Be careful about locker room bulletin board material

Unfortunately for Slaven Bilic, the Croatian coach didn't heed that warning prior to sending out comments that have ended up in the England team locker room.

As Matt Hughes of the Times Online reports, Fabio Capello has thanked Slaven Bilic for giving England all the motivation they need to win tonight's World Cup qualifier at Wembley.

The Croatia coach has dismissed England as a “flawed” team still scarred by the 3-2 home defeat against his side that cost them a place at last year's European Championship and Capello is convinced that Bilic's criticism has made his job easier.

“I'm very grateful to Mr Bilic because I don't need to motivate my players for the match,” said the England manager, whose team will secure a place in South Africa with victory this evening. “Thank you Mr Bilic.

“He tried to provoke a reaction and it is the best. I have no need to motivate my players after this. It's fantastic assistance. My players are very determined, so thank you.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/international/article6826489.ece?&EMC-Bltn=TW23DB

Preview - Trinidad & Tobago

With an all-important World Cup qualifier on the road tonight versus Trinidad & Tobago, Soccer America's Ridge Mahoney previews the challenges ahead for the USA.

In past Hexagonals, the USA has qualified for the World Cup as early as the seventh game in the 10-match campaign, or by the eighth game on other occasions. No such guarantee is available this time around. Even a victory against Trinidad & Tobago Wednesday in Port of Spain (kickoff at 7 p.m. ET, ESPN Classic, Telefutura) in Game 8 will assure only fourth place, and the fourth-place finisher must play a treacherous two-game playoff against the fifth-place finisher in South America for a spot in South Africa.

http://www.socceramerica.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.san&s=34077&Nid=60005&p=482904

US varies from game plan, but still grinds out result

The US National team grinded out a 2-1 victory over El Salvador over the weekend in World Cup Qualifying in the CONCACAF region, but as Luke Cyphers from ESPN reported, it didn't go quite exactly as planned.

The plan all week for the U.S. soccer team ahead of its World Cup qualifier was simple: Play an attacking lineup, grab an early lead, then wear out El Salvador by possessing the ball in the midfield.

One out of three ain't bad. In fact, it was good enough for a 2-1 victory and three points, keeping the U.S. on track for a berth at next year's World Cup in South Africa.

U.S. coach Bob Bradley started an offensive-minded lineup, with Jozy Altidore and Charlie Davies at forward, and the creative Benny Feilhaber alongside attack-minded Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan in the midfield. Meanwhile, left back Jonathan Bornstein made several overlapping runs up the field, and right back Jonathan Spector attacked with long balls to the forwards.

Yet despite creating scoring chances early, the U.S. found a way to fall behind, on Christian Castillo's header off a Rodolfo Zelaya assist in the 32nd minute.

"I was angry," Donovan said. "We started the game pretty well and put them under a lot of pressure. We should have found a way to get a goal and then we make one mistake and they capitalize. It was frustrating."

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=673878&sec=us&root=us&cc=5901

Your best career move - humility

All Pro Dad, which is supported by Tony Dungy and the National Football League, referenced recently about management guru Jim Collins - he had studied 11 of the most successful American companies over the past 15 years. These businesses averaged more than seven times the stock returns of the general market. The most significant attribute about these businesses that Collins found is that every one of them had a modest CEO.

There's no doubt doing your job and doing it well has a significant, positive impact on your family. So what is essential in climbing that corporate ladder? Management guru Jim Collins studied 11 of the most successful American companies over the past 15 years. These businesses averaged more than seven times the stock returns of the general market. The most significant attribute about these businesses that Collins found is that every one of them had a modest CEO. Collins shares that the starting point of a great company is a humble leader: "When these successful CEOs do something right, they walk you over to a window and point to all the reasons (and especially all the other people) 'out there' contributing to their success. When they do something wrong, they walk to a mirror and assume the blame themselves." Want to go far in your career? Walk humbly.

Why Osorio Left

Michael Lewis of Big Apple Soccer spoke to Juan Carlos Osorio in his first interview since stepping down as head coach of the New York Red Bulls.

"When I stepped aside, I felt they would be relieved and there was a sense of urgency," Osorio said. "I am not surprised the team won two games."

"I expected that to happen. There was no pressure. They used to play with more urgency, with more desire, with more passion."

"I felt they were feeling pressure to keep me in the job. They were panicking and making the wrong decisions all the time."

http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/teams/redbulls2.php?article_id=19776

US vs El Salvador Preview

The US National team have an all-important World Cup Qualifier against El Salvador on Saturday night, and Jeff Carlisle of ESPN SoccerNet has a preview of what lies ahead.

The U.S. hasn't lost a home qualifier since Sept. 1, 2001, when it fell to Honduras 3-2. Since then, the Americans have gone 16-0-1 at home, the lone blemish being a 1-1 semifinal round tie versus Jamaica during the 2006 campaign that occurred after passage to the final stage had been secured.

But all it would take is one slipup against El Salvador on Saturday, and the Americans could find themselves staring at a likely fourth-place finish, with a playoff series against a difficult South American opponent their consolation prize. It's a scenario the Yanks are very much aware of, and keen to avoid.

"I wouldn't say we're worried," said U.S. forward Brian Ching. "But we do understand this game is extremely important, especially because we didn't pick up points in the last game."

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=672544&sec=us&root=us&cc=5901

'Who Packed Your Parachute?'

Mac Anderson and his Simple Truths company send out tremendous daily emails, and I have always shared this special story with our players here at the University of Evansville. No story illustrates humility better than 'who packed your parachute?'

As a leader, do you honor and appreciate the power of WE? Do you stop to thank and recognize the members of your team? Do you consistently show an attitude of gratitude?

I recently read a great story about Captain Charles Plumb, a graduate from the Naval Academy, whose plane, after 74 successful combat missions over North Vietnam, was shot down. He parachuted to safety, but was captured, tortured and spent 2,103 days in a small box-like cell.

After surviving the ordeal, Captain Plumb received the Silver Star, Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit and two Purple Hearts, and returned to America and spoke to many groups about his experience and how it compared to the challenges of every day life.

Shortly after coming home, Charlie and his wife were sitting in a restaurant. A man rose from a nearby table, walked over and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"

Surprised that he was recognized, Charlie responded, "How in the world did you know that?" The man replied, "I packed your parachute." Charlie looked up with surprise. The man pumped his hand, gave a thumbs-up, and said, "I guess it worked!"

Charlie stood to shake the man's hand, and assured him, "It most certainly did work. If it had not worked, I would not be here today."

Charlie could not sleep that night, thinking about the man. He wondered if he might have seen him and not even said, "Good morning, how are you?" He thought of the many hours the sailor had spent bending over a long wooden table in the bottom of the ship, carefully folding the silks and weaving the shrouds of each chute, each time holding in his hands the fate of someone he didn't know.

Plumb then began to realize that along with the physical parachute, he needed mental, emotional and spiritual parachutes. He had called on all these supports during his long and painful ordeal.

As a leader, how many times a day, a week, a month, do we pass up the opportunity to thank those people in our organization who are "packing our parachutes?"