COVID-19 PANDEMIC

COVID PANDEMIA UPGRADE APRIL 1st, 2020

WE ARE STILL IN TROUBLE: WE MUST BE PROACTIVE !!!

Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist has a stark message for U.S. leaders: “Shut down the country everywhere now to quell the spread of the Corona virus (COVID-19). Failing to do so would be a recipe for disaster”

In an article published in The Washington Post on Tuesday March 31, 2020 he said the U.S. had already “missed the opportunity to get ahead” of the virus. But, he stressed, it wasn’t too late for mitigating actions.

“The choices we and our leaders make now will have an enormous impact on how soon case numbers start to go down, how long the economy remains shut down and how many Americans will have to bury a loved one”

He recommended three immediate steps that need to be taken:

1.  The country needs “a consistent nationwide approach to shutting down,” “Despite urging from public health experts, some states and counties haven’t shut down completely. In some states, beaches are still open; in others, restaurants still serve sit-down meals. This is a recipe for disaster. Because people can travel freely across state lines, so can the virus. The country’s leaders need to be clear: Shutdown anywhere means shutdown everywhere,”

Gates estimated that it could take 10 weeks or more for case numbers to start decreasing across the country ― and until then, “no one can continue business as usual or relax the shutdown.”

“Any confusion about this point will only extend the economic pain, raise the odds that the virus will return, and cause more deaths,” he wrote.

2.  The federal government needs to ramp up its testing efforts. That means making more tests available and developing more efficient testing methods ― and ensuring that high-priority individuals, including health-care workers and first responders, as well as symptomatic people who are at risk of becoming seriously ill, are tested first.

3. Finally, Gates said it was critical for the U.S. to adopt a “data-based approach” to developing treatments for the virus and, as soon as possible, a vaccine.

Coaching Seminar from UEFA coming to Florida

GREAT EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY FOR COACHES AND PLAYERS FROM UEFA COMING TO SOUTH FLORIDA

THE SEMINAR WAS APPROVED AS AN INDEPENDENT TEACHING ACTIVITY FOR CONTINOUS SOCCER COACHING EDUCATION BY FLORIDA STATE SOCCER ASSOCIATION AND BY SOUTH FLORIDA UNITED YOUTH SOCCER ASSOCIATION

Mullins Park, 10000 NW 29th St.,Coral Springs, FL, 33065 June the 1st, the 2nd, the 3rd

Do you want to become a succesfull coach or player ?

Do you want to use 100% of your POTENTIAL and 100% of the POTENTIAL of your players ?

Do you want to become the REAL LEADER of your team ?

Do you want to LEARN the secret to BUILT a WINNING TEAM ?

Do you want to LEARN the best way to COMMUNICATE with your players or teammates ?

If the answer is YES you can’t miss the OPPORTUNITY to join our first CLINIC in US

THESE ARE SOME OF THE TOPICS COVERED:

• CREATING A WINNING MENTALITY
• EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
• HANDLING MISTAKES AND DEFEAT
• HANDLING THE DRESSING ROOM
• HOW TO CREATE A GOAL

And much more.

SPEAKER: SIMONE MERLO

• UEFA B LICENSE COACH
• FORMER PROFESSIONAL ITALIAN PLAYER
• FOUNDER OF MINDSETSOCCERACADEMY
• ITALIAN PROFESSIONAL COACH

SPECIAL GUEST:    GIUSEPPE SANNINO

• UEFA PRO COACH
• SERIE A COACH FOR PALERMO, CHIEVO, SIENA, CARPI, CATANIA
• WATFORD COACH (championship )
• WINNER OF “ITALIAN GOLDEN BENCH” IN 2010
• WINNER OF “ ITALIAN SILVER BENCH IN 2011”
• FOUR TIMES WINNER OF 3rd DIVISION ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP
• NAMED “COOACH OF THE CENTURY “ FOR VARESE CALCIO

The seminar is a result of many years of studies and experience with the best PRO LEAGUES coaches in EUROPE.

You can’t miss this wonderful opportunity to LEARN a new and revolutionary system to coach and to GROW UP as a coach or a soccer player.

