You Need To Develop ‘Soccer Players’
By Ray Alley

If you coach a team of average 13 or 14 year olds, just to pick an age span, you probably will get specific answers to the question, “what position do you play.” That answer is not a problem, because almost everyone has a favorite position.

The problem comes when that same player is uncomfortable about playing “another” position. Too often you hear, “I can’t play there. I have never played there.”

Not the young players fault! Blame it on the previous coach! If that previous coach is you - if you have coached that player for several seasons - blame it on yourself!

The Under-11 and Under-12 Parks and Recreation championships are nice to win, but in the scope of your players’ development, those titles pale to your players learning to be a “soccer player” rather than just a left wing, or a center midfielder, or a sweeper, or a center forward. A “soccer player” would have some understanding of how to play all of those positions.

Far too many players have no idea how one position on the field relates to another. They just know what they should do in one position, get in a comfort zone and do their thing. Soccer is like an orchestra. If the trumpets play a piece of music as a march, the woodwinds play it like a waltz, the drummer plays it like a jazz piece it just doesn’t work that way.

Ever seen a team win the ball in its defensive third and start up field only to have all of the forwards run away from the ball looking for a long ball to be played 70 yards from the opposing goal? Looks like a track meet!

Those forwards, and probably the midfielders too, don’t understand what they need to do to maintain possession and string passes together in order to get the ball well into the opponent’s half of the field, and then attack!

Now I am not saying this is easy for a coach to accomplish. You don’t find out how to do this by reading “how to” books and/or watching videos. If you don’t understand how it all comes together, how can you teach your players?

The best way is to find a soccer mentor who understands how to teach a team and its individual players “how to play”, ask questions and remember the answers. Then go and teach your players!

Top of Page

Dear Sunil
By Ray Alley

Dear Sunil: I’m sure this was not the way you wanted to begin your term as President of US Soccer. But you have been there since the 1990 World Cup in Italy. You’ve seen the highs and lows.

The World Cup continues, but for the U.S. National team it is over, and it was a disappointment for those who follow the sport in this country.

No wins, only one goal scored by an American, and four shots on goal in three games! Not much to show for a process that started nearly two years ago with regional qualifying.

Lost in the disappointment, is the fact that the U.S. qualified for a World Cup final for the fifth consecutive time, and finished first in the final CONCACAF qualifying standings. That is a meaningful accomplishment, and not one to be taken for granted.

We were over-ranked at #5 in the world, and under-confident in competing against the Czech Republic (which was also over-ranked at #2) Italy and Ghana. Ghana, making its first-ever trip to a World Cup final, advanced with wins over both the Czechs and the U.S. So much for the experience factor!

The USA’s 1-1 draw with the Italians, despite playing a man-down (9 vs.10) for almost a half, will be pointed to as a major accomplishment, but the results of the overall three-game efforts should not be judged by that “high point”, but rather by the third game against Ghana.

Head-to-head, winner advances, and the U.S. did not win. Forget bad calls from the referee, tough group, injuries, etc.! Advancement on the line and we did not win a game we could have won.

In fact, the U.S. has never won the third group game in a World Cup final. Again, the defining word is Never!

In 1994 the U.S. lost to Romania and in 2002 the loss was to Poland. The U.S. advanced both times despite the losses. This time a loss in the third game resulted in an early exit and a trip home.

The immediate reaction to the disappointment of World Cup 2006 has been to fire the coach. Bruce Arena’s future with U.S. Soccer will be a hot button topic for some time. He probably did make tactical mistakes, which showed up in the results when players failed to show up to play. He counted on some players who stepped up in 2002 to do it again, and they didn’t.

Before the World Cup there were those who called Arena a genius. There are those who now call him an idiot. Perhaps some of those are the same critics. Who knows?

But what has happened has happened. What is now important is for those in a position to analyze just where our national soccer program is at this point to do their jobs. What needs to be done to make us better?

Sunil, you are a smart guy, and I am confident that you will figure it out. You understand what we have to work with. You understand the American athlete, and know that we do not draw from the youth clubs of the English Premiership or the German Bundesliga. Our players don’t come from Madrid, Prague, Paris, or Stockholm, or the slums of Rio de Janiero. But we can get to where we want to be from the cities and suburbs from where we come. We have done that before in other sports, so why not soccer!

Much has been said about how Major League Soccer has been a boost to our national team program. It certainly has played a role, but as part of this overall evaluation by the powers that be, they must include whether or not MLS can produce a finished product that will allow the U.S. to take the next level.

Personally, I don’t think that MLS can do that.

Much credit should be given to MLS for providing a professional league where young professionals can grow and develop. It has given Arena a level of player depth greater than what the U.S. has ever had in the past.

It has helped to develop players like Clint Dempsey and Jimmy Conrad, who individually did very well in this World Cup. It will be difficult for the league to give up its young stars, but if those players are truly to improve to the next level, they have to move on.

U.S. veteran Eddie Pope has remained loyal to MLS throughout his career, but there is no telling how much he would have grown as a player had he gone to play in Europe. Landon Donovan didn’t have the grit to stick it out in Germany as a young professional, and in this World Cup in Germany he didn’t show the grit to lead when his national team called on him to do so. He needs to take a job overseas, if someone will give him one.

In MLS, the stars do not have to compete day-to-day to make the roster for the next game. Their jobs are not on the line every day. They have a contract. They are part of the marketing plan. People expect to see them play.

In Europe these same players, Dempsey and Conrad, would have to earn their way on the field. Same for Freddy Adu, who felt he was ready for World Cup glory. At some point in time, MLS has got to let him go. Sooner than later would be good for Freddy.

Freddy has been told that he is a star for so long that he believes it. It’s good to be confident, and to talk about signing with Chelsea, Real Madrid, etc. However, only if he is in that team environment, competing day to day with no guarantee that he will even be on the bench on game-day…..that is what Freddy, Clint and Jimmy need at this point in their careers.

So the disappointment runs deep. More people care than ever before, and that is actually a good thing. That means that the results of the U.S. team are important to a lot of people.

Another four years….2010 seems a long way off, but back in the ‘90s wasn’t 2010 the target year that US Soccer set to be competitive for a World Cup championship? If we are to get there some things have to change…..and our world philosophy of competing at the highest level has to be taken to the next level before our players, and our team, can get there.

