Friday, March 27, 2009

Images for imagination

I believe the most important and powerful weapon a soccer player have is CREATIVITY. Soccer is a very simple sport with very few rules. It gives space for infinite opportunities restricted only by the imagination and creativity of the players.
Unfortunately, in US we don’t have yet big clubs or massive TV coverage of the main matches. Our younger players don’t have much access to images that can develop their creativity. Trying to help with it and bring some fun to our young players I will post from time to time commercial video clips that have been on TV in other countries. They are very funny and really stimulate our imagination. Please, let you little players watch it.





Thursday, March 26, 2009

Memories

It is hard for some one who grew up in US to understand what soccer represents in other countries. After post the games for the World Cup Qualifying I thought it would be interesting to write about it.
In Brazil we say that the national team is the mother land wearing cleats. When we play big rivals like Argentina it is like those countries were in war. In World Cup’s games, the country stops to watch it. There are no cars in the streets there is no one in the walkways. Every eye in the country is looking at the TV.
My strongest World Cup memory from childhood is a Brazil vs Italy game in 1982 Spain World Cup. Brazil 1982 team still considered one of the best teams in the history of soccer. No one in Brazil had any doubt we would win the World Cup, even more after scoring 10 goals, winning all the 3 games of the first round and beating our biggest rival Argentina in the first game of second round. Brazil went to play Italy on Sarria Stadium in Barcelona, needing a simple draw to qualify for the semi-finals.
Italy was a good team but had draws on its first 3 games, against Poland, Peru and Cameroon. In the second round beat Argentina by 2-1 but as Brazil had beat Argentina 3-1, Italy needed win the game to qualify.
The game started hot! At 5’ Paulo Rossi scored for Italy, and at 12’ Socrates tied it for Brazil. At 25’ Paolo Rossi scored again. I remember watching it on TV. I was 7 years old and started to cry just thinking it could be the last game of Brazil in that World Cup. At half time I went outside to flight a kite with my cousin (probably because my parents suggested it). We decided not to come back to that agony and kept playing in the desert street. Suddenly it was like the whole town shouted at the same time, the same world: Goooaaal!!! We ran inside to see Falcao celebrating an astonishing goal. That was it, we were in the semi-finals and we would be Champions of the World for the first time in my generation.
But the game only ends when it ends. Paolo Rossi again, at 74’, 16 minutes to the end, scored again. Italy won that game and the World Cup. My generation had to wait more 8 years to finally see our country win the World Cup, ironically playing Italy in the final game.

Weekend Live Matches on TV

We will have an exciting weekend in soccer around the world with several matches for the World Cup 2010 Qualifying. I put together a list of the live games on TV, but check the schedule for the channel you have available, because some channels, not listed here, will show the games with delay.
We also have second round games for the MSL.

Games Saturday, March 28th.

10:00am Russia vs Azerbeijan - World Cup 2010 Qualifying
@ OmniSportTV, SportFive UEFA, Video Highlights

10:30pm San Jose Earthquakes vs Houston Dynamo - MSL
@ Direct Kick

10:30pm Seattle Sounders FC vs Real Salt Lake - MSL
@ Direct Kick

12:30pm England vs Slovakia - Friendly game
@ Setanta Sports 1, Setanta Sports Canada, Video Highlights

3:00pm Germany vs Liechtenstein - World Cup 2010 Qualifying
@ GolTv, GolTV-Canada, Video Highlights

3:30pm Eslovenia vs Republica Checa - World Cup 2010 Qualifying
@ FSE, SportFive UEFA

3:40pm São Paulo vs Palmeiras - Brazil Campeonato Paulista
@ PFC Internacional

3:45pm Republic of Ireland vs Bulgaria - World Cup 2010 Qualifying
@ Sky Sports 1, Video Highlights

3:45pm Montenegro vs Italy - World Cup 2010 Qualifying
@ OmniSportTV, Video Highlights

3:45pm Slovenia vs Czech Republic - World Cup 2010 Qualifying
@ FSC, Video Highlights

3:45pm Netherlands vs Scotland - World Cup 2010 Qualifying
@ BWIN, ESPN 360, Setanta Sports 1, Video Highlights

3:45pm Belgium vs Bosnia-Herzegovina - World Cup 2010 Qualifying
@ SportFive UEFA, Video Highlights

3:45pm Lithuania vs France - World Cup 2010 Qualifying
@ SportFive UEFA, Video Highlights

4:00pm Uruguay vs Paraguay - World Cup 2010 Qualifying
@ ESPND, JumpTV, Video Highlights

4:45pm Portugal vs Sweden - World Cup 2010 Qualifying
@ BWIN, OmniSportTV, RTPi, Setanta Sports Canada, Setanta Sports USA, SportFive UEFA, Video Highlights

5:00pm Spain vs Turkey - World Cup 2010 Qualifying
@ GolTv, GolTV-Canada, Video Highlights

6:00pm Mexico vs Costa Rica - World Cup 2010 Qualifying
@ OmniSportTV, Telemundo

6:10pm Argentina vs Venezuela - World Cup 2010 Qualifying
@ JumpTV, Setanta Sports 2, USA PPV, Video Highlights

6:30pm Fluminense vs Botafogo - Brazil Campeonato Carioca
@ PFC Internacional

7:30pm DC United vs Chicago Fire - USA Major League Soccer
@ Direct Kick

7:30pm New York Red Bull vs New England Revolution - USA Major League Soccer
@ FSC, FSE

