We're back from our summer tour. This summer,
we traveled to more than a dozen states to work with goalkeepers
from 48 states and 12 countries!
We have already started working on some of the feedback and
suggestions our campers have made in order to continue to set the
standard in goalkeeper education.
Meanwhile, exciting (and some sad) news have been coming out of all
corners of the country. So we have a big issue for you, make sure
you chew before you swallow. -AD
Summer '08 Recap
(Abridged Version) There's usually that one scene in every movie (the not-too-serious movies
anyway) where they put together a video montage of all of the key moments in the
movie, the ones that the main character looks back on fondly with his or her
head tilted just a little bit towards the sky as they crack a little smile. Well
with the summer having come to an end, it is time for SoccerPlus to have that
little moment as well.
Now there are some things that are universal from camp to camp, Keeper Wars,
Ziggy's Challenge, Pressure Training, O-Ball and others. And these are special
moments, but occasionally, special moments in a week become epic moments in a
summer and the ones that continue to be retold and grow, those become legendary
moments in a camp with so many legendary moments.
It all starts in Ohio...Ohio has traditionally been SoccerPlus Goalkeeper
School's first camp of the summer. It is been our longest running camp (we've
been there since 1985) and there is something about the blue-collar, midwestern
work ethic that can't quite be articulated; add in the energy of anticipation
from the staff and you always get an electric feeling that sets the tone for all
other camps and provides the foundation for a great summer.
As we left Ohio, many of the staff, Mike Crane, Steve Wieczorek, Drew Mazzeo,
Scott Emmens and Brendan Lawler packed up their things and took off on the 6
hour trek through the Buckeye State into the heart of the Keystone State,
ultimately landing in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. Bloomsburg is one of our newest
locations (this was the second year), but it has already developed a reputation
for being an innovative site. This year, Ben Pinkerton, Shawn Mecchi and Brendan
Lawler created a hybrid pressure training that had never been done before,
utilizing both the now-popular footwork pressure training with a goalkeeping
element. We will continue to spend time during the winter months evolving this
idea, but don't be surprised to see this again soon [or for the first time if
you haven't seen it yet]. In speaking to Shawn Mecchi about his memories from
Bloomsburg, the first thing that popped into his mind was the "epic wee-man
battle in the Star Wars final." Eric and Jake faced off and like a championship
tennis match back and forth it went, each time the stakes getting higher and
both were up to the challenge. This prepared Jake for his impressive run during
the Staff-Student game in which he took out no fewer than three staff, before
the staff ultimately prevailed [as you probably already deduced or this story
would never be spoken of again].
Meanwhile, in Suffield, Connecticut, the first of 3 camps there this summer, the
NTC Staff boasted Assistant Coach for the Boston Breakers [WPS] Lisa Cole,
former University of Tennessee and US Youth National Team Goalkeeper Vanessa
Phillips-Bosshart and SoccerPlus new-comer, Ottawa Fury Goalkeeper Coach David
Bellemare. This was just scratching the surface of the goalkeeper staff that
week, however, I mention those 3 because sometimes people think that a smaller
camp is somehow a bad thing, but what happened that week was that the 16
goalkeepers in the National Training Center redefined for themselves the meaning
of "training;" Lisa, V and Dave made sure of that. Suffield Academy also had a
moment that only goalkeepers can understand in which the goalkeepers confronted
the fieldplayers with a new pressure training exercise called, "The British are
Coming."
In Texas, the three goalkeeper directors at TCU combined account for more than
40 years at SoccerPlus. SoccerPlus Goalkeeper School National Director George
Kostelis [18 years] along with Laurie Pells [14 consecutive years] and Adam
Clementson [11 years].
Some of the staff may well have taken a midnight train to Georgia or maybe there
was something in the air, because the reports came back that on Thursday during
Pressure Training the campers did 10 exercises before any break...WOW!
Indiana has quickly become one of SPGS's most popular states. We currently run a
day camp in Zionsville as well as the overnight program at DePauw. Scott Fox
reported that the All-Camp [including the Strikers] Star Wars game through the
mud pit got the whole camp dirty...but we're goalkeepers, so a little dirt
doesn't bother us much, besides I'm sure Mom was more than happy to get the
stains out when you got home. In the pressure training on the last day, Mike
Crane and Scott Emmens were training Knees-to-Chest-High-Ball. In the middle of
the exercise, Mike Crane twisted his ankle and fell to the ground in pain, Scott
Fox who was running the training, saw the gravity was quickly going to cause
this ball to hit the ground and instinct took over, he caught the ball and
seamlessly continued training with Scott Emmens while the athletic trainer saw
to Mike. Just another reminder that as a goalkeeper, you must always be prepared
for anything.
Since 1992, SoccerPlus has been putting on a program at the University of
California - San Diego in balmy La Jolla, California. Because California is on
the far western (as far as you can go and not be in the Pacific Ocean) side of
the time-zone, the sun goes down early. Fortunately at UCSD, we get to play
under the lights. Everybody feels like David Beckham playing under the lights
(it might be impossible not to). Fieldplayer Director Andrew DiCicco made an
impressive display of what fieldplayers are capable of when you give them gloves
in the Wednesday night Star Wars game. But as he is known for doing, Ziggy
Zigante stole the show doing a Pressure Training exercise dressed entirely in
pink (with a pink ball)!
