Happy Independence Day
By Soccer Specialist | July 3, 2008
It is the 4th of July tomorrow and I am going to go out today and buy me a USA Soccer Association T-Shirt to wear tomorrow. I love following our national team, and I am sure that if you live outside of the US you love to support your national team as well. I can’t think of a more patriotic thing to wear than a soccer shirt that supports my national team!
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Don’t Bug Me… I’m Playing Soccer
By Soccer Specialist | July 3, 2008
I apologize for not posting for awhile, like most of you I have been out playing soccer as much as possible. It is great to get out in the summer and kick the ball around with friends. I play any evening I can and try to play most Saturdays as well. I have been trying to start pick up games on Saturday mornings and it has not worked out very well. I have received feedback from at least 15 people that want to play, but when it comes time to play they are nowhere to be found. We did this 2 summers ago and had excellent turnout every Saturday for the entire summer. It was a blast, but the last 2 years I have not been able to get people to show up. If any of you have had success putting together pick up games, let me know how you do it. I could really use the help! If anyone in the Salt Lake Valley wants to play leave me comment and let me know that you are interested and I will let you know when and where we will be playing.
Enjoy the summer while you can, and play as much as possible!
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USA Soccer
By Soccer Specialist | May 29, 2008
The men’s soccer team recently lost to England in the famous Wembley Stadium. I am a die hard US Soccer fan and it is frustrating to see them struggle in big atmospheres. They struggled in the last World Cup and it seemed as if they were shocked to be there the whole time. It seemed that way against England and they lost 2-0. What do they need to do to get back on track and focus for big games? Landon Donovan sat out this game with a sore groin and that could have caused them to struggle up front, but a national team should not rely on one player alone. What do you guy’s think the US Soccer team needs to do to step it up and compete in big games?
The only US game I have been to was a qualifier for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. They came to Utah and played Costa Rica. The US team dominated the game and Landon Donovan had 2 goals en route to an easy victory for the US. It was very exciting to cheer for my country in a match and I look forward to the time I have the opportunity to cheer them on again in person. It doesn’t matter what country you are from it is always exciting to cheer your team on in an athletic event! I recommend you go if you have not had the chance before. It was the greatest sporting event I have ever been to and hopefully someday I will be able to go cheer them on in the World Cup!
I would love to hear your responses on what the US team needs to do to compete in big games. I would also love to hear any stories you may have about cheering on your national team and what it feels like to watch them play in person.
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David Beckham
By Soccer Specialist | May 15, 2008
I apologize for all of the posts recently about David Beckham. I live in Salt Lake City and recently Beckham and the Galaxy visited to take on Real Salt Lake. I am not a Real Salt Lake fan because they have not been very good since they started and have done nothing to get me excited to go watch them play. I have always liked the LA Galaxy because of Cobi Jones. He was my favorite US player growing up and I love the way he played! It was amazing watching this game and it reaffirmed my belief that Beckham will have a positive impact in the MLS.
In the first couple minutes Real came out strong and scored 2 goals to take an early lead. I thought Real was going to dominate the Galaxy and pick up an easy victory - then David Beckham took control of the game. He hit a shot from his outside position that was one of the greatest goals I have ever seen in person. I only say one of the greatest goals because a couple minutes later he scored off one of his famous free kicks. His free kick goal was probably the greatest goal I have seen in person with his outside shot coming in a close second. I have seen him bend a lot of free kicks on TV, but there is something about witnessing it in person. It is incredible what he makes the ball do and I feel bad for any goalie that has to try and stop it. Both of his goals caused the Real Salt Lake fans to cheer due to the fact they had witnessed some remarkable goals. The game ended in a 2-2 tie, and it was great to finally witness Beckham play in person. He may be losing a step and he is not as fast as he once was, but he makes up for it with his intelligence.
It was agreat experience and I am glad we went as it was Beckham’s best game since he has been in the MLS. It was his first game in the MLS that he scored 2 goals. If you have the opportunity to go watch David Beckham play this year I would recommend it. He is a great player and it would be very beneficial for younger players to watch him and study how he moves with and without the ball.
