Story of a Legend - Diego Maradona

By Niv Orlian 

Life offers us some truly close choices at times when it comes to figuring out what’s best; Pepsi or Cola? Puppies or kittens? Pele or Maradona? All of these pairs have several common factors that make them great, but they’re also unique in their own way and that’s exactly the case with the Pele and Maradona comparison, a comparison that sparked enormous and passionate debates throughout modern history.

In the 1970s, Pele had already established himself as a huge name in soccer and was already being considered the greatest player to have ever lived. No one even came close to his glory, until a short, stuffed Argentinean player called Maradona walked on the soccer field for the first time.

Maradona was born in a poor family, but as with all Argentinean families of that time, soccer was a central part of their lives. Maradona and his two younger brothers started up playing soccer from an early age and he was spotted as a great talent around age 11, when he was taken to the youth squad of Buenos Aires’ Argentinos Juniors, where he would amuse spectators with his juggling tricks during halftimes in the senior squad’s games.

Soon enough, Maradona established himself in the senior squad at age 16, being called for the national team around the same time. He played his first World Cup in 1982, scoring twice in 5 matches but also receiving a red card for a vicious foul. With Argentina beaten by Italy in the second round, Maradona had to wait another 4 years to get a chance at the shiny trophy and when he got that chance, he grabbed it with both hands.

The 1986 World Cup is deemed by many as the most spectacular one in the history of soccer and Maradona has a lot to do with that. He scored 5 goals throughout the Cup and also made 5 assists, but it would be the quarter-final against England that will remain in history. Maradona scored two goals that would cement his legend as both an outstanding and a tricky player.

His first goal of the match was scored with the hand, but the referee allowed it. Highly controversial, this goal later became known as the “Maradona hand of God goal”. The second goal of the match, scored just 4 minutes after the Hand of God, is still widely known as the “Goal of the Century”. Maradona picked up the ball close to his own penalty box and started a sprint that would end up in the English goal, 15 seconds, 70 meters, 5 defenders and a goalkeeper later.

Although his career was garnished with controversy, ranging from pitch-brawling to cocaine abuse, Maradona remains one of the most important figures in modern sports and together with Pele and Johan Crujff, forms the golden trio of all time soccer.

Niv Orlian is the author and the owner of a Soccer Fans website that provides information on various topics related to soccer. Did you find this article interesting, useful and well written? You can learn a lot more about additional famous soccer players here. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Niv_Orlian

Meet Antonio Saviano - Scuola Calcio North America Cooridnator

By Gian Sarfin

You could easily mistake Antonio Saviano for a model instead of a soccer coach. With devilishly good looks and a mischievous twinkle in his eye, Antonio could more likely be every Italian mother’s number one son. Born in the United States, Antonio’s family moved back to Italy at a very early age. He grew up in the town of Pomigliano D’Arco in the province of Napoli. He started playing soccer about the time he could walk and began playing organized soccer at age 8. At the age of 16, Antonio signed a professional contract with Castel Cisterna where he played as a keeper.

Fast forward to 1996 to Wilmington North Carolina and Antonio has founded Soccerkix and Soccerkix Academy, a clearing house for the Italian experience. Antonio offered teams a chance to travel to Italy for tournament play and to participate in local camps, training as many as 500 players per camp. In Italy, professional soccer clubs run their own development systems or schools. They also establish “affiliate” schools throughout Italy with regional clubs. While the “affiliated school” concept is common in Europe, it was Antonio’s initiative that brought the concept to North America. Working with a Serie A club, Antonio put together a program that saw teams travel to Italy, Italian coaches travel to the US and Canada and US and Canadian coaches travel to Italy. Antonio soon became the North American coordinator of the program with his duties encompassing overseeing the affiliates program and scouting new talent. He has been the North America Director for many Italian professional soccer clubs, including Ascoli Soccer Academy, AC Parma Scuola Calcio and AC Perugia Scuola Calcio. In that capacity he has been helping, leading and developing coaching and player development programs for over 100 affiliated soccer schools across North America and Europe.

