SoccerProse.com

SoccerProse.com Introduction: For most young competitive soccer players in the United States the highest level of play will be in college. The MLS and A-League provide a chance for an elite few to go on to professional careers, but the college game reaches out to thousands of young players who want to keep playing organized competitive soccer beyond high school. Soccerprose.com thought it would be interesting to follow the path a teenager takes to go from their club and high school game and find a roster spot in college. We’ll find out what it takes to get noticed by recruiters and how does a player choose between their ultimate college soccer experience and selecting a school that gives him or her the education they need for their professional career after college.

If you’re going through the same situation as Mason and have ideas to help him or any player like him please post your thoughts. It helps to know that you’re not alone out there.

Without further adieu SoccerProse.com introduces Mason. He’s a great soccer player from central Missouri and wants to play in college – which is two years away. So, how does a kid from the Midwest get noticed by college recruiters? Follow Mason’s blog and see.

My name is Mason Morawitz and I am a sophomore at Hickman High School in Columbia, Missouri.  I have played soccer ever since I was about 5 years old and I have always loved the sport.  Ever since I was little I’ve wanted to be a professional soccer player.  Now being a sophomore and 16 years old, my sights are set on playing soccer in college.  I have played competitive soccer for about 7 years now and my family and some of my friends believe I can make it at the next level. Hopefully I will prove them right.

For the Hickman High School soccer team I play at center-mid where I am constantly with the ball at my feet.  As a young player I was always faster than everyone and usually played forward, but now that has everyone has grown much taller than me and grown faster, I have to use my skill to beat them.  I am about 5 foot 6, 130 lbs, so I am almost always one of the smallest guys on the field.  Although small, I have been told I play with a lot of tenacity and I don’t back down to taller opponents.  I am hoping that my aggressive style of play will be enough to make up for my lack of size at the next level.  This year was the 2006-2007 season for soccer and we did fairly well.  I was the only sophomore that started with a bunch of juniors and seniors so I was proud to be able to start.  I scored 5 goals and had about 8 assists this season. 

The team I am hoping to get noticed the most with would be my competitive team called SYSMEX. It is coached by Drew Hamilton and Tim Dillon.  These guys have coached me all of my life and I really enjoy playing under them.  Especially Drew Hamilton, he’s a guy that has been a role model for me.  He also played at Hickman and won the MVP of the team his senior season.  As far as the people on my SYSMEX team goes, they are mostly from our cross-town rival, Rock Bridge, but I have played with most of them my whole life so we get along fine.  We have a pretty good team this year and I expect big things.  In the past we have been ranked up to 3rd in the state so we’ve been known to be pretty good.  Our first tournament was this past weekend which was the Border Battle in Jefferson City.  We played all right for our first couple games.  We won one game and lost two.  We played St Louis Soccer club (Busch) who is a good club and beat them, then we lost to Avalon, a game we should have won, and then got beaten pretty handily to KCFC out of Lenexa, Kansas.  The KCFC team has won state in Kansas 3 years in a row so they’re a good team.  I am hoping that we will continue to play all of this good competition so that it will make me and my team better.

I have also been looking at soccer camps to go to try and get noticed by college scouts.  I think that I will be going to the Missouri State soccer camp this summer with a guy on my team named Adam Ross.  There is a bunch of coaches out of the Midwest that are going to be going there such as the coach of SLU, Creighton, Arizona (maybe), and then of course Missouri State.  The college I am really looking at is SLU.  They are one of the best teams in the nation every year and it would really be an honor to attend that university.  In order to do that, however, I will have to get a lot better than I am right now because I don’t think anyone out of Columbia has gone to a big school like that for soccer.  I am hoping that if I continue to work hard and get better that one day I’ll make it in college soccer.

 Where in the world has the English Premiership gone?!?! Do I really have to entertain myself now with Saturday morning cartoons again? Most would say that would be an appropriate activity for my maturity level. Though, watching Batman dish out some dark-knight justice would be cool, it still wouldn’t make the EPL fixture schedule any less befuddling.

