Sunset Soccer Newsletter
By Toby
Rappolt
Sunset
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In This Issue
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Portable Goal On Sale At Sunset Soccer |
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2nd Annual USF Winter Soccer Camp |
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Pre-World Cup Women’s Tournament Featuring Four Big Guns |
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Coaching: Defending in the Opponents Half |
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Nighthawks
Hold Open Tryouts |
Portable Goal On Sale At Sunset
Soccer
Large
(6 ft. by 6 ft. ) Portable Goal
Regular
Price $89.99
Now $56.00 while supplies last
Also at Sunset Soccer
Kappa Klassico Molded Shoe
FULL
KANGAROO LEATHER
Was $109.99
Now $60.00 limited
quantity
2003 Calendars $14.99
Manchester
United
Arsenal
England
We weren’t able to get many of these so they won’t last
long!
2nd Annual USF Winter Soccer Camp
GET YOUR WINTER BREAK
STARTED OFF RIGHT WITH LOTS OF SOCCER FUN
Date: December 21 and 22, 2002
Time: Saturday and Sunday 9 am to 12 pm
Place: USF Negoesco Stadium (Parker and Turk)
Cost: $25.00/day (attend 1 or 2 days)
Registration/Payment will
take place Saturday 12/21 @ 8:30 am at Negoesco Stadium.
- Fun and Exciting Games
- High Quality Staff
- Emphasis on Technical Enhancement
Allison Gibson, the Assistant Women’s Soccer Coach at USF,
will direct the camp. Other staff
members will include players from the USF Women’s Soccer Team.
To reserve your place at
camp please call Allison @ 415-422-2269
There are a limited number
of spaces so please sign-up quickly.
Pre-World Cup Women’s Tournament Featuring Four Big Guns
From the U.S. Soccer Communications Center -- December 10, 2002
FOUR NATIONS TOURNAMENT IN CHINA
TO FEATURE U.S. WOMEN
FACING GERMANY, NORWAY & CHINA IN WOMEN’S WORLD CUP PREVIEW
U.S. Will Meet Japan in San
Diego on Jan. 12 Before Departing for Far East;
USA Will Face Norway on Jan. 23, Germany on Jan. 26 and China on Jan. 29
CHICAGO (December 10, 2002) – The
U.S. Women's National Team will travel to China in January for a major
international tournament featuring the top four teams in the world as each
nation gears up for the 2003 Women’s World Cup. The USA, Norway, Germany
and Women’s World Cup host China will clash in a series of three doubleheaders
in three Chinese cities, all in the three provinces in the southwest region of
the country.
The Four Nations Tournament will
kick off on Jan. 23 at a venue to be determined in the Zhejiang Province, as
China faces Germany and the USA takes on Norway. The teams will move to
the Women’s World Cup venue Wuhan for the Jan. 26 matches that feature China
vs. Norway and the USA vs. Germany. The blockbuster tournament will
finish in Shanghai, site of the 2003 Women’s World Cup Final, with rematches of
the 1995 Women’s World Cup Final as Germany takes on Norway and the 1999
Women’s World Cup Final as the USA faces China.
The U.S. team will gain invaluable
experience in what will be the team’s final visit to China before the Women’s
World Cup, which will be held from Sept. 23-Oct. 11 in Shanghai, Hongkou,
Hangzhou, Wuhan and Chengdu, facing three teams who not only have already
qualified for the Women’s World Cup, but who are among the favorites to win the
title. The USA will also get a preview of the venues, travel and
atmosphere they should encounter at the 2003 Women’s World Cup. The U.S.
will prepare for the tournament with a match against Japan in San Diego,
Calif., on Jan. 12 at Torero Stadium, then train several days in San Diego
before departing for China.
"January is going to be one of
the most important months of the year for the Women’s National Team,” said U.S.
head coach April Heinrichs. “Players will be coming off a much-needed
break with a clean slate trying to make the World Cup roster. We will get
them out of their vacation mode and back into the world-class soccer mode.
The Japan game will be a proving ground for some of our young players and an
opportunity for them to get experience to make the roster to go to China."
The U.S. women visited China in
January of 1998, 2001 and 2002, participating in the Four Nations Tournament
against the same three teams last year. The U.S. allowed just one goal in
three games, that coming in the 5th minute of the first game in a 1-0 loss to
Norway, then held Germany scoreless in a 0-0 draw and defeated China, 2-0, but
finished third. In 1998, the USA won the Four Nations that featured
Sweden, China and Norway. In 2001, the USA played two matches against
China with a young team, losing one match and tying the other, but both games
were in front of packed stadiums, including 30,000 for a 1-1 draw at the Yellow
Dragon Stadium in Hangzhou.
“We love playing Germany, Norway and
China,” said Heinrichs. “All four teams have qualified, so there will be
some experimentation in January that you will not find later in the year.
It will be an opportunity to put some younger players on the field in an
environment that will supply the most pressure they will experience until the
Women’s World Cup. It will be a great environment to see how our players
respond. The developmental opportunity will be huge and perhaps more
important than results at that time of the year.”
Aside from the grueling schedule 16
time zones removed from the east coast of the USA, the U.S. women will face
difficult, yet unique challenges in each of their three matches in China
against teams they have gone unbeaten against in the most recent meetings.
