Knockout Final

You can't win them all!  After finishing the last 16 games of the season with a 15-1 record we finally faltered.  We started the Final against Botha Sig quite slowly.  We were hindered with several injuries and illnesses so players were playing out of position, and that really slowed us early on.  We gave up a goal on an amazing deep shot about 10 minutes into the game.  We slowly got into the game, but we still weren't playing well.  With about 5 minutes left in the 1st half we drew a penalty and Tauriq finished it off.  So, at halftime we were tied 1-1.  The good news was that we still hadn't played well, the bad news was that we had to figure out how to play better.  

Luke Planting attacking in the 1st Half

We started the 2nd half stronger and started playing our brand of soccer, getting the ball on the ground and passing it around a bit.  We made some changes early in the 2nd half that gave us some footing, especially in midfield.  However, we still couldn't find the goal.  Regulation ended and we headed to overtime.  At this point our fitness level started to show and we played better and better as the game wore on.  But we were still squandering our chances.

With less than a minute left in overtime Coach Mike and I started discussing who our penalty takers should be.  We were organizing our list when all of a sudden we lost the ball in midfield, the ball got played over the heads of our defenders, and their forward ran onto it and popped it over our goalie.  Just like that, with less than 15 seconds left, it was over!  It was such a shock.  We had controlled play throughout the 2nd Half and Overtime and seemed like the only team that would score.  

The great thing is that you can teach a whole lot more when you lose, than when you win.  You obviously learn a lot about the game, but there is so much to learn about life in that moment.  I was proud of how the boys handled it.  They were disappointed, but they were good sports with our opponents, and within half an hour they were ready to enjoy the awards ceremony.  Being League Champions meant that we received that trophy and our runners up medals for the Knockout.  So, in the end, there was still much to celebrate.  

Congratulations has to go out to the U13 Fish Hoek B team that won their division of the league AND the Knockout.  Two of the Academy players, Sim and Keanu, have played on that team all year.  

And we also need to send a major thank you to Hillsong Church Cape Town.  They sponsored our new Knockout Final Jerseys.  They had the boys names on the back, they got to pick their own number, and they had the Hillsong logo on the sleeve.  They looked sharp!  

The team with their trophies & medals.
In the picture is Matthew Booth, a former National Player, who grew up in Fish Hoek and played with the club.

Our First League Title

A Little Halftime Encouragement

The Champions Celebrate

The Ubuntu boys clinched the Premier League title on Saturday afternoon with a 1-0 victory over CPUT, a team that previously defeated us!!  It was one of the best performances the team has put together this year.  They defended well, created lots of chances for each other, and had a great spirit about the game.  The goal was scored by Alex Van Schalkwyk and may have been the best goal we've scored all year.  It was off a corner kick swung in from the left side by Chadley Philander.  On corner kicks Alex is responsible for the near post run.  He made a great run, had the courage to put his head on the ball, and it sailed into the top of the goal!  It was fantastic, just like you draw it up in practice!
It's been a remarkable season already, but it can get better with the Knockout Final this Saturday.  This game is against Botha Sig, a team that defeated us the first game of the season and that we narrowly beat in the return match.  We're playing our best football at the right time, and despite several injuries and illnesses I know we'll be up for the challenge on Saturday.
I wanted to share a few statistics to show the amazing progress the team has made.

• We started the season with 1 win, 1 loss, and 2 draws.  In those 4 games we gave up 6 goals.  
• In the 14 league matches since then we've gone 13-1, while only giving up 4 goals.  We have ten shutouts in that period.  
• We've also played two knockout matches which have both been shutout wins, so that gives us 12 shutouts and a total record of 16-2-2.  Hopefully on Saturday that record will go to 17-2-2.  
• With the Premier League Championship comes promotion to the Super League next year!

So much excitement in the years to come, but it's amazing to see what God has done already in a year.  Pretty incredible to think what can possibly be ahead.  We'll be sure to update you on what happens on Saturday in the Final!

Sim

Our final profile is of Sim.  If you want to see more of Sim's life check out the video we did: http://youtu.be/oy4-U5VdO_M

Name:  Simxolisile Keps

Age:  12

School:  Marine

Position:  Defense, Midfield

Grade: 6

Favorite Player: Messi

What do you think about the academy?

I think the academy is doing great stuff and my skills are improving because of it.

What is your favorite memory or story about the academy?

My favorite memory is when we went to Hillsong.

Dream?

Its my dream to be a professional soccer player.

Keanu

This is the 'baby' of the Academy, our youngest.  He may be the youngest, but he's probably the most technically gifted.  Get to know him!

