Santos - Champions of the Copa Libertadores 2011

As I was growing up in São Paulo, Brazil, I always heard how incredible the Santos team was. The great attack formed by Dorval, Mengálvio, Coutinho, Pelé and Pepe was really unstoppable. The only one I really had a chance to see in action was Pelé. And boy was he ahead of his times. I remember a game against Palmeiras where he tapped the ball for about 40 yards through an ocean of defenders and almost scored on a volley.

My dad had a very funny incident with Pelé in Santos when we were there on vacations at my Grandmother's house. As he backed the car out of the driveway and got out to close the gate (yes a manual gate)he heard a thud and turned. Someone had bumped into his car. The driver? Pelé. Below was the result of that encounter, Pelé's autograph dated July 31, 1964.


I am a Santos fanatic. I watch every game I can even living in the US. In the past 10 years with so much investment in their academy program Santos became a powerhouse again. The likes of Robinho, Elano, Diego and Alex Costa are all famous now. Neymar and Ganso are the current greats of this team, the first 19 and the second 21 years old. Santos won national championships in 2002 and 2004, state championships in 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011 and the Brazilian Cup in 2010 which qualified them for the continental competition called the Libertadores.


The only championships I hadn't seen them win until now was the Copa Libertadores and the Club World Cup. This past Wednesday, June 22nd they played a great game against Uruguayan powerhouse Penarol, defeating them 2-1 and taking the Libertadores Cup. This win qualifies them to go to the Club World Cup which will be played in Tokyo next December. I can't wait to see Santos versus the great Barcelona. Neymar, the new kid on the block, versus Messi the current best player in the world. Ganso versus Xavi, two of best midfielders in the world in my humble opinion. This will be a fantastic game providing both clubs win their semifinals.

There are 6 clubs who are winners of their continental cups. The European and South American champions (Barcelona and Santos) automatically start the competition in the semifinals. So to win the championship they need to win 2 games. The remaining 4 teams have to play quarter-final games so for them the journey to the championship is 3 games. This is because none of the other continents has ever won the club World Cup.

I am looking forward to this game. Be on the lookout for Neymar and Ganso. Together in a little over a year they have won 4 championships for Santos F.C. and now they are starters in the Brazilian national team that will be playing the National Team South American Championship this coming July hosted by Argentina.

Below are game highlights:

Some Advice on Nutrition

Very good Advice on Dehydration and Nutrition for soccer.

Panyee FC: A Very Inspiring Soccer Story

TMB Panyee FC short film.
How fun it is to be a kid!



Share with your little ones.

The Great "Elastico" - Flip Flap

This is my tribute to the Great Roberto Rivelino. The player that brought the "Elastico" or Flip-Flap Dribble to Outdoor Soccer from Futsal. I was lucky enough to see him play live many times and what a surprise I had when he nutmegeed a player and scored a great goal:




Nowadays many players can do it. Some of the images below are from the 1974 World Cup.



And here is a fantastic compilation of the same move by other players:


As you can see from these videos this is a great move to get through defenders because the ball suddenly goes from one side to the other. As if an elastic pulled it to the opposite direction.

If you try it a few times you will get it!

When Imagination Defies Reality

This post is just meant to inspire you for your weekend games.
Here is a compilation of some of the best goals I have seen over the years:
Alex for Palmeiras Vs. Sao Paulo

Neymar for Santos Vs. Santo Andre

5 best Goals of World Cup 2010

Enjoy!

What a Wonderful Experience

Yesterday, March 22 2011, I attended a practice from the US National team here in Cary, North Carolina. I have been going to the Soccer Stadium in Cary since it opened. I have actually played in the training fields quite a few times with my own soccer team.

I have been to a lot of soccer training facilities in the world, and have to say that few match the quality of the turf, the surroundings with trees and nature and the tranquility that a team can have to train. No wonder the US federation keeps selecting it as its training facility. The weather in March also helps. It was around 68 degrees and very pleasant.
I have to praise the maintenance team that must be incredibly dedicated. I have seen how they cover the entire training fields with these enormous tarps which protect the grass from the worst cold temperatures. This requires a lot of planning, care and dedication.
The US National team is preparing for 2 friendly matches against Argentina and Paraguay in the upcoming week, that’s why they are together. In this group are Landon Donovan, who has played in the past 3 World Cups; Clint Dempsey who has played in the past 2 and is having a stellar season in England, Casey Keller also having a great season in England and many other US stars.

They performed a series of drills, scrimmages and warm ups, always showing great dedication and professionalism. Yesterday was Tuesday and many of them had late games on Sunday afternoon in Europe and flew immediately to the US. And of the 23 players only one wasn’t able to arrive on time. This shows the dedication and commitment that these players have to defend the US National team.
A soccer career is short, at best 15 years if a player is lucky to stay healthy and not see their physical attributes such as speed and strength decrease over the years. A star player can reach 100 caps with their national team, but it’s not common. Landon Donovan has 129 caps at age 29, really an amazing feat along with a record of 45 goals scored. After him Carlos Bocanegra, the team captain has 85 caps, Clint Dempsey 68 and Oguchi Onyewu 58.
The whole session lasted a little over an hour and it was a great experience. It was open only for RailHawks season ticket holders and I openly thank my friend Rick Thompson, another huge soccer fanatic, for the opportunity to attend this event.

Where are All Those Wonderful Direct Kicks?

Where are All Those Wonderful Direct Kicks?
When I was growing up in Brazil I used to go to a lot of games, I mean 2-3 times a week I would go to the Stadium with my father and brother. It was fun. I remember from that time that each team had a specialist in taking direct kicks.
Sometimes, when there was a fault close to the box, the fans would celebrate as if it was a goal. That is because they knew that their direct kick had a very high chance of being capitalized into a goal.
In the past 10 years it seems that it is an art that is being lost. Apart from David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo I don’t recall any prolific direct kick playing currently in top teams.
I grew up learning all these direct kick styles which I divided into 3 different categories: the “Spinner”, the “Placer” and the “Cannon”.
Each one of these had its pros and its cons and much defined characteristics.
The “Spinner” put an incredible curve in the ball with the outside of his foot. This type of shot requires incredible leg power. Most of these of kickers are stocky in built and have amazingly thick thighs.
Nelinho – Cruzeiro – Inter – 1975 Libertadores – Incredible Spin

The “Cannon” is also usually of a more stocky build with thick legs. The shot is usually taken with the top of the foot, with some spin on it but not as much as the one in the previous video. The goal on this video shows how important set pieces are. Notice how there is a teammate on the wall and look closely at what he does when the ball is shot towards him.
Rivelino – Brazil - East Germany, 1974 World Cup – Power and accuracy

The “Placer” hits the ball with the inside of his foot, almost chipping it over the wall. It’s a shot that requires a lot of finesse. It doesn’t require a lot of power but it sure requires a lot of talent.
Zico – Brazil – Scotland, 1982 World Cup – Couldn’t have placed the ball better with his hands

Any of these 3 styles require an incredible amount of dedication and training. However, with soccer being such a low scoring game, having a player who can decide a game on a direct kick increases a team’s chance to win.
Which style do you think fits your personal preference?