The University of Akron Athletics
Tracking the Zips: Porter Journal Entry #4
March 19 | Men's Soccer
- Caleb
Porter and The NCAA Champion University of Akron men's soccer
team are currently experiencing an opportunity of a lifetime in
Spain.
The team embarked on a nine-day trip this weekend to "The City of
Football", the Spanish national team training center. Throughout
this amazing experience, Porter will provide a journal exclusively
to GoZips.com. Find out what the Zips are up to below!
COACH PORTER
JOURNAL ENTRY #4
Friday, March 18
3:50 p.m.
Hola mi amigos!
Wow... this has been an incredible couple of days. Sorry for not
writing sooner but I have not had any time with the schedule we
have had. We watched a Champions League match and Real Madrids'
first team train on consecutive days! This log might get a little
technical so for those of you who aren't soccer junkies this might
sound like another language at times! But I thought some of you
might be interested in some of the details of these
once-in-a-lifetime experiences that we have been having.
Lets start with the Champions League match last evening. We had the
opportunity to visit Bernebeu stadium, home of Real Madrid C.F. and
witness Real Madrid vs. Olympique de Lyon in the second leg.
We travelled to the stadium an hour before kick off and you could
immediately feel the energy and passion of the Madrid supporters.
There was quite a bit of pressure on Real Madrid leading up to this
match as last year Real Madrid was knocked out of the Champions
League by Lyon and the first leg ended in a 1-1 draw.
Although Barcelona's Camp Nou has a slightly larger stadium,
something about Santiago Bernabeu makes it seem equally
spectacular. Perhaps it's the steeper slope in the stadium that
makes the view so breathtaking when you first walk in and get a
glimpse of the 85,000-plus fans. I got chills sitting there and
watching the two teams warm-up.
Both teams had very different warm-up rituals. They were far
shorter than what we do in college. Real Madrid did no possession
and was about 20 minutes from start to finish. When I saw Barcelona
and Arsenal play, it was the same. No possession and for the most
part these teams do movement and three to a ball with maybe some
short-burst sprints at the end and thats it. Lyon's was slightly
longer and ended with possession like most pre-match warm-ups we
are accustumed to in the United States.
The game ended 3-0 Real Madrid and in comparison to the other La
Liga match this was night-and-day difference in every aspect.
Obviously a big reason is Real Madrid has one of the most expensive
rosters in the world and one of the most famous managers in Jose
Mourinho! Just a few things that stood out...
Ronaldo had several moments in the first half where he showed his
creativity on the ball but overall he seemed to still be finding
his form after injury. Pepe and Carvalho were animals in the back.
Smart, simple, read the game well. Pepe is tenacious. Sergio Ramos
at right back was impressive with how clean he was and looked every
bit of the experienced international that helped Spain win the
Euros and World Cup. Xabi Alonso's range on and off the ball was
incredible and he certainly is an important cog in Real Madrid's
team with his ability to break up plays and start the attack with
his pinpoint passing from his defensive mid position.
I thought Di Maria's pace and engine on the flank brought a
different dimension to the game. Also, I thought it was interesting
that they played Di Maria on the right and Ronaldo on the left;
both as inverted wingers. In the game prior versus Hercules, they
started with Di Maria on the left. It didn't take long to notice
the class from the German international Ozil. He is special and his
playmaking ability as the attacking mid in their 4-3-3 (4-2-3-1) is
a crucial component. His darting movement and killer passing
underneath the target Benzema made for a very dangerous
combination. What a future this young attacking group has and some
great signings by Mourinho.
Marcel scored the first goal on an impressive run from his left
back position. Benzema scored the second and Di Maria the third.
This is a very complete team and certainly they are capable of
beating anybody in the world. Interesting for me was the style of
Real Madrid in comparison to a Barcelona. Similar talent certainly
equally capable of opening up and dictating the game. However, they
were much more content to sit back and absorb at times. This has
always been a Mourinho hallmark.
Of course some of you remember Mourinho's club last season; Inter
Milan knocking off Barcelona in the champions league by defending
with nine players basically on top of their box. In saying that,
Real Madrid definitely has their moments of beauty on the attacking
side and they were capable of stringing together sequences of team
football as well as anyone, but again I see a bit more directness
and urgency to penetrate and go to goal. (Nothing wrong with that!)