Sunil, you are the man for the job. You are the one who can put together all of those smart men, and women, who can take the visitation to a higher level of reality. There is no American better positioned, or more experienced, to lead the sport in the right direction than you are. You are a smart guy, and 2010 is right around the corner!

Sunil Gulati is the newly elected President of US Soccer

Top of Page

Scoring Goals Requires Having An Attitude
By Ray Alley

OK coach, describe for me what makes a great goalscorer. Big, fast with a wicked shot! Small, quick, with a knack of getting on the end of balls in front of the goal! Intelligent, calm under pressure with great vision! Strong, ability to shed defenders, and consistently put the ball on goal out of the reach of the opposing goalkeeper!

Well, if that guy is out there give me a call. Bruce Arena could use him on the national team. If you find a girl with all of those qualities, I am sure April Heinrichs would like to know her phone number.

Chances are, if you are fortunate, you will find players who have many of those characteristics. Good goalscorers come in all shapes and sizes with varied degrees of natural abilities, but the one thing they must have in order to be great is “attitude.”

Scoring goals is the most difficult thing in soccer. That’s why they are such a celebration. Creating the opportunities throughout the game is actually more of the game’s fabric than the actual goal itself. Those who don’t understand or appreciate this are often frustrated with one-goal games. A scoreless draw, even with a number of spectacular opportunities, is a reason for the unappreciative eye to not watch another soccer game.

Goals don’t happen, and the ball seldom just falls at your feet in front of an open goal. You have to want to score. You have to have the drive to put the ball in the back of the net, and the willingness to work to make that happen. Goals don’t have to be pretty or spectacular. They all count “one.”

There will be players on your team who appear to have all the necessary physical tools to be an effective striker, but they never score. Look at the shot chart, and you will find that they seldom even shoot. There will be others who shoot a lot, but often their shots land in the adjacent zip code.

Those players may have great potential, but it is your job, as the coach, to find a better spot on the field where their talents can be developed.

You will find that it is almost impossible to “coach attitude into a player”, but it is a magic moment to coach a player who already has “attitude.”

Make the exercises competitive, and count the goals! That’s what happens in a game, and the goalscorer likes to count the goals. Make it a challenge, because scoring goals is difficult and in the game it becomes the ultimate challenge.

Here’s hoping you have that player “with attitude” already on your team, and by the way.....Happy New Year! (January 15 , 2005)

Top of Page

Stretching Your Opponent…..Think Rubber Band
By Ray Alley

Stretch is a good soccer term. One that every good coach should understand and teach his/her players.

Let’s make it simple. Take a rubber band and “stretch” it. The bigger you make the opening in the rubber band, the larger the box you can put it around.

But if you stretch too much, the band may break, but that’s like the defense, and more on that later.

In soccer terms when you have possession of the ball you want to stretch the field in width. By playing to the touchlines (sidelines) you open space that you can exploit against your opponents.

Keep in mind the term “playing to the touchlines” If you only stretch within 8-10 yards of the touchline you leave space between yourself and the boundary that is difficult for your players to utilize before the ball goes out of bounds. Remember, you can only use the space that is in front of you.
Defenses like to be compact. That restricts space and makes it easier to defend. It’s like trying to get a string that is already tied into a loop around that box. It is tough to do if the string won’t stretch.

In recent months we have addressed changing the point of attack to find space on the opposite side of the field. The change doesn’t have to be a long cross, but can be a ball played from the middle of the field to outside flank players....but they must be wide.

Now this doesn’t mean that flank players should just hang out on the touchline and not be involved. They need to learn to come into the middle, but when the ball is swung in their direction, they must stretch the field in width by going to the touchline.

And now the defense. The opposing defense wants to stay compact for a reason. They do it because it is good to restrict space, and your team needs to do the same thing, and not get stretched end-to-end. Defenders who are 60-70 yards from your forwards are out-of-touch, and your team is in danger of being broken.

Press your defenders up to compress your midfield when you have possession of the ball and are on the attack. Don’t lay back and allow opposing forwards to hang out in your defensive third of the field. That dangerous territory and it only aids your opponent’s ability to get the ball in position to score.

Train your team in short-sided exercises to get them to play wide on the attack. Remember, the dangerous ball you want your players to ultimately play is one from the outside into the box for a scoring opportunity. (December 15 , 2004)

Top of Page

Change It….To Find Space And Move The Defense
By Ray Alley

Changing the point of attack is a basic concept that should be taught to young players, and is one that holds up at every level of the game.
First, players must understand “space.” Changing the point of attack is basically finding a larger space in which to play.

Physical restraints may limit what very young players can do in terms of playing a long ball into space. Where older players can play a long diagonal ball to the other side of the field, with younger players it may take two or more “kicks.”

Coaches of very young teams bemoan the concept of “bee swarm soccer”, which results in all of the players, both teams, surrounding the ball. There is space to be found even on a small short-sided field.

Teams often become one-sided, and play that becomes predictable down one side of the field or the other will result in defenders moving over and just covering that particular side of the field. That leaves space on the other side.

Eventually, good coaches will teach their players to “move the defenders” by keeping the ball moving, diagonally and laterally. Making defenders cover more space puts pressure on the defense, which is to the advantage of the team with the ball.

Space, and where it is on the field, must be recognized both by the player with the ball and players on the opposite side of the field to whom the ball will be played. Don’t waste a good cross because it was not anticipated.
While the long diagonal pass can open up the game by finding space on the opposite side of the field, the continuation of directional play from a shorter pass can accomplish the same thing. “Keep it going.” To begin to change the point of attack and then at midfield play the ball back into the path of a packed in defence, defeats the purpose of a change. You have accomplished only half of the task.

Older and more technical players can change the ball across the back with a series of passes, taking the ball from one outside defender to his/her counterpart on the other side of the field, playing the ball through central defenders. You are moving the defenders and finding space.

A word of caution, playing the ball across the back requires correct positioning and angles to the ball in order to prevent opposing forwards from stealing possession in their offensive third of the field.

