A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to a Perfect Record

#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

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.

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

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.

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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

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

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.

Russia vs. Turkey, like you've never seen

The World Cup final is great, and all. But as readers here have noticed, I think that soccer is truly just a game. The score doesn't matter. The players matter. The subtle successes or moments of revelation of a universal truth matter. Soccer is just the classroom in which those truths become evident.

What truths? How about the answer to "Am I a mean person?", or "What is my life worth?" or "Why does it feel so wonderful to put that stupid piece of leather exactly where I wanted it to go?".

Finally, the fans here prove that it is possible to get caught up in the game and just have fun with it at any age, speed or level.

college soccer done right

Central California's coastal city of San Luis Obispo on the campus of Cal Poly (Mustangs) has this gem of a field for the Football and Soccer programs. Granted, it isn't a soccer specific field, so you have the football markings, but this has never bothered me all that much personally. To have a packed house sitting directly on the field edge, with sky boxes for the gentry - no wonder they attract fans. If you build it.... they will in fact, come.

This Defense Wins the Moment

UEFA Champions League - Werder vs. Olympiacos
Originally uploaded by nicholas_m.v.h.

UEFA Champions League - Werder vs. Olympiacos (2007)

The photo is an example of poor offense in the face of good defense. The offense (red) has a few options, all unlikely to succeed because they have gone too far forward into heavily controlled areas of green defense.

When you find yourself in this situation, the most important thing is to find a teammate to pass back to. Start over, regroup, rearrange yourself on the field, and then attack anew. Suicide is to plow ahead.

Defenders reading this can note that this is what defense is supposed to look like.

the loneliness of the goalkeeper

the loneliness of the goalkeeper
Originally uploaded by riazorenho

Yes. Keepers can be lonely. If they are, the rest of the team is doing its job.

Lots of people have the physical ability to play goalkeeper. Few have the mind for it.

However, here is the response to every goal that is scored:
Do: Get the ball out of the net calmly (instruct you teammates to leave it there. It is YOUR goal to tend, not their goal*). This is not a rush job. Walk the ball far enough so that you can comfortably roll the ball (with your hands) to midfield. Now quickly move back to your goal.

Don't ever: say anything the slightest bit negative to any teammate. Every goal could have been stopped by you, remember? It may be clear that a defender messed up. Never say anything negative. Not even once. You are in charge of that goal. No one else. You want your team to believe that YOU believe this. It will give them comfort to know that the most important person on the team is not threatened by scores, and they will go out and get goals more quickly for you.

*If the other team removes the ball in any way after they score on you immediately and calmly approach the head ref and clarify that you consider that unsportsmanlike conduct. Don't ask for a call, just clarify with the referee that you know how to be a classy player, and that you don't appreciate unclassy play by anyone. Referees respect this spirit.

Set shots done right=Tears for the defense

Several players (midfield and offense) should spend every practice on free kicks outside of the box. Aim for accuracy in the corners. If your team has $$$, there are fake mannequin walls you can place ten yards away and practice hitting over and around the wall.

Use every side of the foot for different spins.

Never allow the ball to go over. Never. Did I say NEVER? Yes, never. When watching professionals, you may see a few balls go wide, that is fine. But if you see one go over the crossbar, assume that his/her upset face is mainly because of the pain his/her coach is going to inflict on him/her at the next practice.

Hey, MIDFIELDERS!! MARK UP! opps, too late

There are three division in NCAA. This is the 2006 men's soccer final for div. III.

The first goal on the video: The Wheaton midfield (White uniform) doesn't press immediately, and the Messiah player(Black uniform) has that extra second to precisely size up the pass forward - GOAL!!

Burn. It. Down.

Soccer is just 22 players on a smooth grass field, two goals, some lines, a few do's and don'ts and a 32 panel ball.

So why does this video show that several generations of emotion, history, religious strife, and civil war could be put into the past a little more by a soccer match? Should life be like that? No. But life isn't like a textbook, unless you are reading abnormal psychology.

This video documents Northern Ireland's ("Norn Iron") 2006 World Cup qualifier against England, on Northern Ireland's home field. It takes just 7 seconds for N. Ireland to commit their first foul. The video is a montage, but from other sources I have established that David Healy (#9) scored in minute 73, and that N. Ireland won the match 1-0.

Did any one think N. Ireland was going to win the 2006 World Cup? No. But this small victory was all they could have dreamed of, and they got it. Imagine believing that if your house were just payed off, many other problems would disappear, and then waking up and finding a check for that exact amount shoved under your front door during the night. Would $100,000,000 in lottery winning have been even better? Of course. No matter. That was out of the picture. Undreamable. Truly impossible. So in the context of this N. Irish soccer world, this was like winning the lottery.

Should the crowd be so excited that they set flags on fire which could have led to a big disaster?
No. But this is soccer. This is abnormal psychology. This is life. The fans went home (along with millions others watching on tv) and had ... pleasant thoughts as they fell asleep. Maybe for some, there was actually an easing of long-held frustrations over Britain's dealing with N. Ireland.

Worse things could have happened that night in September in 2005 than having ... pleasant thoughts as you fall asleep.

PS - Yeah, he looked offside to me. Life, soccer: neither is fair all the time. This night was N. Ireland's. And remember that EVERY team has its night.