U9 Calcio Talent and Select - Yorkshire RTC

U9 Rosso were involved in a very competitive game this weekend against Yorkshire RTC, narrowly losing 4–3 in a match full of energy, goals and positive moments from the boys.

In the first period, the team started well despite going 1–0 down early on. The response was excellent, showing bravery on the ball and good defensive moments. We equalised through a brilliant individual strike from Jayden, who caught a bouncing ball perfectly on the volley, sending it over the goalkeeper to make it 1–1 going into the break.

At the break, I reminded the players about their defensive roles — protecting the middle, reacting quickly, and being more aggressive when defending from behind. The second period saw clear improvements, especially in our 1v1 defending and our structure without the ball. In possession we were confident, with Francis showing great composure to help us play out and find free players consistently. Yorkshire took the lead after punishing a slow defensive transition, leaving us 2–1 down heading into the final period.

Before the final period, we focused on attacking and defending together as a team — supporting each other on the ball and pressing collectively. We started by conceding from a long ball in behind, but the boys showed great character to stay in the game. Ronan reacted brilliantly to a misplaced shot from Jaycob, beating the goalkeeper to the ball and scoring his first JPL goal of the season. Yorkshire restored their advantage before Jayden produced another fantastic solo run, beating several players and finishing into the bottom corner to make it 4–3. The boys pushed hard for an equaliser but ran out of time.

My MOTM was Francis for his calmness in possession, smart decisions and helping us build attacks throughout the game. Special mention to Jayden for two brilliant goals and his positive attacking play.

Jayden ⚽️⚽️

Ronan ⚽️ (Jaycob 🅰️)

Onto the next one!