Ibra Bomb

Champions League Goal Of The Week

Ahead of next week's resumption of the Champions League, it's worth using recent history as a teaser for the next round of matches.  Ibrahimovic just keeps coming up with wild performances, making PSG must-see TV if for no other reason than his ability to stun.  Here's the proof.

At 72 miles an hour, this missile might have had NORAD on high alert:

This guy just keeps scoring some of the most remarkable goals.  Remember this one (skip to the 8 minute mark)? : 

Quick Boys Video/Big 5 Table Analysis

Quick Boys 4-0 V. Phoenixville

In the penultimate DELCO regular season match at Phoenixville, the QBs avoided the trap game after a good 2-0 home win over Harford on Saturday and put in a comprehensive performance on Sunday.  Mr. Joseph shot a little video which captures beautifully some of the themes the team was discussing throughout the match.

First, a couple screen grabs from the counter attack goal we scored in the second period (the 57 second mark of the video below).  This particular play highlights a couple of concepts we've been harping on all year.  First, good defending, with decent team shape.  It's our winger, Miles (with the ball in the still below) who makes the interception (any time our midfield can shield the back four they get a gold star), then makes a quick move to escape the pressure and find a passing lane to Wyatt.  Turnover- play it immediately to any teammate...something I constantly ask the boys to do.

Go Endline, Young Man

Byline Service Handcuffs Even The Best

If an attacker can't score, or pass to a teammate who can shoot, a fantastic plan B is to attack the endline at a point as close to the goal as possible.  The USMNT had a plus-7 goal differential in the Hexagonal stage of World Cup qualifying, but even their excellent defense was breached by Panama (photos and video below); we see Tim Krul, a long-serving EPL GK with a very good record beaten by the remarkable partnership of Suarez and Sturridge (being called the "SAS" now, a reference to both the Special Air Service, the British spec ops guys and the former partnership of Chris Sutton and Alan Shearer at Blackburn back in the day); and we see Hugo Lloris gamble and win against Finland in a qualifying game.

College Critique

Why Possession Can't Be A Priority 
In College Soccer

  Pragmatism and the NCAA hobble the game

While most of the world is steadily moving toward an acceptance of highly skilled players at all 11 positions who can pass and retain possession, the United States lags behind.  Here, a quick case study in the most significant factors at the college level holding the game back.

It's worth noting that the rules of the game (FIFA has laws - the NCAA has rules and as such operates as a wild west of football unrelated to the rest of the world's game) are ironically written by the coaches.  In an effort to aid and abet the sham of college amateurism and the cartel of the NCAA, the coaches of the game have hidden behind the participation argument and completely removed any need for technical development of players.  The NCAA would have people believe that liberal substitution rules allow more players to "participate."  This, of course, serves only to further reinforce the notion that a player who doesn't get on the field is of no value, and can gain nothing from being a team member.  Life is hard, sometimes a player isn't good enough to warrant getting in the game.  A better lesson than encouraging participation by under qualified athletes might be: work harder, get smarter and be a better player or manage the consequences.

Columbus Day Weekend Notes

Weekend Thoughts

As much as I disparage tournaments, I must step away from my curmudgeonly side this week and give credit where it is due.  The Springboks, who are on a bit of a rough streak in PAGS, played a nice semi-local tournament in Allentown over the weekend and several benefits were clear.

First, based on some conversations with parents, here's a glimpse of a couple examples of defensive work from the last couple days of pro matches which show the themes my teams are constantly being harped on about.

First, from Germany's 3-0 win over The Republic of Ireland, we see the Irish defending deep, very low pressure, in two banks of four, with one striker withdrawn (circled) to provide an outlet upon repossessing the ball.  The distance between the back line and the four midfielders is quite small, making it very difficult for the Germans to pass or dribble through - and any long pass, either lofted or played between defenders, ought to be simple for the GK to pick up.  This is a good example of a "short" team...they aren't particularly "tight" meaning close together left to right.  For that example, we'll look at the next two screen grabs from Sunday's Portland/Seattle match in MLS.

Stats Analysis - as of Oct. 8th

Why Details Matter

Wait, that can't be right...

This fall has seen one of the most confounding statistical train wrecks I've ever seen, let alone been a party to.

Haverford College has seen it's men's soccer program play it's way to a solid 7-3 record, which is nice.  But at 2-2 in Centennial Conference play, the Fords sit precariously at 6th place of ten, with only the top 5 advancing to the conference tournament (4 & 5 play off mid-week to see who advances as the 4th and final semi-finalist on the weekend).

While the offense is doing alright (2.2 goals per game) it is on the other end that the Fords are falling short, furthermore, they fall short in an astounding fashion:

This is the Fords' save percentage over the 10 games; 20 saves, 13 goals.  60 % save percentage. 

LMSC College Prep Night

Hit The Books, Kid

Why The College Scholarship Is A Pipe Dream

Squeaky wheels get the grease.  Everyone lauds the kid who grows up in, say, Philly, and stars for LMSC and Delco, then goes Division I at Colgate where he plays for a semester, drops out and signs with the Union.  Awesome story.  Really nice young man with a ton of talent.  And a rare thing.

I'm a dad, I get it.  Sam runs around with a soccer ball, and I wonder...But then I watch how he asks the dog, or his mom, or me to kick with him, how he giggles when he makes a "save" (rolls on the carpet) or laughs when he throws the ball up and it hits him on the head (what can I say, he's clearly my son...)  In some regard, when creating a great soccer environment for kids, we have to accept the list of things we can't control.  And in terms of the variables that lead to a Division I or professional career, that's just about everything.  To say nothing of the sheer numbers; 99.5 per cent of kids are finishing their career at DIII or lower.  The real question is how to make club and youth programs effective at both advancing the individual player's abilities and provide a fun and fulfilling environment.

Anyway, if your kid has some higher-level aspirations, encourage him or her.  Support those goals.  But be a responsible parent and understand the long odds.  Richard Williams and Earl Woods are grinding their teeth right now - well, Williams is, anyway.  There're some specifics here that might help any soccer parent manage expectations a little bit, as well as some food for thought on the value (cold, hard cash value) of youth soccer.

"Effective" Time

90 Minute Game?
Understanding The Game At A Deeper Level

One of the stats sites I visit offers this glimpse into the J-League (Japan's top league), and how much time the ball is actually in play - much of the beautiful game is really the ball being stood over by a player about to take a free kick, or throw in or other while some slob rolls around on the ground in agony.

Here's the link (click here) for the soccermetrics post...but essentially it correlates strongly to some posts in this space: click here to see what my numbers showed.