So “change it”, find space and stop wearing the grass out on one side of the field by playing into a defense that has settled in. (November 15 , 2004)

Top of Page

Scoring Goals Just Doesn’t Happen
By Ray Alley

The most difficult thing to do in a soccer game is to score a goal. That’s why goals are moments for celebration.

Goals don’t just happen. First the opportunity to score must be created. That in itself requires a lot of hard work.

Then they must be finished. We have often seen players expend a tremendous amount of effort to get the ball down the field and in front of the opposing goal, only to see the opportunity wasted.

Shots over the top and wide of goal are wasted opportunities. Even worse is the shot struck directly into the hands of the opposing goalkeeper. It is as foolish an effort as blowing it over the goal and into the parking lot!
Scoring goals is a talent. Perhaps you have heard about a high-scoring player that “he/she isn’t that talented, but seems to always been in the right place at the right place.” Those are often called “garbage players”, there to knock in the rebounds and loose balls.

Well, that is a skill in itself. That is the gift of a “special player.”
Goalscorers must be intelligent in the way the final third of the game is played, and they must have an “attitude.” They must truly want to score goals.

Understanding angles is also important in being at the right place at the right time. It is more than a “guess” that a player is often in the right place at the right time.

Goalscorers are also aware that they must be on the end of balls that are played across the front of the goal, and they must be there before the opposing defender. Awareness of where the defenders are is very important. Drawing a defender with a run often leaves space open for a teammate.

Soccer at a high level is a game of limited scoring opportunities. When you hear about a 1-0 game in which one team has 40 or more shots on goal, the one thing you can be sure of is that at least one of those teams is pretty weak!

The proper attitude in scoring goals, and skill in finishing, are developed in repetitive exercises that offer shooting opportunities with defensive pressure. Beat the goalkeeper with the shot! Sometimes all that is required is “passing the ball into the goal past the goalkeeper.”

Look at the boxscores. There is nothing there that says the goal was a “rocket”. They all count one regardless of how they are scored.

Make it difficult for the goalkeeper. What a shame to lose the chance to score by shooting the ball right at the goalkeeper. Have some courage and be willing to shoot the ball wide and into the corners. (October 15 , 2004)

Top of Page

Getting A Team In Shape
By Ray Alley

I’ll bet you thought this was going to be about physical fitness. No, its about another type of shape.....your team’s shape on the field.

When you organize your team on the field you should have a firm idea of where you would like your players to be if you could place them in ideal positions.

Do you want them wide, do you want the middle open, do you want the middle compressed, do you want a forward up top pressuring the opponent’s last defender?

Once your team gains possession of the ball does your team move back into that ideal alignment, or close to it, or does the shape of your team remain the way it was while defending?

Even on defense, you should try to maintain a good defensive shape, but your opponent will usually pull you out of the shape you would like to have when you have possession of the ball.

When you gain possession, your team should quickly regain it’s offensive shape.

Now that doesn’t mean that every player has to move to the position where they originally started, but rather that “A” player moves into those general areas.

When your opponent has the ball they often draw your players from out of the middle, opening a gap at midfield which they can exploit. They will also try to stretch your players end-to-end, again opening gaps at midfield, and forcing your back line to lose touch with your forwards.

Thus, when you win the ball in the back, and your team is stretched end-to-end, it takes a longer pass to reach your forwards, and those longer passes often result in turnovers.

You see, your defensive shape is influenced by what your opponents do. You control your shape once you gain possession of the ball. Not to do that would leave your players in their defensive positions, and thus leave your opponents in their offensive shape.

Hey, don’t do that. Make your opponents adjust to defend against you! Once you gain possession you want your players to “move” the defenders.....but that’s for another time!

Top of Page

Knocking It Around To Develop Confidence
By Ray Alley

Coaches should encourage players possess the ball. If you have possession the other team can never score a goal.

When coaching players to effectively possess the ball, you should also reinforce some defensive principals.

The restriction of space is a very important defensive principal. Defenders close the space in front of themselves as they approach the player with the ball.

Too often, players with the ball, who really have no place to go, take a touch or two too many and find that they have done the defender’s job. The player with the ball has passed or dribbled right into pressure!

Give yourself a break, and allow some space when passing. The easiest pass to make is one that is made without pressure.

We need players who have the ability to “hold the ball”, which means possess it until help arrives. You don’t do that by taking the ball into pressure, but rather taking it into space away from pressure. You can do that with a dribble or a pass.

Players’ ability to string together passes comes from knowing how to manage the space in front of them. You don’t even need the ball at your foot to do that. There is a wise saying in soccer, “when not in possession, get in position.”

So if you don’t have the ball, get yourself in position where your teammate who has it can easily pass it to you. Passing the ball around makes the defense move. That’s a good thing!

If the opportunity to take a defender on with a dribble isn’t there, playing a early pass still moves the defense. It also avoids putting yourself under pressure.

Stringing passes together is also called “knocking the ball around.” By stringing passes together you keep possession. You keep an organized shape for your team, and you develop a confident attitude that you and your team “are in control.”

By knocking it around you continue to move the defense, and when you do, you create openings to attack. That’s also a very good thing!

Top of Page

Coaching The Last Five Very Important Minutes
By Ray Alley

We’ve all seen it happen. If you coach long enough it will happen to your team.

Momentum is often lost in the final five minutes of the first half. Games are often won or lost in the final five minutes of a game.

Coaches are often aware of the danger, and the opportunity if you are behind, that lurks in those last 300 seconds of play. Too few coaches prepare their teams to deal with that short period of time. In this piece we’ll address the scenario from the standpoint of your team being ahead.

If you have the lead and you are approaching the end of a half, or the game itself, a radical change in philosophy can result in confusion and induce fear into the psyche of your team. The adjustment must be subtle.

To go strictly into a defensive mentality will cause loss of possession, and even greater pressure on your defense. Possession is the key word. If you have the ball the other team can’t score on you.

You may want to pull a forward back into the middle to help balance your defense and win balls, but don’t allow your team to get in a “kick ball” mode. Your forwards must continue to receive balls that are played forward and hold possession.

Slow the game down. Take a bit more time to put the ball in play. Time wasting is important, but remember that excessive time wasting is unsportsmanlike conduct and the referee can add on extra time to compensate for it.

