MLS Combine/Hermann Trophy

Best Of The Best

Interesting item this week...the MLS released the 55 players invited to the MLS Combine; ostensibly the best players in America at the college level.

If you scan through the NSCAA's list of the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy semi-finalists, you'll find a mere six of those 16 players on both lists.

The other 49 are good enough that the MLS has offered a shot at the big time, but not good enough for the college selection committee to put in the top 16...talent identification (or, human resources/hiring) is the toughest part of any business, and clearly what works well at one level doesn't translate to the next level every time.  Past performance does not indicate future returns...

MLS Combine Invitees (Hermann Trophy Semifinalists in red):
SaadAbdul-Salaam University of Akron
MiguelAguilarUniversity of San Francisco
FataiAlasheMichigan State
TylerArnoneUniversity of Michigan
DominiqueBadji Boston University
OumarBallo UMBC
LaurieBell UW-Milwaukee
SalvadorBernal UNLVM
NickBesler Notre Dame
AdriaBeso MarcoUConn
AndrewBevinWest Virginia 
EricBirdUniversity of Virginia
ConnorBrandtUniversity of San Diego
SergioCampbellUConn
SethCasipleCalifornia
WesleyCharpieUniversity of South Florida
AndyCravenUniversity of North Carolina
OtisEarlUC Riverside
EarlEdwards, Jr.UCLA
MarcFenelusCalifornia State University Fullerton
OnielFisherUniversity of New Mexico
TomasGomezGeorgetown
ConnorHalliseyCalifornia
CameronIwasaUC Irvine
DanielKellerUniversity of Louisville
RobertKristoSt. Louis University
SagiLev-AriCalifornia State University Northridge
RobLovejoyUniversity of North Carolina
FabioMachadoProvidence College
IgnacioMagantoIona College
AnthonyManningSt. Louis University
RamonMartin DelCampoUC Davis
ShawnMcLawsCoastal Carolina University
DanMetzgerUniversity of Maryland
TylerMillerNorthwestern
LukeMishuNotre Dame
AdamMontagueMichigan State
CraigNittiLoyola Marymount
BoydOkwuonuUniversity of North Carolina
TimParkerSt. John’s University
NikolaPaunicUniversity of South Florida
MattPolsterSIU-Edwardsville
JoseRibasCreighton University
SidneyRiveraOld Dominion University
JamesRogersUniversity of New Mexico
ManoloSanchezClemson University
WillSeymourOregon State
KhirySheltonOregon State
AaronSimmonsUCLA
LeoStoltzUCLA
AndyThomaUniversity of Washington
SkylarThomasSyracuse University
AndrewTusaazemajjaUCLA
ChristianVoleskySIU-Edwardsville
AndrewWolvertonPennState

Shoot it! we scream...

Avoid The Sucker's Bet

Soccer isn't about the stats, say so many luddites who subscribe to 'Arry Redknapp's approach of "just go run around a bit;" “You can argue about formations, tactics and systems forever, but to me football is fundamentally about the players,” he once argued in a column for the Sun. “... the numbers game is not the beautiful game in my opinion.”

OK, it's ironic that a coach who's never been anywhere near Redknapp's level would take issue, but it's precisely that difference that makes stats useful.  If I said to a player to do something one way, they'd be fair (though snotty, I think) to ask why?  what have you ever won doing it that way?

However, if I say to a player or team, try to avoid settling for shots from outside 18 yards or so, and show them this graphic, I may have a better chance of convincing:

The graphic is from a story addressing how Manchester United looked statistically average in 2012-13 in Ferguson's final season but ended up winning the Premier League in a walk.  A New Yorker piece claiming it was luck started the conversation...both articles are fascinating, and each argument has it's merits.  Luck is undoubtedly a factor in sport; the trick is knowing when to give up control of a factor to the fates.

Two things are giving me a headache right now...one, every parent or coach or teammate who ever screamed at a kid (especially kids) to shoot from beyond the 18.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.  Would you suggest your kid apply to a college where they have a 1-2 % chance of admission?  (Of course you would...your kid is special)  That's pretty analogous to shooting from that range.  So that's a pet peeve of mine.  And a fine example of people offering advice on subjects about which they know very little.

Second...and less sarcastically, as a coach this makes things really tricky.  Players who are confident and shoot well from range are desirable, they stretch defenses and have a positive attitude...but they convert those shots at 8% of the average conversion rate of shots from inside 12 yards (2% versus 25%).  Knowing the odds, but also knowing that players are capable of special moments (and should be encouraged to attempt to be special) I struggle with the gray area of supporting low-percentage (but positive) attempts, creativity, and higher-percentage attempts.  Isn't it, after all, a higher level of creativity to combine with teammates, dribble with slick tricks and get into the penalty area (or beyond, see the Ferguson Line in the graphic above!) versus just launching a shot from 20 yards?

