How do you win?

My school had never won a JV2 Championship. The closest any team had gotten was the 2007 team that made it all the way to the final, but lost.  Needless to say there has been a culture of losing. In fact, after one poor performance, I had to ask the team: How do you win? and I asked them over and over again until one player said "Hard Work". It became our motto and our mantra.

The Day We Hit Rock Bottom

On the 24th of September, we hit rock bottom. A team that started with two wins (with record setting goal totals of 7 goals scored in each game) and two draws, had now lost four in a row in conference play. From the ashes would rise a championship team that didn't care who we were facing. We would end up beating teams that had beat us previously in the season, including two teams that had called us "Weak".

We ended the streak with our next game and first win on the road (first of many when it was all said and done). We would only lose one game the rest of the season, precisely against the team that we ended up facing in the Championship game.

In the last regular season game, we faced the fourth place team. We beat them 0-4 on their turf. Everyone looked at me with excitement and confidence. They were finally convinced of what I had told them all season: this team had no ceiling.

The Road to Glory

Cuartos de final

We had a tough road ahead of us. We started as the 7th seed due to our slump earlier in the season. In the first half of the opener we were already up 3-0. I made the decision to give some of our players who more seldomly got minutes. We ended up winning 4-2, but I stand by the decision. Those players earned those minutes and it kept them focused for the road ahead.

The very next day we had to take on the #2 seed and, at least physically, the best team in the league. We beat them on their field. We went up just before halftime and when they tied it up early in the 2nd half and their crowd reacted, we didn't give up. We scored a beautiful slow roller header and stuck out the last ten minutes for the win.

Semifinal

The semifinal was in a field destroyed by mud, rain and we would even end up playing at the end in virtual darkness. It didn't matter. We went up with a golden header from one of our shortest players who jumped at least a meter into the air. Once again, at the half, we were leading. Our opponent tied the game in an unfortunate play where several of our players could have cleared the ball, but slipped in the mud. With ten minutes to go, in a genius play, one of our strikers who had only two goals in the regular season and 5 in the tournament, launched a rocket from almost midfield. You could tell by the way the goalie turned his head, there was no stopping the shot. 1-2 and on to the Championship Final.

The Final

Heading into the Final, I was convinced we would win. I had made some tactical changes for the tournament that had me completely convinced. One was surprising for everyone. In the Quarterfinals, when we were winning 1-2, I moved our star midfielder into defense. None of the players knew he could play there. He told me later, in Spanish, "I won't let them score not even one". He was right. It didn't matter that he is one of the shortest players on the field.

We were untouchable. Yet, I had nerves in the hours leading up to the final. It wasn't fear, it was the absolute confidence of knowing we were going to be champions and the desire to celebrate the title eating me up inside. The hours before the game went by so slowly, it was painful.

As for the final itself, I think the images below speak for themselves...