2024-11-08, 11:40 AM - Word count:
What an incredible game. What an incredible moment.
George Shaheen wanted to revel in the cheers and congratulations of his teammates after their 2-1 win over Sydney City longer, but there was something he had to do first. He found a break in the high fives, the cheersed glasses, and smiles to stealthily duck out of the locker room and into a recession in the hallway. He pulled out his cell phone and checked the time. He started counting on his fingers to make sure the hour would be acceptable and decided to go ahead and make the call.
It felt like an eternity as it ringed, but the one he wanted picked up.
“Dad, you’re not going to believe this,” Shaheen said excitedly into the cell phone receive. “I scored a goal today!”
As a defender, opportunities for goal scoring do not come often. In fact, through the 13 previous Academy games, Shaheen had only taken 3 shots, all random chance encounters between him as a rugged, physical backliner and the opposing goalkeeper.
And yet there we was at around the 16 minute mark against Sydney City in match 14. Atletico was taking a free kick, which brought him loser to striking distance, nestled in a near linear pattern with nearly the entirety of both the offense and defense.
Apollo Zervas took the free kick and got it in to Bengt Rubin, who drove down the right line and crossed the ball beautifully. Shaheen almost never breaks for the ball on that other end of the field – it’s not his instinct as a defender – but something compelled him to track it this time. He found himself clear of all defenders, alone deep in the left side of the box. The ball found his boot, and then met the back of the net.
It was Shaheen’s first goal of the season. It will likely be his last for a long while because that is not his role. And it’s why he wanted to celebrate the occurrence with the man who had given him everything so that he could play this game and reach the highest levels.
“I am so proud of you,” Shaheen’s father answered.
There was more to the conversation, but nothing that mattered more than those words.
George Shaheen wanted to revel in the cheers and congratulations of his teammates after their 2-1 win over Sydney City longer, but there was something he had to do first. He found a break in the high fives, the cheersed glasses, and smiles to stealthily duck out of the locker room and into a recession in the hallway. He pulled out his cell phone and checked the time. He started counting on his fingers to make sure the hour would be acceptable and decided to go ahead and make the call.
It felt like an eternity as it ringed, but the one he wanted picked up.
“Dad, you’re not going to believe this,” Shaheen said excitedly into the cell phone receive. “I scored a goal today!”
As a defender, opportunities for goal scoring do not come often. In fact, through the 13 previous Academy games, Shaheen had only taken 3 shots, all random chance encounters between him as a rugged, physical backliner and the opposing goalkeeper.
And yet there we was at around the 16 minute mark against Sydney City in match 14. Atletico was taking a free kick, which brought him loser to striking distance, nestled in a near linear pattern with nearly the entirety of both the offense and defense.
Apollo Zervas took the free kick and got it in to Bengt Rubin, who drove down the right line and crossed the ball beautifully. Shaheen almost never breaks for the ball on that other end of the field – it’s not his instinct as a defender – but something compelled him to track it this time. He found himself clear of all defenders, alone deep in the left side of the box. The ball found his boot, and then met the back of the net.
It was Shaheen’s first goal of the season. It will likely be his last for a long while because that is not his role. And it’s why he wanted to celebrate the occurrence with the man who had given him everything so that he could play this game and reach the highest levels.
“I am so proud of you,” Shaheen’s father answered.
There was more to the conversation, but nothing that mattered more than those words.
