This past weekend was full of soccer. We left around 2 pm on Friday, Sep 2nd, for Kansas City, KS. Kids were excellent in the car, thanks to ipads, phones, computers, and movies! We had to stop a few times, but we finally made it into Leawood, KS, around 6:30 pm. The hotel was very nice and the kids were super excited. But they were also hungry. So, we jumped back in the car and finally landed at Applebees. I know it’s not a 5-start restaurant, but they had great food and great service. That’s all that mattered. But it wasn’t until 10 pm that we got back to our hotel room. At least we were full and happy!
Saturday morning was an early one. We had to be at the fields at 7:30 am for an 8 am game. The boys did ok. It was their first time playing together, and we knew they’d have to work out the kinks. We lost 6-4 and though that’s uncharacteristic of us (I assume,) it was a great learning experience. We had a brief break between games one and two, so we ran to Jimmy Johns for a quick sandwich. Back at the fields, Devin began throwing up, violently. Turns out, dehydration is a real thing. So he ended up missing that game. He went back to the hotel for some water, Powerade, and rest. The Crew ended up winning 1-0. I wish Devin had been part of that win, but I understand there are limits. He’ll be drinking water, etc. from now on!
Saturday night was fun. The ’08 Crew team and parents met in the lobby of the hotel to get to know each other. I’m terrible at meeting new people, so this was super important. I think I even learned some people’s names! It was neat to see that the kids started in small groups and congregated all together. Devin was right in the mix with several of them. It was awesome to see!
Sunday morning’s game was a little rough. We played the Kansas City team, and they were very good. Their passing was spectacular. Devin played right defender, something he doesn’t normally play. But he handled it well. Chased down a few really fast kids. Even to a yellow card! I’m not proud of that, it’s just so odd. Very rare! After the game, the coach made sure to point out that we should have looked like that. There is clearly work to be done.
Devin, #52
Sunday, Sep 4, 2022
The first team they played was a 2009 Academy team from Kansas City. They were a very good team with excellent passing skills. Let’s just say that the Crew will need to work on that! We lost 2-1.
Sunday afternoon was probably Devin’s best game. We played the Sporting MV Shalke. I believe they were from Missouri. Devin played striker, which is his best position, I think. He was very good at getting to the right spot at the right time. Had some great stops, a couple that a few people reacted to. He had some great passes and even had a few shots on goal. No scores, but I thought it was a great game. Crew won 2-0.
Here are the final scores from all games:
As I mentioned, there’s some work to be done. But I think the roster is full of great kids, and it will be so neat to see what this team does this year. GO CREW!
