Soccer From The Pitch

noreply@blogger.com (Your Realtor In The Field) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:06:00 +0000

The Missing Link In Major League Soccer Popularity In The U.S.

By adopting a simple strategy that is practicedin every country around the world, the MLS can pack it’s soccer stadiums with capacity crowds

If you have watched enough soccer on TV or in stadiums, you may have noticed that there exists a distinct difference between watching an MLS game in the United States and watching a soccer match played in any other country. There is something missing in the way MLS games are played than soccer leagues in other countries. If you talk to enough soccer fans, this sentiment seems ubiquitous, although few are really sure of what is missing or different and speculation abounds. There is no question, however, that soccer here is lacking some dynamic that tends to keep it’s popularity from exploding.

The immediate thought is that soccer players from other countries are more skilled and more organized. Or that the training and facilities are superior to what one might find in the U.S. To some degree this is true, but the quality of play in this country is not so inferior to other nations as people tend to think. If you watch soccer players in the MLS, there is not much difference between how they perform individually or as a team than players and teams from around the world. No, it’s not the quality of play or coaching.

The way to begin to understand the difference between soccer quality here and abroad is to watch an MLS game on one channel and then an English Premiership game, for example, on another channel. Watch an MLS game for a few minutes and then switch to the premiership game for a few minutes. If it doesn’t hit you right away, keep switching back and forth and the obvious will eventually burst through. Doesn’t it seem that there is more excitement surrounding the premiership match (or any other European game) than the MLS? Can you hear the difference?

Yes, it’s the sounds and revelry displayed by premiership fans that you don’t hear from American fans and that is what is different. And what causes this level of excitement that needs no cheerleaders? A team song and a town song and songs that mock the opposing team and their town. That is what all soccer teams have in other countries. That’s what we need here in the MLS. If every team in the MLS had a song that the fans could sing at soccer matches, you would see an immediate improvement in the quality of play, the excitement of the game, and the number of fans.

When soccer teams play in Europe, for instance, each team’s fans are all singing their song in unison with such vigor and emotion that the sound echoes throughout the stadium and creates a stirring atmosphere. Players on the field are more motivated, coaches are more active, announcers are more lively, and the game takes on an air of grandeur where everyone there is involved. And that is what draws the crowds.

You do not see or hear much fan excitement during MLS games. Even when there are large crowds, the noises emanating from the stadium are muted and disconnected. Only those annoying drums and other odd sounding devices in the audience blast out too often, but there is no unity in the fans’ cheering and that detracts from the excitement that soccer brings elsewhere.

With each team in the MLS adopting their own song and promoting it to their fans, a new aspect can be added to accelerate soccer’s popularity in America. It will serve to gain new audiences as excited soccer fans share their exuberance with their friends. Watching an MLS game will then be as thrilling as watching a match in any other country.

It would only take one or two MLS teams to get the ball rolling. Once the other franchises realized the increase in attendance and fervor in the game, they would then follow suit. Before long, all teams would have a team song and the stadiums would rock with thousands of soccer fans. A team song will create this excitement and that will bring more people to the game of soccer and into the stadiums. Making the beer less expensive wouldn’t hurt either.

Till Next Time,
Bernie Rosellen
Soccer From The Pitch

About the Author:
Bernie Rosellen has played and been involved with soccer for over thirty years. He has coached youth soccer teams for almost twenty years. He still plays on two adult soccer teams today. Tapping his experiences as a soccer player and soccer coach, he writes articles as, Soccer From The Pitch, and provides content for websites such as www.soccercountry.com/

The Real Estate Pit And The Mortgage Pendulum

noreply@blogger.com (Your Realtor In The Field) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 01:13:00 +0000

The Real Estate Pit And The Mortgage Pendulum

What horrors await home sellers in the dungeons of the housing slump?

