Pre-game talk with the coach. Coach Ray was telling Ayden (#18), Ant (#9), Benjamin (goalie shirt) and Issac (purple hat) that they are his best defenders and they need to move together like one organism to prevent any balls from getting through. The team changed to white shirts before the start of the game as the other team was red also.
Anthony's soccer team is entered in a District Cup Tournament in Morgan Hill (south south San Jose, close to Gilroy) this weekend. His first game was 11:00. We got there at 10:10 and it was a **ZOO** -- there are 30+ fields at this soccer complex. We paid for parking (as the street parking was already jam packed) and still had to go from the paved parking in front of the complex through all the dirt parking to the adjacent paved lot for the swimming complex where we luckily found a spot. Apparently there is another dirt lot after the paved swimming pool parking lot. I also volunteered to bring snack which is a huge mistake at such a big complex -- hauling all the stuff everywhere! On to the game…I was disappointed as the regular 30 minute halves became 20 minute halves at this tournament. The games were so short. The game ended in a 1-1 tie. After this game, we had to wait until 3:15 for the next game -- a 3+ hour wait. I wanted to watch the next game which supposedly Winnie's son Lucas was playing at the adjacent field. Ant begged to go off to lunch with Ayden and some other boys and thankfully the other parents took him. I waited for the game to start at 12 AND IT WAS THE WRONG FIELD. I couldn't find that game and ended up waiting with some other parents under a shade canopy/tent and I was so glad they had it because it was HOT (while Menlo Park was downright brisk and chilly).
I got these above 3 pics from Max's mom. They bought sandwiches at Subway (super crowded apparently) and ate sitting down in the shade at a curb/sidewalk. Then they went to Max's hotel room (across from the soccer complex) to relax for a bit. Notice Ant's expressions are all crazy/silly expressions? Max's mom said she could not get Ant to smile nicely for pics. Yep!
Ant played goalie for the 2nd half of the 2nd game which was 3:15-4:00. AGAIN, the game ended in a tie 1-1! Coach Ray says the other Alpine Strikers coaches joke with him and ask how his game ended, "a TIE?!?" because this team has had so many tied games. Notice in the above left pic -- Ant is being silly and trying to get the kids next to him to carry him while he swings his legs?
Our team went directly to the Morgan Hill Round Table Pizza for the team end-of-season party. The team party is part of the season's soccer fees (crazy expensive $850). There were so many pizzas that I even brought home 4 pieces for Hen and Ram. The team bought $80 worth of tokens for the boys to play arcade games (only 4 games there) and all of them ended up with these sports players thingys. Coach Ray talked about how special this team is -- no drama and everyone gets along and works hard. Yay, what a great season for Ant. There is one guaranteed game for Sun 11/8 (9am, have to leave Menlo Park at 7:15!) and a second game if they are in the championships (unlikely with two 1-1 tied games) and a final regular season game on 11/14 which Ant will skip because we will be in San Diego.
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