Another Ridiculous Loss
What is going on?
Another Ridiculous Loss
Things have gone from bad to worse.
We rebounded nicely after the 2-1 loss to Ilaoa and To’omata. We crushed Taputimu Youth, destroyed Pago Youth, and beat Utulei pretty easily.
We were in second place, only 3 points behidn Ilaoa and To’omata (who, of course, haven’t lost anything).
And then we stumbled again.
Vaiala Tongan
Vaiala Tongan were picked to finish 4th this season. They stumbled somewhat coming out of the gates, losing 3 of their first 4 and finding themselves near the bottom of the charts.
And, well, they simply destroyed us.
I don’t know what happened. I can’t explain it. We lost, 2-0, and simply put up our worst offensive performance of the season.
I suppose the offense might have been the problem. Mark Taga’i and King Moe played up front. Both had horrible games, shooting with extremely low accuracy and not bothering to pass the ball. Moe finally gave way for Petu Pouli in the second half, but it was too little, too late.
We also had poor performances from players who I would have expected to be at least somewhat decent. 16-year-old Zion Sione, for example, played absolutely horribly in the back, and has been sent down to the under 18 squad. Peyton Malani, who was one of last season’s stars, also played poorly, and has been demoted as a result.
Cause For Alarm?
Look — we’re a better team than this.
But this really is a cause for alarm. Ilaoa and To’omata don’t show any signs of slowing down. And now we are 6 points behind them.
I can’t explain it — I really can’t. We played Vaiala Tongan no fewer than 4 times in offseason friendlies, winning every single one of those matches. In fact, our under 18 squad played them 3 times, winning 2 of the 3.
I hate to say this, but a loss like this might hasten my departure. We’re a better side than this, and I simply don’t have the time or patience to deal with this level of inconsistency.