Posts Tagged ‘Soccer Players’

Students try out in college sports recruiting for a spot in college soccer teams. Soccer is a sport played between two teams consisting of eleven players, and is thought by many to be the most popular sport in the world. It is played on a rectangular field of grass or turf, with a goal set up at the opposite ends. The object of the game is to bring the ball into the opposing goal. Generally, the goalkeepers are the only players allowed to use their hands or arms to catch the ball, while the rest of the team usually make use their feet to kick the ball in play, or else use their torso or head to propel a ball in midair. The team that manages to score the most goals by the end of the allotted time wins. Depending on the format of the game, if the score is tied at the end of the game, a draw is acknowledged, or else the game proceeds into overtime and/or a penalty shootout.

Soccer kicking techniques vary widely. From basic shooting and passing skills to advanced techniques (such as bending the ball around a wall, for instance), soccer players have a number of kicking styles to choose from and utilize.

The player’s instep, which is the part of the foot where the laces are, provides both power and control to a kick. One of the most common mistakes made by novice players is to use the toe. This not only painful, but makes for terribly inaccurate shots as well. The instep presents a flat surface to the ball, allowing more control. It can also be used to make the ball swerve and dip.

The non-kicking foot in turn provides support, and should be bent when a kick is made. When keeping the ball on the ground, a player’s head should be kept down, over the ball. The kick itself be long and smooth, and should be made slightly from the side whenever possible.

This basic soccer kicking technique is remarkably simple, and therefore is often overlooked. Real skill is found in making accurate kicks while under pressure in a tight game, and it is far more important than to being able to perform fancy tricks with the ball.

Soccer is now a sport with countless fans across the world; and many among these are high school students.  It is usually the case that only the indisputably best players will be approached with offers to play in college soccer teams without having to make any effort.  Most soccer players will have to promote their skills and abilities themselves in the process of college sports recruiting. Fortunately, the Internet has proved to be a useful venue for both athletes and coaches looking for promising players to play in their college soccer teams. D1Athletes is an online community wherein athletes and coaches alike can share and exchange information they need regarding college sports recruiting.  D1Athletes offers them a place to build an online presence and gain important public exposure.

Ever get overwhelmed by all soccer positions. What do actually midfielder, forward or sweeper means? Well you are not alone, believe me. The positions of soccer players are often misunderstand, especially if you are pretty new to soccer.

When I started to play soccer it took me one year to learn what every position actually means and how to play on it. So what soccer positions are there actually In this article we will take look at the most common positions in soccer. Lets start…

The Sweeper

The position of sweeper requires good understanding for the game of soccer. As a sweeper you will be responsible for controlling your defense. You need also to pose good heading abilities.

Center Fullback

Your task as the center fullback is to stop your opponent forwards from scoring. To accomplish this you will need to be fast and pose good heading abilities. You need also to start offensive attacks by playing the ball safely to your midfielder.

Left or Right Fullback

As a right or left fullback you will need to be fast, react quickly and pose good technique abilities.

Left or Right Midfielder

Good passing and fast running abilities are crucial if you want to perform well on this position. As the left/right midfielder you will have more time and room comparing to the center midfielder. This gives you more time to receive the ball and figure out what to do with it without having an opponent chasing you all time.

Defensive Midfielder

Your main task is to act in front of your defenders. Having good passing abilities is a requirement on this position. You should always try to play safe and to provide your defending line with support.

Central midfielder

As a central midfielder you will need to have good ball skills. Beside that you need to support your defensive midfielder during the attacks of your opponent’s.

Forward and Striker

The forward and striker are two similar positions where scoring is only thing that counts. Your job as forward or striker is to score goals and you must try to do it on every chance you get in front of your opponents goal.

The Soccer Goalkeeper

Your main mission as soccer goalkeeper is to prevent your opponents from scoring. Beside that you will also need to encourage your teammates.

I have seen on many occasions a team of gifted young soccer players go through a season undefeated, only to get to the grand final and lose their only game of the season. My son played in a team that only lost two games last season. They were the final, and the grand final. I have coached teams on many occasions that defeated the undefeated team in the grand final. Maybe you are the coach of a team that is currently undefeated and entering the finals. Or maybe you are the coach of a team that is the underdog going into the finals. How do you prepare young soccer players to play in the finals?