Nate Kipp, Administrator Extraordinaire Scott Emmens, Ziggy Zigante and Anthony
DiCicco took the red-eye overnight to land in Syracuse, New York (with no bags
to speak of). But it would take more than clothes to damper our spirits, having
come off a spectacular week in California and having heard great reports from
Shawn Mecchi in Rhode Island, we knew that the week in Colgate was going to
bring together the staffs from the two separate tours and would give us a chance
to see the friends we hadn't yet seen this summer. There is no one site that is
better than another, but Colgate is certainly our flagship camp. We unveiled our
reorganized Two-Week Academy there in 2006 and it has become a destination
location for SoccerPlus campers from around the world. There may be something
about the location, Hamilton, New York is not a bustling metropolis, but when
you are heading there, you get the sense that you have to be going here for a
reason because you probably wouldn't happen to end up in this part of the
country unless you were motivated to be there. Whatever the reason, Colgate once
again lived up to the reputation it has for having energy, enthusiasm and
committed goalkeepers. Through the leadership of West Virginia and others, the
staff knew that the campers expected to be trained and they would put the work
in. This set the scene for the now annual Star Wars Moat Game. Both weeks at
Colgate had special qualities, however the Joker Face Paint and the Spartan
Women in Red may be cemented in my mind as the lasting images of this camp, if
it weren't for a SoccerPlus instant legend, Mote Girl (yes, moat spelled
correctly is M-O-A-T, but just go with it). This NTC two-week camper had gotten
through 28 of the 30 sessions when she came to the staff with a request, "I'd
like to take Star Wars off," she said. "I don't think my body can handle two
more sessions and I want to Pressure Train tomorrow." With a tremendous amount
of respect and admiration for the maturity of the decision, the staff agreed.
However, she had one request, "Can I hang out in the moat during the game
tonight?"
Pressure Training the last day at Colgate after two weeks which included a trip
to the Soccer Hall of Fame between the two weeks, was like an encore from a
great band that just played a great concert. It was everything we could've asked
for an more. A great note to leave New York on.
This year for the first time, the Advanced National Training Center was held at
one of the premier facilities in the country, Bowdoin College in Brunswick,
Maine. Some of the highlights from the week included the individual meeting and
conversations with Dr. Tiffany Jones of X-Factor Consulting who spent most of
the week in Maine with the ANTC Students. On the field, the In-Goal Functional
Pressure Training session on the last day has received high marks as did the
leadership of George Kostelis and Nathan Kipp, without taking anything away from
the other Directors who staffed ANTC: Siri Mullinix, Ziggy Zigante, Ben
Pinkerton, Sergio Gonzalez, Maren Rojas, Shawn Kelly, Drew Mazzeo and Dr. Jason
Scibek.
Our return to Suffield marking the return to Connecticut and the Northeast meant
the summer was starting to wrap up, but we weren't done quite yet. Star Wars
would once again be played in water, only this time the water came in the form
of standing-water on the fields. The staff celebrated their team victory by
diving headfirst through the wettest and muddiest spot while the whole camp
looked on and laughed at them. Pressure Training the next day was highlighted by
a rarity, the almost mythical, "Continuous Away Call." It is kind of like
Haley's Comet, it too may not be seen for 87 years, but the stories of it will
have to do in the meantime.
Not to be outdone, the small goalkeeper contingent leftover from the first week
and the Competitive goalkeepers that joined Shawn Mecchi were treated to, as one
camper described it, "The hardest thing and greatest thing I have ever done in
my life," a 28-exercise Pressure Training on Tuesday, driven indoors due to the
fact that ducks were swimming across the Soccer Fields. The rain ultimately led
to an enormous 10 or 12 foot (in diameter) tree falling out of the forest during
one evening session [it was AWESOME]!
Simultaneously, the final NTC-Challenge-Competitive camp of the summer took
place in Northfield, Massachusetts. Once again, Star Wars reinvented itself,
this time pitting the staff against the entire camp! But the notable stories
coming out Northfield were about injuries. Usually negatives, in this case, the
way these two goalkeepers handled themselves speaks to the mentality of those of
you who join us at camp and remind me why we as staff look forward to working
with goalkeepers for the nine months that we are waiting for the camp season.
Hannah took a shot to the face, the must respected cranial parry, however the
bloody nose that ensued could not be stopped, not during the session, not during
the break, it just kept on. All the while, Hannah refused to stop playing and
continued on with a nose plug keeping her jerseys blood free!
Similarly, Tristin took a ball to the dome...don't worry, both of the Contour
techniques were much improved by the end of the week...however, the ball that
hit Tristan in the face, happened to hit her right on her upper lip and caused
her braces to puncture her lip. Fortunately it was near the end of the session,
so the administrator was able to take her to the hospital without her missing
much. But due to the delay at the hospital, they were returning to campus just
before the next session, so in order to make sure she didn't miss any time on
the field, Tristin put on her gear and laced up her cleats in the van on the way
to the field. They arrived just as her group was warming up!
