Central Midfielder Positioning: 4-4-2

Many people are confused on how to position their central midfielders in a 4-4-2. I personally prefer to play with an attacking and holding midfield. It allows for your team to be balanced both offensively and defensively. In the picture below, found on BBC Sports (http://www.news.bbc.com), the two central midfielders are highlighted to give a clue to where they would be.

Job of Holding Midfielder

The job of the holding midfielder is to stay back and play defensively. They usually play in front of the central defenders. Controlling the the ball around the back, then making runs through to score goals. This position requires fitness. You are required to play both sides of the game. It's useful to be able to run fast. The holding central midfielder is a job reserved for a special player, that sees the field well.

Job of Attacking Midfielder

The attacking midfielder is the goal scorer. Most people assume that the forwards do all the scoring. In all actuality, the central midfielders score a lot of goals also. There job is to make runs though and feed balls to the forward. To be a center mid, you must have stamina, speed, and smarts. The central midfielder is the anchor of the team.  

Top 10 Central Midfielders:

• 10- Esteban Cambiasso, Inter Milan/Argentina
• 9- Javi Martinez, Athletic Bilbao/Spain
• 8- Alex Song, Arsenal/Cameroon
• 7-Scott Parker, Tottenham/England
• 6- Yann M’Vila, Rennes/France
• 5- Javier Mascherano, Barcelona/Argentina
• 4- Daniele De Rossi, Roma/Italy
• 3- Bastian Schweinsteiger, Bayern Munich/Germany
• 2- Sergio Busquets, Barcelona/Spain
• 1- Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid/Spain

 Top 10 reviewed and listed accordingly, found on Fox Soccer (http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer)





Xabi Alonso
Found on Zimbio.com



Endurance Drill

Briefing

Most people know that soccer involves running, but what they do not know is the amount of running athletes do in one game. According to various studies, a player averages approximately 6.2 miles or 10,000 meters. That sounds like a lot, and it is, but players never realize they run that much. It is not a continuous run. Players go from a sprint, to a jog, to a walk, and possibly to a standstill. Most coaches' training workouts include running. While it is nice to be able to run fast, it is not useful if you do not have endurance. Endurance,  or stamina, is the ability or strength to continue or last, especially when facing  fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions. 

"Bring your running shoes to practice." Players dread hearing this from the coach, but it will help them to build endurance. The following is a drill my coach incorporated into a workout to receive maximum potential for players... 

 

Four Corner Sections

Set up cones at the four corners of a soccer field.
Start the players at one corner.  
Have them sprint the end line from corner to corner.
Then have them  jog the other three sections.
When they get back to the starting corner, you can have them continue or, for extra endurance, add in ten burpies or any ab workout.
If not, continue with the drill.
Have them sprint the end line and the sideline.
Then continue a light jog around the field to the starting corner.
Repeat until they have sprinted around the entire field.

This drill is hard, but it allows the player to build up endurance and play at maximum potential. If the players are more skilled, you can up the sections. Break the field up into six sections. End line, sideline to midfield (x2), end line, sideline to midfield (x2). It will be more difficult, but it is well worth it.

Remember, Soccer is a game of Endurance! 

Player of the Week: Robin Van Persie

 Robin Van Persie

• Squad No: 11
• Position: Forward
• Age: 29
• Birth Date: August 6,1983
• Birth Place: Rotterdam, Netherlands
• Height: 6' 0''
• Weight: 160  lbs  

Robin Van Persie was little known when he came onto the Arsenal team in 2004. Many people consider him one of the best forwards now. In the the 2006, Van Persie joined the Dutch team to play in the World Cup. He plays best in the role of Arsenal's 4-3-3. Van Persie is prone to injury. In 2009, he was out for five months with injury, but despite this, in 2010, he helped lead the Netherlands to the final.

Sport Critics have rated Robin Van Persie in the following catagories:

Strengths: With pace and skill in abundance, this forward can change a game in an instant with his ability to achieve the improbable. He is technically excellent with the vision to unlock a defense, too.
Weaknesses: His injury problems have been well documented, and perhaps sometimes he takes the difficult option when a simple pass would suffice. Not great in the air and there have also been question marks over his temperament.
Career high: He started every match at the 2010 World Cup including the final, and the season after set goalscoring records for Arsenal.
Career low: An 8-2 defeat to Manchester United in early 2011-12 as newly appointed captain saw him describe the match as one of the worst in his life.
Style: Skillful, technical, precise, a potent striker with a delicate touch.
Quotes: "He is very intelligent and talented but most of all he is passionate about the game. At the start we gave him Dennis Bergkamp as a role model. And he has grown into the Bergkamp role. He is becoming like Dennis in his passing - and he scores more goals than Dennis. He respected Dennis and listened to his advice. " Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger in February 2009.

information found on ESPN FC:

 http://soccernet.espn.go.com/player/_/id/18858/robin-van-persie?cc=5901

NCAA D1 Women's College Cup

Penn State(PSU) vs. North Carolina(UNC)

Fitness, depth of the bench, and heart were the key factors of the college cup, which was held in San Diego, California. Both teams had gone into over time in their semifinal matches.

