For local high school soccer coaches, having the World Cup being such a prominent summer event is more than just something to watch.
It’s also a useful teaching tool.
Whether it’s being in attendance at the game or having team watch parties, there’s no doubt that local coaches – those of both boys and girls – are paying close attention.
There’s a lot to learn and not all of it involves strategy and technique.
“I want them to see how Argentina never gave up (in the semifinal win over England),” said Loyola boys coach Wes Kyle. “Argentina is down 1-0 and the resolve of the players to wanting to do it. I want the kids to see that when they’re down and it’s late in the game that you can still rally together and score two goals in a matter of minutes.”
“Our team got together for the USA games a couple of times and there’s so many lessons you can learn from watching it,” Byrd girls coach Lisa Levermann said. “Obviously, the passion. Hopefully they can see that. It’s just amazing.”
Adam Hester has coached both boys and girls teams at two schools (Calvary and Providence) and said seeing things on the biggest stage can translate down to high school soccer.
“Just the fact that they’re watching more than they would during the year helps,” he said. “Our guys have been locked into this deal for over a month. They’re actually watching and seeing things that we have talked about ad nauseum. Now they see it and realize that’s what we (the coaches) have been talking about. That kind of stuff is huge.
“You can explain to them the differences between a team that’s trying to go and play up tempo and bring the game to the opponent, versus the teams who sit back because they understand there’s kind of a skill level difference,” Hester added. “So just them seeing those kind of things has been huge and it’s great to see.”
But these coaches are doing more than just taking it in from the La-Z-Boy. Levermann, who did the OrangeWalk (a famous street parade) with the Netherlands fans in Dallas, said she definitely “has World Cup fever,” even as she coaches one of her summer teams in Nashville this week.
Hester saw England vs. Croatia in Dallas and two days later was in Seattle for the USA vs. Australia, when 70,000 people were singing John Denver’s “Country Roads.”
“I’ve been to a lot of sporting events,” he said, “and nothing comes close to that kind of atmosphere. The closest thing we have to that is college football.”
When asked which team they’d like their players to simulate, if they could, Kyle and Hester chose the two that will be in Sunday’s Cup finals.
“Spain,” Hester said. “We were all watching the game against France, who was the favorite and I said, ‘Spain is going to win.’ And sure enough, they did because they play such a style that just sucks the confidence out of you almost. They’re never in the wrong spot. It’s funny, they play this defensive style, but it’s with possession of the ball. They make those slight moves to where they’re always open. And where they always can lay off that next pass to where you don’t have a body there. They are not trying to go score five goals. But they’re going to get two and they’re going to do it in such a fashion that they’re going to demoralize you.”
“I’d choose Argentina,” Kyle said. “They’re the defending champions, and this summer they’ve once again shown incredible resilience and clutch performances, especially in knockout stages with Messi still leading the way at an amazing level.
“Our high school team prides itself on grit, quick counter-attacks, and playing as a unit rather than relying on one or two stars,” Kyle added. “And it’s hard for a high school team to have that kind of touch and ability on the ball, so it’s hard to go play like that. But it is it is really inspiring to watch, especially if you’re one of these kids who is trying to figure out how they can get better.”
Even though it’s the men’s World Cup, that doesn’t stop Levermann from finding what can be learned and applied to the girls’ game.
“When I used to watch it, I would think, ‘that’s the men’s game,’ so I didn’t think the women could ever do that,” Levermann said. “But now I don’t see it that way. Now, it’s ‘heck yeah, we could do that kind of stuff.’ And there are things to learn because you see the mistakes that are made, and that’s another lesson to teach them. Even these seasoned pros make mistakes and I’m able to show that to my players.”
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com