Weekend Review

     This weekend saw games for four of the Legends teams.  The U10 girls played early Saturday and you can catch the highlights from that match at Coach Ben's Huddle.   Apparently it was a lopsided affair with at least eight of the Legends girls scoring and a few of them scoring multiple times.  Ouch.
     Well, unfortunately that is how it seems to go more often than not.  You're either getting drubbed or you're doing the drubbing.  Games where you are really well matched with your opponent and where a little extra effort or even some well earned luck can make the difference are more rare than you'd like.  When you get one of those sorts of games you've got to savor it, regardless of the outcome.
     Also in action this weekend were the U8 boys, the U8 Girl Power! squad and my U10 boys.  In all three cases the teams were in the fortunate position of facing an opponent who was a pretty good match in terms of skill and experience.  All three games were fairly close affairs all the way through with the U8 teams taking very close losses while the U10 boys managed a win with a late burst of scoring.  Even when the outcome was disappointing I think the players probably left the field feeling exhilarated by the intensity of the competition.
     Girl Power! played Saturday evening and they were full of energy from the kick-off.  This game saw a much better performance from the whole team in terms of their field awareness and so while they were continuing to bravely attempt to dribble and possess the ball they were also giving each other more space to work.  We saw much less own-team-defending in this game and I was glad for that.  That seems to be a very distinct hurdle that every team has to get past and from there on we can begin to make some very rapid progress in developing their in-game skills.  Right now, for instance, my U10 boys are at a point where they are very good at rotating on and off the ball so that they each know how to let their teammates have some space to work.  Consequently we're seeing the beginnings of some spontaneous cooperative play with that squad.  It's fascinating to see that type of play developing out of the players' own growing understanding of the game.
     Anyway, the GP! girls played brilliantly against a team that had much less in the way of skill and much more in the way of inches and pounds.  But they held their own and made it a close match all the way through.  We had two goals from Ashley who gets faster with the ball every game.  Hailey H. put one in too and her ability to look up from the ball while moving is very impressive.  She comes out of the defensive third already seeing the path she'll take and then combines her ball skills with some real speed.  After the game I talked with the team about how everyone needs to attempt to mimic that combination.  At practice we'll focus on really mastering the technical aspect of any particular move but in the game we'll try to use the move at game speed.  Be perfect at practice but in the games be fast.
     We had great play from everyone else including some dramatic improvements by Hailey B. and Maya.  Maya was clearly playing with less fear of the ball and Hailey B. continues to trust her dribbling skills and in this game was moving the ball with much better awareness of where the defenders were and which way to go to find open space.
     My highlight of the game was one energetic run from Ava.  She and Eileen took turns in the keeper position and they were solid as always.  Late in the first half, while Ava was still playing the field, there was a moment where we got a quick break away up the middle.  Ashley, I think, had the ball and had just beaten one opponent at the half line and was now facing three more, all bunched near the goal-side edge of the center circle.  Ava had been all the way back in our penalty area covering on defense and while I was focusing on Ashley I caught this sudden blur zipping up the side-line and into the wide-open space just to the right of the other goal.  It was Ava and she'd read the situation perfectly and was using her speed to take advantage of an opportunity.  As she got into position she was calling to Ashley for the pass.  Now, Ashley didn't manage to get free to make a pass but the effort from both girls was awesome.  Ava sees the field as well as any player on the squad and I love to see her taking those chances.  She never plays like she's saving her energy for later.

