by Sunday, May 19th, 2019 – Detroit City FC 2 Kalamazoo FC 3
“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves…”
I don’t know if Bruce Lee ever played soccer, but if he did, I imagine he would’ve approached it the same way as martial arts: fiercely competitive and open to any technique or way of thinking that could improve his game.
In the middle of his career, Lee became frustrated with the conventional practices and techniques of the fighting styles he had studied. He felt they were too constricting and not well-suited for hectic real-world scenarios.
Detroit City’s loss on Sunday – to a pesky opponent, on a saturated field, amid swirling winds – was a perfect example of just such a scenario. It was also reminiscent of nearly all the losses they’ve suffered in the Keyworth era, which typically follow a similar pattern:
Phase 1: City looks like the better team for the first 30-60 minutes.
Phase 2: Once the opposing team realizes this, they get more and more aggressive, fouling freely and taking yellow cards to break up the play and throw City out of sync.
Phase 3: City starts trying to force the issue, playing more long balls and risky passes. The opposing team seizes on miscues and gets one or more goals, typically off of counter-attacks.
Phase 4: City gets more desperate and their play deteriorates further. Once the final whistle blows, we all file out and wonder how that one got away.
