What a game, what a night, what an occasion!

In front of a record crowd, our team ended their season in a heartbreaking way...it was suddenly all over.

We played the semi final of the conference tournament seeded #2 against the #3 seed. Previous encounters this season went to OT with us winning one and the other remaining a tie.

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So, how do you prepare your players for the biggest game of their lives so far?

We play in a few hours, we play the semi final of our conference tournament at home in front of the biggest crowd of our careers.....

Last night we gave them the night off from practice so that they would be rested and refreshed for today.

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We finished the regular conference games this weekend extending our unbeaten run to 11 games. We have only conceded 6 goals in the last 10 games, so our defense deserves a lot of credit.

When I say our defense, I should really say our defensive play. We have to defend from all positions all over the pitch and the hardwork our forwards put in pressurising the opponents in our attacking third deserves as much credit as the defenders working hard in and around our penalty box.

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In another incredible performance the team extended their unbeaten record to 7 games made up of 5 wins and 2 ties.

What a game! We were tied 0-0 until the 73 minute and were awarded a penalty to go up 1-0. The opposition came back and tied the game up in the 83rd minute. We won the game in the 88th minute from a header from a deep free kick into the box.

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One of the cool things about coaching youth soccer is sharing in special moments with players I coach.� Thankfully a lot of my players and their parents email me and send me great pictures like these and I can only help but share them with you!� Great job ladies on the Championship!!� Keep up the great work!

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Saturday saw my college players win 7-0 against conference rivals. We made the decision over a week ago to devote at least half of each practice to finishing and set plays. As a result we have scored 12 goals and conceded 4 in our last three games.

I have a number of effective and demanding drills for shooting and finishing and the players really enjoy them.

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After losing on Wednesday 1-0 away from home, we decided to dedicate Thursday and Friday's practices to shooting and finishing...boy did that idea pay off!!!

We played away against a school who had a record of 19 wins and 1 loss against us over the last 10 years. In that time we only scored a total of 4 goals to their 80 goals!

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Wow......what a start to our college soccer season!!

Home game against the reigning conference champions, actually they have won the conference for the last 8 years.

They have beaten us for the last 21 games straight.

Until last night that is!!!!

Last night had to be the best game of my life as a coach.

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Interview about soccer coaching, youth soccer coaching and soccer training. Features comments on Blast The Ball. Duration : 0:4:37 Technorati Tags: coaching, drills, Soccer, Training Click to continue reading...

In order to control the soccer ball successfully every time here are the 5 Easy Steps:

1. DECISIONS:

TO CONTROL OR NOT TO CONTROL?

Before you attempt to control the soccer ball, decide if you even need to control the ball in the first place.

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I am currently living is Las Vegas and am interested in coaching youth soccer. I have no coaching experience but have played and know everything about the game. Where do I start? Please advise. Thanks just go to what ever your local club in las vegas is and ask them if there [...] Click to continue reading...

Here are the 5 important steps to beating a player in soccer:

1. ANGLE OF APPROACH

As the player with the ball approaches the defender, he needs to look for the space he wants to exploit. Remember to dribble with the head up. Then the player attacks the defender with such an angle of approach away from the desired space so that he makes the desired space even bigger.

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OK, so we now have World Cup Qualifiers to watch over the next few days. Some of them will be great games, some of them will be a formality. All of them present us with opportunities to learn more about the game so that we can take this new found knowledge onto the practice field.

Here are my Top 5 Things to look for in a soccer game:

1.

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Fantastic scenes as Wembley on Monday as Burnley won their play off against Sheffield United and will now play in the English Premier League.

As a Blackburn Rovers fan it is amazing to see Burnley make the top flight of football. For those of you who don't know, Blackburn and Burnley are bitter, bitter rivals.

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I just had to let you know about this as soon as possible.

Ever heard of the book and the movie, "The Secret?" Remember how it suddenly took the world by storm and taught people how to think better, how to take control of their lives and totally change how people managed their lives, remember "Thoughts Become Things?

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Alan Kelly, who served as United's goalkeeping coach for five seasons, passed away last night following a long bout with cancer. His work with United was clearly productive, as he helped develop championship-winning goalkeepers the likes of Mark Simpson, Tom Presthus and Scott Garlick.

Kelly came to United already famous for his legendary playing exploits, the result of a 20-year career in his native Ireland and England.

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I have been asked many times by players of all ages and abilities. "How Can I Improve My Soccer Skills." Well, the old saying still applies, "Practice Makes Perfect." The great thing about soccer is that you don't need any expensive equipment or a coach or teammates to help you get better.

