The Fusion's first friendly match was against the Hamilton Accies, an academy team. This is Scotland after all so the match would not have been complete without a steady rain. The parents on the sidelines were huddling under umbrellas and sporting rain jackets, moving around to stay warm. Tour organizer Eric McAleer laughed and said, "This is nothin. It's just spittin".
The Accies are an academy team which means that player expenses are paid for and they're in the funnel to play professionally. Their footwork and ball control was outstanding with several beautiful goals. The match was an eye opener for the Fusion as it was highly physical and our players were pushed, elbowed and slide tackled frequently. The ref let them play only pulling out the whistle when Jackson was tossed several feet, calling to the offending player "aye, this isn't a wrestling match". Fusion gave it their all and with each quarter, matched the Accies physicality. After three 25 minute quarters the Fusion lost 6-1 with our guest player, Jack from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, scoring the lone goal.
After the game both teams were excited about posing for a group shot. In a few years Fusion players can look to see which of the boys end up playing for the Rangers.
The Accies are an academy team which means that player expenses are paid for and they're in the funnel to play professionally. Their footwork and ball control was outstanding with several beautiful goals. The match was an eye opener for the Fusion as it was highly physical and our players were pushed, elbowed and slide tackled frequently. The ref let them play only pulling out the whistle when Jackson was tossed several feet, calling to the offending player "aye, this isn't a wrestling match". Fusion gave it their all and with each quarter, matched the Accies physicality. After three 25 minute quarters the Fusion lost 6-1 with our guest player, Jack from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, scoring the lone goal.
After the game both teams were excited about posing for a group shot. In a few years Fusion players can look to see which of the boys end up playing for the Rangers.
Nice picture!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the detailed report, Heather! Looks like a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteGreat experience for all. Learning some new skills and some humility will make them better players in the long run. Thank you for the updates and pictures.
ReplyDeleteThanks again! fantastic picture of all the boys.
ReplyDeleteOuch! Hopefully boys realize how different (and difficult ) it is to play with teams at the academy level. Hope they rest well for the weekend games.
ReplyDelete