Girls - Team Chemistry

[Unregistered]

Excellent points. Read anything by Anson Dorrance if you want to know the importance of team chemistry.

[Unregistered]

Excellent points. Read anything by Anson Dorrance if you want to know the importance of team chemistry.

Agreed all excellent posts, but missing one point I believe. Players by U16/17 either have an inate ability to see the field well or not. Likewise by the same age players have either learned to control the ball with their heads up or not. These two issues I believe are the most important issues as players age and can lead to the appearance of selfshishness and lack of willingness to pass to a clearly open player. Watch the players you have all mentioned and see where their head is before and during their passing and handling of the ball. Some of the best players you will see on the ball have their head down and seemingly either never pass to an open player or give the ball away way too much. This is because they have no field vision and watch their feet far too much. Again I agree with most of the post, but my theory is the biggest contributor is the above along with a tendancy to make the pass into pressure in a higher pace game because they see what is in front of them and not what is behind or to the side of them when they are stressed on the ball.

[Unregistered]

Agreed all excellent posts, but missing one point I believe. Players by U16/17 either have an inate ability to see the field well or not. Likewise by the same age players have either learned to control the ball with their heads up or not. These two issues I believe are the most important issues as players age and can lead to the appearance of selfshishness and lack of willingness to pass to a clearly open player. Watch the players you have all mentioned and see where their head is before and during their passing and handling of the ball. Some of the best players you will see on the ball have their head down and seemingly either never pass to an open player or give the ball away way too much. This is because they have no field vision and watch their feet far too much. Again I agree with most of the post, but my theory is the biggest contributor is the above along with a tendancy to make the pass into pressure in a higher pace game because they see what is in front of them and not what is behind or to the side of them when they are stressed on the ball.

Agree but are you saying that if you haven't learned this by U16/17 that you are unlikely to ever learn this? Could make for a less than optimal college career.

[Unregistered]

Agreed all excellent posts, but missing one point I believe. Players by U16/17 either have an inate ability to see the field well or not.

If it were inate, they'd have it long before U16. The problem is that for most, it's not inate and has to be learned, so some take longer than others to learn, some never learn and some are never taught or are taught inadequately.

[Unregistered]

If it were inate, they'd have it long before U16. The problem is that for most, it's not inate and has to be learned, so some take longer than others to learn, some never learn and some are never taught or are taught inadequately.

So, there's hope for the U16/17 players who can't/won't pass?

[Unregistered]

So, there's hope for the U16/17 players who can't/won't pass?

Hard to teach an old dog new tricks, but not impossible. The problem is, under pressure kids revert to what they were first taught and if they were never taught properly prior to puberty it's a tough habit to break after puberty.

[Unregistered]

One thing I've seen on different teams is the tendency to play the to the right almost exclusive of the left side who work hard but don't see the ball. I chalk it up to players being so right footed and always looking to make the "easier" pass while moving right.

[Unregistered]

One thing I've seen on different teams is the tendency to play the to the right almost exclusive of the left side who work hard but don't see the ball. I chalk it up to players being so right footed and always looking to make the "easier" pass while moving right.

What I've seen is the ball getting stuck on one side of the field. Pass goes in to the middle and then right back to the same side. Switching fields doesn't seem to enter the midfielder's minds.

[Unregistered]

Hard to teach an old dog new tricks, but not impossible. The problem is, under pressure kids revert to what they were first taught and if they were never taught properly prior to puberty it's a tough habit to break after puberty.

True.When the level of competition is too high for a player those without the vision do revert back to tactics that have allowed them to survive in town or high school.

I have seen a combo of clique and lack of vision and either one should draw attention from the coach and should be fixed.Yeah coach:you can't keep everyone happy even if you wanted to but if you don't address it there goes the chemistry.

[Unregistered]

One thing I've seen on different teams is the tendency to play the to the right almost exclusive of the left side who work hard but don't see the ball. I chalk it up to players being so right footed and always looking to make the "easier" pass while moving right.

Agree, but then that should result in stronger defensive players on the left side since the opponent will be moving the ball up field on that side.

What I've seen is the ball getting stuck on one side of the field. Pass goes in to the middle and then right back to the same side. Switching fields doesn't seem to enter the midfielder's minds.

That too. Sometimes a kid on the opposite side of the field may never get a touch on the ball during the game as a result. That alone is reason to rotate positions, or at the very least sides of the field until switching fields is a regular part of a team's game. It also makes a case for kids being given adequate playing time.