Better Soccer

UC Santa Barbara does it again

2010-10-16T04:55:00.000-07:00

From Soccer America:

UC Santa Barbara became the first team to draw two crowds of 10,000 or more in a season when the Gauchos attracted 11,242 fans -- the sixth largest crowd in NCAA regular-season history -- for their 2-0 win over Duke.

The soccer attendance story of 2010 rolls forward again. Tennessee has football, Kentucky has basketball, but CA has soccer.

Defenses the World Over Feeling Generous: Encourage Being Scored On

2010-10-02T07:43:00.000-07:00

The first 30 seconds of the video show that "professional" doesn't equate with "I know what I'm doing." The ball is played into the box and then incorrectly played right back to that player. Perhaps the defender thought it was a practice day and they were supposed to just give "passive defense." Then, the ball moves to a man who isn't covered for at least ten yards even though the play is dangerously close to goal. He shoots the ball. Yet another defender, perhaps seeing that his own goalie will have an easy time with it, deflects the ball into the corner of his own net. You think I'm exaggerating. Roll tape.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to a Perfect Record

2010-10-01T02:15:00.000-07:00

#1 Ranked and revered Akron men's team was only able to manage a 2-2 draw against #19 Ohio State. This means, oh my, Akron isn't invincible. Here is Akron's video summary of the match along with a game report.

Textbook: How to Give Away Goals

2010-09-30T06:03:00.000-07:00

Here you will immediately notice a Chicago Fire player (in red, of course!) completely unmolested and easily able to receive a pass. Both players are in the offensive half. This is professional soccer? There are ways to mark up these guys to cut down the number of successful forward passes. I have heard the arguments for giving quick offenders space for fear they run by you freely and then are a massive threat. Isn't this pro soccer? Isn't everyone fast? and, Aren't defender able to rotate over and cover that stray offensive player that gets by someone? Yes, yes and yes. San Jose just looks lazy here. It should be very difficult to receive the ball while facing forward in the offensive half, not easy as it is pictured here. Defenders are there to contest, molest, harass, and generally be complete pains in the neck for the offense every second of the game.

This was a key game for a San Jose side that is on the bubble to advance in the playoffs. This weak effort shows that they aren't up to muster at this late point in the season. No surprise that they went down to an embarrassing home loss that night.

15,000+ all in one night, not for the whole season

2010-09-27T02:06:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago, 15,000 fans would have been the SEASON attendance total, not just for one game. Times are changing quickly, with attendance up nation wide and two of the top five most-attended regular season NCAA soccer matches of the modern era occurring just in the last 2 weeks. I should add also that they both were played in California, not in Maryland or Connecticut or North Carolina, or even in St. Louis.

UCSB defeated UCLA 2-0. By no means a crushing win, so the story becomes the event itself. Out of nowhere, soccer this fall is capturing the attention of money-restricted fans with attendance numbers way up in California as well as back in the traditional soccer-center of the mid-atlantic.

I asked my soccer-neutral wife what she thought of the attendance-record-smashing year and she commented that "People must like soccer." I thought for a moment. Yes, it probably is really that simple.

4,700 See an Impressive #1 Akron Down a Solid Tulsa Team

2010-09-26T01:56:00.000-07:00

Both teams undefeated going in. Akron clarifies who the better team really is. And 4,700 saw it all. I believe that is the story this year. Soccer is an inexpensive couple of hours, and if your team is doing well, it is a good entertainment value. Who knew that economic downturns were good for the minor sports? Now we know. Here is the whole story in numbers.

---------------------------

Soccer Box Score (Final)

2010 University of Akron Men's Soccer

#2 Tulsa vs #1 AKRON (Sep 24, 2010 at Akron, Ohio)

Goals by period 1 2 Total

Tulsa 0 0 0

AKRON 2 2 4

Tulsa (6-1-0) vs.

AKRON (6-0-0)

Date: Sep 24, 2010 • Attendance: 4,744

Weather: high 70s clear, w: sw 16 gusts to 29

Two to Tango, but Three to Score

2010-09-25T05:43:00.000-07:00

This is a pretty three person combination from recent MLS play. If the defense made any mistake it was giving too much space to players when the whole play was very close to the goal. With that space, the offense makes the defense look like they are just working around cones on the practice field, not actual human defenders.

BTW, vuvuzelas have crossed the pond.

8,700 fans for a NCAA soccer match? Of course

2010-09-21T06:02:00.000-07:00

A time traveller from the year 1994 arriving in San Luis Obispo in 2010 would incorrectly extrapolate the '94 World Cup soccer interest in the USA and assume that 8,700 fans must be totally normal and a logical progression from the WC excitement. 8,700 fans for a college soccer match makes it the 10th largest crowd (Soccer America) ever for NCAA soccer. So, what to make of it?

Well, 8,700 is news precisely because it isn't the norm. The last 16 years have seen a slow and steady rise in the MLS, but it still is only the 6th or 7th most popular pro sport in the USA, depending on what one measures. But people who live in SLO aren't the sort that cares to live in NYC and root for the Yankees. They probably wouldn't have gone to the game is their team consistently lost, but thrills come in many different colored packages. SLO residents consider themselves better than the average townies. Heck, they can get 5,000+ to show up at a farmer's market every Thursday evening.

The weather was perfect. The Cal Poly Mustangs have gone a coon's age without a single goal against at home. Soccer isn't $80 (or even $35) a ticket, so the whole family can go. The Spanos stadium upgrades a couple years ago have created an intimate sports arena with great site lines. If you build it, sell it at a reasonable price, on a nice night, with the reasonable hope of a winning feeling at the end, they will come. Even, or maybe because it is 3,000 miles from Gotham City.

Fresno Pacific Downs Holy Names 2-1 (OT)

2010-09-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Paul Islas put the Sunbirds up 1-0 in the first half. As their leading scorer, Islas is a force up front. He could use more support in the midfield (Gabriel Ramirez wherefore art thou!), but with the stellar work of Shawn Grieco that caused Holy Names nothing but grief all day long, FPU has scoring ability above many teams at this level.

