How Badly Do You Want To Win?

I remember thinking this when I watched the University men’s soccer teams play in the national championships in Victoria, BC, recently.

Picture this: it is the semi-finals round of a major national sports tournament.  There are two teams in this round of the competition.  Both teams have worked really hard to get here. Both have practised hard and won their important games.  The players have most likely been playing for many years and have practiced daily.  Each team has also grown really tight as a unit.  But, watching the teams recently, I was reminded that it doesn’t matter how well you have played in the past or how much you practice; in the semi-finals, it is about this moment. Each player must be totally “present” in the game.