How to Pick a Soccer Team

Soccer is the sport for you.  You have posters of David Beckham on every wall, (yep, he's a soccer player. What do you mean you had no idea?) you have to be reminded to leave your cleats on the back porch or you wear them through the house.

You have eyed the neighbor's cat longingly when he stands next to that oddly hung little gate- in  your mind it looks just like a miniature soccer goal, and that fat, black and white cat, well you get the picture. Yep, you have soccer fever for sure, and the best treatment for that is to get you onto a team. But, how do you pick the best team for you? How do you find the team that will match your competitive spirit and yet not be so uptight over every loss that no one ever has any fun?


Finding a team with the right balance of fire and fun can be tricky, but the best place to start is the coach. In most cases, the coach will be a good indicator to the temperament of the team- if he is uptight and high strung, his players will likely be tense and edgy as well. On the other hand, if he is too laid back the players may be even more tense because they do not have the confidence in his coaching abilities. A good coach needs to be a good leader, and you cannot lead anybody, anywhere without a backbone, can you?



Talk to the coaches and find out what kind of style they have. Are the accessible, could you actually talk to them, or did they talk at, through or over you? What are their practice schedules like? Will  you be able to keep up? If you are involved in other activities will a busy soccer routine keep you from doing anything else? What is the policy if you have to miss a practice? Will you automatically be benched for the next game, or is there something that can be arranged before hand? A coach that is completely inflexible may not be the right fit, so consider the responses he gives you as a basic indicator to coaching style and personality.

Real Madrid
Barcelona

Finally, if you are the one that gets to pick the basic team, consider what the goal is for this league. Do you want to win, or are you just out to have fun? If you want to win, then you might have to choose people you do not really like- but a good goal scorer that you loathe is better than a friend that falls off the bench when tying her shoes. If you are just out there for the fresh air and the fun, then by all means grab the clutz and giggle your way through the game. Just stock up on band-aids and bactine before you start.