This year is the first year that Jayke and all the kids who he has played soccer with for the past several years had to try out for the soccer team. I have been talking to The Boy about this for a long time trying to express how important it is for him to do his best so that he will be chosen to be on this team. Try outs were at the end of last season but we didn't find out for several weeks if they made the team or not.
Originally we were told that kids who didn't make the team would be cut. This was worrisome to me because I wasn't sure if that would mean that he just wouldn't get to play anymore if he didn't make this team or if there would be another option. I was finally told at tryouts that they had enough kids to make two teams and they would be divided between an "A" and a "B" team. Now all he had to do was be chosen for the "A" team.
Finally, an email came welcoming Jayke to his team. It didn't say anything about who was on his team or which team he made. I text Tony, a friend who happens to also be the Director of Travel, and was given a list of who was on Jayke's team. I quickly read the list and was elated to realize that he was on the "A" team! What a relief! All those years of playing soccer were in preparation for THIS!
I've learned since starting practice that the club has high expectations for this team. They have chosen the top players to form a team that they feel has a good chance to win divisions and continue to do so in the years to come. This is the only team they currently have that they feel will be able to go forward together with this opportunity to succeed. They have entered them in an additional out-of-state tournament that ONLY this team from our club will be playing in. I just hope they haven't put too many expectations on them. We haven't ever played with this combination of players on the field together. Basically, it is an all-star team, there are a lot of kids on this team who are used to being the star and they will all have to learn to play together, giving up some of that to be a winning team. They are all good kids and have been playing together, whether in practice or on a team, for years. I hope they can come together to meet the expectations the club has for them. Our first test was today, when they scheduled a friendly with an Indianapolis team. We won, and we looked pretty good for as much rust as the kids have after having the summer off.
Jayke is not a starter but I think if he continues to play as well as he did today he may be able to start some games. He needs to keep being aggressive and develop more power and speed. His accuracy in his passing and being able to keep his head up and see the field are his strong points so I think he will continue to grow and hopefully earn a starting spot for some games. If not, he will still be an important part of the team and help them to succeed.
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