NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Shoot, I was hoping some of these would at least make it on to ESPN2 :(
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***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter jpeace121
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Charlie Steiner
Footballguy
Thanks for the link, that's probably what I saw. I just looked through their roster, because I thought the player I was trying to remember was African/African-American.I'm also looking for feedback regarding my son. Even though baseball is his primary sport, he seems to have an innate knack for soccer. He's in 7th grade now, so JV is on the radar, and he's indicated he'd like to make the team. I'm concerned that since he hasn't seen much of the kids/teams on the upper levels, he may be in for a rude awakening. What he does have in his favor is his work ethic, his intensity on the field and what has been to me an uncanny field vision. As much as he wants to be the one scoring, he takes pride in the passes he makes to set up his teammates. In fact, that has been his main role this year. He's left-footed, so the coach put him on the left wing to drive the ball into the corner and then cross the ball in front of the net. Also, even though he doesn't have the strongest foot on the team, the coach had him taking ALL the corners, presumably for his savvy. Anyway, I guess the feedback I'm looking for is what kind of guidance could I give him for making the JV. Putting him on a more elite team is not an option, as baseball already consumes a lot of our time and money, so it would mainly have to be work on his own. Thanks for letting me brag a little and hopefully get some point across...
Charlie Steiner
Footballguy
Thanks for the tip. I caught some World Cup games on espn3 last year, didn't think to check it for other soccer as well. Also a fan of Schweinsteiger. Did I spell that right?Come on over to the darkside! Sadly Robben has been injured for Bayern and hasn't seen action in a while. To watch more Bundelsiga check out Gol TV and ESPN3.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
ESPN2 at 3:00pm eastern. Bite your tongue about Fiscal
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Huh. I follow soccer and football a ton and some how never made the connection.
Oliver Luck was the President of the Houston Dynamo and his son is Andrew Luck.
Oliver Luck was the President of the Houston Dynamo and his son is Andrew Luck.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
I am a stadium nerd.
I understand perfectly why it needs to be done but I am somewhat sad that St James Park is being renamed to SportsDirect Arena.
I understand perfectly why it needs to be done but I am somewhat sad that St James Park is being renamed to SportsDirect Arena.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Rafa Marquez may be moving to Atlas on a 6 month loan. Hopefully that will lead to a full transfer.
Mjolnirs
Footballguy
Indeed you did.
Charlie Steiner
Footballguy
Indeed you did.
So while we're on the subject, can you or anyone else give me a bit of a primer on the differences between how different international leagues play? I can't put my finger on it, but I'm sensing there are differences among the styles of the English, Italian, Brazilian, German leagues. I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones that jump out at me. For example, I was right about Arsenal and Barcelona having similar styles, what are some of the others, and which teams are good examples of them? 
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
20 years ago, this question would have been much easier to answer as the leagues had significantly different styles. But once the Bosman rule went into affect (free agency), so many players moved cross borders and coaches followed them. With so much cross pollination of talent and coaching tactics and style, the differentiation between the leagues is much less pronounced IMO. You can see the differences more at the national team level than at the club level but even there it is getting tougher.Indeed you did.
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El Floppo
Footballguy
That's true.But at a basic level, I think you can see the leagues/countries play out like this (very broad historically generalizing strokes here, and fans of each league/country will I'm sure disagree ):20 years ago, this question would have been much easier to answer as the leagues had significantly different styles. But once the Bosman rule went into affect (free agency), so many players moved cross borders and coaches followed them. With so much cross pollination of talent and coaching tactics and style, the differentiation between the leagues is much less pronounced IMO. You can see the differences more at the national team level than at the club level but even there it is getting tougher.Indeed you did.
England- fast-paced, hard-hitting and more direct to goal(traditionally... now there's a lot more range, especially on the squads that can afford more foreign players)
Spain- slightly slower than EPL with more emphasis on skilled build-up, ball-control and passing over tackling and direct play.
Germany- fit, methodical, disciplined, highly skilled (this has changed a lot into more imaginitive play on the field in the last decade)
Italy- diving mother ####ers. and lots of highly disciplined defense with good counter-attacking.