Thank you all so much for the memories from 2008! We are sure that there are
more (I wasn't able to be at every camp). So send them along...what do you
remember from camp? What good stories do you have? Pictures? Send those
too...all to tkl@goalkeeper.com. We will
post your responses next issue and add your stories to the SoccerPlus Archives
forever.
TKL Editor and SPGS
General Manager Anthony DiCicco is only responsible for the accurate portions of
this article. Any incorrect or incomplete details came from SoccerPlus Staff and
Students who must have told him the story wrong. Particular thanks goes out to
Shawn Mecchi, Scott Fox and Scott Emmens for the assistance in the recollection
of this summer's events.
2008 Photo Galleries will start appearing in October.
SPGS Staff in Ohio.
Ziggy, Who Dressed You?
(Click to See Video)
New York, Week 1:
After Star Wars.
New York Two-Week campers visit Soccer Hall.
Week 2 Moat Game. The Jokers and the Spartans.
Suffield Staff after finding some mud on the field during a Star Wars game.
HAVE PHOTOS? Send your camp photos (or other
photos of you playing or in SoccerPlus gear) to tkl@goalkeeper.com.
Since graduating from school, I embarked on a couple of journeys (I know it
sounds cliché, bare with me), some more literal than others. I drove from North
Carolina to California to play soccer for the WPSL team Ajax America. And for
what, you ask? Because I can’t imagine my life without soccer, and I’m doing
everything I can so that my career as a soccer player doesn’t end with my last
collegiate game.
I was nervous about the decision to move to California. Luckily for me, it all
panned out very well. We had a great season that culminated with the WPSL
Championship title. And I was able to meet some great people and make some great
connections through the league. Now I have a whole team full of people that I
heckle into training with me! Though most of the girls aren’t aspiring to play
pro, they have all been so supportive and willing to workout and train with me
to prepare for the combines that just happened at the end of August.
I also worked a few SoccerPlus camps this summer. After working in San Diego
last year, I knew that there was almost no better training environment that I
could put myself into than a week with the intensity of SoccerPlus: six hours a
day on the fields coaching, 200 goalkeepers; you know some madness is going to
ensue, and it did.
Working in San Diego provided me an opportunity to train with some great
keepers, as well as be trained by a group of some of the most respected
goalkeeper staff anywhere (in addition to all the coaching of course).
Getting to jump back into training with (Nathan) Kipp [Duke University
Goalkeeper Coach] was great. And having Ziggy [Zigante, former MLS Goalkeeper
Coach and Goalkeeping Guru] around was demanding and entertaining, as usual.
This year, I also got to travel to Massachusetts to work the last two weeks of the
10-week circuit. I met even more great SoccerPlus staff members and
extended my network of people even further. One of these people was Lisa Cole, who
is going to be the Assistant Coach for the Boston Breakers. I got to pick her
brain a little bit about what the league is going to be like, and what it’s
going to take for players to make the cut.
The combine a few weekends ago was what a lot of the summer was working towards.
A representative from each of the WPS teams was there, and all 70 women that
were there were eager to prove themselves worthy of a look. The combine started
with a goalkeeper session run by [SoccerPlus Founder and President] Tony DiCicco
and Lisa Cole, so all of the keepers were amped to show off their abilities.
After that we split up into four teams and spent three days rotating and playing
each other. The level of play and intensity of the games was great, despite the
heat (it was over 100 degrees!). I’m sure that the coaches saw some things they
liked and had some players catch their attention.
My life right now, post-combine, consists of trying to work out and train as
much as I can while working two jobs. as well as coaching. It’s busy, it’s
stressful, but it’s great. If I want to workout on the beach, it’s right there.
If I want to see a great soccer game, there are tons of great college programs
within an hour or so of each other. Sometimes I think it would have been easier
to go home, live rent-free and train with a local club team or something. But
when I get a great training in on the sand, or get to go watch a match like USC
vs. Santa Clara twenty minutes from my apartment, I know that I am doing what’s
best for me and putting myself in as good of a position as I can to try and make
it as a pro soccer player.
I’m not ready to give up playing, and I’m doing everything I can so that I don’t
have to.
In preparation for the return of Women's Professional Soccer, TKL asked one of
our staff coaches and aspiring professional player, Alli Lipsher, what she's
doing get ready to play in WPS.
Alli Lipsher: Makes a save during a 3-Goal
Demo in Northfield, Massachusetts.
Alli: This SoccerPlus Staff Coach is not ready to close the book on her
playing career yet.
"Great goalkeepers perform at a high-level game
after game. Alli Lipsher played 85 games in her career at Duke, amassing 33
shutouts and allowing, on average, less than a goal per game over her four
years. As a captain and leader, she helped her team into four consecutive NCAA
tournaments, taking the Blue Devils to the Elite 8 in her senior season. Without
a doubt, her on-field accomplishments set her apart from most collegiate
goalkeepers. But for me, it is her off-the-field attitude that makes her great.
Alli is a ferocious competitor, a self-motivated athlete, and a soccer-lover.
