Time for me to beat the drum of this extrardinary group of footballers who were victorious at the Nationals held in Nova Scotia this last week. This same team attended the U-14 Nationals two years ago in Toronto and finished fourth after losing to Quebec in the semi-finals. To say we were unlucky in that loss is a gross understatement. We completely dominated that match but just could not put the ball in the net. To make matters worse, the ethics of the Quebec team disgusted me. When the whistle blew, my players collapsed on the field and every single one of them were in tears, disbelieving that Quebec could have two shots and two goals and we could have 50 shots and none!! Such is sport. The only relevant thing I could state at that time is to capture their emotions immediately, store them deep inside and to utilize them as fuel when we meet Quebec again two years down the road. Of course, the chances of winning a provincial title again and attending another Nationals was certainly not a given, especially with the incredible distractions presented to us here in BC, ie. NTC, Whitecaps, seasonal disparity, etc.
As fate would have it, we did it again and Quebec was in our group. We played Quebec in the deciding match to establish the semi-finalists. The tale of two years ago was timely presented and we proceeded to thrash another arrogant Quebec team 4-2 but this cocky coach will state it should have been much worse!!
On to Ontario next. Needless to say, most of us here on TTP will know that Quebec and Ontario will do almost anything to thwart a BC challenge. The manner we were treated in Toronto two years ago wreaked of unethical actions. I am not exaggerating this point. BC soccer sometimes throws us to the wolves when we compete with the rest of Canada. That is another story. We beat Ontario 4-0. Off to the Final.
Alberta vs BC. Another rivalry but this is a healthy one. A proper one. An ethical one. It wasn't a pretty final but we were the very much deserved Champions with a scrappy 2-1 victory.
I couldn't be happier for these young athletes but I especially couldn't be happier for my CLUB SURREY UNITED. The support our club gives us and all our players, recreational and elite, is outstanding and it pisses me off that some take it for granted. It pisses me off that clubs like ours are operating within a system that sometimes disregards the importance of clubs. Our club is a product of what I believe is a disfunctional system within Canadian soccer. This victory has more meaning to me than you can ever imagine. The things we have had to deal with to win this Championship were enough to make you wonder why you bother.
Thank you SURREY UNITED!!!!
As fate would have it, we did it again and Quebec was in our group. We played Quebec in the deciding match to establish the semi-finalists. The tale of two years ago was timely presented and we proceeded to thrash another arrogant Quebec team 4-2 but this cocky coach will state it should have been much worse!!
On to Ontario next. Needless to say, most of us here on TTP will know that Quebec and Ontario will do almost anything to thwart a BC challenge. The manner we were treated in Toronto two years ago wreaked of unethical actions. I am not exaggerating this point. BC soccer sometimes throws us to the wolves when we compete with the rest of Canada. That is another story. We beat Ontario 4-0. Off to the Final.
Alberta vs BC. Another rivalry but this is a healthy one. A proper one. An ethical one. It wasn't a pretty final but we were the very much deserved Champions with a scrappy 2-1 victory.
I couldn't be happier for these young athletes but I especially couldn't be happier for my CLUB SURREY UNITED. The support our club gives us and all our players, recreational and elite, is outstanding and it pisses me off that some take it for granted. It pisses me off that clubs like ours are operating within a system that sometimes disregards the importance of clubs. Our club is a product of what I believe is a disfunctional system within Canadian soccer. This victory has more meaning to me than you can ever imagine. The things we have had to deal with to win this Championship were enough to make you wonder why you bother.
Thank you SURREY UNITED!!!!
