San Jose wants to know who this Huckerby fellow is. Maybe they should put his picture on a few milk cartons.
They've got billboards...
and downtown banners...
They spread the player love around. Good stuff.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
What's a Huckerby?
San Jose wants to know who this Huckerby fellow is. Maybe they should put his picture on a few milk cartons.
They've got billboards...
and downtown banners...
They spread the player love around. Good stuff.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Around the League in a Friday Post
I know I usually do focused updates but today I am going to take you around the league. Come with me on a magical journey as we explore the latest fun happenings in Major League Soccer
Chicago Fire
10 best goals of 2008
Chivas USA
Colorado Rapids
DC United
FC Dallas
FC Dallas has an exciting new toy.
A Brand New Toy from FC Dallas on Vimeo.
Houston Dynamo
Red Bull New York
A rundown of the player's favorite goals of 2008
Real Salt Lake
RSL's new commercial
Seattle Sounders
Aki in action
Toronto FC
Chicago Fire
10 best goals of 2008
Chivas USA
Colorado Rapids
- The Rapids are about to pick up Gregory Richardson from TFC
- He was the Joe Public player who scored a hat trick against New England
DC United
FC Dallas
FC Dallas has an exciting new toy.
A Brand New Toy from FC Dallas on Vimeo.
Houston Dynamo
- De La Hoya says Houston is incredibly close to getting their new stadium
- Houston is signing one of their youth academy goalkeepers
- Graham Zusi scores again for the Wizards, this last round pick has promise!
- Wizards tie Chivas 1-1
- Beckham is living with George Clooney
- My prediction: Beckham will be back and if he's not, well I'll run another contest
- Bruce Arena is making cuts
Red Bull New York
- The Bulls moved to 3-1-2 in preseason by beating the River Plate reserves
A rundown of the player's favorite goals of 2008
Real Salt Lake
RSL's new commercial
Seattle Sounders
- Sounders ticket sales are beating the Mariners
- Defender Taylor Graham is down for the count
- Which 39 year old will do better: Kasey Keller or Ken Griffery, Jr.
Aki in action
Toronto FC
- Toronto likes players from Scarborough (wherever that is)
- Toronto FC: Still Canadian
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Americans Abroad: Ivan Gazidis
Americans in Europe
American soccer fans follow their heroes in Europe. Whole sites are dedicated to covering the every move and step of these heroes as they do battle in far off lands. Recently, a man who was born in South Africa, raised in England, and lived in America for 15 years has gone back to England to do battle. No he’s not a field player, but after 15 years of working as the Deputy Commissioner of Major League Soccer, Ivan Gazidis has now been the CEO of Arsenal since January 1st.
Our Adopted Friend
Ivan is not American but after his time helping MLS he deserves our respect and gratitude. He has negotiated hundreds of salaries and has fundamentally shaped the how we view MLS. In 1994 Ivan joined the founding management team of Major League Soccer. While the other Americans had the required business brains Ivan brought more to the table. Ivan felt soccer and knew soccer in a way that Americans did not. He had grown up living the dream, and he had big ideas about how to regulate soccer so it would succeed in America.
Don’t Feel Ashamed
Major League Soccer often looks at the European leagues and feels ashamed. They have better players who get paid 100 times the salary of the biggest MLS star. The stands are packed full of fans, and worldwide TV licensing rights bring in millions of pounds.
As MLS fans stare uncomfortably at their feet or raise their middle fingers at Eurosnobs they forget that life in England and the European leagues looks better than it really is. We cheer on stars that often get paid less than a supermarket manager. In Europe they pay millions of pounds for almost every footballer on the pitch. We cheer for stars that represent us; who live in a style that we can relate to. Fans in Europe worship stars who live far beyond reality, in a fantasy world that European fans can only dream of. America brings the hard working real soccer stars.
Europe Looks to MLS
While MLS fans look to Europe, Europe is looking back at us for leadership. The lack of a salary cap is driving clubs to pay incredible amounts for one footballer. They wallow farther into debt in hopes of one day achieving the status and support that will result in a return on their investment. European clubs face continual debt, takeover bids, and large player salaries. The owners and managers of European clubs are now looking at the Major League Soccer business model for support and inspiration.
Major League Soccer is set to weather the current economic storm. With a strict salary cap, low player wages, investors with deep pockets, and a culture of the working man in place, MLS will survive. While attendance in European leagues are slowly declining as jobs are lost and tickets prices rise, MLS ticket sales remain steady. Indeed, Seattle has sold over 20,000 season tickets. It is through the careful and prudent planning of Ivan Gazidis that MLS will live on while the economic crisis will inevitably level and destroy some of the European clubs.
We may not know soccer but we know business.
Recent articles featuring Ivan Gazidis and his work
Recently there have been some great articles about Gazidis:
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Legends of MLS: Preki
Come with me on a magical journey across time and space as we learn and watch videos about Preki. He came from a foreign land and brought happiness, trophies, and great coaching to Major League Soccer.
Preki Is Born
Preki was born in Belgrade. Amidst the old world architecture he lived and dreamed of football. As a young man he started out brilliantly, playing for Red Star Belgrade and dreaming of moving on to bigger and better things.
Even though he was with Red Star when they won a championship, Preki was eager to move out of the country and find a better financial opportunity.
To Major Indoor Soccer League
So when the opportunity came for Preki to go to MISL he jumped at the chance. Preki arrived in America with a few articles of clothing and almost no money but went on to spend seven season playing in MISL. He spent time with both the Tacoma Stars and the St. Louis Storm and, amazingly, was named MVP every single season in the league. Preki will always be a legend of MISL, scoring 332 goals and 332 assists.
Off to England
At 29, Preki had had enough of indoor American soccer and took his considerable talents with him back across the Ocean to England. At Everton, Preki was played wide left, not his usual position. After 46 appearances and five goals for Everton, Preki moved to Portsmouth where he spent a season, scoring 5 goals in 40 games.
Back to MLS
After his time in England, Preki returned to MLS where he dominated. He became an eight-time all-star, two-time MLS Most Valuable Player (including 2003 at the age of 40) and two-time MLS Golden Boot winner. Perhaps most memorable was the 2000 season when he guided the Wizards to a MLS Championship.
While in MLS he destroyed building by wearing rainbows and kicking a ball
Into Coaching
Now, Preki stands at the helm of Chivas USA. In 2006 he was an assistant coach to Bob Bradley, so when Bradley got the National Team call Preki stood up and stood firm. He guided his 2007 team to a conference championship and claimed the 2007 Coach of the Year Award.
National Team
Oh ya he played with the US National Team too.
A second better angle (thanks Szazzy)
Preki Is Born
Preki was born in Belgrade. Amidst the old world architecture he lived and dreamed of football. As a young man he started out brilliantly, playing for Red Star Belgrade and dreaming of moving on to bigger and better things.
Even though he was with Red Star when they won a championship, Preki was eager to move out of the country and find a better financial opportunity.
To Major Indoor Soccer League
So when the opportunity came for Preki to go to MISL he jumped at the chance. Preki arrived in America with a few articles of clothing and almost no money but went on to spend seven season playing in MISL. He spent time with both the Tacoma Stars and the St. Louis Storm and, amazingly, was named MVP every single season in the league. Preki will always be a legend of MISL, scoring 332 goals and 332 assists.
Off to England
At 29, Preki had had enough of indoor American soccer and took his considerable talents with him back across the Ocean to England. At Everton, Preki was played wide left, not his usual position. After 46 appearances and five goals for Everton, Preki moved to Portsmouth where he spent a season, scoring 5 goals in 40 games.
Back to MLS
After his time in England, Preki returned to MLS where he dominated. He became an eight-time all-star, two-time MLS Most Valuable Player (including 2003 at the age of 40) and two-time MLS Golden Boot winner. Perhaps most memorable was the 2000 season when he guided the Wizards to a MLS Championship.
