It has been called one of the greatest nights in European football history. Liverpool’s dramatic comeback from a 3-0 deficit in the second half of the Champions League final against AC Milan in 2005 was a fitting end between two of Europe’s most storied sides.
One can only hope that Wednesday’s rematch in Athens provides the same intrigue as two years ago.
With a win, Liverpool can match Milan’s six triumphs in the competition, while Milan is eager to make amends for its penalty shootout heartbreak.
Both sides have made remarkable, and surprising runs to the final. Neither side had a good domestic campaign. Liverpool finished third in the English Premier League, a full 15 points behind second place Chelsea. It also was bounced early in the FA Cup and Carling Cup. Milan entered the Serie A season docked eight points because of Italy’s match-fixing scandal. While Milan battled to finish fourth it was never in contention for the Scudetto.
With their domestic struggles, both sides have been free to concentrate on Champions League play and the results have been stunning. Milan dispatched a seemingly invincible Manchester United side in the semifinals, while Liverpool took out Barcelona and Chelsea in the competition.
Milan has ridden the play of Brazilian playmaker Kaka, who is leading the competition in goals, while Liverpool has again been anchored by its favorite son, Steven Gerrard, who always seems to rise on the biggest the stage.
Fans of the game can only hope the sequel in Athens plays out as superbly as the original.
As far as getting noticed by college coaches in Columbia, MO, it’s slim pickings. Most people that go on to play college soccer where I’m from play for Columbia College, which is NAIA. My sights however are set a lot higher than that. I want to play at the very top level of competition, which is NCAA Division I. Now, in reality, that may be more like a fairy tale, but that is my goal nonetheless. I don’t exactly know what college coaches are looking for in a player: whether it’s your quick, speedy guy, or maybe they’re looking for someone that’s a bruiser in the middle that never backs down to anyone. Knowing more about what college coaches are looking for in a player could really help me out in my task to get to the college level.
In order to try and get noticed more by coaches, I’m hoping that my high school team will do better next season. Most of the guys coming out of Missouri that go on to play college soccer at big schools are going to be coming from soccer powerhouses like Chaminade, CBC, St. Louis University High School, DeSmet and Rockhurst. In order for me to get noticed—a guy from a school that isn’t known for its soccer program—my team has to perform well. Also, after looking at the high school stat sheets of some of the SLUH soccer players, I have noticed a lot of goals and assists for the midfielders and forwards. I’m hoping that I will score my share of goals and get enough assists to get noticed just based on stats.
One step I have taken to make my chances better, is convince my dad to get a video camera so that we can record my games. This way I will have video to show college coaches when they are recruiting me.
Lately I have really been thinking about what colleges to even consider going to, if I’m recruited. Right now I don’t want to go too far away from home, so I would be able to visit my family and they would be able to attend my games. Academically I am hoping to major in architecture or some form of engineering. Next year I’m going to be in a CAD class, which will hopefully prepare me for the classes I will be taking in college. When it comes time for me to choose a college, I’m not sure if I should choose the school that I want to go to and try to walk-on, or if I should just go somewhere where I get offers and get to play a lot.
If anyone has any advice on how to get noticed, or has tried one of those online recruiting websites and had success, let me know because I could use all of the help I can get.
When Wayne Rooney was sent off in the 2006 World Cup against Portugal for his groin kick to Portugal’s Ricardo Carvalho, few would have thought it was possible for Rooney and club teammate Cristano Ronaldo to ever exist on the same pitch, let alone the same club team. How would Ronaldo, who winked at the Portugal bench after confronting the referee for Rooney’s challenge, be able to regain peace with Rooney for the start of a new Premiership campaign for Manchester United?
As a young soccer coach who is starting out his coaching career, the most important aspect of coaching for me is that I am always learning new things: new ways to run a training session, new ways to analyze a match, and new ways to make the game of soccer better for my players. I have had the pleasure of playing both under many great soccer coaches and under some coaches that left a lot to be desired. Not only did I become a better player under these coaches, but I also learned different things that I liked and did not like about their style of coaching.
From my experiences as a youth soccer coach and a college assistant coach, one of the most important aspects is ego management of your players. By ego management, I mean the ability of a coach to handle the many different types of egos and personalities that exist on a team. From the stubborn star to the quiet role player, each player you deal with will respond to you in a different way.
Sir Alex Ferguson, who is the manager of Manchester United, was putting ego management into practice when he dealt with regaining the peace between Rooney and Ronaldo. The mere fact that Ferguson was able to get Rooney and Ronaldo to perform on the same team says a great deal about Ferguson’s ability as a manager. What is even more remarkable about the whole situation is that Manchester United is on the verge of winning the English Premiership due to the outstanding performances of Rooney and Ronaldo.
Today’s generation of player, unlike the player of a decade or two ago, is driven by so many external sources. Go to any youth soccer game and you will hear the screaming and yelling of parents on the sidelines. Youth soccer players are playing more games at an earlier age with the pressure of winning being emphasized at an earlier age too. Youth soccer players are heavily influenced by a generation of parents who are living through their kids. Taking into account all of these factors, coaches are dealing with a new generation of soccer player.
The new generation of soccer player responds to a more personable coach. Soccer players are human beings. As humans, we experience a wide array of feelings and emotions. As a coach of the new generation of soccer players, I try to understand the power of feelings and of being a positive role model for my soccer players. I try to instill the virtues of leadership, honesty, hard work, and discipline. By creating a positive atmosphere with my players, I find that they are better able to respond to me, to buy into what it is that I want to do with them as team. Once you are able to get to your players and develop a good positive relationship with them, they will do what it is that you want them to do.
In addition to this, soccer coaches must learn how to deal with the different types of egos on the team. How does a coach deal with a stubborn star player who has trouble showing up to off-season weight session? How does a coach deal with the quiet role player who is short on confidence? Each situation is different but by following your coaching philosophy, coaches will be better prepared to deal with these situations.
I believe that it is important that youth soccer coaches should strive to make better soccer players, but more importantly better people. Most of the players that I will coach may not become professional soccer players, but hopefully through my example they will be able to be successful in all aspects of life.
So for all of the youth soccer coaches out there, remember that what you say and how you act has a tremendous influence on your soccer players. Keeping this in mind, create a positive environment for your players, get in touch with each of your players’ emotions, and show them how much you care for them.
Until next time…happy coaching!