this game coach Bruno nominated Matthew as player of the match " today Matthew was tireless, very dynamic on the last third of the field, he was always a headache for the opposite defensive line"