Hitting a losing skid has the potential to send bad habits in motion, and break team spirit. The important thing is to be able to use foresight to be able to use losses as building blocks to grow from, both individually and as a group.Seattle Sounders FC recently used a players meeting to try to shake them out of a late season slump, and as Andrew Winner from mlsnet.com reports, team leaders discussing situations and references from past teams seemed to go a long way.
In a discussion that lasted for about an hour, they took turns sharing anecdotes about past struggles and the tactics they used to overcome them.
One of the players who spoke was Pete Vagenas, the veteran midfielder who captained the Los Angeles Galaxy to the MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup double in 2005. Now 31 years old, Vagenas took the opportunity to speak about the tribulations of his previous teams and how those teams managed to overcome adversity.
"I've been on teams that have won MLS Cups; I've been on teams that have lost MLS Cups," Vagenas said. "The one thing the successful teams had was that their mental spirit was unbreakable. I won a double in 2005 and that team went through hell and back before we lifted the trophy.
"Looking back, no one talks about the strife and struggles from that year. All they remember is the two trophies we had at the end. That's what's important."
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