Players mustn't be shackled to stats...but they can certainly benefit from a solid understanding of what the odds are...coaches and teammates must be flexible and understanding of this balancing act.  Parents and fans should be quiet.  Perhaps old 'Arry would agree that playing the odds is alright...the formation does not, we can all agree, take shots; the players do.

As Samir Nasri proves here...

So much soccer, I need more eyeballs

Soccer Cornucopia

Is this the best time of year?  I could eat Thanksgiving dinner every day.  I live for leftovers...mix and match all that chow into every conceivable manner of ingestion.  And there's something to be said for that one beautiful day where I can turn my phone off, ignore my computer and do so guilt free (I'll admit it, I get off the grid now and again...but I feel a little guilty)...honestly, for that reason alone we need some more holidays on the calendar.

But the real delicious stuff is : MLS playoffs, European leagues and tournaments chugging along, an international break for Euro Qualifiers and US national aficionados to dope out the next group of up-and-coming heros, NCAA tournament just around the corner...

RIP, 2014, We Barely Knew Ye:
The Haverford College men just missed the NCAA tournament this fall...lost in the final of the Centennial Conference to #9 ranked Muhlenberg, 1-0 (with 2 min. 37 seconds remaining in regulation) after defeating #4 ranked Franklin & Marshall, 2-0, on their home patch in the semi-final.  (Division III men's bracket)  Three finals in four years under Coach Shane Rineer, and a regular season title in the year we didn't make the final...good things are happening.

USA / Colombia:
Great game for all those who love America.  From Craven Cottage (12.45 PM Friday, Nov. 14th, ESPN & WATCHESPN.com), so many European-based players on display.  Klinsmann has a great blend of old and new players...cool article on the leadership component of these friendlies (and how this game may affect the next Olympic squad) on ussoccer.com.

Challenge of a championship:
For all the trophys we hand out these days, here's the real deal.  A team has but two shots at being a champion - the conference title and a national title.  A little tougher than beating 4 other youth teams at the East Jesus Nowhere Classic.  Consider that the top 199 teams in Division III scored 30 or more goals in roughly 18-20 games.  Some numbers:
404 teams, 42 conferences, 1 national title

Think that's daunting?  Division I has 24 conferences and 204 schools.  With the top half scoring merely 23 goals or more in 18-20 games. Yikes.

Haves and have nots:
Di Maria (Manchester United) cost more than Burnley have spent in their entire history on player wages.

Awesome, Thinking Man's Goal:
Robbie Keane scored the second in LA's 5-0 drubbing of RSL on Sunday night...what an amazing effort and terrific awareness to keep himself in an onside position while Landon got the cross sorted out:

Where Does Talent Come From:
Arsene Wenger of Arsenal might not even know!  He made two statements this year that resonated with me: no good professional defenders (that were available) and FWDs are better-built on the rough and tumble of the favela than in the elite academies?!

"There is not a lot on the market and if you look at the other clubs, they had exactly the same problem. If you went anywhere, everybody is looking for defenders."

"If you look across Europe, South America is the only continent that develops strikers," he said."

This is interesting for two reasons: 1. defense is much more a learned skill than 1v1 attacking where creativity and quickness of thought (both very hard to train into someone) tip the scales...oughtn't we expect to see tons of great defenders coming from the academy system? and, 2. if a region where the academy system hasn't taken root is where the best goal scorers are coming from does that mean players take advantage of playground ball (where no one really plays any defense) or are freed from stifling coaches and systems?

Even If You're Good, You're Not Good Enough:
Georgetown, nationally ranked power year after year in NCAA men's soccer played an interesting match at Villanova earlier this month...won 2-1 and played some very good football.  Nova, for their part, played very well also.  What's interesting is that a friend who has some front office responsibilities for an MLS club and who was there scouting draft picks said, very offhandedly, "there's no speed on this field."  It was in context of another topic, but that phrase stuck in my ear, and my jaw hit the floor.  I mean, come on, these are two contending division I teams...but then when you start to watch for it, there wasn't a player who got in the game who was running past an opponent.  Virtually every player was as fast as any other.  Which means, to the pro clubs, none of them are fast enough!  Now, consider the Chelsea/Liverpool matchup last Sunday, and think about Eden Hazard, Raheem Sterling and Co...at that level, those guys are that fast.  Yup, they have the technical ability, but what makes them special is the speed.  Some video proof against Xavier, another terrific Big East team:

Stuff on TV this week:

Nov. 12: ESPN 4pm / 7pm MVC men's soccer tournament
                         Mexico V. Netherlands  2.45pm

Nov. 13: ESPN 4.30pm / 7pm Horizon League men's soccer tournament

Nov. 14: ESPN (click for the list...Euro Qualifiers, USA Friendly with Colombia and NCAA men's stuff)
               FOX networks: Euro Qualifiers

Leadership Rambling

Lord Acton Was Right

Book Suggestion

I've marveled for years how so many soccer players appear content to win the starting job, or be selected as a captain, or be simply pleased with themselves as senior players on a team.  None of which ensures a team's success on game day.  Certainly the most frequent stumbling block of a team endeavor, this balance of the intermediate individual goals and the aim of creating a successful team.  Consider this stat:

Of the approximately 10,000 men's NCAA Division III soccer players, 3% of all players earn All-Region (and by extension 41 of those same players are selected to the 41 All-American spots) whereas one quarter of one percent of teams win a title. If you select for All-Conference honors, assuming that each of the 43 conferences select 1st, 2nd and honorable mention teams, that's about 1419 players, or almost 15% of all players earning an individual honor.

