The EDP champion Baltimore Kings men’s U-23 suffered their second and final loss in their EDP season in the finale to Annandale United 1-0 in Virginia, the make-up game for the game Annandale rescheduled when they were supposed to come up to CCBC Essex. The captain David Warburton could not attend due to his car breaking down on the way to Virginia, and that was the start of the Kings’ woes on this final day of the season. David Neuberth scored a goal that was controversially ruled offside, which set the tone for the rest of the game. Officiating a soccer game is a very difficult job, and I respect the people willing to put themselves out there to do it. However, this particular official was inconsistent as compared to the other officials in the league. While that is not necessarily a bad thing as each official has their own style, that is a learning curve this club needs if they are to go professional. I also note here that the official in question was being assessed.
Difficulties with the officials and player attendance aside, the performance reeked of apathy. It must also be noted here that they did not train on Thursday, a day they usually do so. If you saw them play in the first week and this week with nothing in between, I think you’d say that there were no changes and you’d assume that the club were on an almighty losing streak. However, the club has shown marked improvement throughout the summer as the players played together, and they have finished in first place in their inaugural season. That, no matter the league, is no easy feat. On the other hand, a performance like this was not their best performance, and the attitude, quite frankly, started from the top. Head coach EJ Jackson argued with the official numerous times throughout the game, and was sent off in the second half. After he was sent off, it snowballed as another player was also dismissed from the bench for foul language, which was, again, a personality quirk of the official who called things tighter than previous ones. The rain did not help matters, either, but the performance was poor, and it was done with a bad attitude.
Let’s hope the Kings can learn from this experience, and come back even stronger next season.
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