But, they are definitely less patient and don't find as much rhythm
but you have to respect their effectiveness on both sides of the
ball. The bottom line is, Mourinho's teams win! What an experience
for our players to see some of the world's top players on one of
the world's top clubs in one of the world's most impressive
stadiums!
The coaching staff also had the opportunity to watch the first team
train today. What an experience that was! We waited in the lobby
after being escorted in by security and sat there and saw the
majority of the first team players roll up in their Audi's! They
are sponsored by Audi so almost every player was driving an A7
sports car. They had a representative from Audi there to check if
their cars were running well and if they needed anything repaired.
Not bad, huh! We had the pleasure of personally meeting on their
way into training facility the following players: Adebayor, Ozil,
Alonso, Lass, Sergio Ramos, Kaka, Casillas, Benzema, Di Maria. I
think Ronaldo and Mourinho had a secret entrance!
Anyways, the training was very short as it was the day before they
were set to play Athletico Madrid in a local Darby. By the way, we
will be at that match too! For training, the first teams broke up
into two groups right from the beginning. One group was the
starting 10 field players and the other was the 12 reserves who
will either come off the bench, are injured or won't play at
all.
Obviously, the reason for two groups was the players starting the
game would do less than the others. Both groups did warm-ups
without the ball with dynamic movements and intermittent static
stretching. This was led by the assistant coaches and lasted 15
minutes. During the warm-up portion Mourinho trickled into the
training session. I must admit I don't get star struck often but
being in the presence of the "special" one was pretty cool! He does
have an aura about him. He immediately started making his rounds
first with the reserves watching them, then to the starting
players' then over to the GK's. He is a master of psychology so
there certainly was a method to him touching everyone throughout
the training. He seemed to spend more time with the reserves than
anyone. I'm sure that was because this is the group that often
times needs the most attention as they are not in the starting
lineup and need more management to keep them on board. Obviously,
the starters are happy and need very little attention!
Both groups went into a possession game after the movement. Both
worked in 20-yard by 20-yard grids. The first team was broken into
three groups of three players; each in different colored pennies
with Ronaldo as a neutral player. They played a 6 v 3 + 1 with six
of the players outside the grid plus Ronaldo was the one player
inside. The three defenders were inside the grid. They rotated the
three defending players after about a minute. Ronaldo stayed in the
middle as the neutral the entire time, which was interesting
(perhaps to get him extra touches since he has been out with
injury).
The other group did thre groups of four players in three different
penny colors and they played an 8 v 4 with four players outside the
grid, one on each side, and then it was 4 v 4 in the middle. The
defending team defended against the four inside and four outside.
They also switched the four defenders after a few minutes so all
three colors took turns defending in the middle, and attacking on
the inside and on the outside of the grid. These possession games
lasted no more than five minutes total and they were done.
They then moved into a transition game. It's actually one that we
have done many times at Akron so that was good to see we are doing
something right! In this activity they mixed the two groups
together and it was more of a fun-and-light activity. The players
seemed to like it and I thought it was interesting that he got the
full group together, probably for chemistry purposes. Basically it
was three groups of seven players in three different colors. There
were two grids, approx. 15x20 with 15 yards in between. One team in
each grid and one in the middle. The ball was played into one grid
and two of the five players in middle pressed the ball in the grid.
The seven players in the grid then try to switch the ball into the
opposite grid. If the two defenders won the ball, then they were
joined by their other five players and the team that lost the ball
was now in the middle.
It was a lot tighter and with a shorter distance between the grids
than we do, but purpose was the same. You have everything like the
game; possession with short passes, you have long passes to switch
the point, you have transition and defending and of course the
players enjoyed it and were having fun, which is good for
pyschology. Obviously on the days before the match the mentality of
your team is of the utmost importance and I thought this was a
great way to get the group feeling good together. They did this for
10 minutes then both groups went into a 5 v 2 type activity in very
tight grids. They were about 7 yards-by-7 yards and it was actually
a 9v2 because they just split the groups in half.