Bottom line, it's way easier to be noticed individually than as a team.

Everyone gets a trophy, right?

Pithy quotes about leadership are tossed about frequently, but upon the rare occasion when empirical research offers a qualitative endorsement of a particular point, it's worth paying attention.  In Daniel Goleman's "Focus" he cites research by Dacher Keltner of Cal Berkley about the emotional and empathetic attention of people by hierarchal status:

Keltner's group has found similar attention gaps just by comparing high-ranking people in an organization with those at the lower tiers on their skill at reading emotions from facial expression.  In any interaction the more high-power person tends to focus his or her gaze on the other person less than others, and is more likely to interrupt and to monopolize the conversation - all signifying a lack of attention.
In contrast, people of lower social status tend to do better on tests of empathetic accuracy, such as reading others' emotions from their faces - even just from muscle movements around the eyes.  By every measure they focus on people more than do people of higher power.

(From P.124 "Focus")

Power corrupts....and absolute power corrupts absolutely, as the good Baron observed.  And here we might see why.  People in positions of greater power (ostensibly leaders) simply stop paying attention to others.  That's not a anecdotal observation of a 19th century aristocrat, it's an empirical fact of 21st century social science.  The implication of the research of course is that the trickle-down effect of this sort of behavior may be what keeps teams from performing at their peak.  At each step of the hierarchy, the person holding a higher power position is tuning out the person(s) "beneath" them.

Of course, were a leader to be empathetic and inclusive, would they be lauded and held up as an example to be followed?  You wish, pollyanna.  They'd be torn apart as weak and uncertain.  A killer catch-22.

Which brings to mind another smart fellow who said "Those who seek power are not worthy of that power."  That's been around for a while; since 400 BC, give or take a few decades.

Effective teams and effective leaders somehow manage to dodge some of these obstacles...but there can't just be one effective leader- the whole group has to be populated with some pretty fertile raw material in leadership terms to ensure smooth, top-to-bottom attention (and by extension, value) is paid to all stakeholders.

Blustering like Chris Christie or making grandiose promises like Obama get you elected (because too few understand what truly effective leaders look like?)...but true leadership and effective team building is the product of a much humbler and inclusive approach.

Offside Law

Offside Law

Always a source of confusion, the 11th law of the game offers the most strife in the game.  Unlike many other sports and even the other laws of soccer, offside depends heavily on the official's determination that the player in question is "interfering with play/an opponent" or "gaining an advantage" and on the official's and player's ability to get the timing just right.  Simple enough in writing, but it's pretty surprising how often the judgement of the official proves the size of the gray areas!

At the bottom, a great video on forwards using different approaches to manage the law.

Here's the law verbatim from the head honchos at FIFA:


That's it...the eleventh law in it's entirety (the penalty awarded info was left off, but this is all the laws say about the offside position).

The keys: to be onside, the attacker receiving the ball must have two "defenders" regardless of their position (GK, CB, MF, whatever) even with him or her, or closer to the goal line than him or her.  Any two opposing players will do.  Similarly, if the ball is even with or closer to the goal than the attacking player he or she cannot be offside.  The ball trumps opponents.

The trick is in the timing.  The position of the attacker in question only matters at the exact instant her teammate makes contact with the ball.  At the top level, an arm in an offiside position doesn't matter; a head or leg does (obviously torso too).  That's an incredibly precise distinction to have to make...and if you're not familiar with the speed of live action at the senior level, well, there's a reason FIFA makes officials retire at 45.

So here're a few common areas of difficulty, particularly at the youth level.

In the attacker's 1/2:

When a player is in her own half of the field, no matter how many opponents are or are not between her and the opponents goal line, she cannot be offside.  In the graphic, we see the black player (attacking "UP") with only one yellow player between her and the goal line.

Because she is in her half, she is in an onside position - though it's worth remembering that on a long clearance, she may have been inside her own half when the ball was struck, but be well into the opponent's half (and behind the second-to-last defender) when she receives the ball...