I hear it said on many occasions that a final is just another game. I do not subscribe to this theory. While the game is played on the same field, with the same ball, and the same number of players, junior soccer players attach a greater importance to finals. And so do senior players for that matter. I think that telling players that it is just another game is just a defensive mechanism so that they do not feel so bad if they lose. I coach players to approach a final with an attitude that this is the game of the year when they should give their absolutely best effort. It is at this time of the year that they should really aim up and show how good they really are. Encourage them to be their best and be 100 percent committed is the best way to approach a final. And, then if they lose you can comfort them with the fact that they did their best.

Finals matches are usually more intense than regular season games. There is usually less time and less space for players to work in. In the weeks leading into the finals your soccer drills should be concentrating on the first touch, short passes, passing and moving, and controlling the ball under pressure. This will help your players cope with the extra pressure placed on them in a final. Keeping possession of the ball should always be one of the major aims, so teaching your players to use their body to protect possession is also another key skill to be focussing on leading into the finals.

Are you the underdog? Are you playing against a team that you have not beaten all year? All teams have key players, and all teams have weaknesses. When I coach a team against a stronger club, I try to identify the key players on the opposition team. If you have played them in the regular season you will already know this. Shut them down. Man mark them. Play them out of the game. This may involve reorganising the structure of your team, so I like to practice this structure in a few regular season games so that the players are familiar with it. I also use defensive training drills like tagging, and drills to close space on attackers to help with this. If you can upset the game of the key players on the opposition you will go a long way to beating them.

Attack. The aim of a finals game is to win. Draws do not count in finals. So you must score goals. Team formation is a critical element in the playing style of your team. Are you playing 4 4 2, 4 3 3, or 3 4 3. I do not like to vary too much the formation that I have used during the regular season. But one of the main aims in a finals match must be to score goals.

Preparing your team to play in the finals should start at training a few weeks before the finals start. Soccer drills should encourage ball control, short passing, and speed of movement. Defensive drills should encourage tagging, and closing space. Think clearly about the formation you are going to play and how you are going to score goals. And identify the strengths of your opponent and try to neutralise them. Then before the game build your players up to give 100 percent and play to the best of their ability. That will give them the best chance to be successful on the field.

What makes a great striker or centre forward? Surely it is the ability to score goals. Nobody remembers how hard a striker worked off the ball, or how they pressured the opposition defence. Everyone remembers the goals they scored, or the ones that they did not score. Traditionally as players grow towards senior ranks there will be fewer goal scoring opportunities for strikers, and so they must be able to take the ones that they get. Balance, speed, agility and power are the key characteristics that make a great young striker. The soccer drills that you use at training should develop these attributes in your young strikers.

When using shooting drills at training, the first thing I do is make clear areas in the goal in which I want them to shoot. I use hats or cones, which I usually place about 2 metres inside of each post. As players become more proficient move the hats closer to the goal posts. To start I encourage the players to shot along the ground, and as they become more proficient I encourage them to shoot into the top corners. As strikers mature I also encourage them to take into consideration the strengths and weaknesses of the opposing goalkeeper. If it is a tall keeper that is strong in the air I encourage them to shoot along the ground, or if I know the keeper is not strong in the air I encourage them to shoot at the top corners.

Power and coordination are key attributes of a good striker. I use tennis balls at training to help develop these attributes. Using a small ball encourages the players to watch the ball more closely. They will find this frustrating at first and there will be some funny moments at training, but I guarantee that a striker that can shoot well with a tennis ball will be dynamite with a soccer ball. I particularly like to use a tennis ball for first time shot drills, and volley drills as I find it most effective.

Strikers will face many different situations in a game. It is important that you practice these at training with a variety of soccer drills. A good striker must know when to hit a shot first time and when to take a touch. A good striker will know when to have a shot themselves and when to lay the ball off to a teammate. Practice different types of shots including volleys, first time shots, lobs, shooting with their weaker foot, shooting with their head, and shooting on the turn are a few of the different situations that you can practice at training to improve the proficiency of your strikers.

