Players
in the USA lack the game knowledge and sophistication
gained from watching top level soccer on TV and
in person. This is changing, now, with the beginning of the third
year of Major League Soccer and as a result of the
recent 1994 World Cup held in the USA. But the problems
of players not watching soccer and using it as a
learning tool is still evident in that a country
the size of the USA has trouble beating small teams
like Trinidad and Tobago in World Cup qualifying.
The one thing that young players, now, can do to
improve themselves is to watch more soccer, on TV
and in person.
Did
you really think that Pele' invented the Bicycle
kick? He sure didn't. Pele', like all other great
players, learned all his skills and moves by watching
older, better soccer players. He would go to the
stadiums to watch soccer and he would never miss
a game on TV. He soaked up every minute of every
game he every watched and replayed them in his own
magical way every time he stepped on the field.
Once
you are watching soccer on a weekly basis and have
some new moves and tricks to try, you need to start
playing more soccer. The more soccer you play the
better you will become. Play on the best teams that
you can, and if you have the ability to play against
older players, do it. Or, if you are a girl and
can compete with the boys, do it. You will rise
to your level of competition.
To
become a great player you have to learn by watching.
Watch the great players. They all have something
to give you. Take what they are offering and make
it your own.
Here
is an example of what you will learn by watching
soccer, on TV and in person:
Too
often, when I watch youth, and even the professional
and semi-professional leagues, in the United States,
I see coaches and players trying plays that were
never made to work in the game of soccer.
For
instance, one type of play resembles a NFL wide
receiver running for a touchdown pass into the end
zone. In this play, the forward player takes off
sprinting up field toward goal, with his back to
his midfielders and his defenders. The forward continues
his straight run to the corner or to somewhere into
the penalty box. The midfielder or defender with
the ball then feeds the forward a straight forward
pass, either in the air or on the ground. Now what
happens most often is the opposing defender easily
intercepts or clears the pass or the forward runs
out of space and the ball goes out of bounds over
the end line. Soccer players find this type of play
mostly unsuccessful, but still continue to use it.
This
NFL "touchdown" type play in soccer is
a very low percentage play. Meaning that it doesn't
work very often. In soccer, it is almost impossible
for a player with his back to his passer to receive
a pass. The only time that can work is when the
ball is played into huge amounts of space, and then
it really isn't a pass anymore. To turn this play
into a high percentage play, i.e. to make it work,
the forward has to change the direction of his run.
The forward needs to run diagonally, laterally,
backwards or in any combination of those directions
into open space. Too often, players rule out a simple
backward run toward the player with the ball. This
type of run with a one touch back to the original
player with the ball buys time and causes the defending
team to stop and watch, leaving them vulnerable.
Remember that runs parallel to the sidelines don't
work. The more unique and new the run, the more
open the forward will be.
Even
if you don't get the pass, if you are making diagonal
or lateral runs, defenders will be following you
and leaving huge open spaces for your teammates.
Once the forward player is making a good run, the
passer needs to see the direction and pace at which
the forward player is running and anticipate where
the ball needs to go. This may seem easy, but the
pass needs to made in a way that it gets to the
player without the player needing to change his
speed or direction. A pass too far forward is lost
to the defender. A pass too far back, and the forward
loses his advantage. The pass has to be just right.
Straight
runs and passes don't work. They result in lost
passes and interceptions. Diagonal runs open up
spaces for you and your teammates and win games.
After all, you will hardly ever see Pele' or Maradona
running straight up the field for a "touchdown".