UNC defeated Stanford in their semifinal match, 1-0 . PSU defeated Florida State, 2-1. 

Penn State started out in the hole in the first two minutes with a goal from Kealia Ohai. Taylor Schram cashed in a goal for PSU to tie the game at 1-1, in the 18th minute. The teams went into the locker room tied 1-1. The Tarheels came out on fire in the second half. The Nittany Lions could not keep up with their speed, and the Lions lost 4-1.

Goals in the second half came from Hanna Gardner in the 45th, Satara Murray in the 63rd, and Ranee Premji in the 74th minute. North Carolina had depth in their bench. They used most of their reserves due to the exhaustion of their starters. The loss ruined Penn State Coach’s Erica Walsh's quest to become the second female coach to win a women’s soccer championship.

The Nittany Lions (21-5-2) did, however, become the first team from the Big Ten to reach the finals. They fought an uphill battle, playing some of the best ACC teams to qualify. Overall, Erica Walsh was happy with their performance. (To view the entire bracket, highlights, ect. visit the NCAA website)

Highlight Video

http://www.ncaa.com/video/soccer-women/2012-12-02/tar-heels-pick-21st-national-championship

Defenseive Stance

Most people when they start playing soccer, want to play offense. In all actuality, the defense is the most important part of a team. Some people argue the point that without the offense there would be no goals produced, but others may say that without defenders the other team will score on you. The most famous defensive quote is, "The Defense wins championships, the offense is just there." I'm not siding with either of them because I think soccer is a joint effort between the defense and offense. I play both sides of the game. on my high school team, I play forward, but on my club team i usually play in the stopper position of a back four diamond. to be a successful defender you need to learn the basics.

Step 1: Determine whether you or one of your teammates should pressure the ball first. This may be difficult due to the position of the attacking player. The rule of thumb is the closet person pressures first. (I use the word pressure various times, which means to attack, or go for the ball.)
Step 2: Step up to the player attacking, with a slight bend in the knees and one arm length away. You want to be able to reach out and touch the player while defending. Keep your feet moving and hands at your side.(hint: if they are doing step overs or any other move, look at their stomach)
Step 3: Try and decide when to tackle. You must go in hard! if you do not, you could get injured.
Step 4: Win the ball!

Game of the Week: USA vs. Ireland

Overview:

This week was an exciting week in soccer! Seeing the USA Women's National team defeat Ireland was exhilarating. The match was set in Portland, Oregon at JELD-WEN field. Alex Morgan, number 13 for the United States Women's National team put on a show on Wednesday evening. She scored three of the five goals on the night. The other two goals were scored by Sydney Leroux. The US started the game with a 4-4-2, then at halftime switched to a 3-4-3 to finish the game. Head coach Jill Ellis was proud of the US team.

Statistics and Lineup:

Goal Scorers
USA – Alex Morgan (Heather Mitts) 24th minute
USA – Alex Morgan (Lauren Cheney) 34
USA – Alex Morgan 44
USA – Sydney Leroux (Heather O’Reilly) 62
USA – Sydney Leroux (Amy Rodriguez) 81

Lineups
USA: 1-Hope Solo (18-Nicole Barnhart, 46); 2-Heather Mitts (5-Kelley O’Hara, 46), 3-Christie Rampone (capt.), 16-Rachel Buehler, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn; 15-Megan Rapinoe (8-Amy Rodriguez, 59), 10-Carli Lloyd, 12-Lauren Cheney, 17-Tobin Heath (9-Heather O’Reilly, 46); 13-Alex Morgan (11-Sydney Leroux, 59), 14-Abby Wambach (7-Shannon Boxx, 46)Subs Not Used: 6-Amy LePeilbet, 21-Jill Loyden
Head coach: Jill Ellis

