The Greater the Pressure, the Stronger the Diamond?

This is something I have been thinking about for the u9 and u10 players that I coach: Why do great players come from the streets of South America and Africa and not the Academies of Europe? I think it’s primarily because there is no hiding in street soccer. Your only hope is to get good at technique and be powerful enough to make things happen.

You can show a kid in an academy environment that “getting wide”, for example, helps the team be successful because it gives that player 2 or 3 extra seconds to handle the ball. This is not good if you want him to develop as an individual player. If he stays inside (where the defense is) he will have to immediately deal with the defender. This situation will teach him control of the ball better. Eventually when he is older and playing at higher levels the pressure will be all over the field anyway so why introduce hiding spaces now?

Is this a good idea? I don’t know. It is an experiment. What are your thoughts? I just want to combine all of the positives of coached soccer with all the positives of street soccer.

So I have not yet started asking the little guys to get wide and open up and it makes parents upset. All of that stuff might actually help the team win. I have just focused on teaching the skill necessary to deal with the ball under immense pressure from the other team. I want that pressure on these players - now. I want them to have to fight and come out stronger for it. I don’t want to show them the easy way out. I want the pressure to create the diamond.

What then do I do, you ask? I keep the parents away. I Introduce new turns, touches, moves in the beginning of practice and encourage the guys to try dribbling and to play selfishly without fear. I downplay the outcome and take the heat. Are we winning? Not a chance. Are we improving? Definitely. Will I be fired at the end of the year? Possibly.

MLS = Ordinary Joes + World Class Athletes

I missed the Galaxy’s first two games but I got the chance to watch them last Sunday at home v Toronto FC. Galaxy lost 3-2. Donovan scored two; Beckham could have had five assists. Toronto FC were lucky. Galaxy dominated, but gave up three counterattack goals.

MLS is a spectacle like no other. Ordinary Joes get to line up alongside World Class Athletes. I'm not going to name certain new players on LA, but doubt all of the players on the team understand how lucky they are to be in the same environment with Landon Donovan and David Beckham.

The combination of talent and hunger to earn everything you get puts these two in the same category as Tiger Woods. Even though (or maybe because) they are the highest paid and most talented, they are still the hardest working players on the field every game. They are never satisfied. It is this special blend of insecurities that makes them the outstanding competitors that they are.

David Beckham gets a lot of flak if the team loses, but man he kills himself out there. Up and down the wing, inside to cover, over to take free kicks and corners – perfectly crossed balls that don’t end up in the net. It has to be frustrating. But no yelling at teammates - just more hard work. What an example. He’s worth the cash even if he never wins a trophy. As long as his attitude on the pitch is mimicked by the top 10% of soccer players in this country, it will have been a great investment.