soccer as a metaphor for something

[rone]

It's interesting when, once in a while, i will play one game with one of my teams, and then the next one with my other team, and the games will end up being mirror images of each other: say, on Wednesday with Quakes, we'll start off slow and look lost in the first half, then in the second half we'll slowly claw our way back to within a goal, then run out of steam and get creamed the rest of the way; then on Thursday with Centavo, we'll start out strong, then in the second half, we'll come out and play lackadaisical soccer, let our opponents almost catch up, then we wake up and bury them.  Sometimes it'll be the Quakes who have the good game and Centavo the bad game, and sometimes it'll be a Thursday game, and then the next Wednesday game.  The karmic balance of the beautiful game, perhaps.

I think i've been playing well enough lately (judging by the vast amounts of encomium i've received from both sets of teammates) that my mental mistakes weigh even more heavily on me.  I still tend to panic when i leave the box, and my distribution remains inconsistent, but i'm also seeing the field a lot better and thereby directing my defense more effectively.  I love playing the game.