Go for the Goal!

Fred Bowen Sports Story Series

by Fred Bowen

Josh and his talented travel league soccer teammates are having trouble coming together as a successful team--until he convinces them to try team-building exercises.
Thirteen-year-old Josh tries out for the United, an elite travel league soccer team, and is thrilled when he makes the cut. But once the season is underway, he discovers that the practices are grueling and the other team members are prone to hogging the ball. All the other players are talented, but they each seem to be playing for themselves and not for the team. They can't seem to pull together enough to win a single game. Tired of always being in the losers bracket, Josh begins to wonder if he made a mistake by leaving his old team and his buddies. Should he quit the United?
But just when Josh is about to give up on his new team, he makes a discovery: While doing a homework assignment about the World Cup soccer championships, he learns that the 1999 United States Women's World Cup team faced similar difficulties. Individually they were excellent athletes, but they just couldn't work together. How did the 1999 team win it all that year? By using team-building exercises. Fired up by this idea, Josh convinces his coach to try the same approach. At first his teammates are skeptical, but with time they turn the United into a real team!

Genres: Sports, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Fiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2012

About the author

Fred Bowen is the author of Peachtree’s popular Fred Bowen Sports Story and All-Star Sport Story series. A lifelong sports fanatic, he has coached youth league baseball, basketball, and soccer. His kids’ sports column “The Score” appears each week in the KidsPost section of the Washington Post. Bowen lives in Maryland.

Reviews

[Kenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this a great book I loved the character and the detail.

[Parker L · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book lot. I could not put this book down, it had good characters, great storyline. This is a personal favorite of mine. I would definitely read this book again.

This is a story of a soccer team who has lost several times. The team has good players they just are not playing as a team. They start doing team building exercises like the 1999 women's soccer team and they end up winning the championship.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has read Mike Lupticas books, and liked them. Anyone who likes a good sports book. It is a good size and easy to read.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Josh and his buddy Aidan have been selected to play on a travel league soccer team. There are many excellent players, however the team cannot seem to win a game. During a school project he learns about the 1999 Women’s World Cup championship team from the US that faced the same struggle. Could their team building strategies help this team as well? A serviceable hi-lo sports book.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Josh and Aidan join the United, a travel soccer team and a step up from their rec team. But the team of gifted athletes can't pull out a win, because they play as gifted athletes and not a team. With inspiration from a school report on the 1999 U.S. Women's World Cup team, they try some team- building exercises to start working together. A fun read with a good message on team work.

[Ms. Garr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grade 3 and up; on the 2015-2016 MCBA list. Fast-moving story about a newly-formed U-14 travel soccer team that struggles to win games. The young protagonist Josh is realistic and relatable, and there are nice messages about sportsmanship and being a good teammate. It's action-packed and would be a good choice for a reader who typically chooses non-fiction sports books.

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought there could have been more conflict. Basically, it was just boys learning to work together to win games. I did like the focus on the US women's soccer team and that the boys were the ones leading the team building initiative.