In fact, this is one the areas that separates average players from good players and good players from great players. In addition, it becomes obvious who the players are that become comfortable with the idea that they have nothing to prove. What tends to happen with them is they plateau and you don’t hear about them or notice them anymore. In essence they are no longer “game changers”.

Hall of famer Michael Jordan would bring his A-game even when facing the smaller franchises.  For instance, when the Chicago Bulls played the Vancouver Grizzlies (now the Memphis Grizzlies), he would go on a tear and score 40+ points, sometimes half of which came in the fourth quarter. Hence, there was never an off night.

The point being, whether you play for Manchester United or a local club in town there will always be a coach, scout, parent or fan watching. Even more so, you should play for yourself. The idea that you have nothing to prove implies your best days are behind you. Yet there is always something you can do to better yourself and help your team win.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lCwfsSz1fkU
In this blog by Goalden’s Phil MacDonald, he talks about the lack of professionalism in soccer.  This is, without a doubt, my main issue with the modern day game.  Coaches flip off refs and think it’s normal; players wear pink shoes to accompany the barrage of tattoos on their arms and think they’re setting a positive example; and fans attack players with racial comments.

I’m really getting more and more pissed off with the lack of decent people in the game. It takes a real man to be a gentleman, yet I see very little of it in the game.  It’s examples such as these, manager Kranjcar, that give me hope.

Now don’t get confused.  For the purpose of the team, it is still very important that different players have different roles.  What I am suggesting, however, is that you should have the freedom of mind and of field to do what you would like, as long as the team moves appropriately.  If you are playing left wing and the momentum of the game brings you to the right side of the field, there should be enough communication and team awareness to fill gaps.

Above all else, your team should have a philosophy to which it sticks by.  If you are a defensive minded team that seeks counter-attacks, then the entire team should play accordingly.  However, players moving around and trying different things shouldn’t be punished.  Rather, and as I mentioned above, the players and coach should have enough awareness that other players move to the gaps in order to compensate for any holes.

I am currently reading a 30,000 word manifesto written by blogger Seth Godin, Stop Stealing Dreams (what is school for?).  In his manifesto, he primarily talks about our outdated schooling system and the lack of inspired students and teachers.

About halfway through his manifesto he discusses meritocracy – where a group of people tryout for limited positions.  When soccer players, for example, are trying out for a team, we usually pick the best ones.  This is realistic and how the world works.  Almost all coaches in any sport pick a team this way because they have the end goal in mind of winning a trophy.  But Godin argues coaches have it all wrong:

Of course, this isn’t his [the coaches] job, because there isn’t a shortage of trophies, there isn’t a shortage of winners. There’s a shortage of good sportsmanship, teamwork, skill development, and persistence, right?

There are sixteen kids on the squad. Eleven get to play; the others watch. One popular strategy is to play your top eleven at all times, and perhaps, just maybe, if you’re ahead by five or more goals, sub in a few of the second-string players. (Actually, this isn’t just a popular strategy—it’s essentially the way nearly every high school coach in the nation thinks.)

The lesson to the kids is obvious: early advantages now lead to bigger advantages later. Skill now is rewarded, dreams, not so much. If you’re not already great, don’t bother showing up. If the goal of the team was to win, that would make sense. But perhaps the goal is to teach kids about effort and opportunity and teamwork. Isn’t it interesting that the movies we love about sports always feature the dark horse who dreams, the underdog who comes off the bench and saves the day?

What would happen to school sports if the compensation of coaches was 100 percent based on the development of all the players and none of it was related to winning the game at all costs?

I would argue that winning is the ultimate goal of any coach at any level of soccer anywhere.  Is this a bad approach?  Absolutely not!  There is something amazing that comes with wanting to win.  You develop a drive within yourself that breeds success.  But Godin’s perspective threw me off-balance.  It made me re-assess my axiomatic belief that winning trumps everything.

What is more important, winning a trophy or developing a human being?  When you put it that way, I would argue that developing the latter is much more important and effective.  In fact, I would also add that educating a player and feeding his/her dreams will help eventually bring a trophy.

I won’t allow myself to get too carried away with Godin’s points, though.  As I mentioned, we live in a world where life is a meritocracy.  We can’t fall into a utopian mindset where you pick people because they deserve a chance or because they have a dream.  That’s almost naive.  The balancing point, I would argue, is finding players who actually want to – and have the ability to – play soccer and fuel their dreams.

As a coach, be fluid and dynamic.  A coach can learn just as much from his players as the players do from the coach if he listens.  Taking the time to actually care about individual players will reap benefits that I can’t even begin to explain.  If coaches can engage in the complexities of continuous improvement consistent with deep values of human purpose, there’s much more than a trophy waiting.

It won’t be easy.  Along the way you’ll come into situations where you crush dreams, instigate tears and feel like you’ve got it all wrong.  Push through it…allow it to mean something to you.  We need people who care.

Medical staff immediately tended to Morosini who slipped into a pharmacological coma before passing away.  Goal.com reports that Dr. De Blasi stated: “It was a cardiac arrest. He arrived dead at the hospital, he never recovered.”

Adding to the doctor’s words, Pescara president Daniele Sebastiani told Tuttomercatoweb: “Unfortunately, they tell me now that the boy has died. He had three cardiac arrests, one after the other. I have no words, really…”

The tragedy comes at a time where players collapsing on the field has become a serious issue.  Just one month ago, Bolton’s Fabrice Muamba collapsed.  Luckily, Muamba is now recovering.

Puerta Bonita defender Sergio Granero was victim to a heart attack just one day after Muamba’s incident.  He survived and is also recovering.

This is a very serious topic and requires as much attention as possible.

I feel like we often forget professional athletes are humans, not machines.  We’ve become accustomed to seeing players, in any sport, play at unbelievably high levels.  In order to maintain this level, athletes have to train extremely hard.  At times, though, they train too hard.  When you demand something from your body of this magnitude, you might be asking too much.  Like any system that is overexerted, the ultimate result is a complete system failure.

Although these incidents are few and far between, they’re a legitimate worry.  My suggestion is that the world of soccer, and sports at large, begins to have very directed and specific conversations about this issue.  Why is this happening?  We know we can’t avoid these tragedy’s, but how are we making sure teams are best equipped to deal with this?  How do I know?

Even more specifically, I suggest that a team/committee be assembled and appointed to analyze the issue and deal with it.

“When I took up boxing a few years ago, I was surprised by the level of good manners in the sport. I’ve played competitive soccer almost all my life, and, compared to boxing, the Beautiful Game is a nest of cheating, lying and whiny bad sportsmanship.

In soccer, for example, it is common for players to swear at the referee. Many fans regard it is as a sign of how hard a player is trying.

Many fans also think that pretending to be hurt to get your opponent penalized is a good thing, so much so that players falling over to draw a foul is now almost an art form.”

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If we look at professional basketball, for example, we see a different set of problems. One of many issues with the modern game is that a bunch of pre-madonna’s are the stars in the league. Now a days, the littlest things are considered fouls. It’s also more about the cross over you just did, than tactically winning a game with defense.

