Through two days of competition at the US Youth Soccer National Championships in Phoenix, AZ, the results have not been
what the Smithtown Arsenal had hoped for. The team has been outscored 8-1 against elite level competition. But team trainer Tom Lips feels that this has still been a great lesson for the boys on the team.
“Certainly we had hoped for better results,” Lips said after Smithtown dropped a 5-1 decision to the Chicago Magic on Thursday. “But the competition out here is just phenomenal. The level of play is so high, and it’s something we haven’t been exposed to before.
“The good thing about that is we are getting a firsthand look at what a great team looks like,” he continued. “A true competitor will see what we’ve seen and decide that he will work that much harder to get to that level. We’ve seen what it looks like now. The next step is to go home, rest up, and get back to work. The players now have a great goal to shoot for. That’s what we’ve learned out here. That’s a great lesson for these boys.”
The best news of the week thus far came in the 28th minute of Thursday’s game when Chris Hettler scored Smithtown’s first goal of the competition. That cut Chicago’s lead to 2-1, but two second half goals sealed the outcome.
“We have struggled with the heat and the altitude, and the jet lag has probably affected us a bit as well,” Lips said. “That’s not to make excuses. The other teams have to play in it to, but we’re the only east coast team here, and California and Dallas are used to the heat. Still, these are very, very good teams we’re playing out here.
“The boys are still keeping their heads up,” he continued. “We’ve had a great time, and we’ve enjoyed being part of it. We want to come back and play well tomorrow and see if we can get back on track.”