While in MLS he destroyed building by wearing rainbows and kicking a ball
Into Coaching
Now, Preki stands at the helm of Chivas USA. In 2006 he was an assistant coach to Bob Bradley, so when Bradley got the National Team call Preki stood up and stood firm. He guided his 2007 team to a conference championship and claimed the 2007 Coach of the Year Award.
National Team
Oh ya he played with the US National Team too.
A second better angle (thanks Szazzy)
Saturday, February 21, 2009
I'm a Liar
You should know by now that I don't always put up things when I say. However today I can offer you a great song by Does it Offend You, Yeah?
The steel drums at the chorus are incredible.
The steel drums at the chorus are incredible.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Word Clouds Is Fun
This does not count as Friday's post, this is a cheap and flimsy freebie. I am out of energy and brain power for today, so I'll have a special Saturday update for you when I'll be starting my new series, Legends of MLS.
Instead, sit back and enjoy a Advantage Played Word Cloud. Ooooooh word clouds.
Create your own at wordle.net
Documentary of the Week
Hey don't forget to get 18 with a Bullet. It's just too good to pass up and there is a handy download link over there on the left.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
How To: Get Your Own Soccer News
CUT COPY - "HEARTS ON FIRE" from Diaspro on Vimeo.
Surviving On Our Own
With the loss of Bruce over at du Nord to burnout all us Major League Soccer fans are suddenly without our regular daily news. We have gone from having all the news that’s fit and not fit to print organized and delivered daily to our computer screens to a random updates on all the blogs. It’s disorienting I know. Well today I’m going to share my small method of reaping the riches of MLS news using Google Alerts.
G’ It Up: Step One
Get yourself a new Gmail account: Setting up a new account is a vital step as you will flood your old email if you don’t. Plus you can curse at me on Google Talk.
G’ It Up: Step Two
Head to the Google Alerts page: This is your command station to set up personalized news alerts. Sign on in to that puppy with your new email account information.
G’ It Up: Step Three
Add New Alerts: Click that not shiny New Alert button on the bottom right of your screen. Add 14 different alerts as follows. Select “comprehensive” and “once a day”:
- "D.C. United" soccer
- "New England Revolution" soccer
- "Red Bulls" soccer
- "San Jose" soccer
- Chicago Fire soccer
- Chivas USA
- Colorado Rapids soccer
- Columbus Crew
- FC Dallas
- Houston Dynamo
- KC wizards
- LA Galaxy soccer
- Seattle Sounders
- Toronto FC
I formulated and tested these for the best results. Them quotation marks are important unless you want a lot of random crap about the discovery of new galaxies, politics, and earthquake magnitudes.
G’ It Up: Step Four
Check once a day to get a comprehensive look at everything happening in the league. I tested a couple other alert setups but found just sticking with the different teams yielded everything I needed to know. Want to follow a specific coach, team, supporters group or player? Throw up an alert to receive just about everything printed.
Monday, February 16, 2009
And the Winner Is...
Russell’s Music
Russell has a great band, A Million Engines in Neutral, you can also find them on MySpace. I couldn’t find them on Seeqpod or figure out how to embed their music so please go check them out.
Contest Contest!
Well I didn’t have as many entries as I’d like, make that one entry but it was quality and that’s all that counts. I’m a young blog, come on now. The winning entry comes from Russell Courtney from Toledo Ohio. Russell and his crew… well I will let him tell the story.
Russell’s Box Truck
Some back-story is necessary to fully appreciate my supporters’ photos. On a nice (hot) summer day this past season, we rented a box truck for our tailgate. First, it took some serious convincing with the parking lot administrators at Crew Stadium (not sure why, since there are plenty of trailers in that lot). But after a series of “come on!”s from those riding in the cab of the truck, they let us in.
You will see that the walls of the inside of the cab were nicely decorated. The cab also included a couch, a loveseat, a foosball table, and, of course, a keg. We also filled a weed sprayer (yeah, like you use in your garden) with “jungle juice”, which we sprayed into the mouths of fellow supporters that made a stop at our tailgate.
If you look carefully, we are standing on the back of the cab. This is the platform from which we distributed booze.
I submit these photos, first, because I think it was a great idea for a tailgate. Second, because after all the effort we put in (and money we spent), nobody really took advantage of the cab of the truck, since it was 90 degrees out that day, and, of course, much hotter in the back of the truck, where we forgot about air conditioning.
Admittedly, the photo of the trailer would be much better if packed full of Crewties (a term for hot girl Crew supporters), and that didn’t happen because of the heat. But isn’t the risk of failure, or muted success, inherent in task of finding creative ways to support the team? I think the message is this: the day was hot as balls, but yet we still spent the money and the manpower, and went for it anyway. That’s true support!
Thanks for the submission Russell. You win yourself a free Bumpy Pitch T-Shirt!
Advantage Played State of the Union
Hey everyone, Graham here. Thanks for reading Advantage Played. Since I began about three months ago I’ve made a lot of changes and started to understand exactly what Advantage Played is. It has a nice character and extremist Major League Soccer viewpoint that is fun to write from. The layout has also changed, I think for the better. I’ve got two side columns now and a decent amount of regularly update information in them.
My numbers have tripled since I started, so thanks to everyone out there who is stopping by three times a week to read my work. I have fun and ya’ll make me happy.
Google Reader
A final note to you Google Reader people. To really get the full Advantage Played experience you should stop by my blog instead of just viewing it through the reader. I always have Seeqpod playlists at the top that are meant to be played while reading or that are picked by the person featured in the update.
Russell has a great band, A Million Engines in Neutral, you can also find them on MySpace. I couldn’t find them on Seeqpod or figure out how to embed their music so please go check them out.
Contest Contest!
Well I didn’t have as many entries as I’d like, make that one entry but it was quality and that’s all that counts. I’m a young blog, come on now. The winning entry comes from Russell Courtney from Toledo Ohio. Russell and his crew… well I will let him tell the story.
Russell’s Box Truck
Some back-story is necessary to fully appreciate my supporters’ photos. On a nice (hot) summer day this past season, we rented a box truck for our tailgate. First, it took some serious convincing with the parking lot administrators at Crew Stadium (not sure why, since there are plenty of trailers in that lot). But after a series of “come on!”s from those riding in the cab of the truck, they let us in.
You will see that the walls of the inside of the cab were nicely decorated. The cab also included a couch, a loveseat, a foosball table, and, of course, a keg. We also filled a weed sprayer (yeah, like you use in your garden) with “jungle juice”, which we sprayed into the mouths of fellow supporters that made a stop at our tailgate.
If you look carefully, we are standing on the back of the cab. This is the platform from which we distributed booze.
I submit these photos, first, because I think it was a great idea for a tailgate. Second, because after all the effort we put in (and money we spent), nobody really took advantage of the cab of the truck, since it was 90 degrees out that day, and, of course, much hotter in the back of the truck, where we forgot about air conditioning.
Admittedly, the photo of the trailer would be much better if packed full of Crewties (a term for hot girl Crew supporters), and that didn’t happen because of the heat. But isn’t the risk of failure, or muted success, inherent in task of finding creative ways to support the team? I think the message is this: the day was hot as balls, but yet we still spent the money and the manpower, and went for it anyway. That’s true support!
Thanks for the submission Russell. You win yourself a free Bumpy Pitch T-Shirt!
Advantage Played State of the Union
Hey everyone, Graham here. Thanks for reading Advantage Played. Since I began about three months ago I’ve made a lot of changes and started to understand exactly what Advantage Played is. It has a nice character and extremist Major League Soccer viewpoint that is fun to write from. The layout has also changed, I think for the better. I’ve got two side columns now and a decent amount of regularly update information in them.
My numbers have tripled since I started, so thanks to everyone out there who is stopping by three times a week to read my work. I have fun and ya’ll make me happy.
