Woody scores winner as Tottenham lift trophy

We have been participating in some fitness training for the last few weeks, and the body is beginning to get back into the swing of things. We kick into gear next week, and will be pushing things quickly so that we are ready for the first pre-season game against Vancouver on March 22nd.

On another note, my friend and former teammate Jonathan Woodgate scored the winner for Tottenham in the Carling Cup final against Chelsea this past weekend. It was fantastic for Woody. He was man of the match, and after all his injury worries, he truly is moving in the right direction. I think a move to Spurs is the perfect catalyst to put himself back into the national and international spotlight. My old roommate Paul Robinson also played, after being restored in goal just before the final. Congratulations to them both…..

Sounders Season

We had our first unofficial pre-season practice yesterday, and to put it mildly, my body is a little sore today. We worked on core strengthening and a little fitness before playing a 7 v 7 game. It is great getting back into it, but even after an off-season of running and keeping myself in shape, there is no substitute for a ’soccer’ fitness session. And the sad thing is, it wasn’t even that hard - just working some muscles that haven’t been used in a while.

We are all excited for the upcoming season, and defending our championship. It will be an interesting year. I am sure the coaching staff are inundated with calls and resumes on players, all looking for an opportunity to play with the MLS franchise. The Sounder franchise has always been based upon great talent and an attitude to work hard. I just hope the players that come in buy into that philosophy, and don’t take this season as a personal showcase.

Personal awards come from team success.  I have never seen great players in weak teams get top accolades on a consistent basis. The team is the strength, and it is individuals who adopt the team mentality, and use their natural talents for the benefit of the team, who will enjoy the greatest success.

There is a long road ahead until September and October, but it all about laying the foundation for success, and we started on that journey this week.

Joe Max Moore and Chris Henderson coming to Seattle to talk about Monavie

Joe Max and Chris are coming to Seattle to talk about the great product, Monavie. Both are soccer icons in the US, and have moved this game forward in their years of play. The meeting will be at Starfire Sports Complex, on Wednesday at 7.30pm. They will be there to discuss the fantastic benefits of Monavie and the business opportunity associated with it.

To learn more about Monavie, go to www.monavie.com

Super Tuesday

Tomorrow will be a defining day in the presidential race and who could be nominated from each party. I use my words carefully. Whatever happens tomorrow, both parties will still be without a prominent nominee. The Democrats will be fighting over Obama and Clinton, and the Republican’s will be fighting over Romney and McCain, with Huckabee still in for the battle. It is great news for the voter, because we still have power, especially the later states who vote in March. I sincerely think that their messages will adapt more to what the people want, especially when they are frantically searching for the vote.

1to1 Soccer update

We are working very hard to get the first stage of our site launched in the coming weeks. We are fine tuning some things, and completing some last minute design features. We are very excited with the progress and the service that we will provide. We are confident that we can answer the problems of searching quickly for a personal  soccer coach in a safe and secure environment. I am participating in many exciting meetings , networking with some influential people, and gaining much help and advice on the way. We are responding to feedback to provide the very best service that we can.

I will have more in the coming days and weeks….

Super Bowl and the lessons learned…

The Super Bowl took a while to get going, but when it did, what a game it turned out to be. I must admit, I was disappointed that Tom Brady and the Patriots didn’t break the record, and finish off a season where they were the best team over the course of the year. But they failed to put the game away, and a few great plays later, the Giants came out victorious. Congratulations to Eli Manning and the Giants. On the day, they were the better team and deserved their victory, overcoming adversity throughout the playoffs and the lead up to the Super Bowl. They traveled away and won each of their playoff games, and defied all of the pundits who never gave them a chance. Well Done….

I was talking a few weeks ago of my experience with strong records and winning streaks. In 2000, when playing at UNC, we had gone on a 19 game or so winning streak, seeded NO 1 in the NCAA’s, but lost in the elite eight. We out shot Indiana 25-6 or so, and lost 1-0. We were shell-shocked and couldn’t comprehend the result. We expected to win, we were used to winning. The problem was that we had to lose at some point, our focus was maybe not fully there, and there was a slight air of over-confidence. Did we look beyond the game? I don’t think so, but our luck did run out that day.

The next year was different. We lost to Wake Forest heavily at the end of the season, 4-1, and that result woke us up. It made us realize that we weren’t impenetrable. We saw that each game has it’s up and downs, and we had to prepare for every case scenario. It hardened our resolve and refocused our game. We won the national championship that year through a mixture of skill, personality, and team spirit. We beat Indiana in the final 2-0. Sweet revenge…..

I believe that NE needed to lose in the regular season, and have a sense of being the one who is chasing down the leader, rather than the one that is out there alone. NY had a sense that others were supporting them, wanting NE to lose. They were fueled by this and hammered Tom Brady from the first snap to the last.

Losing is not a bad thing, as long as it teaches you to be successful and victorious in the end.

I predict that Brady and the Patriots will come back next year, bigger and stronger than ever. The time between now and the first game of the 2008 season will seem an eternity, and they will be biting at the bit to get back out there. Good luck to the team that the Patriots play in the first game…