And another thingā¦.
- The video doesnāt do it justice but the weather that night was bad, like really bad. Thunder. Lightning. Wind. Rain. Cats. Dog. There were several points during the proceedings where we thought the bubble might burst and Noahās Ark would come sailing on down the Hudson River.Ā
- Donāt call futsal indoor soccer. It is distinctly NOT indoor soccer. The only similarity is that it is soccer played indoors. Thatās it! In all sincerity, Adrian Rodriguez was quite sincere in his appraisal of futsal as an entirely different brand of āroom soccerā and was quick to point out that unlike the indoor soccer that the majority of Americans are familiar going back to their time in middle school gym class, in futsal you cannot play a pass off the wall. But thereās more...
- As for other rules specific to futsal...IāllĀ need to revisit Westchester Futsal sometime in the near future, perhaps when they are holding one of their popular youth clinics, because as of now things are a bit fuzzy for me, specifically how the game incorporates elements of basketball like the 5 fouls before a violation and no back court passes once the ball has been advanced into the offensive zone.
- Under normal circumstances, when a steady stream of rainwater is not cascading across the court like the glacial melt off the coast of Greenland, futsal is played at a very fast pace. But on this tonight, because of the slick surface, players proceeded with caution. I caught glimpses of a higher gear and to me, the most impressive talent was the ability of some players to fit the ball into the back of the goal from incredibly tight angles. Plus, the really good players had a frustrating knack of scoring a ridiculous golazo just as I would put my camera down.
- Futsal goalies do not wear any protective armor other than knee pads which is disconcerting given how the ball is hard and most shots are of the point blank variety. When defense is optional as it often was on this particular evening, it can turn into a shooting gallery and I wouldn't have blamed a goalie one bit if they had sought refuge outside in the storm.
- I remain fascinated by the footwear. Most participants, those that were there solely for the free play and not part of N.Y.E.F.C., wore sneakers. But some of the really good players, like Alan and Julian, had on what looked like a cross between wrestling shoes and Marty McFly Nikeās from Back to the Future Part II.
- Iām excited to return, this time without my camera. My size and lack of lateral quickness put me at a disadvantage but Iām hoping all the pickup basketball I play allows me to space the court properly so my teammates donāt treat me likeĀ āthat guyā. Thereās always one and I intend not to be it. Hopefully.Ā Ā