The final element that I like to include at training is always an element of realism. Make them beat a defender and then take a shot. Make them beat the goalkeeper. I always watch my strikers closely to see how many times they hit the goalkeeper with their shot. If this is happening frequently you will see that they look directly at the goalkeeper when taking a shot. Encourage them to look at the spot where they want the ball to go and not to look at the goalkeeper. You will need to reinforce this many times at training if you have a striker that consistently hits the goalkeeper with their shot. If they are shooting over the bar consistently encourage them to keep their head down over the ball, and to place the ball into the net. Trying for too much power tends to make the head go up and the ball go over the bar. The other thing I watch for is how strong they are on their weaker foot. A one footed striker is much easier to defend against.

If you want your young strikers to shoot like pros your training drills must focus on the key aspects which make a good striker. These are power, speed, agility and balance. Teach them to shoot in different situations at training so they make good decisions on the field. Make sure the training drills have an element of realism. Give them targets to aim at in the goals, develop their power and coordination, and practice, practice, practice.

It consists of some of the world’s top football clubs and soccer players from England, Germany, Italy and Spain and brings a lot of thrill and excitement to thousands of Soccer fans worldwide.

In 2009, UEFA brings another round of exciting matches to be played before the 2009 UEFA Cup Final in Istanbul, Turkey on 20 May 2009. This season will be the 38th season of the UEFA Cup, with the final football tournament to be played at the ?ükrü Saraco?lu Stadium. Other than the UEFA Final Cup, the association also holds a number of other championship leagues and under 17, 19 and 21 championships. The schedule for some of the important events and soccer tournaments organised by UEFA in 2009 are highlighted below:

UEFA Champions League – 2008-09 will be the 54th edition of Europe’s premier soccer club football tournament which will be played in Rome, Italy on the 27th of May 2009. The semifinals for this event have been scheduled to be held on 28 and 29 April 2009, and on 5 and 6 May 2009.

UEFA Finals Cup – The 2009 Finals Cup will be held in Istanbul, Turkey on 20 May 2009. It will be the biggest event of the year, and will be watched by thousands of soccer fans all over the world. The semifinals for this event have been scheduled to be held from 30 April to 7 May 2009.

European Under 21 Championship – The 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship is to be held in Sweden from 15 June to 29 June 2009. This will be the 17th edition of the now biennial event which will see 51 of the 52 nations compete separately for the first time to decide the seven other teams to join Sweden at the finals.

European Under 19 Championship – The final tournament of the2009 UEFA European Under 19 Football Championship will be held in Ukraine from 21 July to 2 August 2009. This will be another thrilling and exciting event in 2009 in the soccer calendar. The Elite round for this football event has been scheduled to be held from 1 March to 31 May 2009.

European Under 17 Championship – The UEFA European Under 17 Football Championship will be played in Germany from 6 May to 18 May 2009. The Elite round for this event will be held from 1 March to 31 March 2009.

UEFA Women’s Cup – 2009 UEFA Women’s Cup is one of the major football events to be held in this football calendar year. The final championship will take place from 16 May to 23 May 2009. Semi finals for this football event will start from 28 March and will go on till 5 April 2009.

Women’s Euro – The UEFA Women’s Championship or the Women’s Euro is held after every four years, and 2009 will see this event in Finland from 23 August to 10 September 2009. 12 teams will compete in the competition, to decide the winning champions at the final event.

Women’s Under 19 Championship – The Second qualifying round for the UEFA Women’s Under-19 Football Championship is scheduled to be held from 23 April to 28 April, with the final tournament being held in Belarus from 13 July to 15 July 2009.

Women’s Under 17 Championship – Another important event under the UEFA Football Association, the final tournament for the UEFA Women’s Under 17 Championship will be held on 25 June 2009.

Soccer is a very physical game involving lots of running with sudden stops; a ball traveling long distances at incredible velocities and plenty of chances for violent collisions. Though, as a whole, soccer is a very safe sport to participate in, any activity with similar game play can lead to a multitude of minor injuries and potentially even some more severe ones.

There are many factors that can increase the chances of injury – like players not having warmed up properly, wet or slippery field conditions, players not paying attention or players and coaches simply ignoring the rules of safety.

Any time that there is an increased chance for a participant in any activity to become injured it’s important that someone on staff be properly trained in administering first aid, in a sport that’s as active and competitive as soccer, it’s important that everyone be trained in first aid in a case where multiple injuries may occur and coaches or staff need assistance in caring for the injured players.

Here are some of the common injuries associated with the sport of soccer, many of which can be tended to with basic first aid principals and training.

