Didier Drogba and the Ivory Coast Men's National Soccer Team
...uassi Koffiblaise
07.Fae Emerse
09.Kone Arouna
11.Drogba Tebily Didier Yves
21.Eboue Emmanuel
19.Toure Yaya Gnegneri
How many of these following substitutes will make their way to other Premier League teams in Europe and Asia?
10.Yapi Yapo Gilles Donald
08.Kalou Bonaventure
14.Kone Bakari
15.Dindane Aruna
16.Gnanhouan G. Amoukou Okosias
17.Domoraud Depri Cyrille Leandre
18.Tiene Siaka
22.N'dri Koffi Christian Romaric
23.Barry Boubacar
20.Demel Guy Roland
12.Meite Abdoulaye
13.Zoro Kpolo Marc Andre
The battle for African Footballer of the year
Drogba overshadowed Samuel Eto'o, his rival for the African Footballer of the Year award usually held in late February. Didier Drogba scored the decisive penalty to put Ivory Coast into the last four in a dramatic shootout victory over Cameroon in Cairo.However it might be blindsided by a contender from Egypt. Could Mido be in the mix?
...moreHistory of Soccer - An Essay
...The score is tied 1-1. Its you and the goalie with ten seconds left. You dribble left, then right, you shoot . . . GOOOAAALLL!!! "Association Football", "football" or, in this age, "soccer" is considered an international pastime. It is played in more towns, cities, and countries than any other sport in the world. Millions share the love for this sport. Comparable to baseball in the US, or hockey in Canada, soccer enjoys the same reputation in the countries of Europe and South America. The sports popularity is swiftly growing in America. So what is it about this sport that attracts more and more participants every year? What is it that invites crowds of a hundred thousand fans and sparks these crazed fans into an uncontrollable rage and a sudden state of chaos? Something that has captivated the rest of the world is beginning to gain a foothold in the US. However, soccer did not enjoy a successful beginning.
It wasnt until the late 1800s that a man by the name of William McGregor introduced the FA Cup and international matches, which saved the game from obscurity. The earliest forms of soccer were played three centuries ago and quite rapidly evolved into a game radically different from its origins and thus flowered the irresistible spectacle still recognizable so many years later.
Soccer is the name commonly given in North America to a form of football played with a spherical ball. It is the most widely played team game in the world and the most popular spectator sport, followed avidly by hundreds of millions of fans. Originally called association football (the name soccer is a corruption of the word assoc derived in turn from association), (Funk and Wagnalls New Encyclopedia) soccer is distinguished from American or canadian football and Rugby in that it is primarily played with the feet. It also differs from these games in that, soccer being speedier, players must improvise their tactics as play proceeds, constantly shifting their positions to receive or intercept passes. Teams of 11 players play on a field no more than 130 yd x 100 yd and not less than 100 yd x 50 yd. The basic objective of the game is for one team to force the ball, by kicking it or using the chest or head, past the goalkeeper and into the goal. The ball is a leather-covered sphere 27 to 28 in. in circumference and weighing 14 to 16 ounces. The game is played in two 45-minute halves. The team scoring the most goals wins the game.
All that is needed to play soccer is a ball, goals, and, for those who want, uniforms consisting of shorts, socks, cleats. It can even be played barefoot. This simplicity and informality is a chief reason for the worldwide popularity of the game. Because tackling is not as violent as in other forms of football and the round ball is more easily controlled than an oval one, soccer is especially suited to younger players.
Soccer has been a part of my life since I was five years old. I have been playing now for twelve years. My experiences in soccer have changed from the first games where 11 players ran in a bunch following the ball, to where now we use a complex system of passing using triangles. Some fans have told me that our system seems difficult to learn and play but when broken down, it is very simple. I have learned a lot about the sport. When I started to play higher levels of soccer I had to make a commitment. As a member of this year's varsity soccer team I spend close to 24 hours a week on the soccer field. My coach played semi-pro soccer in Scotland. Nearly every coach in Utah knows him. He trains us harder than any other coach I have ever had. When I played with him several years ago our team went 16-0-1. We were ranked #1 in the state. With commitment and hard work our team hopes to continue our coach's winning tradition.
In 12th century England the most p...more
Warm-up for Soccer Training and Games
...ssue extensibility muscles, tendons, ligaments
To enhance the functioning of the neuromuscular system To prepare the cardiovascular and respiratory systems To prepare the player psychologically for the coming activity To familiarize themselves with the environmental conditions Warm-ups should be intense enough to increase the body temperature, the effects of which will ultimately wear off depending upon its intensity and specificity. The procedure should begin with movements of the large muscle groups, as these are the main areas to which blood is redistributed. These include the following areas:Back lower leg: gastrocnemius and soleus Front lower leg: peroneals (shin) Front thigh: quadriceps Back thigh: hamstrings Inner thigh...moreSoccer team Strategies With the 3-4-3 System of Positional Set Up
...3-4-3,
Defense;
3, defenders,
These three are very confident that they can handle a lone striker or two forwards. They are also reliant on a good defensive midfield.
On the attack these players will play wide positions. On the defense these players will be more compact and allow the outside midfields to aid in the wider positions.
At times the inside mid-fielders will "show" for the ball. This creates an additional attack from the centre of the pitch as the mid-fielders become out-let players.
They are trying to convert the play by...more
