The WPS season ended Sunday night with a tape-delayed Fox Soccer Channel viewing of FC Gold Pride destroying Philadelphia 4-0. Benefiting from an odd play-off format, FC Gold only had to play in the championship game while Philly had to win two prior matches before meeting up with an amazing FC Gold squad. As a women’s soccer fan, it is saddening to think that the world’s best female soccer players are only worth a tape delayed championship game.
When the WPS was created, my husband insisted that the organization had overlooked an opportunity to create a widespread fan following. He suggested that the WPS create regional based teams rather than having a team locked into a particular city. Although players would not have a true “home field,” a regional team would likely boost ticket sales and increase the number of fans. If the WPS created a Midwest team, the team could play its home games in Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. If a city has only two or three opportunities to see top level women’s soccer, fans are more likely to want to buy tickets and attend the match. Fans proved that they will come out to support women's soccer during the 2003 Women's World Cup when the venue was suddently changed from China to the USA due to the SARS outbreak.
To coincide with the regional teams, the WPS needs to exploit the profitable youth club soccer organizations. Large youth tournaments field thousands of local and out of state players. Why not schedule a WPS match in a city where one of the larger tournaments are being held and offer discounted tickets?
As the WPS continues to improve on marketing the league, I hope that they learn to promote Marta like a god. Although I am well aware that the league consists of many star players, there is something special about Marta. Unfortunately, I have only seen her promoted during the all-star game and on a Puma commercial. As far as I am concerned, Marta needs to be on all of the morning news shows performing all different kinds of ball tricks to draw more people in.
The WPS needs to also know not to compete with the NFL. Why was Philadelphia playing Washington in Philly on a late Sunday afternoon during NFL season? Conclude the season prior to the NFL or schedule games on a Friday night. Sunday’s in the United States are reserved for food and football. With NFL games on throughout the day and evening, the WPS will lose some of its fan base.
I live at least five hours from the closest WPS team. My opportunities to watch matches rest soley on Fox Soccer Channel. Let’s hope that with the Women’s World Cup next year that the WPS will continue to showcase the talent of women’s soccer and create more opportunites for the WPS to become more visible. I would like to see this league last more than three years.
Kroc of Sports: Refusing to dumb down Women's Soccer.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Klinsmann is not a good fit for the US National Team. But who is?
Four years ago I was upset with the US Soccer Federation for their failure to persuade Jurgen Klinsmann to accept the position of National Team coach. When they named Bob Bradley as permanent head coach, I became more upset. I could not understand why we had failed again to sign a foreign coach.
At least the women figured this out. After a dismal ’07 Women’s World Cup, the US Women made the bold decision in naming Pia Sundhage, a native of Sweden, as their new head coach. If the world powerhouse US Women can realize that they needed to change their approach as the rest of the world caught up to their level of play--why then do we have the men’s team remaining blind to our Nation’s soccer needs? The US women’s hiring committee knew all along that they needed a tatically minded European to elevate the women’s team back to world dominance. As of August 2010, Pia Sundhage has the highest winning percentage of US women’s team coaches, with an impressive record of 40-1-3.
Now it is the men’s turn to make that bold move. The US Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati is currently meeting with current national team head coach Bob Bradley and the man who might replace him, Jurgen Klinsmann.I am in favor of not rehiring Bradley yet I no longer have the desire to hire Klinsmann. Why should the US hire Jurgen Klinsmann, whose only success as coach was with the German National Squad? Klinsmann’s winning approach to the German squad during the 2006 World Cup was a combination of an explosive offensive attack and an innovative conditioning/fitness approach. Klinsmann effectively implemented a sports fitness routine that most professional sports teams use in the USA. Although it was ground breaking in Germany, it will not be groundbreaking in the USA. As for the highly explosive attack—I do not believe that the US needs an offensive juggernaut but rather the US needs a defensive genius. The back four in the US South African lineup was subpar at best. How can the US afford to be explosive offensively and risk a vulnerable counter attack? Even if we take the weak defense out of the equation, there still remains the issue of the direct unimaginative play of the midfield.
The US Soccer Federation needs to step back and assess what the program really needs. We can conclude that the US is lacking any true native candidates for the job. May we also conclude that the US should not look to hire any big name European coaches? It may prove to be a waste of money.
Stop and think for a moment. In Europe, at what level can we find the best coaches? Most likely within the youth level. Youth coaching provides a valid and key importance to the development of the national and club teams of the country. Youth academies adhere to a strict top level technical training program while providing the players with a tactical understanding and knowledge of the game. The managers at the top professional levels are superb. We can possibly compare them to the NBA coach. They manage the team of superstars. At this level, they do not need to develop the players technically. Does an NBA coach really need to address technical issues with his players? If he does, chances are the player does not belong in the NBA. An NBA player is going to have the tactical understanding along with the skill set to be a creative an effective player whereas the college or high school player is still going to need some technical guidance. The US National Team does not need an NBA type coach. Rather, the US National Team needs a coach that will continue to educate the player on both skills and tatics.