“I know of no one who can coordinate soccer events and has a vision for soccer talent and player development like Antonio Saviano”, said Gianni Borano an Italian Professional Scout expert and also an expert in the youth soccer player development field. “He is masterful in creating vision with such high value for each individual player that brings out commitment and passion from them until they see their accomplishments”. Mr. Borano went on to say, “his willingness to take responsibility for each club he works with is limitless and he is the most knowledge coach you ever get to meet and talk to”. “This is a coach who finishes what he starts and leads players and coaches with the same level of commitment and determination he has”.

Antonio is an extraordinary coach. His knowledge, love and passion for the game are so infectious that you cannot help but be drawn in. “Young players must learn through fun and games. They have to have fun and the reinforcement must always be positive or they will not come back. The game format keeps them interested while they are developing essential soccer skills”, says Saviano. “Drills need to be progressive. They need to be presented at a base, fundamental level and slowly have elements added, making sure that the students comprehend each addition. If the student doesn’t understand what is expected of them, they cannot effectively participate or make informed decisions for themselves”.

Antonio has written several books on youth development, among them, “U-6 – U-12 Development Theory”, “U-8 – U-10 Soccer School Development Manual”. He co-authored “Playing to Learn to Play, Didactic Progression for the Development of the Technical-Tactical Fundamentals in the Soccer Schools” and has produced a training video.

“Antonio Saviano is one of the top ranked coaches in the nation today”, said John Flirreni, Italian Premier Division Team’s Manager, I have personally seen him work with players and coaches, his coaching development ideas are easy to understand, he transmits what he believes to players on the field and to coaches in the classroom so they can take the information and become better in all areas of their soccer career”.

“The results and success of Scuola Calcio speaks for itself”, said Dana Siervertson, a long time friend. “This is a soccer service company that is moving forward with their many different soccer programs”.

Programs such as: All-Year Soccer Boarding School, Three weeks Soccer Camps in USA and Italy, Soccer Coaching Symposium, International Soccer Team Tour Travel, Monthly Professional Soccer Training, and much more are all offered to serious soccer players and coaches. Perhaps the greatest qualities and commitment is to develop and improve the players and coaches.

About Scuola Calcio

The Italian Scuola Calcio (Soccer School) has consolidated the experience developed from its technical staff and the experience acquired within the last few years from Ascoli Soccer Academy, A. C. Perugia Soccer School and A.C. Parma Soccer School program's technical staff. The Italian Scuola Calcio has included in the search, its own formation and exploitation of the youth soccer players, the mission is characterized to adopt an innovative politics and dynamics in the development of the actual activities. The Italian Scuola Calcio has built a network of more then 100 affiliated soccer schools, some of which in Italy and other abroad (North America) and other foreign countries such as Ghana and Brazil, and an organization of 80 professional scouts-observers, 20 regional coordinators and 5 International coordinators. These are people in charge of different areas, all of them coming from an extensive carrier in the professional youth soccer sectors. Each sportive season the Italian Scuola Calcio technical staff conducts over 400 technical visits to the affiliated soccer schools and organizes over 50 yearly selections (try-outs) for young soccer players between the age of 12 to 16, monitoring over 13000 players. The result of this complex and organized activity allows the technical staff to individualize the better players from each affiliated soccer schools therefore introduce them to the professional clubs such of Serie A, B and C (Italian Premier, First and Second Division). At the conclusion of each sportive season, young soccer players chosen from the Italian Scuola Calcio are introduced in the professional youth sector areas of the professional soccer clubs.

The Italian Scuola Calcio is a consortium of football organizations located on National and International territory that proposes to put its network and experience of scouting and its skills in making the most of young players at the availability of those professional clubs which request this service. Italian Scuola Calcio’s technical structure specializes in scouting, supporting the ‘Youth Sector', and teaching basic activities, paying particular attention to youth soccer players between the ages of 6 to 16. Italian Scuola Calcio’s structure represents all the non-professional organizations that develop new talent. Its activities are aimed to promote the technical growth of soccer schools, as well as increasing the value for their ‘youth sector'. Italian Scuola Calcio's activities maintain a permanent focus on scouting and monitoring the National and International territory. The network of affiliated soccer schools guarantees that the both territories are fully monitored.