If you are ahead you have all the goals you need to win the game. There should be no urgency to take free kicks or throw-ins. Taking the ball into your opponent’s defensive end of the field takes it away from your goal. Some teams will carry the ball to the corner flag and shield the ball from a defender. That often results in a defender touching the ball over the end line, giving your team a corner kick.

Make sure you have everyone behind the ball on defense. Make sure you have both pressure on the ball, and cover for the pressuring player. Deny long services into your penalty area. Have a plan!

Top of Page

Learn To Play With Your Head Cup
By Ray Alley

You play soccer with your feet, but the position of your head is very important. Actually, we are talking about where your eyes are directed while you are playing.

It’s kind of like walking across the street. You are supposed to stop and look both ways before crossing!

If you don’t look you won’t know if there is danger coming or if it is safe to walk.

Same with soccer. If you don’t look you won’t know who is around you....friend or foe. You can’t look if you have your head down.

So here’s the message that you can teach young players. Like a mirror, it has a reflection, so the story goes two ways.

By putting pressure on the player with the ball you force that player to direct all of his/her attention on the ball. That player doesn’t want to lose possession, so the attention, and the head and eyes go down.

As long as you are pressuring the ball, not even trying to win possession, you force your opponent to keep his/her head down.

Now this will make your opponent very uncomfortable. Very often that player will want to give up possession and will make a “blind” pass in the direction of a teammate. That’s a good opportunity to steal the ball, and your job as a defender has been successfully completed.

Once your players understand the process from a defensive standpoint, you can make them aware that their opponents will be trying to make them do the very same thing. Now they must guard against “dropping their head.”

Good shielding technique, moving away from pressure before being closed down, and playing an “early” pass to a teammate allows the player with the ball to look up and see the field.

Teach your players to look before they receive the ball. Confidence in holding possession can be built in small-sided training within a grid. It’s all about understanding pressure, and how to stay out of trouble before your opponents makes you drop your head!

Top of Page

When In Doubt Kick It Out!
By Ray Alley

It is tough to give up possession of the ball in your own defensive third of the field. However, it is better to give the ball to your opponent off the field of play than on it.

Defenders who are pressured risk the chance of giving the ball away in an area where one or two touches can result in a shot on goal. Sometimes it is far better to play the ball over the touchlines than to risk a defensive disaster.

Even playing a ball over the end line may be the correct thing to do, even though the opposing team gets a corner kick and an opportunity to put the ball right in front of your goal.

So, it is OK for your players to understand that "when in doubt, kick it out."

That said, it is important to train your players to be aware of several options when clearing a ball. It is disappointing to see players drill the ball out of bounds when there is no pressure, and when they had time to complete a pass to an open teammate.

• Clear the ball long out of the back, and if possible keep it in the field of play. Try not to take that extra touch before clearing the ball. That extra touch gives the defender extra time to close your player down.
• Play the ball off an opponent. When near the touchline, rather than just touching the ball out of bounds, play it off your opponent’s leg.
• When you train in grids, put down a line marking the grid. Encourage your players to work hard to hold the ball in bounds. This is a good opportunity to practice playing the ball off an opponent’s leg.

Lines are important because the game is played within the lines. If players play shortsided games where "out-of-bounds doesn’t count", it is unlikely that they will develop the type of skill and awareness that will apply to game conditions when lines are in play.

Possession is extremely important, and should be emphasized. Without the ball you can not score. Possession often begins in the back, so defenders should be taught to link passes with teammates, but should also have the confidence to kick it out and regroup.

Top of Page

You Should Look Up And Take A Mental Picture
By Ray Alley

Who is the picture-taker on your team? Your immediate response would most likely be one of the parents. In fact, every player on your team should be a picture taker.

You do that by playing with your head up. You scan the field, making quick mental notes about where opponents and teammates are. You record where open space is, and where it is developing as players move from place to place. If this becomes a habit you do it without thinking.

However, when pressure comes to you, it is easy to become distracted. If you have the ball at your feet, your head often goes down and the scanning of the field stops.

Coaches should consistently make a constant conscious effort to encourage players to lift their heads and scan what is around them. Awareness of the surrounding environment allows players to make good decisions relative to cutting, dribbling, passing the ball, shielding the ball, and yes, shooting the ball.

Ever wonder why lots of shots are played right at the goalkeeper? Part of the reason is that the shooter has not taken a picture of the goal and all that is around it. The shooter is relying on instinct and memory. That is not good enough when that chance on goal may be your last in the game.

Train your players to glance up at the goal before they shoot. Take a mental picture that includes the goal itself, the goalkeeper and others between you and the goal. If this has become a habit, the player will instantly have a mental picture when the head goes down to the ball and the shot is slotted home.

Scoring goals is not always about power. Actually, it seldom is. It’s about beating players, including the goalkeeper with the ball, and about framing the picture.

Sometimes balls crossed into the middle from a wing position must be struck quickly to avoid defensive pressure. There just isn’t time to take the picture. However, when time allows, young players should be taught to make eye contact with teammates in front of the goal. This eye contact will "tell" the server where the best serve can be made to that teammate.

Top of Page

The First Ten & Last Five Minutes
By Ray Alley

The first 10 minutes of each half, and the last five minutes are crucial time periods in a soccer game. It is in those first 10 minutes that your team has to find its rhythm. A team must establish itself and this is a time to build confidence.

Never go into a game hoping to "feel" your way into the flow of the game. Don’t start a game hoping to raise your level of play to that of your opponent. You may actually find it necessary to do that as the game goes along, but go into the game with the goal of establishing your level of play.

If your opponent likes to play all-out high pressure from the opening whistle, your players must be ready for that. If your players can withstand that pressure for the first 10-15 minutes of the game, often the pace of the game will level out after that initial rush by your opponent to get an early goal. If that is the way an opponent starts a game, it is likely that team will start the second half with that same pressure tempo.

The last five or 10 minutes are also especially crucial. Many times the difference between two teams in this final stage of the game is fitness. Not only physical fitness.......but also mental fitness.

Teach your players to have a positive attitude in the closing minutes of each half. If you want your players to guard against negative thoughts - "only another minute and we win the game" - chances are a lot of your opponents will have those same thoughts.

