Augsburg’s Evan Fuhs Checks in from Spain – Final Installment #5

Augsburg men’s soccer assistant coach Evan Fuhs is blogging during the Auggies’ trip to Europe from May 3-13. For photos from the trip and more blogs, including thoughts from Augsburg student-athletes, go to the Augsburg men’s soccer website.

The last match of the tour was a fitting summary of elements from each match so far.  Union Deportivo Adarve had reflections of the technical grace and tactical savvy that we saw in the first match of the tour.  At the same time, they were not afraid to bash the ball over the top from time to time, as we began to see from teams deeper into the tour.

The match only had one referee, which meant that the questionable calls would occur that much more than they had in previous matches.  In fact, the first goal came directly from one such occurrence.  Adarve got in behind the Auggies from a combination play on the flank that required liberalization of the offsides law only possible in a single referee match.  After a simple finish from an endline cross, the Auggies found themselves down 1-0 at half time.

A half time change in formation again showed the Auggies’ ability to adapt to the style and tactics of the opponent.  An early surge of energy and high paced forwards – Lucas Ingram and Chad Gilmer – had the Auggies knocking on the door at the beginning of the second half.

Nevertheless, nine days of constant travel began to show as the collective energy level slipped.  Though the match stayed fairly even, Adarve again got in behind to serve a similar cross.  While the finish was less clean than the first (the cross resulted in a goal mouth scramble), it was equally effective.

The Auggies finished their final match of the tour down 2-0 but gained highly valuable experience in the process.  As the old cliché goes, you always learn more from a loss than a win.  Yet, that statement requires a certain attitude and team chemistry to hold true.  Accordingly, in addition to demonstrating their ability to adapt to an opponent, deal with shocking refereeing and step up in the second half, this team has shown that they have the tools necessary to learn from these experiences.

At every opportunity, players are talking about how to defend the common combinations that the Spanish execute – the Spanish are constantly overlapping their outside backs and using a “10” in space right behind their forward.  The bus rides back from games are filled with chatter about those details.  That is, at least, until fatigue takes effect and the bus sleeps.

Without question, the group has developed their on-field product.  Yet, learning in ways mentioned above and growing more comfortable with one another’s playing style are just the tip of the iceberg.