FPU's slow start may have just turned a corner.

Bakersfield?

2010-09-15T05:57:00.000-07:00

Soccer America Men's Top 25
(Sept. 14 rankings)
TEAM (RECORD) LAST WEEK
1. Akron (3-0-0) 1
2. Virginia (2-0-1) 2
3. North Carolina (2-1-0) 3
4. Tulsa (4-0-0) 4
5. Boston College (2-0-1) 5
6. Duke (1-0-2) 7
7. Connecticut (3-0-1) 6
8. Monmouth (4-0-0) 8
9. Ohio State (4-0-0) 9
10. Louisville (3-0-1) 11
11. Maryland (1-1-1) 12
12. Wake Forest (1-1-1) 14
13. Harvard (2-0-1) 15
14. Creighton (4-0-0) NR
15. Michigan State (3-1-0) 17
16. Portland (2-0-2) 18
17. Cal State Bakersfield (3-0-0) 20
18. UCLA (3-1-0) 23
19. St. John's (3-1-0) 24
20. UC Irvine (5-0-0) 25
21. SMU (5-0-0) NR
22. Butler (4-0-0) NR
23. New Mexico (2-1-1) 22
24. Notre Dame (2-1-1) NR
25. Penn (4-0-0) NR
25. William & Mary (3-0-0) NR
(Records are for games played through Sept. 12.)

This is Pro Soccer?

2010-04-22T06:19:00.000-07:00

In the video, go directly to minute 3:45 to see some very bad defense on a direct kick.

Defenders: don't move out of the wall until AFTER the ball has passed you.

Why Goals are Scored: #4

2010-04-18T18:09:00.000-07:00

Goals are scored, sometimes, because perfect timing allows for a huge advantage. At minute 3:30 of the video San Jose gets a play that New England thinks is a pass to a player offside. He wasn't offside because the passer (Johnson) sent the ball at the perfect moment to create an easy play. This can be practiced.

Why Goals are Scored: #3

2010-04-13T05:58:00.000-07:00

On offense, if you can keep control long enough in the offensive end, you WILL find an opening.

Why Goals Are Missed : #3

2010-04-11T09:24:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, good defense is why goals are missed.
In the video, you can skip ahead to minute 3:30. San Jose's defense makes a poorly thought out pass and only a great defensive recovery prevents an otherwise sure goal. Worth a look.

Why Goals Are Missed : #2

2010-04-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

Casey Keller gets the announcers' respect here, but the shot would have been stopped by any quality keeper from high school on up. There was no angle. The ball should have been sent across the field or back. Some overtly "good opportunities" are in fact not so. Better soccer is to live in reality and wait to shoot until an actual good opportunity presents itself.

One on One

2010-04-06T06:37:00.000-07:00

The audio commentary is very instructive to the defense here (surprisingly).

For Offense: How about using the rest of your team?

Why Goals are Scored: #2

2010-04-03T19:06:00.000-07:00

For Defenders: The keeper is usually quite right, as he is here, to not be at fault for the goal being scored. The key defender in the middle neither kept track of the incoming Mansally, nor got the ball. He should have be on the man. He was just field decoration.

For Offense: The key to success here is the the man on the outside heading the ball to himself to keep it in play. Right there, the defense knew they were in big trouble.

Why Goals Are Missed : #1

2010-04-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

For Offense: Get used to working within a big crowd. The offensive player here gets lost in a mess of people and sends a head ball way off line. The mind must always control itself before it can tell the body what to do.

Why Goals are Scored: #1

2010-04-02T22:12:00.000-07:00

For Defense: Don't foul in the zone unless the next 3 second will lead to a goal. This wasn't a smart foul on the outskirts of the zone and to a basically unreachable pass.

Earthquakes' "Turn-Your-Head" Defense

2010-03-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

About minute 1:30 RSL scores the first of three goals in their winning effort against San Jose on March 27th, 2010. The Earthquakes defender turns his head and the ball goes right by him. This is not a defensive move to copy.

She was offside

2009-06-11T00:21:00.000-07:00

The Brazilian superstar Marta is a very good player. Very good players know when they control the game instead of the officials. She was clearly offside in this clip (about 30 seconds in). Still, she had to make the shot by two defenders, so not bad.

Snow Soccer 6

2009-05-17T01:40:00.000-07:00

Would Tim Howard EVER go outside in a blizzard wearing shorts if he weren't playing soccer? I don't think so. Yet another reason why soccer is ... better.

Soccer cheeleaders? Of course.

2009-05-15T01:11:00.000-07:00

Soccer cheerleaders aren't as common as with football and basketball, but much more so than baseball and golf. I applaud the applauders.

I have played on squads with cheerleaders and without, and I guess, oddly enough the presence of cheerleaders lent an air of legitimacy to our whole soccer endeavor. They outnumbered the fans at some of my games, so they didn't have a huge crowd to lead in cheers. Still, I was touched that they would go to all the effort to organize, buy their equipment and show up to support the team.

Soccer cheerleaders aren't common in English Premiership games, so some soccer fans don't see their place. Two points: this isn't England (nor Italy nor Germany), and I really don't think that most fans would argue to much if teams calmly started adding yell leaders to Premiership games. Oh, yes, the girls/women's matches could use guy cheer support! Fair is fair.

The Future of Soccer

2009-05-13T01:57:00.000-07:00

The world compendium of all-things Star Trek has a "future history" of the coming growing importance of Soccer. Worth making the jump to read more details like this one:

One of the most popular soccer players of the mid-24th century was Golanga, until he had to have his knee replaced by a bio-implant in 2366. According to Benjamin Sisko, "he wasn't the same after that".

Injuries. Even to Worf. Who didn't like Worf? Just not right.

