One reason so many crosses don't end up producing a scoring chance is because players too often send them in blindly. They figure that if they're on the wing, just whip the ball into the middle. Even in the pros, you see this time after time. A player moves down the wing and launches a cross even if there are no teammates in front of the goal. If you haven't got a forward waiting for the cross, then you've got to look for other options, like turning back and looking for a midfielder.

How much soccer is too much soccer? From my perspective as a sports medicine specialist, I know when a player has played too much when various types of "overuse" injuries start appearing.

Some of the things I've heard adults yell at children at soccer games are just downright hilarious. Like the coach who yelled at a 6-year-old, "Give him a target on the flank!"

A player's "emotional tank" is similar to a car's gas tank. When the tank is full, the player runs well. With an empty tank, the player does not run at all. Coaches, parents and players can fill or drain tanks, depending on how they communicate.

For quite a few years now US Youth Soccer, U.S. Soccer, AYSO and the NSCAA have advocated playing less than 11-a-side soccer for our younger players.