     The U8 Boys squad took the field early Sunday with a short roster.  But as usually happens when you have no subs, the whole team played better than usual.  It was a high scoring game and thanks to Tate's amazing skill and determination we were in the game right to the end.  Jackson H. and Diego both contributed goals too and on the whole the team played with much better field awareness and with more patience on the ball.  Like the U8 girls though, we still aren't combining our ball skills with any real speed.  Tate is fairly comfortable moving at speed while still controlling the ball but for most everyone else there is clearly a trade off where more speed equals less control.  More practice and game experience is the solution there.
     Tate's goal's were all the powerful strikes you expect from him at this point.  He just crushes the ball.  But now I'm seeing much more confident dribbling from him and in this game he executed a beautiful Maradona turn that even included a very confident "bump-and-run" component.  Tate was approaching the goal from the left side when a defender sort of herded him toward the corner.  Tate went ahead and touched to his left as if to go deeper into the corner but just as he was closing in on the defender he stepped over the ball while also turning his back to the other player.  As he bumped the other kid off the ball with his backside he simultaneously pulled the ball around himself with his left foot.  As he continued to turn around he was well clear of the other player and had an easy shot from only six yards out.  It was an amazing combination of grace and power.  I'm sorry I wasn't videoing the game at that point.
     Diego's goal was a hard won reward for a long days work.  He just keeps plugging away, dribbling through traffic, going down and getting back up quickly.  Then he makes a good tackle to get the ball back and starts over again.  He finally got through late in the game and put one in.  As he grows and develops some speed he'll be unstoppable.
     Jackson H.'s goal was a simple matter of being in the right place at the right time.  As some of the other boys were contesting for the ball on the right side of the goal Jackson smartly stayed put in the center and a quick and definitely intentional pass from Micah put the ball at his feet for a quick one touch strike.  Delightful football there.
     Bilal followed up a nice half in the field with a great half in the goal.  My compliments to his goalie coach on Bilal's excellent technique.  He rolls up on the ball like an old pro and his punt skills, when he uses them, are excellent.  I saw some excellent ball control and field awareness from Micah in this game.  He's become quite good at seeing where his teammates are and so he often passes the ball off to good affect.  I'd like to see him dribble more and possess the ball longer but his passes are usually smart ones so I can't complain.
     Louis had really his best game so far I thought.  He actually beat a couple of players on the dribble at two different points in the game.  I hope that opens his eyes to the possibility of doing that more often.  He really does have a good touch on the ball if he'd just trust it more.

     As for my U10 Boys the score was probably closer than it should have been.  The other team was a very good squad with some really strong shooters.  They came into this game with the same record as our boys and I imagine that this was largely due to their performance on the small field where a kid with a big foot is in goal scoring range from anywhere on the attacking half.  They did have some players with real dribbling skills but generally they were trying to advance the ball by making long passes up field in this game and that hurt them in two ways.  First they were forced by our players patient ball possession to keep dropping their whole team back into defense.  That is, as one of our players like Drew or Luke would possess and move with the ball for longer and longer, say, five then ten then even fifteen seconds, their forward players would be drawn deeper and deeper into their own side as we started to load up their defensive third of the field.  This meant that frequently when they did steal the ball and get a long pass off they wouldn't have any forwards up in position to receive the pass.  Secondly, when their long passes were a bit errant then our lone defender was able to easily corral it then bring the ball back up so their long passes were often just long turn-overs.
     Our boys played with a lot of brilliant skill, especially Luke and Drew who had three and two goals respectively.  Luke looked like a slalom skier as he weaved in and out of the other teams' players, at one point dribbling through five of them in the same run.  Drew, who used to rely heavily on his ability to slalom in that same way has now added a devastating stop-and-go move that let's him draw over-anxious defenders in only to see Drew blowing past them with the ball to his left and out of their reach.  His two goals were typical low angle balls from the corners.  Low percentage shots but clearly Drew's specialty.
      Kaleb managed two for his third really good game in a row.  I'm most impressed with his smart play off the ball and both of his goals were the result of that.  He anticipated the movement of the ball and got himself into the right position to take a shot.  The first goal was off a beautiful pass from Will that found Kaleb dead center at the edge of the penalty area.  When you're prepared you make your own good luck and that worked for Kaleb in this game when he got his second goal from a similar position off a ball that had come loose from a scrum in the corner.
     Conner was once again trying to Maradona all the way down the field and it was working.  He builds on that every game and is getting faster and more confident.  Joe had a great game and while he didn't score, his aggressive efforts to dribble-penetrate right into the goalie box were irritating the other team so much that at one point he got shoved from behind.  Probably a card-able offense but given the score at the time I think the ref was right to let it go with a warning.  Logan was strong again although he didn't find himself in position to take a shot this game.  Nick played beautifully in the field and probably could have scored if he'd let the ball go earlier.  In the second half he was a stone wall in at the keeper spot.
     Great game all around and I did see some very interesting small space passing toward the end of the game.  Not exactly tiki taka yet but it was neat to see the boys trying it with no prompting from me.  Owen, Will, Conner and Luke seemed most involved in this and I was impressed with how they were able to keep the ball close in crowded spaces while still seeing their teammates and the passing lanes.  As I've said before, this is not something we will practice or even discuss much.  We will, though, while working on our dribbling moves be practicing all of the individual skills you would need to execute this sort of cooperative play.  If the players then improvise on their own and start passing the ball around thoughtfully I can't complain.  For my part, I'll continue to encourage them to possess the ball for as long as possible and to keep their dribble alive rather than passing it off.  But if they see passing opportunities and their passes are thoughtful, intentional and positively struck then I'll applaud along with everyone else.  At this point in the season they are very much aware of the standings and their opportunity to contest for the number one spot.  My job is to remind them that the style of play they came into the season with is what got them here.  Stay committed to that and we'll see what happens.
  

