So yesterday was a must win match against South Africa. We gathered as a team in the morning in the back of the hotel and discussed tactics. For this game we were going to switch our alignment to a 3-4-3, which is a very offensive approach. Coach also gave out the game line up. As predicted, I was listed as a substitute b/c of the knock I took to the ankle. Coach said I was a game time decision b/c we needed to see how my ankle held up once it was taped.
I spent most of the day working from the internet cafe. Time really seems to go quickly here and it was soon 4:00. I left to see the trainer to get my ankle taped. My ankle was tender, but it seemed to hold up when I put pressure on it. Again, I cant believe how well it has rehabbed in so short of a time. Even Coach expressed surprise at my recovery b/c he saw how swollen it was.
We left for the field at 4:30 for our 6:00 game. It takes about 30 minutes driving through Haifa to get to the field. When we arrived, GB and Mexico were already playing on an adjacent field, but we avoided the temptation to watch and instead suited up and began warm ups. All our warm ups are led by Dave Bannick, our keeper. He has a high-end personal training business in LA. He is the personal trainer to the stars and knows his stuff. After warm ups, we kicked some balls around, practiced shooting and played small sided games.
The field was different from our first game. This one was tiny and pretty hard, which was a disadvantage for us. SA play very direct and physical, but are not so fast or technical, so we would rather have had a larger field to pass around them. On this field, there would be very little time on the ball before you get hit hard.
The game started and I was in my sub's pinney. The game was fast and physical. SA was definitely not a technically gifted team, but they had passion. The combination of small field dimensions and SA also needing a win made it a scrappy affair. After about 15 minutes, Coach told me to get ready to come in to play left midfield - so that wasn't much time on the bench. As I was warming up, we were able to the make a nice build up down the right side, get a cross in and score a goal by Gil Oren. The early goal was great for us and was a huge relief. I came in after the goal and played left midfield for the remainder of the first half.
At halftime, Coach changed our formation to a 4-4-2, which is a bit more defensive and control-oriented. In this alignment, he shifted me to right defensive back, which is where I played for the rest of the game. We were able to score a second goal in the second half on a beautiful turn and shot in the penalty box by Irad Young. I had tough man marking responsibilities against their forward, who was pretty good. Fast and physical. In fact, the game overall was played at a very fast pace, so I had to concentrate to make sure I was in the match and doing what I needed to do to help the team. I played a solid game, though.
Finally, the game ended with a US victory, 2-0. I was relieved to hear the final whistle b/c I was severely depleted. The past few days of illness took a lot out of me and it was a challenge to keep up my energy level. All the guys were happy that we got the needed victory. GB and Mexico tied their match, 0-0. This means that we must beat Mexico in our match against them tomorrow to advance out of our bracket into the knockout phase. A tie or a loss will not be enough.
We headed back to the hotel, wasted and tired, but happy. At the hotel we quickly showered, changed and then got on a bus to go to a planned dinner in Tel Aviv. I grabbed an ice bag and brought it with me to ice my ankle. The bus ride was long, especially since we stopped in Ceasereia (sp?) to pick up some guys from the South African golf team (already drinking) and a bunch of girls from the Israeli Maccabi organization committee that wanted to hitch a ride. We didnt get to the beach in Tel Aviv until 11:30 pm and we were all regretting this trip. The beach, however, was beautiful. We ate on the beach outside a place called Mezamim. After dinner we hopped back on the bus and took the trip back to Haifa, made longer b/c of highway construction, and fell into bed.
This morning we had a light practice session for about 1 hour, talked about the SA game and our upcoming match against Mexico, and then headed over to watch the US Grand Master team lose 2-0 to the Brits. We have the rest of the day to ourselves and some of the guys are going back to Tel Aviv this afternoon to watch a UEFA Cup match between Hapoel Tel Aviv and some Irish team at the stadium. I am not going, because I need all the rest I can get for tomorrow's crucial match against Mexico.
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