Rigged? Yep. Good for Soccer? Nope

2009-05-11T01:04:00.000-07:00

I am not a Chelsea true blue fan. I have never been to the UK. I don't watch Premiership games at 4:00 a.m. on some obscure cable network. Nothing disappoints me more about the World's game than to look up the Premiership table most of the year and see the same four teams at the top ALL season for decades. Still.... injustice on the field is injustice that must be addressed.

Chelsea was robbed. Either by sheer incompetence, or by master plan, Chelsea was robbed of a Champions League Final again Man. U. Now, I don't think it will matter much, given that Man. U. is unlikely to lose against either team, but the Barça/Chelsea final is reason enough to go back to only watching high school games so that I can be sure the referees don't have too much control over the game's outcome. Here in 2009 the powers-that-be* decided that "El Barça" should receive every advantage possible. My evidence for such an assertion?

Evidence #1: a Norwegian ref is employed for a key semi-final game. Norway? Really? How many big immense, huge Soccer matches has ANY Norwegian ref ever seen in person, let alone, worked on the field in?

Evidence #2: No less than 3 significant misjudgments by said referee and assistant referees, any one of which, if called at all or placed differently would have pushed the score dramatically in Chelsea's favor and would have made the score impossible for Barça to equalize on one goal. Consult the video from ESPN2 and make your own determination of the various referee calls in question.

Evidence #3: UEFA Champions league finals will be a massive TV draw for every country involved, especially for teams that rarely play against each other. The audience for an all-England finals would have been much smaller than for Man. U. against any team from another country, and realistically that only allows for Barcelona, since three of the five best teams in the entire world are in England, and rare it would be for Germany, France, Greece or .... Norway to have a team reach the Champions league finals. Following the money leads to the strong interest by TV promoters in have Barça play an English team in the finals, basically every year for a few years.

Of course, a referee does not determine of shots go in the net, but a referee can control the relative ease of some goals. The number of no-calls and the the obvious misplacement of the called foul that was moved from within the penalty area to just outside the penalty area do have a great impact on the final outcome.

Was the referee paid or threatened with loss? Maybe both happened, but I can tell you it wasn't neither of the them. The referee had an agenda for this match, and he followed it.

Soccer is the much worse for it. This event is enough for me to have Chelsea earn a warm place in my heart.

*Take your pick: FIFA, The Queen (Sophia), Sky Network, Rupert Murdoch - Follow the money.

World Cup 2010 Venues: Part 5 - Pretoria

2009-05-01T02:41:00.000-07:00

Loftus Versfeld Stadium has a very classic though modern feel. With design inspiration from Europe, Loftus Versfeld looks permanent, well-built and experienced at hosting major soccer events. It was built in 2003 and has already been renovated (2008) for the World Cup. Some of rounds 1 and 2 will be hosted here in great style.

Fresno Fuego Home Opener This Weekend

2009-04-29T01:01:00.000-07:00

The Fresno Fuego open their regular season at home this Friday (Tomorrow!) at the Chuk at 7:00 pm. I would hope that the Fuego have taken steps to correct the defensive missteps evidenced in this piece of fan video from the 2008 game with the Galaxy.

"Cover the other team" isn't always simple to do, but for starters, being between the offense and the goal might give you a fighting chance. Standing behind them (as in the video) really just gives you a nice view of their..... well, enough said.

When?

2009-04-27T01:06:00.000-07:00

"Little did he know the fire storm an actual victory would incite."

After the Italian victory (for the fourth time!) in the 2006 World Cup, a bunch of hooligans, the Italian kind, went crazy. I don't like the way these fans expressed themselves, but when is even a kernal of such spirit going to invade the US fandom? Maybe it is happening right now.

First, there is actual reason to cheer. The US hasn't lost to Mexico at home in 8 years. People close to soccer know that we actually have a quality set of players and reserves, and no one is all that upset with the coaching. So the pieces are in place. The key players are in respectable leagues getting better by the week.

Fans? Well, for the first time in a long memory, two interesting things occurred during the US win over Mexico back in February. A) the fans were rudely wild, from interrupting the national anthem to throwing all manner of debris during the goal moments of the game itself. The fans actually cheered the US team more than the Mexican team. (Maybe Ohio didn't read that part about Mexico retaking Atzlán soon). B) The announcer on the Univision feed was.... well... not just polite, but seemed actually excited with both US goals. And they weren't great goals. Just goals. This time, by the US, being cheered on UNIVISION. Ummph.

The fan support was really quite cool to see. Let's not take a page from the UK playbook (or Italian either) and set fire to the stadium or anything else. Short of that, we still have a lot of energetic cheering room to grow. And maybe this is the 15 months in which it will actually show up.

Snow Soccer 5

2009-04-25T05:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, Virginia, it snows in New York City.

Proving that the future of America is strong, these Columbia University students take a study break to play a little of the World's Greatest Game. No, the grassy turf is not available. Yes, the fun just gets....better.

snow soccer 4

2009-04-23T01:46:00.000-07:00

Enjoyable and ridiculous all at the same time.

World Cup 2010 Venues: Part 4 - Rustenberg

2009-04-21T01:29:00.000-07:00

Royal Bafokeng Stadium will be used in the early rounds of the South Africa World Cup next year. It is a multi-use stadium, which is not perfect, but very understandable smaller city to want to get the most future use out of the stadium decades after the World Cup has come and gone.

Soccer Reading

2009-04-19T01:15:00.000-07:00

Franklin Foer gathered perspectives on the soccer world from countries that take the game seriously. In a couple cases, deadly seriously. How Soccer Explains the World exaggerates the conclusions that can be drawn just from soccer. Still, people do lay at Soccer's doorstep all manner of personal and social worship that I found fascinating. I enjoyed reading it to see that the way a group responds to something like soccer can show who they, and we, really are.

If you enjoy international politics and soccer (who doesn't?), Mr. Foer's book is just for you.

World Cup 2010 Venues - Part 3: Nelspruit

2009-04-17T02:48:00.000-07:00

Mbombela Stadium takes its name from a southern African language called Swati, and it means "A lot of people together in a small space". Well, 40,000 people in the same building will be just that. Let's wait for its completion, which is expected this year.

