So, soccer can be a cruel game and it can also have the last laugh as we demonstrated on Saturday. The players went from feeling like they were on the top of the world, to feeling like they had been ripped off by the tooth fairy! We played a team we were more than capable [...]

OK, so we are now on our official 48hour countdown to our first game on Thursday. Today we had a decent practice, working on our midfielders and finishing. We had to cancel tonight’s practice due to the fires here in L.A. so we had a chalk and talk session regarding attacking set plays. Here are [...]

Ok, so we are now well into our pre season training and the team is looking good. I gave the players the rest of the day off today as they are looking a little beaten up. The shape of the team is coming together and our starting line up is beginning to emerge. Today we [...]

OK, we just completed our second day of pre season soccer training. Here is the format: 8.15am-10.30 Practice #3 Topic, Running with the Ball and Beating Players 1.00pm-2.00pm Team Meeting #3 2.30pm-4.30pm Practice #4 Topic, Crossing and Finishing 7.00pm-8.00pm Team Meeting #4 The format for the team meetings were as follows: Housekeeping Review of the [...]

Firstly I want to apologise for the lack of posts over the last month or so. I have had a very busy summer and I have had some health issues to deal with as well. I am now back fully in the swing of things and this time of year I am doubly focused on [...]

In order to control the soccer ball successfully every time here are the 5 Easy Steps: 1. DECISIONS: TO CONTROL OR NOT TO CONTROL? Before you attempt to control the soccer ball, decide if you even need to control the ball in the first place. Sometimes you can actually fake that you are going to [...]

Here are the 5 important steps to beating a player in soccer: 1. ANGLE OF APPROACH As the player with the ball approaches the defender, he needs to look for the space he wants to exploit. Remember to dribble with the head up. Then the player attacks the defender with such an angle of approach [...]

OK, so we now have World Cup Qualifiers to watch over the next few days. Some of them will be great games, some of them will be a formality. All of them present us with opportunities to learn more about the game so that we can take this new found knowledge onto the practice field. [...]

OK, so this was a pretty good game, got off to a great start with the fastest goal in FA Cup history, 26 seconds from Saha. Let’s compare how Chelsea reacted to this setback to how Manchester United reacted when Barcelona scored early on in the Champions League Final. Manchester United crumbled, their players hid [...]

Looking forward to the final game of the season tomorrow, the English Football Association Challenge Trophy, more commonly called “The FA Cup.” This is the oldest domestic cup competition in the world. Every team in England competes in the competition with the professional teams being introduced to the latter stages. The competition is steeped in [...]