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Read the poem as you play on the field.

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SOCCER STAR VOLUME.1

A Boy Juggling a Soccer Ball   by Christopher Merrill after practice: right foot to left foot, stepping forward and back, to right foot and left

foot, and left foot up to his thigh, holding it on his thigh as he twists around in a circle, until it rolls down the inside of his leg, like a tickle of sweat, not catching and tapping on the soft side of his foot, and juggling once, twice, three times, hopping on one foot like a jump-roper in the gym, now trapping and holding the ball in midair, balancing it on the instep of his weak left foot, stepping forward and forward and back, then lifting it overhead until it hangs there; and squaring off his body, he keeps the ball aloft with a

nudge of his neck, heading it from side to side, softer and softer, like a dying refrain, until the ball, slowing, balances itself on his hairline, the hot sun and sweat filling his eyes as he jiggles this way and that, then flicking it up gently, hunching his shoulders

and tilting his head back, he traps it in the hollow of his neck, and bending at the waist, sees his shadow, his dangling T-shirt, the bent blades of brown grass in summer heat;

and relaxing, the ball slipping down his back. . .and missing his foot. He wheels around, he marches over the ball, as if it were a rock he stumbled into, and pressing his left foot against it, he pushes it against the inside of his right until it pops into the air, is heeled over his head--the rainbow!-- and settles on his extended thigh before rolling over his

knee and down his shin, so he can juggle it again from his left foot to his right foot --and right foot to left foot to thigh-- as he wanders, on the last day of summer, around the

empty field.

BRYAN

Soccer is the game

My life

Soccer gives my fame

It gives my life

Soccer is what makes me live

Soccer is what makes me give

Soccer is the start of it all

Soccer is way better than the mall

Courtney Sycowski

GEORGE HELIUM.COM

Lee Emmett, Australia

Poem SOCCER

what is this game called soccerit's nothing like Aussie rules

players only use head and feetif handle ball, treated like fools

only goalie can defend with handsusing gloves and body padded up

no touching, grabbing, man-handlinggame's tamer than lap-poodle or pup

ROBERTO VOICENET.COM

1. During the very first international football match between Scotland and England in 1872, players not only wore “knickerbockers” or long pants but

bobble hats or caps too. The head dresses were a normal part of the footballing attire at the time and lasted well into the 20th century.

2. Balls were not exactly round when the first club and country matches took place. A pig’s bladder was blown up like a balloon, tied at the ends and

placed inside a leather case, affording it an egg shape. The discovery of Indian rubber in the 1860s gave the ball greater roundness.

3. While it is true footballs of yesteryear gained weight in wet conditions, they were in fact lighter than today’s ball. In 1889, the spherical object used had to be between 12-15 ounces (340 – 425 grams) but this increased to 14-

16 ounces (397 -454 grams) in 1937.

4. In the FA rules of 1863, there was no mention of a crossbar. As in rugby today, a goal could be scored at any height as long as the ball went between

the sticks or posts. A tape was used to close the goal during the first internationals before a crossbar replaced it in 1875.

FOOTY4KIDS.COM

Indoor soccer--and specifically, the walls surrounding the playing field--make for all new quirks in the world's favorite sport.

How do you prepare for the unique challenges of indoor? By incorporating drills into your practice that are indoor-specific.

Here are two such drills, provided by eteamz.com. It works on improving the attackers' instincts when it comes to playing rebounds off the walls.

Basic Attack

Form two lines, A and B, inside the midfield, 15 yards apart.

Line B starts by passing ball to space ahead of Player A, and makes run toward far post. Player A runs onto the ball and plays ball with authority into wall three feet left of near

post. Ball will rebound in front of goal. Player B will have made looping run and one-touch rebound into goal. A goes to line B and B goes to A. Two times through and switch

beginning to line A. Make sure to have your player's use one-touch shots with either foot!

Advanced Attack

Form three lines, A, B and C, inside the midfield, 10 yards apart. Line B begins by playing ball ahead of player A. A receives and carries toward middle third while B overlaps to

outside. A passes to C, who is moving down the wing and C shoots into wall three feet right of near post. Ball rebounds to B who has looped in for a one-touch shot on goal. Player A holds the center position for a drop or another rebound. A goes to B line, B to C, and C to

A. Two times through then start by playing to C to start.

Other Indoor Tips

We use nets above the field and if ball is played too high then play is stopped and the restart is a direct free kick from a center spot at the quarter line. If you have this same

scenario, you definitely want to teach your players to take a quick restart. Don't give the defense a chance to form a wall. Always have one player place the ball while another

trailing player takes the shot. It takes too long to set the ball, back up, and take the shot. Indoor is fast!

Depending on the number of players, sub every five minutes, five players at a time at a stoppage of play (which you can create yourselves at times). Keepers play halves. Keep

fresh legs on the pitch as much as possible. Sub on the fly if you can't get an advantageous stoppage.

The formation many teams use is a 2-1-2. An athletic keeper can play keeper/sweeper position.

ARTICLE BRYAN ACTIVE.COM

exercise in the cold presents a smaller risk for injury than exercise in extreme heat due to brief exposure, nearby shelter, protective clothing and the heat generated during exercise. There is more risk to exercising in the heat because we operate much closer to our boiling

point.

Spectators at cold-weather events have more of a problem than the athletes. Cross-county skiing races have been contested at temperatures approaching minus-30 degrees F with no

trouble for the athletes--not so for race officials and spectators.