PRICE:       190$ for 3 days of clinic plus 3 INCREDIBLE bonuses

• 20 FREE BALL POSSESSION exercises from EUROPEAN SOCCER SCHOOLS
• FREE PRE-SEASON TRAINING ( one month of trainings )
• ONE FREE WEEK OF  TACTIC TRAINING WITH COACH MERLO SIMONE

At the of the SEMINAR you will recieve a FSSA CERTIFICATE OF ATTENDANCE

HOW TO JOIN THE CLINIC:

TO REGISTER FOR THE EVENT GO TO THE FOLLOWING LINK  (CTRL AND CLICK)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScApF_bAd_g0NhNyN7y8X0Syix8vvnTAkVlIpctWRjaCBRWJA/viewform?usp=sf_link

PLACES ARE LIMITED, SO DON’T WAIT TO JOIN THE CLINIC.See you soon and remember, SOCCER IS LIKE LIFE AND IF YOU DON’T LEARN EVERYDAY SOMETHING NEW YOU WILL NEVER GROW UP.

WHO IS GUILTY THAT WE DON’T HAVE A MLS TEAM IN SOUTH FLORIDA?

WHO IS GUILTY THAT WE DON’T HAVE A MLS TEAM IN SOUTH FLORIDA?

by Jose C. Meeroff, MD, PhD

Associate Prof of Medicine University of Miami and Florida Atlantic University

ATFA (FIFA) “A” pro soccer coach. NSCAA Premier Diploma Soccer Coach

Emeritus life time USSF and NISOA Referee

To me the answer to the title question is quite simple: we all are guilty by reasons of abandonment, incapacity, ignorance and egotism

I will center my opinion in the following concepts. First, look at the makeup of our nomad South Florida communities. The great majority of us were born somewhere else in the world and came here to make fortune the easy way. We are a community of foreign people with no interest in the history and/or the tradition of the area we live on. Very few South Florida residents have any idea of the origins of Broward or Dade counties, nor do they know the significance of those names. Our people firmly believe that any community college in the country is superior to UM, FAU, Barry or FIU. According to most New Yorkers (some days I tend to believe that South Florida is just a “South New York” borough ) people come to Florida to die, to escape from justice, to make easy money to be later sent to “their countries” or to have sex.

 In South Florida, there is very little support or loyalty to any institution, in education, art, or sports. South Florida, for most of those that are now permanent residents, is still a transient place just for entertainment, leisure and promiscuity. Those negative beliefs can immediately be incorporated into local soccer. Most soccer people in our area strongly believe that here it is impossible to seed the passion for the game. They stalwartly dispute that: 1. Soccer is much better in their home land; 2. The game is not suited for the “American mentality”, whatever that means; 3. Their kids ought to go and play soccer in their home country; 4 American natives are not capable of running the sport and/or the business of soccer; 5 There is no need to support the US National soccer teams, the local top pro/semipro squads or even collegiate teams and 6. The quality of American Pro soccer is inferior to the weakest one in the world.

I strongly argue that all these concepts are intellectual aberrations pungently contributing to South Florida’s difficulty to integrate into the prospering scene of the top level of soccer in the US.

We are well aware that US professional soccer leagues are not perfect and need improvement. But which league around the globe is perfect: the corrupt Italian Calcio serie A or the disable argentine Premier AFA league? Nevertheless, the US first division pro league, the Mayor League Soccer- MLS- is blooming exponentially and its level of play can be easily compared to the one of any of the so called “first soccer world” pro leagues.  The MLS has currently 22 teams playing, 19 in continental US and 3 in Canada. The MLS plans to expand to 28 or more teams, with probably different divisions. Most of the current teams own modern soccer specific stadiums, are structured logically and have an established large local fan base.

Last weekend my son Diego and I attended the match played in Orlando between the Orlando City SC and the Los Angeles Galaxy. That was a treat. Orlando has a new, spectacular soccer specific stadium built in downtown Orlando (with the managerial and financial support from the local government and business). The game was played on a Saturday afternoon, the stadium was packed with 25.000 spectators most of them wearing the colors of the home team. The atmosphere was incredible and much safer than the one you encounter when attending a match in South America or even in parts of Europe. The game was excellent and ended in a 2-1 victory by Orlando City with a goal scored in extra time (minute 91) on a great set play. We were fortunate to watch impressive American players such as Jonathan Spector and Joe Bendix from the home team and Jermaine Jones from the visitors (a German born player from American parents who is a regular to the US Men National team since 2010). The Orlando City Lyons organization is a broad one: they have not only an MLS team but also other pro teams including a USL team (Orlando City B), women’s pro team (Orlando Pride) and a very sophisticated youth based structure (Orlando City Development Academy), all under one roof.

For us, the only negative aspects of the weekend experience were driving to Orlando, spending a night at an overpriced Hotel and trying to find good, modestly priced restaurants where to eat. Otherwise it was a great event. My grandchildren Nico and Hudson loved the game and the spectacle.

