Month: January 2018

Major League Soccer is also endorsed by the professional division of USSF (United States Soccer Federation). United States Soccer Federation is one of the members of the Federation Internationale de Football Association or more popularly known as -FIFA-. Major League Soccer was formed on the 17th of December 1993 to carry out their promise to FIFA that the Major League Soccer would establish a first division professional league. In return, -FIFA World Cup 1994- would be staged in the United States. Major League Soccer began playing in two years later with ten teams and a very large crowd at the Spartan Stadium. The first Major League Soccer -goal- was made by Eric Wynalda of the San Jose Earthquakes against the D.C. United. The San Jose Earthquakes became the first team to win a game in the Major League Soccer.

The number of teams participating in the Major League Soccer somehow declined slightly after its first year; however it stabilized in the succeeding years. The original ten teams were then divided into two subsequent conferences. These are the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. The Eastern Conference teams are the Columbus Crew, D.C. United, Chicago Fire, Red Bull New York and New England Revolution. The Western Conference is composed of teams F.C. Dallas, C.D. Chivas U.S.A., Houston Dynamo, Colorado Rapids, Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Salt Lake. By the year 2007, Toronto F.C. will enter the league, making them the first non-US team in the Major League Soccer. In the 2006 season of the Major League Soccer, two teams have changed their names. The NY/NJ MetroStars have changed their name into Red Bull New York and the San Jose Earthquakes also changed their name into Houston Dynamo.

How Major League Soccer Works The league has made some rule changes. In its early years the league has experimented lots of rule changes. The current ruling of the MLS is that instead of a clock that would count up like in international soccer, it would count down and the countdown timer would stop on dead ball situation at the discretion of the referee. In an event of a draw, a best of five-penalty shootout will follow. In case of a tie in the best of five-penalty shootout, an extra frame is done to break the tie. The winning team will have one point opposite to the three points for the regulation victory, while the losing team will have zero point.

The main accessories for safe goal keeping in soccer games consist of helmet, gloves, elbow and knee pads, mouth, ankle and shin guards. Goalies also have apparels tailored to suit their preference.

Colorful jerseys are available for $20. Goalie shorts range from $13 to $20 depending on the brand and the material used. Padded compression shorts for both men and women are priced at around $30. Knicker pants, Long pants and Full trainer pants can also be obtained within a price range of $30 to $40.

There is tremendous choice with respect to the gloves. Sondico Pro Player made from German Latex and having Elastic with Velcro closure is probably the most reasonably priced at $10. Gloves with super soft palm foam marketed by Adidas, Lanzera Livorno and are a little over $100. For proper maintenance of the gloves, bags and gloves wash solution form an integral part of the gloves accessories.

Shin guards range from $6 to $35. The shin guards along with their accessories consisting of athletic, medical tape are important safety aids.

Footwear for the goalkeeper depends on the firmness of the ground. Nike, Adidas and Kelme Master specialize in customized footwear for hard ground. These provide maximum speed, stability and ball control. Along with these companies, footwear from Puma, Diadora and Umbro X300 cater to games on soft ground.

Goals of various sizes form the most important part of training sessions. These include futsal and indoor goals as well as lightweight and pop-up goals. 6 foot pop-up goals and the portable, adjustable, folding goals are most convenient for a game anywhere.

One of the best methods for keepers to increase the strength in their forearms and fingers is the use of hand grip gels. Originally developed for mountain climbers these are fast becoming popular among aspiring goal keepers. Not only are they great stress-busters, the soft hand grip gels are also terrific finger and hand strengtheners.

There is a wide variety of books and videos available elucidating the various strategies involved in goal keeping. Who wouldn’t want to watch a DVD of ‘202 Great Saves’ for just under $27? The breath taking maneuvers are quite possible to effect in a field game. All it takes is to meticulously follow the drills and exercises specified in the training software designed for beginners and intermediates. The Soccer GoalKeeper – a set of 3 tapes for $71 lists out a series of exercises exclusively for goal keepers to increase their fitness level as well as master the technique of goal keeping!

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Soccer is a physical game and although we try to boundary the physical play harms still occur. The game does not supply coverage for the players. You want to have your own coverage. The sport is not liable for injuries. In the early twenty-five years, soccer has become the most famous youth game in North America. Several of these young players have brought their love of the game into adulthood, resulting in the first public appearance of Phoenix Soccer League, America’s first professional soccer league.

Youth and professional soccer regular to improve more famous and more aggressive, raising the appeal for expertise soccer learning programs. Several of these programs allow learning abroad as a way to tap into the fiercely aggressive international soccer scene. The excellent of these soccer camps allow more than world-class soccer training. They foster traditional diversity, independence, and maturity in young soccer players.