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Written by Guest Author Roue Yecpot As everyone knows the best way to train or introduce a person to a new activity is best done when they are small children. This is because when we are kids we love to try many new things. There is one thing that you should always keep in mind and [...] Click to continue reading...

When you put your hand up to become a soccer coach you are taking on a huge responsibility. Along with that responsibility comes accountability. It does not matter at what level we are coaching, the responsibilities and accountabilities are the same. A number of families involved with the county's youth soccer community have united [. Click to continue reading...

If you are involved in coaching youth soccer, there are a couple of things that you should try to focus on the most if you aspire to be successful. Firstly you should have a plan for every soccer training session and secondly you should be focusing on making training sessions as much fun as possible [. Click to continue reading...

Although it is massively important that the soccer parents attend their children's soccer games and soccer training in order to offer support and encouragement, it can become very annoying when they start getting overly helpful. This can become very disruptive and contribute to upsetting the well laid out plans that you have worked hard on [. Click to continue reading...

Kids can start soccer training from a very early age these days. While it is very important for children to be active and participate regularly in sports, it is equally important for children not to over do it. The hard thing is determining how much is too much for our kids. The incentives for children [. Click to continue reading...

Soccer coaching can be extremely fun but never more so than when you are coaching children who are under six years old. Pre-school children will often do the funniest things. You can never grow tired by their levels of enthusiasm. It doesn't matter what the weather is doing, you'll still see smiles on their faces, [. Click to continue reading...

I just have to get this off my chest.  I have been President of our local soccer club for the last two years and have been involved actively with the club in other positions including coaching, managing etc.  During this period we have always had an U7 gala day.  We were the first club in [...]SHARETHIS. Click to continue reading...

Total soccer fitness is the only way to move ahead in the sport, all the skill in the world will not help if your team is unable to run up and down the field for ninety minutes without feeling short of breath. As a soccer coach, I am a very big believer in my [...] Click to continue reading...

As President of my local soccer club I get a few complaints from parents with regards to some of our coaches. Since I took over about three years ago, I must be honest and say the complaints have decreased, however there is one complaint that comes up consistently every year and throughout the year. Click to continue reading...

A soccer scholarship is a great way to make it through college without enduring a large student loan debt. There are many steps that can be taken to help increase the odds of getting soccer scholarships. Below are a few pointers that may assist in helping to secure that college soccer scholarship. During the [. Click to continue reading...

Choosing the right soccer camp for your child involves some important research. Because the summer soccer camp experience will have significant impact on your child's game and their general attitude, it's important that as a soccer parent to learn to choose a camp wisely. Parents often make the mistake of sending their children to soccer camps [. Click to continue reading...

Soccer training drills and soccer fitness involves a lot of running, short sprints and longer distance running, however there is one key aspect of soccer training and defensive soccer drills that is overlooked in a large number of soccer training programs. The ability to run backwards quickly and effectively is integral to a teams defensive [. Click to continue reading...

The Newcastle Jets are the Australian Hyundai A-League 2008 Grand Final champions after defeating the Central Coast Mariners in Sydney last night, 1-0 The Central Coast Mariners started the game cautiously while the Newcastle jets came out very quickly and confidently. About half way through the first half the game settled down into a very [. Click to continue reading...

Beach soccer is growing in popularity by the day. When soccer is mentioned most people think of the traditional soccer game that is played on a field. Most soccer teams, including the soccer World Cup teams, do in fact play this most widely recognized form of soccer. This form of soccer is known as [. Click to continue reading...

Coaching youth soccer and working with kids can be both highly rewarding but extremely challenging. Ever wonder why teachers look so old after about five years of service? As a soccer coach, do you find yourself having to repeat everything maybe once, twice and then frustration sets in and you end up yelling and screaming [. Click to continue reading...

Youth soccer players can be reluctant to head the ball because of the fear of getting hurt. When coaching youth soccer, specifically beginners, your role is to remove this fear. You can do this by applying the following soccer coaching tips. Heading is one of the most important techniques to acquire because it has [. Click to continue reading...

Soccer kicking is the primary means of passing the ball from one soccer player to another and of scoring goals. However, it is not always possible to bring the ball to a standstill before kicking it and therefore considerable practice is required to strike the ball whilst it is moving. Soccer kicking requires balance [. Click to continue reading...

The soccer shin guard is the main piece of protective gear for a soccer player. Unlike some sports, there is minimal protective gear required for a soccer player, however should the soccer shin guard be worn at soccer training or is it only a requirement for soccer games? Why should you have [...] Click to continue reading...