Holland- "total football" with players all over the field able to control the ball and play it around. (reality is, Eredivisie has become a 2nd tier league, CL teams aside, not much different in quality than MLS)
France- I have no idea. Seems to change with each generation, which is currently more african influenced. Similar to Holland where the league is distinctly 2nd tier and not much difference in quality from MLS outside of the top teams.
What I've seen from Argentina and Brazil leagues is fairly similar- fantastic individual abilities with less team discipline. And loads of diving to go along with loads of nasty challenges. Mexico has a decent league- slightly above MLS and on par with the South American duo with highly skilled players who aren't always the most discplined as teams.
flame away, my fellow soccer nerds.
El Floppo
Footballguy
As a young 40s former serious player (state/regional youth level, div1 top 20 college), I'm outdated with my info here, but I've got a couple of comments/questions...When I played, High School was secondary by a long shot to club soccer. If he's really interested in the sport, I'd recommend pursuing the club level a bit more aggressively (again, caveat that I'm out of touch with what happens now) and not worry about the JV team as much.In terms of what he can do on his own- just working with a ball every day, or every couple of days in a defined way will do wonders for his ball-skills (juggling, dribbling, etc). He can also work on his endurance and power/explosiveness by running and also lifting weights several times/week. We can give more specific things to work on if he's interested.and fwiw- rude awakenings are usually excellent motivators for those that need motivation. and fwiw dos, being a lefty will be a huge advantage for him.
Charlie Steiner
Footballguy
Thanks, this is kind of what I was looking for, like the soccer equivalent of American football offensive/defensive schemes. Does the strategy my son's coach used--take the ball to the corner and then send a cross in front of the goal--belong to any one "style"? And when you say "diving", I take it you mean the kind of stuff I've seen Ronaldo do? IIRC, didn't he try to dive in a WC came and the replay showed he went down because he tripped on the ball?
SmoovySmoov
The Way of the Samurai
As an aside, my firstborn son will be coming in January or February. We're going to name him Sebastian, and I already know that I will be calling him "Schweinsteiger" as a sports nickname.Indeed you did.
Charlie Steiner
Footballguy
Thanks for the input. As I said before, baseball is his primary sport right now, and since his team is going to Cooperstown this Summer, our time and limited $ is going there. I appreciate the tips for working on his own, which I haven't pushed him to do yet as he's still just 12 and has more on his plate than I do. I'm leaving it up to him, as I know that forcing him to do something just makes him resist more. However, I'd still like to hear about any specific running/workout tips you may have. He has decent speed and good endurance, but I think he's missing that quick first step. "Speed schools" are popping up all over around here, and there's no way we can afford to even think about going there, so any home-grown, time-tested strategies are welcome. He definitely likes to be challenged, and he's not afraid to face tougher kids/teams, it's just that he will have to prepare on the cheap.Speaking of being a lefty, is there a clear-cut advantage lining up on the left or right side? I'm guessing that Robben is more left-footed than right, as I've seem a lot of him driving to the left with the ball on his left foot. I ask because of what I've said about how his coach used him this year on the left wing. I'm guessing there are pros and cons to playing on either side?
You have to remember (or maybe not if you're new to the EPL), Newcastle was the opposte of a one year wonder. It was a one year disaster. Except for the year before last, they've been a fixture in the EPL--18 out of its 19 years in existence. Unlike a lot of teams that jettison players when they are relegated, Newcastle held onto a core of players who demolished the Championship its only year there. In total, Newcastle has spent 80 seasons in England's highest league.If you like, but I'm following individual players more than teams at this point, except for the USMNT. Waiting to see if any team/rivalry really captures my interest. I'm suprised Newcastle has gotten off to such a good start in just their 2nd season back in the Premier League, but regardless of whether or not they stay there, I may just throw in with them regardless...Should I put you down as a fan of some of those teams in our fans link?
Charlie Steiner
Footballguy
I'm very new to the EPL, so I didn't know Newcastle's history. I'm not as consistent a viewer as I'd like, but I'm getting there.