Look back not too long ago at the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls of the late 80s and early 90s. They hated each other! Before games they didn’t even look at each other. They were more concentrated on their job and how they would help their team win. Now what do you have? Players from opposite teams are at half court before the game hugging, joking and farting around. This is the behaviour of an amateur and should be nowhere near a professional game.

Ultimately, the problem is coaches don’t have power anymore. What are they going to tell a player who’s making 10 times their salary? Is this what it’s come to?

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As Hill mentions in the Ottawa Sun “the modern variation of the sport was organized by a 19th-century British aristocrat, and it still carries the vestiges of the code of the gentlemen. The referee and judges wear bow ties. The fighters shake hands with their opponent’s coaches and cornermen and, at the end of a long, violent fight, they frequently hug.”

I’m of the old school mindset. Soccer players and other professional athletes need to look at the respect that exists in professional boxing. Sure there will be cases of certain boxers with high profiles that behave erratically but overall there is far more respect in the sport and we can all learn from it.

To read more on Declan Hill‘s article in the Ottawa Citizen click here.

In modern day sports, we’re so used to seeing one or two superstars make-up a team.  They get all the money, all the attention and all the praise.  Very rarely do you see players acknowledge the value of sacrifice for something greater.  Sure they might preach personal sacrifice, i.e., all that time they’ve spent in the gym to become faster or stronger, but that’s not what I’m talking about.

I’m talking about sacrificing yourself for something greater than yourself.  I’m talking about sacrificing yourself for your team/organization.  But this is rare.

Look no further than college basketball in the US (NCAA) where players are brought into a program for one year to market their talents and then leave for the professional league (NBA).  Rather than marinate in a program that would develop their skills as an athlete, as a scholar and as a human being, they have their sights set on other things (personal goals).  Can you blame them?  Not really.  The system we have in place is setup for this type of turnover.

At a larger scale, and more so than ever, our world is asking that we focus on ourselves, our looks, our health, our well-being.  We have more self help books than we know what to do with.  Our world is moulding us this way and it needs to change.

I was absolutely ecstatic to hear Kentucky coach Calipari say what he did after winning the national championship.  The quote isn’t something out of the ordinary, but there is something unique about it.  For the first time in a while, I’m seeing someone talk about focusing less on yourself and more on a greater cause.  Beautiful.

This all translates to our beautiful sport of soccer.  When you learn that the teams/organizations success is more important than your success, you will reap much larger benefits.  It’s not to suggest that you shouldn’t invest time in yourself – and a large amount of it – but it’s to suggest that sacrificing yourself for a greater cause is what it’s truly about.

Let’s start with professional golfer Tiger Woods who had a perfect golf swing by the age of three. Or the former number one tennis player in the world, Andre Agassi, was handed a tennis racket when he was a baby. Agassi had his own tennis court in his backyard and ball machine. His dad made him hit hundreds of tennis balls each day before the age of five.

And then there’s the current number one tennis player Novak Djokovic, who started playing tennis at the age of five but was trained daily by a former Serbian tennis champion, Jelena Gencic. Gencic took Djokovic under her wing and coached him into a champion.

If we take these previous examples and look a step further, it becomes clear that it is not only about putting in the hours but starting early in life. For instance, if you’re in your 30s and you decide to put in your 10 000 on your golf game in order to beat Tiger Woods then you better put that dream behind you. Furthermore, it’s about having the best coaches mentor you along the way so you’re receiving immediate feedback and so that everything you do is done with quality.

Lastly, it has been proven that the best people in their field are the most talented but they are also the ones that work the hardest. For instance, let’s look at pianists. Some pianists practice the piano an hour a day. But in reality they are just playing material they already know and then only in the last five minutes do they work on new material.  In reality they aren’t practicing whereas other pianists spend the entire hour working on new material. As a result their training is more exhausting. The same can be said for the best athletes.

In order to master anything, whether it be a chess master, violinist or soccer player, you’ll need to put in 10,000 hours. And as a result of this, other areas of your life will receive less attention and so there will be consequences. However, these are some of the sacrifices people take in order to master something and become the best.

With the summer 2012 Olympics in London fast approaching, the world will see the best athletes in competition and even though there can only be one gold medalist, they are all masters and you can bet they each put in 10,000 hours with the best coaching support from a young age in order to take part in the games.

Soccer is a game that allows a wide array of personalities to express themselves through skill, tactic and vision.  The beauty of a platform like this is it’s typically very easy to find a mentor or an idle to help you achieve your goals.  Well, at least it should be.

I attended an indoor soccer tournament recently and watched as players ranging from 18-30 played very competitive soccer.  I couldn’t help but notice that the players from 18-21 or so, stood out…for all the wrong reasons.  For the most part, but not all of them, they were very disrespectful, had haircuts that made them look like zebra’s, and wore shoes that belong on a Victoria Secret runway.

As I watched on in disgust, I noticed that I wasn’t the only one.  Some of the more experienced and veteran players began teaching these kids a lesson.  They would defend them harder, get in their heads, foul them harder and demand their respect.  The kids were completely out of their element.  But, rather than sober up, the kids would just turn into louder whiners and bigger pests.

I thought to myself, ‘man, I don’t remember very many players, if any, acting this way during my time and the generations before me’.  So why the sudden shift?  Why the change in dynamic?

Simple: players are picking the wrong mentors.  Players are more worried about their shoes, how high their socks are and how good their hair looks, than actually winning.  Ironically enough, they all walk around with Cristiano Ronaldo jerseys.  You do the math.

In my time, we idolized players like Zidane and the brazilian Ronaldo.  These guys were the essence of what it is to be a leader and ultimately an idol for kids across the world.

Parents/coaches, I strongly suggest you ask your kids/teams to rethink what it is that qualifies as player as an idol.

Suarez should be a man, be a professional and represent his club the proper way. There is nothing wrong with shaking hands with Patrice Evra, even if you are still upset with him for whatever reasons those may be (you’re on your own on that one). But taking the cowardly rout is such an embarrassment to yourself, your club and the game of soccer.

After the 2-1 victory for United, Sir Alex Ferguson shared his opinion and shed light on a couple issues that many people may have overlooked. Here’s what the United boss had to say :

“I couldn’t believe, I just could not believe it,”"Patrice told me this morning, ‘I’m going to shake his hand, I’ve nothing to be ashamed of.’ But then Suarez refuses. He’s a disgrace to Liverpool Football Club.”

“Some players should not be allowed to play for Liverpool again, the history that club’s got, and he does that. In a situation like today he could have caused a riot.”

“I was really disappointed in that guy, it was terrible what he did. It created tension, you saw the referee, he didn’t know what to do about it. It caught him off guard.”

“It was a terrible start to the game and a terrible atmosphere it created.”

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has oddly enough continued to back Luis Suarez which only hurts his own reputation.

Watch video of the missed handshake. Anyway, hopefully all of this can be put to rest.

