Masamo starts soccer

Masamo started playing soccer in March. He had asked to play after seeing David play last fall. Due to a lot of rain the practices and games have been hit and miss but we’ve enjoyed watching our little boy grow as a soccer player. Masamo started out with absolutely no concept of the game of soccer and could just barely run. In a month his concept has developed to the point that he knows that his team is to get the ball into the opposing team’s goal and to kick the ball away from his own team’s goal. I don’t think that’s too bad!

At his first few practices, Masamo needed some extra assistance from either Jason or I to help explain what his coach was asking of him and to encourage him to do it. By the end of his first two practices (they are only one hour each) he was complaining how tired he was and how hard soccer was to play. They would play a game called “Sharks and Minnows” and Masamo did not understand that it was the “shark’s” job to kick the ball away from the “minnows”. He was upset that someone else was kicking his ball away. David also suffered from this same trouble and also both did not like being called a shark when it was his time to play that position. David had to be called a “starfish” instead, and Masamo insisted on being called “Nemo”. However after those first practices there has been no complaining and a lot of enthusiasm on his part to play.

Masamo’s first game was freezing but the boys went out and played anyway. Masamo’s team (named the "Hot Wheels") won and in an email later that day the coach named Masamo “player of the game”, saying that “no one played with more heart than Masamo”. Although Masamo is not a fast runner he has a lot of endurance and is seen to be continually running the field after the ball. Because his foot does not find the ball that often, Masamo’s coach allows Masamo to do lot of throw-ins and goal or corner kicks. I must say that he’s got quite a foot!

Masamo has recently taken to making a face when he runs after the ball in a game. His face looks like a cross between a scowl and a face saying “GRRRRR”! I assume he’s just getting serious about the game, but I’m not sure yet. We’ll see if this amusing face continues.

Here's a video of Masamo playing in one of his soccer games.......