8:20pm Colombia vs Bolivia - World Cup 2010 Qualifying
@ JumpTV, USA PPV, Video Highlights

9:30pm Colorado Rapids vs Kansas City Wizards - USA Major League Soccer
@Direct Kick

Games Sunday, March 29th

1:00pm Ghana vs Benin - World Cup 2010 Qualifying
@ Video Highlights

3:00pm FC Dallas vs Chivas USA - USA Major League Soccer
@ Telefutura

5:00pm Ecuador vs Brazil - World Cup 2010 Qualifying
@ JumpTV, Sky Sports 2, USA PPV, Video Highlights

6:00pm Los Angeles Sol v Washington Freedom - USA Women's Professional Soccer
@ FSC, FSE

7:00pm Peru vs Chile - World Cup 2010 Qualifying
@ JumpTV, USA PPV, Video Highlights

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Champions League Pool

Test your knowledge about European teams and answer: What teams will be in the next round of the Champions League? You can cast your vote up to 4/7/2009. Just go on the right side of this page, find your favorite for each mach and click on it. Of course, don’t forget to watch the matches.

First leg:
Villarreal vs Arsenal on 4/7
Manchester vs FC Porto on 4/7
Liverpool FC vs Chelsea FC on 4/8
FC Barcelona vs Bayern Munchen on 4/8

Second leg:
Villarreal vs Arsenal on 4/15
Manchester vs FC Porto on 4/15
Liverpool FC vs Chelsea FC on 4/14
FC Barcelona vs Bayern Munchen on 4/14
Here goes a serie of videos "Learn to Play the Brazilian Way" about player development.
The most important message is: practice, practice and practice.

Hope you enjoy it!















Interesting article on Youth Coaching

Refocusing the Player Development Model
Posted October 9th, 2008 by Brad Partridge
By Brad Partridge

Having been involved in soccer in the USA since 1967, I have had the pleasure of seeing it grow beyond anyone's expectations. The shear number of players is staggering to say the least. FIFA stats indicate that the USA now leads the world in registered youth players.
So why haven't we been able to develop more technically elite field players? The answer to this question lies in the developmental paradigms that have emerged in the USA.

Click here to read the whole article

Comment

I agree with the article point, that at early ages we must develop payers basic skills, and that the feed back to players and parents should be given based on this principle and not on games results, but there are few points neglected by the article that I believe play an important role on the difficulty to produce elite players at adult age.
The fact is that despite us having a large number of young players, these players migrate to a different sport when they get older. I disagree it happens because they are burned out for the number of games, even agreeing that ratio practice/game should be higher. I believe it happens because other sports give them more opportunities and prestige. Imagine a football, basketball or baseball player in high school and the prestige and opportunity for a college scholarship compared to a soccer player, it if his (or her) high school has a soccer program.
We do well with young age players, whose expectations are not more than have fun with friends, but when they get older their needs and expectations increase. They need idols in the sport and a realistic chance to play in the future. Because our main league doesn’t have much exposition and the teenager players don’t see many opportunities to keep playing soccer they migrate to other sports that give it to them. It even makes difficult to develop players when they hardly have the chance to watch a game on TV what definitively helps with their creativity and interest for the sport.
So, what can we do to keep these young players? We need remembered that a soccer player, regularly, will not mature before 20 years old and will have its pick at late twenties. Our programs need be prepared to retain these players interest and attend their needs at least up to Olympic age (23 years old). To do it we need support middle and high schools programs through out the country. It would improve player’s interest in our clubs and probably keep them for more few years. We need promote championships (not weekend tournaments) but regional championships between clubs for older ages (U16 and up) and stimulate our younger players to support these teams. It would give the younger players the chance to watch games and improve the motivation and prestige of older ones, forming a fan base for the clubs. With the time, the clubs can organize themselves in small amateur or semi-professional leagues (Northwest Arkansas Leagues for example), giving the players above 20 years old the opportunity to play).
If our goal is to create high level players, beside give the players a good and solid foundation we need to be able to keep them longer than we do today.

Soccer Websites

Here is our first post!

It brings soccer websites where you can find the most diverse soccer information. I hope you guys like it.

Soccer on TV

This site list all soccer matches and TV channels where they are available. It also tells you if the game will be live or delayed. It is a really good tool if you are interested in watch soccer.
http://www.livesoccertv.com/schedules/

News from the main championships being played

International Tournaments


Champions League
I recommend follow this championship. The Champions League indicates the European club who will play the Clubs World Cup in the end of the year. You will see the most beautiful soccer stadiums in the world and get familiar with the best teams in Europe and the best players of the world.
http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/championsleague

Copa Libertadores da America
In its 50th edition this traditional championship indicates the South American team, which will play for the Clubs Word Cup in the end of the year. If it doesn’t have the same beautiful stadiums as the Champions League it worth to watch the speed and skill of South American players and the passion of its fans.
http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/libertadores

National Leagues

MSL – Major League of Soccer
USA main national championship
http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/mls

Premier League
England main national championship
http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/premierleague

Serie A
Italian main national championship
http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/seriea

La Liga
Spain main national championship
http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/laliga

Bundesliga
German main national championship
http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/bundesliga

Brasileirao 2009
Brazil main championship (starts May 8)
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/tables?league=bra.1&cc=5901

Clausura 2009
Argentinean championship that indicates one of the two finalists to play for the Argentinean Champion title
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/tables?league=arg.1&cc=5901