Perceptive US youth club directors are now seeing how the North American player fails to understand the game of soccer. Tactically, our players are often clueless. Their instincts are poor due to the over “coaching” and not enough creative license being given to the young soccer player. Let’s face it—has the USA, a country of over 300 million, produced an international superstar? Granted, soccer is not the North American game of choice. Yet, one would think with all of the immigrants and children playing soccer today that there would be at least one. Landon Donovan is the closest we have, but he is aging.
As many of the world’s soccer super stars hail from poor and rough neighborhoods, USA’s best soccer players typically come from a small pool of those who can afford the enormous financial burden of elite soccer teams/programs. In its current form, successful immigrant children such as Zidane, Klose, or Podolski, would not have climbed through the ranks of US soccer. I do not believe that a European coach will understand this system.
The solution for the US remains elusive. Perhaps we should extend our coaching search to South America. With the recent success of South American teams in the World Cup combined with South American players starting to make a name for themselves in Europe, one would think that they eyes of the US Federation would head south.
Whatever the answer is, the reality of US soccer is that we are still at least eight years away from being a viable world threat.
At least the women figured this out. After a dismal ’07 Women’s World Cup, the US Women made the bold decision in naming Pia Sundhage, a native of Sweden, as their new head coach. If the world powerhouse US Women can realize that they needed to change their approach as the rest of the world caught up to their level of play--why then do we have the men’s team remaining blind to our Nation’s soccer needs? The US women’s hiring committee knew all along that they needed a tatically minded European to elevate the women’s team back to world dominance. As of August 2010, Pia Sundhage has the highest winning percentage of US women’s team coaches, with an impressive record of 40-1-3.
Now it is the men’s turn to make that bold move. The US Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati is currently meeting with current national team head coach Bob Bradley and the man who might replace him, Jurgen Klinsmann.I am in favor of not rehiring Bradley yet I no longer have the desire to hire Klinsmann. Why should the US hire Jurgen Klinsmann, whose only success as coach was with the German National Squad? Klinsmann’s winning approach to the German squad during the 2006 World Cup was a combination of an explosive offensive attack and an innovative conditioning/fitness approach. Klinsmann effectively implemented a sports fitness routine that most professional sports teams use in the USA. Although it was ground breaking in Germany, it will not be groundbreaking in the USA. As for the highly explosive attack—I do not believe that the US needs an offensive juggernaut but rather the US needs a defensive genius. The back four in the US South African lineup was subpar at best. How can the US afford to be explosive offensively and risk a vulnerable counter attack? Even if we take the weak defense out of the equation, there still remains the issue of the direct unimaginative play of the midfield.
The US Soccer Federation needs to step back and assess what the program really needs. We can conclude that the US is lacking any true native candidates for the job. May we also conclude that the US should not look to hire any big name European coaches? It may prove to be a waste of money.
Stop and think for a moment. In Europe, at what level can we find the best coaches? Most likely within the youth level. Youth coaching provides a valid and key importance to the development of the national and club teams of the country. Youth academies adhere to a strict top level technical training program while providing the players with a tactical understanding and knowledge of the game. The managers at the top professional levels are superb. We can possibly compare them to the NBA coach. They manage the team of superstars. At this level, they do not need to develop the players technically. Does an NBA coach really need to address technical issues with his players? If he does, chances are the player does not belong in the NBA. An NBA player is going to have the tactical understanding along with the skill set to be a creative an effective player whereas the college or high school player is still going to need some technical guidance. The US National Team does not need an NBA type coach. Rather, the US National Team needs a coach that will continue to educate the player on both skills and tatics.
Perceptive US youth club directors are now seeing how the North American player fails to understand the game of soccer. Tactically, our players are often clueless. Their instincts are poor due to the over “coaching” and not enough creative license being given to the young soccer player. Let’s face it—has the USA, a country of over 300 million, produced an international superstar? Granted, soccer is not the North American game of choice. Yet, one would think with all of the immigrants and children playing soccer today that there would be at least one. Landon Donovan is the closest we have, but he is aging.
As many of the world’s soccer super stars hail from poor and rough neighborhoods, USA’s best soccer players typically come from a small pool of those who can afford the enormous financial burden of elite soccer teams/programs. In its current form, successful immigrant children such as Zidane, Klose, or Podolski, would not have climbed through the ranks of US soccer. I do not believe that a European coach will understand this system.
The solution for the US remains elusive. Perhaps we should extend our coaching search to South America. With the recent success of South American teams in the World Cup combined with South American players starting to make a name for themselves in Europe, one would think that they eyes of the US Federation would head south.
Whatever the answer is, the reality of US soccer is that we are still at least eight years away from being a viable world threat.
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