No Time to Stand and Admire

I remember my first soccer match as a center midfielder. I was used to playing forward at the time and it did not involve much play-making or movement to the build up of a play. So I was not used to being instrumental in the midfield. There was a moment in the match where I switched the ball all the way to the other side and right after I saw it reach my teammate I stood there and marveled what I had just done. All of a sudden my coach pulls me off the field and sits me down for the rest of the game. At the end of the match he pulled me to the side and gave me some advice I will always cherish and utilize. My coach told me he had taken me out because it is not helpful to your teammates and yourself to just stand and admire something you did correctly. If you really want to achieve a certain goal (at the time the goal he was referring to was scoring a goal) then you cannot sit back and relax after achieving something, use it as motivation to strive for more. After hearing this amazing piece advice I have always cherished the idea of no time to celebrate, on to the next challenge. Though I have not implemented this ideology into my everyday life freshmen and sophomore year, I still achieved a lot. This junior year was a different story though. After forcing myself to utilize that life style of thriving for more, even after succeeding I got to say, life was tough. This year I took on a challenge that I knew could have easily led to destruction and failure. I decided to take AP Calculus BC, AP Physics B, and A.P. Language and Composition. Some of my peers questioned my audacity and questioned whether I could succeed in these work-inducing classes. Not only did these classes involve a lot of work but these classes also revolved around concepts that are difficult to comprehend, unless you are decorated genius, which I certainly am not. I knew the only way I could even have a chance at getting good grades in these classes was to implement the ideology that my coach had enlightened me with. Sure enough this year was a never ending blizzard of tests and work, but now that is nearly all said and done, I got to say I am a satisfied lad. I got grades that satisfied me and reflected my ability to manage my time and stay on top of everything on my agenda. So the moral here kids is that any challenge can be overcome, just make sure you really dedicate yourself to achieving your goals. Also keep in mind that once those goals are achieved, you should really consider moving on to the next challenge or goal. Now that I have overcome some challenges I am already transitioning to new challenges which I now have the drive and mentality to overcome.

Real Madrid is on fire

Real Madrid is on a  hot streak right now. They have made up for the slip ups early in the season. I am unhappy with the fact I was unable to watch the match against Galatasary in the Champions League. 3-0 Madrid was the final result, which surely cemented a spot in the semi-finals of the Champions League. This season's Champions League is with out a doubt the most entertaining of the century. Bayern is unstoppable, only conceding 13 goals this season and Juventus are 20 points on top in the Serie A. Dortmund is a force not to be reckoned with and Barcelona as usual the favorite to win. I digress. Overall I am very delighted with the fact Madridis moving on to the semi finals and I hope they can win the Champions League this seaso. If Madrid wins then there will be a better chance the talent residing in Madrid will stay put. Hala Madrid.

Hala Madrid!

These last two weeks have been nerve racking for me. Test after test in all my classes and with the school year racing by, these tests are vital and I may look back at them with regret or relief. We will have to wait and see. What really got me sweating was the monstrous matches Real Madrid had coming up. Manchester United then Barcelona. Then Barcelona then Manchester United again. What an obstacle, what potential disaster Madrid could have faced, but los blancos displayed courage and heroism in each game. As a result after winning three of the four fixtures and tying Manchester United, Madrid qualified into the next round of the most prestigious tournament in the world that is the Champions League and qualified for the championship of the Copa Del Rey. I would like to admit that Madrid would not have had this success without Ronaldo. The guy is clutch, scored in three of the four matches and was majestic on and off the ball. He shined and out did Messi and Robin Van Persie in these past matches and that is why Ronaldo, for me, is the best in the world. Disagree then I suggest you don't view my next blog for I will carefully explain how much of a feeble minded fool you are. Anyways peace!  

A Disappointing Season

Last soccer season was more than perfect. So many teams were preforming so well and it was very difficult to really see which team would prevail and win their league. Last season my mesmerizing Real Madrid beat the near perfect Barcelona in La Liga. Manchester City won the Premiere League on the last day of the season by a movie-like comeback. On top Chelsea some how won the Champions League by overcoming tremendous obstacles. Last season was perfect. Every week there was a surprise or an inspirational comeback. Every league had its magical moments; wish I could say that about this abysmal season. Real Madrid just can't find that consistency and are trailing so far behind Barcelona that they are out of contention for the league. La Liga is very one sided this season other than the fact Madrid keep losing points against the smaller sides. In the Premiere League, Manchester United are dominating and they are on their way to winning another Barclays Premiere League. Now why I am disappointed with this season is because I like to see underdogs prevail or put up a tenacious fight, pretty sure majority of the soccer world would agree with me. This season is very one sided and although there have been a good spell of entertaining games I still reminisce about last season. Overall this season is no where near to being as spellbinding as last season. Hopefully with Champions League starting up again I can look back at this post and realize how wrong I was but for now I am promoting my opinion. P.s. Westmont Varsity soccer is 6 points in first and are about to qualify for CCS. Come out and support because in one year Westmont Soccer went from 0 and 14 to 11 and 4. Talk about an inspirational return. Shout out to Ebba! Peace.