Press the attack if you are behind, but guard against playing wildly, which results in opportunities lost by errant play. The game isn’t over until the whistle blows. It is never too late to get a goal to tie or so win.

If you are ahead, continue to play with a positive attitude. Possession keeps the ball from your opponent, and if you have the ball the other team can’t score. Playing "kickball" on every opportunity gives the ball away and puts you back on defense. Sure, in the final minutes get the ball away and up the field, but continue to work hard to possess at midfield, string passes together and attack.

Soccer is certainly a 90-minute game, but it is also a game of segments. Be consistent throughout, but be especially mindful of the first 10 minutes and the final five.

Top of Page

Teach Your Players To Be Aware of Conditions
By Ray Alley

Part of learning about the game is learning about the conditions underwhich the game is played. It is a good thing to teach your players to consider weather and field conditions before the game begins.

Weather conditions will often determine how you want to play. If the field is wet the ball most likely will skid when it hits the grass. If there is standing water on the field, the ball will not roll like it does on a dry field. Teams that prefer a short passing game may often have to adjust to playing more flighted balls when there is standing water.

Is it windy? From what direction is the wind blowing? A strong wind from end-to-end is often a big advantage for the team with the wind at its backs. Playing into the wind will likely make it more difficult for younger teams to get the ball up and out of their defensive half of the field.

What is the condition of the playing surface? Is the grass cut short, or is is long? Is it clumpy with bare spots? Are there a lot of bare spots.

The ideal surface for a team that likes to play short passes on the ground, building up with possession, is one that has a flat even surface covered with a plush, well-cut carpet of grass. Yeah, I know, all of you play all of your games on those type of fields. Even if you play your home games there, you’ll see some different fields when you are on the road.

How about the width of the field? One of the first things coaches and players should consider is the distance between the side of the penalty box and the sideline.

All penalty boxes are supposed to be the same size. Very narrow fields have a very short distance between the side of the box and the sideline. When some facilities squeeze smaller fields for younger teams into complexes with limited space you find the penalty boxes extending close to the sideline. That means defensive play deep down the sidelines is often inside the box....watchout for fouls that result in PKs.

By checking out the width from penalty box to sidelines you can get a perspective of whether your players can get their corner kicks to the far post, or with younger players, a wide field might mean the distance is too far to advance to ball in front of the goal.

Top of Page

Better To Be Faster Or Quicker
By Ray Alley

It is not uncommon for inexperienced soccer coaches to spend a portion of practice having players simply run laps. "Getting them in shape" is important, but remember you are training them to play soccer, not run a marathon.

Endurance is important in being strong in the latter part of a game, which is often when games are won and lost. However, soccer is played in a series of short sprints and spurts.

You can accomplish most of your training goals by designing physical conditioning as part of the overall training to increase quickness....especially by working to shorten the transition time from offense to defense, and vice-versa.

"First step" quickness is most important, and sometimes you will find that the most gifted athlete is the one who has the quickest first step. That explosiveness over a short distance, is often a greater gift than straight-ahead speed.

If we can accept the premise that there is a period of inactivity for most players as they transition (they stop!), mentally and physically, when possession is lost or gained, then we can see the value of getting players to exploit the inactivity of their opponents by quicker reaction and anticipation.

Yes, you "can’t teach speed." You either have it or you don’t. However, you can teach improved quickness.

One method one can use is a simple 4 v 4 game of possession inside a marked off 15 X 15 grid (make the size appropriate to the age of the players). Even-number grid work is difficult because everyone is pressured by an opponent and space is difficult to find. However, with time the players will begin to connect on passes and possession will be maintained.

Call players aside from time to time, and encourage them to work quicker to exploit the fatigue that others in the exercise are beginning to feel. Encourage an increasingly higher work rate and quicker play.

Stress that the players "get their heads up" and "find the open player." Intense work in these grids will achieve a higher level of fitness in an exercise that encourages quickness that is game-related.

Top of Page

Offense And Defense....It's Like A Mirror
By Ray Alley

Lots of new and inexperienced coaches spend a lot of time stressing offense. That’s understandable....offense is fun and everyone likes to score a lot of goals.

But defense is also very important. In fact, most good teams are put together from the back forward. Even the most offensive-minded teams must be solid in the back and at midfield. For every goal you allow, that is just one more that you have to score just to keep the game even.

Actually, the concepts of offensive soccer and defensive soccer mirror one another. If you have been spending most of your practice time with offensive concepts, you need go no further to get a good defensive mentality if you can get your players to think in terms of stopping the things your own team likes to do when it has the ball.

If you stress making an early pass before being closed down by a defender, your players can quickly pick up the concept of pressure by realizing that they need to do what you are trying to prevent opponents from doing.

If you like to play with quick wing forwards and like to turn the corner around opposing backs, it is important for your wide defenders to be aware that others may want to do the same to them.

When you teach your players to open wide when you gain possession of the ball, they should be made aware that the opposite is true when you lose possession.....compress your shape and drop towards the middle.

If you teach your players to exploit space behind defenders, it is a good time to teach them that they need to have depth on defense. Just as they must support teammates offensively, they must support teammates defensively.

In individual dribble/shooting drills (one vs. one) you teach your players to work on their weaker side and to try to get to their "best" side for the shot. Defensively, they should force opponents to their weaker side. It’s part of the total package.

Top of Page

Give A Little When Learning Ball Control
By Ray Alley

In the 1975 edition of Tactics and Teamwork (Charles Hughes) the author makes some excellent points about good ball control. Remember, the most important touch when receiving a ball is the "first touch."

Hughes points out that the player whose ball control is not so good needs more space, in which to control the ball, than the player whose control is very good. We can all relate to that since we’ve all had players with "thunder touches."

The author also said that there are two factors involved in achieving good ball control. The first is to understand the principals of control, and the second is to practice.

"No book can help with the second factor," said Hughes, "and one should always be mindful that the ingredients of success are one ounce of information to one ton of practice."

He offers four suggestions. Move into the line of flight. If the player does not do this he will fail to make good contact with the ball. Select the controlling surface early. Decide whether you are going to control the ball with chest or thigh or foot, etc. Decide early, and having decided, do not change your mind.