If you look back into the late 1990′s and even early 2000′s, teams never lined up and shook hands.  Instead, they would warm-up in their respective ends of the field and then begin the game.  It was only in colossal games, i.e., world cup final, that the teams would walk out together, line up, shake hands and etc.  It was a way of addressing the importance of such an occasion.

I question the relevance of this in the modern game.  I mean, sure, it shows respect for the game, the players and fans, but is it really necessary?  Majority of the players shake hands like it’s a race; they put their head down and just get it over with.  You get the impression that it’s a dreadful task.  Many players don’t even have the decency, or manners, to take a little more time and shake hands with respect while looking the person in the eye.  Useless.

Why is this done before the game?  Before the game you’re enemies, not friends.  Before the game you’re concentrating on how to beat the opposing team/player to a pulp, now you have to shake hands?  Am I the only one who see’s this as backwards? Soon we’re going to have soccer players hugging before games and cracking jokes like NBA players.  If I was a coach of an NBA team and I saw one of my players cracking jokes and exchanging hugs with players on the other team before the game, I’d be pissed.  But I digress…

Shaking hands is meant for the end of a match; the end of a battle.  After both teams have executed their game plan and done all they could to win, then you should walk over to the opponent and show your respect for a valiant effort.  Then you offer a handshake as a sign of respect.

None of this really bothered me until the recent media craze around John Terry and Anton Ferdinand of the English Premier League.  The last time these two players met, Terry was alleged to have made a racist slur at Ferdinand.  The teams were to meet again and everyone was wondering whether Ferdinand would shake Terry’s hand or not.  It became so popular that there were bets you could place on professional betting sites whether you believe the two would shake hands or not.  Every soccer story in Europe had this on the front page. Terry and Ferdinand were spared an awkward moment after the league allowed the team handshake to be cancelled.

Who cares?  I’m not ignoring the fact that there could have been a racial slur involved, that’s a very serious issue…but a separate issue.  What I’m referring to is the handshake before the game.  Just drop it entirely and get on with the game.  Shake hands at the end of the game like you’re supposed to.

In Brazil, after a coach has obtained his/her certificate and passed the necessary exams, the first task is to lead a team of U-7 year olds.  Once they’ve completed that task, they move to a slightly higher age group until eventually reaching a high-level, if that’s what they please.  You might ask, what’s the point of this?  Especially if it’s a coach with the intentions of leading a professional team…why would they waste their time?  The answer is simple, you can’t understand the game of soccer until you understand your players and the way they think.

The way your players think is relevant?  Damn right it is.  When you begin to see how 7 year old’s think vs. 8 year old’s vs. 12 year old’s vs. 15 year old’s, you begin to understand the dynamics of the game.  You have to first understand the players perspective before you can understand how to communicate the game to him/her.  Let me repeat that point, you have to understand the way your players see the game in order to understand how to steer them in the right direction. As you move up the age-group ladder, you begin to see the different needs of players and the different dimensions of the game.

So what am I saying: you have to coach every age group before you can be a legitimate coach?  No.  I’m saying you need to take a step back and really examine your team.  Do they truly understand the game?  Do they understand their position?  What are some players missing?  They don’t all learn the same way, so what are you doing to address this issue?  What is success? The list goes on, but the point is you have to invest time in order to obtain real results.

Change takes time.  Don’t expect immediate results.  Make sure your team is on board for the long haul.  This is all easier than it sounds, but it can be done.  A drop of water consistently falling on a rock will eventually erode it.

The documentary is broken up into a series of episodes.  Each episode lasts approximately 1 hour and gives the viewer a chance to step inside the life of a professional team and its players/coaches.  After watching the first episode, it’s easy to realize just how priviledged these athletes are.

These athletes live the life.  All they have to worry about is their performance.  Everything else is taken care of for them. If HBO did a special like this on Barcelona or Real Madrid, I’m sure it’d be the same but better and more extravagant.  I’m not suggesting this is an easy lifestyle, it’s just one I would enjoy deeply.  I don’t question for a second that being a professional athlete is very demanding, both physically and menally, and requires a lot of discipline.

I wasn’t really interested in the lifestyle of these professionals. What really intrigued me, and what I was watching for the entire time, was how the leaders of these teams (captains and coaches) were fulflling their responsiblities.  Half way through the first episode, the coach of the New York Rangers, John Tortarella, said something about the Rangers captain, Ryan Callahan, that really hit home with me.

“He’s not the flashy player you see in the highlight reels every night.  It’s what he does night and night out – he has another gear.  He understands the intangible.  He respects the game; it’s something we’ve lost with our athletes.”

This for me sums up the perfect hockey player, and ultimately, the perfect player in any sport.  As we’ve talked about in any of my previous posts, athletes are becoming more worried about themselves and less worried about the team they play for; the sport they play for; the fans they play for.

When Tortarella says that Callahan respects the game and it’s something thats becoming less apparent in the modern athlete, he’s right.  Look at the world stage of soccer.  There is no more team loyalty.  Players are willing to flock to the team who will offer them more money.  I can hear the voices of athletes already, I have to watch out for myself and my family.  I agree, you do, but you have a professional duty to respect the spirit of the game.  For me, that involves playing with passion and loyalty.

Players that have the intangible, that being a passion or a fire that you can’t measure in a weight room or that you can’t put on paper, are typically the ones that mean most to an organization.  The reason is simple, the intangibles are what drive people.  If you’re more driven than the next person, you’re more likely to succeed at whatever it is you’re chasing.

A humbled Howard spoke after the match: “I was delighted that we were in the lead and would hopefully go on to get three points, but it’s not a nice feeling for a keeper. It’s really awful actually,” Howard told Sky Sports. “For the back four and the goalkeepers at both ends, there was an awful wind swirling. You could see everybody was mistiming balls. Defenders were missing clearances that normally they would put up the field. I think the wind is the hardest condition to play in. Snow, rain, sun doesn’t matter, but the wind really does play tricks on you.”

Howard spoke with opposing goal keeper Adam Bogdan after the match. ”I let him know that I was feeling for him,” Howard said. “It’s not a nice place to be. I’ve been there before, a long, long time ago, and that was why I didn’t celebrate.”

Watch amazing goal below.

The video below will provide you with some ideas as to what’s ahead in case you experience a similar injury. It does not include all the details that occurred in the early weeks but still includes many of them.  Lastly, recovery is on schedule so the video can be used as a guideline.

The FA did their own investigation into the matter and it was concluded that Suarez did in fact verbally abuse Evra up at 15 times throughout the game. As a punishment, Suarez will receive 8 games suspension and a small fine (in comparison to his weekly salary).

First Suarez’s actions are beyond acceptable. Suarez is a fantastic player but I have lost all respect for this type of individual. He has given himself a bad image and certainly did not represent his club well with these actions.

As for football, he’s left Liverpool in a transition state where they’ll have to make do without him and hope that he can produce instant results when he returns from his lengthy ban. End of the day, Suarez’s actions were classless and rightfully should be punished. In fact, Liverpool should be fining him for these actions but good luck with that happening. As I began this article, Liverpool have already imploded on this season. They are nowhere near the top of the table and aren’t even Champions League contention for next season. Hopefully others learn from this and don’t repeat the same senseless acts.

