RIO DE JANEIRO -- Kids streaking back and forth on a soccer field in scorching tropical heat promises to produce something more than buckets of sweat. Billed as Brazil's first player-powered soccer pitch, a field inaugurated Wednesday in a Rio de Janeiro slum harnesses the kinetic...
IN JUNE 2008, PEP GUARDIOLA BECAME MANAGER OF FC BARCELONA. In the same month, Spain became champions of Europe when they defeated Germany by a goal to nil in Vienna. What followed was a period of domination that bordered on revolution. Spain and Barcelona weren’t just...
Positions and playing time “I play left midfield.” When I ask my patients about their soccer experiences I often hear children, some as young as 7, identify themselves as “defenders” or “strikers.” This is not good for young players, and it’s another sign that we’re doing it...
Katie Roper's daughter Ellen likes to play lots of sports--soccer, basketball, softball and swimming. But even at Ellen's tender age of nine, that's getting hard to do. Kids in her swim program are dropping other sports to specialize in competitive swimming year-round, and Ellen is having...
It is that time of year again! Teams now formed and parent/managers under pressure from 12 sets or more of well-meaning parents to select the ideal trainer. What used to be the case with players aged 14 and up is now the case for all...
The world's smartest and most creative soccer players read the game and play ahead of their opponents. They possess excellent soccer intelligence, which allows them to predict how and where a play will unfold. They stay one step ahead of their opponents to attack weaknesses...