More than any goalkeeper I’ve trained, she seeks excellence in all her athletic
endeavors—soccer and non-soccer alike. And, she has fun doing it. With a WPSL
title under her belt in her first year out of college, I expect to see more
great things from Alli in the years to come."
-NSK
Nathan Kipp (left) coaches Alli Lipsher during a Duke game in
2007.
Please feel free to tell us what you think he might be saying to Alli by
e-mailing us at tkl@goalkeeper.com.
With the exceptionally limited
off-season most soccer players face, the choice what to do
during that time becomes a struggle for some players.
Train for better performance? Train for injury prevention?
Rest?
It is always best to take 3 weeks off each calendar year.
For the purposes of this article we will consider one
calendar year one training cycle. Evidence-based research has
shown that over the course of an athletic career that any
fitness losses from taking 3-4 weeks off is superseded by the
gains make in the next training cycle and subsequent training
cycles. Taking time off allows for more complete recovery from
the small traumas that occur over the course of a whole season,
no matter what the sport or position.
So, how can a young athlete make the gains in fitness and also
in injury prevention while also taking time off each year?
Sports Medicine professionals know that there are certain
physical limitations which although they may not cause an
injury, seem to not help prevent injuries. Among these are:
Reliance on the Quadriceps muscles versus the
hamstrings.
Over-reliance on the hip flexors (front
of hip) versus the hip extensors (your gluteal muscles).
From young-teens on, females seem to under-utilize their
gluteal muscles and their hamstrings. This is throught to be
one of the major factors to higher ACL injury rates in
females.
Running with your body not in a stable
position upon foot strike or landing with a heavy foot
strike.
Landing hard (often with an audible
sound) with the knees in a straighter position. Again,
mid-teen and older females tend to do this more so than
their male counterparts.
As such, there are certain movement skills
which athletes of any position (but especially goalkeepers) can
do to reduce their risk of injury. These same skills also
translate into improved athletic ability as they work by
improving the body’s ability to stop, start and absorb shock
well.
Gluteal Muscle strengthening
Hamstring Muscle Strengthening
Strengthening not just your abdominal
muscles, but all of the muscles around your midsection.
Landing efficiently and effectively.
Running with technical proficiency.
You don’t need to train extensively to gain
these skills, but clean technique done in small amounts over
time makes changes. Indeed, when you perform these activities
beyond the point when you’re fatigued and technique gets
sloppy, you actually stop making these gains. Some ideas to
accomplish these gains include:
Landing from a height of 0” up to 9” without making a sound.
This necessitates using the hip, knee and ankle joints to
smoothly and uniformly bend to take shock.
Running without making a sound. This is a
great deal more difficult than you would think. In doing
this, you stride and push-off both become much smoother.
Smoother strides translate to more push-off with less effort
and that leads to much more speed.
SoccerPlus has begun a trial project over the
last year with some of our youth teams and the
population-at-large in the greater Farmington, Connecticut area.
Although having a strength & conditioning class or having an ACL
injury prevention class is not unique, we’ve expanded this
program to incorporate strong ACL, hip and ankle injury
prevention, along with improved first step and change of
direction ability while also improving soccer-specific fitness.
The classes were short in duration (totaling 1 hour each week
for 6 weeks) and most reported that by the end of class they
barely felt as though their fitness was challenged. Most went
immediately from this clinic to a full team practice without
limitation.
It came as a small surprise that of the small number of athletes
randomly tested, that vertical leap improved as much as 3½
inches and 20-yard dash improved as much as 2/10thof
a second. Both hugely significant for goalkeepers! This was all
done while emphasizing injury prevention-based activities. It
even progressed over the 6 weeks of our 1-hour each week class
to allow the athletes to run and cut at full speed in almost
total silence.
Think about the difference that 3½
inches makes for a goalkeeper. Have you ever had a ball just get
through your fingertips on a cross? What about one that just got
over your head when you were going back to the bar? Little gains
make a big difference on the field. Look in to an injury
prevention class in your area and you may well see a difference
on the field as well.
Paul is
currently the National Administrator for SoccerPlus
Camps and the ATC and Strength and Conditioning
Consultant for the SoccerPlus CT Reds. He owns Cacolice
Conditioning & Consulting (nomagicbean.com)
and lives with his wife, Carolyn and two boys, Camden
and Quinn in Enfield, Connecticut.
It is always best to take 3
weeks off each calendar year.
Staff Coach Update: Kate
Milstead Kate Milstead is the starting goalkeeper for Florida State
University. As of this publication, she has started and played in
all 7 games, playing all but 54 minutes for the Seminoles this
season, accumulating at 5-1-1 record with 2 shutouts and a 0.76
Goals Against Average.
Earlier this year, Kate traveled with FSU back to State College,
Pennsylvania where she started her career for Penn State University.
