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Featured Soccer Articles

Soccerbetting Tips
1.)On every matchday, cancel off those matches you aren't sure of or those which you have no confidence in beting.Focus on the remainder confident picks. streamline those remainder confident picks to 3 most confident picks. Even bet on the 3 most ...

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Football, or Soccer as it is known in America, is the most popular team sport played professionally and by amateurs worldwide. Soccer players are revered as icons and soccer teams sign millions of dollars as endorsement deals.Soccer is a game between two ...





Short Sided Round Robin Format for Basketball and Soccer
 
The computer age has bestowed some unforeseen blessings on the sports world. Math whizzes are now using the personal computer to track game results to a level never before possible, and sports are the better for it. The book "Moneyball" chronicled the way Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland Athletics used obscure statistical analyses to scout and deal for talent. Now, a variation of this method has spilt over into basketball with a number of NBA teams using statistics in a similar manner. These methods were described in a recent Sports Illustrated article titled "Measure of Success." Described as simply as possible, these statisticians track how well a team does when a player is on the floor, versus how well they do when they aren't.

These measures disregard a player's contribution as represented by their scoring, rebounding and assists totals, and simply asks, "Does the team do better or worse when this player is on the floor?" They also in many cases contradict the conventional wisdom concerning the relative worth of certain players. Jason Collins, a fifth-year center for the Nets of little renown gets ranked as the fourth best defensive center in the league. Conversely, high-scoring Michael Redd of the Milwaukee Bucks is such a disaster on defense that his teams tend to lose with him on the floor, and win while he is on the bench.

While amateur coaches are sure to find these analyses interesting, is there any way in which they can employ these metrics for their own use? Amateur coaches might be able to get team assistants to gather the data needed to maintain these stats, but there is a much better way these concepts can be applied.

Virtually all teams rely heavily on scrimmage play as part of their practice routine. By adopting what I call a Roster Round Robin format during scrimmage play, coaches can get a much clearer picture of how and when individual players perform better than others. The format simply requires that sides be set to 3v3, 4v4, or 5v5, depending on available players. Players are issued reversible jerseys, and score is kept for each side. Stages are set to 3 or 4 minutes, and at the end of each stage, a team score is recorded, with each player earning points for themselves on the basis of their team result. Two players are then directed to exchange sides by flipping their reversible jersey , and a new stage is played. This pattern is continued until all possible roster combinations have been used.

For a 3v3 contest, this would equate to 10 possible combinations, thus requiring a 30 to 40 minute game. Each player earns a plus/minus score across all stages. As everyone plays under all roster combinations and points can only be earned on the basis of team results, an individual's result reflects their team contribution across all stages. In order to maintain game continuity and ensure rapid roster rotations, the roster rotations are predetermined and printed on a grid used for scoring.

Some may notice that the one thing seemingly not taken into account in

this format is position play. A roster rotation schedule that disregards position play will likely result in some oddly balanced sides - think 5 guards versus 5 forwards and centers - that wouldn't reflect anything resembling a real-game matchup. This difficulty can, however, be overcome by taking positions into account when devising the roster rotations. For a 4v4 game, with players restricted to either a center/forward or guard position, there would be 9 different roster combinations required. For a full-sided game, a center position could be added, but 18 stages would be required. With three minute stages, this would be a 54 minute scrimmage game. Coaches may wish to split this size of scrimmage across multiple practices.

Would the results from any particular scrimmage mean much? For one game, probably not, as we all know the ball can bounce funny for a time. But if this format were used on a regular basis, the results should reveal which players are contributing the most to their team. These results will either confirm or deny a coach's sense of who his best players are, but there are two even bigger benefits that can come from the use of this format. First, as players come to understand this as the new measure of their play, they will be more receptive to a coach's instruction on team play. As well, players will intuitively respond to the demands of the game, and adjust their play accordingly. Simply put, the ability to measure team play translates to a better ability to teach and learn it.

The second benefit may be even more important. A system that clearly and demonstrably measures a player on the basis of their team contribution fosters team chemistry better than any other. The talented offensive player who lets down on defense can be brought to the table when the impact of his lackluster defense can be shown. Players who are frustrated because they think they should be playing more can either makes their case in the round robin practice, or be shown they're not there yet. Regardless of the case, team chemistry is advanced.

The only real barriers to this practice format are logistical. Running this practice format requires pre-numbered reversible jerseys , and scoring/rotation grid sheets. Both are available at Rejersey.com .

The format can also be adapted for tryouts and tournaments. If your team or league would like to use this format and would like help with logistics and obtaining reversible jerseys please contact customerservice@rej ersey.com .

About the author:

Tom Cobb is an avid soccer player and the owner of Rejersey.com. Rejersey.com is committed to providing the best jerseys for team sports while also supporting the sports that create the need for our products. Our jerseys are perfect for practice or pick-up, as well as team and tournament play. On top of this, we go a step further, and help those who are passionate about team sports with fund-raising, and organizing their teams, schedules and facilities.
Written By: Tom Cobb

Soccer News



Washington Times

Harry Keough, Who Helped US to Big Soccer Upset, Dies at 84
New York Times
Harry Keough, who played for the United States soccer team that beat England at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil in what is considered by many to be the greatest upset in soccer history, died on Tuesday at his home in St. Louis. He was 84.
Harry Keough dies; 'soccer royalty' left legacySTLtoday.com
Americans soccer legend Harry Keough dies at 84Washington Times
St. Louis soccer icon dead at 84Missourinet.com
SportingNews.com -Los Angeles Times -Riverfront Times (blog)
all 84 news articles »

New York Daily News

CNN anchor suspended for homophobic tweets
New York Daily News
By Nina Mandell / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Roland Martin claimed to be mocking soccer, but his bosses at CNN called the tweets 'regrettable and offensive.' A CNN anchor was benched after sending homophobic tweets during the Super Bowl.
GLAAD vs. CNN's Roland MartinPhiladelphia Inquirer
Roland Martin Apologizes For Tweet Directed At Gay Fans Of David BeckhamOn Top Magazine
Roland Martin's History on Gays Says It AllHuffington Post (blog)

all 463 news articles »

Boston.com

Real Madrid, Barcelona top soccer's rich list
The Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — Real Madrid and Barcelona are soccer's biggest moneymakers for the third straight year and look set to top their rivals for the foreseeable future. The annual review of soccer finance by Deloitte shows Madrid topping the list for the ...
Real Madrid Heads Soccer's Money League as Schalke, Tottenham Boost SalesBloomberg

all 141 news articles »

PolicyMic

In Egypt, soccer fans on the frontline of revolution
Jerusalem Post
Al-Ahly is not a political or religious movement, but the legendary Cairo soccer team. And the man who is defying the security forces is an “Ultra,” a hardcore fan of the team. Like thousands of other Ultras, he has been putting forth his street smarts ...
Deadly Cairo Soccer Riot Reignites Egyptian RevolutionPolicyMic
Port Said turns to uprising focal pointFOXSports.com

all 1,432 news articles »

Bryzgalov: "It's like a soccer net behind me"
Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia (blog)
“To be honest, I feel that right now during the shootout it's like soccer net behind me,” Bryzgalov said. “Everything I do is slower or faster. I don't know.” To his credit, Bryzgalov didn't use the excuse of not knowing the shooters in the East.

and more »