In the meantime what are we doing here in South Florida for the good of soccer? We continue importing soccer academies of insignificant value, increasing the number of “clubs” playing “traveling” soccer (a miss name for expensive recreational soccer), not communicating among each other and waiting for the Messiah to arrive and fix all our deficiencies. Unfortunately, in my modest opinion, we have too many messiah potential candidates who are not only not qualified as such, but also not honest and not pledged to the progress of soccer in the Gold Coast. Furthermore, the real soccer experts and committed south Floridians soccer devoted are very seldom called to participate in any progressive project including the Ill-advisedly Beckham one. Regrettably we continue living in the dark ages and with almost no light at the end of the tunnel.

Definitively, I don’t want to live in a depressive mood. I don’t want to be forced to wait for someone to build a spaceship that can take me to Mars, Jupiter or to other galaxies where I can start developing and cultivating good soccer. In the meantime, I will continue going to Orlando when I can, coaching The Academy Premier team, organizing and delivering coaching educational activities and teaching the little I know about soccer to all my grandchildren Nico, Hudson, Luca, Harley and Dylan.

Nevertheless I also demand that local people wake up, start accepting responsibility and act. I won’t remain passive; if it requires fighting a war, I will fight. And for the rest I remind them what was said at the JFK inaugural presidential address “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. We, as a society of settlers, have the obligation to build up the next level of soccer in South Florida, now !!!

Lockhart Stadium last week

                                            Orlando City Stadium last Saturday

RICHARD MOELLER WAS ELECTED USASA VP

FSSA PRESIDENT WAS ELECTED USASA VP

Our Miami resident and President of Florida State Soccer Association was elected at the last USASA meeting that took place in Hawaii last month, as the new VP for the National organization. 

Congrats, big man!!!! For the good of soccer

Richard Moeller presiding FSSA mid-year meeting, Tampa Bay March 2017

ADULT SOCCER STRUCTURE IN FLORIDA

ADULT COMPETITIVE SOCCER LEAGUES IN SOUTH FLORIDA

There is quite a bit of confusion among soccer players, soccer parents and soccer coaches in relation to the rank and order of the different soccer leagues operating in the US and particularly in our South Florida area and who is eligible to play in those leagues.

As it is public knowledge soccer in the US is arbitrarily and drastically divided into youth soccer and adult soccer. Youth soccer under United States Youth Soccer Association admits players from 8 to 18 years old. Adult soccer is also separated into professional and amateur levels with no clearly defined limits between them. According to the by-laws of the USYSA Rule 208 any player can play adult soccer without losing his/her youth eligibility.  Such rule reads as follows:  “A youth player may play an unlimited number of adult games without losing his or her youth eligibility. The youth player must notify his or her youth coach or other authorized team official of the player’s intention to play adult games. The youth player shall request, in writing, (1) eligibility clearance from the Youth State Association through which the player is registered, and (2) permission 9/1/13 - 6 - from the appropriate Adult State Association. When the clearance and permission have been granted, the Adult State Association has sole discretion in permitting a youth player to play adult games and will be responsible for establishing the procedures under which the youth player will be allowed to play. In the event of a conflict between an adult game and a youth game, the youth game shall take precedence”. In Florida players 16 years of age are considered eligible to play adult soccer with approval from the youth organization (Florida Youth Soccer association). In California South the minimum age to play adult soccer is just 14 years.

Adult division approved by USSOCCER in 2017

Division 1 Professional                    MLS

Division 2 Professional                    NASL     USL

Regional Semipro                            NPSL

Regional Adult                                 PDL

Local Adult (USASA/FSSA)             GOLCO; APSL; CASA

THE ACADEMY STARTED PRESEASON PREPARATION

THE ACADEMY FOXES STARTED PRESEASON PREPARATION WITH THE RIGHT FOOT

We played at Cypress vs the powerful and well coached LAUDERHILL JR. It was a good game and our coaches were able to see and evaluate several new players to be part of the team next season. We started losing since they scored very early in the first half, and they controlled the game until the last part of the that first half. Then we recovered and score two goals to finished 2-1 at the end of the half. The second half was all ours and after the adjustments made by our coaches, the team greatly improved, dominated the opponents and score three more beautiful goals. The final score of the scrimmage was The Academy Foxes 5- Lauderhill Jr 1.

THE ACADEMY FOXES PARTNERSHIP WITH MIAMI NACIONAL SC FROM THE APSL

A POSITIVE PARTNERSHIP AMONG SENIOR TEAMS

Avery positive partnership have been established between us and the APSL Miami Nacional SC coached by prestigious coach Miguel Carvajal. Such partnership allows our players to participate in both teams training sessions and play alternatively in both team. Furthermore, players have the chance of learning and improve skills in order to move up to the next level of play.