Random El Clasico thoughts:
1. Messi always delivers against madrid
2. How ever good messi plays against madrid, is usually how bad ronaldo plays against barca
3. I miss when kaka used to be a relevant footballer
4. Sergio ramos is a maniac
5. If madrid has no answer for iniesta, no one does, just amazing

1. The reason Messi has become the best player in the world is because he performs extremely well in big games and in high-pressure situations.  Not only has Messi stepped up to the occasion against Real Madrid, he’s also done so in the most important games (i.e. Champions league final).  Some may argue that he doesn’t perform as well for his country, but I disagree…and strongly.  He may not score the same number of goals for Argentina as he does for Barcelona, but watch him play and appreciate the influence he has on the game.  This is a topic for another day, though.

2. His counter-part, Cristiano Ronaldo, doesn’t seem to perform well in big games.  It’s almost as if he fades away into the background.  Having watched him play numersous times in important games, it’s almost as if he becomes a victim of his mind.  He tries too much, becomes too hard on himself and ultimately forces himself into an ineffective performance.

3. In 2007, at the age of 25, Kaka was the world FIFA player of the year.  Fast forward 4 years and he’s invisible.  It’s been a slow and painful regression for Kaka.  In 2007 when he was with AC Milan, he was on top of the world.  His club was performing extremely well and he was at the head of this unstoppable machine.  He would rip through defenders, and even teams at times, like they were pylons.  He then decided to take his talents to South Beach…I mean Real Madrid.  And then the decline began.  He seemed to find himself in the shadow of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Iker Casillas.  Unable to make a difference, he fell victim to injury.  Although his struggled with injuries, and conintues to struggle, he has fallen off the map and it’s unfortunate.

4.  Sergio Ramos IS a maniac.  If you have a few minutes, Youtube some of the tackles Ramos has made on Messi.  It’s disturbing, really.  There is clear intent to injure.  Sure he is considered one of the better right backs in soccer for multiple reasons, but in my eyes he is a reckless head-hunter who is playing soccer the wrong way.

5.  Iniesta, the Barcelona midfielder, basically did whatever he felt like doing.  Madrid had no answer for the short and quick nominee for player of the year.  He floated from the left side of the field to right and created confusion for many of the Madrid defenders.  Him and Xavi play so well off each other that it becomes impossible to guard.

All in all, the El Clasico confirmed that Barcelona are a far superior team to Madrid.  Not only did they win on the scoreboard, but they completely out played and outsmarted their opponents.  After Madrid scored an early goal, Guardiola, the Barcelona coach, saw that with 4 defenders there was too much pressure on them, so he decided to push his right winger (Dani Alves) up the wing and play a flat 3 at the back.  The difference it made was almost immediate.  Madrid seemed confused and overwhelmed.
To be honest, I’m almost sick of seeing Madrid and Barcelona dominate world football.  It’s very unlikely that we’ll ever get to see an underdog team win any relevant competition or even a league title.  On the flip-side, it’s also very unlikely that we’ll ever get to see two teams with the quality of these two clubs.

He was taken into intensive care on Thursday after eating infected stroganoff. His wife and a friend also fell ill, but Socrates had been in a state of poor health and was unable to recover.

It was the third time in four months he had been taken into intensive care after abuse of alcohol caused his stomach to haemorrhage in August. He was pronounced dead at around 4.30am local time on Sunday at the Albert Einstein Israeli Hospital in Sao Paulo.

He was well known as a drinker and a smoker during his playing but often played it down.

A captain of his national side, he is considered one of the greatest playmakers the game has seen, and represented his country at the World Cups of 1982 and 1986. He made 60 appearances for Brazil between 1979 and 1986. He was also part of some of the best Brazilian teams to not win the World Cup.

He was a qualified doctor. In fact, he took his exams while playing. Socrates was named in World Soccer‘s top 100 players of all-time and was put up as one of compatriot Pele’s 125 greatest-ever players.

There is no doubt he would dominate the game today the way he did in the 80s. With that being said, watch some of magic.

For many of us it is difficult to imagine that racism is still prevalent in this day and age.  Yet, in the year 2011, we continue to see racism all over the world in all its forms.  It seems we cannot rid ourselves of the shackles of primitive thought.

What makes racism in soccer particularly disappointing is that FIFA recognises its responsibility to lead the way in abolishing all forms of discrimination in soccer. This can be seen with their banners that read “Say No to Racism” which players hold before big games and competitions. Further, Article 3 of the FIFA Statutes states:

“Discrimination of any kind against a country, private person or group of people on account of ethnic origin, gender, language, religion, politics or any other reason is strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or expulsion.”

After Blatter suggested that racism can be resolved with a handshake on the field, the media erupted in disgust.  Blatter was later quoted saying ”There is no discrimination in my feelings, there is no racism, nothing at all…This matter for me is over. We go forward. There is zero tolerance (for) racism, zero tolerance (for) discrimination in all activities in the field of play and outside the field.”

It’s as if Blatter is saying the science is settled. It’s absolutely absurd.  How can you declare an issue that has the worlds attention done and dusted?

What racism?

Besiktas (Turkey) fans could face a two-match ban after Galatasaray defender Emmanuel Eboue was repeatedly pelted with objects during a Turkish league game against Besiktas.  Eboue was repeatedly hit on the head with a lighter and a plastic water bottle. Although there have been no reports of racism being the root cause, I suggest we take a deeper look.

I refuse to accept Blatter’s comments.  Racism is still present in soccer and we need to have cooperation from the top of the pyramid all the way to the bottom in order to help eradicate it.  If the president of FIFA is declaring it a non-issue, how is everyone else supposed to act?

He is considered one of the most successful coaches in all of sport. His success with the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill women’s soccer program is unmatched in collegiate soccer. He has won 18 collegiate national  championships in the 24 years of collegiate championship competition and he coached the USA Women’s National team to its first world title in 1991.

If coach Dorrance has been this successful for this long, you can be assured he has proven principles that gear his teams to success.  One of those principles is conscious character development.  He suggests that it is a vital ingredient in developing a culture that creates and endorses and produces champions.

Coach Dorrance explains that the players who come into his training sessions for the first year are typically very selfish; they’re only worried about playing time and their personal experience on the field.  As a coach, he says, this is one of the most difficult hurdles to overcome in creating a championship team.

So how does he do it?  How does he develop, and in some cases reshape, the character of his players?  Answer: he makes his players memorize 11 core values accompanied by quotes.