Design? Nothing crazy here. I know that there are only so many ways to skin a cat, but I thought people went into the architecture field to be expressive. Well, most don't, obviously.

Momentos. It's all good.

2009-04-15T01:44:00.000-07:00

Cheesy soccer momentos are O.K. because they relate to soccer. Soccer people tend to not be into these sorts of things. That should change. Any questions? I didn't think so.

World Cup 2010 Venues - Part 2: Bloemfontein

2009-04-13T02:33:00.000-07:00

Bloemfontein is home to Free State Stadium. Standard modern soccer stadium fair. Nothing to inspire, but at least fans are close to the field. Notice the cricket stadium at the top of the picture. This isn't Kansas anymore.

Wow - Play on taken to a whole new level.

2009-04-11T01:34:00.000-07:00

The referee here is missing some calls. It happens. Still, this is multiple misses. Frustrating. Calling something can be better than not calling anything, even if you get the direction of the call wrong, at least you come across as not willing to put up with dangerous play. This is potentially dangerous if it were to lead to an escalation of retaliation.

South Africa World Cup Venues - Part 1 : Durban

2009-04-09T02:19:00.000-07:00

Of the ten stadiums planned for inclusion in next year's big adventure, this one is the most dramatic. It breaks from the English model (Finally!) and seems like Spain's Calatrava was channeled for the roof suspension design. Very innovative. Innovation is good.

It will be named King's Park.

Bug spray?

2009-04-07T01:36:00.000-07:00

In short, the reason soccer is such a great game is not the World Cup. It is great because it can be picked up immediately, is instantly scalable and, as the photo demonstrates, can be played almost anywhere.

Hide your Foul. Or not.

2009-04-05T01:25:00.000-07:00

Point one: This is tripping AND unsportsmanlike conduct AND good defense if the moment calls for drastic action.

Point two: I can't actually believe the forethought of the defender to be doing all his high jinx just a little outside the penalty area. Well done.

Point three: Prevention of this sort of play is why in most jurisdictions the offending player should be red-carded.

Still and all, maybe it preserved a team win. So, not automatically a bad idea.

Happy Easter

2009-04-04T01:23:00.000-07:00

Of course He is.

Never-Thought-I'd-See-This part 1

2009-04-03T01:29:00.000-07:00

When I stumbled on to this picture I spent some time contemplating the actual creation of such an object. Jesus (in thorns, no less) doing a bicycle kick. I guess it wouldn't do to have him heading the ball. Another thought, does Jesus really need shin guards?

The entire object is a mystery to me. I can't think who would purchase it for themselves. And if it is a gift, for whom?

Don't be fooled

2009-04-01T01:13:00.000-07:00

Sneaky Soccer Goal - watch more funny videos

I especially liked the move the offensive player used once he got the ball.

Yes, they are team mates

2009-03-31T02:21:00.000-07:00

No, they aren't happy with each other. Could a player be carded for fighting with a member of his/her own team?
I don't know.

FIFA 2010 South Africa - Number of Teams by Region

2009-03-29T01:24:00.000-07:00

Home Team............ 1
Africa............... 5
America - At large... 1
Asia................. 5
Central and North Am. 3
Europe...............13
South America........ 4

Total................32

BTW, the official mascot as shown is named Zakumi. Using both a Z and a K (two unlikely letters in most languages) is astounding.

16 to 2, and the Win Goes to Soccer

2009-03-27T01:52:00.000-07:00

The times have changed. This Oklahoma sports complex has 16 soccer fields and just two baseball fields. This is not the 1980's any more.

Where Modern Spanish Religious Fervor Lives, Part 1

2009-03-25T01:16:00.000-07:00

Spain is catholic country, but the stone churches are mostly empty now. Estadio Bernabeu in Northern Madrid is the crown jewel (Barca fans will protest in vain) and is home to Real Madrid. To say that many Spaniards consider their soccer team with greater understanding than they have of God, would still to understate the devotion they have for their local club. Especially if they are currently winners.

This may sound like the US NFL fans who skip church 4 months a year to spend all Sunday at the game, but it is not the same concentration of sports fanaticism as you find in Spain. Yes, Spain is excited about Basketball. Team handball attracts some attention. And that is about it for other sports in Spain (sorry Rafa, you are a niche product). In Spain, you don't have the 30+ other sports as in the US between which to divide their sports passions, so the net effect is to have a huge fan base for a single sport that responds in unison with sports enthusiasm to every kick, foul, and goal.

They wisely made the stadium out of concrete, in case pyro-minded fans tried to have their way.

Hidden Gems. Repurposed buildings. Soccer fun.

2009-03-23T01:46:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of hidden gems around like this. This is a nice look at a Chicago Facility that has programs that start at .... age 18 months! (I didn't even talk until after that age. ummph. Maybe soccer at that age would have sped my vocal development.) Fresno's version is much dingier than this place on the video. This video is a testament to that fact that it can be done. Better.

And so it all begins again

2009-03-21T01:24:00.000-07:00

Today is opening day for the San Jose Earthquakes. We will have either ice cream castles or dungeons of doom (last year). I prefer ice cream.

Sounders Open with Win. Red Bulls give the Defense the night off.

2009-03-20T06:25:00.000-07:00

Anyone playing at the higher levels of soccer, a la the MLS, can score goals. So, the main topic always must be stopping the other side. Seattle won its MLS debut (3-0) because it played defense, and New York did not. The video explains a lot of why the MLS is so criticized in international circles. Seattle's first two goals were abysmal give aways by New York. Players wide open in front of the goal, and a ball - this is unbelievable - going through the legs of Cepero, the Red Bulls' keeper.

Through his legs? Yep. I actually think he must have closed his eyes.

On the other side, Sounders' keeper Kasey Keller has seen thousands of balls, and handled these with relative ease. His work is actually worth the price of admission.

Orange grass and a killer tree at center mid. Must be Africa.

