Bermuda100: Life on the road suits the Blast

I’ve been travelling with the Baltimore Blast team the past six days as we’ve had two tough away games in the Major Indoor Soccer League.

One was against St. Louis Ambush and the other saw us take on Missouri Comets. Both were a test on the opposition’s patch and it was important for us to play well because we are sure to meet one of them in the playoffs. 

We played Missouri in the finals last year when we were able to come away  with our sixth  championship since I have been at the club.

Therefore, these two games were a test to make sure we could handle being on the road together for a period of time, while also staying focused enough to battle out two wins. 

We entered the first game strong but gave a little life to St. Louis in the third quarter by not finishing our chances and allowing ourselves to get off track from our game plan. 

In the end we were able to pull out a 12-6 victory — but as coaches we told the players we must play better, finish our chances and be mentally stronger when things are not going our way.

The second game against Missouri Comets was played three days later and the players showed much more character and focus to win 18-4.

It was one of the best overall performances we have put together all season and one that was overdue for the team. 

I say this because though we have been winning games, we have been coming up short in getting the players to buy into the changes we have made to our system of play. The game went extremely well and we are very proud of the players.

What’s next for the team?

We do not have any games this week but will play next week Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with two of the games being at home and one away.

This week will be fitness training for some of the players coming back from injuries.

Also, this week we will continue to clean up our movement off the ball and work on playing with more rhythm and flow in the offence. 

We will give the players the weekend off but will expect them to be in the gym working out on one of the two days.

For me, I was supposed to head to the NBA allstars weekend with the Legends of Sports but have opted  to stay at home and focus on some new business stuff and prepare for the Hope4Life night with the Baltimore Blast next week Saturday. 

I will be hosting 400 students from three of the schools I am working with and collecting soccer supplies from the fans for orphanages in Africa, Mexico and Guatemala.  

I am looking forward to another successful event. 

Coaching 

Coaching professional soccer players  does not come easy. There are many things outside the game that have a greater effect on the outcome of players performing well and the team’s success. 

We coaches have to understand the players’ social, business and family life and we have to be able to bring all their personalities together to complete one task. 

Winning one championship is good but being able to win multiple titles with a team calls for much more than just having talent on the field. We need to continue to make sure our players enjoy the spirit of completing that task as a team rather than just looking to see themselves in the newspaper or lifting a trophy.

As coaches we are responsible for the outcome and have to be able to judge the players each day and never let them get complacent or feel like they have  reached their learning capacity. We have to educate them each day and take their development seriously from the rookie all the way through to the veteran players. 

David Bascome is a coach with Baltimore Blast and founder of the Hope4Life Foundation and the Bermuda100 initiative, which aims to support schools, and recruit and train leaders in our community.