International Friendlies

This gave those teams heading for the World Cup Finals in South Africa later this year the chance to do a little experimentation with formations and tactics before the big event. It also gave the players a chance to stake their claims for positions on the plane to South Africa.

England vs Egypt

England faced a tough test against the Egyptians ranked once place below them as the 10th best team in the world. Having been beaten to World Cup qualification by Algeria, the Egyptians recently won their third African Nations Cup and took shoed their class from the outset dominating England early on before taking a deserved lead through Zidan in the twenty-third minute. Fabio Capello made a few changes at the break, most notably bringing Peter Crouch on for the lackluster Jermaine Defoe. It proved an inspired substitution as Crouch scored twice, one either side of a goal by Shaun Wright-Phillips to ease England to what was eventually a comfortable victory.

France vs Spain

Spain underlined their tag as World Cup favorites with a comfortable 2-0 victory of France in Paris. This was their 22nd win in 23 games since they won the European Championships and their first victory over the French in France since? Goals from Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos and Valencia's David Villa sealed the win. The tough French team turned against their own side with Thierry Henry booed and whistled at throughout following his controversial deliberate handball against the Republic of Ireland to seal qualification for the World Cup Finals. Coach Raymond Domenech wasn't spared either as once again he failed to spark a disjointed French team who were outplayed by the classy Spaniards throughout.
Germany vs Argentina

Argentina put their shaky World Cup qualifying campaign behind them with a strong performance against Germany in Munich, taking victory through a classy goal from Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuain on the stroke of half-time. Argentina legend and coach Diego Maradona was in a confident mood after the match.

"This game had the character of a World Cup quarter-final and this is the level we were looking for," he said. "Maybe the press in Argentina won't like it, but we are going to play a very good World Cup in South Africa. What we showed is that we have a team who can become world champions for the first time after 24 years," Maradona said.

"But now I have got to reduce my squad from 30 players to 23. That is not going to be easy.

"We showed a lot of courage and the whole of Argentina was looking forward to this game. Germany has great potential and Argentina showed that they are on a par with them."

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Betting on International Soccer Matches

Every country has their own domestic leagues whether it is the English Premiership, the Spanish La Liga or the Italian Serie A. Most people who try their hand at soccer betting usually make the mistake of only concentrating on domestic league games. The cut and thrust of league matches can throw up unexpected results. This can damage your profits and leave weeks of hard work in tatters.

Betting on international soccer matches can be quite straightforward in terms of predicting the full time result. Of course, a certain amount of soccer knowledge is required for this to be possible. The reason these types of matches differ from conventional domestic games is that all the teams are well known to each other. This usually means the best team will prevail and have the better of the match.
 
International matches are played right through the year even when the domestic soccer season has finished. This satisfies both the soccer fans and betting enthusiasts appetite. It provides soccer betting opportunities during the close season when conventional matches are few and far between. This can be an invaluable source of income for the sport betting professional.
 
There are also a number of major international tournaments to capitalize on. The FIFA World Cup is held every two years as is the UEFA European Championships. Both these events also have comprehensive qualifying tournaments beforehand featuring even more games. You also have the regional events such as the African Nations Cup. This means there is always a huge number of games in the pipeline at any time of year.
 
Betting on international soccer matches is often overlooked in favour of the more glamorous league clashes. For the savvy punter this is a good thing and ensures the odds have sufficient value to produce an attractive profit. A year of international matches is sure to swell your betting bank provided you possess a good working knowledge of soccer.

The author contributes to the English Football Blog website. This is a popular Football News Blog that provides soccer news and comment. It covers the premiership and English football in general. He also contributes to the Soccer Wealth website. This is a Soccer Betting Predictions service that offers profitable football betting predictions, tips and advice. Information is provided on domestic, European and international matches.

International Soccer Schools' Teamwork Tips - Part I

Think soccer stardom is won on technical skills alone? Think again.

Beyond individual ability, scouts at international soccer schools look at how players work with their team. They don't want to sign a player who's going to disrupt harmony within the squad. They're going to research, talk to coaches and parents, and get background information about team attitude.

What they want is a well-rounded soccer player, someone whose teamwork skills will fit into their system from day one. That's a big part of what scouts look for, and it's the same thing we tell players in our international soccer schools.

A lot of players show individual ability. Good team players take the game to the next level.

Training for teamwork on the pitch

Players moving up to pro teams from international soccer schools average about ten thousand hours of play with the ball. Our coaches estimate conservatively 50 percent to 60 percent of that time involves practicing with a team.

Like any other skill, practice is crucial to building player interaction. Our international soccer schools dedicate one training session per day to team-oriented play.

Do the same with your team: set up scrimmages and organized positional plays. Let players know where they should play a specific position on the field. Make it a priority to interact with teammates. Develop an instinct for how each player reacts.

Participation is key

It's important for all players to attend the practice sessions. You build relationships with your teammates, the same as players in international soccer schools. It's almost second nature, a sort of inbuilt telepathy. You know where people are going to be on the field. You know what they're going to do with the ball.

You build those relationships through many hours of practice as a team.

Building better teamwork off the field

Chemistry for teams works the same at home as it does in international soccer schools. You have to learn to live with the good and bad about everyone. When you step over the line on the field, you're as one. You've got to be as one off the field as well.

Social activities bond teams together so you can understand each other's personalities. Players in our international soccer schools take cultural excursions together. You can do the same thing with your local team.

Activities can be simple: a hiking trip, paintball, laser tag, or something similar. It doesn't have to be soccer-related.

Training like a pro

Players in international soccer schools concentrate on teamwork as well as technical skills. Don't forget to implement that at home. Coaches and parents talk about players showing better organizational skills, reading the game better, and helping organize their teammates into different positions on the field.

Are they talking about you? Start training like an elite international soccer schools player today, and they will be soon.

Take a virtual tour of Edukick International Soccer Schools at http://www.edukick.com or contact Joey Bilotta at 1-905-469-5661.

Our world-class soccer training facilities in England, Spain, Italy, France, Mexico, and Brazil help thousands of young players develop elite soccer skills, cultural awareness, and foreign language acquisition.