Entries from January 1, 2008 - February 1, 2008
Bouna Coundoul Playing For Keeps Against South Africa
The Colorado Rapids’ (MLS) goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul found himself minding the nets for the Senegal National Team as they faced South Africa in the final game of the Group D play in the African Cup of Nations.
A tournament of distraction for the Senegalese team both on and off the field might be the best way to describe how Bouna moved into the first team keeper position. Following Senegal’s 3-1 loss to Angola in group play on Monday, coach Henry Kasperczak, shocked the entire continent, resigning as the head coach. Senegal moved on in Group D play with Assistant Coach Lamine Ndiaye at the helm.
No Aston Villa For Brad Guzan.
Brad Guzan, the 2007 Major League Soccer Goalkeeper of the Year and US National Team Keeper will not be headed to Aston Villa for the reported sum of 4 million dollars. Guzan was set to step into an Aston Villa keeper jersey pending his work permit being approved. Today, Guzan’s work Permit application was turned down and thus the 4 million dollar contract cancelled. “We're very disappointed with the outcome as we were really looking forward to Brad joining us but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be," Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill said.
And the Winner is...?
The U.S. Goalkeeper representation in Europe is growing once again. Twenty three year old Brad Guzan is very close to putting his name onto the growing list of United States Keeper’s playing in Europe. The question is where is Brad going?
It’s Bouna Time!
Bouna Coundoul, a 25-year-old goalkeeper, has spent the past 11 years playing soccer in the United States. At age 14, Bouna Coundoul moved to the United States from Dakar, Senegal, West Africa. Bouna played at Martin Luther King High School in Manhattan and went on to attend and play for the University at Albany in New York. Bouna is currently the starting goalkeeper for the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.
Goalkeeper Glove Promotion: Kaliaaer Aqua H2O
Rememeber those games when your gloves were drenched right through and the only thing you were catching in the pounding rain was a cold? Yes, we have all been there before, and playing in the wet weather can be quite a calamity for many goalkeepers if they don;t have the right gloves for the occassion. Kaliaaer have stepped up with one of the most innovative wet weather goalkeeper gloves on the market, the Aqua H20(c), following are some specs for this exciting new glove:
Artur Boruc Can Score Goals Too!
Over the last few weeks there has been much talk about Artur Boruc extending his deal with Celtic for the next couple of years in the Scottish Premier League. Boruc has had some stellar performances and some ups and downs back in 2007, but has really proven his goalkeeping ability in leaps and bounds over the last few years.
Following was a video I found at YouTube that showed Boruc scoring a great penalty for Legia Warszawa in Poland back in the day. Subsequently, his crazy celebrations, and hilarious white flag waving cost him a yellow card to boot. Very funny indeed, just what I needed to wrap up the Australia Day long weekend!
John Stevanja
in goalkeeper news
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5 Tips To Fire Up When Playing in Cold Weather
Last weekend, I was in Portland, Oregon playing in the FC Portland Winter Showcase. The Alaskan in me was excited to see the temperatures drop below freezing and even below zero with wind chill on the last day of the showcase. I know I'm probably one of the only players here who is used to and even thrives on temperatures that cold, so here is my method of dealing with the adverse weather.
College Soccer Recruiting in the USA: An Insider Goalkeepers Guide
Last month, Brad Barnett wrote about what it takes for a goalkeeper to break in at the college level. For advice about how to perform on the field to get recruited to a college soccer program in the USA, see his post. This post is mostly about what to do off the field to attract attention from coaches.
Youth Goalkeeping Series: Part 3 of 3
The first word most young goalkeepers learn to communicate from the goal is, “Keeper!” When translated into our everyday language, “Keeper” means “I want the ball!”
A goalkeeper’s ability to communicate is a skill that must be developed and encouraged early in a goalkeeper’s formal training. Learning to communicate is as important as developing the correct footwork and handling skills. Young keeper’s take their first step to connecting with their team by learning how to communicate effectively and therefore establishing a presence on the soccer field.
Peter Mastrogiovanni
in goalkeeper personal development
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What's Better... The Fancy Save or Technical Perfection?
To pull off the fanciest save of your life, or not...that my friends is the question. Although I may sound positively Shakespearean, the statement opens up a can of worms about whether the best goalkeepers in the world should be acrobatic dynamos or stoic walls of steel.
The question above was formulated by Frenchie (aka Sam), who IM'd me the other day to ask me whether it is better to make a deft defying save, or focus on proper technique and just keep the ball out of the net?
Brad Guzan May Give Boruc a Run For His Money?
Celtic have given the green light for MLS goalkeeper of the year Brad Guzan to trial with the club. Some pundits are riding the rumor mill in suggesting that Guzan may be the favored first choice over Artur Boruc.
Don't you just love rumor mills? While I think that Guzan is a very good shot stopper (as seen in the video below), I don't see how or why Celtic would replace Boruc. The Pole has signed on a new contract extension, and he played a sublime season last year with some stellar performances.
It's Not Always About Goalkeeping...
Readers send me emails every couple of weeks about how to make it into the big leagues, or how I can help them get into a club. It's funny sometimes when you read articles about football players and how their focus on football is the be all, end all of their existence. It isn't, (or at least it shouldn't be).
Everything we do as footballers is a conduit for every other facet in our lives, a springboard into something outside of just football alone. We all hold passions outside of football, mine has always been writing, technology and running an online business...thus this blog.
Some goalkeepers, like Wigan's Chris Kirkland for example has had a strong passion to become a firefighter his whole life. Sounds funny right? Oh, he/she doesn't need the money, we say, why would they work a "regular" 9 to 5er when they can easily retire from football. But have you thought that maybe outside of your goal area, there are many other things to think about than just goalkeeping alone.
John Stevanja
in goalkeeper personal development
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And The All Time Best Goalkeeper In The World For 2007 Is...
Soccerlens started this whole thing... I blame Ahmed's boys for picking up on the IFFHS's rankings for the best clubs and players from around the world. Over the past week, I've been finding myself going back religiously to see if the updated rankings for the All-Time World Goalkeeper Rankings have been published, and they were...here are the results:
4 Tips On How To Plan a Successful Soccer Fitness Program
It was Vince Lombardi who said "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will". If it was good for the Packers...it's good enough for me. But, you'd find that each and everyone of us has that "sit on the couch and eat potato chips" bug, and that kind of thinking will hurt you in a big way.
How Far Should Goalkeeper Communication Travel?
Commanding your back line is a daunting task for any goalkeeper. Now, imagine commanding your back line when your second language is not English? Huge difference isn't it? If all you hear on the field is the dull thud of the ball, and the chirping of crickets in the background, something just isn't right.
We see the thunderous mistakes of goalkeeping heroes, and we point the finger at technique or lack in some aspect of the goalkeepers ability. What we tend to forget is that many goals are at fault not because of poor ability, rather a lack of communication.
But, is proper goalkeeping communication limited to the 18 yard box, or should it stretch well past the confines of the goalkeepers own little world?
Goalkeeping Job Available in North London
New Tottenham manager Juande Ramos was more than supportive of Paul Robinson when he joined the North London club. He insisted that Robinson was a good goalkeeper and that his form would recover in a short while.
Now Ramos has dispatched his scouts in search of a new goalkeeper. The boss has changed his tune quite quickly in a short period of time. He seems to be fed up with Robinson's mistakes and is looking for a suitable replacement by the end of the month, with Maarten Stekelenburg on top of his shortlist.