Level with the final 2 defenders:

Sometimes, especially at set pieces, an attacker will be level with the last two defenders and have no opponent closer to the goal line than himself.  While the most common offside calls take for granted that the GK is firmly between the attacker and the goal line, it is not law that there be a player between the attacker and the goal line.  Remember too, that the defenders are any of the opposing team; the GK is not special in this regard.  As we say, "even is on," whether it's even with the second-to-last defender, or the last two:

GK above the ball:

This one is probably the toughest from a standpoint of the sheer rarity with which it is seen.  Haverford College got caught on one of these at Washington College in 2013 on a corner.  Essentially, the GK took a very aggressive position high off the goal line, and compounded the unusual nature of this defense by having only one teammate stand on a post.  When the ball was played initially (red arrow) all was fine, the receiving player was even with the GK and the player on the post was between the receiving player and the goal line.  Then, he passed the ball back to his teammate (yellow arrow), who, at the time of the pass being struck was only even with the player on the post; he was below the GK!  Offside was the call, and correctly so.

"Coming Back"

This one is always tough, especially when fans (and coaches and players) get caught ball-watching.  Because the eye is distracted from the bigger picture, a player in an offside position who comes back (after the ball is played) to receive the ball in an onside position is often confused with being onside.  Especially as players get older, and defenses become more sophisticated, and forwards learn to play with a bit more guile, and the players and ball move much faster, this call requires close attention.

ARs typically use this technique: they watch the second-to-last defender and the player in danger of being offside, but listen for the contact on the ball by the teammate playing the pass.  Just as an umpire can use the sound of a ball hitting the first baseman's glove to make a close call.  This saves them from having to be able to see a player far from the offside line and the line itself simultaneously; most players and coaches and fans watch the player hit the pass, then turn their eyes toward the receiving player...and lots can change by the time their eyes reach that receiving player.

If the attacker in this image (black with red arrow) receives the ball at the end of the red arrow, the only thing that matters is where he was when the ball was struck by the gray teammate.  If he is on the black dashed line, he's offside.  If he gets to be level with the second-deepest yellow (outfield) defender, he's ok.

Simple, but the timing and geometry of the call bamboozle many, if not most, ARs and fans.  I exclude coaches because our players would never be offside, nor are the other guy's forwards ever onside!  Ditto players...

Interfering With Play

This is a common occurrence from set pieces.  Any ball served into the penalty area and is cleared generates this set up:


The four defenders are stepping up the field as the black player at midfield (dashed white perimeter) serves the ball back into the mix.  Picture this image as a freeze-frame just as the server strikes the ball; the player inside the 18 is clearly offside, but the teammate (white with black perimeter) is on-side...


The ball's flight (red arrow) crosses over the player who is off-side, but working to recover to an on-side position (green arrow).  The white player is fine, and has taken advantage of being on-side to receive the ball in the space left by the advancing defenders.

Here's the caveat: if the off-side teammate interferes (completely in the referee's opinion...the official has a great deal of discretion) with the play, for example, screening the GK's view of the ball, attempting to play the ball, or offer an option to the teammate receiving the ball, or by distracting/engaging one of the defenders, that player may be adjudged to be affecting the play, and therefore gaining an advantage by having been in an offside position.  If that player gets out of the way without affecting the "natural" progression of the play (makes him/herself invisible) then all's well.

Check out Marco Di Vaio from Montreal Impact uses the law to his advantage in this video...really cool stuff:



And here's Robbie Keane of LA making a herculean effort to stay onside as Donovan picks out the pass...watch it a couple times and see how close Keane was to being offside...and, notably, it was the ball that kept him onside as both he and Donovan are behind the second-to-last defender:

Becky Hammon

Another..............Barrier............Broken..........

Becky Hammon and Tony Parker

It's all about women this week.  After the previous post on Malala, which wasn't exactly soccer-related, but certainly applicable to young women learning to lead in any situation, young coach Becky Hammon popped up on the radar, and brought a great example of a woman being a leader in sports to mind.  Sadly, soccer is struggling with all the same issues.  Sometimes it feels like we should be there already.

Isn't it common sense that anyone can teach, organize, lead, research, play, create, sell - regardless of social/racial/ethnic/religious/financial/geographic/etc. background?  And yet...

Our determination to preserve a sense of exceptionalism about ourselves is pretty impressive.  I'm special, not advantaged!  And certainly not biased...though how often do we adjudge potential in others based on shared characteristics?  Went to the same school, grew up in the same area, looks the same as me?  It is the very deepest, gooiest mud in which the "other" must gain traction and break through the incessant barriers to equality- though not the only mud.  It's important to see people advance in fields where folks who look like them, come from backgrounds like them and so on have never been before.  But it's starting to feel like there's no end to the glass ceilings, old boys clubs, and protected turf.  Lots of credit to Becky Hammon for working her way into the San Antonio Spurs' organization and convincing Greg Popovich to hire her (and to him for the integrity to hire a good person, regardless of the packaging).  She's another of our dogged heroes pursuing her goals and testing her abilities at the highest level no matter the unlikely nature of even having the opportunity.  She's fortunate to have crossed paths with Popovich; she's inspiring because she made sure she was too good for Popovich to overlook.  There's a lot to unpack in this sort of situation.