Sprains

Ankle sprains are one of the most common injuries associated with the sport of soccer. High speed running with quick and frequent stops and angular cuts is almost a recipe for a sprained ankle.

Muscle strains and Pulls

These can come from players who haven’t warmed up properly, from attempting an uncommon or unusually high kick or from losing ones footing on a slippery playing field. Strains and pulls, depending upon severity can be excruciatingly painful.

Concussions

In addition to the feet, soccer players are allowed to play the ball with their heads. A ball traveling at a high rate of speed and covering forty or so yards of playing field and impacting a players head can do a bit more than just have the player seeing stars momentarily. Also when two players go up for a ball in the air, the chances increase for an accidental head but, which is also a good chance for a concussion.

Cramps

Muscle cramps are common in any sport where a good deal of running takes place, and although they aren’t very serious the pain associated can be reasonably high from the onset through the time the cramp has run its course.

The aforementioned list comprises the most common injuries that occur on the soccer field, few of which are very serious and even less of which are life threatening. The most serious injuries listed above are the concussion and the ankle sprain, both of which will most likely require the player who suffers them to miss a few games, but unless either is unusually severe the player would likely be back on the field in a week to ten days. Proper first aid training will help to identify the signs of each of the injuries listed above and let the proper course of treatment begin to be followed, whether it be ice, massage, elevation or stabilization.

Just like in any sport where there is potential for impact, there is a chance that some more serious injuries will occur on the soccer field. Any time two players collide at high speed or a misplaced kick from one player makes contact with another there is a chance for things like broken bones or deep lacerations to occur.

In the event a situation like this should occur, the players who are properly trained in first aid can begin to administer immediate care while waiting for emergency personnel to respond. If immediate action isn’t taken in one of these more serious injury situations, a more permanent injury could potentially occur. First aid training will teach players how to properly stop bleeding, how to administer CPR and how to tend to individuals who may be in shock from the severe pain of suffering broken bones.

One of the most important lessons when you first learn how to coach soccer is how to keep your players engaged and interested during your practices. Unfortunately, the scene you frequently see played out on soccer fields across the country is one where the coach is running 1 or 2 players through a drill while the rest of the team stands around waiting their turn. Most of the time, this scenario leads to a lot of problems, and bored, uninterested players

What usually happens is that the players that are standing start to get bored. Then their attention begins to drift, and they begin horse-playing with each other to pass the time. Pretty soon the coach starts yelling for them to pay attentions so they will know what is going on when it is their turn. The horse-play continues, and before long the coach is frustrated, and the whole team is running laps. New skills are not being developed, and the players and coaches are not enjoying the experience.

As you learn how to coach soccer, you quickly realize that one of the appeals for kids is that soccer is a game of action. There is not much time spent standing around waiting for something to happen. So, why should you run your practices that way?

Fortunately there are a lot of drills and small sided games that make it possible to keep all or most of your players involved. If you do need to run drills the only use 1 or 2 players, then set up multiple stations with small drills going on at each stations. Draft some other parents to help out so the players are supervised. That way everyone is active, but you still get to give your players some individualized attention.

It is important to remember that soccer is a game. Most of the players on your team are there because they want to play. The more you can make your practices seem like play, the more engaged your players will be. The more engaged your players are, the more they will learn.

There is more to learning how to coach soccer than just learning different drills. To be effective you need to create practices that are fun, and keep your players involved. They will learn much more by doing than they will by watching. The more they do during practice, the better they will perform during the game.

Learn how to coach soccer in a way that keeps your players interested in active. Standing around during practices is a no-win situation for everyone.

One of the things you need to learn when you begin to coach youth soccer is that failure is not only a fact of life, it is one of the best teachers around. One thing that defines many of the most successful people in history was that they learned to overcome failure before they ever tasted real success. As a youth soccer coach, if you create an environment where your players are afraid to fail, they will not learn to really succeed.

When you coach youth soccer you are working with young players that are still trying to figure out what works,and what does not work for them. You are also trying to teach a game that requires players to be able to think, and to react to different situations on the field as they happen. They have to make a quick decision about whether to pass the ball or try to dribble around a defending player. They need to decide whether whether to hit the player down field, or to make a crossing pass that will spread the defense.

