MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Another week of the 2009 Youth Soccer season came to a close here at the Penny Lake soccer fields Saturday with an unfortunate 4-0 loss for the Arsenal as Higashi Junior High School reigned victorious.
Although Higashi jumped to an early lead, Arsenal kept the ball moving, making Higashi work hard to gain any possession.
“Each team we play is tough,” said Christopher Anderson, a coach for Arsenal. “These teams that come here are school and club teams that play year - round. We are asking kids from different abilities and backgrounds to play together in just a few weeks, but they all have responded well to what we have asked of them.”
Arsenal’s response is due to the amount of children on the team as well as their love of the game.
“The team gave it their all and tried their best,” said Matthew Barker, a coach for Arsenal. “You cannot ask for anything more in a game.”
Most teams or players would likely get down after falling behind early, but Arsenal stood tall and seemed to rise to the challenge and played with no fear of loss and with great determination.
“They are all enjoying the game, and the majority of the players give 110 percent while they are on the pitch,” said Anderson. Soccer is a very competitive sport, but it is also a sport in which the children are suppose to have fun and learn to be better players.
“Every member, regardless of their actual skill level, is showing marked improvement,” said Barker. “They are starting to demonstrate some of the finer skills taught and honed in practice, which as a coach is always nice to see.”
Arsenal may very well have the toughest schedule out of the entire youth soccer league.
“We play six different teams,” said Barker. “One of which we will travel to Sasebo to play.”“The clubs and school teams in Japan are known for their skills in soccer, and they generally have a large pool of applicants and only
allow the best of the best to join.”
The road for Arsenal is a tough one, but neither the coaches nor the players seem to be worried at all.
“Our goals for the team this season are to build better soccer players than when the season started, and to instill in the children a sense of personal accomplishment and pride in having been a part of the team,” Barker said.