The USA’s most recent meeting with
China and Germany came at the Four Nations last January while the USA defeated
Norway, 4-0, on July 21, 2002. Against Norway the USA has an all-time
record of 14-16-2, and in China they could climb to within one game of the only
country in the world that holds a winning record against them. The USA
holds a 12-7-9 all-time record against China and picked up that impressive win
in China last January. The Americans are 11-3-2 all-time against
three-time defending European champion Germany, which like Norway, rolled
through European Women’s World Cup qualifying without losing a match.
Germany scored 30 goals in qualifying and allowed just one.
Defending in the Opponents Half
RESOURCE CENTER
U.S. Soccer Coaching Department (December 12, 2002)
As part of our continuing effort to service and educate our membership, each Thursday the U.S. Soccer Communications Center will send out an informative article from one of its departments. Once a week, you will receive an article/paper/essay in your inbox that will hopefully enhance your enjoyment and knowledge of the game of soccer - on and off the field. This week, learn about a drill that will help your team defend as a team, as opposed to defending as 11 individual players.
In this week's RESOURCE CENTER, U.S. Soccer National Staff Coach Jeff Pill guides you through a drill to improve on defending in your opponents half. Pill joined U.S. Soccer as a National Staff Coach in 1994 and currently heads up the Under-14 Girls National Team Camp. The following drill is recommended for players in the Under-13 age group and above.
Defending
in the Opponents Half
by Jeff Pill
Over the past few years, it has been our observation that many youth teams do not have a coordinated plan of how they are to defend as a team. Often, players attempt to get by solely with their athleticism and work rate. As coaches, we often praise players when they “work hard” to defend, and neglect to help them to “work smart”.
As a result, we often see strikers sprinting after the opposing team’s backs in the attempt to get the ball. As the level of the game and opponent improves, this tactic often does not work. The opponent will use this opportunity to easily play the ball behind the onrushing striker. If the strikers have committed without bringing the midfielders with them, the result is often disastrous, as the opponent is now able to attack with numbers through the midfield as the strikers have been played out of the game.
In order to coordinate the defending action of the midfielders and strikers
we use the following activity. This activity can be used as part of a bigger
progression of getting the team defending together. It is a major
teaching activity that may be used to assist the players as they learned their
roles within the team.
DEFENDING IN THE OPPONENTS HALF
(7 vs. 6)
OBJECTIVE: To help improve the coordinated defensive action of the front players with the midfielders in the attacking half.
THE GAME:
(please see the illustration below)
- The game is played with 7 attacking players (white players in illustration below) vs. 6 defending players (dark players in illustration following) plus a keeper.
- The seven attacking players in black score a goal by dribbling over midfield.
- The six defending players in white score by winning the ball back and shooting in to the big goal.
COACHING POINTS:
- Keep together and compact as a defensive unit.
- Make sure the “gaps” between the strikers and midfielders remains tight - especially when the ball is under pressure.
- Strikers start central and about halfway in the opponent's half, “baiting” the other team to play out wide.
- Force play wide, then pinch it and try to keep it there.
- The rest of the team behind this 'slides over', basically ignoring the attacking players on the 'weak side' of the field.
- Try to double team the ball on the sideline with the striker and outside midfielder.
- 'Weak side' striker steps up and denies pass back to the keeper or central back, forcing play down the touch line.
- Ensure that the gaps between the defensive players remain small, especially on the ball-side of the field.
- If the ball is played directly in to the front players on the attacking team, the defenders need to step with the attacker and deny a turn.
- Cover in behind the pressure on the ball to deny a penetrating pass and to assist if the pressuring defender is beat.
- Help defenders recognize important visual cues:
- If there is adequate pressure on the ball (i.e.: the player can not make a long pass), the team can “step up” and press the ball further.
- If the ball is not under pressure (i.e.: the player is able to serve the ball long), then the team “drops back” centrally. They attempt to read the long service and win that ball when played. Since this is a more predictable pass, it is easier to read and thus intercept.
- When the ball is won, attempt to play it forward as soon as possible in an attempt to get behind the opponent’s defense before they become organized. If this is not possible, possess the ball until the opportunity presents itself to go forward.
- Defend with an attitude of “controlled fury”. Realize that the defending team dictates where and how the ball is played by the opponent.
www.ussoccer.com
| Nighthawks Hold Open Tryouts |
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December 11, 2002
Tryouts for the San Francisco Nighthawks 2003 season will be held over 2 weekends during the holiday season: Saturday Dec. 21st and Sunday, Dec. 22nd as well as Sunday, Jan. 5th. Successful players will be a part of a team aspiring to excellence in the best amateur league in the country. The Nighthawks are members of the Womens Premier Soccer League (WPSL), which includes teams from the Western States and Canada. The league has expanded from 4 teams in 1998 to 12 teams in 2003. From the beginning, we have emphasized quality of play over number of teams. The high level of play we have achieved is attracting the best teams from the W-League and in 2004 we will very likely become a National League (coast to coast). If you are selected as a post-college player, to be a Nighthawks player, you will be expected to commit to:
Because of NCAA regulations, selected College players may not be able to play games with us until May 1st. If you are in the area, you can train with us at any time even before May 1st. If you can commit to the time frame, have the desire and skill to compete at the highest amateur level and want to have a great soccer experience, please complete the commitment form and bring it with you to the tryouts along with a $20 contribution (cash or check made out to the San Francisco Nighthawks) to help cover the costs of tryouts. Please call me at (415) 386-0856 or e-mail at rocross@sfnighthawks.com to let me know which tryout date(s) you will be attending. If you have any questions, call or e-mail to the same number above.
Download the
Information and Commitment Form |