2009-03-19T02:15:00.000-07:00

Soccer on this field would cause players to stop and wonder, "Am I about to run into a large object that might cause brain damage?" I suspect that defense has an even tougher time, since they can't always see the tree. These are dedicated players, at least the ones that don't end up at the local health clinic from tree collision contusions.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T02:40:00.000-07:00

US MNT is listed as 17th in the World ?

2009-03-16T01:50:00.000-07:00

FIFA rankings normally appear to made by drunk monkeys throwing darts at a board with the team names on it, but it is fun and quite heady territory to think that the drunk monkeys may be on to something that could prove quite intereting in the coming 15 months. The Men are winning convincingly and they haven't even really had all their best players on the field all at the same time yet.

Hope is a strange thing when it can spring from sauced primates.

Field dimensions in Feet. Of Course, in feet.

2009-03-15T01:08:00.000-07:00

Nothing earth shattering about the field dimensions, though it is interesting that the goal posts and cross bar aren't to be more than 5 inches wide. This field shows the collegiate tradition of both teams on the same side of the field (to facilitate substitutions) even though all soccer that I have experienced has one team on each side of the field (to prevent dust ups, (between opposing team parents)). Also, these are the dimensions for over 14 year old players. Under that age there is a percentage reduction in all dimensions down to age six, who actually play on a foosball table. ;-)

Three-legged soccer is a reasonable party equalizer

2009-03-13T02:59:00.000-07:00

Having a get together with the team and their significant others usually means, well... no soccer playing due to the skill disparity.

Answer? 3-legged players. Consider David Beckham playing with his right leg tied to Victoria? Victoria would have some skills and David would be massively reduced.

Give it a try. Oh, and shorten the field. A lot. Running is a pain this way.

WPS

2009-03-11T01:10:00.000-07:00

If the league fails as did the previous US top teir women's league, the papers will turn the WPS name into WhooPS.

Starting a league right now is extremely dicey, but the cogs were moving two years ago and I guess they decided that there was no turning back. The owners have money and are of the public sort that must show it off. MLS could have probably expanded more quickly and captured some of the WPS's investors, but the MLS didn't want to go the way of the NASL. There are a couple things that the WPS has going in its favor:
∞ extreme cost controls. Travel is a necessary evil cost, but player salaries are as bad as the MLS, except without the 2-3 huge salaries per MLS team.
∞ small stadiums in which to play will create more energy than the MLS caverns.
∞ women's soccer is a quality product. The action is slower than the men's game, but in the USA where soccer is a hobby for even professionals, the slower speed may allow fans to make more sense of what they are seeing.
∞ minor league sports prove that quality is fine, but a distractionary experience is what people pay to go see. Create distraction if you want to survive, WPS.
∞ superstars from everywhere have decided to come play in the WPS. Quality may not be the only thing, but it is a thing.

And then the negatives. I am sure that the investors and league administration are seeing through rose-colored glasses, but I am also sure that they have enough people around them seeing clearly that they fully know the peril of their endeavor. Still, this is a lot to overcome:
∞ a worse time to go after discretionary dollars has not existed since 19.... I don't recall back far enough. It's just horrible timing, with no let up in the economy for maybe 10 years to come. Housing stinks, the government is broke at multiple levels, and the EPL is taking a growing number of soccer fans more interested in quality soccer than in "American" soccer.
∞ even with all the cost controls, tickets won't be free and attracting a large fee-paying audience won't be easy. The bling and concessions dollars will be way less than even the meager amount the MLS can pull in selling (now relic) Davey Beckham jerseys.
∞ too much soccer. Soccer is everywhere and with modern media, everyone watches everyone so they begin to play all the same styles, making all soccer more of just the same old same old.

Will the WPS make it, I can't say. I hope it flourishes. More soccer is, in the end, better soccer.

Offside

2009-03-09T01:59:00.000-07:00

Every sport has a difficult rule for everyone involved. Holding in football. Strike zone in baseball. Charging in basketball. Offside in soccer. When the assistant referee's flag goes up, the play will soon be going the other direction.

Best Male Player of '08

2009-03-07T01:36:00.000-08:00

Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo. FIFA Best Player of the Year for 2008. Let me guess. He plays in England or Spain. Yep (The former). So this coaches poll has really looked hard at every soccer player in the entire world? Please.

He is brilliant, of course. But this is just not a sensible award. How about put Cristiano on the LA Galaxy last season and let's see just how dominating he appears to be. David B. looked good but not brilliant with them.Soccer is a team sport.

People like individual awards, pet rocks, and winter. I don't.

Between Your Waist and Your Neck

2009-03-05T01:19:00.000-08:00

Gaining control of the ball mid-body is a lost art. I have seen lots of players have the ball bounce way off their chest because it hits them mid-ribcage. Use the lower ribs to direct the ball to your feet, or use the collar bone area to catch the ball and let it drop on to your foot. Growing your hair really long doesn't change your soccer ability. But then again, maybe it does.

Which is scarier, the uniforms or the dancing models?

2009-03-03T01:41:00.000-08:00

No, the 70's weren't all good. This video proves it.

Good for Grass. Evil for Feet.

2009-03-01T01:45:00.000-08:00

This is designed to aerate lawns as the riding mower moves. Fine. Just stay back.

Protest not being Protected

2009-02-27T00:21:00.000-08:00

The next time the side or top of your ankle is crunched on during close action, remember that the pain could have been spread out (so it wouldn't hurt so much at that one spot) by a small protection system called the S1. Too bad the entire body can't be a protection system, then almost nothing would trigger pain in the body like being kicked.

Jumping a fence for a soccer practice? Not around here.

2009-02-25T01:42:00.000-08:00

In the U.S. no one need break in to a soccer practice to get a peek at their favorite players. So few people have a favorite US soccer player that there are paltry few fence jumpers at the national team practices (see pic of a Brazilian National Team practice in '05).
Good or bad? Well, I'm glad people have lives and don't have to climb fences to see people PRACTICE soccer. Still, the energy and excitement of people willing to break the law for the sake of their sport: that kind of enthusiasm is missing in almost all of the soccer experience in the U.S.