Google Reader
A final note to you Google Reader people. To really get the full Advantage Played experience you should stop by my blog instead of just viewing it through the reader. I always have Seeqpod playlists at the top that are meant to be played while reading or that are picked by the person featured in the update.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
A Call for Submissions
Hey everyone, happy Sunday. I am going to start a series where I feature past MLS players. I will show photos, video, and write their back story. If there is a player you want featured send me some mail at grahamfox[@]gmail.com
Thursday, February 12, 2009
To: Commissioner Don Garber
Play this While Reading
Re: A Letter to David Beckham
Dear Commissioner Don Garber,
America has a long history of standing up and imposing itself on the world. We fought off the damn British and we sure aren’t afraid to start wars. I’m glad that Major League Soccer isn’t going to sit back and let Beckham play us all for fools.
Beckham would have sat back and conjured up boring English news articles. The drama would have dragged on past the start of the MLS season. Ooooh Beckham you love Milan. I’m sure it’s nice to get away from people who suck at soccer and then talk shit on them behind their back.
Don Garber, you are now officially the drama reducer, the deadline maker, the stamper of authority. Thank you for setting the Friday deadline and telling it to Steven Goff. There is no reason to let the prima donna underwear model draw all this attention.
Don Garber, you aren’t going to play AC Milan’s mind games. You know that they like to use tricky dick fun bills. They can’t trick MLS into accepting a tiny amount for the headliner and bringer of asses to seats. They aren’t going up against some rinkie dinky snake oil salesman. This is America; we know how to do business. We are the masters of AAA rated bonds.
Don Garber, you understand the value of money. You know that selling Beckham for a small amount so it doesn’t scare other stars away is ridiculous. Most of the other stars aren’t complete dicks. You know it’s not so bad to let Beckham’s contract run out at the end of the season and let him go away for free. He will make MLS enough money to easily equal Milan’s first offer.
Plus if Beckham doesn’t get the transfer, all us fans get to boo his every touch for the whole season.
Thanks man,
Graham Fox
Advantage Played
Re: A Letter to David Beckham
Dear Commissioner Don Garber,
America has a long history of standing up and imposing itself on the world. We fought off the damn British and we sure aren’t afraid to start wars. I’m glad that Major League Soccer isn’t going to sit back and let Beckham play us all for fools.Beckham would have sat back and conjured up boring English news articles. The drama would have dragged on past the start of the MLS season. Ooooh Beckham you love Milan. I’m sure it’s nice to get away from people who suck at soccer and then talk shit on them behind their back.
Don Garber, you are now officially the drama reducer, the deadline maker, the stamper of authority. Thank you for setting the Friday deadline and telling it to Steven Goff. There is no reason to let the prima donna underwear model draw all this attention.
Don Garber, you aren’t going to play AC Milan’s mind games. You know that they like to use tricky dick fun bills. They can’t trick MLS into accepting a tiny amount for the headliner and bringer of asses to seats. They aren’t going up against some rinkie dinky snake oil salesman. This is America; we know how to do business. We are the masters of AAA rated bonds.
Don Garber, you understand the value of money. You know that selling Beckham for a small amount so it doesn’t scare other stars away is ridiculous. Most of the other stars aren’t complete dicks. You know it’s not so bad to let Beckham’s contract run out at the end of the season and let him go away for free. He will make MLS enough money to easily equal Milan’s first offer.
Plus if Beckham doesn’t get the transfer, all us fans get to boo his every touch for the whole season.
Thanks man,
Graham Fox
Advantage Played
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
It’s On! USA Beats Mexico 2-0
I know I don’t usually do up to the minute reporting but since the game today was on Wednesday and I update on Wednesdays I decided to combine the two into a post game report.
I’ll run you through the highlights, give out some ratings, and generally celebrate the hard fought victory. Watch the video for the quick and dirty but still, read for the best points and check out the awards at the end.
Minute by Minute Run Down
Da’ Line Up
Howard
Hedjuk -- Bocanegra -- Onyewu -- Pearce
Beasley -- Kljestan (Clark 86') -- Dempsey
Donovan
Ching (Altidore 83')
I don’t have much beer for this game, just two Calamatoes, but that’s ok, they are still delicious!
First Half
1’: A good attacking start, the USA moves the ball downfield quickly but Beasley makes a bad cross
3’: Mexico has their most dangerous attack of the game. It should have been 1-0 if not for a great save by Howard
5’: Hedjuk is making a great start but the US gives up a dangerous free kick on the edge of the box
8’: The weather is really coming into play, the rain is making the play fast and dangerous
10’: Great tackling by Bradley on the edge of the box, SBI banner is show for like 5 seconds!
14’: The US is not pressuring high, they are allowing Mexico to move the ball around a little
21’: Ching wins a free kick on the edge of Mexico’s box!
22’: And Donovan takes the free kick, he almost catches the keeper cheating
24’: Dempsey applies good attacking pressure, the American’s are showing how strong they are
27’: That’s one Clamatoe beer down!
28’: Nervous moments as Gooch misplays the ball in the box
36’: It’s not all US attack, the Mexican team strings together a fluid attack that results in a big save by Tim Howard
40’: Bocanegra gives up a big foul on the edge of the US box
40’: But Time Howard makes an easy save
42’: Hejduk wins a corner
43’: GOAAAAL Bradley! Beasley hits a long, looping corner that looks like it’s going astray. Not so, Donovan ghost in at the back corner and heads it back into the box for Gooch. Bradley ends up on the end of the blocked ball and slams it into the goal over the keepers desperate reach. Bradley and Beasley celebrate with the crowd in the corner.
Halftime
The US and Mexico put in a great performance in the first half. Although they both battled hard you have to give the advantage to the US. Even without the goal they fought and played hard, effectively eliminating most of Mexico’s scoring chances. Hejduk, Beasley, and Bradley are the first half stand outs.
2nd Half
51’: The US attack shows up again, Donovan hits a soft header right at the keeper. Still it’s positive play
53’: In an exciting sequence, Kljestan drives forward into the box, fights through tackles, and plays a short pass into the box that right behind an attacker. It would have been beautiful if it had worked.
56’: Donovan is doing well but he’s not playing out of his skin. Still it’s a team effort and the US is showing quality
57’: Clamatoe beers go down as smooth as Beasley’s crosses
61’: Kljestan keeps up the attack and runs at the defense, he just won’t stop!
65’: Now this is a fine mess! Mexico nearly scores, the ball is driven just past the corner and when it is crossed in again Howard goes up and challenges Rafael Marquez for the ball, but Marques stick a boot into Howard during the challenge. Marquez gets an immediate red card and Howard gets a yellow. I’m still not sure what Howard got the yellow for. Probably for being too amazing.
70’: Up 1-0 and a man advantage the US isn’t content to sit back, they are continuing the attack
72’: Hejduk is limping from a hard challenge. He’s playing out of his skin.
76’: Beasley puts in an awful cross. It’s crazy how good and mediocre he has played
78’: Hejduk is itching to blast the ball. He gets his chance but it goes astray
83’: Altidore is in for Ching. The US fans are going crazy for Altidore. He looks like he’s gained some muscle mass since I last saw him.
86’: Clark goes in for Kljestan to shore up the defense
89’: No one is giving up. Dempsey and Donovan are still fighting hard.
92’:GOOAAALL Bradley! The icing on the cake! The foam on the beer! Bradley drives a dipping ball from distance that slips through the keepers hands.
Post Game
What a great game for US fans. The US team showed fight and spirit. They never gave up on the game and worked together. After the game many of the team tossed their jersey’s into the crowd, I wish I was there to fight for one. It’s a great day to be US fan; Mexico needs to work on their voodoo. It sucks. The only downside is Tim Howard is going to miss the next match for yellow card accumulation.
