Goal-Line Technology

The news came out this week that FIFA is on line to finally debut goal-line technology to help deal with close calls. With technology already widespread throughout the other major sports the introduction into the soccer world was way overdue.

FIFA will roll it out this December in the Club World Cup and it'll also be used in Brazil for the Confederates Cup and World Cup.

With FIFA jumping on board, UEFA shouldn't be far behind.

Euro 2012 Thoughts

I know this is a little late, but here's a good recap of the Euro Final.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/grant_wahl/07/01/euro-2012-spain-italy-final/index.html

Euro Quarterfinals: Game 2

Greece vs Germany

Game 2 of the quarterfinals features a favorite against a stubborn underdog. Germany was the only team to win out in the group stage. Mario Gomez was impressive and the Germans are as intimidating as ever. Germany hasn't won it all since 1996.

Greece managed to get out of the group stage with a win, loss and tie. That win coming in the last game against Russia. Defense will of course be the key for the Greeks. It's the same story as when they won it in 2004.

Germany 2 Greece 0

Euro Quarterfinals: Game 1

Eight teams remain after a better-than-expected group stage. We didn't see a single 0-0 draw and were never short on drama. We saw a giant in the Netherlands burn out, a joke in Ireland fall flat on its face and a Cinderella in Greece sneak through.

With the quarterfinals starts the real drama, and we have some intriguing match ups to prepare our pallets for the semis. 

First, we have today's game:

Czech Republic vs Portugal

The Euros give Ronaldo a chance to step out of Messi's shadow. He put on a great show against the Netherlands and has a real shot at taking Portugal to the semis. The majority had Germany and the Netherlands emerging from the group of death so you have to think Portugal fans must feel like they're playing with free money.

The Czech Republic looked horrendous in the 1-4 defeat to Russia, but managed to put it together and, with Greece's assistance, turn lemons in to lemonade. Petr Cech was heavily relied on in the group stage and it should be more of the same in the quarters.

I'm going to hop on Ronaldo's bandwagon. Portugal could be a dark horse if he really gets it going. The Czechs put up a good fight but Portugal advances with a 2-1 win.

Major Island Soccer

Here's an excerpt from Hawaii Soccer Association's Major Island Soccer Organization's June newsletter.

 

 

 

The last Championship game (among all MISO Divisions) of the 2012 season was the Div I Final, amongst two of the most successful teams in MISO's history, LANIKAI TUESDAY FC and HSC BULLS. The two teams had also finished the season as the top two teams in Division I. Lanikai Tuesday finished the season with an impressive 15-1-2 record, while the Bulls finished 2nd at 12-3-3. However the Bulls managed to be the only team to ruin Lanikai's undefeated season, and later eliminated them from the Robledo Cup competition.

 

The game promised to be very tight and competitive, as both teams were well balanced. The game began with both teams studying each other. Then little by little both teams began pushing forwards. At the 16 min mark, Stephen Fung (the Bulls goalkeeper) made a BIG save to preserve the 0-0 score. The game became a tight midfield battle with occasional threats on goal. In the 26th minute, after a scramble inside Lanikai's box, Bradley Kuske picked up the loose ball about 15 yards out and was able to slot it past Lanikai's keeper Josh Fouts to give the Bulls a 1-0 lead. A few Lanikai players heavily protested the goal to the referee, but the goal stood. The game began to pick up on intensity, but Lanikai wasn't able to change the score before half time.

 

The second half picked up where the first had ended, and little by little as the clock kept ticking away, it became a very physical & grueling match.

Lanikai kept pushing forwards looking for the much needed goal, but the Bulls were well poised in defense and closed most gaps. In the 80th minute, Lanikai created their best chance, with a cross from the right wing that was connected with a header causing a save and a rebound. The rebound was picked up by a Lanikai forward and shot on goal, beating Fung, only to be cleared inches away from the goal line by a Bulls defender. The game became even more heated in the final 10 minutes, but the Bulls managed to deny Lanikai a clear path to the goal and secured the 2012 MISO Cup.

 

Lanikai claimed the Sullivan Trophy with a 15-1-2 record, while setting a new MISO record this season, by allowing just 4 goals and surpassing the previous record set by HPU Green of 5 goals in the '05 season. Furthermore HPU's record was accomplished in fewer games (14) making their GAA (goals against average) at 0.36. Lanikai's record was accomplished in an 18 games season, making their GAA at 0.22, another MISO Div I record.