Withdraw the controlling surface on impact, and relax the controlling surface. If the surface is not relaxed it will be rigid and the ball will bounce away. When players are afraid of not being able to control the ball they fail to relax, become tense and they set themselves up for a bad first touch.

You can teach withdrawing the controlling surface by having two players toss a softball between them. Increase the speed of the tosses, and you will see the players naturally begin to give with the catch in order to take away some of the speed of the toss. Really zing it in there!

If they fail to "withdraw" their hands at the point of the catch, show them how to do that in order to soften the impact. Point out that this is the same process they must utilize in receiving a soccer ball with any of the controlling surfaces.

A player can really get in a lot of good touches by working off a kickwall. If that’s not available, how about a brick wall on a building.........away from windows!

Top of Page

Individual Tactics Can Be Learned Indoors
December, 1999
By Ray Alley

A lot of coaches express the feeling that little is to be learned from indoor soccer. Are you one of those?

Actually a great deal can be learned from playing indoors during the winter months. There can be a positive carryover to the outdoor season. It all depends on what you teach your players and how they are encouraged to play. Consider this:

Indoor soccer puts players in a competitive environment, in a confined area and in a short-sided situation. Usually five vs. five (or for older age groups it is four vs. four). Lots of touches on the ball, interaction with players closest to the player with the ball, and an understanding of playing the ball to the wide side of the floor (usually the open side). That’s changing the point of attack!

What better way to teach a wall-pass then to teach it with a wall, which indoor soccer offers.

With constant pressure created by a smaller playing space, players must be encouraged to play with their heads up. That’s crucial in order to control and keep possession of the ball.

Players can get a real education in terms of angles of play. Angles are very important in making runs outdoors, supporting teammates, providing defensive support, etc. Indoors they can begin to understand angles as it relates to the way a ball will come off a wall, either the side or front walls, and in finding the space between opponents to receive a pass from a teammate.

Indoor soccer is a game of transition with teams winning and losing possession quickly. Players learn the true meaning of "immediate chase" when possession is lost, and to "get in position when not in possession." You can’t relax and coast when playing indoors. You must concentrate and be willing to make the transitions.

While there is often more scoring in an indoor game than one might find outdoors, a lower percentage of goals are scored on a direct shot on goal. The goal is too small and to easy for the goalkeeper to cover. More goals are scored on balls that are played across the face of the goal. Don’t we like to see this happen outdoors? Outdoors, some players just have a knack of getting on the end of crossed balls.....with indoor soccer you can develop that knack.

Top of Page

Do You Coach Aggressive Passing?
By Ray Alley

Charles Hughes, the Assistant Director of Coaching for the English Football Association, wrote a book called Tactics and Teamwork. It was first published in 1973 and it was the bible, of sorts, for many soccer coaches in the ‘70s.

Much of what he said, simply put, continues to have validity today. The concept of "the aggressive passer" is Hughes’ idea. Much of what we share here is in his words.

There are some players who never really think about passing the ball. They only think in terms of passing the responsibility.

How many of you have seen your players give the ball up with an errant pass to "no one in particular", or at the worst, to a player on the other team?

The aggressive passer of the ball is the player who is looking constantly for opportunities of playing opponents in positions of severe disadvantage. This type of player will always pass the ball forward if he has the opportunity to do so. His (her) attitude to the passing of the ball is positive. Can you use a few players like that on your team?

This quality can be trained. Obviously the better a player’s technique (skill in striking the pass) the more likely he (she) is to be aggressive in his (her) passing. There are players who show a high degree of aggression in winning the ball and then display a lack of aggression in their passing.

It is, however, not entirely a matter of technique. Players need to be educated in their passing to know in which areas of the field they should calculate on the side of safety and in which areas to calculate on the side of risk. When players are educated in this way they balance aggression and responsibility. That is your job as the coach - as the teacher of the game.

How many of you have seen your players fight hard to win possession and then give the ball up easily with a careless or hurried pass.

It’s like a player who is asked to solve a math problem at school, say multiplying 222 by 323 (without a calculator). The player does the multiplication correctly, but makes an error in the final addition. The hard work is done, but at the end a simple mistake is made. That’s the difference between an "A" and an "F". Same as in soccer!

Top of Page

Hey, What Are Your Waiting For?
By Ray Alley

Good soccer players have the ability to "hold the ball." That means the ability to maintain possession of the ball while play develops around them.

Inexperience players sometime try to "hold the ball" at the wrong times. In those cases the only thing that is developing around them is pressure and the opponent’s defense.

Yes, it is good to have players who are willing to "take on" a defender. Yes, sometimes players lose possession by over-dribbling. Yes, I know, they need to be allowed to lose the ball a bit in order to develop dribbling skills.

However, way too many players, who are without pressure, slow down the ball and allow a defender to challenge and then try to beat the defender.

Consider this. The first principal of one-on-one defense is containment. Slow the player with the ball down. Give teammates a chance to get behind you and provide you with cover. Also, it is easier to tackle once the ball is slowed, then it is to tackle a player coming at you with the ball at full speed.

If your young player slows the ball down and allows himself (herself) to be pressured, that player has given the advantage to the opposition.

If the player has the ball and has teammates open and available, give the teammate the ball. Play the "early" ball before pressure comes. Pass the ball and move.

How many of you have seen a player pass up a couple of wide open teammates in order to force a difficult pass to a covered teammate. It’s a little like waiting at an intersection with a green light. It won’t get any greener! Go....move the ball.

Now we aren’t advocating stripping creativity from young players. We need creative players, but a creative dribble might be away from pressure to gain time as teammates move to support.

However, young players need to learn to let "the ball do the work." Move it, maintain possession....and don’t do the job for the defense by slowing the ball down and losing it to pressure. That’s a poor offensive decision

Top of Page

Practicing Free Kicks Pays Off In Games
By Ray Alley

It is well documentated that at the highest levels of the game, goals are frequently scored from free kicks. That includes direct and indirect free kicks. Corner kicks, which occur frequently, are direct kicks, as are the less frequent and dreaded penalty kicks.

Youth coaches often neglect these scoring opportunities in training. Rather they spend more time working to create scoring opportunity, and developing individual and team defensive concepts. Not that those should be neglected.....but why not work on free kicks.