Player Awards
Man of the Match: Franky Hedjuk
Needs to Rethink the Haircut: Sacha Kljestan
The Master of Wonky Crossing: DaMarcus Beasley
Attacking is Fun: Michael Bradley
Shoot the Boot (because everyone needs to experience it once): Landon Donovan
I’ll run you through the highlights, give out some ratings, and generally celebrate the hard fought victory. Watch the video for the quick and dirty but still, read for the best points and check out the awards at the end.
Minute by Minute Run Down
Da’ Line Up
Howard
Hedjuk -- Bocanegra -- Onyewu -- Pearce
Beasley -- Kljestan (Clark 86') -- Dempsey
Donovan
Ching (Altidore 83')
I don’t have much beer for this game, just two Calamatoes, but that’s ok, they are still delicious!
First Half
1’: A good attacking start, the USA moves the ball downfield quickly but Beasley makes a bad cross
3’: Mexico has their most dangerous attack of the game. It should have been 1-0 if not for a great save by Howard
5’: Hedjuk is making a great start but the US gives up a dangerous free kick on the edge of the box
8’: The weather is really coming into play, the rain is making the play fast and dangerous
10’: Great tackling by Bradley on the edge of the box, SBI banner is show for like 5 seconds!
14’: The US is not pressuring high, they are allowing Mexico to move the ball around a little
21’: Ching wins a free kick on the edge of Mexico’s box!
22’: And Donovan takes the free kick, he almost catches the keeper cheating
24’: Dempsey applies good attacking pressure, the American’s are showing how strong they are
27’: That’s one Clamatoe beer down!
28’: Nervous moments as Gooch misplays the ball in the box
36’: It’s not all US attack, the Mexican team strings together a fluid attack that results in a big save by Tim Howard
40’: Bocanegra gives up a big foul on the edge of the US box
40’: But Time Howard makes an easy save
42’: Hejduk wins a corner
43’: GOAAAAL Bradley! Beasley hits a long, looping corner that looks like it’s going astray. Not so, Donovan ghost in at the back corner and heads it back into the box for Gooch. Bradley ends up on the end of the blocked ball and slams it into the goal over the keepers desperate reach. Bradley and Beasley celebrate with the crowd in the corner.
Halftime
The US and Mexico put in a great performance in the first half. Although they both battled hard you have to give the advantage to the US. Even without the goal they fought and played hard, effectively eliminating most of Mexico’s scoring chances. Hejduk, Beasley, and Bradley are the first half stand outs.
2nd Half
51’: The US attack shows up again, Donovan hits a soft header right at the keeper. Still it’s positive play
53’: In an exciting sequence, Kljestan drives forward into the box, fights through tackles, and plays a short pass into the box that right behind an attacker. It would have been beautiful if it had worked.
56’: Donovan is doing well but he’s not playing out of his skin. Still it’s a team effort and the US is showing quality
57’: Clamatoe beers go down as smooth as Beasley’s crosses
61’: Kljestan keeps up the attack and runs at the defense, he just won’t stop!
65’: Now this is a fine mess! Mexico nearly scores, the ball is driven just past the corner and when it is crossed in again Howard goes up and challenges Rafael Marquez for the ball, but Marques stick a boot into Howard during the challenge. Marquez gets an immediate red card and Howard gets a yellow. I’m still not sure what Howard got the yellow for. Probably for being too amazing.
70’: Up 1-0 and a man advantage the US isn’t content to sit back, they are continuing the attack
72’: Hejduk is limping from a hard challenge. He’s playing out of his skin.
76’: Beasley puts in an awful cross. It’s crazy how good and mediocre he has played
78’: Hejduk is itching to blast the ball. He gets his chance but it goes astray
83’: Altidore is in for Ching. The US fans are going crazy for Altidore. He looks like he’s gained some muscle mass since I last saw him.
86’: Clark goes in for Kljestan to shore up the defense
89’: No one is giving up. Dempsey and Donovan are still fighting hard.
92’:GOOAAALL Bradley! The icing on the cake! The foam on the beer! Bradley drives a dipping ball from distance that slips through the keepers hands.
Post Game
What a great game for US fans. The US team showed fight and spirit. They never gave up on the game and worked together. After the game many of the team tossed their jersey’s into the crowd, I wish I was there to fight for one. It’s a great day to be US fan; Mexico needs to work on their voodoo. It sucks. The only downside is Tim Howard is going to miss the next match for yellow card accumulation.
Player Awards
Man of the Match: Franky Hedjuk
Needs to Rethink the Haircut: Sacha Kljestan
The Master of Wonky Crossing: DaMarcus Beasley
Attacking is Fun: Michael Bradley
Shoot the Boot (because everyone needs to experience it once): Landon Donovan
Monday, February 9, 2009
Soccer in America: Jim “Snoop” Schneiderhahn Part Two
Music Snoop Likes
An Interview with Emporia State University Women’s Soccer Head Coach
Welcome back to part two of my interview with Jim Schneiderhahan. In the second half of my interview I talked with him about coaching at Emporia State, the future of his players, goalkeeping, and Americans coaching in Europe.
If you missed the first interview scroll down a wee bit or click the link. You can learn a lot from this interview, don’t skip it because you don’t know Emporia State.
Coaching Women’s Soccer at Emporia State University
How did last season go?
Better. When I came in here there were a lot of things that needed to be fixed and it’s really not anyone’s fault, it’s the natural evolution of a young program. Anytime you are new coming in to a new situation it’s kind of like living in someone’s house and someone else put the furniture out. It’s not where you’re use to having it or really where you want to have it. So you have to spend your time moving the furniture around to where you want it.
That’s essentially what we’ve done the last few years is try to get the furniture moved. I think we’re finally to a point where we are moving in the direction we need to move, and have some fantastic kids who are willing to work hard to make it happen. It’s a no rest for the weary kind of thing where as soon as you start doing well you have to work that much harder to recruit.
How is the next year shaping up?
Good. We had a lot of young kids, freshman, who played this year and got a baptism by fire. A week from today is national signing day so we’ve got four [recruits] and a couple young ladies who are going to sign with us next week who I think will come in and do well. The big thing with our team right now is we are at a place where we don’t really have any super starts or any big time studs but we have a nice group of kids who are willing to work hard and do the teamwork necessary to be successful.
That counts for a lot.
It does. You obviously do need the studs and the stars to move to the next level but certainly from where we are at right now I like our chances to continue to compete and rise up the table.
You play your games across town by the high school?
We have the last couple of years. This year we are actually moving onto campus down by the rec field. That was one of the first things I said when I arrived here was I wanted to get us on campus so we can get closer to everyone else. We want the ability for us to get the casual fans going to their car after class or going down to the rec center for a workout.
We are right there, something is going on, they see a crowd of people. They’ll watch. It’s the same inclination of people who pass by an ambulance on the road. There is a bunch of people standing around and flashing lights, lets look. Maybe we’ll have some flashing lights I don’t know.
Did you have to fight any with the football team to use the field (football practice field)?
No no. Coach Higgins and the whole football team have been fantastic. When you come into a new situation you have to get the lay of the land and certainly Coach Higgins did it, I’ve actually been here longer than Coach Higgins, but the football program, every program has been here longer. We’re the young kids on the block so to speak. One of the things that is very important to me is we don’t want to succeed at the expense of any of our colleges and I hope that’s the same way they feel and I think that it is.
Being a Soccer Professional
What is the future of soccer like for the players who are coming through the ESU program? Are they moving on? Do they have the capability to move on?
Certainly there is the ability for some. Some no. It’s all about mentality. The ability of players as they move up the soccer playing ladder, the ability difference is infinitesimally small. I think you’ll find [the difference is] the mentality they bring.
There is a great story about the English national team when they have the indoctrination of players who have been called up for events. They have a group meeting with them prior to the training camp and written on the blackboard behind the coach is a statement that says, “Your ability got you here, your mentality will keep you here.” That’s one of the things we talk with our girls about all the time. The ability is what I watch and see and generally any fool can tell, anyone who has watched soccer or athletics can tell who the studs are. Who has it and who can’t do it.