I mean really… My beloved Aston Villa haven’t played for over 2 weeks now but they played 2 games in the first week of the season and 5 games in a two-and-a-half week holiday grind fest! Having said that, I really enjoyed watching tons of matches over the winter holiday, especially on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but is that fixture-log-jam best for the league and best for the teams? More specifically, how does it affect the players?? For supporters of ’smaller’ clubs which can’t affort two full squads of Premiership quality players, this should be a major point of concern. Having lots of games in just a few days is one thing, but having long breaks when most players don’t see any competetive action is another.

As everyone knows, players need regular games as much as they need rest to stay sharp. This is just the time of year when clubs need to have games coming at regular intervals. Especially those teams looking to keep up some sort of momentum as the season comes into the home stretch. Just look at Reading and the results they’ve put together in January and February. Whether clubs are battling against relegation or trying to seal the deal at the top, regular league fixtures are what they need.

Some would argue that all the other competitions provide regular games during these long breaks from league play. But this is really for only a select few English clubs, and it’s an awful lot to ask 17 teams to conform to the schedule of the top 3 big boys. No matter how big they are.

What about tuning in other leagues, you say? I’m sorry ladies and gents, but closed door matches from the bottom of the Serie A table don’t really cut the mustard for me. I suppose watching the Bundesliga games go part of the way in trying to fill the void left by the absence of the EPL, but for one reason or another, the same level of attachment and interest isn’t there. Maybe this says something about the soccer coverage in North America being saturated by the English game, as there seems to be little air time left for the other major european leagues?

Now, TV coverage and Italian diciplinary problems notwithstanding, I would just like someone to tell me what happens between the ears of those beloved FA officals when they’re coming up with the wacky (at best) Premiership fixture schedule.

For further reading: Premiership boss Chris Coleman of Fulham relates his first-hand experience with this ‘nonsense’ (his words).

Up the Villa!

Paul Robinson scored the game-winning goal for the Tottenham Spurs to help them beat Watford 3-1 on Saturday.  Robinson scored from 75 yards out in the 63rd minute.  The ball was misplayed by backup England National team keeper, Ben Foster.  Foster is the backup to ironically, Robinson.  That helped the Spurs jump into 7th place in the EPL with 8 games to play - and they are now only 2 points back of 5th place Bolton Wanderers and 1 point behind 6th place Everton.

The player of the week was hands down Cristiano Ronaldo.  CRonaldo, yes Cronaldo (as he is being called at SoccerPro) had 3 assists in a 4-1 victory over quickly fading Bolton.  That win keeps United 6 points free of Chelsea.

The only other significant game played was Charlton and Newcastle.  Charlton won 2-0, and Sheffield United lost 3-0 to Chelsea, so Charlton has pulled within 4 points of Sheff U and the safe zone.  Charlton has underachieved all year - and I think they will catch Sheffield with only 8 games remaining.

What are some significant changes in soccer equipment?
Soccer equipment is constantly changing as the manufacturers find better materials and more effective product to introduce to soccer players. For example, moisture management clothing is typically considered to be shirts and shorts. Now the same material that helps a player feel dry and comfortable during a training session is also in the socks, shin guards and shoes. Balls have seen incredible innovations from Adidas and Nike. Their flight is more accurate, the bounce is consistent and the ‘touch’ and ‘playability’ helps a great player become even greater. This year you will see the Nike First2 Pro FG women’s fit shoe that rewrites the fit of soccer cleat to match the shape of a women’s foot better than any shoe on the market. Diadora will introduce the Gamma Carbonio shin guard made of Kevlar (the same material in bullet proof vests). Adidas introduced the Teamgeist ball for last year’s FIFA World Cup in Germany. It features thermal bonded panels and a cover that took Bayer Chemical years to develop. Play one game with it and you’ll experience the difference.
 
What makes a good soccer cleat?
Fit and function. The shoe has to feel good on your foot. And, it has to have the right sole for the surface you are playing on. Players are particular about the materials, color and brands but across the board every player will decide whether to put their cleats on for a big match by asking: does it fit? Is it the right shoe for the field today?
 
