Intra-Club Rivalry [Speed]

Madysen does not have another team from her club in D1 this year, so we don’t get any of the really intense intra-club games.  Speed played his intra-club team, Texas FC 95, on Tuesday night.  When he was on his other team last year, they were 1-1 against this team and should have won the one they lost.

On Tuesday, Speed’s team opened well against them, controlling much of the first half.  They scored on an own goal that was headed in, and then Speed scored to make it 2-0.  He was knocked down as he shot, and the referee looked poised to call a foul, but the ball trickled in off the post (a la Caddyshack).  Up 2-0 with 5 minutes left in the first half, the game seemed to be in hand.  As Lee Corso says, not so fast my friend.

Texas FC turned up the physicality.  Largely, they just ran over Speed’s team for the rest of the first half and the first 20 minutes of the second.  A lot of it was legal physicality, but it was striking to see the difference in their play–and in our response.  Our response was essentially to get beat to every ball.  Hence, they got down 4-2 largely from being muscled around.

Down 4-2, Speed’s team finally reacted aggressively, getting one goal back and having several opportunities to get another one.  Speed gave up at least two good opportunities by passing in the box–I don’t fault him for being unselfish, but these were good opportunities for him.  So, they lost 4-3.  That’s the way it goes sometimes.