Simple text and photographs help young readers learn all about playing soccer in this Pre-level 1 Ready-to-Read. It’s the first day of soccer practice, and it’s going to be great! In this Pre-level 1 Ready-to-Read by Alyssa Satin Capucilli, beginning readers will learn that soccer players wear cleats, do warm ups, and try to kick the ball into the goal. Score! The best part about soccer is being on a team and making new friends. Young readers getting ready to hit the field will love seeing photographs of kids their age playing soccer in this adorable introduction to the sport! Includes a special section of step-by-step instructions for basic soccer moves—to be done with a parent or guardian’s supervision!
Soccer is fun - let's play! Find all the basics in this lively guide. The markings on a soccer field What soccer players wear The positions, from forward to goalkeeper The excitement of pasing a ball The thrill of making a goal All these and more are included, with a useful glossary at the end.
How do some of soccer’s smartest and most accomplished figures master the craft of the game? This in-depth analysis of modern soccer reveals how elite players and coaches strategize on and off the field to execute in high-pressure situations. “A worthy addition to any soccer fan’s shelf.”—The Wall Street Journal In Masters of Modern Soccer, America’s premier soccer journalist, Grant Wahl, reveals what players and managers are thinking before, during, and after games and delivers a true behind-the-scenes perspective on the inner workings of the sport’s brightest minds. Wahl follows world-class players from across the globe, examining how they do their jobs and gaining deep insight from the players on how goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and forwards function individually and as a unit to excel and win. He also shadows a manager and director of soccer as they juggle the challenges of coaching, preparation, and the short- and long-term strategies of how to identify and acquire talent and deploy it on the field. These central figures share the little details that matter, position by position: • Attacking midfielder Christian Pulisic explains why he wears his soccer cleats a size too small to make his first touch even better. • Forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernández reveals the Mexican national team’s secret synchronized patterns that create space for him in front of the goal. • Defender Vincent Kompany tells you why his teammates’ pressure on the ball means he can defend his man more tightly in the penalty box. • Defensive midfielder Xabi Alonso describes his disdain for slide tackles and the tendency among even the best professional midfielders to play too closely to one another. • Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer tells the origin story of his sweeper-keeper role, which has allowed him to redefine the position for the modern game. • Head coach Roberto Martínez explains the differences between coaching clubs and national teams and why one of the first things he looks for in any game situation is numerical advantage. • Director of football Michael Zorc discusses what he looks for when it comes to identifying players he can buy low and sell high, Moneyball-style, while still competing to win trophies. The definitive analysis of the craft of soccer, Masters of Modern Soccer will change the way any fan, player, coach, or sideline enthusiast experiences the game.
Soccer Made in St. Louis covers the history, playing styles, and evolution of the world's most popular sport in the nation's original soccer capital, St. Louis. Starting with the first reported game in 1875, the book details the teams, the players, and the organizers who brought home national championships at every level of soccer. Author and longtime St. Louis soccer writer Dave Lange tells the stories of those who took the game from the sandlots of St. Louis to soccer's biggest stage, the World Cup. From Harry Ratican, the first St. Louisan to gain nationwide soccer fame; to the six St. Louisans who led the United States to the biggest upset in World Cup history; to Lori Chalupny, who helped the U.S. Women's National Team to Olympic gold; the book covers the rich heritage of soccer in St. Louis and shows how the sport is woven into the fabric of the city's makeup.
Known as much for the emotional outbursts and violence of its fans as for its own stars, soccer (or football, as it is known outside the United States) is a global game. Its international controlling body, FIFA, boasts more members than the United Nations. Bill Murray traces the growth of what during pre-industrial times was called "the simplest game" through its codification in the nineteenth century to the 1994 World Cup, held for the first time in the United States. Murray weaves the sport's growth into the culture and politics of the countries where it has been taken up, analyzing its reputation as a game that has seen more riots and on-field brawls than all other types of football combined. He vividly illustrates how soccer has become the world's most popular sport, one that has resisted the interference of politicians, dictators, and profiteers and - more recently - the demands of television, through which it has spread to virtually every corner of the globe. The World's Game will be entertaining and enlightening to anyone from the most avid, knowledgeable fan to those who merely hope to learn a little about the sport.
Fully revised and updated!My First Book of Football, a Rookie Book from Sports Illustrated Kids, coaches young kids through the game of football with a visual retelling of an actual NFL game--from the nail-biting coin toss to the exhilarating winning touchdown! Rules, plays, and basics of the game are all explained using a fun mix of Sports Illustrated action photography, simple text with engaging graphics, and a full glossary of essential terms and phrases including punt, tackle, kickoff, end zone and more. An illustrated rookie player character also appears on every page, providing fun facts to help the next generation of fans better understand the game. Perfect for beginning readers, My First Book of Football is meant to be a shared reading experience between parents and their young minor league rookies before, during, and after game day.
“Perhaps most importantly, Javaherbin shows that being poor doesn’t stop people from having lives and dreams. A lovely story about soccer, gender, and hope.” — Kirkus Reviews When Paulo Marcelo Feliciano becomes a soccer star, crowds will cheer his famous name — and his mother won’t have to work long hours. For now, Paulo spends his days working on a fishing boat and taking care of his little sister, Maria: she teaches him reading, and he teaches her soccer moves. At the end of the day he can finally play soccer with his friends. But when a player on Paulo’s team is injured, will they finally change the rules and let a girl show her stuff? Set in a country whose resilient soccer stars are often shaped by poverty, this uplifting tale of transcending the expected scores a big win for all.