I know for my wife the best part was at the end when he took off his shirt and gave it to a lady sitting on the front row. The stadium was pretty loud when he scored the goals, but it didn’t compare to when he took off his shirt. All of the ladies at the game started screaming and cheering for him. It was pretty funny to watch the ladies stick around after the game taking pictures of him.
Here is a video of Beckham’s first goal:
Here is the video of his second goal:
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I Can’t Believe I Missed My Penalty Shot!
By Soccer Specialist | April 29, 2008
I had an Indoor game last night and we were playing the top ranked team in our league. It was the last game of the season and they were undefeated leading up to our game. They were a lot younger than our team and all around they had better players. We played very hard and led most of the game, which shocked them a little bit. We could tell they were getting very frustrated and we continued to attack. It was a close game and we were up 3-2 with 2 minutes to play.
In our league when a team commits 6 fouls the other team gets a penalty shot, the shooting player can dribble and try and beat the goalie one-on-one. All of the other players have to be behind half field, but once the ball is touched they can rush down the field. So with 2 minutes to go, they commit their 6th foul. I was selected to take the kick by my teammates, I usually take them when I am in because I had not missed up until last night’s game.
I have the same routine every time, I touch the ball to the right to get the goalie leaning that way and then I rip a shot to the left. The goalie is always off balance and the left side of the goal is open. Last night I set the ball, the ref blew the whistle, I touched the ball to the right, the goalie did exactly what I wanted him to, I ripped my shot and watched it bounce off the wall right next to the goal. I tried to recover and get the ball back, but their team had recovered and stopped any attack we had. To make matters worse it proved to be a turning point in the game as the momentum turned in their favor. They scored 2 quick goals to go up 4-3 and we lost the game by a point. I could not apologize to my team enough after the game, and I am still frustrated about my shot.
It was one of those moments where I wish I could try the shot again. I have hit a ton of those penalty shots, and I don’t know how I was so far off. I will use it as a learning experience and make the rest of them from now on.
What do you do to prepare for your penalty shots? I feel it is important to have consistency and do the same thing every time, I would be interested to hear the different things people do to prepare for a penalty shot. Leave a comment and share what works for you and how we can all improve on penalty shots.
Here is a video that will teach the proper technique to shooting the ball.
Topics: Soccer Stories, Soccer Tips, Soccer Training | 1 Comment »
David Beckham Will Have a Positive Impact on the MLS!
By Soccer Specialist | April 10, 2008
David Beckham is doing well with the L.A Galaxy this year and he will be visiting a city near you some time this season. He was named the MLS player of the week for his efforts in the second week of the season. He scored once and assisted another goal to lead the Galaxy to a 2-0 victory over San Jose. He is usually the one assisting the ball so it was great to see him finish one himself. His assist was to Landon Donovan and it secured the victory for the Galaxy. If these 2 players get it together this season they will definitely be in the mix at the end of the season. That is a deadly combination in the MLS with Beckham assisting to Donovan. Get your Beckham jersey today so you can be ready when he comes to play in your city. I am from Salt Lake and I would consider myself a Real Salt Lake fan, but I will be getting my Beckham jersey today. This is the greatest thing that has happened to soccer in America and I want to be apart of it. Critics will say that he will not affect soccer in America, but just the fact that they are discussing it proves he will have an impact. He is a celebrity and everyone wants to discuss celebrities. I am excited about what he has already done for the MLS, there is more excitement for this season than any other season the MLS has experienced.
Click on the jersey below to get your Beckham jersey today!
Click here to get your David Beckham jersey and be apart of MLS history!
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What Motivates You as a Soccer Player?
By Soccer Specialist | March 29, 2008
I finally had a game after 2 weeks off, and of course I came down with the flu 2 days before the game. I was not feeling well at all yesterday, but I still wanted to see if I could play despite not feeling well. I got ready for my game and headed out the door. When I got there I could see we had enough guys there so they didn’t really need me, but I wanted to play anyway. I played one of the best games I have this season. I had a couple of assists and several stops on defense. Our team won, it was a great game and I was very glad I went.