TKL asked her about that experience:
"Transferring was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to
make; I loved Penn State, but I knew I wasn't happy with being 2nd
string for the rest of my career either. Fast forward two seasons
and I'm back on Jeffrey Field (Penn State's Soccer Stadium) getting
ready to play, this time as a Florida State Seminole. As my
teammates had been telling me all preseason, "this is for bragging
rights," but it meant something completely different to me. Despite
the fact that I already knew I had made the best decision of my life
in transferring to FSU, playing on Jeffrey again was the perfect
venue to enter my first season of college soccer as the starting
goalkeeper. Winning the game 4-1 was not only a solid victory for
FSU defeating another top ten team, but the win and making a handful
of saves in it helped to solidify in my own mind that I had the
ability to play, on Jeffrey and at the highest level of collegiate
women's soccer." -Kate
Milstead
We wish Kate and the Seminoles the best of luck as they continue
their quest for a fourth straight College Cup and a return to the
National Championship Game.
Kate Milstead: Kate has been a SoccerPlus
camper since she was 12; she's now playing for a Top 10 Division 1
Program.
I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to send you a quick note.
I have accepted a position with Real Maryland F.C. (http://www.realmaryland.us)
as their new General Manager. They currently participate in the
Second Division of the United Soccer Leagues.
I have a lot to do in a short amount of time with this transition,
but I am excited to return to the Washington, DC Area.
Take care,
David Noyes
Congratulations on your new position. We're sure you're going to
do a great job! Good luck with the move and the new team; let us
know how it is going.
I will be
evaluating U-12 girls soccer goalies; they have not been coached
the position before and have for the most part been using their
instincts. I am a parent of one of the field players; I grew up
playing goalie at a fairly high level, but it has been 15 years
since I played. Can you give me an idea of some things I should be
looking for. I want to give each girl a fair evaluation.
Any insight you can provide would be great!
Scott Gundersen
Scott,
Thanks for the note, tryouts are never an easy process, however,
there are some qualities that tend to exist in most goalkeepers.
Fortunately one of our Directors put together a list for each of the
four dimensions (technical, tactical, physical and psychological):
Evaluating Goalkeepers.
The other suggestions that I have for you are:
1) Make sure you see the goalkeepers in a variety of situations and
force them to utilize as many techniques as you can during the
tryout.
2) Remember that just because a girl isn't the best goalkeeper right
now, doesn't mean she may not be your best goalkeeper in a few years
time. I would probably put a little more emphasis on aggression,
bravery, athleticism and enjoyment of the position now, knowing that
with training she can become more technical and will develop a
better understanding for the position. Hope that helps!
My 14 year
old daughter has attended the Challenge Program the last two
years in Rhode Island. She is currently not being consistent
in her kicks from the keeper position. I don't know all the
terminology, but it's when she punts the ball downfield
after an attempted shot.
She has a strong leg and often kicks to mid-field, but she
seems to be also sending a good many few squibb balls .
I'm looking for some advice on form, quickness of kick,
positioning etc.
Thank You,
Bill Ritinski
Bill,
We love seeing the same campers year after year and seeing
how they've grown in their game and as people. I hope she
had a great time. Knowing that she has the ability to punt
to midfield is good. This means that she has enough
technical ability to be able to have success with this
particular skill. Now the goal needs to be consistency. This
will come with repetition. When she's practicing her
punting and she hits one that feels good, have her pause for
a minute and "imprint" that feeling, her approach, the way
she dropped the ball, her body position, etc. Then strive to
replicate that. Repetition will bring consistency. (If she
wasn't able to ever kick to midfield, I would look at the
technical components, but often times consistency is a
result on a goalkeeper not having a good routine or knowing
what works, so they end up changing what they are doing
without knowing it, often times with mixed results). Kicking
into a net or having several balls to kick down field are
good ways to train this.
The old adage
“it’s a small world” really is true in the San Diego,
California world of soccer. It all began the summer of 2007,
when a member of the Alliance Soccer Club went to her first
SoccerPlus Camp for goalies, and met a coach who was a
college player at the University of San Diego (USD). She
went through her week in the Challenge Program, learning
everything she could about being a goalkeeper and
befriending that coach.
Now, a year later, one of the SoccerPlus coaches, Britany
Cameron, is one of the goalkeepers for the San Diego United
Women’s team; and that player, Whitney Midelton, is the
goalie for the San Diego United GU-15 AAA team. San Diego
United
is in its first year in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL).
SD United has added this women's amateur team to join the
youth club teams.
Both Britany and Whitney are coached by Elio Bello, the
United Soccer League Coach of the Year in 2007.
Britany sets a great example for players such as Whitney,
who want to play at the college level. Whitney continues to
focus on her education on and off the field to be prepared
for the challenges that she will work to overcome, and
returned to camp this summer to the SoccerPlus camp in the
Competitive Program and hopes to receive an invitation to
the National Training Center next year. Britany led the USD
Toreros to a top ten ranking last season and will continue
to share her knowledge with the youth players she inspires.
Whitney will continue to support Britany and her SD United
team in the WPSL.
Michael Midelton & The SD United Family
SD UNITED - “UNITED WE PLAY”
Michael and Whitney, this is a great story. We love to hear
how SoccerPlus connections pop up outside of camp. You may
be interested to know that SoccerPlus too has a WPSL Team,
SoccerPlus Connecticut. We
couldn't agree with you more that these college and aspiring
professional players are wonderful role models for youth
players to have. It also provides a very real avenue to
aspire to play at higher levels. Hopefully we'll see Whitney
playing for SD United soon. We wish Whitney and Britany best
of luck in their seasons.