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
I wouldn't say that there is a technical advantage to being naturally left-footed, but it's certainly a rare trait. I've played for nearly 20 years now with hundreds of players on various teams, and I don't think I can pick out 20 players who were naturally left-footed.At the elite levels, though, the advantage diminishes significantly. Elite foreign players (and perhaps here in America as well, though it's not how I was trained when I was younger) are essentially trained to break their habits and have no dominant foot. I think that's one of the real signs of a well-trained player.In your son's case at the high school/middle school level, I think it's a benefit simply because it's rare; your son probably fits well on the left wing because he's one the few (if not the only) left-footed players on his team. It's a benefit to his team because he's a natural fit there whereas many of his teammates aren't. At the highest levels of the sport (even in America), there is essentially no benefit. Just my two cents.
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Don't want to toot my own horn or anything, but one of my British coaches said I had a "deft left foot."
Spartans Rule
Footballguy
There are pros and cons either way. Bayern actually does it the opposite - left-footed Robben plays on the right and right-footed Ribery on the left. This puts them in better position to cut inside and shoot from long range.Of course, your 12-year-old probably can't curl the ball into the top corner from 25 yards like Robben (if he can, you should consider moving to Europe and enrolling him in an academy.) He'll likely find it more advantageous to play on the left wing.'Charlie Steiner said:
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Steve Tasker
Footballguy
'Christo said:
very nice. One of my coaches used to always get on my case because I was always a pass-first player (and I still am) and I was always hesitant to take a shot. He told me that I had the skill to "part the defense like the Red Sea" and that I needed to better-recognize shooting opportunities from longer distances.
scoobygang
Footballguy
My coaches used to give me TWO orange slices at half time. :buffsnails:
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
Yeah, but did they use a cool one-liner to do it??My coaches used to give me TWO orange slices at half time. :buffsnails:
GoFishTN
Footballguy
He's got a heck of a dive.
theprince
Footballguy
The stadium will still be the stadium. Nothing changes there. They have ads on their chests so I have no issue with the re-naming. I get what you are saying about history though. It was really cool to go to old school White Hart Lane last season.
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Steve Tasker
Footballguy
Highbury>>>Emirates StadiumThe stadium will still be the stadium. Nothing changes there. They have ads on their chests so I have no issue with the re-naming. I get what you are saying about history though. It was really cool to go to old school White Hart Lane last season.
theprince
Footballguy
No doubt. Just like the Orange Bowl >>>> Sun Life Stadium. But the big clubs like Arsenal need to get out of their bandboxes to keep up revenue-wise with the joneses.Highbury>>>Emirates StadiumThe stadium will still be the stadium. Nothing changes there. They have ads on their chests so I have no issue with the re-naming. I get what you are saying about history though. It was really cool to go to old school White Hart Lane last season.
Charlie Steiner
Footballguy
Thanks to you and Tasker for this info about being left-footed, that's what I was wondering. It seems to make sense for both positions, as another of my and my son's favorite players, Christian Bale, is a left-footed left-winger. FWIW, left wing is where my son has done the most damage this year. He had a hand in most of their goals, mainly as assists coming in from the left. He played up against a U14 team last night and again from the left wing put one on the goal that one of his streaking teammates got his foot on right before the keeper could get to it. The next adjustment for him will be learning to cope with consistently more physical play. At the level he's been playing, there isn't a lot of jostling and grabbing, but he and I both know it exists. He gets intense when he plays and I'm not sure how he would respond to 90 minutes of physical play. Was this even an issue for you current and/or former players? This will probably be my last of this type of
posts for a while as my son's season is now over. I'll try to post a 
or something for Craig Bellamy sightings. Thanks again, guys... 
scoobygang
Footballguy
Choke sur votre brie triple crème, la remise des singes!