In the end, remember that the word fan comes from FANATIC.

Jersey Exchange

2009-02-23T01:23:00.000-08:00

International play has a tradition of players exchanging jerseys as part of the brief post-game rites. I am not sure how they decide who will exchange with which opponent member, but I guess it works for them. Here, Claudio Reyna of US National team does the greet/exchange with a Czech republic team member after a 2006 match.

Soccer is Fun. So is this video. That is the only connection.

2009-02-21T01:32:00.000-08:00

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

Your mother is a terrorist

2009-02-19T01:35:00.000-08:00

Perhaps the most controversial play in modern soccer (Maradona's Hand of God is #2), Zidane responded to an opposing player who called is mother a terrorist by physically attacking him and getting kicked out of the game (which was almost over at the time). The comment was horrible, but comments are not ussually enforced in soccer, since enforcement in multilingual environments is nearly impossible. Physical violence is mostly enforced, though I am surprised that the referee actually saw this occur and therefore felt comfortable in correctly ejecting Zidane.

The comment was wrong. Zidane was wrong. Knowing what will be enforced is part of the game.

Good Things We Weren't Playing Haiti - They really know how it works!

2009-02-17T00:29:00.000-08:00

From the Mexican Desperation File:

Record calls the dolls Mexico's "secret weapon."

U.S.-based electronics retailer RadioShack dropped out as a distribution partner last week after learning details of the campaign. But Record managed to find U.S.-based Blockbuster as a new co-sponsor.

First, the voodoo wasn't successful. Second, how can soccer fans support Blockbuster any longer? It started with late fees, then, no indie movies, now they've gone and been supporting a voodoo hex AGAINST the US! Long live Netflix.

U.S. Soccer Journalists = As Scarce as Water in Deserts

2009-02-15T02:58:00.000-08:00

Steven Goff is one of the few soccer writers left in American print journalism. He knows the game, and is worth reading every time he writes. He writes extensively (not exclusively) about the US National teams.

22nd in the world is correct

2009-02-13T01:54:00.000-08:00

The US beat Mexico Wednesday night to put Mexico in a serious hole to even qualify for South Africa. But the story here is the US. Well, the lack of a great US team is the story. Mexico was playing without 3 normal starters. True, the US didn't have a couple of its super-estrellas either (Adu, Atladore). While the first goal is a thing of beautiful determination, it was also a study in not-going-to-the-ball by the Mexican defense.

I didn't even like the second goal, since the Mexican defense was completely asleep and the keeper appears to let the ball go right through his hands. Not his fingers, but his hands and most of his upper body a well. Unbelievable. Ugly. Not a good sign for either team.

FIFA ranks the US 22nd best in the world right now. Fine. 22nds in the world don't win it all every four years. When is the 300,000,000 strong US of A going to field a top 10 contender for the World cup? Not sure. But this team ain't it.

Rethinking team pictures: part 2 of many

2009-02-11T02:52:00.000-08:00

Faces are what matters in these pictures. Context is great, but doesn't have to take up more than half of the image. Team uniforms are fun to document, but seeing all 22 players' full uniform is not necessary.

Solution? Stack players 4 high on a bleacher and focus on increasing the relative size of the faces and decreasing background and uniform space.

La Mano de Dios

2009-02-09T00:44:00.000-08:00

In eleven short seconds, you can see the second most controversial goal in modern soccer history. Notice after the goal that the English players all can't believe a hand ball wasn't called. Remeber that Maradona himself termed the play the "hand of God", so how do you think HE believes the ball got into the back of the net?

Should today's players be instructed in how to cheat effectively? Don't they already do it?

Elephant soccer

2009-02-07T13:52:00.000-08:00

Not sure about this one. It is offically soccer, but since there are riders it bleeds into the Polo area a little. Still, clearly the elephants are the ones doing the ball contacting.

Final question:
Why would elephants do this? Maybe soccer is a greater force than even I had previously believed.

Soccer from Agressive to Zidane

2009-02-07T02:38:00.000-08:00

Inspired by K is for Kick, here is my complete soccer alphabet.
A - Aggressiveness. Talent is fine, but being aggressive is a whole lot more heroic.
B - Ball. Match the ball surface to the playing field and conditions. Indoor? Grass? Turf? All different.
C - Corner Kicks. Get them right and the opposing team is always afraid.
D - Defense. Play this correctly, or plan to lose 9-1 consistently.
E - Effort. Ball skill is great, but controlled, energetic defense is hard to overcome.
F - Fouls. If you don't have at least 10 per game as a team, you haven't pushed the envelope enough. If you have 20, you tore the envelope into shreds, so don't.
G - Goalkeeper. Actually the most rational person on the team. Knows pain is coming. Knows it is just pain and the greater good is no opposing goals. To fill this position, think "who on this team is most like George Washington?"
H - Heading. Keep the neck firm. Use protection like FULL 90.
I - Instep drive. Plant leg bent, body shifted over the plant foot, kicking foot extended to reveal top of foot the ball (not the toe!). Perfect combination of power and control.
J - Journey. No small part of soccer is traveling with people you enjoy being with. If you must pass gas while on the bus, call your shots.
K - Kicking. Use every part of both feet. Can you dance on just your right leg? It didn't think so.
L - Long ball. Placing the ball more than one teammate ahead of you. Don't do it, unless you haven't for a while, in which case, it is mandatory to keep the defense honest.
M - Meals. Pregame meals should be protein and fat. Think: hamburger without the bun (no ketchup either).
N - Noise. Soccer fans in the U.S. tend toward silence, which defeats the purpose for which they originally built the fan seating area.
O - Offense. Begins with the goalkeeper. Mainly done at the midfield level. Pelé (how played midfield) scored 1,281 goals. Yes, 1,281, not counting sandlot games.
P - Passing. Start by sending the ball back. If your team can pass the ball for 1 minute during a game without the other team touching the ball, you are about to score a goal, my friends.
Q - Quiet. The sound you hear when the ball leaves your foot and you can see a goal is about to take place.
R - Referee. Two people can talk to this person, the captain and the coach. The striped uniform is so they can see each other since most of them are almost blind.
S - Striker. The only position that can't be coached. Must believe that the world is not right, and it is their job to make it right, by scoring.
T - Tricks. Ball movement that the other team doesn't expect. Learn 25 different ones, at least. Placing ball under one's shirt and running down the field is no longer allowed. Too bad, too.
U - Under Armor. All the rage. Has its place in cold weather, but the color choice (always white or matching the team colors) is still officially undecided.
V - Victory. Soccer is a zero-sum game. Either I win or you do. Usually no ties in games that count.
W - Winning. Elusive. Very important motivator. Too important.
X - Xenophobia. "Fear of everyone else" has no place in soccer. Play. Soccer is a game, not a religion.
Y - Yelling. Only the coach gets to direct this toward the referee.
Z - Zidane. French soccer superstar that stained the game of soccer for ever by violence to an opposing player while 1 billion people watched. Watch, and do the opposite.