Editor's
Note: We already have more stories on deck for October; keep
sending them in and we'll keep including them.
David Noyes: David has been the Goalkeeper
Coach for the Carolina Railhawks the past two seasons; he has
previously been a college coach and a SoccerPlus Assistant Director.
Britany Cameron & Whitney Midelton: The two met at
SoccerPlus, now they play for the same coach, in the same club.
Former Chelsea
manager, José Mourinho, has made an immediate impact on
English football, with his unmistakeable
self-confidence, drive and ambition. His rise from
relatively humble beginnings as assistant coach to Sir
Bobby Robson to most sought-after club manager in
Europe, is a fascinating and revealing story.
Long-term friend, journalist Luís Lourenço tells us
about the formative years of Mourinho's career. We learn
of his management skills – the way he motivates players,
and his football philosophy. Mourinho himself writes of
his move to Roman Abramovich's Chelsea; of his ‘mind
games’ with Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United are
knocked out of Europe; and his fears for his and his
family’s safety after receiving a death threat on the
eve of what should have been the biggest night of his
life.
Luis Lourenco guides us through the formative years in
Mourinho's coaching career, as he returns to Portugal
from Barcelona at the turn of the millennium and embarks
on the remarkable four-year journey, which will lead him
to Chelsea.
A journey which includes short-lived yet turbulent
spells at Portuguese giants Benfica and minnows Uniao de
Leiria, and culminates in a night of unforgettable glory
for FC Porto and Jose Mourinho as they are crowned
Champions of Europe.
Readers of The
Keeper's Line ask some pretty interesting questions. One that
often pops up is: "What do national team coaches look for in a
goalkeeper?" The answer is several things. Among them:
Work Ethic. I and the other
National Team Coaches know that if we get someone with a bit of
talent mixed in with the ability to work and train hard, we can
develop that talent. Mary Harvey [starting goalkeeper in the 1991
Women's World Cup] is currently recovering from knee surgery, yet
her work ethic gives confidence to all the coaches that she will be
back soon, as good as ever. (As I write this, she is probably doing
some training as part of her rehab!)
Athleticism. To compete at the international level, every
player must be a special athlete. Reaction speed, explosion and
footwork are all part of this athletic package. But what many people
don't realize is that the athletic dimension can be improved with
training. Athleticism and work ethic make a potent combination. Jeff
Cassar [current Real Salt Lake Goalkeeper Coach], with the U-20
Men's National Team was not the most experienced keeper. But he was
athletic, and he worked extremely hard from the first minute to the
last every time he trained.
Coachability. My thinking is that we should seldom try to
change a keeper's style, but we should try to make him or her as
effective as possible within the framework of how they play the
game. However, every player - goalkeepers included - must be
responsive to the big picture (the team), and be able to adjust
according to changing team tactics.
After the U-20s qualified for the World Championship, we knew as a
coaching staff that our keepers would need to dominate the penalty
area on flighted balls. [Former SoccerPlus Director] Rick Koczak was
an outstanding line keeper who adjusted to the demands of his
coaches; he became quite good at getting to and handling crossed
balls farther from his goal line. He responded to his coaches and
the needs of his team.
Specialness. What I mean is that every player must have a
special quality - something that lifts him or her above the crowd of
other excellent keepers. As I think about the national team keepers
I work with, I realize that each has something special. Kim Wyant is
an incredible athlete, Rick Koczak is brilliant on point-blant
shots, Mary Harvey possesses leadership and no weaknesses, Jeff
Cassar is a fantastic athlete with an excellent kicking game and
Saskia Webber is very strong and athletic.
The Ability to Make the Big Play. This is an intangible, but
some players just come up big at the best times. Others make equally
impressive saves, but not at key moments when the game literally
hangs in the balance. This very often occurs at the end of the match
- for example, when the U-20 Men qualified for the World
Championship. We got there with a 2-1 victory over Canada, in
Canada. Rick Koczak made two or three stellar plays at the end of
the game that spelled the difference.
Of course, these game-turning plays can also come at the start. Jeff
Cassar, our other U-20 keeper, made a play against Turkey in
Australia that, had they scored, would have turned the match around.
We went on to a 6-0 victory, but the coaches and players knew the
importance of that early save.
As a coach for US Soccer, I know that it takes some luck to make the
national team. Being seen at the right time, avoiding or stepping up
because of injuries, fitting a role that the coach is looking for -
all play a part. There are many talented keepers who don't get a
break. But we also know that the keepers who are playing for our
National and Olympic teams made their breaks happen, and when they
get their chance, they made the best of the opprotunity.
Go For it - and good luck,
Tony DiCicco: Circa 1994.
Training the goalkeepers.
Tony is currently in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with the US U20
Women's National Team Preparing for the World Championships in
November and December in Chile. This event will be his 6th World
Championship Event with various US National Teams.