Your sons favorite player is BATMAN!Thanks to you and Tasker for this info about being left-footed, that's what I was wondering. It seems to make sense for both positions, as another of my and my son's favorite players, Christian Bale, is a left-footed left-winger. FWIW, left wing is where my son has done the most damage this year. He had a hand in most of their goals, mainly as assists coming in from the left. He played up against a U14 team last night and again from the left wing put one on the goal that one of his streaking teammates got his foot on right before the keeper could get to it. The next adjustment for him will be learning to cope with consistently more physical play. At the level he's been playing, there isn't a lot of jostling and grabbing, but he and I both know it exists. He gets intense when he plays and I'm not sure how he would respond to 90 minutes of physical play. Was this even an issue for you current and/or former players? This will probably be my last of this type of
El Floppo
Footballguy
I guess that's why we have so many guys lining up to play left back for the US?I agree that the higher the level, the more capable guys are with both feet. That said- I'd say that most pros still favor their dominant foot and use it to their advantage. Every person on the planet knows Messi is going to go left, but he still does it. And I think the interchangeability of left anf right MFs is a more recent thing, where teams use guys of the opposite foot from their flank and those players will cut inside instead of just driving to the endline for a cross. Used to be that teams typically used left-footed players on the left side... if they had the left footed players.So IMO, at the pros there is a slight advantage to being lefty (at least at LB) but I do agree with Steve that the advantage and benefit of it is more pronounced at Charlie's son's level.and anecdote time... I learned to use my left in two ways: had a cast on my right leg for 8 weeks that made me only use my left, and Dos- I spent a ton of time on my own working on ball-skills, all of which I made a point of spending equal time on both feet.'Steve Tasker said:
B Maverick
Footballguy
Saw a great Tweet today from a write at SI that made me laugh:
So, the United States is being led by a German against France on Veterans Day? Soccer is confusing.
So, the United States is being led by a German against France on Veterans Day? Soccer is confusing.
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
Pope Benedict XVI Fan
Footballguy
Bobby Charlton practiced with his left as a kid by removing his shoe and sock from his right foot and knocking a ball against a wall in the street for hours at a time. With the old heavy leather balls back in the 1950s you definitely did not want to have to play the ball with a bare foot too often, so he was forced to play with his left. In his professional career he was regularly cited as the most two-footed player in England and when foreign teams encountered him for the first time playing for England or for Man Utd in the European Cup they couldn't tell whether he was right or left footed. If you look at this video you can see how at ease he is controlling the ball with both feet and how he shoots with incredible power from distance (again remember this is the 60s and the old balls were a LOT heavier) with either left or right.'El Floppo said:
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NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Garber had his state of the league pres conference yesterday. Here are the general tidbits. All the normal stuff outside of he made the DC United situation look worse than I originally feared.
-- 34-game schedule confirmed for next year (unbalanced)
-- Strongly considering scrapping neutral site altogether for MLS Cup and instead giving it to the higher seed of the two finalists hosting it
-- Very frustrated with the DC stadium process, immediately focus is trying to get an economically viable lease for RFK ("we pay more to play there than in any stadium in our league's history," raccoons in the locker room, etc.)
-- The two things Garber is always asked about when he travels is abroad are "When are the Cosmos joining MLS" and "How is Beckham doing?"
-- Garber says they have "2 or 3 sites" they think are "viable" for a soccer stadium in NYC, and that the league itself has a division of its office working specifically towards an NYC stadium
-- Discussing with potential groups in Las Vegas, Detroit, and Florida ("not Miami")
-- Kansas City's success story "literally brought tears" to Garber's eyes when he thought back at where they were a few years ago with looking to move the team
-- Schedule format/competition format should be laid out in "a week," the schedule itself should be out in December/early January (earlier than ever)
-- One of the League's goals is to consistently be able to win the CCL and go onto the club world championship
-- Long-term, broad goals include raising the general quality of the teams in the league, increase attendance, increasing television ratings, etc.; the vision is to be one of the best leagues on the world
-- MLSsoccer.com should have a French option by the time the 2012 season starts, for you Quebeckers out there
-- 34-game schedule confirmed for next year (unbalanced)
-- Strongly considering scrapping neutral site altogether for MLS Cup and instead giving it to the higher seed of the two finalists hosting it
-- Very frustrated with the DC stadium process, immediately focus is trying to get an economically viable lease for RFK ("we pay more to play there than in any stadium in our league's history," raccoons in the locker room, etc.)
-- The two things Garber is always asked about when he travels is abroad are "When are the Cosmos joining MLS" and "How is Beckham doing?"
