Team Give & Go Mentor Nadia Gomes signs with Orlando Pride!

Nadia Gomes.jpg

With the 23rd pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft, the Orlando Pride selected Nadia Gomes, a forward from Brigham Young University.

Gomes is a dual national who holds citizenship with both the United States and Portugal, though she was born in the latter country. She has played internationally with the Portuguese U-19 women’s team.

“The women’s league is huge and I’m excited to play here,” Gomes said while coming off the draft stage in Philadelphia. “I’m really excited to learn from them (Alex Morgan and Marta) and play with them.”

Gomes has played all four years at BYU totaling 23 goals and 23 assists in 83 games (62 starts), and amassing close to 5,000 minutes in college. She’s known for her explosive speed and left foot. She has received various honors during her collegiate career, including NSCAA All-America Third Team in 2015, WCC Player of the Year in 2015, All-WCC Second Team in 2016, All-WCC Preseason Team in 2017, All-WCC Honorable Mention in 2017, WCC Player of the Week, and MAC Hermann Trophy preseason candidate in 2017.

Even though Gomes was a forward in college, she has the potential to shift to a wingback or fullback spot, which might be better suited for her abilities. With her left foot, it is very likely she could be competing at left back or left wing for the pride.

Unless there is a trade, the Pride are done selecting for the day, as Orlando entered this draft with only a third-rounder.

Here are some of her highlights:

Story by:  By David A. Gray

Building Young Soccer Player's Confidence

Building player confidence…

Does your child feel comfortable holding onto the ball when another player is quickly approaching them?  Or do they get nervous and quickly kick the ball away, more often resulting in an error or turnover? Your response to this question will provide you a better idea in regards to your child’s confidence while on the soccer field.

How do you suggest I build my players confidence?  That’s a good question, I’m glad you asked!  There are multiple options to help build your players confidence with the ball. 

Ensure that your child touches the soccer ball at least 15 minutes each day.  School teachers encourage a certain amount of reading or homework each day…you should apply a similar approach for player development or any activity that you want to continue improving.

1)     Work on Juggling a soccer ball

2)     Kick and receive a soccer ball off the wall

3)     Watch online instructional videos and practice what you learn (YouTube, online soccer academy, etc.)

4)     Sign up for group training sessions

5)     Parents watch child’s soccer training sessions and go home and work on the areas that you see need improvement.

6)     Hire a private trainer (groups of 2 or more tend to be more affordable)

7)     Watch a professional soccer game with your child so they can see how their position is supposed to play

Note:  The best players put in the extra work.  Team training along is not good enough. 

*There are free resources and costly resources.  Based on your circumstance (money, time, convenience, child’s personality), determine which options work best for your family.

Do you have any additional recommendations for building your players confidence?  Feedback/Input is welcome or contact us here.

We Belong!

I’m noticing a trend, and it bothers me!  Have you ever noticed that most team pictures viewed on social media always have minorities towards the end or in the back row?  Or, if there is more than one minority on the team, they are always standing or sitting together.  Have you visually seen minorities on a team appearing to be outcasts or off to their selves?  Why is it harder for minorities to transition onto a new team and feel as if they belong, especially when the majority of the team is of the white persuasion? 

When transitioning to a competitive team of skillful players, everyone has to prove they belong… just like Corporate America, minorities have to work harder to prove their worth, while still feeling like an outcast.  I’ve come to accept and deal with the obstacles that we as minorities face in corporate America, but It eats me up inside to witness our kids being excluded on a team, in a group, etc., especially when we know that they belong there just as much as the next kid.  How do you handle this?  I think everyone has to be intentional…I’ve had intentional discussions with team parents about building relationships amongst the kids.  Relationship building helps players get to know and trust each other both on and off the field, which produces a better performing team. 

When I was team manager of a very diverse team with less than a few white kids, I was very intentional about making the transition easy for both the parents and the player.  The coach, players and parents went out of their way to make the new player and their families feel welcome.  Whenever a new kid came to try out our team, the players stood in a circle and each introduced themselves, which not only helped them learn each other’s names, but made the new kid feel welcomed and more at ease. 

