Nutmeg

Well, the fall season is here and what does that mean? Well it is different for all but specifically for fifteen individuals it is the start of a new season. Last year Horizon Church had it's very own coed indoor soccer team. Since then the interest has remained and we are all on the ball to go play again! As sudo coach of the team I am excited to see how the season goes. I expect good things and fun times. This year some changes on the squad have occurred and we have some new faces. One included is a friend of mine from work, another, a friend from another Horizonite. It is just great that the sport and team has helped Horizon reach out.

This past Wednesday I decided to play some pick up soccer. It was a three hour soccer-thon. It was a good thing we had plenty of subs. This was the first time I had been on a field in some time and the players out there were mostly men and a higher caliber at that. While I was out there I watched these old and new ballers and how they chose to maneuver around defenders or contain. This was surely more high paced than any of the games we will face on Horizon's coed B squad, but it is important to know the basics.

One move that stands out the most that gets many shouts is the "nutmeg." And for those that aren't familiar, it is not a hard aromatic seed used and ground as a spice. This is a move that takes precision and skill sometimes to complete. The nutmeg basically is a move that alleviates the problem of trying to go around the defender. It takes quite a bit of control and the ability to be aware of the opponents balance. With good timing the ball will be rolling through your opponents legs and you on your way down the field. Don't misunderstand me, this move is not the lead to move and honestly can be extremely difficult to pull off. I mean come on, how embarrassing would it be if a player is heading your way and pushes the ball through your legs. Because of this most defenders are looking for this to prevent the embarrassment.

So after playing on Wednesday I thought more about the nutmeg and other soccer moves. Does a team need fancy foot work to win? The more I thought about it, I came to the understanding, no. I mean sure it helps, and if you know a little about soccer moves its easier to defend them. But what I see the strength of our soccer team will be to play more as a team. To fundamentally contain opponents. I will say it now, our team is not deep with amazing talent, but I do think we have the potential to win some games. Some of our gracious fans almost deemed the team, the soccer version of "the bad news bears." My aim this season is to give these fans a couple of wins. But regardless we will surely give them some entertainment. And who knows they may see a few nutmegs or in our teams case, a lot.