-- Garber says they have "2 or 3 sites" they think are "viable" for a soccer stadium in NYC, and that the league itself has a division of its office working specifically towards an NYC stadium
-- Discussing with potential groups in Las Vegas, Detroit, and Florida ("not Miami")
-- Kansas City's success story "literally brought tears" to Garber's eyes when he thought back at where they were a few years ago with looking to move the team
-- Schedule format/competition format should be laid out in "a week," the schedule itself should be out in December/early January (earlier than ever)
-- One of the League's goals is to consistently be able to win the CCL and go onto the club world championship
-- Long-term, broad goals include raising the general quality of the teams in the league, increase attendance, increasing television ratings, etc.; the vision is to be one of the best leagues on the world
-- MLSsoccer.com should have a French option by the time the 2012 season starts, for you Quebeckers out there
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl)
11/11/11 2:06 PM
USA lineup:
Howard;
Cherundolo, Goodson, Bocanegra, Chandler;
Beckerman; Williams, Edu, Shea;
Dempsey, Altidore.
Gooch is not in the 18. Anyone know if he got hurt?
Maybe if we look harder we can find more defensive midfielders to start a game
11/11/11 2:06 PM
USA lineup:
Howard;
Cherundolo, Goodson, Bocanegra, Chandler;
Beckerman; Williams, Edu, Shea;
Dempsey, Altidore.
Gooch is not in the 18. Anyone know if he got hurt?
Maybe if we look harder we can find more defensive midfielders to start a game
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
On US bench: Hamid, Orozco, Bradley, Johnson, Jones, Beasley, Buddle.
scoobygang
Footballguy
In the last friendly, Williams was on the right. That makes somewhat more sense to me.
Senor Schmutzig
Footballguy
Anyplace to watch the game online?
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
El Floppo
Footballguy
cool stuff.anecdote due... a guy from San Francisco who played on the NCal state team with me played exclusively with his left foot- and was amazingly skilled with it. After a while, I asked him why he didn't work on his right- turns out he was a righty, and played only with his left "for development". whoa. I'm googling him now to see if he went on to a career..
Time Kibitzer
Footballguy
Croatia and Ireland essentially qualified for Euro 2012 today. Czech Republic in excellent shape as well. Bosnia/Herzegovina and Portugal still up in the air after a 0-0 draw in the first leg. Here's cheering for Bosnia/Herzegovina.
B Maverick
Footballguy
US wont win much until Klinsmann finds a true striker or a pair to play up front:
Rooney, Chicharito, Henry, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Drogba, Klose (or even Klinsmann himself)
Someone that you know can get a goal when needed. Havent really had one since McBride.
The lack of creativity hurts. US doesnt seem to see the cross field pass soon enough. Several times in the first half a long cross field ball would have changed the action and left the wide player on his own to go at goal. France's guys were pulled in and our wide right was open. Didnt see it, or didnt get it to him quick enough.
Rooney, Chicharito, Henry, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Drogba, Klose (or even Klinsmann himself)
Someone that you know can get a goal when needed. Havent really had one since McBride.
The lack of creativity hurts. US doesnt seem to see the cross field pass soon enough. Several times in the first half a long cross field ball would have changed the action and left the wide player on his own to go at goal. France's guys were pulled in and our wide right was open. Didnt see it, or didnt get it to him quick enough.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Pretty lackluster affair for the US. A couple of good, but unsustained moves going forward and a lot of guys behind the ball until the France scored. Yeah, they might have given up a goal or two- but I would've preferred that kind of shape (I think they switched to a 4-4-2) and desire to get forward from the get-go.
What exactly has changed for the US under JK?... aside from in the W/L columns, of course. Honestly- I've heard the intent to play a possession game, but they looked more likely to possess under Bradley than they hvae so far. Ok, I like some of the personnel moves with Shea and Chandler and now WIlliams- so that's good. Not so good is the Oroszco Fiscal fetish. I'm still hoping for and expecting better things from the team under JK, but so far so... meh.
What exactly has changed for the US under JK?... aside from in the W/L columns, of course. Honestly- I've heard the intent to play a possession game, but they looked more likely to possess under Bradley than they hvae so far. Ok, I like some of the personnel moves with Shea and Chandler and now WIlliams- so that's good. Not so good is the Oroszco Fiscal fetish. I'm still hoping for and expecting better things from the team under JK, but so far so... meh.
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