Hattrick United

The 184 fans that showed up for the match today left the pitch on cloud nine… SF Youth WON their first match in the HTU top division! After a disappointing loss of being shut out, SF Youth turned up the heat and pounded home 4 goals to beat Nurmiksen Pojat 4-2. These 4 goals came from 4 different players, now that’s what we call teamwork. Oyuela netted the game winning goal in the 40th minute and mentioned he could only of done it with the support of his teammates, “I think what you saw different today was the fact that we worked as one unit out there, rather than last week we were just all over the pitch as individuals.”

SF Youth man of the match was once again Clint Waterman who led the SF Youth midfield with possession. Newcomer Justin Church also had a noteworthy performance. Management is very pleased and joked, “We only wish this was the last match of the season, then we would be sitting with a 4th place finish.” But also realized the club has lots to learn, “We won today at home, and we have two tough road games ahead of us, we need to figure out how to bring this intensity to those matches.”

A short post for this week’s scouting. I had a few minutes to talk to the scouts before family Christmas festivities began and right after attending church. Gale Sweet told me of a player that I could not refuse, his name is Justin Church. I got a laugh.

The SF Youth boys cried all the way to the Polish airport tonight…and cried even more into their “mommy & daddy’s” arms. A look of devastation was seen in their eyes after the 4-0 loss to SMS Karpaty Krosno. They cared greatly about the match, but unfortunately talent was needed today and talent was not what they had. Zero scoring opportunities, disorganized defense, and an untalented goalkeeper sums up the match for SF Youth.

A long depressing season is due ahead, ranked 6th out of 6th teams. Man of the match was once again Clint Waterman, who stood out amongst both sides. The captain was interviewed (who could be renamed to “Waterworks” Waterman with the amount of tears streaming down his face) adn shared, “We lost by four goals to a great squad, and really didn’t have any opportunities to score. Unfortunately the defense had too many mishaps which lead to SMS capitalizing on them. We let in a goal in the first 5 minutes in both halves. Overall, we played a better team. There was nothing else we could have done. Now I must call my dad to tell him the news, if you will please excuse me…”

We wish SMS KKS the best of luck in the rest of the season and will see you back again in the states

The matches are set for the first season of the HTUM U18 Championship. SF Youth travels to Poland for their first game on 12/22. The newest team out of the bunch, SF Youth finds itself in a very tough spot and has set a team goal to try and score at least one goal a match and to never give up hope.

"One-eyed Waterman"

SF Youth looks to Clint Waterman to serve as the most dominant role on the team. He consistently out performs all players during trainings and matches. He has been the player of the game for SF Youth every game since he joined onto the squad and has high hopes at making it to the professional level. He is also the oldest on the squad and you can see it through his maturity.

Clint grew up in the Bay Area. He is the son of a former Division V. star Walter Waterman who played center back for the Bay Area Bucks back in the 90′s. Clint is most recognizable on the field because of his one of a kind playmaking ability. Clint was born with 10/20 vision. During our interview, Waterman states, “People see my right eye is bigger than my left…they often stop and stare…[pause] I was made fun of growing up, you know, but it has been a gift in disguise. My right eye is way stronger than my left and allows me to see gaps and seams that most people don’t see. I am a visionary on the field because of my eye.”

Can “One-Eyed” Waterman lead his team to victory? Only time will tell. But one thing is for certain, he already left his mark in the SF Youth Academy.

By no means am I a psychic, but I will say that I am 99% sure I will be demoted after this youth season (unless I scout some excellent players… like 6 weeks in a row). There is some remarkable talent in the top division and SF Youth is definitely the underdog. Regardless , it is an honor to be a part of the first HTU U-18 Championship division for at least 1 season in my career (if I never make it back up).

As for the rest of my prediction, it is below. Keep in mind I did not want to spend countless hours analyzing matches and ratings and comparing each team’s lineups with each other. This prediction is me looking at the teams most recent lineups, getting a feel for what players will eventually no longer be able to play in the league due to age, and hypothesizing a really rough estimate of placement. So I apologize for any managers or coaches who see this and are outraged because I ranked them below their actual potential

So after much thought I have decided to dedicate my Hattrick United blog to my SF Youth squad and my Hattrick Press Releases to my SF Undefeated senior squad. The SF Youth deserves a place for recognition and since they are now competing in the HTU U-18 Championship division, this will be the place to receive the latest news on matches, trainings, scoutings, and random nonsense.

If anyone reads this post and is intelligent on how to make my blog look better please give me your tips, they are all much appreciated. I want to add a picture of my squad somehow too. Also if there is a way to make individual profiles I would really like that.

Thank you for any help

Critics may be asking, how can you be called Undefeated and not even win a game? But the record doesn’t phase management’s spirits one bit. Post game the manager exclaimed “Yes, we lost horribly. But look at the positive. Our attendance increased to 6596 people tonight compared to only 3435 for our first league game. We need the continued support of the community to do well. And knowing that they are behind us makes our team stronger. Oh and as far as being named “Undefeated” it is not just a no loss mentality. It symbolizes an ongoing battle of never giving up.”

After the game the coach stated, “Right now we can't look at the scoreboard. Everyone out there has more experience than us. We need to focus on our game and our team. We are building a program from scratch and that takes time, it can't happen overnight. I am proud of our efforts tonight. We tried out a new 3-5-2 formation and tactically improved. Now we will focus on league play, and getting some W’s against the robots”