September 3, 2008 | Tips and Tricks | No Comments
In order to correctly perform a pass, you will need to keep two things in mind: the positioning of your body around the ball and the formation of your foot, leg and ankle. To position your body correctly, you will need to know your kicking foot. This is usually the same side as the hand you write with, but that may not always be the case. For our purposes, let’s use the example of a right-footed kicker. Continue reading
August 15, 2008 | Tips and Tricks | 1 Comment
First introduced by the Italian player Giovanni Roccotelli in the 1970s, the “Rabona” is a flashy way to pass, shoot, or cross the ball. It has become very popular now with players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. The rabona is also a dance step in the tango and adopted its name from soccer! Continue reading
Did you know that the modern soccer ball may have originated from a human head? While no one knows exactly how the “soccer ball” came into existence, many forms and variations have been documented throughout history. One of the earliest documented forms of a “ball” was made of animal skin from China around 250 BC. Other historians have noted games played with cloth, hides and even skulls. Even today, there are many different brands and styles of the soccer ball. The official rules from FIFA state that a soccer ball must be:
- spherical
- made of leather or other suitable material
- has a circumference of 27 to 28 inches
- has a weight of 14 to 16 ounces
The field of eight was down to two teams and only the reigning MLS top-tier clubs remained: The Houston Dynamo and the New England Revolution. These teams had met the previous two years in the MLS Cup finals, both years the Dynamo coming out victorious. Would the $1 million purse make any difference in the outcome? Continue reading