BleacherReport has a nice background story on Hammon, and there are some insightful comments presented as common knowledge that indicate another tiny shift in mainstream thinking that will give hope to non-white/male/middle-aged coaching candidates (and people in any other sector struggling against similar demographic sticking points - women make up more than half the worlds' population....seems idiotic to refer to Hammon here as a "minority," though she is in terms of the demographics of coaching...see, lots to unpack!)

A couple months ago, Janet Napolitano spoke in Philly and offered some comments on women and leadership and I shared some her speech in this space, and the BleacherReport article makes them worth repeating here again:

In the final analysis, effective leadership depends on a few key pieces.  Leaders must have a long-term vision.  They must think bigger and persuade other people that they want to be part of this something bigger.  They must also have a sense, operationally, of how to get it all done.  

And then they must have the wisdom and patience to step back and let others do it. 

All of the above is true if you are a man. 

All of the above is true if you are a woman.

From the article on Hammon, here are several good quotes from Pop about his hiring priorities...clearly nothing here that only men can provide (or white guys, or whatever...):

Popovich...seeks out coaches with strong ideas and strong voices, who will challenge him and keep the creative sparks flying, whether in the video room or in a fourth-quarter timeout.
Other traits Popovich looks for in a prospective coach: "Are they comfortable in their own skin? Can they admit fault? Can they admit a mistake? Can they communicate? All those things you think about before you hire somebody, because the worst thing is a coach that can't admit that he or she was wrong, and it's their way or the highway. Or can't participate or give the players ownership in what's going on on the court. That's not going to work in the NBA. It's got to be a participatory sort of thing."
There is one other requirement...that Popovich calls mandatory..."Sense of humor," he said. "No sense of humor, no job."

Just for fun, here's the 112th Congress, with all 13 women - 112 editions of this body has seen an increase in representatives by 6-fold (91 in the first Congress/539 in the 112th), and a mere 13 women have found their way into the club:

Leadership

After the Nobel Prizes were handed out the other day, I caught a review of the Peace Prize ceremony in which Malala Yousafzai accepted her award.  She was, of course, the Pakistani girl who was shot point blank in the forehead by a Taliban soldier for the crime of advocating for education for women and girls.  A real menace to society, this girl.

Women Worth Following

Her speech gave me chills, as I listened on WHYY...she's an amazing young woman.  What chilled me in a very different way was when I watched the video (below) the indifference of the old men in the room "listening" to her.  To be so jaded as to check your phone during this hero's speech is stunning.  You really can't trust anyone over 30, can you?

But, that's life with bureaucrats...it'll always be the Malala's, the Rosa Parks', and Mother Teresa's who change things.  Regular folks who have the guts and the (mis)fortune to be granted (or survive to) a platform from which they may speak truth to power, and their courage and ideals be moved forward from the darkness of oppression and the status quo.

Malala is a reminder that the purest form of leadership is humbly seeking the manifestation of an ideal, pursuing it whether in the limelight or not, and letting nothing turn attention from the ideal.  She'll chase this simple (but paradigm-shifting) goal her whole life, whether anyone follows her or not - and that's what makes her so powerful.  The strength of that conviction, the selflessness of the ideal and the doggedness she displays make her a source of optimism for her supporters and perhaps most importantly, a consistent and reliable point of reference.

But watch, and let her prove the point herself:

Unexpected Success

DC United Buck Conventional Wisdom

In a remarkable turnaround year for DC, two stats jump out:
They have conceded the second-highest "shots against per game average" in MLS...and have conceded the second-fewest "goals per game average" in the league.

In 2013 they tallied 16 points all season (3pts for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss...) whereas this year they chalked up 58 points and more than doubled their offensive output.

Giving up nearly 40% fewer goals helped too!  But it's tough to give up fewer goals when nearly leading the league in shots against.  Remarkable stuff.

Two possible explanations: terrific team defense that compresses the penalty area space and forces teams to launch from long range...the sometimes excoriated Bill Hamid at GK is improving and becoming the keeper everyone hoped he would (Which is always funny...a guy who "will be" good is blasted for an error in Olympic qualifying as though the process of developing into a top-notch professional is to be an error-free process.  Brilliant.)  And lastly, lady Luck....sometimes it lasts for a while, for good or for ill.  Liverpool rode it last year, and now we're surprised (really?) when a team that gave up that many goals and didn't buy some better defenders this summer is seeming to struggle this year. Interesting thoughts on a lack of defenders in the pro game here.  Arsene Wenger quoted within:

"People say we should buy defenders, but there is not a lot on the market and if you look at the other clubs, they had exactly the same problem as we did. Everybody is looking for defenders and everybody couldn't find any."

As for shots from distance, here's some numbers to consider:

This may cover up the really good stuff, but it does reveal some tantalizing information.  I sorted the table the link takes you to by distance...that's the average distance a goal was scored from.  I have listed here, in descending order of distance, the double-digit scorers in MLS.