What makes a good shinguard?
For young players they just need to want to wear it. All shin guards made by reputable manufacturers will provide a reasonable amount of protection from bumps and bruises caused by the normal run of play. The important thing for a shin guard is that the player isn’t annoyed by it for any reason. They need to wear them. Older players will consider the size, weight and fit of the guard much more closely. High School players beginning in the Spring of ’08 will have to wear guards that meet a national standard. This standard will be enforced by referees and focuses on the size of the guard.
 
Does the modern soccer equipment make a difference in the game? Why?
Modern equipment can make a great player better. Realistically, an average player will not see a difference in their game if they wear the Adidas Copa Mundial shoe (made 25 years ago and hasn’t changed since) or the Adidas Predator Absolute TRX FG with laser-engraved rubber for better ball control and the numerous other enhancements it features. I do believe the top players can make a shot swerve a little more and a pass a little more accurate because of the additional features in today’s shoes, balls and equipment. The manufacturers seem to share this opinion, too. The price of the top level footwear and equipment is much more than the mid-range and entry level equipment. A top level player that invests more time to training will also expect to invest more money in his/her equipment. So, every player and every level can find the right combination of gear to match their game.

Soccer is an amazing sport that lets the whole world onto its field. Every person can play with just a simple ball and a few like minded individuals to knock it around. You don’t have to be the fastest, the strongest, the tallest or the toughest. You don’t have coaches feeding you plays in the middle of the game and in every game every player will control the ball and have the chance to lead his/her team to victory.

Frank Lampard, the worst player in the 2006 World Cup (at least in my opinion), scored the winner from the spot yesterday in a 1-0 victory over Manchester City.  The win pulled Chelsea to within 6 points of Manchester United.  Lampard always plays well in meaningless games - but if the game actually means something, (just ask England) he has the touch of a blacksmith. 

John Terry, the heart and soul of Chelsea and England, has been gutting out 90 minutes for the last few weeks.  He is the key to their defense - and if Chelsea are able to catch the Red Devils, he will be the main reason why.

Arsenal went 2 points clear of Liverpool with a 1-0 victory over a very bad Aston Villa squad.  Arsenal still has a game in hand - so they could quite possibly extend the lead to 5 points down the road.  Arsenal’s win over Villa exteded their unbeaten streak to 17 games over Aston Villa - yes, seventeen!!!

Villa’s only real threat all day was John Carew, but Jens Lehman was equal to the task all day - and recorded another 1-0 shutout win.  How boring is Arsenal, anyway?  They have a ton of talent, even with Henry out for the year, but they always seem to struggle to score.  And if they do, the Gunners seem to just hold on for dear life.  Open it up Arsenal - your team can play - and please, oh please free Theo Walcott.

**Disclaimer:  This entry reflects the foolish ranting and passion of a simple fan of what Pelé calls “the beautiful game” and should in no way bear any resemblance to what some might call ‘reason.’  As such, I hope you can take my opinions in the light-hearted manner in which they were conceived and with a very, very large grain of salt.  Up the Villa!**

Yes, yes, Manchester United are the greatest football club in the world… blah, blah, blah.

Here are three good reasons NOT to root for Manchester United:

1.  They’re too good (yes, there is such a thing).  The way I see it, there is an inherent value in rooting for an underdog.  This goes hand in hand with the notion of needing to have a little ‘bad’ to make the good things in life that much better.  Now, if you don’t adhere to this kind of thinking, fair enough, but supporting that scrappy, second rate team that keeps things interesting with injury problems, a low budget, and hard-nosed players makes the sweet victories over the big boys oh so much sweeter.  Now, as is the case with Manchester United, although they don’t have their own Ambromovich, they have the ability to lure almost anybody they want to the club and dole out the cash.  Plus, they’ve won about a bajillion trophies (yes, a real number) which is all well and good but don’t you think that just makes it way too easy to support them?  which leads nicely into my next point…

2.  Be original.  Everybody and their MOTHER roots for Man United!! Good grief… Manchester United as a company is the most recognizable label in the entire world, just above the New York Yankees (no time to get started on the Yankees).  With this kind of recognition, there’s no way for an individual to be ‘individual.’  Which, from my perspective kind of goes against being a soccer fan in North America in the first place. Unless of course you’re going for the ‘want to support a great legacy and winning tradition’ angle.  Psssshh, who want’s that??