Why?  He explains:

We started doing this when I read an article in
the New York Times about this woman who
had attended Columbia, I believe, to study
for her PhD in literature. Columbia had just
hired a Russian poet that had left the Soviet
Union to come to the USA. A poet by the
name of Brodsky. Brodsky’s first assignment
to the graduate students at Columbia
was for them to memorize reams of Russian
poetry. And this woman was remembering
back to her time there as a student and said
that initially there was a huge rebellion
among all the graduate students there that
had Brodsky as an instructor. They felt like
memorizing reams of poetry was something
they did in elementary school and of course
these were sophisticated American graduate
students, and you know, they weren’t going
to descend to doing something as mundane
as memorizing reams of poetry. So there
was sort of a mini rebellion. Then for some
reason she said they all decided to humor
this Soviet goat and memorize what he
wanted them to learn. Then all of a sudden
within three or four months the fabric of
their discussion and the fabric of their writing
all started to have these threads of the
poetry they had memorized. She felt this had
transformed her. So this exercise that initially
they thought was an absolute waste of
time, ended up becoming one of the rocks of
her development as a student of literature. I
saw this article, and I decided we’re going to
introduce this for our character development.

Here are the 11 core values he makes his players memorize.  I really hope you take the time to read through these because they can have an immense impact not only on your soccer perception, but your perception in life.

I. We don’t whine.
(“The true joy in life is to be a force of fortune instead of a feverish, selfish
little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world
will not devote itself to making you happy.” George Bernard Shaw).
II. We work hard.
(“The difference between one person and another, between the weak and
the powerful, the great and the insignificant, is energy – invisible
determination . . . This quality will do anything that has to be done in
the world, and no talents, no circumstances, no opportunities will make
you a great person without it.” Thomas Buxton – Philanthropist).
III. The truly extraordinary do something every day.
(“Roosevelt, more than any other man living within the range of notoriety
showed the singular primitive quality that belongs to ultimate matter,
the quality that medieval theologyassigned to God: ‘he was pure
act’.” Henry Adams Theodore Rex – Desmond Morris).

IV. We choose to be positive
(“ . . . everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the
human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances,
to choose one’s own way. And there were always choices to make. Every day, every hour, offered the opportunity to make a decision, a decision which determined whether you would or would not submit to those powers which threatened to rob you of your very self, your inner freedom; which determined whether or not you would become the plaything of circumstance . . . in the
final analysis it becomes clear that the sort of person (you are is) the result of an inner decision . . .therefore, any man can . . . decide . . . that (this) last inner freedom cannot be lost.” Viktor E. Frankl Man’s Search for Meaning).

V. When we don’t play as much as we would like we are noble and still support the team and its mission
(“If there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering.
Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete. The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity – even under the most difficult circumstances – to add
a deeper meaning to his life. It may remain brave, dignified and unselfish.
Or in the bitter fight for self-preservation he may forget his human dignity
and become no more than an animal. Here lies the chance for a man either to make use of or to forgo the opportunities of attaining the moral values that a difficult situation may afford him. And this decides whether he is worthy of his sufferings or not.” Viktor E. Frankl Man’s Search for Meaning).

VI. We don’t freak out over ridiculous issues or live in fragile states of emotional catharsis or create crises where none should exist.
(“What an extraordinary place of liberties the West really is . . . exempt
from many of the relentless physical and social obligations necessary
for a traditional life for survival, they become spoiled and fragile like over bred dogs; neurotic and prone to a host of emotional crises elsewhere.” Jason Elliot An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan).

VII. We are well led
(“Not long ago, to ‘believe in yourself’ meant taking a principled, and often lonely, stand when it appeared difficult or dangerous to do so. Now it means accepting one’s own desires and inclinations, whatever they may be, and taking whatever steps that may be necessary to advance them.” William Damon Greater Expectations).

VIII. We care about each other as teammates and as human beings
(“No man is an island, entire of itself, every man is a piece of the continent,
a part of the main . . . any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” John Donne For Whom the Bell Tolls).

IX. We play for each other.
(“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you
care.” Note given to me by Rakel Karvelsson (UNC ’98))

X. We want our lives
(and not just in soccer) to be never ending ascensions but for that to happen properly our fundamental attitude about life and our appreciation for it is critical (“Finally there is the question of whether we have a duty to feel grateful.
Hundreds of generations who came before us lived dire, short lives, in deprivation or hunger, in ignorance or under oppression or during war, and did so partly motivated by the dream that someday there would be men and women who lived long lives in liberty with plenty to eat and without fear of an approaching storm. Suffering through privation, those who came before us accumulated the knowledge that makes our lives favored; fought the battles that made our lives free; physically built much of what we rely on for our prosperity;
and, most important, shaped the ideals of liberty. For all the myriad problems of modern society, we now live in the world our forebears would have wished for us—in many ways, a better place than they dared imagine. For us not to feel grateful is treacherous selfishness. Failing to feel grateful to those who
came before is such a corrosive notion, it must account at some level for
part of our bad feelings about the present. The solution—a rebirth of
thankfulness—is in our self-interest”. Gregg Easterbrook, The Progress
Paradox.)

XI. And we want these four years of college to be rich, valuable and deep.
(“College is about books. And by the word books, the proposition means
this: College is about the best available tools—books, computers, lab equipment—for broadening your mastery of one or more important
subjects that will go on deepening your understanding of the world,
yourself and the people around you. This will almost certainly be the last
time in your life when other people bear the expense of awarding you
four years of financially unburdened time. If you use the years primarily
for mastering the skills of social life— as though those skills shouldn’t already
have been acquired by the end of middle school—or if you use these years for testing the degree to which your vulnerable brain and body can bear the strains of the alcoholism with which a number of students depart campus, or the sexual excess that can seem so rewarding (to name only two of the lurking maelstroms), then you may ultimately leave this vast table of nutriment as the one more prematurely burnt-out case.” Reynolds Price).

Manager Roberto Mancini praised Hargreaves, saying “I am happy for Owen because he played well without any problem. He scored a fantastic goal and I hope he can be lucky and stay fit for us in the future.”

Watch video below of Hargreaves’s memorable goal.

A very recent and vivid example is someone like Zinedine Zidane who head-butted an opposing player who got under his skin via a verbal battle.  Now whether you agree or disagree with Zidane’s reaction, the point is that Zidane lost his head.

The biggest problem with losing control of your emotions and actions is that there are often consequences that go far beyond hurting yourself…typically you also hurt your team.

In a recent soccer tournament I attended and watched with intricate detail, players were losing their cool more often than I could have imagined.  Not only would they commit a stupid foul or get a card for a verbal attack, but they would abandon the teams system and consume themselves with the personal battle they have with another player or the referee staff.  On 5 separate occasions, I witnessed a player get a red card because he was frustrated.  The end result?  The team was left with a man down and an uphill battle.

After every storm comes sunshine.  Similarly, after an explosion comes silence.  After players out-lash or explode as a result of frustration, a sense of calmness slowly follows.   After these players got red cards, they were on the sidelines apologizing to their team/coach and even crying in regret.

Do not allow yourself to succumb to the pressure of the situation.  You won’t only let yourself down, you’ll let your team down.  Don’t forget that you’re playing for a greater purpose…your team!

When trying to learn about ways to manage your emotions, the sport of tennis is the best example to study.  Ttennis is a mental battle like no other sport on earth.  It’s one long battle where you continually try to stay motivated and positive.  In this article regarding controlling your anger in tennis, sports psychologist Gloria Budd suggests you remove yourself from a situation in which you’re overcome by anger…literally remove yourself!  Pretend you’re on a building looking down at the event.  How would you perceive the situation from there?