Some players and or families feel that they don’t have to be liked or need to engage with the team members or their families…but in my opinion, that’s not a good approach.  We should want our children to feel excited, comfortable and included when around their teammates, especially since they have to spend many hours training and competing together.   I don’t know…I’m a big advocate of inclusion, so maybe it doesn’t bother you as much...

Have you or your child experienced this?  If so, please provide some pointers as to how you or your child has overcome this and made the transition process easier.  WE ALL BELONG! Leave your comments here.

When Selecting The Right Team Is The Only Goal

Soccer Decisions

It was early December and rather than stressing over holiday plans and unnecessary gifts, our family was stressing over a potential transition from one soccer club with a coach who we basically grew up with to a team and coach we knew very little about. Who would have thought that a decision for an almost 9-year old would be one of the most stressful decisions that we would have to make?

Headaches, neck aches, sleepless nights and grueling hours of discussion are just a few things that took precedence over my life during December.  We scheduled family meetings to discuss the transition and the impact that it would have on everyone, we met with other families who were also considering a transition and we even had our daughter develop a pros and cons list on the transition.

We’re not at select age nor are we currently in line for a college scholarship. Insane, right? No, far from it. We are caring, supportive and competitive parents who understand the talent that our daughter has and want to ensure that she receives the best development opportunity to prepare her soccer longevity. Our efforts reinforced the importance of exploring options, identifying the best scenario at that moment in time and making a decision.

It also reinforced something to our daughter.  Commitment requires tough decisions, and throughout life, we all have decisions that need to be made and rather than avoid them, we embraced them together as a family.

As you can see from my experience, picking a soccer team can be a challenging decision, that if not considered carefully, can result in wasted time, effort, money and potentially diminished progress.  So, I’m going to give you a few things to consider when faced with this decision. Keep in mind that there may be different priorities set on each of the below items, but they should all be explored before final commitment.

1.     Are the coaches focused on winning or development? While we all love to win, developing youth at this age definitely takes precedence.

2.     The experience of the coaches. While I respect anyone that dedicates their time to the youth, one who has solid experience and have walked the journey themselves are more suitable for teaching.

3.     Does the club have a reputation for developing talented young players?

4.     Does your child fit into the culture of the team? Similar to starting a new job, during the interview process, we all ask about the culture of the environment. If this is so important to us as adults, why wouldn’t it be important for our kids. Accessing the culture of a team starts with questions such as:

a.     What is the philosophy of the coach?

b.     Are parents and their kids genuinely happy to be a part of the team, or isthere animosity over playing time?

c.     Are parents encouraging on the sidelines or do they put too much pressure on the kids?

d.     Are parents and kids willing to interact with each other outside of the soccer field?

e.     Are parents teaching their children to be selfish or team players?

f.      Do players encourage one another to do their best?

5.     Will your child receive adequate touches and play time to further their development? If your child is on a great team but never sees the field, then what good is that doing for your child’s confidence.

6.     Does the team have like minded parents and competitive players? Being the best on a team of weaker players won’t help your child’s development, but selecting a team with other good to great players will challenge and push your child to achieve greatness.

7.     Parent comradery? In the most simplistic view, do you enjoy the other parents on the sideline with you? Considering that at this age and older, you’re likely to spend a minimum of three days a week with this group.

8.     Personal lifestyle impact? What are you giving up to accommodate the transition? Will the transition impact the home front, and if so, how? Happy parents make happy kids.

If you are in the process of deciding on a new team and want to share any insights and / or have any questions for our team, please feel free drop us a note on our “Contact” page.

Summer Break Should Mean Soccer Break

Summer Break – Soccer Break

My daughter finished her LAST exam a few weeks ago. Don’t we all remember that rush of adrenaline as we did the same when we were kids?  That feeling of freedom that comes with the notion of having absolutely no school work to do is certainly a memorable one.

I have to say, I am probably as excited about her LAST ECNL games next week as much as the last final.

I am looking forward to my child having some downtime from the rather constant physical demands she has experienced since last August 6 when her “Pre-Season” began. Clearly soccer is not school, but I want her to experience a similar feeling of freedom to relax at the end of her season just as she did with the completion of her last exam.

Quite simply, our elite soccer players need a break – physically and mentally - from the game. Read more...

Filed Under: Soccer, burnout