3.  Finally, in perhaps my most out-on-a-limb moment yet, you should not support Manchester United because they have Cristiano Ronaldo.  Oh man i can’t stand this guy, and for reasons I can’t really nail down. Despite my best efforts, and popular belief, I AM aware of his massive talent and pace.  I still however can’t muster up enough strength to shake off the slimy-icky feeling I get when I just look at him, on or off the pitch.  And all the step-overs!!  Somebody clatter him, please.  Okay, he seems to be doing fewer and fewer “party pieces” as he gets older, but there’s a reason he gets all that flack from opposing fans every time he’s on the ball.

Two good reasons TO root for Manchester United:

1. You were born and raised in the red half of Manchester.
2. They’re not Chelsea.

Barring a monumental collapse, Manchester United will go on and with the 2006-07 EPL title.  I think this might be Sir Alex Ferguson’s best coaching job since he took over the Red Devils.  On paper, this team is a top 6 team, but they should not be anywhere near the top of the table.  It just shows that money can’t buy an EPL title (just ask Jose Mourinho).

Ah yes, please, let’s talk about Chelsea.  They spent millions on “one of the best forwards in the world” Schevchenko.  Millions on one of the best midfielders in the world Ballack.  Millions on Kalou, basically traded for Ashley Cole.  Purchased SWP last year - and he doesn’t even play on a consistent basis (neither does Kalou for that matter).  I know they have had injuries - but this team’s “C” team could compete with most of the clubs in the world.  I love it that Mr. Know it all #1 (we will get to #’s 2 & 3 later), Jose Mourinho is being put in his place.  But he will still run his mouth through the media - I think that is all he knows how to do - because he obviously has not been able to handle adversity very well - if this team didn’t have Drogba - how far down in the table would they be.

How is Liverpool, in 3rd place at the moment, 19 points back of United? They should be in the middle of competing for the EPL title with the depth they have.  I know they aren’t as deep as Chelsea, but their bench could possibly go win the Champions League title.  Oh wait, their manager is Rafael “I will never start the same lineup twice, because chemistry means jack & I’m Mr. Know it all #2″ Benitez.  Heck, Rijkaard agrees with me. Even though they won’t win the EPL - I honestly believe if Benitez leaves this team alone - they will go on and win the Champions League title.

And the last of the 4 remaining “powerhouses” - Arsenal.  I am praying Bolton catches this team for 4th.  Arsene Wenger is Mr. Know it all #3.  How the heck do you not team up Henry with Theo “everyone will know my name by 08″ Walcott.  This 17 year old is sick, but only gets to play if Wenger is down to having to choose between Walcott or a big fat hooligan in the stands.  Idiot.  I really dislike this club because of Wenger, and especially the egotistical Thierry “ouch my groin, ouch my stomach” Henry. I love it that he is out for the year.  I swear if he breaks a nail he is out a month.  Come on Bolton!!

Now let’s go to the other extreme.  I completely understand why Watford and Charlton are near the bottom of the table and are facing relegation, but how in the heck is West Ham there?  And they aren’t just there - I swear they are trying to finish last.  If you don’t believe me, try and talk to any Tottenham player - you probably won’t be able to - because the Spurs are still laughing at West Ham and that monumental, sum it up in 5 minute season collapse last weekend.  This team has Zamora, Harewood and Tevez up top. Benayoun, Reo-Coker, Boa Morte & Bowyer in the middle.  Neill, the younger Ferdinand and American Jonathan Spector at the back.  This team should be at the very least near the middle of the back.  My vote for 2nd worst manager of the year in the EPL is Mourinho, but #1 has to go to Curbishley.  Alan was given the always deadly “vote of confidence” after the 4-0 drubbing from the hands of nearly relegated Charlton.

