I might be dating myself a bit, but one of my favorite games as a kid was Hide and Seek. All the kids on the block would assemble a dusk at the park and the games would begin. One of us would count to 100 at the big tree in the middle of the park…eyes closed….unless you tried to sneak a peek….not me though :)…and the rest would head out and try to find the ultimate hiding spot. The countdown was on…10..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1….READY OR NOT HERE I COME! And the chase was on the catch them before they tagged the tree. It’s that phrase I was thinking about this week as I was prepping for this post. Ready or Not, Here I Come. I think we are ready…..to reintroduce it slowly and safely. That’s sort of what’s about to happen in the sports world across the country and to a smaller degree as Soccer starts to return to play across the Midwest including Wisconsin.
Across professional Soccer, Leagues have already started or are in process of starting back up. We have discussed the German Bundesliga has been underway for several weeks, with games being played in empty stadiums across Germany. The best league in the world (in my opinion), the Premier League, has announced return to play plans as well. FA Cup, UEFA Champions League and MLS have all announced plans. West Wisconsin Soccer Talk is excited as the posts will start to heat up more with the return of soccer.
Can we keep players safe, can we create protocols so everyone feels comfortable, that’s the issue we are focused on as move on from zoom training.. MN has kicked into their next phase already so we can look at them for some clues. Training started on June 1 in the Minnesota leagues into Phase 1 of a return to play protocol. In simple terms here is what US Soccer deems as the phases.
Phase 0. Online training only, no contact.
Phase I. Small Group Training. 10 person maximum (9 player and 1 Coach). Includes non-contact training, social distancing and COVID-19 safety protocols. 4-6 weeks is the general recommendation.
Phase II. Full Team Training. No limit on players but still maintaining social distancing and COVID-19 safety protocols. 3-4 weeks is the general recommendation.
Phase III. Full Competition and Training. No restrictions on contact. Social distancing is not required. COVID-19 safety protocols are still in place. Limited travel is encouraged.
Phase 1/2 Training
What does Phase 1 look like. Imagine Zoom training but with all 9 players in the same place, at the soccer park. Coaches will create training zones so players can maintain social distancing. Training still consists of a heavy dose of ball mastery, dribbling, fakes and feints, and juggling but might now be able to add some passing elements. Easy to social distance and include passing…..if leagues are okay with a ball transfer between two players with their feet (no one picks up a ball during passing drills). Maybe shooting, but again, some clarity needed on a ball transferring from 1 player to another if a GK is in place. Hand sanitizer, no sharing of equipment, players bring their own ball, coaches wear masks, coaches sanitize balls and equipment before and after training, players manage their backpack and water bottle in drop off zones to prevent any contact with other players. Parents will need to sign new waivers, players will be encouraged to check temperatures and confirm they are symptom free before attending training, coaches will record all attendance to allow contact tracing if a player at some point tests positive. A brave new world, but about to be the new normal.
How Do We feel About All That
So, this is our new world. I know everyone has been anxious to get outside, but now that it is here, how does it all sound. The protocols seem right and ensure as safe an environment as we can create. Is there some risk….we are talking about 10 people being in the same area, so possible, but with masks on coaches and players separated, it feels okay. I have been out shopping for groceries and supplies with less protocol than this. I try to avoid folks without a mask…I try to keep my 6 foot perimeter and so far so good. I have had a few interesting situations. I am trying to social distance and someone just decides to get up on you….close that gap and not respect my space….come on dude…..and of course they are not wearing a mask. It will not be perfect. A player may forget and walk into another players zone. A ball will drift into another space and a player will forget to kick and try to pick up the ball. These all seem acceptable risk, but this is what we all need to feel okay about. Coaches will set up plans, encourage players to stay safe and manage the sessions, and I am pretty confident players will be good with it, it will just take a little getting used to in this new normal.
Premier League Is Back
The English Premier League has announced a return to play plan. As of May 28, teams were allowed close contact and competitive training. Players reported back to their clubs and what started as small group training has now moved into full team training. Players are tested twice weekly as I understand, so they are getting instant feedback on anyone testing positive.
Games will start June 17th with the intent to finish the league season. All remaining games are planned to be televised as well. No fans in the stands. Kicking off the restart on June 17th is Manchester City vs. Arsenal and Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United The Premier League Table at restart will look like this. Race for the Top 4.
- Liverpool 82 Points
- Manchester City 57 Points
- Leicester City 53 Points
- Chelsea 48 Points
- Manchester Utd 45 Points
- Wolverhampton 43 points
The current three teams in the Relegation Zone include Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Norwich City. a few interesting changes in place for the restart. With player injuries a concern, Teams will be able to make 5 substitutions a game, up from the normal 3 per game. Rosters on game day will go up from 18 to 20, to allow a bigger pool, with the 5 substitute rule.
Bundesliga Update
Just 4 games remain in the Bundesliga season and here is where things stand. Bayern seem locked to extend their Championship run to 8 consecutive League titles. Wow!
- Bayern Munich 70 Points
- Dortmund 63 Points
- RB Leipzig 59 Points
- Monchengladbach 56 Points
MLS Update
The MLS has reached an agreement to restart play. Only a few games into their season when COVID-19 shut things down. The current return to play strategy includes all 26 teams heading down to Orlando and playing a League wide tournament set up as a World Cup style format. 3 group games and then the top 2 team from each group (likely 4 groups) advancing to elimination rounds. This could be pretty exciting to watch. After the tournament, teams would head back to their home markets to complete a 34 game season. No fans in the stands as I understand it.
FA Cup and Champions League
The FA Cup is scheduled to resume June 27/28th weekend. We are down to the quarterfinals. Here is the schedule.
June 27th– Norwich City vs. Manchester United
June 28th — Sheffield United vs. Arsenal, Leicester City vs. Chelsea and Newcastle United vs. Manchester City.
Champions League is set to resume August 7th with the completion of the Round of 16 Games. Quarter Finals and Semi Finals will be played in August culminating in a Champions League Final on August 29th.
Juggling Challenge
I want to finish off today with a few notes on Juggling. A really great way to improve ball mastery, footwork and confidence with he ball.
Challenge 1. 100 Juggles in 5 attempts or less. Here is the idea: How many attempts does out take to get to 100…..if you get more than 10 juggles you count it in the total. Any amount below 10 we don’t count. So it would look like this.
- Juggle attempt 1 you get 12. Total Count 12.
- Juggle attempt 2 you get 18. Total Count 30.
- Juggle attempt 3 you get 9. Total count is still 30 since on this attempt your total was 9 and below 10.
- Juggle attempt 4 you get 33. Total Count 63.
- Juggle Attempt 5 you get 6. Total Count is still 63.
How many attempts does it take to get to 100? 15-20 attempts is pretty normal once you first get started. Track your progress and watch the attempts start to drop. Once you get to 100 in 5 attempts or less, it’s time to move the Challenge up to 200! This is a fun and exciting way to build your juggling. I have seen my current players significantly improve with this Challenge and many breaking their single juggle record multiple times during the process. Many players at 200 and a few over 500 already.
Challenge 2. The Around The World Juggle. Once you get over 100 in 5 attempts consistently, maybe for some fun, it’s time to try the Around the World Challenge as well. This is a tough one, requires some very good low ball dribbling and a little coordination too! It is very cool to watch, hard to master, but worth the try. Here a video with a little tutorial for you.
And if you are really looking for some Juggling Challenges, check out this video from Jason. Pretty amazing. Blows my mind!