Many of the Sterling teams have their first games this season today. For some, this is the FIRST game overall.  I hope they all step into the team and find their fun. As parents we put a lot of time, effort, and money into getting them here.  Now's the time to kick back and enjoy them learning the game and getting to know their team.  Best of luck to everyone this weekend, and in the second game, and the third game...  The season goes by fast.  Have fun.

Of everything shared in the "Being Coached" series, finding the balance in the team is one of the most challenging as a coach.  The skills, experiences, and preferences of the players is a puzzle in terms of who's playing in what positions and for how long.  Ideally, you want a player that is simply, "ready" and will play anywhere.  This is not the norm.  Find the positions they kids enjoy the most and can excel in.  From there, you'll have to find a way to have them compromise when needed.  How?  Start with some profiles of the personalities that gravitate to some positions.  This isn't definitive, but has been helpful for our teams to put kids in the best positions.

​The player that loves to play goal is unique.  Most look at as a punishment. It is easily the most critical position on the field at any age or competition level.  It's not just to physically stop the scoreboard from piling up.  It's to be the leader on the back end of the field.  The goalie is an intimidator to the offense and the leader of the defense. 

Defensive players are all sizes, skill levels, and speeds.  No one attribute is right across the whole group.  The key here is a short memory, a fierceness in their personality, and the commitment to work together.  No one defensive player can dominate a game.  It takes a combination of good anticipation in the game's progression and being in the right places as a unit.  This can be the most dramatic place to play on the field as the goal threats are building.  This is where the short-term memory attribute comes into play.
Goals are not given up by the goalie or the defense.  They are given up by the team.

Midfielders are the center of the formation.  They can feed the strikers/forwards and draw the ball out of the defensive area.  A majority of the game will typically be played in the middle 50% of the field.  These players may be challenged the most physically in terms of stamina, rough-housing, and mentally.  For these reasons, they are like a pack of wolves.  They scheme together towards small movements that add up to scoring chances.  Midfielders, especially your center positions are typically the orchestrator of the offensive group as they put have the widest view of the game.

As those chances develop, you have your strikers to act fast and strike.  Much like a fox, they lay low for periods of time and are quick to move to the opportunity spot.  They are a part of the offensive group with the midfielders and can switch as attacking plays develop.  Being sneaky, pays off here.  You'll tend to see two defensive players flank one striker to prevent a one on one race if the ball drops over their line.

Where are you in the animal kingdom?  Coaches are the gorilla at times.  You may be scratching your head at times to find the right thing to do with all these different types of players and personalities, but you'll also have their attention as the leader.  Go with your gut and stick to your principles that the kids are  familiar with already. If you make the wrong choice, at least you will won't confuse the players by being inconsistent.
Don't be afraid to move players around as well.  That defensive player may be able to take a nice corner kick or free kick near the goalie box.  Diversity in their experiences is a good opportunity for everyone.  They may love it.  Find the balance for your team and experiment.

Anyone that has played on our teams knows the question, "are you familiar with when Coach Belichick _____?". I admire the coach's approach to the preparation and execution of his plan.  The situations he prepares for are so important in giving players a chance to walk through the game experiences in advance. It builds a fundamental understanding of the game and the interactions that happen on the field.

American football, Association Football (US soccer), and Rugby are all born of the same game, "football".  Be thankful the lack of rules and absence of etiquette are in the past.  Coach Belichick understands the same foundation and this has been a great example to share with soccer teams. My favorite example is Coach Belichick talking with a rookie defensive lineman about their opponent being backed up on their one yard line. ​The situation is that the offense has nothing to lose by risking a millisecond head start on the snap.  If flagged for offside, they only lose two inches.  The defense will give up five yards by biting on the trick to encroach on the offense.  The Patriot's defensive lineman should take that extra millisecond to be sure the ball is snapped before rushing in to prevent the lopsided advantage the rules provide. Take a look.

Three situations every team can prepare for and use to their advantage:

1. Your team is down by 2 goals with 5 minutes left in the game.  Where is your goalie and defense?  In any late game deficit, push your defense to the opponents side of the field and pull the goalie to midfield.  Create a numbers imbalance with more players and create some chaos.   What's the difference in losing by 2 or 3? Nothing.  This is where Coach Belichick remarks, "two inches".  It's meaningless to the big picture.
2. Your team (11 vs. 11) has 18 players today while your opponent has 12.  The situational advantage is stamina for your team.  Start the game fast and keep running.  Your rotations will pay off in the long run and the score will take care of itself in many match ups.  The Patriots defeated the Falcons in Super Bowl 51 in part on stamina. Even in the face of an unprecedented 25 point deficit, the situational preparation and mental toughness made the difference.
3. Practice drills should be lopsided to allow one group to master a skill or coordination, while allowing the other group to be resourceful to overcome it.  Most of a game is played in balanced numbers, 3-4 players opposing 3-4 opponents in a section of the field.  These generally don't result in many goals.  The game is more often won on advantages you can create. Teach your players how to create advantages as well as competing head to head.  Not all of the 3-4 players will reaction the same. You need both types of playing time, but the situations you create will likely be the difference on the scoreboard.

"Expecting rain. It'll be easier in practice than it is in the game" - Coach Belichick