During tryout week our players competed in a fun juggling competition to cool down after the traditional 3 mile run. Approximately 70 players started and this video follows the final 2 guys. Congrats to Myles and Tyler for a good showing.
Steve Cherundolo may have been the biggest difference in the Aug 10 match vs the Gold Cup Final. The guy can flat-out play.
Castillo needs a lot of work. He looked over his head.
Robbie Rogers is a lot faster than I thought.
We need guys like Breck Shea, Juan Aguadelo, and Eric Lichaj who are not intimidated by anyone and bust their asses on every ball. This is what Charlie Davies was known for pre-accident.
Ochoa made a huge save on Bocanegra's header. Save of the game.
The referee may never see another international game.
Donovan needs to be in an attacking midfield role. I've never understood why Arena and Bradley would hide him on the wing.
Taylor Twellman is a better analyst than Lalas.
Harkes needs to pick an accent... he bounces from Latin to UK to American. Distracting.
The guy from ESPN Deportes should not have been on the booth. Better served on the panel.
#5 - Michael Orozco Fiscal - solid player.
Torres takes too many touches and needs to know where the ball is going next before he gets it. He will be good.
Where was Mikkel Diskerud?
Jermaine Jones doesn't exude the body language that says, "I want to be here".
Michael Bradley is a solid player... had to be a weird night for him.
Please share this with all those who might benefit from an awesome youth camp or those who know the pain and struggle of battling fatal illnesses...check out the website--there are lots of ways to get involved even if the camp isn't a possibility
FROM SIMON WHITEHEAD TO ALL SOCCER ENTHUSIASTS--PLEASE GET THE WORD OUT AND SUPPORT IN ANY WAY YOU CAN:
I know there is lots going on right now but I wanted to keep you aware of John's situation. As you know he has played for Washburn High, MN Thunder and is DOC at Minneapolis United and coaches High School Soccer. He has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrigs disease and just started stem cell treatment at the Mayo Clinic.
"ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is an incurable fatal neuromuscular disease characterized by progressive muscle weakness, resulting in paralysis. "
He is facing sever medical bills and a horrible future. Coerver Coaching are holding a fundraising camp for John (Sly) at Parade Stadium very shortly. I would appreciate it if the MSHSSCA could get the word out. The flyer is attached. Also there is a a rally occurring in September for him.
www.team4sly.org - is their website. Anything you can do to help will be appreciated.
Yours in Soccer,
Simon Whitehead
Director Coerver Coaching Minnesota
NSC Minnesota Stars Pro Camps
While on their US tour, Barcelona FC swam with the dolphins at the Miami Seaquarium. The dolphins demanded they get to show the Barca players their skills... Question is... Did Victor Valdes make the save?
The video features a training session focused on recovery diving. The original session was led by George Kostelis during an NSCAA National Goalkeeping Diploma Coaching Course.
This session was one of the more memorable of the Level III course. The video quality isn't outstanding, but is pretty good considering it is from a hand-help Flip camera.
The go-to excuse of "the dog ate my homework" wouldn't work very well in North Korea. You have to be MUCH more original that that.
After the 2-0 loss to the United States in the Women's World Cup, North Korea manager Kwang Min Kim told the press that his team was recently struck by lightning.
From the BBC:
"When we stayed in Pyongyang during training our players were hit by lightning, and more than five of them were hospitalised," said coach Kim.
"Some stayed in hospital and then came to Germany later than the rest of us. The goalkeeper and the four defenders were most affected, and some midfielders as well. The physicians said the players were not capable of participating in the tournament.
"But World Cup football is the most important and significant event for a footballer, so they don't want to think about anything but football.
"The fact that they played could be called abnormal, the result of very strong will."
A very quiet game for both goalkeepers. Penedo was only required to touch the ball 20 times, 6 touches less than an average game. From the goalkeeping statistics, it looks as if Panama forced most of the attack in the match. Tim Howard's exceptional finger tip redirection over the bar in the 79th minute proved to be the difference in the match.
Howard wins the GK battle.
The USA goal may have been prevented with some increased communication from the goalkeeper (Penedo) to the panamanian left defender. The defender fails to step to the ball leaving the attacker 10 extra yards to advance, and a few extra seconds to pick up his head and find another attacker at the far post. The execution by the attacker was exceptional, Penedo had no chance to defend this on his own. His near-post positioning was proper.
In the last few minutes of the first half, Tottenham goalkeeper Gomes mishandles a long range shot from Chelseas's Lampard. The ball trickles past him towards the goal line before Gomes amazingly stretches back to get a finger to the ball before it goes completely over the line. The line referee was in a position where he was not able to definitively determine whether the ball completely crossed the line. The linesman signals to the center referee that it was a goal... but replay clearly shows that it was not a goal.
Who is to blame? The linesman or the goalkeeper?
The linesman completely fails on the call, but I do not believe he is to blame. My take is that the fault should still be placed on the goalkeeper for putting the referee in the position to have to make a tough call.
The shot from Lampard was from long range and directly at Gomes. Gomes got lazy and had poor technique. Rather than dropping a knee, Gomes should have gathered the ball "frog catch" style and smothered the ball into the ground. If the GK centers his shoulders and hips to the ball, collects the ball with both hands (pinkies together), simultaneously securing in his chest while his body motion propels him forward and down to the ground using the ball to break his fall... the ball would have never leaked past him.
I will applaud Gomes for his extremely athletic recovery. He could have simply watched the ball trickle into the goal, but he got off his ass and worked to make a save.
