World Cup 1970 Review

ENGLAND went into the tournament in Mexico as World Cup holders — but it was Pele and the boys from Brazil who would emerge triumphant.

The two teams met in a group match that will live long in the memory. Bobby Moore made a succession of perfectly-timed tackles, keeper Gordon Banks denied Pele with the save of the century and Jeff Astle missed a sitter that would have earned the Three Lions a point.

In the end, a 60th-minute strike from Jairzinho — who would go on to score in every match in the tournament — gave Brazil victory but pundits predicted the teams would meet again in the final.

Sadly, it was not to be. After qualifying second in Group C courtesy of 1-0 wins over Romania and Czechoslovakia, England began three long-standing traditions — choking in quarter-finals, losing to the Germans and finding a scapegoat to blame afterwards.

Goals from Alan Mullery and Martin Peters gave them a 2-0 lead but Franz Beckenbauer and Uwe Seeler drew West Germany level before Gerd Muller grabbed a winner in extra-time.

Keeper Peter Bonetti — standing in for the injured Gordon Banks — got most of the blame, while boss Alf Ramsey's decision to substitute Bobby Charlton with 20 minutes left was also heavily criticised.

West Germany went on to meet Italy in a thrilling semi-final. A Roberto Boninsegna goal looked like sending Italy through until Karl-Heinz Schnellinger snatched a last-gasp equaliser.

Five more goals were scored in extra-time, with Muller's brace not enough to prevent a 4-3 victory for Italy.

Brazil, meanwhile, had cruised past Peru 4-2 in the quarter-finals and beat Uruguay 3-1 in the last four to set up a final clash with Italy.

Pele rose like a salmon to head Brazil into an early lead in Mexico City only for Boninsegna to equalise for the Azzurri before the break.

But second-half goals from Gerson, Jairzinho and — rounding off a superb passing move — Carlos Alberto saw Brazil claim their third World Cup.

Avoid and Prevent Heat Related Injuries When Playing Soccer

Proper Hydration to AVOID AND PREVENT HEAT RELATED INJURIES WHEN PLAYING SOCCER

There are some simple guidelines which have been prepared by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) when it comes to running activities in a hot and/or humid environment.

The goal in participating in hot weather is to avoid fluid loss from the body or dehydration. Water not only accounts for some 98% of our body composition, but functions to help deliver oxygen to working muscles, and keeps the body from overheating during strenuous activity. Hard working muscles generate heat which is dissipated through the act of sweating. Evaporation of sweat on the skin allows the body to get rid of this heat and cool it off. In looking at the objectives for advising officials and participates about this subject it seems that the following categories are areas requiring attention:

1. To educate athletes and event officials about the most common forms of environmental illness including predisposing conditions, warning signs, susceptibility and incidence reduction
2. To advise officials of their legal responsibilities and potential liability with regard to event safety and injury prevention
3. To recommend that officials consult local weather archives and plan games at times likely to be of low environmental stress to minimize detrimental effects on athletes
4. To encourage officials to warn athletes about environmental stress on game \ practice day and the implications for heat and cold illness
5. To inform officials of preventive actions that may reduce debilitation and environmental illness
6. To describe the personnel, equipment, and supplies necessary to reduce and treat cases of collapse and environmental illness.

To this end, after review of the available literature and after consultation of various medical authorities and officials it was felt that the following recommendations are some key guidelines for soccer participation in the heat:

1. Avoid dehydration and make sure you pre-hydrate: Don’t wait till you feel thirsty because the body will not be able to tell you in time that you are dehydrated, here are some practical recommendations: * 2 hours before exercise, drink at least 16 oz or 500 ml (an average bottle of water) * 1 hour before exercise, drink at least 08 oz or 250 ml (half an average bottle of water * During the exercise, drink at least 4 to 8 oz every 15 – 20 minutes * Immediately after the exercise, drink at least 16 oz or 500 ml of water or an electrolyte replacing drink * 1 hour after a training session or game consider drinking 16 oz or 500 ml of skim milk or chocolate milk for protein and muscle repair

2. As a rule of thumb you should drink at least 500 ml for every 20 lbs of body weight, therefore, someone weighing 140 lbs needs to drink at least 3500 ml of fluid per day if training or playing that day.

