Should you play down the wing, cross it in the box, hope for the best? Should you dominate that wing? Should you have true, utter, incomparable dominance over that wing? Why not. Sounds good.
To conquer the wing and control the flanks you first need to control the middle. Everything starts from the middle. It's the most congested part of the field. If you can't win there you can't win--period. Ron Newman, famous San Diego Sockers coach in the 80s, when the Sockers were king of the mountain, believes the middle is the place to be. As Brian Brown, of The San Diego Union, wrote in 1986: "The Revelation occurred on an airplane a few years ago. Thousands of feet above the Earth, San Diego Sockers coach Ron Newman decided the best place to begin an attack, or end one, was the middle of the field." Brian Brown's piece appeared in Soccer Digest (Nov. 1986), arguably the biggest American soccer magazine in the 80s. The Sockers--featuring Steve Zungul, Branko Segota, Brian Quinn, to name a few--ruled over the MISL with an iron fist, winning multiple championships. It was hard to keep up with them. Coach Newman would know a thing or two. So how does one dominate the middle? Some time ago, many years back, at a time lost in the universe, I played racquetball once a week with a family friend, who was a lawyer, at around 6AM at the Berkeley Rec Center, Berkeley, California. John, the lawyer, was many years my senior, heavy build but athletic. I soon realized why I was losing so often. He'd take his place in the middle of the court, stand there, and barely move. He dominated the middle. He'd adjust laterally from side to side, but would return to the middle with only a few steps. I guess you could say that was his strategy and it worked. Meanwhile, I was darting around like an idiot trying to keep up. I guess you could say my strategy was a losing one. Soon I began to stay in the middle as well. Sports share common traits. Whether it's cues from racquetball or something else, you can translate it over to another sport...in this case, soccer. You could persuasively argue that multiple touches with center mids, short passing, creative license to dribble, and groupthink will do the trick. With respect to soccer and playing in the middle: What's groupthink supposed to mean? All players need guidance from a coach that, one, understands possession soccer and the idea of dominating the middle, and, two, can convey that message to a group of players that otherwise would fall back on bad habits. If left alone, without guidance, isn't that what players do? Usually. Often you'll hear people say "get it out of the middle" as if it's cursed territory. "Go to the wings!" is the idea. Is it a flight of fancy to think these types can be converted to thinking the right way about the middle? Can the middle be your friend and not some distant third cousin showing up around Thanksgiving asking to borrow the car? Can the middle be a place of comfort? Can it be a place of creative ingenuity? Yes and yes. With short passing by way of the two-man game, the middle can and should be an avenue for success. All good things come from the middle of the field. With that said, the outside players are just as important to keep "harmony" flowing in and out of the middle. When it's all coming together, your team in question should be unstoppable. Or so they say. Phenomenal. The first year was a success as the team reached the playoffs. Not bad. Much more around the corner, for sure. Watch for big moves in the pre-season. For now, don't forget, there's still a lot of action just underway with the St. Louis Ambush. For ordering information, visit Barnes & Noble, Amazon & more...
FIFA World Cup 2026
Host Cities: Atlanta Boston Dallas Houston Kansas City Los Angeles Miami New York/New Jersey Philadelphia Seattle San Francisco Bay Area Toronto Vancouver Mexico City Monterrey Guadalajara The 2026 FIFA World Cup is three years away but things are only getting started. Qualifying is gearing up the be great. The march to US-Canada-Mexico is on. This is the first time three nations have co-hosted. Much more around the corner! 1991
US 1995 Norway 1999 US 2003 Germany 2007 Germany 2011 Japan 2015 US 2019 US 2023 Spain Women's World Cup 2023
Final: England vs. Spain As for the previous prediction, that of Netherlands, let's forget that one. I stand by my previous record of strong predictions. Will I be sending Netherlands a holiday celebration card this year? Seeing as I haven't in past years: probably not. Nonetheless, the team should be back next time around. It was a strong group. I stand by that prediction and it goes to show that you never know. As for the exciting final between England and Spain: tough call. However it turns out, there will be a first-time champ for the Women's World Cup. Let's go with England, 1-0. More around the corner. The 2023 Women's World Cup champions:
Netherlands Predicted here. The 2023 Gold Cup
So far, after winning the CONCACAF Nations League—on 6-18-23—over Canada, the USMNT is sailing through the Gold Cup. United States vs. Jamaica 6-24-23 CONCACAF Gold Cup 1-1 This Jamaican team was better than others of recent years. A tough opponent for the US and a 1-1 draw about summed it up. United States vs. Saint Kitts and Nevis 6-28-23 CONCACAF Gold Cup 6-0 This is why I love CONCACAF. Who in their right mind has heard of Saint Kitts and Nevis? Then you remember: “Wait a second, I think we played them years ago” or “Was that Martinique?” but the memory is hazy because it is, after all, Saint Kitts and Nevis and you have a hard time pronouncing the “Nevis” part. There was a classic win for the USMNT in the 1998 Gold Cup over Brazil—that had Taffarel and Romario—off the foot of Preki that resulted in a 1-0 historic victory. Kasey Keller—in goal—was huge that game and received a great compliment from Romario, as a result. You see, that’s a game to remember…because it’s Brazil. No one is talking about a game versus Saint Kitts and Nevis from 1978, etc. That’s the beauty of Saint Kitts and Nevis. It’s a very small dual-island—FYI—in the Caribbean. In fact, because it’s such an underdog soccer-nation, with a population of around 47,000, that makes it all the more interesting to watch. The population of the US? Approximately 333 million. And watch I did. The score was a predictable 6-0 goal-fest from the US. To give some perspective, This Is Our CITY covers soccer in and around St. Louis: the capitol of American soccer. There are many towns—suburbs, that is—that have a population of 40,000. For instance, a town near St. Louis, Belleville, IL, where Jimmy Connors is from, has a population of around 41,000. Essentially, the USMNT—333 million strong—just played Belleville. The amazing world of CONCACAF. United States vs. Trinidad and Tobago 7-2-23 CONCACAF Gold Cup 6-0 Trinidad—whose population is around 1.5 million—usually gives a better game. The key word here is “usually” because the score was astronomical and the result was pretty much the same: overwhelming US domination. Players to watch, with crafty skill, for the US: Sonora, Zendejas and Ferreira. The big game against Canada is upcoming, tomorrow. United States vs. Canada 7-9-23 CONCACAF Gold Cup Quarter-final More to come, stay tuned... |
Shane stay +
|