Because athletes try too hard to be perfect in games/competitions, they ultimately sabotage their own success.  Rather than perform to win, they’re worried about the illusion of a perfect win.  The internal battle – the mental battle – that arises as a result of trying to be perfect rather than functional can ruin talent and success.

In soccer this translates into trying to score a beautiful goal.  Rather than take the open opportunity to shoot from 20 yards away, players will make extra passes and try to basically walk into the net with the ball.  Another example is players who are obsessed with this idea of turning a defender inside out with his/her moves rather than making the play that will progress the team forward.

This isn’t a Hollywood movie where you can rely on a script to make the play look perfect.  It doesn’t matter what it looks like or what people are saying, rely on what works.

There shouldn’t be this preconceived notion that you should score a certain amount of goals or even score those goals a certain way.  You practice a whole bunch throughout the year working on different facets of the game that will help you win.  You work on crossing, shooting and scoring.  You don’t work on cool moves, impossible passes and ridiculous attempts at goal.  Don’t get away from what you practice and, ultimately, from what works.

Lastly, don’t spin this idea of doing whatever it takes to in into a negative context.  I am certainly not an advocate of cheating and unethical behaviour.  Winning ugly means that you take on a functional mindset and not one of a perfectionist.

There is no doubting the fact that the popularity of soccer is growing in North America. Matt Pratt, a self-taught graphic designer from Toronto has designed home and away jerseys for all 30 NHL teams. “There is a lot of cross-over between hockey and soccer fans.”

Feeling hockey jerseys translated well to soccer kits, Pratt spent his spare time working away on his home computer to create the designs. The jerseys can be found on his website: http://majupra.imgur.com/

Whether you like the jerseys or not, it’s always a good idea to branch into different markets, let alone different sports. I think it’s a great idea marketing wise for hockey and for soccer. The popularity of soccer is on the rise in North America so why not try this avenue? My personal favorite are the Montreal Canadians. However, there are tons of great looking jerseys.

Nice work Matt!

I’ve played on many teams throughout my career where the privilege of being team captain was a popularity contest.  The players who were best skilled were awarded the armband as if it were a no-brainer for the coach.  I never could formulate a reason why, but I just knew something was wrong with this approach.  More than just puzzle me, it frustrated me beyond words.

One year it all made sense to me.  I played on a team of players that were all much older than me.  I was put in a defensive role along one of the more experienced players on the team.  Technically speaking, he wasn’t very good at all.  I remember thinking to myself after our first few training sessions: ”how is this guy captain?”  Then came our first game…

It was early in the first half and the opposing forward came and caught me on a late slide tackle.  Full of rage, I jumped off the ground yelling.  Our captain came over and pulled me away and told me to calm down.  Once he had settled me – and I’ll never forget this – he told me to “focus on the game, I’ll take care of him.”  The way he said it sent a sense of ease throughout my body that I can’t explain.  I really did forget about the situation because he truly had me believe that he would take care of it.  Needless to say, 15 minutes later he hit the forward in question to the ground in a hard tackle, kicked the ball away, then turned around and just looked at him on the ground.  No words had to be said, the forward knew exactly what was going on.

Now, i’m not an advocate of revenge and dirty play, but I am an advocate of demanding respect from your teammates and the opposing team as well.  No one has to like you, but they should respect you.

The most impressive part of all this is that he didn’t only do this for me, he did this for every person on the team.  Every time someone hit a player on our team, it didn’t matter where on the field he was, he was the first one there to help our guy out.  He was ready to do anything for any one of us.  Not only did he have everyone’s respect, he had everyone’s trust.  What an entitlement that is to have someone’s trust.  Think of a few people you trust…powerful isn’t it?

From that point forward, if he told you to come back, you came back.  If he told you to be quiet, you would zip it.  If he told you you’ve made a mistake, you listened.

This had nothing to do with authority or creating rule by fear; this was assuming the role of team captain.  Some players are born with unbelievable skill; these players should focus on creating plays and scoring goals.  Some players are born with extreme speed; these players too should focus on making plays and scoring goals.  Some players are born to lead and motivate; these are the players that are the glue of a team.  Without these types of players, a team becomes aimless and has no real purpose.

A team captain does not have to be the best player on the team, nor does he/she have to be the best player on the team.  A team captain needs to steer the team towards a common goal.  I don’t want you to think that – after having read this blog – the team captain needs to be a bully.  Wrong: the team captain needs to motivate the people around him.  Some players do that by example, others by working harder than everyone, and others by creating a presence that is unquestionable.

Lastly, if the coach and captain work together on the same wavelength, this will benefit the team more than you think.  A common goal with the right pieces in place will not only win you games, it will win you championships.

If you have had the unfortunate experience of a broken leg then your next challenge becomes how to regain full fitness. No two breaks are identical. However, some breaks are similar and the treatment for the break is often the same.

On a personal note, almost four weeks ago, I severely broke my leg in an Ontario Cup soccer game. I was on the receiving end of a studs-up tackle which broke the right tibia and fibula and severely displaced the leg. I now have a titanium rod through the tibia and four screws which hold the rod place. The rod and screws will remain in place for life. The fibula was realigned and will heal on its own. A video of the game shows how it occurred and was of interest to the orthopedic surgeon who operated. The attached x-rays provide a better understanding of the break, realignment and titanium rod and screws in place.

Without getting into any more detail, I want to discuss the rehabilitation. It took some time but I am beginning to feel much better and I don’t believe this is by mistake.

Although the physiotherapists showed up in the hospital less than 15 hours after my surgery to have me start moving, I’ll just say there was no movement whatsoever for the first the first 24 hours after surgery. Since there was a great deal of pain and discomfort after surgery, my initial concern was that any movement so soon would only worsen the injury. The surgeon advised me quite the opposite. Movement had to occur otherwise my leg would stiffen and lock up.

Below are some of the exercises I have been doing to date which is just three weeks post surgery. Remember, if you feel some pain or slight discomfort it is alright to continue but if you are experiencing severe pain or feel as if you are in absolute agony then by all means stop! In the first couple weeks pain killers were taken prior to doing these exercises and in each case after the physio exercises, ice was applied to the leg. Every exercise below is for the injured leg.

Ankle exercises

• Since the ankle is not strong enough, wrap a band around your foot and begin to stretch the foot by pulling on the band. Began with the simplest of movements such as moving the foot up and down. Repeat this movement as many times as possible before getting tired.
• Tap the foot while in a seated position. Tap left and right.
• Circular movements: pretend to write the alphabet with the foot.
• While crutching, make an effort to place the heel of the foot down followed by the toe.

Knee exercises

Bending the knee is the next major challenge. The titanium rod was inserted from the knee so the knee will be extremely swollen, sore and stiff.

