Futbol - or is it Soccer?

Tonight was soccer practice. Maddie's first, Liam's second. Liam is in the middle of the age group, Maddie is the oldest on the team. Liam is fast and he has good instincts about where the ball is going. Maddie is the same. Both are still working on controlling the ball while dribbling. And passing. Well, more like even noticing that there's anyone else on the field. But that is more than typical at this age.

Maddie's coach has two kids who also go to the kids' school. The son, W, is on Maddie's team and in Isabella's class. The daughter, E, is in my toddler class. She's a doll. The dad works for the health department. He asked for a volunteer to help if he should have an emergency for work. No one raised their hand, so.... Johnny's the assistant coach!
Hooray, Johnny! Go Team 2 in the Munchkin League!

There is a boy on Liam's team who is a bit...aggressive, but not just while he's playing. Liam came home last week and said:

Liam: "Everyone was really nice, except this one boy. He kept kicking everybody's soccer ball far away and telling them to 'get used to it.' And he was cutting in line."

Today, Liam told me as he was getting dressed for practice: "I'm going to wear my 'crabby shirt' (that Johnny got for him in Baltimore that says, 'Don't bother me, I'm CRABBY') so maybe that boy won't mess with me then."

So, I took Liam to his practice today while Isabella and Johnny were Maddie's cheering section at hers. I watched for this kid and spotted him immediately. He was cutting in front of other kids during drills. He was hitting kids with his ball, and generally being a pain in the ass. At one point, he went up to Liam to cut in front of him (Liam was next in line to go for the drill) and Liam stood up to him, not saying anything, just standing strong. So, the kid left him alone and cut in behind him. Liam was proud.

The kicker: The punk is the coach's son. :) Ahhhh... Team sports.
Let the fun begin. We're ready...


First game: this Saturday 11 AM Central Time.