US U20 World Championship Draw
(Group Stage): 19 Nov 2008 vs. France
22 Nov 2008 vs. Argentina
26 Nov 2008 vs. China
I have just finished reading the September-October Issue of Soccer
Journal (Volume 53, Number 5) in which there is an article titled
The Unique Selling Point of Women's Soccer by Mr. Ian Lawrance.
This journal is sent to more than 20,000 members of the coaching
community in the United States. The author concludes that the
league:
1) Must establish a good reputation among customers,
2) Allow fans to have access to the players,
3) Have favorable visibility through the media,
4) [Maintain] low cost structure.
And while I agree that all of those things are necessary for the
league to be successful, in no manner of speaking does that ensure
the success of Women's Professional Soccer [WPS].
Mr. Lawrence also spends a great deal of time on the role of
sexuality in women's soccer, first posing the question, "Is it
ethical to use sex to sell? Or is it selling out?" Ultimately coming
to the conclusion that, "When the sexiness or sexuality takes
priority over the athletic experience, the line has been crossed."
To this I respond, that it would be unethical to not do everything
in your power that does not break the law to sell women's soccer. I
have heard many times during the re-launch of the infancy of the
National Football League and the fact that it took the league
several attempts before the league was able to gain firm standing,
however, we are no longer in the 1920s and there are a great deal
more things that compete for our time and entertainment dollar, so
this league will not be afforded the same honeymoon that the early
NFL or other leagues did. In fact, quite the opposite, should this
attempt to launch women's professional soccer fail, there is a
strong likelihood that the dream of this league and the ultimate
legacy of the pioneers in women's soccer such as Michelle Akers, Mia
Hamm, Julie Foudy and so many others, could be lost for a whole
generation. So with that sobering thought in mind, please allow me
to make a few suggestions to help identify the "Unique Selling
Point" that WPS can have.
1) Professionalism. This trait should define the league and
all that it does. In a day an age when everything is scrutinized and
discussed on blogs and forums and on soccer fields, this league
should embody all of the qualities of what it means to be a good
professional athlete and none of the negatives. This comes from the
top down and so far, it has to be said that Tonya Antonucci, who by
all accounts has been the driving force behind this revival, is a
true professional and conducts herself as such.
So, Miss Antonucci, you need to be more firm with the franchises.
The carousel ride that everyone has been on with Dallas, San Diego
and San Jose does not do justice to the league. It seems that you
are having a hard time giving away franchises instead of allowing
these cities the privilege of affiliating themselves with the most
professional, highest quality and most competitive league in the
world. Just think that from Day 1, you can be more competitive than
Baseball, Basketball, Hockey and even Major League Soccer, who can
not seem to field winning teams in New York or LA.
And certainly, as I hope you are, you need to think about the tone
you set for the players that teams have recently started adding.
Don't let them take this for granted, not even for a minute. They
need to put their team and this league first and that's not an easy
thing to do.
2) Customer Base. Think about this in terms of an election.
If you were running for President, you can't win unless your base
turns out. This is no different. You can't be successful unless your
base turns out. Your base are the 20,000 coaches who are NSCAA
members, the thousands of NCAA athletes who play soccer and the 18
million registered soccer players in this country. More than 55% of
those 18 million players come from families whose median income is
greater than $60,000. That means that they should be able to afford
to come to games (if you price the tickets right, please don't take
notes from the other professional sports on this). Right now, you
need to be recruiting an army of youth coaches and march in front of
them Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, Anson Dorrance, Tony
DiCicco, Pia Sundhage, David Beckham, Sunil Gulati, the State Puff
Marshmellow Man and anyone else you can think of who can explain to
these coaches that the only way for our players to get better is to
watch more soccer.
In an article written in 2001, Tony DiCicco wrote:
When a young player watches
a WUSA game or WNT game live, she sees and experiences, the real
speed of the game… the real version of pace, quickness,
tenacity. It is not uncommon for a team that attends a game and
really watches …is a better team the very next day in practice.
Why? Players see the crispness of the tackles and the sharpness
of the passes. How top players receive a ball out of air, how
clean their first touch is and how they relieve pressure
individually with their own flair and collectively by passing
out of pressure. Countless player and team qualities can be
observed and learned and applied to their own games…all by just
coming to a WUSA game.
As an Assistant coach with our U20 Men’s team in 1993, I
witnessed this first hand. We were on a trip to England
preparing for the U20 World Championship in Australia later that
year. We had the top players from the American College system
and even a couple that were already professionals. In other
words, they could play. We took the team to see QPR play
Manchester United in London. The game was awesome. The speed of
ball movement was very impressive. The strength of tackles and
the quality and speed of runs off the ball was special. The
players studied the game and it’s players and the next day in
training, our young men were better players and we were a better
U20 National Team. Why? It was clear to me then and just as
clear now that watching top professional players in person is a
wonderful player development opportunity. In my opinion,
watching an international or professional game LIVE is a
positive substitute or replacement for a team training session
or even a match or…two. Watching just one game can make a very
noticeable difference.
What coach doesn't want to make
his or her players better? This is one of the most successful
coaches in the world telling you THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT! This should
be an easy sell, especially to all those parents looking for a
competitive advantage for their daughters (but that's a whole other
article). Get the coaches, get the parents, get the girls.