Don’t take the opportunity for granted. Be organized. Have a plan. Have an idea.

Did you see the USA women’s 3-2 over Germany in World Cup ‘99? A penalty kick tied it and a corner kick won it.

A couple of thoughts on penalty kicks. Select players who want to take them. Pick players who get a kick out of the challenge. Then practice, practice, practice. Establish a rhythm and develop placement. Repetition!

Corner kicks require a team effort and a team consciousness. Shannon MacMillian didn’t just kick the ball into the middle hoping someone would kick it in the goal. Is that your game plan with your team?

MacMillian saw from the bench that the player making the near post run was open, and seconds after she got in the game she had the opportunity to take a corner kick. She drove it in to the near post and Joy Fawcett headed it home for the game-winner.

Successful corner kicks are the result of three things: an effective service, organized movement in the penalty box, and the ability to finish the ball inside the box.

These are the plays you can draw up and take to practice. Your players can have a blueprint, but they have to learn to adapt. There is always a "trick" to free kicks (the deception).....but that’s another lesson for another time.

Top of Page

Not In Possession, Get In Position
By Ray Alley

Most coaches spend a lot of time training players with the soccer ball. That is very important, and also very necessary as a player must develop skills with the ball and a comfortable feeling with the soccer ball in his/her possession.

However, many coaches neglect to teach their players what they should do when they do not have possession of the ball. That is a big mistake because during the course of a game each player on the field will be without the soccer ball far longer than they will have it in their possession.

There is a good soccer saying that will never let you down. "When not in possession, get in position."

That calls for players off the ball to move. Move to support the player with the ball. Move to receive a ball which you can run onto. Move to drag the defender out of an area and create space for a teammate to use.

Don’t stand and watch. People who stand and watch are called spectators. You don’t want to be a spectator.....you are a player!

On the other hand, as a coach you don’t want your players to run helter-skelter all over the field. Movement should have a purpose, and while it is important for coaches to allow players to think and make decisions, good movement can be taught.

Don’t just tell a player to move here or there. Tell then why those are the best kind of runs. Teach them that those runs have purpose.

How many of you have seen a player win a ball at midfield, and everyone on the team runs away from him/her screaming for a pass? Happens more times than we like to admit.

The use of four-corner grids is great to teach supportive runs. Shadow training, without defense, or with limited opposition, allows players with and without the ball to coordinate, or choreograph possession and movement off the ball. What you do on one part of the field may not be the same as what you would want your players to do in another part. Teach them.....then let them play!

Top of Page

Teach Your Players To Play 'Their' Game
By Ray Alley

It is definitely a good idea to know who the better players are on an opposing team. It’s also helpful to know how an opponent likes to play. However, coaches sometimes spend a lot of time on what their opponents like to do, when they should be spending time emphasizing that their team "play its own game."

When much of pregame preparation is spent on negating the other team’s strengths, you unwittingly put your team in a defensive mode. It is one that is difficult to change once the players are on the field.

Unless your team is grossly overmatched, you can take your opponent out of its comfort zone by making that team defend.

Of course, the age and skill level of your team will dictate some of the things you can ask them to do. Changing the point of attack, for instance, will be more difficult for younger teams than for older players who have the ability to strike an accurate long pass.

Keeping possession of the ball is important when playing a strong opponent. It’s simple - you can only score when you have the ball, and if you have it they can’t score! Keeping it is the task.

Holding a ball is more than a physical skill.....it’s a mental skill. Players must feel comfortable with the ball. They must have confidence. You can’t develop this confidence two days before a big match. It begins with training at the beginning of the year.

Play to your strengths. Perhaps every player on your team is not at the same physical and mental level. Know which players can help accomplish your plan, and who are the players who can support them.

You may have a great center striker, but if you don’t have the midfield that can win the ball and get it to him/her, that player may get only a few touches on the ball. Put that player in a position where he/she can be involved with the ball. That player may be a ball-winner who can get the ball forward into the attacking third - and then get on the end of a return cross to use the finishing skills of a "great center forward."

Top of Page

Lessons Can Be Learned From Losses
By Ray Alley

Winning is a special experience. Most people enjoy winning because it makes you feel good. Losing usually makes you feel bad.

I’m sure neither of those statements are a great revelation for you! However, do you take time with your team to find the lessons that can be learned from both victory and from a losing effort.

It really takes some thought to identify those lessons, but more often than not some of the things we learn from a loss are the greatest things we can learn from sports.

Some players are on teams that seem to win all the time. Aren’t they lucky! Actually, they may not be as fortunate as you might think. Without the "agony of defeat" to counter balance the "thrill of victory" those people are often ill equipped to deal with significant disappointments they may face in later life.

Sometimes we win games just because we are the better team, or we have the better players. Feel good about those wins, but realize they probably came easy. Cherish the experiences when you weren’t the better team and you did your best, created opportunities to be successful and were able to pull out a positive result.

Make your players aware that this type of experience came from their hard work, determination and effort.

When they give that same type of effort, and do not win, this is a good time to stress that there are no guarantees of success. Because it is not guaranteed just because you want to win so badly, it is important not to take winning for granted.

I’ve heard coaches, who seem to win all the time, say that sometimes winning isn’t so much a thrill as it is a relief that you didn’t lose. Winning should always be exciting, and if you give your best and are beaten by a better team.....don’t look for an excuse.

And always respect your opponent, because without them you can have no game. It is your opponents, and the effort they bring to the game, that makes you better!

Top of Page

U.S. Director Of Coaching Education
Proposes Changes To ODP
By Bobby Howe
U.S. Soccer Director of Coaching Education

This is a preview of an article that I have just written for U.S. Soccer Magazine addressing some of the criticism that has been leveled at the Olympic Development Program. I have also provided some suggestions for improvement. My opinions are based on much experience in the program for the last 15 years at all levels from district tryouts to national youth team coaching.

Undoubtedly, ODP in its present form has to change. The article is meant purely as a starting point for discussion and to assist those states that are not clear in their ODP direction.

For many years ODP has served as the primary selection process for national teams in the United States. The program has served this country well. However, as soccer has grown, several cracks have developed and much criticism has been leveled at the ODP structure and operation.