WINSTON JACKSON (Lanikai) claimed the Leading Scorer title with 14 goals to his credit. Surprisingly enough, this marked the first time that a Lanikai Tuesday player claimed this award.

JOSHUA FOUTS was selected for the 2nd consecutive season as the Div I MVP. This marks the 5th time that Fouts has been named MVP, making him the player that has won the award the most times, surpassing Jimmi Hemmenbach with whom he was tied at 4. Oddly enough, in the Fall of 2004, Fouts and Hemmenbach shared the award, as both players received the same amount of points. That was the only time that the MVP Award had been awarded to two players.

 

SIDE NOTES: This was the first time since '05, that the three major MISO trophies (Div I Sullivan Trophy, Div I Cup and Robledo Cup) have been split among three different teams. In 2005, HPU White claimed the Sullivan Trophy, Lanikai Tuesday claimed the Div I Cup while the HSC Bulls claimed the Robledo Cup. Since the introduction of all three major competitions, only one team has been able to claim all three in the same season (the MISO Triple Crown). That was in the 2007-08 season, when the HSC Bulls lifted all three.

For more details and information on MISO, please visit:

http://www.islandsoccer.com

MLS' Open Cup Struggles

MLS made its first appearance in this year's Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with the beginning of the third round yesterday. It was not a good night. Fourteen teams played yesterday and seven already find themselves knocked out.

The obvious explanation is the MLS doesn't take the US Open Cup seriously. You can see that a bit by the lineups.

Here's a good recap by US Soccer:

http://www.ussoccer.com/News/Lamar-Hunt-U-S-Open-Cup/2012/05/Seven-MLS-Teams-Ousted-in-Third-Round-of-US-Open-Cup.aspx

US Youth Development

A few weeks ago this article was posted after Chelsea upset powerhouse Barcelona in the Champions League. I, like many in the office, was rooting for Chelsea and was happy with the results, but found the article very interesting. It ultimately got me thinking about soccer development in this country. 

Eskandarian's thought process in the article makes sense. Anyone who's grown up playing soccer has to deal with the parent who coaches, either because he thinks he knows what he's doing or to be more involved with his kid.

From the article it seems like he believes the biggest flaw in US youth development is coaching.

 To me, it’s so imperative that our kids are learning to play the right way,” Eskandarian continued. “That’s our weakness as a country and as a national team. Compared to other countries, we’re fine on the physical end, and we usually can match them tactically. But it’s some of philosophy of soccer – knowing what to do off the ball, being good in front of net, being creative – that’s what we lack.

He's right, to a point... When faced with the question, "Who's the most important player on a soccer field?" How many youth players would answer with "The one without the ball" first? Unfortunately not the majority.

Young players need better coaches when they are in that molding stage, but talented kids are going to be found and taught by knowledgeable coaches. The biggest problem, in my opinion, is practice. Kids need to be playing the game everyday. 

I like what John Hackworth, youth development coordinator for the Philadelphia Union, says in this article.

We need to think of it more as a musician. If you're a parent and your child is trying to play a piano recital in Carnegie Hall, they practice hours and hours and hours and play just once when they've perfected it. It's the opposite for kids in soccer; they play games and play games and play games and only practice every once in a while. We have it backwards. There is too much structure. What's appropriate for kids is not winning games and tournaments. Soccer is a skill game and you need to practice and practice. Most of that for a young kid is a lot of time on the ball in an environment where an adult really shouldn't be doing much more than cultivating creativity. The ball itself is the best coach there could be.

You don't need a prized coach to be in your backyard dribbling and working on your touch or at a park messing around with friends.

And it doesn't end with youth. Even players at the college level are lacking in practice.

Earnie Stewart, technical director for AZ Alkmaar, says,

I see logistical problems in the United States and [NCAA limitations on practice time in college soccer] make it difficult. It all goes back to repetitions, hours and hours and hours. Kids from 18 to 22 are only practicing a few hours a week -- and these are some of the top players in the United States? That's ridiculous. If you see what we in Holland put in for hours and what the United States puts in, it's not even close.

What do you think?