LIFE'S UPS AND DOWNS

Today, Barcelona's goalkeeper Victor Valdes suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury of his right knee. This is a devastating blow because Valdes is a key player both for Barca and the Spanish national team... in a World Cup year when Barca is in the hunt for three major trophies.

I would have been sympathetic if this injury had happened to this player at any other time in the past. However, I am doubly sympathetic - no, make that empathetic - because of my own recent injury.

Getting hurt or diseased is a cruel twist of fate. I felt this most strongly myself when I was in clinic yesterday as many of my own patients expressed their concern for me. I told them that my injury was unfortunate, but I also told them that I was staying positive. Their courage in the face of their disease gave me perspective and strength. I hope Victor is surrounded by people who make him feel the same way.

Tonight, I was heartened by a message of support sent by Valdes' former teammate Eric Abidal on twitter. Abidal was struck by cancer not once but twice, and he told Victor, "All my energy and strength so that you recover quickly! #animsvaldes" (my love to you Valdes). All of us cules feel the same way.

As low as this low is Victor, you will get back up again and you will triumph again. Your friends and all the fans are behind you. Stay positive! You will be back soon and better than ever! AnimsValdes!

EL CLASSIC

Today Barca secured a massive three points and a victory at the Santiago Bernabeu, the stadium of its arch-rival Real Madrid. This victory leaves the race for the Spanish League title wide open, and it is sure to be one hell of a ride with nine games left.

Tonight though we celebrate the Barca players who put on a masterclass performance. On four occasions today we fought back to tie the game or take the lead, and the result today was really a tribute to selfless, team football.

Of course Messi was decisive. He scored a hat trick (three goals) and broke the record for the most goals scored by any one player in the history of el classic (the Classic), as the game between Barca and Real Madrid is known.

The video below shows his hat trick today in addition to the other eighteen goals Messi has scored in this rivalry.



However, the victory was about more than Messi, and so many other players also stepped up. Gerard Pique was a rock in central defense and had a goal-line clearance. Iniesta, Xavi, Cesc, and Busquets dominated the midfield. Dani Alves and Jordi Alba made marauding runs and played tight defense, respectively. Neymar put himself in positions to score or at least cause problems for Madrid by drawing in their defenders. Only Mascherano was "poor." This was as much a reflection of his "off" game as it was the outstanding play of his teammates in contradistinction to his performance.

El classic is always hard-fought, and bragging rights only last until the next match, which takes place in one month's time. However, I will revel in this great victory tonight and for days to come. This is because recently Barca lost several games they should have won against lesser teams. Had they won those games, the League would have been effectively secured.

However, these players are human beings, and they, too, slip now and then. Nonetheless, they have won every "big" match this year that was do or die, just like today's. This victory today came with an exclamation point preceded loud and clear by the statement, "This team ain't dead yet!"

Far from it.

Visca Barca!

THE INVINCIBLES

This weekend the Arbor futsal team Monster Mash played its seventh and final game of the season. Monster Mash had won their previous six matches, and they held a five point insurmountable lead heading into the final match.

I was not concerned that these dynamic young men would be complacent heading into the last game, but a little inspiration never hurts.  Before the match we had our usual pre-game talk. However I borrowed from Pep Guardiola's famous speech before the 2009 Club World Cup for this momentous match. That day in 2009, Barca had a chance to win its sixth out of six possible trophies available to the club in that calendar year. No team had ever accomplished such a feat, and Guardiola needed something special to motivate his players.

Like him, I told the boys they would still be the best team in the league and win the Championship even if they lost today's game. However, I told them that they would be eternal if they won their seventh and final game to complete an undefeated season. The boys' eyes lit up. They realized what was at stake, and their had their eyes set high on the same prize - perfection!

We came out fired up and quickly took the lead. We were up 4-1 at halftime. Each boy played a major part in our lead, and our defensive pressure and counter-attacking were at their highest level of the season. In the second half, we quickly opened up a seven goal lead. This meant that the referee stopped counting our goals until the margin became less than seven. The boys continued their all-out assault, and when the referee blew the final whistle the scoreboard said 9-3.

In total, these boys had scored 71 goals while only conceding 32. They scored nine or more goals in every match and scored 14 in one. Monster Mash is now truly a team for the ages much like the Arsenal team of 2003-2004 that completed an unprecedented Premier League season without a single loss. That team was known as "The Invincibles." Count Monster Mash in that category, too, now.

The boys truly played their hearts out and how they won the league was much more important than the title itself. They played brilliant attacking, team football. Being with them provided me a bright spot in an otherwise very difficult month. That is because one month previously someone broke my leg while I was playing futsal at the exact same facility where Monster Mash had been so dominant.

I spent most of the previous month in bed, but I made it to the sideline for every one of Monster Mash's games. The boys were depending on me as their coach, but I was also depending on them to pick me up and bring joy and beauty to my otherwise boring and painful existence as an invalid.

This weekend I began the long road back to recovery. My cast is off now, and I have been given a boot.  My x-rays and my incision last week looked great.  I start physical therapy this week. I am buoyed by the resolve of the Monster Mash players. I, too, take joy in their undefeated season. This injury reminded me that I am mortal, but I will not let this injury keep me down for long. Here's to an eventful recovery, and here's to my heroes, the boys of Monster Mash!

THE LION IN WINTER

Today, Barcelona's captain Carles Puyol announced that he will be retiring from the team at the end of the season. Fans of Barca known as cules from around the world collectively sighed, and many probably shed tears. This is because Puyol was more than a player. He was the heart and soul of this Barca team in the past 15 years.