• The program is expensive and much of the cost is borne by the parents of the players. Soccer at this elite level has become a sport for the middle and upper classes and therefore has excluded many players.
• As many of our most experienced coaches work full time with clubs, they do not have the time to devote to ODP. Consequently, in many states, players participating in ODP are not exposed to the highest level of coaching available.
• As club programs have developed to create more year-round activity, incredible scheduling problems have occurred for administrators, too much unnecessary traveling time has occurred for players and a tug-of-war for players’ loyalties has developed.
• ODP has become administratively driven. More time has been devoted to the rules and finances of the operation than to the well-being of the players and, hence, to the progress of the game.
• Soccer should provide an equal opportunity for all players to participate, regardless of ethnic heritage or financial background. The only criterion for participation at the next level must be ability, with the understanding that there is no such thing as equality: some players are naturally better than others. At this time ODP does not recognize this simple fact.
• Development occurs when players of similar abilities are able to compete all year. As ODP is seasonal and sporadic, too often our best players are asked to play at inferior levels.

There is no easy solution or magic formula that will eliminate criticism. The following suggestions are offered in the spirit of providing simpler, more efficient development opportunities for our players.

As clubs emerge and grow stronger, they must bear the responsibility for the development of our players. Club Coaches have regular access to the players and must be judged on their ability to develop players. This will create much more accountability than already exists. Players must be encouraged to try out for club teams.

• Players should be scouted for their state teams in league and cup competitions by the state coaching staff. Players identified should be invited to try out for the state team.
• District tryouts, and therefore district training, should be eliminated. Not only would this ease scheduling, but it would also eliminate the majority of criticism at state level. At this time a player’s first experience of ODP is at district level where there exists the lowest level of experience in player identification and coaching ability.
• In those states that have strong club programs, state team training should be eliminated to avoid scheduling conflicts. In those states that have weak club programs, the state staff should bear the responsibility of training its best players. It should be the responsibility of all states to schedule games with other competitive states throughout the year (weather permitting) to provide competition. When there are scheduling conflicts between clubs and ODP, state ODP must take priority except for state, regional or national club competitions.
• Regional identification/development camps must be eliminated to be replaced by sub-regional tournament play. Not only are the existing camps expensive, they serve no developmental purpose. At this time players who are selected at these camps receive no more than eight to 10 days of realistic soccer activity. Regional players should be selected at state friendlies and sub-regional tournaments. Regional training should be eliminated to avoid scheduling conflicts, but regional teams should have more games throughout the year. In regional/state/club conflicts, the region must take priority except for state, regional or national cup competitions. At state and regional levels, year-round match play is a much more important development tool than training.

The ODP has served its purpose well. Like the game itself, however, it must evolve to provide more efficient, developmentally sound and less expensive playing opportunities for the elite players in the United States.

Top of Page

Train Players With
Sideline Boundaries
By Ray Alley - March 1999

Think about your practice sessions for a moment. If you are like most coaches, your training sessions seldom, if ever, include defined boundaries.

If fact, most skill training is done in an open environment. Even with grid training, the area often defined by four cones. In-and-out-of-bounds is loosely defined.

Once the game begins, the field of play is limited by the touchlines. Outside players are forced to play up against a visible line that has not been part of their practice experience.

Why is this important? Well, lots of things go on - or don’t go on - near the boundary lines that impact possession and impact the game itself.

Without lines in practice, players who realize the other team has played the ball out of the grid will put little effort into holding the ball inside the line. Easier to let it roll out of bounds, amble over to retrieve it and begin the sequence all over again. With the line, players are encouraged to win the ball inbounds and deal with it under the pressure of a defender and the boundary line.

Certainly in a game, we want our players, when under pressure, to let the ball last played by an opponent to go "out of touch", but we want them to be willing to battle for that 50-50 ball, or the one they last played that is headed out of bounds, in an effort to knock it off an opponent’s leg and thus gain possession.

It is also important for young players to realize that if they move quickly to a ball that is headed out of bounds, they will force their opponent to play the ball with another touch. For lesser-skilled opponents, this extra touch on the ball near the touchline will result in an error and loss of possession. That’s a good result for the pressuring player who gave the extra effort.

A player’s ability to play a contested ball out of bounds off an opponent will pay special dividends if that boundary is the end line. The result is a corner kick....an opportunity to put the ball in front of your opponent’s goal (an excellent scoring opportunity).

Top of Page

Practice With Pressure
To Develop Skills
By Ray Alley - February, 1999

A young player--or any player for that matter--can have great control of the ball in a non-pressured environment, but those skills quickly disappear when that player is put under pressure.

That may be physical pressure from closely marking defenders, or phycological pressure from a lack of confidence or the excitement of the game. Physiological pressure can break down a player’s ability through that player’s fear of failure.

Once the basic fundamentals of a skill such as receiving a ball, passing, shooting or "holding the ball" are learned, now the player must learn to use those skills while being contested.

The ability to "use a skill" changes a "kick" to a pass, and gives the player confidence to "hold the ball" rather than quickly giving it away.

The ability to "hold the ball" is crucial at every position on the field. It is especially true at midfield. If your players can "hold the ball" and at the proper time connect or combine with a teammate, they are keeping possession of the ball. If you have possession, the other team can’t score.

One of the best ways to develop skill under pressure in through grid training--small sided work within a marked off area (grid). The sides may be even, or either the offense or defense can have a numerical advantage. If the offense has five players in the grid and the defense only two, the pressure will be less than it would be for three offensive players going against four defenders.

By having more on offense you can teach players to play with their heads up, to find an open player for a pass, to avoid one-on-one situations by playing an early pass to an open teammate, etc.

Having an equal number on offense and defense, or more on defense, will require greater movement by the offense, greater anticipation, and a greater ability to hold the ball and not give it away. Keep it simple to start, and build from there as players learn to deal with pressure.

Top of Page

Florida || Georgia || North Carolina || South Carolina || Tennessee || Virginia

Southern Soccer Scene
PO Box 19445
Greensboro, NC  27419
Phone: (336) 292-7015
Fax: (336) 292-8135
Email: questions@southernsoccerscene.com