I want to take a minute and map out some of the aspects of this year's team that I saw while in Strongsville. I think it is important for players and parents to know where the coaches are coming from in terms of direction of the team's progress. The weekend gave me a great chance to sit back and watch how this year's team is beginning to form. I like what I saw! The players were all able to play at the level of our competition and most of the time above it. Due to this level of play that we have put forth already I am eagerly awaiting the practices in the future. The first three weeks of August we will focus on these three aspects of improvement:
1. Fitness! I want our team to be able to play defense and offense as a TEAM. This means everyone must run more than thier opponent. We must be more fit to play in order to play at a higher level
2. Communication. Great teams know how to communicate. This means that players need to not only talk more but to read each other better. This takes a lot of focus, a lot of practice and a lot of unselfish play.
3. Playing faster. In the soccer world this means that players are touching the ball one or two times before giving it to another teammate. The best teams in the world do this on the highest level. It takes intense discipline and a high level of fitness.
Let's get ready to improve!
