Most of us have seen that TV show or movie where the cowboy jumps on a horse’s back with the aim of domestication. The wild animal violently resists being ridden and will buck, jump, twist, whatever it takes to knock the cowboy on his ass! After all, the horse is wild and doesn’t want to […]
Problems
US Soccer 2009 (Part IV: Nothing’s Changed)
It’s easy for the blind faithful to spout off the following as evidence we have “arrived”: Qualified 1st to the Wolrd Cup out of CONCACAF Got to the final in the Confederations Cup by knocking out #1 ranked Spain Got to the final of the Gold Cup But like I said in the last post, […]
Now This Is Beautiful Soccer!
The day US soccer starts demonstrating combination play like this, is the day we’ll graduate to the next level. How many times have you ever seen it on our National Teams or MLS? Here’s the video. (If you can’t see it, click here). This is what we should be striving for, this is what fans […]
The Cream Isn’t Rising To The Top
I think we can all agree that the best should always get recognized and rise to the highest level. It is a basic principle that enables any country, company, team, etc to maximize their potential. In the case of a soccer team, we obviously want the best players, coach, management and staff possible. Today we’ll […]
Top Freshman to Watch in College Soccer
So many entities around the net publish their yearly list of “top 100 freshman” to watch during the college season. It’s really just a list of those players with impressive “pedigree”. Have you been in ODP or National player pools? Have you been on a high profile club or team that’s won big titles? Have […]
Stop Making Excuses!
You know, this is one of our soccer problems in this country… EXCUSES! These things we use so often are arguably an instinctive property of humans. We think that by using them we protect our egos, self esteem, self worth. In the short term, it might work. We go on living our seemingly flawless lives, […]
College Soccer Analysis
The college season is now upon us. Teams are wrapping up their preseason games and begin their quest to enter the post-season. I want to start off by telling you what college soccer means to me. To put it in a nutshell, the vast majority of the time these games make my blood boil! It’s […]
Physically Maturing Early: A Double-Edged Sword
Beginning puberty early has interesting consequences as far as a player’s soccer development. The immediate thought that comes to mind is a positive one. These players will have a physical advantage, and if they have at least average skill, they become dominant in their age group. There’s a lot of good things that come along […]
What’s an Elite Player?
This term “elite” is abused. In conversations with players, fans, media, coaches – the soccer community in general – I have heard many label this or that player elite. And sometimes it’s actually a decent player. But elite they are not. Also, it’s remarkable how many times the player that was referenced is really just […]
What Everybody Ought to Know About Possession
The lack of holding ball possession is an ugly plague that infests every sector of soccer in this country! Aside from the aesthetic appeal that comes with stringing together five, ten, twenty, forty touches while the other team fails in its attempt to recover the ball, here are some vital things you must know about […]