IRL: 1-Emma Byrne; 2-Sophie Perry (7-Mary Therese McDonnell, 46), 4-Louise Quinn, 5-Yvonne Tracey, 8-Meabh De Burca; 6-Niamh Fahey (18-Ciara Grant, 57), 10-Julie Ann Russell, 11-Aine O’Gorman (17-Shannon Smyth, 46), 13-Diane Caldwell; 9-Fiona O’Sullivan, 12-Denise O’Sullivan (15-Ruesha Littlejohn, 90+2)Subs Not Used: 3-Megan Campbell, 14-Shannon McDonnell, 16-Eve Gbadana
Head coach: Sue Ronan

Stats Summary: USA / IRL
Shots: 20 / 3
Shots on Goal: 10 / 1
Saves: 1 / 5
Corner Kicks: 2 / 1
Fouls: 6 / 4
Offside: 3 / 1

Misconduct Summary:
None

Officials:
Referee: Katja Koroleva (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Marlene Duffy (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Felisha Mariscal (USA)
Fourth Official: Ronald Lagraff (USA)

Video Highlights:

<script src="http://player.ooyala.com/player.js?embedCode=dwZDRiNzqq5eIZItON5w20uE7RaTmB02&deepLinkEmbedCode=dwZDRiNzqq5eIZItON5w20uE7RaTmB02"></script>

Player of the Week: Alex Morgan

Alexandra Patricia Morgan

• Squad No: 13
• Position: Forward
• Age: 23
• Birth Date: July 2,1989
• Birth Place: Diamond Bar, California
• Height: 5' 7''
• Weight: 136.7  lbs  

Alex Morgan is one of the United States National Team's key players. The 2012 Olympics proved to be the young player's best competition. Alongside teammate Abby Wambach, she helped lead the team to win Olympic gold. Most good players start club or premiere soccer at a young age. Morgan did not start until she was 14. She was a multi-sport athlete, playing basketball, volleyball, track, and softball. While at the University of California at Berkeley,she joined the U-17 National team and became a superstar (She did not play college soccer because  of NCAA rules regarding accepting money  for Olympic medals.). You can watch Alex Morgan score goals in the video below. Visit her personal website for pictures, videos, and upcoming events:  alexmorgansoccer.com

Formations

One of the most important aspects of soccer is the proper formation-- the arrangement of players into position on the field. Coaches adjust their formations depending on how aggressive or defensive they want their team to be. Popular formations include 4-4-2 , 4-3-3, 4-5-1, 5-3-2 and 4-2-3-1. In my opinion the formation 4-4-2 is the way to go! The 4-5-1 and the 4-3-3 are also very effective.

4-4-2

My favorite formation is the 4-2-2. It is a balance between a defensive team and an offensive team, which most teams are. Each person has an individual job on the field. The goalkeeper is the same in all formations, protecting the goal using their their hands and feet. The centre-backs are defensive players that focus on clearing the ball to the outside. The left- and right-backs clear the ball up the sides and also look for runs and overlaps. The centre midfielders are the anchors of the 4-4-2. This formation allows for compensation. For instance, the centre midfielders can be positioned one in front of the other or beside each other. The left and right midfielders run the planks, or outsides, and look for crosses. The centre forwards in the 4-4-2 can be used as target players or run-on players. They main goal is to score and assist. The 4-4-2 is my favorite formation because it allows versatility. I believe it is better than the 4-5-1 and the 4-3-3 because it compensates for lack of depth. The 4-5-1 utilizes only one forward. It doesn't help when your losing and trying to score a tying goal. The 4-3-3 is a good formation, but you have to have an outstanding centre midfielder to fill the position and do the work of two centre midfielders.  

Introduction

This blog's intent is to help you to become a successful soccer player, update you on current soccer teams/players, and acquaint you with different drills and statistics!

Equipment Needed

You need a few pieces of equipment to be able to play soccer successfully. Soccer is a form of football played between two teams of 11 players. The ball may be advanced by kicking or bouncing it off any part of the body but the arms and hands (except in the case of the goalkeepers, who may use their hands to catch, carry, throw, or stop the ball. )



A Defensive/Offensive Player Needs...

Nike CTR360 Libretto III FG 

• Shin Guards

• Soccer Cleats





A Goalkeeper Needs...

• Shin Guards

• Soccer Cleats

• Goalie Gloves

 Practice

To be a good soccer player, you must practice regularly. A good respectable coach also helps to make your soccer successful. You must also master the basic skills of soccer. Drill, Drill, Drill can help you achieve you maximum potential.

(I do not recieve any money or endorsments from Nike or any other product featured on this blog.)