For those of you who know soccer, this is a simple activity that is
used all over the world and again there is a lot of soccer in it
even though it's a very basic setup. This is another one that is
perfect on light days and it was interesting to see even at a
professional club, something like this is used to sharpen and
lighten the group up. They did this about another 10 minutes and
the first team was done. The second team then went into a small
sided game of 6v6. The spacing was basically two 18-yard boxes
stacked together. One interesting thing is Cassillas jumped in
this. My guess was he likes to get some shot reps the day before
the match. So that was it. It was great to see some different
twists on training but also see that even at the highest levels
they do similar things and the game is the game. The difference is
they do it a lot better!
Tomorrow, I will send an account of our second match. This was a
tough one. We lost 1-0 on a PK but we played a very good Real
Madrid Reserve team. Supposedly, it was their C team which is
comprised of 19, 20 and 21-year old full professionals. Apparently,
five of the players that started the match also spend time playing
up with the true reserve team or B team that plays in the Spanish
2nd division. I dont want to bore you with too much in one day so I
will break down the game tomorrow.
Adios,
Coach Porter
COACH PORTER JOURNAL ENTRY #3
Tuesday, March 15
11:53 a.m.
Que Tal!
Just touching base to fill everyone in on the latest details of our
Spanish expedition! Yesterday morning we had our second training
session at the City of Football training center.
We used it to tactically prepare for our match this morning. The
session consisted of the following:
Dynamic Movement
Technical ball warmup
-passing receiving in pairs - on ground/in air
Functional training
-Back four did building out of back and defending as unit
-Mids and strikers did work on movement, spacing and connection
10v10 ball circulation in shape
-attacking shape
-transition
-defending shape
Pattern play to goal
-combination and acceleration from buildup to final third with
finish on goal
-Left channel and right channel
Set Pieces
-Corners and wide overloads
I thought the session was much better than the first. Players were
sharp, focused and seemed tuned in to the game plan for the match
the following day.
In the evening, we travelled as a team to Getafe to watch a La Liga
match (spanish first division) Getafe CF vs Athletic Bilbao. The
match was at the Coliseum, which is the home stadium for Getafe. It
was one of the smaller stadiums in La Liga (att. 17,000). Getafe is
middle of the table and Athletic is currently fifth, so the match
featured two very solid teams. The game was played in a constant
down pour which made for a sloppier game than probably normal.
The game started with what you would expect out of a spanish team
with both teams looking to build and possess the ball but then I
was suprised with how direct the teams played once it started to
rain. It was good for our players to see that conditions can
dictate the way teams choose to play even at the highest levels.
When points matter, style is important but the conditions sometimes
warrant adjustments to get the result. It was a good reminder that
we need to be able to change gears at times when the game calls for
something different. It was also interesting to see a smaller
stadium and middle tier teams in the La Liga. Now that I have
attended matches at Camp Nou (home of Barcelona FC) and Santiago
Bernabeu (home of Real Madrid CF), there is quite a discrepancy in
the level, facilities and money the top clubs have versus some of
the others. I can only imagine how interesting it is when Barcelona
comes to Getafe and goes from 100,000 fans to 17,000!
Tomorrow we will watch Real Madrid vs Lyon in a champions league
match so the players will be able to compare first hand.
This morning we travelled to Rayo Vallecano training facility to
play Rayo's reserve team. Rayo Vallecano plays in the Spanish
second division and is currently in first place so they are a very
strong team. They used to be in the first division for many years
until lack of funding forced them down to Division 2. The training
grounds were first class and supposedly just built five months ago.
The first team trains at this same facility. We played on a very
nice turf training field in a 90 match with officials.
Overall, I thought we performed very well considering this was our
first game since December and with seven new starting players
wearing the kit, it was a positive step in the right direction.
We started a bit tentative early on but settled in and started to
control the tempo with our possession and pressure. We created
three clear chances in the first half but didn't capitalize and
went into halftime at 0-0. In the second half, we made one
personnel change but mostly our confidence and pressure on Rayo
allowed us to finally break through for the first goal.