News headlines bombard us daily about the plight of the real estate market and it’s wide reaching effects on the economy. You’ve read the stories of record numbers of foreclosures, the sub-prime mortgage fiasco, and declining home prices and sales. There is even talk of a recession.

What we all need to remember, however, is that most news reports that you read are based on national housing information. As you may know, real estate is local and not every area of the country experiences what is presented by governments, associations, and media. Although it is true that the housing market is in trouble just about everywhere in the country, the severity of conditions vary by area.

Out here in the trenches of Richmond va real estate and surrounding counties, which can be considered typical of many areas, we have seen home prices fall and properties are lingering on the market for months and months. Yes, things are not good for home sellers here, but we are not facing armageddon, either. Houses are still selling and home buyers are still buying homes. It is just taking longer to sell homes and the profits made on home sales have come down, but that is because the prices of houses where highly inflated just two years ago.

We’re starting on the path of a corrected market. This is the case in many metropolitan areas such as Richmond. But, before we will get back to a normal real estate market, the momentum of the housing pendulum will cause the market to swing towards the other extreme from what we saw two years ago and put a deeper gash in the housing market before it swings back to equilibrium. The question remains - how deep will the pendulum’s arc slice into the heart of real estate and how fast will it swing?

Things could get worse for both home sellers and home buyers before they get better from what I am seeing out here in the neighborhoods and tracking the market. Sellers are facing even longer selling times because of additional foreclosures hitting the market and job relocations. Home buyers are having a harder time qualifying for mortgages because of the sub-prime loan problems. It’s a mess, no doubt, and we cannot really be sure how painful it all can get for those having to sell or buy a home.

You can probably make as good a prognosis of your local conditions as any of the real estate pundits, maybe even better, from just knowing a few stark realities. In order to survive the cuts from the pendulum, sellers need to be realistic with their profit expectations. Your opinion on what your house is worth is inconsequential. You will have to accept what buyers offer or not sell. Home buyers are the market, not sellers. And right now, buyers have the upper hand. They have more choices than ever.

And this brings us to the root of today’s housing market woes. For sellers, the pressure from more homes coming on the market, exacerbated by the sub-prime complexities, will force them to lower prices if they have no choice but to sell. Home sellers will also have to wait even longer for their home to sell. I have seen sellers who just break even on the sale of their homes and some make very little profit, depending on how long they have owned their home. There are way fewer home buyers these days. There is more about this at http://www.VirginiaRealEstateNetwork.com, a website with free information and resources that is helpful to both buyers and sellers.

For home buyers it may seem that this is their heyday and super bargains are in the offing. To some perhaps, but to many, the mortgage pendulum is severing their ability to qualify for a mortgage that would have been readily available to them prior to current day, preventing them from buying a house or qualifying for refinancing.

Although the Fed has made a big cut in interest rates and President Bush has approved the bailout of certain foreclosure situations, there is still one part of the equation that is keeping the housing market from stabilizing - tighter mortgage criteria by spooked lenders is preventing many ready and willing buyers from qualifying for home financing.

As often happens when a crisis appears, those in control tend to overreact and enact regulations that send the pendulum swinging to the end of it’s opposite arc before settling somewhere in the middle as natural forces slow it down. Because several large sub-prime mortgage lenders filed for bankruptcy and the number of foreclosures is climbing, most, if not all, mortgage lenders have tightened up on their lending practices to the point where many buyers can no longer qualify for a mortgage who normally would have. And I don’t mean the high-risk borrowers that are now defaulting on their mortgages.

Before the real estate market gets any better, the mortgage pendulum needs to swing back down without creating a deeper gash in the availability of financing for more home buyers. Until banks and other lenders relax their criteria, the actions of the Fed and the White House will not have a significant enough of an impact to turn the housing market around. If the rate of the number of houses offered for sale continues to grow and the pool of able home buyers does not keep pace, conditions in the dungeon will only get worse as the pendulum comes ever closer with each swing.

