I ended up catching a bit of the evening session of the tryouts on Friday. At this point, the tryout roster had been trimmed by over 20 players (there are still some big cuts to go though). I was really happy to see that KC, Bryan, and Robert (the three keepers I’d noticed Thursday and Friday morning ) were all still on the roster.
The scrimmages I watched were even more interesting than the others. At this point, they were playing one-touch ball and the player’s skill levels were showing more clearly. There were a number of good plays, and good players, but here are some that stood out:
- Richie Bindrup (a returning player who earned PDL Team of the Week honors last year) was serving up some nice crosses and was very vocal in organizing the backline and midfield.
- Ney Augusto Batista, one of the Brazilian trialists, looked like a solid target forward. He played with his back to the goal and made some nice looking shots, including a header that was just wide of the frame.
- Saul Santos was another good looking forward. He seemed to always be making dangerous runs on goal and nearly scored on a bicycle kick—he beat the keeper, but it was cleared by a defender at the goal line.
I had to leave before the end of the session, so my notes are certainly incomplete, but I’ve blocked out the time to watch the entire final session. Coach Watkins promised that it would be the best session yet, especially the concluding scrimmage.