The Rayo Vallecano team was a young reserve team and was comprised
of mostly U18 kids. The were very technical and intelligent in
possession - far more than college teams we see on a regular basis.
Defensively, they dropped off low pressure and looked to compact
the space in the middle third. Because of this, we were able to
move the ball with relative ease and found good rhythm with our
movement and circulation around the back four and D mid.
However, it was very difficult to find holes in their block. We
eventually starting finding gaps after wearing them down with our
possession. We were also able to get behind them several times with
early balls because they had a high line and were playing a pretty
aggressive trap. I don't think they expected us to be so
comfortable and patient in possession and their passiveness allowed
us to wear them down. I noticed this especially in the second half.
I also noticed they struggled to deal with our pressure. I'm not
sure they see this on a regular basis as it rattled them and once
we settled in our cycle of controlling the game with possession and
pressure, they started to fade and you could feel the game begin to
come our way.
Eventually, we scored the first. It actually came off our pressure.
Scott
Caldwell stepped and stripped their D mid and then played Darren
Mattocks in for a quick counter strike. We made one other
substitution bringing on McKauly
Tulloch and he scored a great goal on his first touch. Again,
Caldwell slotted him in and he tucked it neatly to the back post
for the decisive second goal. After the second came, we rested in
possession and continued to pass the ball around. They seemed to
quit and become very frustrated not being able to get on the ball.
The final goal came again through McKauly to Mattocks and the
result was ours! 3-0
A lot of positives on the day especially with such a new group.
Thursday, we play Real Madrid Reserves in our next match so no
doubt this will be the biggest test of the trip. Through the
biggest challenges, come the greatest opportunity for growth and
win, lose or draw this next match will allow us to grow in many
ways, which is the mission of this trip. I was proud of the group
for showing positive signs of their maturation through the
winter/spring thus far.
I will touch base again after the champions league match tomorrow
evening.
Adios!
Coach Porter
COACH PORTER JOURNAL ENTRY #2
Monday, March 14
9:45 a.m.
Que Pasa!
It's monday at 2:45 p.m. in Spain. We just finished our second
training session. Yesterday we did a light session to get the legs
moving after a long flight. Here is the first session:
Movement (dynamic warmup)
5v2 warm-up
Technical passing/recieving activity (2- and 3-man
combinations)
Possession to 4 small goals (2-touch with 1-touch finish)
Small-sided game to big goals (2 touch)
There was a lot of energy in the group - almost too much! I think
the players were overly excited, which lead to choppy play and lack
of rhythm. My point to the group was how lucky we are to be in the
country where we have modeled our style of play after and how
important it is to "take it all in." We are in Spain and they are
the best in the world right now at playing attractive,
possession-oriented football. Our goal for the week is to absorb as
much as possible by watching games live and on TV, by training the
way the Spanish train and by playing quality matches against teams
that are playing the style we are emulating.
Tonight we are attending a La Liga match. Getafe vs Athletic
Bilbao.
I will email an update on the second training and what the match
was like later today.
Buenos Tardes!
Coach Porter
P.S. On our way back from training, we walked by
Vicente Del Bosque! (Spanish full national team manager)
COACH PORTER JOURNAL ENTRY #1
Sunday, March 13
6:37 a.m.
Hola!
It's 11:30 a.m. in Spain (6:30 a.m. in the U.S.). The team arrived
at 9:30 a.m. after a long trip travelling from the United States.
After a quick breakfast, the players departed to their rooms for a
nap to shake off the jet lag. We are staying in the Ciudad del
futbol, or "City of Football". This is the Spanish national team
complex and is located in Las Rozas on the outskirts of Madrid
Spain. It is a beautiful facility. We have everything we need here
to train and stay for the week. The complex was built to house the
Spanish national team for their training camps but is also used to
accommodate teams from all over the world. It is a first-class
facility with training fields, a hotel, restaurant, gym, meeting
rooms, etc. The players can literally walk out of the hotel and
right onto the fields. Our first training is at 3 p.m. I will
update everyone from time to time on how we are doing and what our
schedule is like during the week. It should be an incredible
experience for our boys.
Adios amigos!
Coach Porter