Ciao for now,
Bernie Rosellen, Your Agent In The Field
Please keep in mind that my statements above are based on my personal experiences and observations around the neighborhoods of central Virginia. Some statements may not reflect fully the situations, regulations and laws of other states nor apply in all areas, so please see what applies in your state (my disclaimer to keep me out of Realtor Jail).

About the author:
Bernie Rosellen is a Virginia licensed Realtor®. He works with both home buyers and home sellers and specializes in the Richmond, VA and surrounding areas. Besides actively practicing real estate, Bernie writes real estate articles as "Your Agent In The Field"™ from the perspective of being out in the neighborhoods and in the trenches of real estate. You can find out more about him and the real estate market in central Virginia at his website http://www.TheRosellenTeam.com and http://www.RichmondHomesForSale.net

How To Warm Up For A Soccer Match

noreply@blogger.com (Your Realtor In The Field) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 01:09:00 +0000

How To Warm Up For A Soccer Match

Are your stretching techniques in preparation for a soccer game
right for you? There may be a better way for you to avoid injury.

There are many ways to stretch before a soccer game for the purpose of loosening the muscles to avoid pain and injury during rigorous play. There seems to be a set of stretching techniques offered by the sports medicine community to condition the body for physical exertion. But are these techniques right for everyone?

Having played and coached soccer for over thirty years now, I have witnessed all sorts of ways that amateur athletes go through stretching before a game and I have tried some myself at the urging of others. I have never continued with these stretching methods, however, because they caused a certain discomfort that seemed to hamper my game. Warming up for a game by stretching was not for me.

Most players stretch before a game, but there are some of us who forgo this practice for our own warm-up techniques. It seems to me, based on my observations over the years, that the most staunch supporters of long pre-game stretching periods were also those players who suffered from all kinds of problems with their legs and their knees and pulling muscles and getting cramps. There is some great information on conditioning, by the way, at http://www.SoccerCountry.com that may be helpful to you.

I have rarely had injury problems from pulled or cramping muscles, only two or three times ever. I do not stretch before a soccer game. I do realize the importance of preparing the body for this type of exercise, but I go through a ritual that has kept me virtually injury free (except those caused by opponents during play) and works more effectively for me. In fact, stretching does not have a positive effect on my performance or injury proneness. The couple of times that I have stretched actually made me less effective.

The way I have warmed-up for every single soccer game that I have ever played, and there were over seven hundred of them, was by simply dribbling the ball a little bit at an easy trot and then passing back and forth with another player and then taking hard shots into the goal. Just going through the motions of kicking the soccer ball back and forth and running and shooting, that type of thing, just nice and easy at first and then more vigorous as game time approached.

Now I am not saying that this is the right way to warm up for any kind of sport. We all have our own thoughts on what is the best way to condition for an upcoming sporting event and I have always believed that whatever works for you is the right thing for you to do. But I have noticed that those soccer players who warmed-up in the same way as I was by just slowly getting into working with the ball without any kind of stretching beforehand were also the ones with the least problems with tight muscles and cramps and that sort of thing. Nothing scientific, just my observation over three decades.

I do agree that there are benefits to light stretching to get the kinks out if you have not been active for sometime, but if you participate in some type of physical exertion on a regular basis, a heavy stretching period may not be your best option. Your body will tell you what’s right for you by trying several warm-up techniques. Just like some ways do not work for me, my methods for getting warmed-up may not be for everyone, either. The key is to just do something to get loose, both physically and mentally, before a soccer game without going overboard.

Ciao for now,
Bernie Rosellen
Soccer From The Pitch

About the author:
Bernie Rosellen has played and been involved with soccer for over thirty years. He has coached youth soccer teams for almost twenty years. He still plays on two adult soccer teams in the Richmond, VA area today. Tapping his experiences as a soccer player and soccer coach, he writes articles as ASoccer From The Pitch@ and provides content for websites such as http://www.SoccerCountry.com .