3. Drinking carbohydrate and electrolyte fluids may be beneficial in avoiding heat trauma.

4. Wearing light breathable clothing is advised.

5. Officials should be very cautious in authorizing games and practices in environments where the temperature plus humidity combined are 35 C and over. They should enquire of the participants to ensure pre-event hydration, medication use and susceptibility to heat injury ( prior occurrence). Also unlimited substitution is recommended during games as is frequent fluid brakes and fluid availability on both sides of the field. 6. Warning flags could be posted on the field as follows: o green – proceed with caution heat stress possible o amber – moderate risk to heat stress o red - high risk to potential heat stress If used they should be posted at locations easily seen by participants, support staff, medical staff and spectators. The other issue to consider is, and you may be asking yourself at this point, what are the risk factors which could predispose a soccer player to heat injury. Listed below are a the major risk factors but this is by no means an exhaustive list:

1. Not being acclimatized 2. Unfit 3. Hypo hydration 4. Hyper hydration 5. Use of a variety of medications or supplements 6. Persons with persistent, disabling mental illness 7. Certain medical conditions (cardiac, lung)

How can you tell if one of your soccer players is experiencing heat injury? Below is a list of the early warning signs to look for and again this is not an exhaustive list:

1. Flushed face 2. Hyperventilation or shortness of breath 3. Headache 4. Dizziness 5. Tingling arms 6. Goose bumps (hair on arms standing on end) 7. Chilliness 8. Poor coordination 9. Confusion, agitation, uncooperativeness

A preseason or pre – event conditioning program, when combined with an 8 – 14 day period of acclimatization, may further reduce the risk of heat injury. There are 3 main types of heat injury identified in the medical literature:

1. Heat Cramps – these are the mildest form of heat trauma and are commonly related to low body sodium and chloride levels. Signs & Symptoms include – weakness, muscle cramps, collapse with low blood pressure. Treatment – is aimed at replacing the salt loss and can be oral or by intravenous if vomiting is a problem. Having athletes put a little extra salt on their food the day before and day of game can be a helpful way to avoid this condition.

2. Heat Exhaustion – this is a more severe medical event as follows. Signs & Symptoms include – weakness, irritability, collapse, unable to sweat adequately to promote body cooling, may proceed in the more ominous heat stroke and a fine rash is often present. Treatment – remove athlete to a cooler environment, use ice baths, fans.

3. Heat Stroke – THIS IS A MEDICAL EMERGENCY – it is due to a failure of the heat-controlling mechanism. It may occur merely as a result of exposure to heat. Signs & Symptoms include – mental confusion, headache, poor coordination, delirium, convulsions and death. The body temperature may be 106 F or 40.5 C or higher, the skin is usually hot and dry as the sweating mechanism has failed. Treatment - Call 911 and transport to a local Hospital. Rapid cooling is the goal using wet towels, spray mist, sponge baths and removal from the heat. This condition could cause the athlete to go into shock and coma may follow so immediate medical attention is required.

Reference: American College of Sports Medicine POSITION STAND. Exercise and Fluid Replacement, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2007 Acknowledgements: Dr. Rudy Gittens Past Medical Director, Canadian Soccer Association Submitted by: Dr. Robert Gringmuth Chair, OSA Medical Advisory Committee

Highlights Vancouver Whitecaps vs Toronto FC Nutrilite Championship

World Cup 2010 Group A Preview

Slide Tackling is a Refined Skill

It only takes one split-second. One bad touch, a few extra inches of field and one daring defender.

The slide tackle.

"Personally, slide tackles are my favorite part of the game," Penn State centre back Andres Casais said. "The player always has the ball with him, but there's always one point where he takes a touch and it's no longer in his control. It's more of a 50-50 and you gotta be close enough to him and quick enough so that when the ball is just that little bit away, you gotta go."

For players on the Penn State men's and women's soccer teams, slide tackles serve as a valuable defensive tool. Aside from the obvious dispossessing of the ball, a tough tackle can send a message to the opposition that the defense won't be going anywhere.

Every player has his or her own technique and preference for sliding, usually dependent on the dominant foot or which direction the ball is coming from. Women's soccer defender Emma Thomson, a right-footed player, said she predominantly wants to lead with her right foot and looks for that extra bit of space between the ball and the attacker's lead foot.