Watch More Soccer!

    Below are two videos that I'd like you to share with your Legends player.  I've watched them both from start to finish to be sure they're kid friendly.  In the first you see highlights from the 2011 Women's World Cup match between USA and Brazil.  The equalizer goal for USA coming in the 122nd minute is a header by Abby Wambach off of probably the best crossing pass in the history of the world, brilliantly struck by Megan Rapinoe from the left wing.
    


    The second video is a compilation of skillful dribbling by Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta of FC Barcelona.  I can't embed that video, rather you've got to follow the link to YouTube to see it: 

     Messiniesta.

   

New Move!

Let's try this at the next practice:

U10 Boys play well in early game. Some skills on display but still chasing too much.

     The U10 boys had a good game this past Sunday if not a very good game.  They played with fair energy throughout with a few players setting the pace in that regard.  Kaleb, Joe, Luke and Logan clearly came to play despite the early game time.  Everyone else was doing well too for most of the game but by the end I was seeing some flat footed play.  That was the result, I think, of too much ball chasing again.  A better team would have taken advantage of us in that regard so we were lucky in the opponent we faced.
     Kaleb started the scoring and he was doing great work all game anticipating the flow of the action, rarely getting caught on the wrong side of the ball.  What I mean by that is that sometimes players stand and watch the action like a spectator and seem to let the other team or the ball get too far past them before they even take their first step when what they should be doing is anticipating the flow and moving early.  Kaleb was doing that in this game.
     Luke had two of the four goals we scored and he was again showing amazing patience with the ball.  He truly likes to take the long way around to get to the goal and it drives the other team crazy.  By halftime you could tell that the players he was facing were aware of his skill and they had begun to hang back rather than risk getting beat.  Joe played well too and he had the fourth goal.
     I tried to shoot some video in the hopes of having a way to show the players what they are doing when I say they are "chasing" the ball.  Not much of what I got was any good but I did get a nice shot of Owen showing off some skills.  I don't usually brag on my own kid so for a change I'll highlight his play a bit.

U8 Boys get up early for a game of "chase-the-ball-around-the-field".

     All of my teams seem lately to be plagued by a tendency to want to chase around after the ball like a pack of puppies.  Here's a video clip that demonstrates what I'm talking about:



     I've watched a lot of youth soccer and I think what we see in this situation is a combination of two things.  The players want to be involved in the play so they stay focused on the ball since that's where the action is.  But at the same time they are at an age where they don't have a well developed ability to be aware of the ball and of what's going on around them at the same time.  That is, their peripheral vision is not well developed yet so many of them aren't very good at discerning when they should or shouldn't go to the ball.  As a result they generally chase the ball rather than anticipate where it will go.  They wear themselves out running around without actually being in a position to make a good play on the ball.   And that's what we saw throughout the U8 boys game yesterday.  By halftime most of them were worn out and playing listlessly.  Chalk that up to a combination of the game time and the way they were playing.
     I'm hoping that if they take a moment to watch the video above they might get a start on getting past this phase.  One of the themes I try to touch on prior to every game with every team I coach is that the players need to always be aware of three things:  Where the ball is;  Where the goals are; Where your teammates are.  What you can see in the video is that frequently our players end up defending against each other because of the three things mentioned the only one they are really aware of is the ball.
     I don't spend any time in practice talking to them about "position play" such as playing defense because I want to devote all the time we have to working on dribbling skills.  Then in game situations I don't coach them to "stay in position".  Rather I just keep reminding them to keep their eyes open and know where they are and where their teammates are.  I do want them to play with a sense of the different position responsibilities on the field but I want them to develop the kind of field awareness that makes the responsibilities seem obvious.  Of course, it is frustrating to see players get stopped by their own teammates just when they are trying to use some dribble moves.  With that in mind I will try to modify the way I'm working with this particular team during the games by setting some guidelines for them in terms of positioning.  I'll write more about that once we've given it a try.