The hard part is once they get here are they willing to sacrifice that night out on the town because we have a game tomorrow. Are they willing to get up at 5.30 on a cold February morning and go to the weight room? Being a college athlete is not a decision you make once, it’s a decision you make every morning.
So to to conversely is a professional. We all dream and we want to be a pro but the fact is those who have the ability is very small and so smaller still is those who have the mentality and the ability. There are a lot of people out there in whatever sport who have the ability but don’t have the mentality. That aren’t willing to look at it as a profession. They see all the glamor of being on TV and under the spotlight, making money and being able to play at the highest level but what they don’t see is the incredible amount of work. You can’t survive on Big Macs and Whoppers. Can you eat right? Can you get up and run on your own?
In the team we’ve got right now I would say there is no one who has the ability to move to the next level. We have a bunch of ladies who will do very well at this level. But by the same token there is always somebody who starts out and as a bench warmer their first year or two and then they get it in their head they want to succeed and nothing will stand in their way.
Goalkeeping (Jim is a former college keeper and goalkeeping coach)
A lot of US Soccer fans have wondered why there are so many great American goalkeepers. Why are they succeeding while the field players aren’t doing as well?
The simple explanation is we are raised to play in a bunch of different sports and the majority of sports are done with our hands. Basketball, football, baseball, they all have to do with eye hand coordination. Therefore Americans are athletic.
Also, more of the clubs of the world are willing to take a chance on a goalkeeper before they will a field player because we are used to doing things with our hands. It’s a natural progression as opposed to our field players. People think, “They’re American they can’t play with their feet as well.” There are some American goalkeepers who are getting a chance because they are American and goalkeepers and some field players who aren’t getting enough of a chance because they are American and an outfield player.
With that being said I think there are tremendous goalkeepers. It’s kinda nice to have that little corner of the market.
Coaching Overseas
When do you think an American coach will be able to go overseas and be successful?
It’s already kind of happened in a of ways. In the 2006 world cup Jurgen Klinsmann took a lot of heat from the German people because he brought over fitness trainers from the United States and trained them how we train them. He took a lot of ideas Anson Dorance the women’s coach at UNC. Everyone went nuts over that because not only was it an American coach it was an American women’s coach. [They said] “How can they show us anything different?” Klinsmann was willing to step outside of the buffer zone and they were semi finalists.
It’s a little more prevalent than you think. Just not at the highest level. I think there are a number of American coaches who are physical trainers over there. That’s probably where we will get in it first. Then it goes the way our players go. It will be a goalkeeping trainer in some club. From there an outfield coach and maybe then a head coach. It may not be for another 15 or 20 years. Steve Sampson is bouncing around a little bit and coaching various National Teams in Latin America. Obviously not Manchester United or English Nation team but it’s got to start small and it’s got to start somewhere.
Thank you for the interview Snoop! I learned a lot and I’m sure the readers did too. If any of you internet peeps are ever in Emporia, KS go to one of the women’s soccer games.
An Interview with Emporia State University Women’s Soccer Head Coach
Welcome back to part two of my interview with Jim Schneiderhahan. In the second half of my interview I talked with him about coaching at Emporia State, the future of his players, goalkeeping, and Americans coaching in Europe.
If you missed the first interview scroll down a wee bit or click the link. You can learn a lot from this interview, don’t skip it because you don’t know Emporia State.
Coaching Women’s Soccer at Emporia State University
How did last season go?
Better. When I came in here there were a lot of things that needed to be fixed and it’s really not anyone’s fault, it’s the natural evolution of a young program. Anytime you are new coming in to a new situation it’s kind of like living in someone’s house and someone else put the furniture out. It’s not where you’re use to having it or really where you want to have it. So you have to spend your time moving the furniture around to where you want it.
That’s essentially what we’ve done the last few years is try to get the furniture moved. I think we’re finally to a point where we are moving in the direction we need to move, and have some fantastic kids who are willing to work hard to make it happen. It’s a no rest for the weary kind of thing where as soon as you start doing well you have to work that much harder to recruit.
How is the next year shaping up?
Good. We had a lot of young kids, freshman, who played this year and got a baptism by fire. A week from today is national signing day so we’ve got four [recruits] and a couple young ladies who are going to sign with us next week who I think will come in and do well. The big thing with our team right now is we are at a place where we don’t really have any super starts or any big time studs but we have a nice group of kids who are willing to work hard and do the teamwork necessary to be successful.
That counts for a lot.
It does. You obviously do need the studs and the stars to move to the next level but certainly from where we are at right now I like our chances to continue to compete and rise up the table.
You play your games across town by the high school?
We have the last couple of years. This year we are actually moving onto campus down by the rec field. That was one of the first things I said when I arrived here was I wanted to get us on campus so we can get closer to everyone else. We want the ability for us to get the casual fans going to their car after class or going down to the rec center for a workout.
We are right there, something is going on, they see a crowd of people. They’ll watch. It’s the same inclination of people who pass by an ambulance on the road. There is a bunch of people standing around and flashing lights, lets look. Maybe we’ll have some flashing lights I don’t know.
Did you have to fight any with the football team to use the field (football practice field)?
No no. Coach Higgins and the whole football team have been fantastic. When you come into a new situation you have to get the lay of the land and certainly Coach Higgins did it, I’ve actually been here longer than Coach Higgins, but the football program, every program has been here longer. We’re the young kids on the block so to speak. One of the things that is very important to me is we don’t want to succeed at the expense of any of our colleges and I hope that’s the same way they feel and I think that it is.
Being a Soccer Professional
What is the future of soccer like for the players who are coming through the ESU program? Are they moving on? Do they have the capability to move on?
Certainly there is the ability for some. Some no. It’s all about mentality. The ability of players as they move up the soccer playing ladder, the ability difference is infinitesimally small. I think you’ll find [the difference is] the mentality they bring.
There is a great story about the English national team when they have the indoctrination of players who have been called up for events. They have a group meeting with them prior to the training camp and written on the blackboard behind the coach is a statement that says, “Your ability got you here, your mentality will keep you here.” That’s one of the things we talk with our girls about all the time. The ability is what I watch and see and generally any fool can tell, anyone who has watched soccer or athletics can tell who the studs are. Who has it and who can’t do it.
The hard part is once they get here are they willing to sacrifice that night out on the town because we have a game tomorrow. Are they willing to get up at 5.30 on a cold February morning and go to the weight room? Being a college athlete is not a decision you make once, it’s a decision you make every morning.
So to to conversely is a professional. We all dream and we want to be a pro but the fact is those who have the ability is very small and so smaller still is those who have the mentality and the ability. There are a lot of people out there in whatever sport who have the ability but don’t have the mentality. That aren’t willing to look at it as a profession. They see all the glamor of being on TV and under the spotlight, making money and being able to play at the highest level but what they don’t see is the incredible amount of work. You can’t survive on Big Macs and Whoppers. Can you eat right? Can you get up and run on your own?
In the team we’ve got right now I would say there is no one who has the ability to move to the next level. We have a bunch of ladies who will do very well at this level. But by the same token there is always somebody who starts out and as a bench warmer their first year or two and then they get it in their head they want to succeed and nothing will stand in their way.
Goalkeeping (Jim is a former college keeper and goalkeeping coach)
A lot of US Soccer fans have wondered why there are so many great American goalkeepers. Why are they succeeding while the field players aren’t doing as well?
The simple explanation is we are raised to play in a bunch of different sports and the majority of sports are done with our hands. Basketball, football, baseball, they all have to do with eye hand coordination. Therefore Americans are athletic.
Also, more of the clubs of the world are willing to take a chance on a goalkeeper before they will a field player because we are used to doing things with our hands. It’s a natural progression as opposed to our field players. People think, “They’re American they can’t play with their feet as well.” There are some American goalkeepers who are getting a chance because they are American and goalkeepers and some field players who aren’t getting enough of a chance because they are American and an outfield player.