That Magical Time Of The Year

It's that time of year when soccer superstars are rewarded for their accomplishments throughout the year. In this case 2012 was a spectacular year of soccer, in regards to European leagues. This year the world was blessed with new records and new champions that really made the beautiful game much more engaging. I will start with Ronaldo and Real Madrid. Real Madrid won La Liga and did it in style by reaching the triple digits in points and to top that off they out classed the impregnable and worthy Barcelona. Ronaldo truly preformed this year by reaching a current 62 goals, which is incredible. Ronaldo led the elite Real squad to La Liga and played exceptionally in the Euros. These achievements have put Ronaldo as one of the contendors for the FIFA Ballen de Oro which is title given to the best player of the year. Ronaldo's competition is Messi without a doubt and although Messi didn't lead Barcelona to a usual trophy rich season, he still finds away to out preform not only class players today, but also the legends that have innovated the beautiful game. With Messi breaking the all time goal record for a year...an unreal 87 current goals...he finds himself as the favorite to win the Ballen De Oro. Personally I feel the winner should be Iker Casillas, the Spanish and Real Madrid goalkeeper because he has accomplished so much this year. From La Liga to becoming a champion in the Euros to preserving numerous clean sheets, Casillas deserves the Ballen De Oro. Since he is not a contender I hope Ronaldo can win it because Messi has three Ballen De Oros already.

Not Satisfied

 These next few weeks could not be anymore stressful and crucial. Finals are closing in and there is very little breathing space left this semester and I am finding myself on the edge of an A- and B+ in three of my classes. In the remaining time, I have to bring those B+'s up because one slip up and it will be impossible to recover the grade back to a B+ and even up to an A-. Now time is money and I have to focus and achieve all A's. This Thanksgiving break I am going to spend a lot of time reviewing and making sure I comprehend everything that I have been struggling with in my classes from fluids in physics to Fundamentals of integration in Calculus. I am feeling confident about succeeding this semester but in order to achieve that success I must dedicate a lot of my time to isolating myself and studying.
As for soccer I am very unhappy. My club team has an older and more elite squad, the red team of dynamo central valley. This Thanksgiving break they are playing in surf cup, which is a very significant tournament where top teams in the nation come and play. Many college coaches come and scout this tournament and it is a great chance for young players to earn scholarships. Originally I found myself in a solid position to accommodate dynamo red in surf cup but with the lack of attending practices I was dropped from the roster and I was really looking forward to playing in surf cup. As for Earthquakes academy I am still being contacted but it is difficult to attend a single practice due to the fact that they practice in Danville, which is an hour away. Also they are winning most of their matches so far this season so they are not as enthusiastic about bringing new players to their so-far thriving squad. So I cannot be anymore disappointed with everything involving soccer and when I think about it I immediately go outside and practice. Now I am focused on high school soccer and I am happy with the team and ow it is unified, unlike past years. Today I was happy with the coach telling the team that I am going to be taking every corner throughout the whole season, so now I can perfect my corners which is something I've always wanted to improve. Overall I am training everyday and playing well during high school practice but the fact I am not in my team's surf cup plans and earthquakes academy's plans is always in the back of my mind and is very demoralizing, especially when I am confident I can succeed and be a top player in surf cup and academy. Hopefully it is a matter of time, until then I am working my butt off everyday, even after Westmont soccer, going to get home and train another 40 minutes.  

Career update

It is amazing how fast the year is going and I cannot believe the first semester is more than half way done already. This realization of how fast time is moving makes me realize how productive I must be now and in the future to be able to have a chance at achieving my goals. Everyday is a busy day, I have not turned the T.V. to even watch a premiere league match for the last month. Although all the school work and all the soccer conditioning can be too overwhelming I realize this is what must be done in order to thrive and succeed. Grades can be tweaked a bit and imroved and as for soccer I have a lot to master technique wise. After recieving very honest and constructive criticism from my teammates and coach I am lacking in the aspect of swift agility. My touch is good but inorder to make agile cuts and turns more quick with the ball I must work on playing on my toes. Being tall and playing soccer is difficult when it comes to complete and beautiful control. Over the years I have developed a great touch and control but must increase the speed of movement with the ball because after I beat an opponent half of the times they recover and are near me again. I want to develop the speed to dribble away and leave my opponents in the dust. As of now I am given the greenlight to try out for Earthquakes but my current club is undefeated and it has been a pleasure to be a part of that achievment so I want to finish this memorable season with my club central valley and then move on to play for Westmont or skip that and play for academy. Still contemplating but whatever I choose I will give my all and dedicate my time to the team.