The Patterns That Matter

After ten days of rest after injuring his ankle, my 17-year-old center back was back on the pitch today, wearing blue, and he's never played better. As always, he draws the biggest opponent as his main guy to guard, and today, the bulky but fast kid from Salinas put up a worthy fight.

But he never got past #16 and never got a clean shot on goal.

It's good that we iced and rested and coaxed his ankle back in shape in time for this match. While the team is undefeated in the five games he's played in, and allowed a paltry one goal per game; they were 1-2 when he was out, and allowed 2.67 goals per game.

Soccer is a low scoring sport -- the difference between 1.0 GA and 2.67 is huge.

He doesn't deserve all of the credit; no one player does. But center backs, in the Barcelona-style soccer his team plays, have a critical role, both in preventing the other team from scoring but in jump-starting their own team's offense.

So, it may a useful statistic that when he is in there, they've averaged 2.6 goals per game; when not their scoring fell to 2.0.

Overall that is swing of 2.27 for his team when he is playing -- they are up 1.6 with him in and down 0.67 when he isn't.

You know I love math so of course I love these numbers. They speak to me and tell me a story. They tell me a story that I already know, as a close observer of the sport, but one that is also gratifying as the parent of a hard-working athlete.

He probably never will get much public recognition for his skills, beyond the occasional all-city honor or press clipping. But the other parents, his teammates, and his coaches, and I know how well he plays the game.

He's an exceedingly modest kid, never wishing to bring any attention to himself, a very quiet member of the team. Just a solid performer who never stops competing and who never backs down.

If it is not too egocentric to say it, he reflects my own values in games -- he plays fair and clean, tough and relentlessly, never gives up, and is the consummate team player.

If that is egocentric, I should rush to point out these are *his* values, as well as mine, and I don't think I have had all that much influence on his athletic career.

I am his biggest fan, always there, so far, on the sideline, but I don't think that is a determinative factor in his play.

Since I am, relatively speaking, an older parent, I often wonder how my kids would perform if I were not there to witness them. Of course they are aware of me on the sideline, but the quality of their performance is based on many more important factors than what Dad thinks or is doing at the time.

Really all I am is their temporary scribe. I probably will only be able to continue to see and write about their games for a limited period in the future, for multiple reasons.

But even when I am not there, I know the way they will play.

They will play like #16 played today.

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