The following is an overview of the Scuola Calcio consortium:

- 85 National and International Affiliated clubs (Europe - USA - Canada - West Africa)

- 15 Technical Area Manager

- 80 Technical Observers

- 400 Technical Stages for Players of Affiliated Clubs

- 40 Formation/Development Stages for Instructors of Affiliated Clubs

- 50 Yearly meeting to scout new talent

- 13000 Athletes involved in the organization

Scuola Calcio, Italian Soccer School's goal is to provide intensive soccer training programs that not only teach players the game of soccer but also also teach them about cultural diversity and foreign languages. With professionals Italian Soccer affiliations, Scuola Calcio, Italian Soccer School will help to develop players by experiencing international professional soccer training and give them an opportunity to travel to a structured professioanl enviroment. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gian_Sarfin

Gothia Cup 2007

By Mark Coolio

It was amazing... football, football and MORE football. Teams from all over the world came to Sweden, Gothenburg to compete in the youth tournament Gothia Cup. This is the adventure of the whole year for a lot of the teams. During a whole week it was so much football in Gothenburg.

Games were played all over Gothenburg on all decent pitches. At Heden you always have something to do. There are great games played there all the time. The most interesting international teams play here. If you want to watch some great football this is the place to go during Gothia Cup.

If you don't have a game to play or you want to take a break from your football watching, well... Heden is still the place to go. This year there were a lot of activities going on. You could impress your friends with Karaoke, all kind of singers performed... good, and not so good. You could do speed shooting, then you will know by fact how hard your shot is. You could compete in your football team who's got the hardest shot. You had accuracy shooting at a goal, also a could way to arrange competitions in the team and maybe your coach could arrange a price, maybe a teddy bear.

My personal favorite this year was the McDonald's Football Fun & Freestyle stage. They had amazing performers on stage. If you wanted you could join them on stage for coaching or just doing some tricks together. Palle & Matte were their names and they did amazing things with the football. They did things you didn't know was possible. This was also very inspiring for the kids to see, some were instantly taking a ball to juggle. Some guys in the crowd already knew the performers and wanted to take pictures with them or ask for an autograph.

It was very cool and the Heden center were great this year. I don't know what will happen at the Heden center 2008, but I'm sure they will arrange something really cool!

Interested in Football Freestyle... well here's a site about the sport: http://www.freestylefactory.net Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Coolio

5 Reasons Behind the Deployment of a 4-5-1 System or Formation in A Soccer or Football Game

By Damien Ong

In the modern game of soccer or football recently, a formation or system 4-5-1 has enjoyed a much higher played ratio especially by smaller clubs or clubs or nations playing away. Here are five reasons why such a formation or system is employed.

A defintion of the system is first needed. A 4-5-1 would refer to the deployment of one goalkeeper, four defenders, five midfielders and a striker. An example of a team making a success of the formation is the Greek National in European Football Championships 2004 where they emerge as champions with the deployment of such a system. And now for the reasons.

1. Flexibility - Football or soccer is a fast paced game where an attack can be turned into the counter attack by the opposition if possession is lost. Hence the deployment of a 4-5-1 system allows the flexibility in both attack and defense. In attack or possession of the ball, the left and right midfielders would operate as wingers to push up and join the lone striker. Furthermore of the three central midfielders, one or two can also push to join the attack while the remaining midfielder would drop back to assist the defense in case of a break or counter attack by the opposition.
   
   
   

   As for defense or without possession of the ball, a five midfield in theory would be able to pressure the opposition to win back the ball. Another example, the five man midfield would add more steel into midfield portion to win or retain possession to ease off pressure at the back.

   
   



2. Defending a one goal Lead - In some matches, the game can be very close one where a single goal can decide the outcome. Hence some managers would like to employ 4-5-1 formation to defend the lead in the last ten to twenty minutes of the game. The flexibility of the system is already explained under point 1. The system would also enable the team to launch counter attack if needed when the opposition throws caution to wind for an equalizer. The other purpose is to pass the ball around to run down the clock and the best way to do so is to keep possession.
   
