James Palumbo

In life and soccer we will encounter highs and lows.

At the academy, I am often stressing the philosophy of soccer is life and we need to always keep going!

Over the weekend there was a match between Atletico Madrid and Valencia that exemplifies this very approach. Without going into too much detail of the game, Atletico was able to battle back from being down 0-2 to winning the match 3-2.

Most people will appreciate the efforts of a comeback victory and this game was no exception as the tying goal and winning goal were both scored in added time. Turning a loss into a win in the matter of a few minutes shows great character, mental capacity and is the consequence of quality and quick decision-making in the game and life.

When we better understand our time frames, we act accordingly by deploying urgency or patience but always in relation to the situation in front of us.

Through unwavering belief and consistency our victories will be earned and sometimes it comes about in the least expected way.

Scoring the winning goal in the 93^rd minute was not expected by the Atletico Madrid center back, Mario Hermoso but he was the one to finish the play and look at his home fans cheering with almost unfamiliarity to celebrating.

Hermoso and Atletico faithful will not forget this moment!

This great example to keep going will only be useful if we are able to apply this to our own life. When we feel as though we are losing or missing our aims remember that the win is soon coming as long as we are persistent that the losses are not permanent.

Yours in soccer,

James Palumbo

It takes time to pick the best fruit from the tree.

The work put into nurturing and ensuring the proper nutrients are provided is often overlooked and the picking seems quite simple.

The problem is who really needs the fruit and does the ones picking care if the fruit is ripe or rotten.

Quality will never be replaced by quantity.

Quantity can and should be adjusted if the quality is reducing.

Our efforts towards sorting it out for the better will be appreciated by all involved.

The rotten ones will infect the good ones faster than the reverse.

Yours in soccer,

James Palumbo

Our finishing class is focused on exactly what the name suggests: finishing. The scenarios are shaped as if we are playing right in front of the goal, and the boys and girls learn certain skills/techniques that will help them finish the play.

These skills/techniques include playing with your back to goal, quick combinations before finishing, 1v1s, proper shooting form (for both power and placement) and more.

The coaching staff had a fantastic time at these classes and have loved witnessing the enjoyment from the players in each class!

We hope to see you all back again for another 6 weeks of finishing classes in Cycle 2!

Yours in soccer,

James Palumbo

Stop! There will always be a need to make a change when the signs ahead are not in your favor.

We will need to switch the ball to the opposite side of the field while always studying the spaces that are free to advance ourselves.

Forcing our way through and sacrificing too much will leave us exposed and empty.

If we wait too long to make a change the ball will be lost as the space will slowly be closed down and our time will be limited.

To give us more time, it is important to change fields and attack when the opportunity is presented.

It will take time and effort to change however there is a need for a new approach.

Be excited for something new rather than resistant to the unknown.

Yours in soccer,

James Palumbo

We all must do the work that we made a commitment to.

When we sign up, we will definitively not know everything that will come our way, however the responsibility remains.

Getting it done and honoring the commitment is commendable and the most important piece is the way it is done.

Something that is forced and done with a lack of enthusiasm is missing the purpose.

The purpose behind will be the motivation behind executing on responsibilities with enthusiasm not just for the benefit of others but also for the health of our self.

Do all that we do Enthusiastically and we’ll be adding towards making the world a better place.

Yours in soccer,

James Palumbo