The breakdown:

5 guys in double digits averaging more than 22 yards per goal - 59 goals

20 guys scoring 10 or more goals from inside 21 yards - 273 goals 

That's 83 % of all goals scored by the best goal scorers from inside 21 yards

Gotta get into the penalty area, or very close to it...

Morales 27 yards / 10 Goals

Espindola 25yds/10 Goals

Nguyen 24yds/17 Goals

Valeri 24yds/11 Goals

Higuain 24yds/11 Goals

Henry-Barnes-Silva 21yds/10-11-11 Goals

Dempsey 20yds/ 15 Goals

Plata 20yds/13 Goals

Donovan-Brown-Defoe-Torres-Keane-Finlay 19yds/10-10-11-15-19-11 Goals

Castillo-Bruin-Le Toux 18yds/10-10-12 Goals

Martins-Perez 17yds/17-11 Goals

Dwyer-Wondolowski 16yds/ 22-14 Goals

Zardes 15yds/16 Goals

WrightPhilips 14yds/25 Goals

Courage

"Maybe in my next life I will be a number nine and miss five chances but stick one in and be a hero.  It's great. A goalkeeper can't let five in and save one to be a hero. You understand that from day one. When I look at the best goalkeepers in the world, success doesn't matter to them, failure doesn't matter to them. They just do their job."

The above quote from Tim Howard via the Liverpool Echo and ESPN came at a time when it seemed every GK on earth was making errors.  A small sampling below, helpful for meditating on the guts required to be a GK, the comfort level one needs to handle the devastating effects of even small errors, and the confidence and resilience necessary to get back to work after such moments.

First the Philly Union saw their playoff hopes pretty well sunk as a result of this error by new GK Rais Mbolhi (skip to 4.32 mark for the play):

Tough to watch.

Then there's this from the number one college team in the nation, Notre Dame, at home to Boston College:

Blame that on the Center Back...but the GK is half the communication problem there, so...

NC State said "thanks!" to another top ten team in Louisville for this GK gift of a goal (about 30 seconds into the film):

http://www.gopack.com/allaccess/?media=462648

Haverford Analysis

College Defending

In an interesting match at Kean earlier this month, Haverford fell 2-1 in OT.  With suspensions and injuries depleting the starting lineup, Haverford sat in low pressure and absorbed Kean's attacks, conceding a great deal of possession, but still had a chance to win with a 1-0 lead as late as the 86th minute.

The efficacy of low pressure defending is seen all over the world, and at all levels.  While everyone would love to play flowing football with lots of passes and combinations, it is rare to have the requisite talent to do so.  Our own Philly Union have shown this year how solid defensive organization and pragmatism can get results repeatedly.

Kean have wonderful, technical players, but even for that talent, it was tough sledding against a team determined to minimize mistakes by keeping the game small and manageable.  However, it wasn't as clean a performance as it could have been (of course!) and the value of possession and patience can be seen below.

In the first still frame we see a good shape and starting position by the red (Haverford).  However, Kean are patient and simply roll the ball from one outside back across to the other, to the tune of three or four times in this particular possession.  There isn't much space here for the Kean attack to advance the ball:

On the third switch of play, we see the second still frame:

Here things are getting dicier.  The outside backs have become far too stretched, essentially opening up huge spaces for the midfielders to play in, and making it very tough for the Haverford center mids to help each other out.  The Kean wingers are in 1v1 situations with lots of space; the Haverford CBs will find it tough to get out to cover the outside backs.  The 1v1 between the ACM for Kean and the lone HCM for Haverford (inside the center circle) is a good situation for Kean as well.  

The main problem is that the Haverford ACM (red arrow) hasn't closed down the Kean HCM fast enough and this may allow that Kean player to face the back four, and play positive passes into advanced teammates who now have more space than we'd like to operate.  This may be a result of the Haverford forward and ACM pressing too high up the field so they are chasing across too much space (with too little support the team is stretched,) or they have lost their shape/starting position as the outside back begins to swing the ball back across the field so the ACM is late to press the holder, or that the back 4 and holders did not move up to provide cover for the two forward players...I won't say in this space which the staff prefer...but for certain the left-to-right dimension is far too wide.

Credit must be given to Kean for their patience and skill, and it's a fine lesson in why slightly dull ball swinging through the back 4 is useful- no team can maintain their shape integrity indefinitely defensively.  However, it's simple enough to fix this spacing and pressing issues - much harder to learn the creative and high speed play to break that defending down.  Jose Mourinho has made a very good living allowing his opponent to have the ball based on the assumption that the team with the ball will make more mistakes than the team without; SPEC goals.  Set Pieces, Errors, Counters.  The stuff coaches live in terror of!

Defending Crosses

Nerves Of Steel

Here's why the old-fashioned cry of "just put it in the box" is ill-advised.  Mind you, GKs have been doing this stuff for decades...but these days the level of organization inside the penalty area means that GKs and backs are accounting for very small margins.  Attackers must be very cool and precise to break down such defenses.