Adult Soccer League camps have become accessible in countries beyond the globe. Situations like France, Spain, Brazil, China, Holland, Greece, Germany and Italy have opened their doors to American soccer players. A global soccer program has currently opened in Israel as well. These global camps mix professional soccer learning with a full immersion language experience.

Because of modern technology, children are already exposed to television programs and electronic video games at a very young age. Because of this, most children are spending their whole day sitting with their eyes fixed on the TV screen instead of spending their time playing outdoor games that will give the exercise they need for growth and development. This is one of the reasons why the number of obese children keeps on increasing each year.

Introduce Your Children to Sports

It is advisable for you to involve your kids in sports at an early age. One of the interesting sports that your child can learn even at a young age is soccer. Apart from being a popular sport, soccer can provide a lot of benefits to your children. This will not only help them stay fit and healthy but also boost their self-esteem and self-reliance and learn how to be a part of a team which will help them in their adult life.

The Benefits of Playing Soccer

Soccer will help your children improve their physical and mental coordination since it is a sport that is played by a team. This will also enable your children to communicate with their teammates because in this game, your children will be taught how to play as a team and not as an individual. This sport will also teach your kids how to be competitive which will be very useful when they grow up since adult life has a lot of competition.

Your children will also be physically fit since coaches and trainers always let the children do warm up exercises and drills before each game. And if your child is suffering from weight problems, getting your children involve in this sport will help them to get shape since these exercises will burn a lot of calories out of their bodies. Soccer will also help your children improve their sportsmanship and develop patience in the game since this sport involves a lot of physical contact.

Soccer also requires discipline, mental alertness, and endurance. Since your children are part of a team when they play soccer, it will improve their mental alertness since they need to read each others body language in order to execute an effective play. Furthermore, since they are playing with other children, this will improve their social interaction. If they have good social interaction, they will have better chances that they will be able to deal with the complicated adult life when they grow up.

Soccer is one of the fastest growing youth sports in the United States. The growth in the number of soccer players expands exponentially every year. This rapid growth of players far outstrips the number of coaches. Each year, clubs and organizations persuade parents who have never played to coach a youth team. Where does the parent start to learn how to coach a soccer team? Here is a parent’s primer to coaching kids soccer.

Kids as a rule love to play soccer. Everyone on the field is involved in playing the game. When kids play a baseball game, chances are that the player in right field never gets a ball hit to him. In soccer, there is no right field everyone on the field is involved in the match. Soccer is a game that involves running, is fast and provides opportunities for every level of player.

The parent coach has been in existence for many years in youth soccer. The necessity of utilizing parents who may never have played soccer as coaches has led to the publishing of a plethora of coaching manuals. Some are excellent some are mediocre. The United States Soccer Federation has published one of the best manuals for the parent coach. The fundamentals of the game are explained. Drills and exercises for any age group are provided. Players are usually divided into two year age groups. Youth leagues are generally arranged in Under 6,8,10 and 12 year old age groups. Most leagues play girls and boys in the same league when they are younger.

Under 6 players should be taught the basics of soccer. How to kick the ball, how to control it when it comes to them and how to run with the ball (dribble) are all that the players are truly able to learn. The mental concept of play is “It’s my ball and I’m going to play with it” is what drives a U-6 player. U-6 matches are often the ball rolling around the field with most if not all of the players on the field chasing it in a group.

Under 8 players are really advanced U-6’s many players in U-8 leagues are just starting out playing and have not been introduced to the fundamentals of the game. Once again the basics are stressed. Kicking and trapping the ball using both feet, dribbling the ball with both feet should be stressed. It is easier to teach the player at a young age to use both feet than it is at an older age. U-8 games can sometimes resemble the “bumblebee” games of the U-6 age group but the players as they get older will gain more of an idea of playing a position.

U-10 players (8 and 9 year olds) are more mentally mature and physically coordinated. This is a natural aspect of growth. The U-10’s are ready for more challenging practices and more advanced ball control techniques. When the matches are played the maturity of the U-10 player surfaces. Players actually develop the concept of playing in a position and balls are passed, sometimes successfully to a teammate. The more mature psychology and physiology allow matches to actually resemble a “real” soccer match.

At the U-12 level, tactics of play can be introduced to the players. The players are now old enough to comprehend the actual tactics and utilize them during the match. More complex ball skills should continue to be introduced in practice and these skills will be developed adequately enough to be utilized during a match. Players at this age enjoy being provided with set plays for use during the match. These set plays are generally utilized during restarts in the match. The tactical play of these athletes expands and provides an enjoyable experience for both the players and the parents in the stand.

Soccer is often described as both a beautiful game and a simple game. The pure enjoyment of running on the field provides aerobic exercise for the youth player. Practices are generally looked forward to and matches provide the necessary competition for the youth. The parent coach should provide practices that are active, challenging and enjoyable for the player. The parent coaches educating themselves as to what drills and exercises will provide these goals for the player can only accomplish this.