• Wrap the band around your foot and pull the foot closer to your chest thus bending the knee. With time, this should become easier, be less painful and you should have greater range.
• Lie on your back, put your feet up and pretend you’re riding a bicycle. Begin with small pedal movements and gradually do larger pedals.
• With your leg fully extended, flex the knee and hold for a few seconds and then relax.
• Once you have enough bend in the knee, lie on your back, bend your leg and pull the knee into your chest. Then fully extend your leg.
• In a standing position (with the aid of your crutches) raise the knee and keep it still. Then begin to make circular movements with your foot.
• In a standing position (with the aid of your crutches) raise your knee as high as you can.
• In a standing position (with the aid of your crutches) keep the leg straight and reach as far back as you can with your foot.
• Combine the last two movements by bringing the knee up and then reaching as far back as possible with the same leg.

Quadriceps and hamstring strengthening exercises

The quad and hamstring will lose an incredible amount of muscle (and quickly) so it is important to work on developing these muscles again.

• While standing with your crutches try to raise your injured leg and touch the foot to the bum.
• While lying on your back, attach an elastic band to your foot and pull your leg to your chest. This will strengthen the quad.
• While lying on your back, attach an elastic band around your heel and pull your leg to your chest. This will strengthen the hamstring.

Work on the physio each day and slowly build up the sessions to several times per day. All exercises should be documented so that you can track your progress. Repeat every exercise as often as possible.

In the past, a broken leg may have meant the end of your career. However, modern day medicine has come a long way. Many people wonder why a cast was not used for the injury above and it is because the titanium rod keeps the leg straight and strong. Furthermore, the doctor wants you to start moving the leg asap. Then there is the issue of cleaning the wounds on a daily basis to avoid infection. Lastly, one can weight bear 50% on the broken leg right away. The healing of bones is better and there are also fewer complications in the long run.

Each of the professionals listed at the beginning of this blog broke his leg and had the rod and screws inserted. They all returned to the pitch in a year’s time. Not only that but they played some of their best football to date. For example, Henrik Larsen went on to win the Champions League with FC Barcelona and Eduardo da Silva has gone on to score many goals for his club Shakhtar Donetsk and for his national team, Croatia.

The most important thing after such a break is to regain your health. If you one day play soccer again, then great but more importantly you’ll want normalcy with your life. In the end, you want to be independent and be able to do the simple daily routines without any trouble. Any athletics beyond that is a bonus.

More will be written on this subject in the future to provide a better understanding of the rehab from such an injury. Hopefully though, you don’t have to experience the real thing.

With the Women’s World Cup currently under way in Germany, Canada was unfortunately eliminated early from the tournament. In the opening game, Canada was defeated 2-1 by the tournament favorite, Germany. It was an incredible atmosphere where there were 75,000 fans in the Berlin Olympic Stadium. Team Canada played very well.

Just after half time Sinclair received an elbow to the face and broke her nose. After receiving treatment she returned to the pitch and in the 82^nd minute was able to score an incredible free kick. It was the first goal Germany had conceded in over 900 minutes of play. Canada lost its second game of the tournament 4-0 to France. As a result they were eliminated early from the tournament. They play their final game versus Nigeria, a nation who is also eliminated from the tournament.

Despite Canada’s early exit from the World Cup, Sinclair has been ambassador to the women’s game. The impact she has on women’s soccer and bringing Canada to the forefront on the international stage is second to none. There is no doubt she will continue to have a positive effect on the Canadian soccer program. Lastly, there is still much to come from Christine Sinclaire and we at Goalden look forward to watching more of her continued success.

Despite his tremendous talents, Neymar’s game will grow enormously as he matures. He is only 19 years old and has only played five games for the senior national Brazilian team (of which he already has three goals). I especially love the plays where Neymar is on the spot, facing up a defender 1 v 1 and simply dances left, right, left and right again all without touching the ball. Then when the defender takes a lunge, he simply touches the ball past the defender and sprints by him.

As my Brazilian coach tells me, it’s not so much about moving your feet fast but your entire body. The full body fakes, shoulder lunges, hip fakes should all be incorporated into your movements. It is part of what make Brazilian soccer so exciting to watch.

As my coach tells me, Samba dancing is what it’s all about…All joking aside though, it makes perfect sense because if you can move your body properly it will help your game tremendously.

Watch Neymar in action. This is only the beginning of this exciting Brazilian talent. I can’t wait to see him in action in Europe and more with the national team.

When you’re on the bench, it’s very easy to voice your opinion and be critical.  As the old saying goes, it’s a lot easier said than done.  However, the problem was that most of the guys were making fundamental mistakes.  I’m of the mindset that you don’t need to be critical of everything that goes wrong, but there comes a point in time when you – whether a team-mate, captain or coach – have to lay down the law and voice your discontent.

Some of the players on the bench began voicing their displeasure with the teams critical comments being thrown around.  In most cases, it was because their friend was being criticized on the field.  You know what I say?  Get over it.  If you want to play at a competitive level, you have to approach the game as a business.  If you’re the president of a company and someone is not doing what they’re supposed to be doing in order for the entire business to run effectively, you tell them what they’re doing wrong.  If they continue to do it wrong, you fire them.  If this approach does not appeal to you, there are leagues all over the world that are created for fun and leisure.  It’s not to suggest soccer shouldn’t be fun at a competitive level, but the circumstances are much different.

The same way people learn differently (some visually, some practically, and so on), they also communicate differently.  I understand that being critical isn’t necessarily the best way to get your point across, but since when have we become cream-puffs?  The moment you tell someone on the field they’re doing something wrong, they begin to hang their head or feel deflated.  Come on, grow up.  I don’t mean this in a negative way, I sincerely feel that people approach the situation with the wrong mindset.  You’re not the centre of the universe; the game isn’t about you…it’s about the team.  If you’re not doing what you’re supposed to be doing, you’re not benefiting the team.  If you’re not benefiting the team, someone has to let you know – I don’t care what language or what tone is being used.

Don’t take it personally.  No one is attacking you because they don’t like you or because you’re a bad person; they are telling you to be better.  Again, sorry to inform you, but it’s about the game, it’s not about you.

Next time a coach or fellow team-mate is voicing displeasure, take the time to understand why.  If you feel that they’re wrong, explain why.  With that said, pick your moments.  Don’t lose your cool in the middle of a game in the middle oft he field.

Finally, keeping in mind your team is being run like a business, understand that what the coach and captain say usually goes.  You don’t always have to agree with the decisions, but you must respect them.  If you don’t like the business you’re working for, leave.

Male referees are in demand as it is but the women’s game would rather have female referees than males (understandably). At the present time that just isn’t the case. If you’re a female and looking to become a referee (or never even thought of it) then this is a great time to become one. One of the many benefits is you can enter at any level of play and if you want to advance to the national level the opportunity exists. And best of all, this can be done rapidly.

In all areas of life it is best to go where the opportunities exist. Sometimes you may not like that path but by taking it you are creating opportunities and experiences for yourself.  Becoming a referee can be a great way to meet other people in the game and beyond, stay involved in the game you love in and help the sport grow in North America.  Best of all, you never know what may happen down the road.