There is nothing more deflating to the rest of the field players than to watch a goalkeeper be lazy. Field players are running 6+ miles a game, the least a GK can do is give every ounce of effort on every ball... even if the GK knows they won't be able to make the save. The field players will get some satisfaction out of the fact that their GK busts his ass on every play.
It's the craziest penalty shootout I have ever seen. Goalkeeper saves 4 out of 4!
2010 Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup - FAI Ford Cup
Shamrock Rovers 0, Sligo Rovers 0 (0-2 Shootout)
Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
11.14.2010
The Shamrock Rovers GK Saves one penalty and watches another travel wide while the second string Sligo Rovers goalkeeper, Ciaran Kelly, saves 4 out of 4 penalty kicks in a shootout to capture the 2010 FAI Ford Cup.
Goalkeepers use various tactics to defend penalties and determine where the ball is headed before it is struck to gain a competitive edge against the shooter. All goalkeepers are taught to make themselves as large as they can possibly be in the goal mouth... a save with the tip of the toe is still a save. You will also often see goalkeepers spreading their arms to look larger or bounce laterally along the goal line... all in a psychological effort to make the shooter feel uncomfortable.
As far as which direction a goalkeeper chooses to defend, these tactics can include:
1. Shooter Approach - a narrow approach to the ball by the shooter can indicate the shooter targeting across their body. A wider approach can indicate the opposite. This tactic is less effective at the professional level as shooters do well to disguise their direction based on approach.
2. Shooter Body Position - Very difficult. The body position just before the shooter contacts the ball may reveal an opening of the shoulders, hips, knee, and ankle which can indicate a right-footed shooter shooting right, or a left-footed shooter shooting left. With a right-footed shooter, the GK must plan to go to the shooters left (goalkeeper's right) unless they see the body open... then they must make a split second decision to change direction to the shooters right (goalkeeper's left).
3. GK Best Guess - basing the directional decision on film study or a gut feeling.
4. GK Reaction - Pure athleticism and quickness.
It may appear that Silgo Rovers GK Cirian Kelly is basing his directional decision solely on GK reaction (tactic #4), but If you look closely, it's more likely the based on the shooters body position (tactic #2) prior to contact. Look at Kelly's first two saves... pause the video just as the shooter is about to make contact. In each instance the shooter opens their body position and Kelly makes the decision at that point to go that direction.
In examining Ciaran Kelly's most impressive save versus the 3rd shooter, Kelly seems to make an initial decision to go to his left. But when the shooter does not open his body, Kelly quickly changes his directional decision to go the opposite direction. Kelly is actually in no-man's land and stuck in the middle of the goal. He is fortunate that the shooter chose to shoot down the middle rather than choosing the corner. A quick, brilliant, reaction gets his hand to the ball as his lower body goes one way and his upper body the other.
In the end It's part art, part science, part athleticism, and mostly luck. But this is the most impressive shootout performance I have ever seen.
From @ussoccer... goalkeeper Dominic Cervi takes in the sunset during training at The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. The United States hosts Chile on Jan. 22.
Chris Seitz has landed with FC Dallas. With Dario Sala finally hanging up his boots and Kevin Hartman getting older, there should be a fair amount of opportunity in Dallas.
One hopes that the Project 40 goalkeeper can put together a better season than last year. Mistakes like the one below surely didn't help his status with the Philadelphia Union. Follow him on Twitter @Seitzy1.
FCDallas.com: What’s it like to be joining a legend like Kevin Hartman in goal? Seitz: I’ve always loved training with good goalkeepers because the only way that you’re going to get better is by competing, and I obviously have that opportunity with both Josh [Lambo] and Kevin. From that standpoint I’m excited. I don’t want to embarrass him [Hartman] or anything, but I actually grew up watching him, so it’ll be fun to get out there with him every day and train with him and compete with him day in and day out.
FCDallas.com: How excited are you to be coming to Texas from Philadelphia? Seitz: It’s my second team in two years (Seitz was with Real Salt Lake previously). I moved out to Philly and now I’m moving out here, so I hope to be here a while. I hope to prove myself and be able to stay here and call this place home for a while. That’s really the main goal, just get out here and get familiarized with the fans, with the front office and with the team and make it a good environment for me. I'm ready to get out there and get to work
EA Sports released a 3-part video series to promote the launch of 2011. Steve Nash is hliarious and newly crowned Awesomest Dude of the Year, Landon Donovan, could use some acting help... Part two is the best of the three.
I recently participated in an interview with a blog based in the United Kingdom called 'I Luv Football' . I've listed an portio...
About GKGrades.com
GKGrades is run by Jeremiah Johnson. Jeremiah is a Goalkeeper (soccer) scout, coach, evaluator and evangelist based out of Minneapolis/St. Paul area. More info...
On a periodic basis, GKGrades will blog on an interesting topic in the world of goalkeeping, share some training tips, or scout a particular game of interest using the GKRating.
The Problem Won’t Be Sean Dyche
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If you’re reading this and you are a fan of Everton Football Club, then we
apologise. The primary reason for our apology, quite simply put, is because
we...
Anticipation Is A Skill - But Use It Wisely
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I've been training young keepers recently, and I've been reminded of
something I've long noticed about them: they like to guess where shots are
going. As t...
Al Habsi’s excellence remains key for Wigan
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**BET £10, GET £20 FREE AT PADDY POWER – CLICK HERE** Wigan 1st Team
Goalkeepers: Ali Al Habsi (30), Mike Pollitt (40), Lee Nicholls (19) [on
loan at North...
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