I would like to be able to sum this up and tell you we will have a heck of a finish in the final 9 or 10 games, but United has it pretty much wrapped up. Cristiano Ronaldo gets my vote for MVP.  I know many will say it should be Drogba, but to be challenging for the league lead in goals as a wing midfielder is unheard of.  ManU has overachieved at this point (and I am one of the biggest fans - heck my kid’s name is Rooney).  Saha & Rooney have been inconsistent - thank the Lord for a 3 month use of Larsson.  The midfield consists of Ronaldo (stud), the aging, but always smart (just ask Lille) Ryan Giggs, the overrated and aging Paul Scholes and the overhyped, overpaid, inconsistent and disappointing Carrick.  The back line has Neville - enough said.  Any team with this guy as a defender on it should be relegated - what a nightmare.  But Vidic and Ferdinand bale Neville out for his idiotic mistakes 99% of the time.  And the other wingback is either Evra, Silvestre or Heinze (why doesn’t this guy play more).  And the Red Devils keeper is the 100 pound and very overrated Van Der Sar.  How this team has produced 72 out of a possible 87 points is beyond me - but I am anxious to celebrate a 16th league Championship in the next month or two.

How does a 10-year-old get burnt out of anything? Their energy level has no bounds. They can jump from one activity to the next and as long as their having fun the only thing that will stop them is dinner time and bed time. Well, it happens to 10-year-olds that are pushed too hard too fast to become the ‘best’. Whatever that means. If you push your child into one sport (or any activity) with the thought that it’s your retirement plan because that kid is going pro you are not helping. I understand that professional players are groomed early but if your child hasn’t been noticed by Manchester United already it isn’t going to happen.

Every parent is well meaning. You want the best for their child. You want your child to taste success at an early age. I propose that you give your child the opportunity to succeed and let them lead you to the sport that they will play in high school and college and the pros. Let them show you where their strengths are by giving them the opportunity to experience different things. In the back of your mind you’ll know that your child is the next Freddy Adu but you need to keep that right there — in the back of your mind.

And, as an ex-college NCAA Div 1 player I can tell you that a few years of Tae-Kwon Do helped with flexibility, strength and balance. Playing racquetball with my dad taught me quickness and I had a lot of fun with him, too. Getting to the gym for weight training I learned about the mechanics of the body. And during the summer I was so ready to play soccer that I would take my jam box to the park and hit a ball against a kick wall for hours. One year my parents signed me up for gymnastics. I couldn’t believe it. I hated gymnastics. And I hid under the bleachers in the gym. I didn’t want to participate. My dad didn’t yell. He didn’t force it. He un-enrolled me and we went to dinner. I had no idea what burn out was because I got to tell my parents ‘no’ I don’t want to play that right now and they listened.

I didn’t play professional soccer. I did have a great time with soccer and was very competitive. Soccer made a great impact on my life because from an early age I was always ready to step out onto the field and give my all.

Thank you mom and dad for not taking that away from me.

You see it all the time. An ultra-emotional mom or dad that can’t understand why the ref is out to get her child. “How can every call be against us?” It’s not the reality of the situation. It’s not even close to reality. The reality is that it’s a game. The kids are playing and could be having fun but there are a few parents that take it too seriously and push the level of competition way out of context. Whether it’s recreational or competitive, any child on the field is still learning about the game… and about life.

The other players, coaches, officials and parents all make an example of how to handle tough situations. And your child is learning from that example. Should your child learn to blame others first? That’s what the angry mom or dad is doing when they shout from the sideline. Or, should your child learn to overcome a tough situation with their chin up and pushing harder to come back and win the game. Even if they don’t win it is awesome to see a group of young players pull together when they’re down a goal and bust their collective butts to try to get that goal back. Have you seen the end of a match when the team that wasn’t supposed to win made a really close game of it and the other team shakes their hand with a sincere ‘good game’? It gives hope and pride to the losing team. It’s incredible that a losing team can have pride as they walk off the field if they feel they’ve done a good job. No one to blame. No refs to shout at. No other coach teaching dirty play. Just a hard game that tested the resolve of your young player and that kid rose to meet the challenge.

I beg all the angry parents on the sideline to let their kids play. Let them surprise you with their ability to rise to a challenge. Get out of their way. Your job is to lift your child up… not knock the other team down. At the end of the game say three things:

I love you.

I enjoyed watching you play.

Where do you want to eat?