Over time, you will be witness to a lot of bad decisions, but in and around those bad decisions, your players will start to make more and more good decisions, but that will only happen if they feel safe in making a decision at all. Your players need to know that whether they succeed or fail on the field, as long as they give their full effort they will not have to face the wrath of their coach.

To often I have been witness to players being punished in practice because of a decision that was made during a previous game. While those players may have learned what to do in that specific situation, the coach has also taught them to be afraid of making the wrong decision, and that will make them hesitate to make any decision at all.

Soccer is a game that can turn in an instant. A player that hesitates in making a decision with the ball will find themselves watching an opponent dribble away from them with the ball that was just taken away. That moment of hesitation that was caused because the player was afraid to act could ultimately cost your team the game.

As a coach you need to create an environment where players know that it is better to try, and fail, than to never try at all. They need to believe that even if the decision they make is the wrong decision, they will still be rewarded for their effort.

Failures will happen. It is a part of being human, and it is a part of learning soccer. When you coach youth soccer, you need to expect those failures to occur. Use them as teachable moments to discuss what went wrong, and what a better decision might have been. Do not use them as a reason to punish your players at practice. In the long run, all you will teach them is to decide not to play soccer.

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Making bad decisions is a part of youth soccer. You are teaching a group of kids how to play a game that is always changing, and they will have to make split second decisions. If they do not feel safe making those decision they may hesitate, which could cost your team the game.

I was a little weary to even bring up the sport of soccer but I can just not help myself. I know that it wants to become big in the United States but that is never going to happen. The problem is that is just too boring to watch on TV. They do not score enough goals and the score always looks so low. It completely reminds me of hockey just without the ice and ice skates. The basic rules are all the same and so are the scores. If hockey hasn’t been able to make it neither will soccer.

The one way that it might become more interesting is if soccer would consider changing the rules a little bit. They should try to make it more like football in America. For every score you could just add six points instead of one and a free kick like a field goal. This would run up the score and look a lot more like football scores. This seems to be the same problem with baseball today also. More people are continuing to stop watching the sport just because the scores are so low. I know it sounds ridiculous but it is the truth. And I do not think it is going to change any time soon.

Bringing a washed up player to America, David Beckham, was a mistake. In soccer, older people at the age of 32 usually do not continue to play at a high level. However, considering our soccer players are a lot worse than the others in the world he probably will succeed. It was a way to try and get people to notice soccer and have some interest in it. The truth is, the only place I think it has helped it is in California where he plays for the LA galaxy.

Soccer is becoming very popular in the states to play and it’s mostly because other sports are a lot harder to play. The reason, people can catch on to soccer very easily. When I was in high school the kids that could not play other sports played soccer. They need a lot of players on the field so that it gives many different kids opportunities to play in the game. As many people that played it in high school, it is sad that it will continue to still be boring to watch for Americans.

The more foreigners we get in America, the more soccer will become popular. However, I do not believe that it will ever be able to compare to any of our major sports like football, basketball, and baseball. It has to catch up in America just like our major sports have to catch up to in other countries. Even though our major sports like basketball and baseball are taking bigger strides in other countries than soccer is in our country.

Every sporting profession has them – the talented individual that appears to struggle with their inner demons. Despite having enviable skills and physical ability, the tortured genius fails to adopt the mentality of a professional sports star. For every model professional that lives for their sport, there will be another person that plays to earn money and then will indulge in the extravagant lifestyle that their celebrity provides.

Soccer players are some of the most celebrated sports people on the planet, with earnings that make the common working man shudder. With this money and fame comes a greater responsibility to perform both on and off the pitch at an impeccable standard. David Beckham, as the most famous soccer player alive, has coped admirably considering the media scrutiny that his life encourages. But for every David Beckham there will be a Paul Gascoigne or a George Best.

Gascoigne and Best were two of the most skillful players that the sport of soccer will ever produce. With style, speed, charisma and determination, these two players would have the world at their feet and then see it all slip away. Although these two would represent their clubs and countries at the highest levels, their talents would have deserved more than what they achieved.

George Best made his debut for Manchester United at the age of 17, two years after the club scout declared to then manager Matt Busby – ‘I think I’ve found you a genius’. Best would go on to make over 350 appearances for the club, as well as 37 caps for Northern Ireland. Among his honours, Best lifted the European Cup and was named the European Footballer of the Year in 1968.

