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Category Archives: Style
On the Diving Culture in Soccer
“Rugby is a beastly game played by gentlemen; soccer is a gentleman’s game played by beasts; football is a beastly game played by beasts.”- Henry Blaha I drove to New Orleans with a buddy from Canada and we talked a … Continue reading
Your Passes are Quarter Notes in a Cartesian Plane!
Isaac Stern made a living playing the violin. If you don’t know anything about classical music, you probably still know that you have to be pretty damn good to make money at it. So what does it mean that a … Continue reading
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Tagged 4-3-3, geometry, isaac stern, john cage, possession, space, violin, vision, Xavi
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Nothing New Under the Sun: Tactics at the Lower Levels
One of the small mistakes I often make is to assume that all soccer is played the same way, no matter who or where the game is taking place. This is something that’s seen in other sports. When kids play … Continue reading
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Tagged American football, lower level, picking on David Luiz, tactics, usa
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Returned in Mint Condition: Landon on Loan
I’d be lying if I pretended I wasn’t worried. Something had seemed off since at least the summer; even during the Gold Cup the results – a goal, a couple of assists – seem to flatter the play. I said … Continue reading
The Comfort Zone: The U.S.A. and the 4-4-2
You could see it almost immediately yesterday, the familiar patterns settling back in. Center midfielder passes to a forward who is checking back to the ball and who then passes sideways to outside midfielder pushing past him. Midfield running with … Continue reading
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Put Me Back In, Coach
Part II of our ongoing dialogue detailing what our experiences coaching teams of kids, friends or fellow students, have taught us about the game. Wes: In Part I, we touched on several themes of coaching youth soccer, including formation practice vs. … Continue reading
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Formation Renovation: Rethinking the Long Ball
Welcome to Formation Renovation, where we figure out which modern players would best fit into some time-honored styles. The idea behind Formation Renovation is simple: It’s an attempt to figure out who today could do what they did back then. … Continue reading
Rules of the Game: Introduction
Have you ever heard that dreams are just desires revealed by your subconscious? I dreamt the other night that I met Juanfran at a water park. I was wearing a pair of swimming trunks, dripping wet, when he ambled by … Continue reading
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Tagged corner kicks, football rules, goals, lights-and-darks, offsides, pick-up, pick-up rules, picking teams, shirts-and-skins, soccer rules
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