Wojciech Szczesny pulls out all the stops to defend this Man City cross.  The attack comes from a tough angle for the GK as the player with the ball is able to threaten the goal, particularly if the defender over-pursues and allows him to run at the goal.  The attacker is also well-positioned to play a ball between the GK and the covering CB (Per Mertesacker) for the central attacker to run on to.  To mitigate some of these threats, Szczesny does a quick little cheat move, though in the end the attacker elected to play a ball into a space reasonably comfortably covered by Mertesacker who cleared over the endline for a corner.  For a GK, however, the lesson is a good one in terms of excellent footwork and timing to gain an advantage...perhaps his movements forced the crosser to pick out a less dangerous pass.

With the attacker just approaching the edge of penalty area, Szczesny has a solid, if basic, starting position:

As the attacker is put under a small bit of pressure, puts his head down to attack the defender and advance into the penalty area, Szczesny jumps a yard or more, nearly to the top of the 6 yard area to get a jump on the ball played centrally:

As the cross is played, Szczesny identifies that the ball is an excellent one, and unplayable by the GK.  He now relies on Mertesacker to cover the top of the 6 as Szczesny prepares to face a shot in case Mertesacker gets beaten to the ball...most key is that as soon as the cross is played, Szczesny has recovered back to the goal line, his original starting position so that he can cover the goal line laterally from a strong position and an athletic posture - he has given himself every possible chance to save a shot:

Here's the replay from a different angle.  The attacker enters the penalty area, and Szczesny has moved from his left shoulder outside the back post to his right shoulder inside the back post:

Jumped out to here as attacker looks up...

...and slides back to the goal line as the attacker plays the cross.

Forward's Movement

Marco Di Vaio On The Back Shoulder

While Di Vaio doesn't actually touch the ball on this goal V. LA, it's where he starts from and how he moves that is crucial.  First, in still images, see how he is behind the defender as his teammate slips the ball to the wide Montreal player:

Watch it in real time:

Di Vaio did score on this one...and the same sort of movement can be seen again.

In real time...see how Di Vaio's running creates a lovely 3 v 2 for a moment at the top of the 18...and his hard work is rewarded with an easy tap-in goal:

Annual Tradition

A Fine Reminder

Passed on to me from a friend, this column is a great nudge to all adults involved in "youth" soccer...

This column is for the kids. Adults can stop reading now.

By Mike Woitalla

Dear Soccer-Playing Children of America,

The fall season is underway and I'm hoping you're having a great time. I'm hoping that you're playing soccer more than you have to stand in line and do drills.

I hope you're falling in love with the soccer ball and keep it with you as much as you can. Juggling it. Kicking it against a wall. Dribbling it around in your backyard.

And I especially hope that your parents aren't screaming at you during your soccer games.

I worry that you probably do get yelled at, because that's what I see at almost all the youth soccer games I go to. Hopefully you just ignore it. But I don't blame you if it bothers you.

No one enjoys getting screamed at. Sure, if you start crossing the street on a red light or throw a toy at your little sister or brother, your parents are justified in raising their voices. But they shouldn't scream at you while you're playing a game.

If they do, it doesn't mean they're bad people. But, unfortunately, sports does something to adults that makes them behave in ways they usually wouldn't.

You may have noticed this if you've watched sports on TV. A coach, for example, dresses up in a fancy suit and throws tantrums like a 3-year-old.

Get adults around sports and all of a sudden they forget the same manners they try to teach you. In a way, sports are like driving. A grown-up gets behind the wheel and all of a sudden forgets you're not supposed to pick your nose in public.

And when grown-ups go watch their children play soccer, they, for some reason, think it's OK to scream like maniacs. Perhaps they don't realize what they're doing. Like the nose-pickers on the freeway who think they've suddenly gone invisible.

I hope you're able to block out all the sideline noise. But maybe you do hear their shouts. Telling you when to shoot the ball, when to pass it. Ignore all that!

You need to dribble the ball. Try to dribble past players. If you're dribbling too much, your teammates will let you know. And they'll help you make the decision of when to pass and when to dribble.

You decide when to shoot. When you're dribbling toward the goal and the goalkeeper is 20 yards away, and the adults are screaming at you to shoot, don't pay attention. Because if you get closer to the goal, it will be harder for the goalkeeper to stop your shot.

One of the really cool things about my job is that I get to interview the best coaches in America. And you know what the national team coaches tell me? They say young players are far more likely to become great players if they're allowed to make their own decisions when they play soccer.

They say that coaches should coach at practice, and when it's game time, it's time for the children to figure things out on their own. It's like at school. The teachers help you learn. Your parents may help you with homework. But when you get a test, you're on your own.

That's just an analogy. I'm not saying soccer is school! Soccer is your playtime.

I hope you have lots of playtime, on the soccer field and elsewhere. But I bet that you don't have as much time playing without adults around as we did when we were children.

When we were kids we had summer days when we would leave the house in the morning, be only with other children all day, then see our parents when we got back in the late afternoon.