The ability of George Best was undeniable, but as his skills and looks saw him earn the nickname the ‘fifth Beatle’ the problems would begin. His popularity led to a celebrity lifestyle that would ultimately affect his performances and he struggled with gambling and alcoholism. Best quit Manchester United at the age of 27, a time when a professional soccer player would be considered at their professional peak.

Best’s abilities appeared to wain as he drifted from club to club across a number of countries before eventually retiring at the age of 37 while playing for Bournemouth in England’s Third Division. At the age of 59, Best would die of a kidney infection, a side effect of treatment of a liver transplant. Although Best enjoyed a successful career before and after playing, entertaining soccer fans across the globe with his skill and charm, the question will always be posed as to how good he really could have been.

A soccer player’s career is a relatively short one with the average player getting ten to twelve years to perform at the highest level possible. There are exceptions to this rule, with players hitting the heights as early as 17 and 18 years old and improved fitness helping players continue into their late 30s.

Paolo Maldini Made his debut for AC Milan, aged 16, and continues to play to the present day past his fortieth birthday. Maldini is a shining example of what ability, combined with hard work and commitment, can achieve in the modern game. This shows the different achievements that are possible with the right mentality, attitude and frame of mind.

English soccer player Paul ‘Gazza’ Gascoigne burst onto the international scene at the World Cup Finals at Italia ’90. After dazzling the world with his skills, Gascoigne’s tears during the semi-final against Germany made him superstar. With the soccer world watching, Gascoigne’s season at Tottenham Hotspur would attract interest from Italian side Lazio, who would agree a fee of 8.5 million pounds with his club.

Gascoigne was set to move to Italy at the end of the 1990-91 season following an appearance in the FA Cup Final against Nottingham Forest. With the glorious Wembley Stadium as the venue, Gascoigne’s final appearance for Tottenham was expected to be a fitting swan-song for a fantastic player.

Gazza went into the game with determination and ambition, although his enthusiasm would eventually be his downfall. Eager to impress, Gascoigne crashed into an opposition player and was cautioned. However, this failed to prevent what would happen next as he clattered into Gary Charles and ruptured cruciate ligaments in his knee.

Immediately Gascoigne appeared devastated and in a state of agony. Stretchered off the pitch, he would watch the rest of the game from a hospital bed and would sadly miss the whole of the next season with the injury. His transfer to Lazio would take place 15 months later but for a largely reduced fee of 5.5 million pounds.

Despite a lack of club form and frequent injuries, Gascoigne would continue to represent his country as a talismanic performer. His performances would silence the doubters and media who would scrutinise his private life at every attempt. At Euro ’96, he would be named in the team of the tournament with his performance against the Netherlands an unforgettable highlight.

Gascoigne’s career from here would suffer many more setbacks with injuries and personal problems making headline news. Controversy was never far away, and he would receive death threats from the IRA for celebrating a goal against Glasgow Celtic with a mimic of the flute-playing Orange Order marchers.

Despite a resurgence in his form for Glasgow Rangers which earned him a 3.4 million pound transfer to Middlesbrough, Paul Gascoigne would be omitted from England’s World Cup Squad for France ’98. England manager Glenn Hoddle faced criticism for this decision from soccer fans across the country, as the team were eliminated in the second round against Argentina and Gascoigne would never play for his country again.

At the age of 31, Gascoigne’s abilities were fading and he moved from club to club searching for the adulation that he seemingly craved. A trial in the USA with D.C. United was unsuccessful, as was a short spell in China. A short reign as a manager was cut short due to his battle with alcohol abuse, as he was fired from his role at Kettering Town after less than six weeks.

Fans will continue to follow what Gascoigne does next as they remember the ability, charm and childlike enthusiasm that he effortlessly displayed on the soccer pitch. However, his continuous struggle to escape alcoholism is sadly comparable to that of another faded, tortured genius – George Best. These two talented performers struggled to adapt to the media spotlight that had been thrust upon them as a result of their natural abilities.

Best and Gascoigne suffered similar fates in the game, with careers shortened that had promised so much more. Both suffering from alcoholism, the two would reach the top of their game but with the talent they had could have raised the bar as high as they wanted. There are many more and will be many more to do the same, so it is the soccer fans duty to enjoy them while they can.