On the sideline, I stood, anticipating the start of the game.
The rain poured relentlessly; it wasn’t just a rain shower, but heavy stair rod weather. This was the under elevens soccer match. The Super Reds marched in, looking immaculate in their matching red shirts, red shorts, and red socks, each player donned the same color boots.
They were up against our local team, the Roos. The Roos featured blue and off-white shirts, even lighter off-white shorts, and brown socks. I noticed the players sported a variety of colored boots.
With vivid yellow, bright red, and every hue in between, the Reds confidently strode onto the pitch, while the Roos…looking bedraggled…straggled slowly through the rain to take their places.
The game kicked off with immediate intensity, and from their first attack, the Reds surged ahead with a one-goal lead. The keeper yelled out, “the wet hair obstructed my view, and I couldn’t see the ball.”
From the sidelines, there were growls and snarls from the coach, who whispered loudly enough to be heard in Bali, “Get your hair cut.”
The Roos immediately began their comeback.
The little number nine of the Roos stood under five feet tall, even while standing on a ladder.
He darted through and passed to his teammate, who skillfully swept the ball into the net. The score was now one all. The under elevens are comprised of children who were eleven years old or younger at the season’s start. All Roos were ten years old, while the Super Reds had begun the season aged eleven and were now all twelve. The centre half of the Reds seemed as though he had been shaving for two years already. The Roos faced fierce pressure to defend their goal. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising when the Reds hammered in another goal…in pouring rain, just moments before half time.
Yet, the smallest Roo advanced from midfield and scored a brilliant goal, making it two all by halftime.
The halftime discussion was filled with more snarls and growls from the coach, and just as the second half was about to commence, he instructed, “now go out and enjoy yourselves.” Through the drizzle, the drenched shirts clung to their backs, but the Roos discovered a renewed surge of energy.
The little number nine for the Roos realized that his size was an advantage in these conditions. His quickness and sharp turns enabled him to slice through the mud and score a fantastic goal, and with only ten minutes remaining, he broke through again. A quick one-two led to his second goal.
The Roos triumphed with a score of four to two. As the teams trudged off, the Red’s captain shouted, “well done Roos,” to which our captain replied, “good on yer.”
Players wrapped in towels and embraced by parents sent up clouds of steam. I couldn’t help but notice the Roos now all sported matching colored boots, brown and caked in mud. More astonishing was the sight of every player exiting the field with huge smiles on their faces…some called out, “who do we play next week?” to which the coach responded, “be on time, and don’t be late.”
Turning away to head home, my feet squelched in soggy boots as I looked forward to a steaming cup of tea and enjoying the Sunday paper.
I was smiling as memories of the game and the weather flooded my thoughts, wondering if anything could be better than a Sunday morning in Australia.
by TOG
