January 25, 2012 – 5:48 am
Big margins of victories in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament have generated criticism of the qualification process and calls for a change in the process, including giving top teams an automatic bye to semi-finals.
I have a different view.
Having been involved in this game for a long time, I am encouraged by what I have [...]
January 23, 2012 – 8:19 pm
Both Dominican Republic and Guatemala were outmatched. Both matches were easy. They were easy physically, technically and tactically for the US.
Both Dominican Republic and Guatemala have 3-4 technically very good players, on par or even above the US players. However, the differences in strength, acceleration, change of speed, and general match fitness were [...]
December 22, 2011 – 9:53 pm
Tell you a little story – I call this “living below your revenue” story: I know a small club owner in another country.
He operates his club in a town of 10,000, competing at a third or fourth level of competition. Promotion and relegation is a constant but my friend concentrates on successful runs in cup [...]
November 25, 2011 – 5:55 am
I am very leery of coaches who liberally use words ‘great’ or ‘phenomenal’ to describe players and or performances.
These adjectives should only be used in only the rarest of circumstances.
I have never seen a great youth, high school or college player, only players with good potential. If they were great or phenomenal, chances are high [...]
November 17, 2011 – 12:11 pm
“There is no racism [on the field], but maybe there is a word or gesture that is not correct,” FIFA President Sepp Blatter told CNN. “The one affected by this should say this is a game and shake hands.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/15757165.stm
Blatter’s reply came as a result of a recent claim by Anton Ferdinand that he was [...]
November 17, 2011 – 9:55 am
What allows good players to successfully respond/react to a given situation?
What allows one player to calmly finish a goal-scoring opportunity and another to miss it? Training.
The objective of training is to develop techniques, the muscle memory, those instinctive values, to ingrain them into player’ muscles and minds, to develop the conditioned response.
It is a lot [...]
November 17, 2011 – 4:41 am
It’s a fact that defending, regardless of what sport, doesn’t get much time on SportsCenter. And it’s not something women’s football blogers and casual fans write about and discuss after matches.
It’s understandable. Spectacular shots, great individual runs and goal-scorers are what gets attention and the spotlight.
But it’s an old and tried maxim that teams win [...]
November 15, 2011 – 6:11 pm
“We were unlucky today not to score.”
With tournament time for many college teams, I read, hear or see some coaches talk about being unlucky, about not finishing opportunities, about losing.
It’s not about luck.
The difference between winning and losing is first and foremost about individual training. Japan did not win the World Cup because they were [...]
November 13, 2011 – 9:46 am
Having seen both Notre Dame and Illinois play three times each this season, I expect the result of this match will be very close. There is not much separating both teams and I believe that the slightest of advantage may be with Illinois based on the fact that their midfield maybe marginally better than Notre [...]
November 7, 2011 – 5:31 pm
Vanessa DiBernardo scored in extra time to give Illinois a confident win against Penn State in the Big Ten title match.
The success of Illinois was based on Jackie Guerra and DiBernardo applying a vice-like grip in midfield, and on a clever adjustment made by Janet Rayfield.
As the match went on Penn State’s increasingly stretched defense [...]