In the cold, the body tries to preserve heat. Blood vessels in the skin narrow, diverting blood from the cool skin to the warmer depths of the body. Shivering--alternate coordinated

contractions of opposing muscles to generate heat--is a protective mechanism. Hormones that elevate the metabolic rate--and thereby body heat--may be released. The most obvious

response, Goosebumps (piloerection), produces insignificant amounts of heat.

Layering clothing can help control heat when it comes to exercise. The closest layer to the skin should wick sweat away from the skin. Each additional layer traps a little air that is

warmed by the body and helps keep us comfortable.

The layers nearest the skin should be as dry as possible. Any trapped moisture exposed to the cold will make us colder. As for the spectators, I am always amazed that news programs

tell spectators to "layer up'" before going to watch a game in the cold. Any hunter knows that when you sit in the cold, wear a wicking garment next to the skin, then bulk up. A

spectator who layers clothing like the athletes will get cold.

Athletes rarely need more than four layers on their torso and two on their legs, then gloves and a hat. If possible, the outer garment should have a zipper or button front. Adding or

removing hats, gloves and opening or closing the outer shirt can control body temperature quite well. As a rule of thumb, dress for exercise as though the outside temperature was 10

degrees warmer than it really is.

Some common questions about cold-weather exercise:

Can the lungs ever freeze when exercising in the cold? No. The air warms very quickly on its way to the lungs.

How much heat is lost through the head? The lower the temperature, the greater the heat loss through the scalp. At rest, about 30 percent of body heat is lost through the head.

During exercise, about 19 percent of heat loss is through the scalp. When out training or jogging, use a hat to keep heat in, and carry it as you get warm.

GEORGE

While growing up in Attleboro, Mass., Geoff Cameron would often go to school with a backpack strapped over his shoulders and a soccer ball in his hands.

"After school," he said, "I'd just juggle the ball on the playground." There's a lot more to his story, but these two points are linked: Geoff Cameron spent a lot of his

childhood juggling a soccer ball. And Geoff Cameron now plays professional soccer. A rising star for the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer, Cameron preaches about the

importance of juggling for any young soccer player. Like many professionals, Cameron doesn't see a downside to youths spending a significant amount of free time juggling a soccer ball on

their own. Even if juggling isn't a necessary skill when the games start, it directly spills over to other game-used skills.

"If you're comfortable on the ball, it's because you grew up playing with the ball at your feet and you have confidence with the ball at your feet that you can do anything," Cameron said. "I think juggling and dribbling and that kind of stuff helps your technique with passing and shooting and

taking a pass and first touch in the right direction." Cameron was a standout youth player who played collegiately at the University of Rhode Island

before being drafted by the Dynamo. He was a finalist for MLS Rookie of the Year in 2008 before becoming a regular starter on Houston, one of the league's top teams.

To this day, he works on his juggling. "It gives you touches," Cameron said. "You're always touching the ball. You can learn to juggle in

so many different ways. You can do it with spin, inside of the foot, sole of the foot, top of the foot.

"When you leave college and go to professional soccer, there's a big difference in speed of play and first touch. When you have guys aiming 20 yards and lacing them in, you need to have a

good first touch to put the ball down. I think juggling and dribbling, when you're younger, you can do that in the back yard. You can do that anywhere." Cameron's travels to Europe are all the proof he needs.

"You go to Europe and see all these basketball courts, but they're not basketball courts. They're soccer courts, but they're concrete," Cameron said. "You see all these kids dribbling and

juggling and doing all these moves. If they're doing it on concrete, there's no excuse for kids who say 'I don't have a backyard.' Well, you have a street, right? You can juggle anywhere."

Which is why, when he took off for school, he grabbed his soccer ball on the way out the door.

ROBERTO

ZINEDINE ZIDANE

A brilliant and fluid forward, Ronaldo was one of international soccer's great stars of the 1990s and Brazil's biggest soccer hero since Pele. At age 17 he was a member of Brazil's 1994 World

Cup-winning squad, though he did not play. The same year he joined the Dutch professional team PSV Eindhoven. His professional contract was purchased by Barcelona in 1996; the next

year he moved again to Italy's F.C. Internazionale Milano, remaining until 2002 when he transferred to Real Madrid. He was named FIFA's World Footballer of the Year in 1996 and 1997, becoming both the youngest player to win the award and the only player to win the award in consecutive years. He also starred in the 1998 World Cup, scoring four goals in leading Brazil to the Cup finals, but he was criticized for their 3-0 loss to France in the

championship game. Slowed by injuries in the 21st century, Ronaldo nonetheless made a triumphant return by leading Brazil to the World Cup championship in 2002. He won the

Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer (with eight goals) and scored both goals in Brazil's 2-0 final game win over Germany. That year he was again named FIFA's Player of the Year.

Despite accusations that he had become overweight and less than energetic, Ronaldo scored three goals in the 2006 World Cup, giving him a total of 15 in World Cup play -- a new record.

He transferred from Real Madrid to A.C. Milan in January of 2007; he was injured in early 2008 and his contract was not renewed later that year. He signed with the Brazilian club Corinthians,

but was hobbled by bad knees and other injuries. He retired in February 2011, saying "Mentally, I wanted to continue, but I have to acknowledge that I lost [the battle] to my body."

Read more: Ronaldo Biography (Soccer Player) — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/biography/var/ronaldo.html#ixzz1xVldn1VO

RONALDO LUIS NAZÁRIO DE LIMA

Cuauhtémoc Blanco

Cuauhtémoc Blanco (born January 17, 1973) is a professional football player who competes for Mexico in World Cup soccer. Cuauhtémoc Blanco is a forward and is 5'10" and weighs 154 pounds. Mexico was in Group A for World Cup 2010.