Things have changed. The reasons adults are much more involved in your activities than they were when they were children are complicated, and a result of your parents' good intentions.

But sometimes we adults forget how important it is for you to play without us interfering. We love watching you play, especially on the soccer field, because it is such a wonderful sport. But we need to be reminded that it's your playtime.

You should decide. Ignore the shouts if you can. But don't be afraid to say, "I'm trying my best. Please, don't scream at me."

Leadership & Empowerment

Pass The Credit, Not The Buck

"Believing is the first requirement of achieving.  The second is that you get in the game."

Janet Napolitano

Speaking at the University of Pennsylvania

"...success and likeability are positively correlated for men and negatively correlated for women."

Sheryl Sandberg

Lean In

Effective leadership requires genuine confidence.  Under pressure, a leader must accept the possibility of failure and the need to accept responsibility for the shortfall.  And when things go well, highly effective leaders give credit where it is due and recognize the reality that no group accomplishes a goal on the efforts of a single member.

I didn't make that up; it's gospel in the field of study of leadership practices.  And one of those things that while the behaviors described are rare, it's quite intuitive when spelled out like that.  And we ought to ask why that is!

All of which is to say that effective leaders create environments in which all team members are able to, indeed required to, contribute in meaningful, creative and measurable ways.  And when I say all, I mean all.

Janet Napolitano spoke at U Penn regarding her many firsts as a woman in law and politics, and sagely offered this:

Look at the conspicuous example of the Fortune 500, where only 4.6 percent of 500 CEOs are women.  In law, just about 20 percent of named partners at firms are women.  In politics, women hold 18 percent of the seats in the House of Representatives and 20 percent in the Senate.  And on it goes. 

Are those numbers so low because women are less qualified to lead?  No.  In part it's because we send messages that girls should not be leaders, they should not be bossy...it is also that girls absorb the message and then edit themselves out of the equation.

So, it has to be asked...of all these self-congratulatory leaders out there in so many fields - not just politics, but executives, school boards and administrators, parents, religious leaders, and so forth - why does someone like Napolitano have to point this stuff out?  If we have so many civic and business leaders, who are effective (as all those glorious CVs claim!) why is 50% of the population being told to stay on the sidelines?

Perhaps, now that Gillette is selling a man-scaping body razor, men will eventually come to see themselves as commodities - arm candy - in the same way that women are told to see themselves.  Prizes to be won, possessions/territory to be protected...anything but empowered.

Until that shift happens, however, every would-be leader (and parents, you're the leaders of your own little team) has a moral obligation not to encourage women and girls to contribute, but to expect it, demand it.  If you're in the group, contribute to the group.  If you're leading the group, get contributions from all involved. The insidious effect of girl-world is that standing out is like whack-a-mole; she who stands out gets thumped by her peers.  Smart, athletic, outgoing, outspoken, visionary, goal-oriented...all traits that are targets for negative behavior from peers.  Where do kids learn that?

This passive, safety-first environment leads to one of my least-favorite behaviors in girls: apologizing.  They apologize for everything.  Mainly, they apologize because of an action that has brought attention, and no matter how they get attention, they must not look like they wanted it, or deserved it, of would, heaven forbid, repeat the effort to stand out!  Truly, this is the greatest challenge facing women is to have the temerity to stand out and not apologize for it.  And you know what they call women who do that?

A bitch.

Layer on top of that treatment the fact that there's more than enough latent sexism and bigotry to keep most women from even trying to fulfill their potential and it's a miracle 4.6% of all Fortune 500 CEOs are women.

Effective leadership?  There ain't no such thing if your organization (team/family/community/business) isn't seeking the input and contribution of under-represented voices.  In soccer terms, would the girls in a team respect a girl who sought to score goals, demanded the ball?  A player who barked orders on defense?  A player who studies the game, reading, watching and talking with coaches to understand the principles and patterns of the game?  A teammate who looks them in the eye and says "that wasn't good enough; you can do better!"?  A teammate who asks for a partner to spend time before or after training working on a skill?  If a teammate had success, would they acknowledge that and encourage more from that teammate?

I worry kids like those described above would be pariahs on a team.  But some people are catching on...I think I'm earning an understanding of it.  Are the parents of the girls I coach?  Janet Napolitano gets it, among other high-profile women in the past couple years.  We have to know girls and women can lead, have to lead, and empower them to contribute.  They, too, must empower themselves.  I love the two requirements Napolitano offered at the title of this post.  The environment must allow/encourage/tolerate girls and women who believe...then those women have to act.  It's not all on one party or the other to improve things; it's on every invested stakeholder.

Napolitano closed her remarks with this:

In the final analysis, effective leadership depends on a few key pieces.  Leaders must have a long-term vision.  They must think bigger and persuade other people that they want to be part of this something bigger.  They must also have a sense, operationally, of how to get it all done.  

And then they must have the wisdom and patience to step back and let others do it. 

All of the above is true if you are a man. 

All of the above is true if you are a woman.