Good Game for Girl Power! Provides One Perfect "Teachable Moment"

     Once again the Girl Power! squad had a very good performance against a physically bigger team.  They played with consistent intensity throughout the game, staying within striking distance till the end and forcing the other team to play hard to the final whistle.  I saw plenty of good skill on display too.  Abby, in particular, was really impressive in this game.  She took an elbow to the face too and bounced back from that quickly.  She's tough.  By the way, the other coach called me after the game when he heard about that thrown elbow from one of his team parents who was right on the other side of the glass when it happened.  He apologized, assuring me that he'd never condone that sort of play and that if he'd seen it when it happened he'd have pulled his player off for the remainder of the game. 
     I mentioned in my last Girl Power! post that we are seeing other teams playing with more discipline in their "position" play.  Spacing on the field was an issue again for the girls in this last game as they continued to chase, sometimes aimlessly, after the ball.  So often they seem to be utterly oblivious as to where their teammates are and instead are entirely focused on the ball.  It can be comical...when it's not annoying.  But it takes time to develop that awareness of what's going on around you and to have a more 3D perception of the field.  Some players are farther along in that respect than others and they all just need more game experience.
     There was one really valuable teachable moment in the game.  I had hoped to be able to convince players on the bench to watch the game closely so that they might see what I was seeing and realize that crowding the ball thoughtlessly doesn't help.  When Maya was standing next to me early in the game she offered her opinion that she and her teammates needed to play better defense and that she'd like to play defense when she was on the field.  "What does that mean, to play defense?" I asked her.  She immediately pointed at the 1/3 line on the field and said "It means you stay behind that line."  That answer demonstrates clearly why I hesitate to work with the players on staying in positions.  When we talk about "positions" we don't mean so much an area on the field as a set of responsibilities,  a job, if you will.   So, when I talk to the team about playing defense I don't give them instructions as to where they should position themselves.  Rather, I talk to them about what their job is in simple terms:

Know where your teammates are (defenders have the field in front of them so this is a little easier for them than for a striker).

Move to stay between the ball and your goal and close the gap quickly to get to the ball.

Make your first touch smart so that we don't just give the ball back to the other team.

Dribble the ball out when you can, again so that we can keep it rather than just give it back. 

     Often when you hear coaches yelling at their defending players from the sidelines you can hear the tone in their voice communicating "please don't screw this up!"  The message I'm trying to communicate is "be aggressive to the ball  and try to take it away from them."  In other words, learn to defend by going out and defending.  I see a lot of young players who look like they are nailed to the floor they are so intent on following their coaches "position" instructions.  My own feeling is that if I encourage my players to use their eyes to see their teammates, the field and the ball they will, slowly, begin to develop a sense of how they can most effectively be involved in the flow of the game.   You've probably heard me talking to Legends players about being willing to try their dribbling moves in games since that's the only way to learn how to make them work against real competition.  Knowing how to execute a move in practice and knowing how to make it work against another player are two very different things and, again, lots of experience is what's needed.  Lately I've been thinking that playing defense should be handled the same way.  I can talk to them about some specific aspects of good defending but the most important thing I can do is encourage them to get out there and try to defend without being afraid of getting beat.  Don't hang back giving the opponent space, rather, go to them quickly and challenge them.  Learn by doing.   I think it's working...slowly.