Why Soccer Is Good For Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Your Realtor In The Field) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 01:30:00 +0000

There are more benefits to playing
youth soccer than you may realize

The sport of soccer continues to grow in the US as evidenced by the increasing number of kids getting involved in the game and the attendance numbers at MLS soccer games throughout the country. This is a good thing because it provides a great opportunity for all kids, no matter how tall, short, skinny, plump, shy, smart, or whatever, to gain the benefits of being part of a team where anyone can be a super star on any given day.

All sports provide physical and other benefits for those involved in them. But soccer offers much more to help youths develop, interact with others, and just plain enjoy themselves, something kids should do, after all.

One of the greatest things about soccer is that any kid can kick a soccer ball and learn to do it well within a short period of time. There are no special talents required. If a boy or girl can run, he or she can do so with a soccer ball at his or her feet. Any kid can gain basic skills in dribbling, passing, and shooting a soccer ball with minimal time and effort expended. This means that any child that wants to play soccer can do so and be at a level of most of the players on the field.

Kids don’t need to be 7 foot tall leaping gazelles or refrigerator-sized brutes or multi-talented athletes to play on a soccer team and perform at least as well as most of the teammates. Soccer is a pure team sport. No one player, no matter how talented, can win a game on his or her own. Winning a soccer game requires the participation of every one of his teammates out on the pitch. This allows every kid on the team to touch the ball often and contribute to making plays, no matter what his or her skill level is.

This really helps build a child’s self-esteem, which can be seen in the confidence displayed on the field. Something as simple as a good pass or stopping the ball from getting to an opponent can make a kid feel good about him or herself and that makes them perform even better. And they have lots of chances to do this. One good play washes away any and all misses.

I have seen timid boys and girls blossom into assertive soccer players in just a few weeks. All because they got to touch the ball and contribute to the team. And when they win, every kid feels part of that win. And when they lose, they feel proud of having played as well as they could and look forward to the next game when it starts all over. Every kid knows that in the next game he or she will be right out there in the middle of things helping her team win and maybe even score the winning goal or make a winning save.

There is also something about the parents at soccer games. Only the sport of soccer has a “Mom”, a Soccer Mom. These wonderful ladies, who shuttle their kids back and forth to soccer games every weekend, are the soul of youth soccer in America. Soccer moms have played a big part in the popularity of youth soccer and their involvement in the sport has helped many a youngster enjoy being part of a team.

There are many resources on the web about other benefits of youth soccer including physical conditioning and injury prevention. One of my favorite soccer websites is http://www.soccercountry.com/ where you will also find all kinds of stuff about soccer, like soccer news, stats, and soccer game schedules.

In addition to those highlighted in this article, soccer provides other benefits for youngsters. Think about all that running and stopping and turning. Great for the lungs, muscles, and the mind. And there are so many more.

If your child is not playing soccer, what are you waiting for? It’s going to be the number one sport in the US eventually, just like it is in every other country in the world. Get your son and daughter out on the soccer field as early as possible. It keeps them out of trouble, builds their confidence, keeps them healthy, and helps them grow the right way. I know. I raised four soccer kids that started playing at five years of age and I saw the development provided by soccer through their teen years as the coach of their soccer teams.

Every town and county probably has a youth soccer association. It won’t be hard to find a team for your son and daughter. You never know, one of your kids could be the next David Beckham. And, if you are a mother, maybe you will be Soccer Mom of the Year.

Ciao for now,
Bernie Rosellen
Soccer From The Pitch

About the author:
Bernie Rosellen has played and been involved with soccer for over thirty years. He coached his four kids’ youth soccer teams for fifteen years and is still active coaching youths today. He still plays on two adult soccer teams in the Richmond, VA area today. Tapping his experiences as a soccer player and soccer coach, he writes articles as Soccer From The Pitch and provides content for websites such as http://www.soccercountry.com/ .