   
   



3. Playing an Away Game - In the modern league games, a point from a game drawn especially if the game is away or against a strong opposition is crucial. The reason is simple as most home teams would go out to try their best to win at home with their supporters behind them acting as the 12th man. For example, in recent games like Liverpool verses Birmingham City or Manchester United verses Reading, both City and Reading employed a 4-5-1 system to stifle the midfield of Liverpool and United. The system would usually enable a team to come away with a point or avoid a mauling at hand of strong opposition. Such a point usually meant a victory for the smaller clubs.
   
   
   



4. Playing against Stronger Opposition - As mentioned in point 3, playing against strong opposition at home, a 4-5-1 system would be employed for the same rationale of getting a point or avoiding a heavy defeat. Such a attitude towards game can be seen as a defeatist attitude, but survival in the top leagues around the world would mean huge revenue for clubs. An example is the English Premiership where millions can be lost if a team is relegated. Hence some teams would rather employ such a formation to ensure of a low scoring defeat or a draw game for a point while a more attacking one when facing opposition of similar status.
   
   
   



5. Injuries - This is the least common reason why a 4-5-1 formation would be deployed. The reason is a very simple one. There are usually more defenders and midfielders than strikers in the club. Hence if a club has a striker injury situation, it may be more inclined to employ such a system than others. Furthermore deploying players in familiar positions would be having a much better effect than playing them in an untrained position.

Hence the above reasons should help to explain the rationale behind the employment of a 4-5-1 system or formation.

For more news, predictions and results from English Premiership, Italy Serie A, Spainish Liga and Bungelsia, check out http://epllatestnews.blogspot.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Damien_Ong

Ascoli Soccer Academy Cup - Italy, 2007

By Gian Sarfin

The Ascoli Soccer Academy Cup was held in Perugia this past June 25th - 30th, 2007 for the 6th consecutive time. The tournament was open to boys of 12 and 13 years of age. A special two day soccer training session was also held for teams traveling from United States and Canada, allowing them to learn from some of the best Italian Soccer Coaches such as Bruno Redolfi, former Ascoli Soccer Academy Technical Director.

"This year's event was great! I wish we could have something similar to this throughout the US and Canada," Jeff Iacopina (parent) remarked. He went on to say "I know our players had a fantastci experience not just learning the game and playing against some of the best players in Italy, but also a fantastic cultural experience. I am sure they will never forget this"!

Only 12 teams participated in the competition. “Most of the teams were from different Italian Regions. These are teams formed after an extensive try-out process through out the year, then the players are placed on a team and attend the tournament where there are professional soccer scouts that look at them to see who makes the final cut. It is like a funnel process”, said Antonio Saviano, Scuola Calcio Technical Director.

A special thanks goes to Soccerkix for fully organizing all the logistics and supporting this event.

For the last few years Soccerkix has taken players and teams all over the world. Italy and Brazil are the most common places teams travel to. You and your team get an experience that you just can't get in the USA. Once you've experienced soccer in Italy or Brazil, you will certainly have a new and deeper understanding of the game. Soccerkix and Scuola Calcio are about soccer for life. We love the game and have dedicated ourselves to it. You will have a great time at our camps and tours and will receive the best coaching possible.

For more information visit www.soccerkix.com or email info@soccerkix.com

Scuola Calcio, Italian Soccer School's goal is to provide intensive soccer training programs that not only teach players the game of soccer but also also teach them about cultural diversity and foreign languages. With professionals Italian Soccer affiliations, Scuola Calcio, Italian Soccer School will help to develop players by experiencing international professional soccer training and give them an opportunity to travel to a structured professional environment. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gian_Sarfin

Soccer Team Tour to Italy - A "Player Experience"

By Gian Sarfin

When the members of the ’94 Wilmington N.C Cape Fear Beakers Boys Soccer Club departed for Perugia, Italy, they did not know what to expect. They did know, however, that they would be training and participating in an international tournament that included players from several European countries as well as the United States and Canada. Their coach, Antonio Saviano, tried to get them to understand that many of their opponents would be bigger, stronger, faster and better skilled than the players they were used to facing. There would also be the issue of playing on a larger field with Eleven players a side, instead of the usual eight vs. eight they were used to.