After the 3-1 loss, Sir Alex Ferguson once again took the high road with his comments regarding his opponents. Remember, this is the second time Man United lost to Barcelona in the Champions League final.

Ferguson said ”We were beaten, there is no other way to address the situation, by the best team,” ”I expected us to do better but at the end of the day we were beaten by the better team. They are the best team we have ever played, they are at the peak in this cycle of their team.

”There was good evidence we are a consistently good European team but we were beaten by the best team in Europe and there is no shame in that. Sometimes you come up against a far better team and tonight was one of those nights.”

With regards to the goals scored against Man United I have to address this zonal defense they were playing. I agree with playing zone defense instead of chasing them all around the field but once a team is in your third of the field (therefore any shot or cross can result in a goal or a dangerous situation), it then becomes time to pressure and man-mark. This is what United failed to do on the first two goals scored against them.

The first goal came when Ryan Giggs was simply jogging along side Xavi or in other words not putting any pressure thus allowing him time on the ball to make a pass to the unmarked Pedro (once again zone marking).

The second goal was once again playing zonal defense when Messi was only 20 yards away from the net. He had a lot of time on the ball and shot right down the middle to score. Lesson…you cannot play zone defense when a team is in shooting range of net. You have to put your opposition under pressure or you’ll be the ones with a lot of problems.

Manchester had a series of errors throughout the game and with a team of Barcelona’s quality they will punish you and that is exactly what they did. The goals were not incredible goals but instead were plays where they took advantage of the errors.

With regard to his own team’s performance, Ferguson admitted United’s season had ended in frustrating fashion. ”We expected to do better, simple as that,” he said. ”We have had a great season in many ways, it is just disappointing that we have been to Wembley twice and been beaten. We are just disappointed it has ended on this note.”

As Ferguson said, they are at the peak in this cycle of their team. He, Ferguson, has been there many times so there is no problem taking your hat off to Barcelona.

What is soccer’s purist form? 

Soccer’s purist form is playing the game with a wonderful understanding and materializing that into beautiful technique.  And for years, most legitimate organizations have faught tirelessly in their pursuit of this type of soccer.

Don’t take my word for it.

Current French national head coach, Laurent Blanc, feels very strongly about this.  In fact, he feels so strongly that he has instigated worldwide discomfort.  Joe O’Connor explains, “Laurent Blanc, was first accused and then exonerated of racism this week for arguing that French soccer was no longer French enough. Many of the players in the country’s development ranks are black or Arab, possess dual citizenship and play a game Mr. Blanc bemoaned as relying on brute strength.”

Racism?! This is considered racism?  Give your head a shake.  This has nothing to do with racism and everything to do with Mr. Blanc fighting for what he believes in. Is that so wrong? 

He is worried about the direction the French are taking their domestic soccer league, and more importantly, he is worried about the intent of organizations, coaches and players world wide. He is fighting for a classic style of soccer, one that is the “sacred marriage of technical skill and intelligence.”  None of this racism bolony.

Brazilian soccer is feeling a similar angst.  The “beautiful game”, as the brazilians have labelled it, has historically been tied closely with a carnival spirit of free-flowing samba.  This has progessively been watered down as the brazilian game has also evolved into one depending on speed and strength.  Any player that show’s glimpses of that beautiful soccer spirit is picked up and flown to Europe for a lucrative contract.  

Many will argue that speed and strength trump knowledge and technique.  My answer: Barcalona.  They have neither speed nor strength, but depend entirely on the classic style of soccer I described above.  And guess what, they’re the best club team in the world.  Do the math.

We need change and we need it now.  If we continue down this path of depending on players brute strength, sooner rather than later we’ll be giving player’s 2 minute penalty’s for body checks.

The next online virtual classroom will start June 1, 2011.  For tuition rates and enrollment information, contact:

Juan Cruz Real, AFTA International Development Program Direction
jcruzreal@atfa.com.ar
416-770-3901

Why ATFA’s Level A Coaching License is a Winning Strategy:

1. ATFA’s Level A Coaching degree is the most comprehensive package in the world.  It is recognized internationally.

2. More education hours= the best coaching preparation in the world.

3. It is the most cost effective option out of all the major types of Coach Licensing Degree options.

4. It is the only online Coaching Degree in the world where you study from the convenience of your own home.

5. ATFA takes 2 years to complete a Level A Coaching Degree, while UEFA requires 4 years.

6. Extensive online support classes, with translator support, and direct contact with professors within 48 hours of inquiry.

atfaprosoccer.com

I recently watched my soccer team take part in a pre-season tournament.  I was unable to play due to a knee injury that has plagued me.  The players that make up our team are extremely skilled and posses many of the above listed characteristics that make-up a modern soccer team: skill, speed and power.  Watching them, one thing that was evident was that many teams simply couldn’t keep up with our players and we beat them on sheer speed.

In one of the games, we ran into a team where speed wasn’t enough.  Now, experience and tactical understanding was required.  The problem?  Our guys continued to try beat the other team with speed and skill.  There wasn’t a player on the field to slow the game down and dictate where to play and what balls to play.

I can go on for days and dissect what I think could have been done, but for the purpose of this blog, I’ll talk about one major characteristic that was missing – calmness.  Not one player on the field was able to take control of the game and slow things down.  Everyone that got the ball continuously tried to make long passes or beat their opponent with moves and speed.  Ultimately, bad decisions were made.  Rather than bringing the ball under control and making the easy pass – the smart pass – players were caught trying to do too much.

Why?  Why is it important for calmness?  When there isn’t a player to calm the game down and bring things under control, every other player begins  to get frustrated.  Once players are frustrated, you can be guaranteed that the game will get out of control and bad things will happen.

Having someone who is able to hold the ball and dictate the pace of a game is invaluable.  Actually, it’s so important that it’s the difference between a good team and a great team.  You need a player on the field who can see that one style of game isn’t working, so let’s change it up and try something else.  Instead of playing the ball up the wing, let’s try go up the middle.  Not working?  Ok lets try something else. Until you have a player on the field who is able to diagnose a problem, you will have a tough time winning games.

When Sir Alex Ferguson recently received word that his star central defenders – Rio Ferdinand – was fit to play after a long injury stint, he was ecstatic.  He went on to explain that the reason he’s so happy is because Ferdinand brings a calmness and control to the game that has been missing from their team.  Ferdinand is able to slow a game down when no one else would think to slow it down.

But, Ivan, you say we need someone on the field who is cool, calm & collected…we don’t have someone like that on our team. Some players are built with speed, some with power and others with a calm nature to them.  The players with a calm nature to their game are the players you need to identify on your team and build around.  They will bring a balance that will win you games when you need it most.

I would strongly suggest that coaches and organizations across the world begin to revert their attention back to the development of players who can control a game rather than beat their opponent with speed.  These players will lead your team through any storm.

First off, I wouldn’t recommend attempting this kick in any game situation. The idea of a penalty kick is to put the ball in the back of the net…not to complicate the situation. Nevertheless, watch video of a youth player superbly scoring this penalty all the while completing a back flip on the follow through.

Great stuff!