Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Score - It's a Partying Soccer Goal!
...Soccer is growing in popularity around the country. Many kids want a soccer themed party for their birthday. There are lots of fun ways to have everything at your event be soccer related!
Pick a list of kids to attend your party and send out soccer ball invitations. A party supply store will have all the accessories and motifs available for soccer. Have the kids wear their soccer cleats to the party if they have any or their favorite jersey.
The soccer party can be for a birthday, but it can also include a fun scrimmage soccer game. Set u...more
Soccer Team Positions and Strategies With 3-5-2 Set Up
...ng possession.
5, midfielders,
Two outside/wing players who dominate the sides of the field. They also act as attackers creating many scoring opportunities for their teams.
These are hard working players and a usually super-fit. However sometimes after a few runs on the side these can switch with inside players for a rest.
If this is possible, the team can keep their opponents confused and always looking for changing plays and positions.
This type of positonal play can not be defended by a man on man team defense. This requires a good zone defense and a...more
History of Soccer - An Essay
...um, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland assembled FIFA in order to distinguish it unequivocally from "Union Football", or rugby. The split between the two sports occurred in the central English town of Rugby in 1823, when a player of the home team scored a goal by picking up the ball and running with it. The classic version of the game, association football, adhered to the original round ball, while the derivatives, rugby and american football, chose to introduce an oval ball. (http://www.fifa.com/fifa/)
The World Cup is a tournament involving 36 teams. Each team fights for respect, glory, fame, distinction and bragging rights. The atmosphere surrounding this tournament is tremendous. The tournament is held every four years, with the Olympics in between. The first World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930. Thirteen teams competed for the first World Cup victory. In 1958 the sixth World Cup was held, during which the first television transmission of the game was held. The traditional black and white ball was introduced to show up better on the first black and white televisions. In 1994 the United States welcomed the world by staging the World Cup for the first time. Breaking numerous records, World Cup USA, 1994 is heralded as the best World Cup ever. The most successful World Cup team is Brazil. Brazil has won the tournament more times than any other team. Their success has been accredited to Pel, who led the team to three championships in twelve years.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, or better known as Pel, is considered the greatest soccer player of his time. He was born in Trs Coraes, Brazil on October 23, 1940. Pel was famed for his powerful kicking and brilliant field strategy. He was an amazing soccer player to watch. Anyone who has ever played the game can't help but hold a tremendous amount of respect for his abilities. He scored 1200 goals in 1253 games making him the only player to score 1000 goals during a career. He began playing as an inside left forward for the Santos Football Club in 1956 and six years later the team won it's first world club championship. He also led Brazil to three World Cup championships in 1958, 1962, and 1970. In 1975 the New York Cosmos signed Pel for 2.8 million dollars, thus making him the highest paid soccer player ever. He retired after leading the Cosmos to the NASL Championship. Pel was inducted into the U.S. Soccer hall of Fame in 1993.
America's role in the development of soccer was minute until the middle part of the 20th century. Our nation was one that long resisted soccer's spread. By 1820, many american colleges played soccer, but there was no intercollegiate competition. The rules were casual and often changed. On November 6, 1869 Princeton university and Rutgers university engaged in the first intercollegiate soccer match in New Brunswick, NJ. The Rutgers team won the match 6-4. Soon immigrants from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales arrived in the US in the metropolitan areas of the East, Midwest and Pacific Coast. Before long, communities with textile mills, shipyards, quarries or mines had a soccer team among its immigrant population. The US Football Association (USFA), now US Soccer Federation, was granted full membership in FIFA in 1914, and in the USA's first international match on August 20 they defeated Sweden 3-0. Despite this first victory the US usually lost to foreign teams. However, on June 29 during the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, a star player named Gaetjen scored the winning goal and the US defeated England 1-0. It was perhaps, the biggest upset ever in international soccer. In 1989 Paul Caligiuri scored the biggest goal in US soccer history since Gaetjens goal against England. On November 19 Caligiuri's 35-yard dipping shot found the net in a 1-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago...more
Dog Clothes make Great Gifts - football jerseys, etc.
...When it comes to the art of giving, a gift of clothes is fraught with peril. We all have stories to tell, and if you don't, you will. Just give it time.
Mine started early. My grandmother, having survived the Depression, knew how to stretch a dollar. Clothes for her grandkids were always purchased 3 or 4 sizes too big so we could "grow into them". And she passed this charming trait on to my mother. So, we endured our baggy clothes, with the sleeves and pant legs rolled up, until we were finally big enough to wear them with dignity. By which time they were ready for donation.
Then there's my husband. Heaven forbid I should try to give the man a Polo shirt with an uneven hemline. Most Polos are made longer in the back to help them stay "tucked", but hubby goes un-tucked -- always. He rejects any polo that breaks the rule, no matter how subtly. For an otherwise easy-going guy, his behavior is almost perverse.
If you must give clothes this season, there's one giftee on your list who's sure to look great in any outfit you buy him. He'll wear your gift with pride and appreciation, head held high and tail wagging.
That's right, your dog. Or your best friend's dog. It's so easy you'l...more
