Fullback vs. Wingback

Fullback and Wingback are two terms, or aliases if you will, to describe the position of the outside defender. Though both of these names describe the same position, the style associated with these names is very different!
A fullback is a more traditional outside defender. They steadily play their role. You can count on a fullback to win their tackles, win their headers, and be disciplined tactically. On the attack, a fullback will likely play simple to their midfielders, swing the ball to their center backs, or play a long ball into a channel. There specialty is there defending and they take pride in not being beat.
A wingback is the newer era of the outside defender. They are good defenders in their own right, but it is vastly overshadowed by their attacking flare. You will see a wingback flying up and down the line overlapping outside midfield players and serving dangerous crosses into the box. They are very exciting to watch. They are still technically defenders, but their specialty is definitely their ability to join the attack.

College Is Expensive!

Going to college is extremely important in order for young adults to have the freedom to design their own path in life. All parents encourage their teenagers to attend college, and those four years are honestly some of the best years of your life. For a majority of people however, at the conclusion of those four years, you realize that you now have to pay off all those student loans you accumulated! Why not go to college for free?
Keeping your grades up is crucial to getting into a good college, but soccer can be a great avenue as well. Being a very good athlete can get you a scholarship to go to a well-recognized University that under normal circumstances, you wouldn't be able to afford! So my advice to all the young players out there is do your homework early, and once your done, make sure you go into the backyard and spend some time with your ball. Your time and effort now can save you over $100,000 in the future!

Ginga:

Ginga is a word used to describe 'The Soul of Brazilian Football!' (Aka soccer!) It is not a commonly used term in the United States. To me, Ginga stands for a lifestyle and an attitude. It's having a love for what you do and the people around you. If you watch Brazilian's play, there's a style that goes along with their game that makes them so entertaining to watch. They have a smile on their face, a care-free love for the sport! Soccer is part of the culture in Brazil and it is evident with the comfort on the ball shown by the vast amount of professional players that come from there. The best way to gain mastery of the ball is to spend as much time with it as possible. My advice, get a little more "Ginga" in your life, and your game will see drastic benefits!

Are you mentally tough?

Mental toughness is a very common phrase for those of us who have played college soccer. Whether you're struggling to finish a 6 mile run in preseason, lifting weights that are too heavy to be lifted, or playing through a ripped muscle, mental toughness is always the solution. These are extreme cases, but to be completely serious, mental toughness is crucial to success in sports and even more importantly, success in life.
I feel it is very important when coaching, especially with young kids, to find a good balance of instilling confidence and mental toughness. You always want to celebrate the kids when they do something correct, but not to the point where every little thing is a spectacle. At the same time, you want to correct them when they are wrong, but not to the point where you are shattering their confidence.
A lot of the life lessons I have learned (a vast majority actually!) have come from experiences on the soccer field. At the U.S. Premier Soccer Academy, we strive to develop mentally tough players, as well as mentally tough people.

Cristiano Ronaldo

The player that is being highlighted this week is none other than Portugal's own Cristiano Ronaldo. If this is a new name to you, I strongly suggest going on to YouTube right now and watching some highlight tapes before you even continue with this blog…
…Ok, now that you have seen him in action we can continue. This guy is over 6 feet tall, has rapid pace, is a force in the air, finishes with both feet, he does it all! He also happens to play for my favorite team, Manchester United!
Every time he touches the ball, you can feel a sense of expectation. What is he going to do next? To me, his 1v1 ability is second to none. The tricks he does in games are unheard of. He is the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year and scored over 40 goals in all competitions last year. Some people are just born to do things, please take a chance to watch this rare talent compete.

Manchester United

I recently decided that since I talk about a different player every week in this blog; why not talk about a team as well. It would only be appropriate for me to start with my favorite team of all time, Manchester United!
The Red Devils play out of the Theatre of Dreams, Old Trafford Stadium. Their roster boasts some of the most talented, highest paid players in the world. Cristiano Ronaldo, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes….I can name the whole roster!
They are the reigning English Premiership Champions in addition to being the reigning UEFA Champions League Champs (more information about the UEFA Champions League to follow).
Manchester United is currently top of the table in England and still competing in the Champions League, take some time to check out their games and support them. Come on United!

UEFA Champions League

The UEFA Champions League is the most prestigious competition, in my opinion, in European soccer. The top teams from every country in Europe compete to see who the best of the best is.
To qualify, teams have to finish either at the top of the table in their domestic league, or in the top few teams for the power house countries like England, Italy, Spain, and Germany. These teams are then broken into groups and play each other twice to see who moves on.
After the initial group stages, the top 2 teams from every group are put into another group stage and continue to compete. After this group stage is complete, the teams move into a playoff style tournament with games home and away against each other. The team with the better aggregate score moves on with away goals being the tie breaker.
The mighty Red Devils of Manchester United are the current Champions. The 2008-2009 Champions League is in the Semi Final Stages with only Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Barcelona left. The games play on ESPN2 so definitely take the time to watch some of the best players in the world perform!