Anyone have their own soccer alphabet?

K is for Kick

2009-02-05T01:33:00.000-08:00

K is for Kick is a soccer book that introduces early primary (grades 1-3) students to soccer. The art is appealing, and what soccer fan wouldn't want Junior to know that FIFA is pronounced "fee-fuh"?

Losing

2009-02-03T23:08:00.000-08:00

Every team faces losing. A loss is never fun, but most teams have some players that REALLY get upset with a loss, or worse yet a losing record. Stay clear of anyone that is overly negative or depressed after a loss. If something small that you do to try to encourage your teammate actually helps, great. But if it doesn't steer clear. Life is too short. At the next game, just play your game when called on to do so.

Reduce, Reuse, STOP. That's it! Reuse!

2009-02-01T01:39:00.000-08:00

I can't think of one actual female in any actual social setting that might turn to this purse and say "Oh, yea, that is the purse I need to use right now."

Still, I am not a purse user, so I may be leaving out someone that would love to have such a unique item. It does have its own style and charm. And we know how much it can hold!

Soccer surfing

2009-01-31T02:27:00.000-08:00

Pepsi - Soccer Surfers - Awesome video clips here
Ridiculous and beautiful all at the same time.

FIFA HQ

2009-01-29T01:45:00.000-08:00

Yes, Virginia, there is a beautiful soccer field at FIFA headquarters. Considering the money that FIFA has at its disposal, it could have gold leaf turf. Still, the campus is visually appealing.

"Get between the offense and the goal". Now. Always.

2009-01-27T01:13:00.000-08:00

I think that one of the things that I liked about playing defense in the game of soccer is that it has some absolutes, some eternal truths. The last goal shows some horrid Swedish defense. The point of being a defender is to be able to get between the offense and the goal. Notice that the defender on the final shot is only BESIDE the US player: not good enough in hand grenades or international-level soccer defense.

Landon.

2009-01-25T01:58:00.000-08:00

I got to see Landon play live only once when he was a youngster with the original version of the San Jose Earthquakes (at the time called the Clash). He is just good.

This goal with his current team Bayern (Munich) is very nice, though the goalkeeper violates a cardinal rule by letting in a goal on the near post.

Tiny, Tiny Foosball

2009-01-23T01:46:00.000-08:00

Foosball has almost nothing to do with actual Soccer, but it still appeals to many soccer players that I have known. The drawback to owning a table is that it means dedicating an entire room to house the thing. Well, now Foosball will fit in an airplane seat back tray.

The ball must be the size a .... well, really small.

Online Foosball

2009-01-21T01:22:00.000-08:00

Select your favorite Premier League team and use your cursor to play foosball against THE MAN.

Absurd Goals, or Pressing Offense and Bad Defense? All 3.

2009-01-19T01:00:00.000-08:00

My favorite is number four (the second on the video) when the ball bounces from one post the other post before going in. Mathematically I know that it is as likely as any other angle of deflection, but I have a lot of soccer experience and have never seen (nor heard of) such a result. Each of the five goals is enjoyable.

On defense, we see goalkeeping errors, and panicked clears that don't clear. Solution? Well, to start with, don't panic. Moving very quickly and moving at a panic pace look equally fast, but panic is a player's mind out of control. Fear is for non-soccer activities.

Direct Corner Kicks = Olympic Goals

2009-01-15T01:40:00.000-08:00

Olympic goals are corner kicks that score without being touched. Normally they are defensible. In the video, of the 10 olympic goals, only the one by Baggio, the great Italian scoring machine, could have been stopped. On several, the defense did not have a person on the near post. Just this kind of play is why a person should be there. On 6 of the goals, the keeper was too far forward by about a step in his initial placement. On Baggio's, just bow down, since it amazingly goes over the head of the man guarding the front post.

Rainbow? What's a rainbow?

2009-01-11T02:18:00.000-08:00

"Rainbow" describes the path of the ball.
The video has a replay section and audio is slowed up as well. Enjoy.

Be creative with team pictures.

2009-01-09T06:39:00.000-08:00

Team pictures with every member lined up in rows are fine, but have gotten very robotic. Team pictures like this one on the left are better. They take a ton more effort, but are much more meaningful for all involved.

You may have to be the one to suggest a fun way to remember this year's team on film. The worst coaches can say is "No, we are a boring team so line up, please."

Our Future

2009-01-02T17:09:00.001-08:00

80's Babies image for The Offside Rules
Originally uploaded by mushroom8080

Jozy Altadore (left) plays for the only Spanish team to beat the mighty Bacelona this whole season. Freddie Adu has been brilliant for a long time now. Play on, Gentlemen. Just save some of this moves for when you defend the U.S. in 2010.

Through in the rest of the new generation and our always stellar goalie corp and I do believe that the rest of the world will not be able to abuse us on the Soccer field for a long time to come.

Offside. The Movie. The first time Offside is good thing.

