One of our goals for this club/team (Sierra Nevada United FC) is to create an atmosphere where our young men can learn what it means to overcome any and every obstacle to reach and try to fulfill their dreams.

Many of their dreams will be revisited and revamped and adjusted along the way but they will learn that that is all part of the process of growing, maturing and pursuing your passions and dreams.

We had our first games over this past weekend and I am absolutely more than pleased with how these young men composed themselves and played in conditions that were a bit extreme for the first games ever played together.

Initially…I was hoping to find a first tournament that was closer to where I figured our level of play would be but I was very happy that this tournament turned out differently than that. It was very much more competitive than I would have initially chosen but it turned out to be exactly what we needed as a team.

They did exceptionally well and proved to themselves  that they can play at a very high level. On the flip side…it was clearly evident that there are a number of things that need improvement (which is not a surprise in the least). There are certain aspects of the game we have not even begun to work on at all.

Our approach is certainly not a short-term approach to the game. We are attempting to do something that few teams ever accomplish in far less time than most would even think is possible.

I have told the team from the very first day of training and ever since that they have about 4 years of playing time together to catch up on. I figure, after seeing them play this weekend, that we have caught up about 1 year in these 2 months of training thus far.

Our guest keeper, who was a huge blessing to us, shared with the team that his team’s first experience at division 1 soccer was one of a tournament where they were completely dominated by scores of 11-0, 10-0 and 12-0. Their team was completely excited the first goal they scored at this level (at their second tournament) where they lost 11-1.

We happened to play very high powered teams (actually highly ranked teams in California and Arizona) on Saturday and lost 5-1 and 5-2. We ended up scoring 4 goals for the weekend and nearly won the third game. The score was 2-1.

I will talk about the third game in a moment…but the team we played first was so impressed by our play that they very much encouraged our team after the game. They shared their own similar experiences starting out and very much gave our young men a very special honor of their encouragement and support.

After each game the referees congratulated us saying they were extremely impressed with the level of play for our very first games. The general consensus by all of the referees was that we would be a very competitive team in the not-so-distant future. And they gave us high honors. I even had a referee talk to me between games to tell me how amazed he was at the character, style of play, speed and agressiveness of the team.

I didn’t tell him that these guys are capable, even now, of so much more…but it was very nice to hear.

A word about the third game…

Could we have won the third game? Probably without too much trouble…if that were our only goal. However…it was not even our primary goal. Our primary goal for the weekend was very simple. I wanted the team to play a good solid passing game with lots of movement. Had we changed that plan simply to win the game…it would have been time wasted in my opinion.

We could have packed the box on defense and played a strategic second half but it would have been counterproductive.

Firstly…we need the fitness of these guys playing the full field. Had we focused on defense only we would have lost out on 30 minutes of a chance to work on fitness…which would have been a complete waste of time at this point in our training.

Secondly…we did some very nice things in that third game but we did a great number of things that were contrary to the simple game plan that was laid out. Because the team strayed from the game plan during actual play…the other team was given the opportunity to actually do some things they wanted to do. It is a great lesson for the team for them to experience the consequences of getting away from the most basic things we are trying to build as the foundation for the team.

I think what is most difficult to understand at this point is the fact that we have left so many things not done before actually playing in games. These games are not intended to be anything more than the chance for the experience of competition, fitness, and to give us the ability to evaluate where we are at in our training. These games and tournaments are steps in the long range training process…not ends in themselves.

I have told these young men and their parents that we were going to train as though they are world class athletes…which is very much different than trying to create a team to compete today. If we simply wanted to compete simply to win at any moment in time…we would do things much differently. We are not…we are looking to create a team that can dominate their competition on a consistent basis no matter who the opponent is. That is a very much different route than trying to simply put together as many wins as possible in a particular time frame.

Furthermore…with these thoughts in mind, this gives the opportunity for these young men to be noticed by college and professional scouts. I wish we had more time for this whole process because the college scouts are out on the prowl right now at this age group. But until we reach the point of domination on a consistent basis…no one is going to be paying attention to us period…no matter how good this individual is or that individual is.

That is why I keep telling these young men that we are trying to accelerate this 4 year learning curve into as shortened of a time period as possible…but there are certain foundational things that we need to have in place as we move forward. If we do not have those things in place…moving forward to other things is foolishness.

Right now we need to see two primary things (of course there are other things but these are the foundational things):

1) Movement is the key to success…movement of the ball and movement of the players off of the ball (all over the field). The equation is basically…the faster the movement, the more dominant the team will be when playing other teams. If we never learned anything more than that (which would be a tragedy though) we could play with and be competitive with the top 10% of the teams in the state on a very consistent basis. We would dominate the bottom 60%, beat the next 20-30% and be competitive with the better teams. We do want to be better than that but that is our foundation and the bottom line key to our success.

2) Fitness. I have told these young men from the very first day that they need to learn to be able to play at their top level (see #1) even when they are drop-dead tired. This happens to be a process that takes not weeks or months, but years. We can accelerate that process but it is a fine line to walk…and a very difficult task to monitor. I think we have been doing well in this regard thus far and will be able to step up our fitness activities more and more as we go along. Fitness means being able to completely dominate other teams the last 20 minutes of every single game. This will enable us to start beating all but the top 5% of the teams that we play.

As we are able to cement these two primary things into place we can then work on some of the more specific points of the game…set plays, shooting, specific strategies for team defense, flow of the team from one position to another during the games (a wonderful strategy to completely throw other teams completely off balance)…even to the point of changing formations on the fly, higher level dribbling and all sorts of other things that really will set us apart from even the very best teams in the State.

