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To: X Y Zebra who wrote (491)	6/23/1998 4:26:00 PM
From: mc	Respond to of 5130

"statistics are meaningless in soccer, creativity, skill to dribble and the vision to be able to find free space will give you goals." You can play the most beautiful game ever seen, but, if you can't put the ball in the net nobody will ever remember you. I agree with everything else you said, but, bottom line it comes down to how efficiently you convert your chances. More often than not, how efficiently you do that is a product of desire, creativity, and sheer will to outplay your opponent, but, only if you finish can you win. These new formations are all sideshow foolishness. 3-6-1? Who cares? The only purpose of a formation at all is to outline general responsibilities. The teams that shrug off their formations and allow defenders to flow into the attack and strikers to recover and support defensively are the teams that are most effective. Soccer is a game of transition and the teams that can make the transition from offense to defense and back again without opening holes for counter attack are those that will win. Lothar Mattheus in his prime is a good example of this. He flowed into the attack so smoothly from his defensive position that he was a nightmare for opposing strikers. Most strikers are loath to chase defender who is pressing into the attack. Runs away from the ball are critical. A player who can play without the ball is a great asset to any team. Wynalda and Wegerle seem to lack the ability to make quality runs on a regular basis. Having players who understand how to do this are so important. It really opens up the game and creates space and chances for everyone. How many times have you seen a striker seemingly stuck against two defenders only to have the field open up for him due to a brilliant overlapping run by an outside midfielder? THAT is why they refer to soccer as "the beautiful game." A good run, whether the person receives the ball or not, is a beautiful thing to watch. If the USA ever realizes that playing well doesn't necessarily mean only doing well when the ball is at their feet then they'll be a much better team. They've got some good young talent. Now they need a good manager. Take care, Gary