With that being said I think there are tremendous goalkeepers. It’s kinda nice to have that little corner of the market.
Coaching Overseas
When do you think an American coach will be able to go overseas and be successful?
It’s already kind of happened in a of ways. In the 2006 world cup Jurgen Klinsmann took a lot of heat from the German people because he brought over fitness trainers from the United States and trained them how we train them. He took a lot of ideas Anson Dorance the women’s coach at UNC. Everyone went nuts over that because not only was it an American coach it was an American women’s coach. [They said] “How can they show us anything different?” Klinsmann was willing to step outside of the buffer zone and they were semi finalists.
It’s a little more prevalent than you think. Just not at the highest level. I think there are a number of American coaches who are physical trainers over there. That’s probably where we will get in it first. Then it goes the way our players go. It will be a goalkeeping trainer in some club. From there an outfield coach and maybe then a head coach. It may not be for another 15 or 20 years. Steve Sampson is bouncing around a little bit and coaching various National Teams in Latin America. Obviously not Manchester United or English Nation team but it’s got to start small and it’s got to start somewhere.
Thank you for the interview Snoop! I learned a lot and I’m sure the readers did too. If any of you internet peeps are ever in Emporia, KS go to one of the women’s soccer games.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Thank You du Nord
Music Bruce Likes
And on the Seventh Day He Rested
I’m sure you’ve all seen the news by now if you are like thousands of other Major League Soccer fans and make du Nord part of your daily stop. Bruce is officially going on hiatus, and it could be a permanent break. In his own words:
Without you I would have never grown to love MLS like I do today. I would not know the inner workings of MLS that are discussed on the internet but not put into a comprehensive information package. You took the world of MLS and bound it together with impeccable organization and formatting. Thousands of people from all walks of life learned from your work. You spread the love of MLS like no other blogger.
You also were actively involved in the soccer community. Thanks for organizing bus trips, ticket packages, and watch parties.
And on the Sixth Day He Created Advantage Played
I am sure I am just one of many bloggers who was inspired to start their own project because of Bruce, but without the opening Wizards game last year and a quick meeting with Bruce there would be no Advantage Played.
I met the big man while hanging out at the cauldron tailgate. I recognized his great big bushy beard and chatted with him for 10 minutes. While we talked, I mentioned I was doing professional writing for a web company. Later I emailed Bruce and told him anytime he needed help, I was willing.
And Bruce gave me a chance. Without ever reading my writing, he let me fill in for him while he was gone several times, the first times I had ever written about soccer. With each article I published my confidence grew, so when Bruce encouraged me to start a blog, Advantage Played was born.
Of course, he linked me as one of his main stories of the day and put me in his Starting 11. Thanks Bruce, without you I doubt anyone would be reading this right now.
And on the Other Five Days He Worked His Ass Off
How much did he work? Let’s take a gander:
Oh ya and you did it all for free. You’re work is quality, and there are many information professionals who package information for a living. They command anywhere from 25-75 dollars an hour. Let’s put you at the 75 dollar range.
In other words, Thanks dude!
And on the Seventh Day He Rested
I’m sure you’ve all seen the news by now if you are like thousands of other Major League Soccer fans and make du Nord part of your daily stop. Bruce is officially going on hiatus, and it could be a permanent break. In his own words:
"I am definitely going to take a break from du Nord.With those words Bruce stepped away from his massive undertaking. Bruce, you rock. Thanks for bringing MLS news to all of us starved fans. We had a place to go that focused solely on the spreading of information that was pertinent and important to us. You celebrated all of soccer, but you celebrated the players, teams, coaches, and fans of MLS and American soccer the most.
I have no idea if it will be for days, weeks, months or forever.
But I do know that I am burnt out, and need to step away.
As soon as I know more, so will you.
Thanks for all the great patronage."
Without you I would have never grown to love MLS like I do today. I would not know the inner workings of MLS that are discussed on the internet but not put into a comprehensive information package. You took the world of MLS and bound it together with impeccable organization and formatting. Thousands of people from all walks of life learned from your work. You spread the love of MLS like no other blogger.
You also were actively involved in the soccer community. Thanks for organizing bus trips, ticket packages, and watch parties.
And on the Sixth Day He Created Advantage Played
I am sure I am just one of many bloggers who was inspired to start their own project because of Bruce, but without the opening Wizards game last year and a quick meeting with Bruce there would be no Advantage Played.
I met the big man while hanging out at the cauldron tailgate. I recognized his great big bushy beard and chatted with him for 10 minutes. While we talked, I mentioned I was doing professional writing for a web company. Later I emailed Bruce and told him anytime he needed help, I was willing.
And Bruce gave me a chance. Without ever reading my writing, he let me fill in for him while he was gone several times, the first times I had ever written about soccer. With each article I published my confidence grew, so when Bruce encouraged me to start a blog, Advantage Played was born.
Of course, he linked me as one of his main stories of the day and put me in his Starting 11. Thanks Bruce, without you I doubt anyone would be reading this right now.
And on the Other Five Days He Worked His Ass Off
How much did he work? Let’s take a gander:
- 1,296 posts
- Four years of updates
- Five posts a week
- Around 1000 words per update
- Around 15-30 links per update
- Constant tracking of all major tournaments
- Constant tracking of major match ups
- A sweet schedule that puts mine to shame
- A generous list of soccer blogs
- Links to over 16,500 different articles
- Over a million words written
- That’s a minimum of 3888 hours just on posts alone
- Or 162 days
- Or 23 weeks
- Or 5.7 months
Oh ya and you did it all for free. You’re work is quality, and there are many information professionals who package information for a living. They command anywhere from 25-75 dollars an hour. Let’s put you at the 75 dollar range.
- That’s 291,600 dollars
- Or a decent house
- Or 14 elephants
- Or a whole USL team
- Or Two Cessna SkyCatchers
- Or 100 1991Volkswagen Bus/Vanagon GL
In other words, Thanks dude!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Soccer in America: An Interview with Jim "Snoop" Schneiderhahn
Music Snoop Likes
An Interview with Jim Schneiderhahn
Jim “Snoop” Schneiderhahn is in his third year as the Emporia State University Woman’s Soccer Head Coach. I sat down with him and talked about his soccer career, coaching soccer, woman’s soccer, the Women’s National Team, coaching overseas, the Men’s National team, Eddie Johnson, and goalkeeping.
Today I’m bringing you the first part of the interview. Monday I will publish part two. Enjoy.
Soccer Basics
What is your first soccer memory?
It was probably when I was five or six and we were moving into a new house. I was outside kicking the soccer ball in the back yard with the neighbors.
Right after that we were downstairs in the basement with the kids of the family we were buying the house from and we were kicking the soccer ball around the basement. I think my folks were signing the papers when I put a soccer ball through the window downstairs.
Did you play youth soccer?
I loved baseball and I went to catholic grade and high school. Particularly in Catholic communities in St. Louis you would play for your parish team. I played soccer, baseball, and later on basketball. I didn’t start playing club ball until I was 12 years old. The goalkeeper on our team had gotten hurt and I had played a little bit of goal in second grade.
In about 6th grade I stepped in and played goal and in my seventh grade year I was asked by a coach to play for a club team, a bush team. That’s when I was hooked.
Did you play high-school and college soccer?
I went on to play high school soccer in St. Louis. I was cut one year I was there, and then got an opportunity to play college soccer at a NAIA college, Benedictine College, just outside of Kansas City. I played and had a blast there. I got to play for and against some pretty good teams and had a chance to go the National Tournament. I graduated in 1990.
Did you ever think about playing professionally? Was there any opportunity at that time?
I thought about it certainly, every kids grows up thinking they want to play professional sports but I recognized that I was a 6’0 goalkeeper and the majority of goalkeepers who got opportunities to play professionally in the ‘A’ league were several inches taller than I was.