Are these grand dreams…of course they are. Why would we settle for anything less though? Why even endeavor to consider putting forth the time and effort for anything less?

We are trying to develop a program that completely changes the concept of training, team management, financial obligations (we will cover this at a later time but we are securing sponsorships and working on teaching these young men the spirit of entrepreneurship and fund-raising and all sorts of things that will help them in their lives) and expectations at every level.

My goal for writing this was to help others capture our vision. I may have to continue revisiting this topic to further clarify our vision but my hope is that this is a good first step.

If you would like to consider being a part of this type of endeavor…at any level…please email me at: brucebackman@sbcglobal.net and we can discuss what type of participation would be appropriate.

Blessings to all of these fine young men and their families that are endeavoring to take this journey with us. It will be an amazing experience for all of us.

Thanks for reading and please leave a comment below…

Bruce Backman

Head Coach and Manager

The Counter Attack

Make sure you read this and leave a comment as before…

1. Fletcher’s one touch pass is easy because Evra has drifted into space. Evra sees what is developing and just keeps sliding to where he is wide open.

2. Notice the speed of the counter attack. Although it is not an all out counter…Manchester United adjusts very rapidly from defense to offense to be ready for a scoring opportunity when Fletcher first passes the ball. It takes about 10 seconds from the time Fletcher touches the ball until the ball is shot.

3. Evra is the left back and yet he is the one who makes this play happen. See how he uses his body to shield the ball as he is taking it up field. Evra forces the defender to let up because he takes the ball right into the line where the defender is running. This gives Evra a chance to get a step and turn. The defender is now caught on the outside and Evra turns it to the inside further gaining space from the defender. This gives him a chance to look up and see Giggs.

4. See how quickly Evra gets rid of the ball as soon as he sees Giggs has some space.

5. Giggs is the left mid (left wing) but he has shifted into the middle to receive the ball in space.

6. Rooney is the striker who has shifted to the left where Ryan Giggs would be playing. This kind of shifting throws the defense off.

7. When Giggs shoots Nani is crashing the goal just in case the ball would so happen to be deflected and pop out. Nani is the right winger (right outside mid) sprinting in to make sure he is there to put the ball in instead of waiting on the outside to see what happens.

8. Once Giggs shoots there are 4 Manchester United players ready to follow up on the ball.

9. Giggs sees the outside defender coming in so he takes it opposite the direction the defender is moving. This causes the defender to have to change directions which gives Giggs just a quick second of opening to shoot the ball. If he holds on to the ball for another split second the defender probably gets back on him.

This 30 second video is loaded with great things to learn and be aware of as you are playing…You will have to watch it 10-15 times probably to see all of these things. It is short enough that you can keep going over it to follow the commentary below.

Then…leave a comment and let me know that you understand and actually see what I am talking about.

1. Berbatov overlaps around Nani right at the sideline. Notice how the defender is lost because he is screened off by Nani. Berbatov is freed simply because there is not enough room for the defender to follow. This is a great trick on the sideline that will fool nearly every defender you ever go up against. Nani does a nice job of popping the ball over his head to Berbatov. Also notice how Nani moves to open space toward the corner. This brings a defender with him. So, although he isn’t a part of the play…he takes a defender out of the play.

2. Although Berbatov’s cross is not the greatest…Rooney gets a jump on the defender and moves to the ball first. So…Rooney’s movement and vision is very good. He moves to the ball and controls the ball towards the open space. He creates plenty of space for himself to be able to make a great turn and volley on the ball. His shot is very good but he gave himself the opportunity by getting to the ball first and controlling the ball to space rather than trying to control it to his feet.

3. Giggs is in a great position to follow up. Notice how Fletcher is in a position right in front of the goal and Giggs is back 10 yards or so. They take up different positions waiting for a rebound. Giggs is in space on the far side while Fletcher is marking the keeper in case the keeper fumbles the ball…it would make it an easy score. Gigg’s shot is not the greatest but he is positioned in the perfect place. This puts them in an ideal place for a put back…Rooney, Fletcher and Giggs all inside the box.

4. When the ball comes out again there is the left back (Evra) and another center midfielder, Scholls (Fletcher is the other center midfielder…one center midfielder way up and one hanging back in the space on top of the defense waiting to pick up partially cleared balls) collecting the ball…using each other and then sending it to the wing (Nani) again to start the whole process over once again. Behind Evra and Scholls there would be the two center backs (Vidic and Evans in this case) hovering around in space backing those two up.

5. Nani loses the ball when he tries it again…but I would say it is not his fault. He is expecting someone to move up and fill that space where he puts the ball. Notice how he gets rid of the ball and then starts moving up field. He is expecting a team mate to move into that space and do a one-touch pass back up to him to the corner so he can get a good cross back into the middle with Rooney, Berbatov, Fletcher & Giggs hanging around the box to get the cross and put it into the net. This does not happen but that is the thinking behind it all.

Coach Bruce

Just a quick welcome to everyone who has chosen to become involved with our team and club. We are excited for what the future holds for each one of the young men who have chosen to get involved. We will train you like you have never been trained before and you will grow not only in the game itself but in life.

We respect each and every one of you and we also expect the very best out of you as well…on the team, in your families, in school and in all areas of life. We want excellence on and off the field and we are confident that each of you have the ability and the desire to achieve this.

Again…WELCOME and we are extremely pleased that you have chosen to be a part.

Coach Bruce