A Farewell from Martin

Good evening bloggers and bloggets,


For those of you who do not know me I am the goalkeeper coach Martin Hutton. Because this is the last of my trips with SLSG Metro I was given the tasks of letting the world know what exactly what we were up to the last day of our trip.

The first game was to start at 8:00 am with the U-16’s looking to complete the road trip with a hard fought win. Real got off to a fast start putting one in on Kent in the 15th min. The guys held the score until the second half. Real jumped on a couple of opportunities and put the ball in the onion bag for two more. The end result was a disheartening 3-0. As a side note, for those of you who were following via twitter I was your humble correspondent.


The second game started at 10:30 and presented a golden opportunity for the U-18’s. Looking to get six points out of the weekend and greatly increase their chances of making the playoffs the U-18’s rushed out onto the battleground to warm up. After a good pep talk from the head skipper they were eager to offer a nice wallop to the opposition, in the form of a victory. The first half was exciting with the both teams trading scoring jabs as the 45th min. saw a level score line at one apiece. The second half saw Real come out throwing sucker punches in the form of 60-yard diagonal balls to the back post. Though we were able to thwart Real’s advances, the home side was eventually able to capitalize on their strategy by putting one into the back of the onion bag. Being the maestro of tactics, D-man changed strategy in an effort to maximize our opportunities. After switching to a 3-5-2, we had a new purpose, to punish Real. The pressure being put on their backline was immense and led them to play longer balls out of their back in an effort to counter our momentum. Though we had our chances they capitalized in the waning minutes to edge the score line further. The end result was a depleting 3-1.


Now on a mad dash to make our flight, the team began changing into their Sunday’s best right behind the benches (there was no other option). I on the other hand, with a body outside of my playing days-resembling chewing gum, decided to hide behind a van. In an effort not to offend anyone, I was going to take a French Shower at the airport (I am not sure that worked out too well).


Now packed to the brim full of dirty clothes, stinking young men, and soccer equipment the vans are making their way towards the airport in an effort Dale Jr. would admire (kidding parents). This is a 45-min trip from the south side of town to the tent city of Denver International Airport. About 25 minutes in, we notice a storm brewing on the horizon. Dancing to the tune of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” I gave it no attention. Little did we know that would be the storm of all storms….

As we are filling up the gas tanks to our transformers, Blake our Optimus Prime van was way cooler than your version of the antagonist, Megatron. Ooh Burn…ok where was I? Oh yeah, the sky resembled a scene out of the movie Independence Day. Out in the distance you could see tornado funnels forming, with one touching ground! Remembering the research I did on tornadoes as a kid, I knew we were safe. I swore I saw Pecos Bill and his horse Lightning lasso that beast and ride it safely over the Rockies. I hate snakes but the rattler he used to rope that monster was HUGE and I am glad he did!

Safely at the airport we were ordered by the lady general wearing a blue shirt to check in outside. “It will be much faster”, she said. Now we had to brave the storm that we had just come from. If by faster she meant being hit by dime sized hale, dodging lightning strikes, and huddling together so we wouldn’t blow away, than she was right on the money. All kidding aside, the two guys outside were very helpful and did the best they could to expedite the process.

Standing in the 30 minute winding line for security had nothing on what we had just come from. Having not eaten anything since 6:30 am this morning, I couldn’t help thinking that we looked like a herd of cattle going into the pins to be checked over. Eventually, we were stamped “ok” and allowed to pursue the nearest trough. With our stomachs full, we settled down in a comfy corner and reminisced the recent circus of events. It was a nice setting to begin our four-hour waiting period. We had some good laughs and the boys enjoyed people watching. I think the boys came to a consensus that #9 was the cutest. After a plane change resembling the airport scene in “Home Alone” we finally reached our destination.

Special Thanks
Thank you to all the parents and young men for your genuine conversation and warm welcoming. I had a great time getting to know all of you and look forward to seeing you all in the future. Rob, Bob, Liam, Kent, and Derrick if you guys need anything you have my number.

John, Shawn, and Blake, thank you for sharing your knowledge of the game and for making my time with Metro pleasant. I look forward to seeing you guys on the sidelines.

Cory Donigan congratulations on the baby and thank you for your help with the paperwork.

Lastly, D-man thank you for the opportunity to challenge your goalkeepers and help them develop. It was a pleasure furthering my coaching abilities under your guidance. I will make sure to keep in touch.