"I wait for the opportunity for the ball to just be in front of them. Either they just nip it around me or they take that extra big touch, and then I just slide," Thomson said. "When you slide, you have that extra yard or two on them, so you pretty much get it every time as long as you time it well and don't get the foul."

While the slide tackle is a weapon all defenders have, it's not a matter of sliding across the pitch without discretion. Men's soccer defender Patrick Krispin said he prefers to stay on his feet, manage an attacker and use his teammates as help.

Ali Schaefer, a defensive midfielder on the women's soccer team, isn't hesitant to make a slide tackle but also feels slide tackles should be used as a last resort. As a holding midfielder, Schaefer said the rules for slide tackling are different for her position.

"A better way to do it is if you just shepherd them rather than just going right in, because if you dive and miss then you leave your defenders one-on-one," Schaefer said. "That's why defense slides so much -- if they get past you there's no one else, so you gotta get in or else they're past you."

While Krispin said he prefers to make standing tackles, if an attacker is going full speed down the sideline he is "all about it." All four players said a clean, hard first tackle is a great way to send a message to the opposition.

Thomson said she tells her teammates before every game to "make the first tackle count" and make it known the defense is coming all game. Krispin converted to defense from the forward spot last year and said seeing a defender coming in full speed sends a subconscious message.

"Anytime there's a defender coming in as hard as they can, I know as a previous attacker, it's pretty tough to deal with, especially mentally," Krispin said. "Also as a defender if you go in hard and get a good tackle in, then he'll be scared of you for the rest of the game."

Slide tackles are a risk-reward move, and the players have to know when to dive in and when to hold back. Casais said he tries to avoid sliding in the box and road matches are more of a challenge because referees are likely to award fouls to the home team.

"Obviously in the penalty box, if you don't have to slide, just don't in case you give away a penalty or something," Casais said. "You see the ball, if there's an opportunity there, I'll just go in."

Aside from the tactical benefits of slide tackles, the players simply love diving in hard at an attacker. Casais said he always wears compression shorts because of how often he slides, and Krispin called Casais "the king of the slide tacklers."

For Schaefer, throwing herself across the field, leg extended, gunning for the ball is one of the game's most thrilling aspects.

"It just feels so good and you come out with the ball, the other player flies and it's so clean and just glorious," Schaefer said. "Any player who does slide tackle knows exactly what feeling I'm talking about."

- From the Daily Collegian Online at Penn State April 22, 2010

Highlights Montreal Impact vs. Toronto FC

2010 Nutrilite Canadian Championship

Spring into Cleanup Mode Toronto!

It’s time for Toronto’s yearly Spring Cleaning.

At 2 p.m. Friday, April 23, Toronto is planning a massive cleaning effort by residents, students, professionals in the business community, government employees and City staff all doing their part for twenty minutes.

This year the City is asking everyone to reuse a plastic store bag while they pick up litter. Once your bag is full take it to one of the participating Pizza Pizzas in the Greater Toronto Area for a pair of free gloves and GLAD trash bags.

During the seven years that Toronto has held the 20-Minute Makeover several hundred thousand volunteers have helped rid the city of litter.

The 20-Minute Makeover is a great time to come together with co-workers, students and others in your neighbourhood to help clean up our city.

For Further Information: Makeover Ad

Earth Day Origins

Earth Day is a powerful catalyst for change. The first Earth Day, spearheaded by Wisconsin Governor Gaylord Nelson and Harvard University student Denis Hayes, involved 20 million participants in teach-ins that addressed decades of environmental pollution. The event inspired the US Congress to pass clean air and water acts, and establish the Environmental Protection Agency to research and monitor environmental issues and enforce environmental laws.

In 1990, two million Canadians joined 200 million people in 141 nations in celebrating the first International Earth Day. In many countries, the global event brought pressure on heads of state to take part in the UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro to address issues such as climate change and the world wide loss of species.

In Canada, Earth Day has grown into Earth Week and even Earth Month to accommodate the profusion of events and projects. They range from large public events, such as Victoria’s Earth Walk (5,000 participants), Edmonton’s Earth Day Festival at Hawrelak Park (30,000 participants), and Oakville, Ontario’s Waterways Clean-up (2,000 participants) to the thousands of small, private events staged by schools, employee groups and community groups.