I started having ideas about what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I didn’t put forth the effort I should have. I went back to St. Louis and played in a lot of indoor tournaments, paid tournaments where if your team won they won a couple thousand dollars which was normally used to pay the bar bill. That was as close to professional soccer as I got as a player.
How did you make the transition to coaching?
I kind of fell into it. My father runs a small service company in St. Louis. I worked for him for about three years and worked for myself for three years as a photographer and a photographer’s assistant in commercial photography. You would be in the studio at 6am and leave at midnight. What started to get me was in January and February, the short days; I could go three or four days without ever seeing the sunlight. That got to me. I went back to Benedictine to get my education degree and worked there as the Assistant Men’s Soccer Coach.
After about a year of coaching college I [realized I] liked college coaching from the standpoint of dealing with the players along with putting together a team. To me it’s a multidimensional puzzle. It’s not just about getting the right number of forwards and backs. It’s also the other dimensions and probably the more important dimensions, the personalities and the way people are and trying to fit those personalities into one cohesive whole.
I said I would give it a chance and gave myself four years to get a college job. I figured I was already broke and I didn’t want to get in a high school position and start making money and say “Hey I’m comfortable doing this." Within that time the Women’s Coach at Benedictine resigned and they came after me to take that position.
Coaching and Coaching Accreditation
I think a lot of people are in the dark on how the coaching accreditation process works. Can you fill us in?
The United States Soccer Federation has, and this is something all of the developed nations have, a licensing procedure. In the United States there are essentially six total grades.
You start at the State level and can get 'F,' 'E,' or 'D.' They have pretty much done away with the 'F' and the 'E' and they call those youth modules. Those are for dealing with kids 12, 10 or younger. If you pass the 'D' you can go through and get your 'C' which is the first level in the United States National Federation.
Essentially it is a school you go to for ten days, normally in the summer, where you have to demonstrate your ability. You learn and you have to turn around and demonstrate your knowledge of the game and your ability to play, you have to prove you can play as well as demonstrate, and you ability to teach the game. You actually run a training session with all the other candidates. You do this in front of staff members who grade you.
If you pass you can go on to the next level within a years time or you fail you have to go back and learn and come back at least three months later and try again. The ‘C’ is primarily the smaller numbers of the game, 1v1 to 6 v 6 and dealing with kids from about 10-12. Your ‘B’ is kids 12-16,6v6 to 9v9. ‘A’ is 9v9 and 11v11. You’re also weeding people out through the process.
Do a lot of people fail?
Generally the failure rate for ‘A’ is about 70-75 percent. I wanted to learn the game so the stressor didn’t hit me until afterward. Not going to lie, it is stressful. The Soccer Federation creates that atmosphere. I’m happy I’m through and got my ‘A.’ Once you get through every four years you must audit a course or go to various continuing education units. If you build up enough of those you can maintain the ‘A’ license.
Who leads the clinics?
It is a little bit of everyone. Other college coaches who have gone through and passed the testing procedure to test. Youth coaches who have gone through. Coaches from the national team. Even coaches they bring over from other countries. It’s a little bit of a hodgepodge of everything. Male, female, whatever.
Women’s Soccer
Why do you coach women’s soccer or do you have a preference one way or the other?
You know I don’t know if there is a reason I stayed with it. The simplest reason was it was a job. When I was initially offered the job (at Benedictine) it really didn’t make a difference to me. The women bring a different skew and view of the game and athletics in general than I was use to in an all male environment which was very refreshing.
They aren’t going to kill their friends on the other team for the sake of the game. In some respects it’s easier and in some more difficult. They want to succeed and learn where guys tend to be more hard headed. With girls there is a huge communication factor. You have to have the ability to communicate with them and establish a trust. If they can’t trust you and what you are doing then you are lost.
What struggles do women face playing soccer in America?
I think it depends on what the ultimate goal is. For those at the elite level there is a shortage of opportunities to play after college. Starting this year the new women’s league (WPS) is starting up and I think that is fantastic. There are other opportunities. My assistant has played the last three years in the W league which is professional, maybe a little semi pro, for those who have the ability and want to continue playing.
There are struggles from the outside world looking in at women trying to play a sport at the highest levels. One of the great things that was an outcome of the 1999 World Cup was we saw a boom of young girls who wanted to be the next Mia Hamm or Brandi Chastain or Briana Scurry. They had this tremendous ad campaign of team building and we get along and that was great but ultimately when you get into the top levels its about competition and can you compete. There are struggles there.
One of the things we talk about with our girls all the time is being happy. Some of this is not necessarily fun. It’s not all puppies and sunshine. Fitness for some people isn’t fun. Going into a fifty-fifty ball and risking getting hurt isn’t fun. For other people it is. There is somewhat of a identity crisis of what exactly is the game. Is it fun and participation and everyone gets to play or is it a sport where competition is at its premium and who is the best player?
Finally, the acceptance of the sports community at large. We have a double whammy in that we are soccer. Soccer automatically is still the commie foreign sport where it’s always the butt of the jokes. I don’t know why that is. Maybe people are afraid we are going to “take their athletes.” We have the double whammy or soccer as the commie sport and as women’s sport. We have to gain credibility through all that.
How do you think the new Women's Professional Soccer League will do?
It looks like they have a decent plan in place. They aren’t sticking them in big stadiums. They are getting the help of MLS. That is one of the reasons the WNBA has lasted so long is because the franchises in the WNBA are helped along the by the same people who own the NBA franchises. You can share the same marketing people and front office staff plus one or two more as opposed to hiring the whole staff. You can share resources. I certainly hope it will do well. I would like to see more publicity. The soccer community knows about it but who else? I remember when MLS started up; they did a lot of things wrong but they also did a lot right. They had the ads on TV and on ESPN, and I’m not really getting that from the new women’s league.
Why it the United States Women’s National Team so dominate?
The same reason why our baseball team has always dominated until the recent years. We started it, we embraced it more. In a lot of the soccer playing countries of the world, Women’s Soccer is looked down and frowned upon. Maybe women’s sports in general are. Soccer is seen as a man’s game. The England, the Germanys, the Brazils didn’t embrace it immediately.
We’ve been able to give our young ladies a chance to play since the 80s and early 90s, we were able to get ahead of the curve. Now you are seeing many of the soccer playing nations catch up and even pass us. Brazil is tremendous. The flair of the men’s team has caught up and gone over to the women’s team. You would love to be dominate forever but in the growth of the game and how it is played more competition is better.
Monday
The rest of the interview will be published on Monday, stick around folks, more great stuff to come.
Contest
Today is supposed to be the last day of my supporter pictures contest but I haven’t received many submissions yet so I am going to keep it open until Monday. Please submit to grahamfox[@]gmail.com so I can hand out the Bumpy Pitch T-Shirt and the 25 dollar gift certificate to SoccerPro.com
An Interview with Jim Schneiderhahn
Jim “Snoop” Schneiderhahn is in his third year as the Emporia State University Woman’s Soccer Head Coach. I sat down with him and talked about his soccer career, coaching soccer, woman’s soccer, the Women’s National Team, coaching overseas, the Men’s National team, Eddie Johnson, and goalkeeping.
Today I’m bringing you the first part of the interview. Monday I will publish part two. Enjoy.
Soccer Basics
What is your first soccer memory?
It was probably when I was five or six and we were moving into a new house. I was outside kicking the soccer ball in the back yard with the neighbors.
Right after that we were downstairs in the basement with the kids of the family we were buying the house from and we were kicking the soccer ball around the basement. I think my folks were signing the papers when I put a soccer ball through the window downstairs.
Did you play youth soccer?
I loved baseball and I went to catholic grade and high school. Particularly in Catholic communities in St. Louis you would play for your parish team. I played soccer, baseball, and later on basketball. I didn’t start playing club ball until I was 12 years old. The goalkeeper on our team had gotten hurt and I had played a little bit of goal in second grade.
