And so the year comes to an end, and not many people I know are too disappointed to see 2020 in the rear view mirror. 2021 is on the horizon, we still face many challenges, but it feels there is a bit more optimism in front of us. For soccer, we are continuing to follow the national, state and local protocols for training and games. As we enter the spring, training likely will be able to advance. We are currently in Phase 3….allows team training and competitions….with protocols like face masks for players, limiting attendance, limiting the players based on field size, etc. Phase 4 will happen sometime this spring…fingers crossed, if the situation improves across Wisconsin and Minnesota.
It seems years ago that I had an indoor training session in January prior to the shut down of practices. Was that really just 11 months ago….no way! It feels a lifetime ago. Since then, as a coach, I have been involved in some very interesting training.
Zoom training…..yes, we trained for weeks on Zoom. And the players and participation were amazing. But still crazy to think about running training on your computer and having players watch on their phones and then go do the training by themselves in their front yard. What were we thinking….but it worked..
Socially distanced training….yes, we trained outdoors with players separated into 10 x 10 boxes, coaches in masks and no contact…..and it worked. Was it a challenge….yes. Did players just want to play games….yes. Was it hard on the players every week to stay motivated….yes. But again, I would share the players were amazing and as a coach I would share the players skills improved, in many cases, significantly.
And now we stay optimistic that we will progress thru Phase 3 and 4 and get back to normal this spring. More to follow as things develop. Try to be patient….we are getting there. I appreciate our local club and city have focused on safety protocols and kept your children’s best interest and safety as the most important part of the process. Teams will be formed soon, practices will be set up, we will train and play games and we will put this all in our rear view mirror!
Premier League Update
We are in the middle of Match Week 17 in the Premier league and the games have been coming fast and furious. Multiple games per week for each team, and some teams forced to postpone games with positive COVID tests. Top teams are starting to separate a little, but just a little. The difference between first and tenth is about as close as I have ever seen in my time watching the Premier League. 10 points. Crazy. A team loses and can drop 3-4 positions at the top, win and you can jump 3-4 positions. Liverpool had a chance to separate, but had two recent draws, keeping everyone tight. The hottest team right now and the team making the biggest move has been Manchester United. Jumping from outside the top 10 to 2nd over the past 3 weeks. It was 2012/13 the last time Manchester United was in this position. Chelsea is struggling , dropping from top 4 to now 8th….a very tough spell for them. Manchester City humbled Chelsea today with a 3 goal outburst in 18 minutes for a very solid 3-1 victory and they are moving up the table. It feels like Liverpool vs. Manchester duo for the title….but Everton, Leicester City and Tottenham still have something to say. The top 6 right now with a lot of games to still be played this weekend.
- Liverpool 33 points. 16 games played
- Manchester United. 33 points 16 games played
- Leicester City. 32 points. 17 games played
- Tottenham Hotspur. 29 points 16 games played
- Manchester City. 29 points. And only 15 games played.
- Everton. 29 points 16 games played.
Year End Wrap 2020
Let’s take a quick tour around the world and see how things finished up.
- Premier League Champions—Liverpool
- UEFA Champions League Winner—Bayern Munich
- MLS Champions—Columbus Crew
- LaLiga Champions—Real Madrid
- Serie A Champions—Juventus
- Bundesliga Champions—Bayern Munich
- Ligue 1 Champions—PSG
- FA Women’s Super League Champions—Chelsea
- UEFA Women’s Champions League—Lyon
Player of the Week
It has been fun highlighting some accomplishments in sport for women in recent blog posts. It will be more fun when it isn’t an accomplishment anymore and just business as usual……but until then, let’s keep sharing these fun stories. The most recent comes to us from the NBA. I mean, it’s a sport, but they let you use your hands, so really, I mean, they make it pretty easy to score…..at least there nets are smaller :). Our Player of the week is….
Rebecca Lynn Hammon, a professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA. A three-time All-American basketball player, Hammon went on to play for the San Antonio Spurs and New York Liberty of the WNBA. Hammon was hired by the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach in 2014. She became the second female assistant coach and the first female full-time assistant coach in NBA history. Hammon is also the first full-time female assistant coach in any of the four major professional sports in North America. NFL, NBA, MLB or NHL. Not sure about MLS and their history of full time women assistant coaches.