Name:  Keanu Wilsnach  

Age: 11

School:  Marine         

Position: Center midfield

Grade:  6

Favorite Player:  Messi

What do you think about the academy?
I like that it teaches different things, not just about soccer.

What is your favorite memory or story about the academy?

Going to Youth at Hillsong.

Dream? To be a professional player.

Tauriq

Name:  Tauriq Lamara

Age: 13

School:  Hillwood         

Position: Right and Left Wing

Grade:  7

Favorite Player:  Ronaldo

What do you think about the academy?

I really like the academy, because of its quality of excellence.

What is your favorite memory or story about the academy?

My favorite memory is going to Hillsong's youth group with the team.

Dream?

I want to be a professional soccer player or singer.  

Not making excuses

You all know that the point of what Ubuntu Football Academy is doing is much great than soccer.  The great thing is that we're already seeing some fruit of all the effort.  Rory is a 7th grader from Ocean View.  He plays right back for us because he's got great pace, serves a good ball, and his athleticism helps him defend.  When he comes to practice he's focused and hard working.
The only problem is that Rory doesn't always come to practice!  He's had two episodes this year where he has gone completely AWOL.  He'll miss 1-2 weeks at a time during these episodes.  Most teams would have dropped him at that point, but our philosophy at Ubuntu is different.  We continue to pursue him and push him to mature.  As the months have gone on he hasn't had long absences, but will still miss a practice here or there.  Sometimes he'll use the smallest excuse to try and miss a practice.  We try to help him understand that skipping training won't help him reach his goal of playing for Manchester United one day.
This week, though, we have started to see some real fruit from our patience and perseverance.  On Monday Rory came to my house to tell me he would be late to training because he had to go to something at church.  However, he already had his stuff with him and would come straight to practice from there.  (BIG STEP).  He told me then, 3 days early, that he would have to miss Thursday's practice because of a dance practice at church, and had his mom call to confirm (ANOTHER BIG STEP).  But it got better.  On Thursday, about 20 minutes into practice, Rory comes walking up.  His dance practice had been canceled.  Even though he had an easy excuse he put in the effort to come to training.  For him that meant walking to the taxi stand, paying for the taxi, making the ride, and then walking a bit to get to the field.  He didn't even have his stuff, but just came to watch.  This is such a major step for Rory!  He used to look for excuses, yesterday he wouldn't allow his excuse to stop him.  Some of his teammates shared equipment so he was actually able to practice with his team.  It was beautiful!
After practice I made sure to spend some time telling him how proud I was of him.  We know that most of our boys never hear that people are proud of them, so we really try to emphasize that.  I'm excited of the maturity and commitment that he's showing.  He'll miss again in a few weeks, probably, but it's the small steps that will build him into a community transforming leader.  We shared a pizza for lunch today where I was able to continue to build him up over his great progress.  Rory is easy to be proud of and I can't wait to see where he's headed!

Excited,
Casey

Not Scared Anymore

Alex Van Schalkwyk is one of our more talented players (see his profile below).  His ball skills are awesome!  He's a slick dribbler, strikes the ball well, and has some creativity and pizzazz.  However, Alex has always struggled with self-confidence.  As we started the Academy people always noted that Alex's mental/emotional game was what was holding him back.  I begin to see it very quickly.  In our first couple of friendly matches he shied away from the big moments.  When we played Ajax Cape Town he was so intimidated because of the name on the jersey and the look of their kit.  He would openly admit to preferring to play weaker teams where he knew he was better than the opponent.  At the beginning of the season he started on the B team and he loved the idea of playing against weaker opponents.
Well, Alex didn't stay on the B team long and quickly got moved up to the A team.  We continued to battle his lack of confidence, but things were slowly changing.  Since the beginning of August, though, his attitude has changed dramatically!  He's gotten confident, has been pushing people around, and doesn't want to play weaker opponents anymore.  Our opponent this weekend is last place in our league and has consistently been blown out by the other teams.  At practice the other day Alex said to me, "Coach, I don't want to play against (team) this weekend, they are so weak.  I want to play against the good teams now."  I couldn't believe my ears!  Alex has grown so much in just a few short months that he no longer wants to play weak teams where he knows he will have success, but wants to play against strong teams that will challenge his ability and make him better.  That's a big step for him.  Now his natural abilities can be displayed because he won't hold himself back.
I'm so proud of him and excited about his progress!

Casey

Juan

Name: Juan Cloete

Age: 13

School: Crestway

Position:  Left back


Grade: 8


Favorite player: Lionel Messi

What do you think about the academy?
I rally like it because all of the players and coaches that I get to interact with.

What is your favorite memory or story about the academy?
My favorite memory is when we all got to go to McDonald's after the game.

Dream?
It's my dream to be a professional soccer player.