Puyol came to La Masia, the fabled Barca academy as a young man at the age of 17. He worked his way up through the ranks and had his first team debut in 1999. He soon became a regular fixture in central defense not only for Barca but also for the Spanish national team.

During his career, he played a significant part in his teams' successes, and he won every single team trophy available to him. These trophies include: 6 from the Spanish League, 3 from the European Champions League, 1 from the 2008 European Championship, and 1 from the 2010 World Cup.

However it was not just what Puyol won that makes him so special. It was how he won. He gave everything to his team and constantly sacrificed his body. He had some 30 plus injuries shown below.

Despite this, he always came back and did so with the roar of a lion. He exuded professionalism and dedication to the game and his teammates. He is truly one in a million and irreplaceable.

He is also smart enough to know that he has entered the winter of his career and that it is impossible for him to maintain the form that made his the best defender in the world just a few years ago.

At thirty-five, he probably still has over half his life yet to live, and he has many things to live for. These include his beautiful partner Vanessa and his new daughter Manuela.

I do not know what Capita's next move will be. Selfishly, I hope he retires from the game after his last match with Barca. I hope he takes over coaching at La Masia so that he can help mould and inspire a new generations of players. However, no matter what he decides, Puyol will leave Barca knowing that he gave his all to this club. For that, we cules are all grateful.



Gracies Capita!

RESILIENCE

I have had the privilege of coaching the Under-10 years of age "Monster Mash" futsal team this winter. The team is comprised entirely of Arbor boys, all of whom are Nicholas' friends, and it has been a joy to work with these motivated, talented boys.

Monster Mash got off to a great start this season and won the previous four matches. However, today we faced our toughest challenge yet when we played the Hurricanes. This team had three wins and one draw and was in second place behind us. While we had scored the most goals (42 in 4 games), the Hurricanes had conceded the fewest (14 in 4 games).

I knew it was going to be an epic battle, and therefore I decided on a more aggressive strategy to counter their defense. Normally, we play with two forwards and two defenders. However, I opted for a more attacking line-up to break through their defense:  two forwards, one attacking midfield player who could drop back in defense as needed, and one defender. 

Despite this, the Hurricanes took the lead early on. This was quite shocking and the first time in five matches that we had trailed. The Hurricanes defense continually flustered us, and we gave up several goals because we did not have sufficient defenders in the back.  By half time, we trailed by several goals, and the boys were visibly frustrated and shocked.

Nicholas spoke up and said, "Dad, one defender in the back is not working! We need to switch back to two defenders!" I had the same thought, and I encouraged the boys to play more aggressive defense and to prevent the Hurricanes from having unchallenged breakaways on our goal.  We went back to the formation that had worked so well in the first four games, and we came out fired up in the second half.

Immediately, we began to see a difference. The Hurricanes made more mistakes under our constant pressure when they had the ball, and we took advantage of these errors with rapid fire counter-attacks. We took more shots on goal, and the boys turned up their aggressiveness. Despite our more aggressive play, we still trailed by two goals with about ten minutes to go - definitely uncharted territory for us this season.

At this point, the boys could have responded in two distinct ways to this uphill challenge. They could hang their heads and give up, or they could turn up their game further and fight until the end.

Unsurprisingly, they boys opted for the latter strategy. It was at this point that I made very tactical substitutions and no longer rotated the entire ten boy squad back in. We continued an onslaught that reminded me of the attacking "total football" of Barcelona under its great coach Pep Guardiola - wave after wave of assaults on the Hurricanes' goal and immediate, immense pressure if we gave up the ball. This forced the Hurricanes to give the ball right back, and we attacked again.

There were beautiful "dagger balls" - passes that were played into the space our players were running to that sliced through their defenders. Our players who received these passes finished their chances clinically and scored.

The Hurricanes began to lose steam, and yet our boys continued to get stronger and stronger. In one word, the boys showed great resilience!

With two minutes to go, the score was level at 8-8. If I am not mistaken, our version of Messi -  Quincy - scored the game winner. Our sideline and all the parents of our boys went wild. I jumped up and down even though I was wearing a splint for a broken ankle that had been surgically repaired only three days previously. Fortunately, I did not fall!

The boys, too, did not falter in the final two minutes. They smothered the Hurricanes and played ultra-defensively. Our goalie made a key save, and we won a kick-in at half court with ten or so seconds left on the clock.

We had five seconds to take our kick before the ball would turn over to the other team. I instructed our player to take his time and run out the clock even if it caused a turnover at half court. The clock soon ran down to zero, and the referee called time. We had achieved a great comeback - the first of our short but sweet season!

After each game, I hand out European Champions League trading cards to the one or two "men of the match." Today, I gave every single player on our team a card. The boys had won as a team. The boys had overcome as a team. Every boy deserved the accolade.

When we got home, Nicholas drew the picture above from one of his favorite moments in the game. In it, Nicholas jubilantly celebrates his second half goal with his teammates Max and Torben.

This afternoon, I reflected on the match, too. Honestly, it was among the best football matches I have ever seen… at any level, and I have watched a lot of matches in my recent lifetime.

I was struck by how I would have been proud whether we had won or lost because of how resolutely the boys had played. I was astonished by the character, fortitude, and perseverance of these young eight and nine year olds.

I look forward to coaching the boys in the remaining two games, and I look forward to watching these boys grow up and overcome other even more important challenges… together.