On December 30, 2020, Hammon became the first female acting head coach in NBA history after Spurs’ head coach Gregg Popovich was ejected during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Glass ceiling blown up….and so now, we will look forward to more female Asst. Coaches and hopefully more teams giving more women opportunities at the highest level. Good stuff and important to share. Way to go Rebecca!
2020 Goals of the Year
What better way to end the year than to celebrate the Top Goals of the year in soccer. It will be the best 15 minutes of your day. Check it out!
Movie Review: Soul
And to finish off the blog, how about a movie review of Disney’s new release Soul. I know, I know…what does that have to do with soccer. But like in recent posts, hang with me and I’ll try to connect the dots. First, let’s get the easy stuff out of the way….great movie, very inspirational as you have come to expect from Disney. Two thumbs up for you old ones who know what that means. If you can, check it out. We watched on Disney+. I know not everybody has access, but keep an eye out and I hope you will get the opportunity to watch it in 2021.
Now for the connection. I don’ think a “spoiler alert” here, but the movie focused on finding your spark….your purpose in life….the reason you were put on the planet. But the movie takes a slight turn with the “realization” that maybe the spark or purpose is not the real magic, the real magic might just be the journey along the way and making sure you fully appreciate being in the moment. As a Soccer Parent and a Soccer Coach I related to that pretty strongly.
Soccer Parent–as a parent, at least some parents. Not you, I didn’t mean you….it’s all those other parents I’m talking to….parents can get wrapped up in if their child scores, or if the team wins, or if they take home any trophies after the weekend. I would propose we measure differently. How many times did your child have a smile on their face during the game or weekend? How many times did you catch them laughing and enjoying their teammates? Were you in the moment and enjoying your child or too wrapped up in results?
Soccer Coach–as a coach and from personal experience, we as a group can get way too caught up in skills and development, possession, attack, and really really too caught up in wins and losses. Let’s get real. How many kids that we coach will make a professional team?….or even a college team?…. or maybe even a high school team? Do we have a greater mission to provide an amazing experience, while within that experience allowing them some life skills and soccer skills growth. Can we provide a proper environment for them to enjoy the journey and be fulfilled in soccer or are we just about the score?
Soccer Player–now, I’ll admit I didn’t play so I am interjecting my thoughts into the minds of players (a few of my kids as well). But as a player is it too much about if I scored a goal, if I made an amazing pass, did we take home a trophy, did the team come out with a victory? Can players learn to appreciate the process and the journey? Can they understand they are improving, even if they suffered a loss? Can they understand the value they bring as a great teammate, can they appreciate the lessons of hard work, the lesson of handling defeat with class, the lessons of winning with class? Just playing for the love of the game.
So that was my connection from Soul to the game of soccer that I love.
The Value of Hard Work
My last entry for this blog, I promise. I am a pretty big University of Kentucky basketball fan….tough start to the year if you follow college basketball….actually, one of their worst starts in history. So, it’s been a bummer watching them play this year….until Saturday. An epic double OT thriller that UK ended up winning. But the story of the game was Freshman Dontaie Allen. A redshirt Freshman who had to sit out last year with multiple injuries and a full year of rehab. Then through the first 7 games of the year he played only about 20 minutes total….not much playing time…2 minutes a game and less than 2 points scored per game and several he did not get into the game. Well, the coach had been telling fans he would get his chance and that he hoped he would take advantage….and boy did he. 8 of 12 shooting and 7 of 11 from 3, to lead the Wildcats with 23 points and he basically carried them to the win….hitting big shot after big shot down the stretch (20 points in the second half alone). After the game he was interviewed and shared these thoughts with the media and fans.
“I fall back on my work every time,” Allen said. The reason I said there is no pressure is that if you put the work in, and you get your opportunity, you know you are going to be ready. “A lot of people go down a different path – I was just waiting for my opportunity, and I capitalized on it.” Allen used the opportunity to push young athletes to keep fighting and trusting the process the same way he did, saying they can reach similar breakthroughs at their own levels. “It feels crazy. If there are kids listening, it comes down to work,” Allen said. “It might sound cliche, but if you put in the work, you can do some great things. Just put in the work, put your mind, body and soul into it.”
There’s that Soul again… and that’s it for this blog post and words that I strongly endorse and believe in at my core.
Thanks for reading….appreciate you!