When they got to Italy, their week was laid out for them. There would be two training sessions, morning and afternoon, for Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday would be a sightseeing day and a chance to rest. Thursday through Saturday they would compete I an eleven-team tournament with at least two games a day. The championship finale would take place on Saturday afternoon.

At 9:30 Monday morning they all boarded the bus buzzing with excitement as they headed off to their first session. Although jet-lagged from arriving the prior day, their enthusiasm overcame sleep deprivation. The parents spent the late morning relaxing in town, sightseeing, shopping and sipping cappuccinos. When the team bus returned for lunch, however, the lack of sleep and demanding training session had obviously taken its toll. They boys were exhausted and were told to eat lunch and go to their rooms to rest and recover before their afternoon session. Eleven year old Jack Sordellini was among more than a few players who wondered “what did I get myself into?” He rallied, however, for next session, as well as the two on Tuesday, but was always happy to return to the hotel to eat, swim with his teammates at the pool and just relax. Wednesday was a welcome day off, and many members of the team toured Rome and other parts of this beautiful country.

On Thursday the games finally began. Jack could not wait and it did not take long for him to get what he came for. Playing at the right wing, it seemed that every ball in the first 10 minutes of the match were played to his part of the field and he was forced to make several long runs. The size and speed of his opponents was as advertised and the larger field along with the pace of the game tested his stamina. Once again he wondered if he was in over his head. The game finally settled into a less frenetic pace and the boys from Wilmington realized that they could compete with their stronger opponents. This first game ended scoreless in regulation time and Wilmington won on penalty kicks. They played the balance of the schedule in a similar fashion, and although they did not make the tourney finals, they clearly earned respect. Their confidence grew with each match, both on and off the field.

Alex Gianoplus, 12, heard people in the crowd chanting his name, but who were they and how did they know his name? Were they cheering for him or against? Invited to be a guest goalie playing for an Italian team, he did not understand the words that his teammates were saying to him, but he got the general idea: keep the ball out of the net.

Even though the weather was hot, over 90 degrees, Alex was outfitted with a long sleeve jersey and his socks were pulled up over his knees. The artificial turf, which was 10+degrees hotter than the air temperature, had given both of his knees and his elbows a nice layer of raw skin. That was the price he paid as he had spent the week during practice and games hurling his body in every direction making acrobatic saves.

But now he was playing in the semi-finals as a guest goalie for Italy and he could hear his name being called from the stands. As the opposition skillfully advanced the ball toward him on the attack, he was amazed at the accuracy of their passes. As he followed the play to the left he sensed that the ball would be crossed to the other side. In a split second the ball was redirected to his right and out of nowhere one of the attackers rushed the goal in perfect time to deflect it with his head toward the net. Alex instinctively lunged to his right and extended both arms. The ball seemed to be already in the net when Alex’s out stretched arms punched it to the corner of the field, where one of his defenders cleared it down field. As he landed on his tender elbows he heard the rhythmic chant from the crowd: ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! “Hmm. I guess they are rooting for me” he thought.

When the game ended Alex came up to the stands to watch the next game. He learned that his new fan club was a group of players who had a vested interest in a victory for Alex’s team. Alex sat among his new friends getting acquainted, joking ,watching the game and exchanging sweaty jerseys as souvenirs. Although there was a language barrier, they clearly knew they had a common bond.

Later, after the top two teams played for the championship, all of the teams and their parents went down to the field for an awards ceremony. The host of the tournament stood before a table of magnificent trophies for the winning teams. He thanked all of the participants and then gave out the awards. The first one, he announced, was for the ‘giocatore piu giovane”. Jack Sordellini did not know what was being said, but he understood his own name and went up to accept his trophy for being the tournament’s “youngest player”.

The tournament director continued and then held up the next large cup which was inscribed ‘miglior portiere”. Alex Gianoplus heard his name called and found out that he was named the tournaments “best goalie”.

The next day Jack and Alex waited patiently at the airport to leave for home. They had checked all their baggage with the exception of a small carry-on and, of course, two huge trophies. As they waited for their flight, they sat and talked about their week that seemed to start so long ago.

Somehow their recollection of the week changed a little bit. The Monday and Tuesday practice sessions did not seems so grueling in retrospect. In their minds the opponents were not as large as they once seemed. The field shrunk a bit and any cramps from sprinting in the blistering hot sun could not even be recalled. Turf-burned knees and elbows were little more than a faded memory...