2009-01-02T03:26:00.000-08:00

I saw the movie Offside recntly. It is a recreation of when Iran played Bahrain in the 2006 World Cup qualifier and the main theme is that women are not allowed into the stadium (at least no Iranian women). A few young women attempt to disguise themselves and get in. The ones that are caught and detained are placed in a very lax holding area where most of the film takes place.

The indefensible nature of the no-women policy is approached from various angles. I enjoyed it because I don't really know much about Iran even though I hear about it nearly every day. With a Soccer subtext, it is a good combination.

It is a fictionalization of what probably happened to some women during that 2006 qualifier. 92 minutes. Worth more than 92 minutes.

With apologies to Robert Fulghum

2009-01-01T06:14:00.000-08:00

Everything I learned I learned from Soccer:

1. Friends playing together is a beautiful thing. When you understand what other want, it is easier to get what you want. Does your teammate probably want to pass, dribble, shoot, or just make a run? If I know what he/she wants I can more easily enable his or her success with that option. This makes him/her more effective and, that's when I get what I want.

2. Don't hit.

3. Run. Fast. And always give space to others.

4. The Hall monitor/referee is always right. It is just a game. It doesn't matter, but how you act does.

5. Share. I mean pass.

6. It is O.K. if the spotlight finds you, but don't go looking for it.

Paul Bunyan needs ..... too

2008-12-28T02:23:00.000-08:00

But what to call them. There doesn't seem to be complete agreement in the soccer "community" what the only real equipment should be called.
Boots? Cleats? Shoes? Yes, all these words are used for soccer footwear*. I myself call them cleats, but I am ancient, and I hear the under 30 crowd using the generic word "shoes" more these days. Perhaps the growing prevalence of indoor/non-cleated soccer footwear has changed this a little. Who knows. It's all good. Just play. I ask that word snobbery be left to some other activity and look down NOT on your fellow soccer player for a slight change in vocabulary. Soccer players are too few to alienate even one over such a triviality.

*(I think "boots" is mainly across the pond.)

Merry Soccer Christmas

2008-12-25T02:04:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all.

On Concentration

2008-12-22T03:25:00.000-08:00

Eyes on the ball. No other thoughts. You and the ball.
K - eep
I - t
S - imple
S - occer player

Coach, let them practice that which they will remember doing when they are 92 years old. The drill can wait.

Snow Soccer 3

2008-12-21T01:19:00.000-08:00

Required: Cleats, orange ball, high interest in being really cold. The red team is actually wearing shorts.

Every step my foot takes is a gift

2008-12-20T02:34:00.000-08:00

Sierra Leone has a large enough number of amputees from the recent insanity (war) that they held a tournament for all those with soccer skills but without the legs God originally gave them.

Amazing. Inspiring. Angering. Human.

Full report after the jump. Incredibly, the players seem basically to just be nervous about their soccer games, not staring 24/7 at where their missing foot used to be.

Update: I think this picture is an example of why people keep investing in the future, like investing in the stock market in hopes that other people's effort will yield positive results some day. If these guys are so optimistic as to be playing games and expending great energy to do so better than than the other guys, than how much more possible might it be that some guy at Google or Dow is working with equal effort on some big money project that is about to become very profitable for their company. Humanity has its moments of greatness.

And Now a Word About Words and .... fans and .... money

2008-12-18T03:08:00.000-08:00

Things can go wrong on the field at times. Disagreements with the men in Black can occur. What to do? Point #1 - try to act as if the crowd doesn't exist. The modern game has created an environment in which the crowd is a part of the group-think.
Choice #1-
Let's say that the players complaining in this picture are correct and that the referee has erred. Players think, if I don't complain (even though I know it will only hurt our team in the end) the crowd will surmise that I think that the referee is correct. Sending the captain to politely lodge the complaint at half-time as is officially called for just won't do. Players can harness fan support to increase their salary next year, so players complain much more than they should.

Choice #2-
Let say that the players complaining in the picture know for sure that they have a groundless claim with the referee. Well, again, it may matter little, since fans only see the play from a distance and don't know everything that the people on the field do. So, the fans are used to garner support on the field so that.... come salary negotiations time, the team management has to admit that player such-and-such does in fact have a big drawing power. "Remember all that yelling and cheering when the ref screwed him?" So, the players will logically complain much more than they should, even when completely in the wrong.

And people say money doesn't change people.

Knee socks? Orange? Go team!

2008-12-17T09:19:00.000-08:00

I thought this post was going to be a big instruction on how to keep the ball in the air in very wet soils (Readers know that almost always the ball should be on the ground. Period.).

Then I got delayed and realized that I was observing the second coolest soccer socks ever (stripes are #1 but usually not allowed except in pro leagues). Socks that go above the knee? In cool weather, this actually has functional value and when you stroll on the field in these socks it tells the other team that "we are way deep into this soccer stuff since we know you haven't even heard of socks like this, so just don't even try today, it's pointless".

Snow Soccer II

2008-12-16T01:24:00.000-08:00

If I ever have to go to prison, let it be in Austria

2008-12-15T06:34:00.000-08:00

You are looking at the gymnasium of a prison in Austria. Oh, this is hard time, indeed. More pictures after the jump, only one of which even has a hint at bars.

They deserve the best. What do you think they are, criminals?

Link

Error #1 + Error #2 ... GOOOOOOOOL

2008-12-14T01:57:00.000-08:00

The midfielder lets the ball be dribbled forward IN THE MIDDLE of the field and then the defense lets strikers free to shoot at close range.

Solutions: Push players with the ball toward the outside.

Kick back

2008-12-13T01:57:00.000-08:00

I need a home theatre where I have 11 (of course) of these in four rows arranged 1-4-4-2.
Invite my buddies, throw on some live feed from La Liga or Serie A in HD (oh, if only) and cell phones turned off.

Yeah, baby!

Sofa or Love Seat?

2008-12-12T03:53:00.000-08:00

Furniture made from Soccer balls. Not likely in my house, unless.... no, she is a really great wife.

Link