Our team has struggled this year and this was the first game we really played well together and got the win. Granted it was only our third game of the season, but we usually do really well all season so the first 2 games were really frustrating. It felt good to win, but it felt better to watch good ball movement and communication amongst our team. It made me wonder; What motivates soccer players to play better? We have the same guys every game, but it seems one week they don’t care to do things the right way, then the next week they are motivated to play better. I don’t understand the mentality of players that quit once they are down. I will play as hard as I can when I am on the field the whole game no matter what the score is. I don’t need external motivation, I just love to play the game and don’t want to miss a chance to play. I have noticed some guys on my team do better when certain girls are in the stands watching, some players do better when they are mad, some players do better when a coach or teammate calls them out.
What is it that motivates you as a soccer player. I think every player is different so I would be interested to hear what motivates you. Leave a comment and let us know what you do to get motivated to play your best in a game.
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Playing as a Child - Soccer Stories
By Soccer Specialist | March 25, 2008
I started playing soccer when I was 4 years old. I was one of the youngest guys on the team and I had no idea what I was doing. My brother’s played as well so I had seen a lot of soccer, but it was a lot different playing myself. I was told to play defense and so I went back and stood on the line for the goalie box and didn’t move. I would move laterally across the line, but never in front or behind it. For some reason I thought that playing defense meant I could only stay on that line and not go anywhere else on the field. I have come a long way since than and I have learned a lot about playing defense.
We all know that we don’t have to stay on the goalie box line when we are playing defense, but what are the limitations of a defender? How far can he go up before he is going to be in trouble on a counter attack? I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer to this. The best defenders I have watched usually act on their instincts. In indoor soccer I have seen defenders lead the league in scoring because they know when to go up and shoot and when to stay back and defend. A general rule of thumb is to make sure one person, usually the sweeper, is watching to make sure everyone will be covered in the event of the opposing team’s attack. A great sweeper will communicate a lot on the field and direct the defense with the goalies help.
A great team communicates well and moves together well. It takes unselfishness from everyone to be able to move together. When a defender makes a run from the back it is someone elses responsibility to move back and cover for him. This is what seperates good players from great players. Good players will continue to move up and go for the goal even if a defender is making a run. A great player will look out for the whole team and cover the defender while he makes the run. Having a defender move up from the back to attack the goal can be a great strategy and can pay off well if everyone moves together. Also, that is a lot of ground that the defender will cover. The defender will be tired and that is another reason why it is important to help out.
Great teams are willing to share the glory with each other. I have seen good players struggle on a team because they wanted the glory for themselves and did not even look how they could help their teammates. Keep your head up and plan your next move. Don’t always look straightforward, look back and see what you can do to help your team. Not only will your team improve, your coach and teammates will love playing with you because of this simple idea.
Please share your comments so we can all improve our game!
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I Haven’t had a Game in Over a Week
By Soccer Specialist | March 21, 2008
It has been over a week since I played my last game and I can’t wait to get out there and play again! I have to wait until next Friday before my next game and it is torture. Good thing the weather is nice outside and I can go out and play. I hope you are all having a great spring season and that your teams are doing well. I hope I can make it until next Friday night before I go crazy due to a lack of soccer!
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Roberto Baggio - My All Time Favorite Soccer Player
By Soccer Specialist | March 12, 2008
Roberto Baggio is my all time favorite soccer player due to his field management and his ability to score. He had some incredible soccer skills and played his hardest every time he stepped on the field. I play the same positions as Roberto Baggio and I learned a lot of the things I do from watching him through the years. He controlled the midfield better than almost anyone that has played the game and when his team needed it he was able to step up and score.
I know many people will point to his miss on the penalty kick in the 1994 World Cup final against Brazil and say he wasn’t a good player. One play can sometimes define a player, and his miss in the World Cup probably defined his career. It is unfortunate that one miss can overshadow a career of brilliant moves and fantastic finishes. He will always be my all time favorite player and a big reason is because of that miss in the World Cup. If you remember correctly he probably should not have been playing at that point in the game. He had severe cramps and the only reason they left him in was to take the penalty shot. He was a tremendous competitor and I appreciate the respect he had for the game. Enjoy this video of Roberto Baggio and remember him for the great plays he provided!
Here is a soccer tip for you today in honor of Roberto Baggio:
Always remember to lean over the ball when you are taking a penalty kick, or any other shot on goal!
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