Scuola Calcio, Italian Soccer School's goal is to provide intensive soccer training programs that not only teach players the game of soccer but also also teach them about cultural diversity and foreign languages. With professionals Italian Soccer affiliations, Scuola Calcio, Italian Soccer School will help to develop players by experiencing international professional soccer training and give them an opportunity to travel to a structured professional environment. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gian_Sarfin

Biography of Pele - The King of Football

By Niv Orlian 

For us younger folks, Brazil soccer is great because that’s how it’s meant to be…we take that as a natural order of things, having grown up with the Brazilian soccer team’s successes in the World Cups of the 1990s.

But the myth of Brazilian soccer was born a lot earlier, in times when soccer started to become a worldwide “plague” and there are a lot of people who attribute this internalization of soccer to the Brazilian team of the 50s, a team that was lead to success by one of the most preeminent figures in sports, the famous soccer player Pele.

Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pele climbed a steep mountain from living his youth in a poor Brazilian family, to becoming one of the most beloved figures in the modern history of sports. His father was a footballer himself, playing for Fluminense in the Brazilian league and it was only natural that young Pele would follow his father’s footsteps in the game.

He wasn’t always known as Pele though. Rumor has it that this nickname was given to him in primary school, as he kept misspelling the name of one of his favorite players at that time, Vasco Da Gama’s goalkeeper Bile.

His schoolmates gave him this new nickname and mostly made fun of him, so he obviously disliked it; so much that he punched the fellow classmate that coined the nicknamed. However, in time, he gradually became used to it and even started liking it and it wasn’t long before everyone knew the soccer wonderkid as Pele.

Living in poverty, he couldn’t afford soccer equipment, nor a soccer ball. He shined shoes for an extra coin that would help him and his friends stitch up a newspaper-filled sock to use as a football. He formed a team with his neighbors from the Sete de Setembro street and even participated in a youth tournament, where the team earned the nickname “the shoeless ones” because none of the kids could afford to waste their walking shoes (if any) on playing soccer.

A few years later, each member of the team worked hard for the extra money to get a proper pair of shoes and renamed their team to Ameriquinha. Participating in numerous youth tournaments with Ameriquinha, Pele made a name for himself at a tender age for his prowess in front of goal, becoming top scorer in almost all of these tournaments.

At the tender age of 15, he caught the eyes of one of the biggest teams in Brazil, FC Santos, who offered him a contract and by 16 he was already a member of the senior squad. He spent almost his entire career at Santos, since European transfers weren’t that popular back, although the final 2 years of his career were spent at New York Cosmos, before Pele finally hanged his boots.

Pele made his debut in the Brazilian soccer team in the same year he debuted at Santos’ senior squad, when he was just 16 years old. Amazingly, he was taken on to the 1958 World Cup squad, at age 17, becoming the youngest player in the competition. He even scored a crucial goal in the quarterfinals against Wales, a goal which took Brazil past that stage and into the semis.

But Pele was saving the best for the final: meeting Sweden, he scored a magnificent goal, lobbing the ball past a defender and volleying it into the net, eventually winning the final for Brazil. After the match ended, the effort and the joy bundled up and the 17-year old Pele couldn’t take it, passing out on the field and needing medical attention.

As a soccer player, Pele attended 3 more World Cups, between 1962 and 1970, winning the first and latter. He was the first player ever to score in 4 different World Cups and in 1970 he achieved a unique performance that boosted him to the heights of international soccer: he scored 1,000 official goals for club and country.

Although many dispute this record or try to bring it down, saying that soccer wasn’t as defensive or tactical back than as it is today (which is partially true), his merit of being a major stand pole on the international soccer stage between the mid 50s all the way to the late 70s should not be undermined. Named best soccer player in the World and athlete of the 20th century, Pele now acts as an ambassador for soccer and fair play.

Niv Orlian is the author and the owner of a Soccer Fans website that provides information on various topics related to soccer. Did you find this article interesting, useful and well written? You can learn a lot more about additional famous soccer players here Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Niv_Orlian