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This commercial featuring Jozy Altidore is brilliant!

Go Team USA!

Watching this interview with Clint Dempsey has not helped tame my excitement for the upcoming World Cup! I can not wait for the games to begin and I expect great things out of the US this year. After watching this video I appreciate Clint that much more and I am so glad he is on our national team. Keep up the good work Clint, the nation will be cheering you on this Summer!

I have no idea what Stratos is, but their marketing department is genious!

The Adidas Copa indoor soccer shoes are the best indoor shoes I have ever worn. Adidas has always had the best soccer equipment and these indoor shoes just go to prove that! They are extremely comfortable and durable while allowing great control of the ball! I love the Copa Mundial GT cleats so I was nervous these indoor shoes would disappoint me. I was very happy to find indoor shoes that match the comfort and control of my cleats! I recommend these cleats to anyone that is playing indoor soccer. If you are not playing indoor soccer, I still recommend these shoes for your everyday wear!

Copa Indoor M The workhorse shoe for the aggressive indoor player. Tough and nimble for fast, intense play.

Click here to get your Adidas Copa Indoor soccer shoes!

Now that the weather is cooling down it is the perfect time to buy a new Adidas Track Top. These jackets are perfect for practices, games or to just hang out with friends.

Check out the huge selection of Adidas Track Tops today and make sure you are ready for the cold season!

adidas Soccer

I started playing soccer when I was 4 years old. I was one of the youngest guys on the team and I had no idea what I was doing. My brother’s played as well so I had seen a lot of soccer, but it was a lot different playing myself. I was told to play defense and so I went back and stood on the line for the goalie box and didn’t move. I would move laterally across the line, but never in front or behind it. For some reason I thought that playing defense meant I could only stay on that line and not go anywhere else on the field. I have come a long way since than and I have learned a lot about playing defense.

We all know that we don’t have to stay on the goalie box line when we are playing defense, but what are the limitations of a defender? How far can he go up before he is going to be in trouble on a counter attack? I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer to this. The best defenders I have watched usually act on their instincts. In indoor soccer I have seen defenders lead the league in scoring because they know when to go up and shoot and when to stay back and defend. A general rule of thumb is to make sure one person, usually the sweeper, is watching to make sure everyone will be covered in the event of the opposing team’s attack. A great sweeper will communicate a lot on the field and direct the defense with the goalies help.

A great team communicates well and moves together well. It takes unselfishness from everyone to be able to move together. When a defender makes a run from the back it is someone elses responsibility to move back and cover for him. This is what seperates good players from great players. Good players will continue to move up and go for the goal even if a defender is making a run. A great player will look out for the whole team and cover the defender while he makes the run. Having a defender move up from the back to attack the goal can be a great strategy and can pay off well if everyone moves together. Also, that is a lot of ground that the defender will cover. The defender will be tired and that is another reason why it is important to help out.

Great teams are willing to share the glory with each other. I have seen good players struggle on a team because they wanted the glory for themselves and did not even look how they could help their teammates. Keep your head up and plan your next move. Don’t always look straightforward, look back and see what you can do to help your team. Not only will your team improve, your coach and teammates will love playing with you because of this simple idea.

Please share your comments so we can all improve our game!

I graduated from college with a Bachelors degree in Speech Communication. Needless to say I view communication as an important part of our lives. While playing Soccer, communication can be the difference between a good team and a great team.

When I was playing recreation soccer I had a coach implement keywords to help us communicate on the field. They seem silly now, but at the time they were very helpful in teaching young soccer players to talk to each other while playing. The main word we were taught was “Peanut Butter” If you heard someone yelling that it meant you had a backwards pass available. As I grew up playing soccer I learned the value of communicating as a team. There should be constant chatter on a team to help each other in certain instances. Your team can use simple directions or alerts, such as ‘man on’ and ‘turn’ or ‘you have time’ to make playing so much easier. Good communication becomes more important as the game speeds up at higher levels. Great teams always communicate well with each other and help each other to know what is going on and what plays are available.

Not all communication is good for a team. I know this sound counterproductive to my statement that communication makes great teams. Communication is effective when it is positive and influences players to do well. There is a difference between yelling to another player and yelling at another player. It is important to make sure you are heard as you give direction to your teammates, this is yelling to another player. When you yell at another player you become a negative influence on the team and impact your team in the worst way possible. I have played with players that have a tendency to yell at their teammates and I will do whatever I can to encourage them to keep it positive. If they can’t keep it positive and continually yell at teammates you will find they don’t last on teams very long.

I was recently on a team that yelled at each other a lot, I would discuss it with the team and they would keep it positive for a little bit, but eventually would start yelling again. I eventually quit the team because it is not fun to be on a team like that. I was frustrated after games and we did not play to the potential we were capable of playing due to the negative feeling on the team. It is not beneficial for anyone to have those players on the team. If you are one of those players that is constantly yelling at your team, knock it off. You may hurting your team’s chance of ever being a great team. If you are on a team with someone that yells at your teammates a lot then talk to the player and possibly the coach about the problem. Taking care of the problem will result in a better environment for players to learn and be successful on the soccer field!

Tips for effective communication on the soccer field:

• Communicate with your team and you will improve and grow as a team.
• Use positive communication with your teammates.
• Use keywords to tell your teammates what is going on and what plays are available to them.
• Get rid of negative comments towards other players on your team.
• Have fun and enjoy the greatest sport in the world!

Adidas is probably the largest retailer for Soccer Equipment in the world. Adidas carries whatever you need when it comes to soccer. I have bought gear from Adidas as long as I have played and it has never disappointed me. Their gear is comfortable, durable and reliable. Whether you are playing a game or hanging out with friends Adidas has you covered. Check out there site and look at everything they have to offer you. They have a wide range of soccer balls for getting started, as well as cleats, shin guards, socks, shorts and shirts.

Click here to begin shopping for your Adidas gear.

It is the 4th of July tomorrow and I am going to go out today and buy me a USA Soccer Association T-Shirt to wear tomorrow. I love following our national team, and I am sure that if you live outside of the US you love to support your national team as well. I can’t think of a more patriotic thing to wear than a soccer shirt that supports my national team!

I apologize for not posting for awhile, like most of you I have been out playing soccer as much as possible. It is great to get out in the summer and kick the ball around with friends. I play any evening I can and try to play most Saturdays as well. I have been trying to start pick up games on Saturday mornings and it has not worked out very well. I have received feedback from at least 15 people that want to play, but when it comes time to play they are nowhere to be found. We did this 2 summers ago and had excellent turnout every Saturday for the entire summer. It was a blast, but the last 2 years I have not been able to get people to show up. If any of you have had success putting together pick up games, let me know how you do it.  I could really use the help! If anyone in the Salt Lake Valley wants to play leave me comment and let me know that you are interested and I will let you know when and where we will be playing.

Enjoy the summer while you can, and play as much as possible!