In about 6th grade I stepped in and played goal and in my seventh grade year I was asked by a coach to play for a club team, a bush team. That’s when I was hooked.
Did you play high-school and college soccer?
I went on to play high school soccer in St. Louis. I was cut one year I was there, and then got an opportunity to play college soccer at a NAIA college, Benedictine College, just outside of Kansas City. I played and had a blast there. I got to play for and against some pretty good teams and had a chance to go the National Tournament. I graduated in 1990.
Did you ever think about playing professionally? Was there any opportunity at that time?
I thought about it certainly, every kids grows up thinking they want to play professional sports but I recognized that I was a 6’0 goalkeeper and the majority of goalkeepers who got opportunities to play professionally in the ‘A’ league were several inches taller than I was.
I started having ideas about what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I didn’t put forth the effort I should have. I went back to St. Louis and played in a lot of indoor tournaments, paid tournaments where if your team won they won a couple thousand dollars which was normally used to pay the bar bill. That was as close to professional soccer as I got as a player.
How did you make the transition to coaching?
I kind of fell into it. My father runs a small service company in St. Louis. I worked for him for about three years and worked for myself for three years as a photographer and a photographer’s assistant in commercial photography. You would be in the studio at 6am and leave at midnight. What started to get me was in January and February, the short days; I could go three or four days without ever seeing the sunlight. That got to me. I went back to Benedictine to get my education degree and worked there as the Assistant Men’s Soccer Coach.
After about a year of coaching college I [realized I] liked college coaching from the standpoint of dealing with the players along with putting together a team. To me it’s a multidimensional puzzle. It’s not just about getting the right number of forwards and backs. It’s also the other dimensions and probably the more important dimensions, the personalities and the way people are and trying to fit those personalities into one cohesive whole.
I said I would give it a chance and gave myself four years to get a college job. I figured I was already broke and I didn’t want to get in a high school position and start making money and say “Hey I’m comfortable doing this." Within that time the Women’s Coach at Benedictine resigned and they came after me to take that position.
Coaching and Coaching Accreditation
I think a lot of people are in the dark on how the coaching accreditation process works. Can you fill us in?
The United States Soccer Federation has, and this is something all of the developed nations have, a licensing procedure. In the United States there are essentially six total grades.
You start at the State level and can get 'F,' 'E,' or 'D.' They have pretty much done away with the 'F' and the 'E' and they call those youth modules. Those are for dealing with kids 12, 10 or younger. If you pass the 'D' you can go through and get your 'C' which is the first level in the United States National Federation.
Essentially it is a school you go to for ten days, normally in the summer, where you have to demonstrate your ability. You learn and you have to turn around and demonstrate your knowledge of the game and your ability to play, you have to prove you can play as well as demonstrate, and you ability to teach the game. You actually run a training session with all the other candidates. You do this in front of staff members who grade you.
If you pass you can go on to the next level within a years time or you fail you have to go back and learn and come back at least three months later and try again. The ‘C’ is primarily the smaller numbers of the game, 1v1 to 6 v 6 and dealing with kids from about 10-12. Your ‘B’ is kids 12-16,6v6 to 9v9. ‘A’ is 9v9 and 11v11. You’re also weeding people out through the process.
Do a lot of people fail?
Generally the failure rate for ‘A’ is about 70-75 percent. I wanted to learn the game so the stressor didn’t hit me until afterward. Not going to lie, it is stressful. The Soccer Federation creates that atmosphere. I’m happy I’m through and got my ‘A.’ Once you get through every four years you must audit a course or go to various continuing education units. If you build up enough of those you can maintain the ‘A’ license.
Who leads the clinics?
It is a little bit of everyone. Other college coaches who have gone through and passed the testing procedure to test. Youth coaches who have gone through. Coaches from the national team. Even coaches they bring over from other countries. It’s a little bit of a hodgepodge of everything. Male, female, whatever.
Women’s Soccer
Why do you coach women’s soccer or do you have a preference one way or the other?
You know I don’t know if there is a reason I stayed with it. The simplest reason was it was a job. When I was initially offered the job (at Benedictine) it really didn’t make a difference to me. The women bring a different skew and view of the game and athletics in general than I was use to in an all male environment which was very refreshing.
They aren’t going to kill their friends on the other team for the sake of the game. In some respects it’s easier and in some more difficult. They want to succeed and learn where guys tend to be more hard headed. With girls there is a huge communication factor. You have to have the ability to communicate with them and establish a trust. If they can’t trust you and what you are doing then you are lost.
What struggles do women face playing soccer in America?
I think it depends on what the ultimate goal is. For those at the elite level there is a shortage of opportunities to play after college. Starting this year the new women’s league (WPS) is starting up and I think that is fantastic. There are other opportunities. My assistant has played the last three years in the W league which is professional, maybe a little semi pro, for those who have the ability and want to continue playing.
There are struggles from the outside world looking in at women trying to play a sport at the highest levels. One of the great things that was an outcome of the 1999 World Cup was we saw a boom of young girls who wanted to be the next Mia Hamm or Brandi Chastain or Briana Scurry. They had this tremendous ad campaign of team building and we get along and that was great but ultimately when you get into the top levels its about competition and can you compete. There are struggles there.
One of the things we talk about with our girls all the time is being happy. Some of this is not necessarily fun. It’s not all puppies and sunshine. Fitness for some people isn’t fun. Going into a fifty-fifty ball and risking getting hurt isn’t fun. For other people it is. There is somewhat of a identity crisis of what exactly is the game. Is it fun and participation and everyone gets to play or is it a sport where competition is at its premium and who is the best player?
Finally, the acceptance of the sports community at large. We have a double whammy in that we are soccer. Soccer automatically is still the commie foreign sport where it’s always the butt of the jokes. I don’t know why that is. Maybe people are afraid we are going to “take their athletes.” We have the double whammy or soccer as the commie sport and as women’s sport. We have to gain credibility through all that.
How do you think the new Women's Professional Soccer League will do?
It looks like they have a decent plan in place. They aren’t sticking them in big stadiums. They are getting the help of MLS. That is one of the reasons the WNBA has lasted so long is because the franchises in the WNBA are helped along the by the same people who own the NBA franchises. You can share the same marketing people and front office staff plus one or two more as opposed to hiring the whole staff. You can share resources. I certainly hope it will do well. I would like to see more publicity. The soccer community knows about it but who else? I remember when MLS started up; they did a lot of things wrong but they also did a lot right. They had the ads on TV and on ESPN, and I’m not really getting that from the new women’s league.
Why it the United States Women’s National Team so dominate?
The same reason why our baseball team has always dominated until the recent years. We started it, we embraced it more. In a lot of the soccer playing countries of the world, Women’s Soccer is looked down and frowned upon. Maybe women’s sports in general are. Soccer is seen as a man’s game. The England, the Germanys, the Brazils didn’t embrace it immediately.
We’ve been able to give our young ladies a chance to play since the 80s and early 90s, we were able to get ahead of the curve. Now you are seeing many of the soccer playing nations catch up and even pass us. Brazil is tremendous. The flair of the men’s team has caught up and gone over to the women’s team. You would love to be dominate forever but in the growth of the game and how it is played more competition is better.
Monday
The rest of the interview will be published on Monday, stick around folks, more great stuff to come.
Contest
Today is supposed to be the last day of my supporter pictures contest but I haven’t received many submissions yet so I am going to keep it open until Monday. Please submit to grahamfox[@]gmail.com so I can hand out the Bumpy Pitch T-Shirt and the 25 dollar gift certificate to SoccerPro.com
Monday, February 2, 2009
See you on Wednesday
Out sick again boys and girls. See you on Wednesday when I'll bring you the next installment of my Soccer in America series. I did a great interview, learned a lot, and I think you will to. Peace out.
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