Don't forget to communicate with teams and leagues to minimize their
scheduling conflicts during your games. Go to their scheduling
meetings and talk to the Club Presidents and Directors of Coaching.
They need to be on your side, this can't be a suggestion from them,
it needs to be a mandate.
3) So You Get Them To A Game, Now What? Well, you have to get
them to come back for more games. This is the challenge of leagues.
In baseball, they found success in promotions such as "bat day" or
"family night." In football, they found value in the shortness of
the schedule. If you only play 8 home games a year, every game is an
"event." Basketball and hockey benefit from the ability to have fans
"courtside" or "on the glass." So soccer has to find a way to pick
up on some of these tricks that are already being used by other
sports. Major League Soccer (for all the things they've done well)
are currently struggling with fixture congestion and a certain
degree of anonymity with their players. I'm a soccer fan in New
England and I may be able to name 4 or 5 Revolution players.
So the solution is, you have to not only make these women available
to the fans, you have to introduce them to the fans. Tell their
stories, make them human. One thing that many of these women have
that their male counterparts in soccer and other sports don't is
that they are well-educated, articulate, personable and yes,
sometimes attractive, people. They are role models and they are
everything that is good about sports and they are real and they are
the evidence that your daughters can aspire to be the best in
whatever they do, whether it be on or off the field. If you as the
people selling the league don't beat this message over the heads of
soccer coaches, soccer parents and Corporate America, you are doing
yourselves a disservice. They can't just be numbers in a blue or red
or purple jersey running around on a field. They need to be
humanized. And in order to get them comfortable working in front of
crowds, doing interviews or just being around people, they will need
to be trained; it may come naturally to some, but you can't expect
that. Budget for a publicist or Public Relations/Media consultant;
make sure that person is good at what they do. This will be more
challenging because you don't have that much time between now and
April, but this may be the most important piece of this all, because
you don't have Mia and you don't have a whole host of other former
players that people might have known. If you allow this group of
players to remain anonymous, you will struggle to fill seats.
As I mentioned, I live in New England and I have recently purchased
Boston Breakers tickets. As a show of appreciation and as an
opportunity to get Breakers supporters together, they recently had a
tailgate at the Revolution-Galaxy game in Foxboro. The game ended up
being a 2-2 tie. The people inside The Giant Razor (Gillette
Stadium) cheered a grand total of 4 times; can you guess when they
cheered? If this had been my first time to a soccer game, I might
never return. There was no emotional connection between the fans and
the game. So GMs and Presidents and CEOs, if you haven't, I would
encourage you to go to Washington DC and STAND with the Barra Brava
or the Screaming Eagles and feel their connection to their team. It
will be harder to get people to stand and cheer at WPS games, but
the connection doesn't have to be. You need to be creative about how
to make it happen. Get colleges to send their rowdies, bring in
Sam's Army or whoever you have to, but create an environment where
people get the feeling that this means something. People don't want
to go to a sporting event that feels like it takes place in a church
or the library. And they certainly don't want some random voice from
above saying, "Goal Kick...WPS-Bay Area." [By the way, they're going
to start play in 6 months, it might be time to get a name.] You may
have to be creative here, but this is important.
Expect people to come! People turned out in San Diego, Washington,
Atlanta and Boston the first time. The crowds were good. Expect
people to come, but make sure to give them a reason to come back!
So just a few reminders: remember, you have the opportunity to be
best league in the world from the first touch of the ball. Remember,
you have special young women that people can relate to. Remember, if
this doesn't work, there is no next trip around the carrousel, so
grab the golden ring; Viva WPS! Viva Breakers!
The SoccerPlus Family lost a passionate supporter this month when
Anthony Dominic DiCicco, Sr., 87, of Wethersfield, Connecticut
passed away peacefully.
Father of SoccerPlus founder, Tony DiCicco, Jr., he was a caring,
generous and dedicated man. He ran a successful business, City Auto
Radiator Company, in Hartford, Connecticut from 1945 until his
retirement in 1986. A father of four, his children, Lorraine, Tony,
Robert and Joan, have all taken the lessons he taught and
implemented them as a nurse, coach/educator and teachers,
respectively. His compassion and kind spirit live on through them.
His stories were legendary and his abilities cannot be understated,
he was a plumber, carpenter, electrician, gardener and mechanic, all
self-taught.
As an Italian-American he was very proud of both heritages and was
an avid supporter for the New York Yankees and New York Giants, as
well as the US Women's National Team.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Welcome Sasportas DiCicco,
four children, 11 grandchildren and 1 great-granddaughter as well as
many nieces and nephews and a brother-in-law.
He was a great man, a great role and a member of the SoccerPlus
family since the beginning. He will be missed.
An In-Memorial donation can be made to the SoccerPlus Education
Center (a 501-c-3 not-for-profit organization providing programs for
inner city youth).
For More Information
Tony DiCicco, Jr. and
Tony DiCicco, Sr.
Tony DiCicco, Sr. was a loving husband, father and grandfather, a successful
businessman and a legendary storyteller.
Tony DiCicco, Sr. with Anthony DiCicco (left) and Andrew
DiCicco (right) and Dempsy.
