Tag: soccer

Blogpost, self-reliance

You’re Stronger Than This!

Pete Huryk

Honestly that’s not the real quote! The line from the movie goes “You’re faster than this, don’t think you are. Know you are!” Mentally combined with the scene where Neo faces off with Agent Smith in the subway station, it’s my “go to” imagery when I’m lifting a heavy weight. While I could be tempting fate slightly by putting so much stock into the mental side of a very physical act, I still believe that it’s important.

Everything traces itself back to the mind! We tend to believe that we live in a physical world and sure, we do. But it is all interpreted through the mind. So the sensations of those very physical acts get relayed through the body and interpreted by the mind. It’s not a one way street though. There needs to be an impetus for action. And if you don’t believe that the floor is going to hold you up when you step onto it, you’re stuck! The world is giving us feedback and that can shape our beliefs but does not dictate them. There’s more to it. We have choice!

What have you chosen to believe in the past? What do you believe now? What beliefs do you need to adopt in order to get you where you want to go? These are important questions to ask and consider the answer. One of my favorite sayings (that I believe I coined) “Don’t assume you’re weak because you haven’t found your strength yet.” In it lies the problem that so many people face. They doubt the existence of their own strength because it’s not obvious like the powers of Superman or they’ve not been anointed the “One” like Neo. It’s a two way street of belief and feedback that need to coalesce into suspension bridge that can support the weight of our endeavor. It’s not as simple as we’d like it to be but it’s not impossible either.

You’re stronger than this! Don’t think you are. KNOW you are!

Pete

Blogpost, posh

POSH: Math, Hurt and Heart

Pete Huryk

The subject of math is either frustrating or fulfilling for most people. The possibility of finding answers to complex problems can lead to headaches and a feeling of inadequacy, while others see order, music, possibility and definition in our chaotic world. Often Americans try to put statistics into sports in order to understand them better. I’ll touch on it briefly but don’t intend to belabor the point.

A perfect pass would go directly to the curve of the receiving player’s correct foot. Any professional player worth their salt can do this in low pressure situations but as the pressure mounts, passes go off target to a degree. To what degree really matters.

  • A 10 yard pass that is off by 1 degree misses the target by 1/2 a foot.
  • A 30 yard pass that is off by 1 degree misses the target by a foot and a half.
  • A 10 yard pass that is off by 2 degrees misses the target by a foot.
  • A 30 yard pass that is off by 2 degrees misses the target by over a yard.
  • A 10 yard pass that is off by 5 degrees misses the target by over two and a half feet.
  • A 30 yard pass this off by 5 degrees misses the target by over two and a half yards.

In a live and highly competitive match, pinpoint accuracy is difficult (almost impossible). While math may be able to measure the distances, it cannot particularly account for all of the variables, especially the human ones.

“Passes come from the heart.” is one of my favorite lines from the movie ‘Miracle’ that chronicles the journey of the 1980 USA hockey team. Although I’m not sure if Herb Brooks repeated this phrase as often or at all in real life, it sums up one of the variables at work. Passes come from the heart has always been about intent for me. When you care about the person who will be receiving the pass, you tend to put more intention behind it. You want it to be as good as it can be. Some players give quality passes regardless of their feelings about the individual on the other end because they care about the group.

At the moment, the mighty POSH are having a bit of a struggle. The passing and precision that were near perfect for a few months seem to have gone. It’s not. Collectively it’s just off by a few degrees. As soon as one pass misses its mark, the next one tends to suffer. I refer to it as soccer karma. If you give a good ball, you’ll get a good ball. It’s not a mathematical certainty but it creates a framework for an upward spiral.

The transfer market unbalanced a young team that believed in their collective ability prior to January. Now they need to find their way forward (not back). They cannot recreate the past. PK isn’t coming back. EMC has to balance his new multi-million pound transfer with what he means to this team now. Kyprianou and Edwards need to realize that their play for the next few months dictates their value in the transfer market, not the rumors from social media during the window. These are all good things! Wait… What? How can the team being unbalanced by all of this be good? Because these young men will learn from it. They will find a way or they won’t.

As a fan, I will support either result but this is exactly what I’ve signed up for as a POSH fan this season. A young team who need to find their way. They struggled in the beginning and again they are being challenged by the circumstances in front of them. While it feels like we’re miles off from where we were a month or so ago, it’s only a matter of a few degrees. Passes come from the heart and I believe in mine that they’ll find their way back.

Up the POSH!

Pete

Blogpost, posh, self-reliance, SoccerLifeBalance

Don’t Overvalue Your Value!

Pete Huryk

“In time or so I’m told, I’m just another soul for sale! Oh well!” -Foo Fighters

The January transfer window just ended. Some clubs will feel like they “had a successful” window, while others will feel like they lost out. For the club I support, I just want the window to recede into the distance as quickly as possible. While I’m making this observation from a really far distance, my view is that the window unsettled a few of our consistent performers. 

For a little while in January, players are valued (very publicly) at certain levels by both the club who owns their contract and ones that are interested. Despite my vivid imagination, I cannot get an accurate picture inside of my head how it must feel to have millions of dollars/pound/euros/etc. associated with your name.  There is a great scene from the movie Bull Durham where Crash Davis professes that Nuke’s arm is “worth a million bucks a year! All my limbs put together aren’t worth 7 cents a pound.” It’s got to be hard on both sides. The million dollar men must feel a certain amount of pressure to live up to that price tag. While on the other side of the coin, only having lower offers or no offers come in must be difficult on the psyche of young players especially. A month ago, several players within the club could not put a foot wrong. They were firing on all cylinders. For the past few weeks, there have been signs of men caught in too many minds. My hope is that this fades as February moves forward.

While very few of us are professional athletes with transfer fees associated to our names, it’s still easy to get caught up in our value. Whether it’s the amount we earn per annum or the connection with loved ones, there is a temptation to want to know or feel our value. Many of us look for reassurance that we’re “doing a good job” and are wanted. While it’s a normal thing for people to want, it’s completely out of our control. The value that comes from the outside world is not truly up to us. We do not get to decide the value that others put upon us. All we can do is BE VALUABLE!

It’s semantics yes but it’s also the only thing that can be done. Doing the things that are important to the team, your family, the company, etc. is all that you can do. Whether you have an agent or not, your job is to be valuable (or take it away from the financial, be useful). The transfer window is closed. So now is the time to get people to notice you. Do the things that truly matter. Be the one that they can’t live without because you add so much. No one is ever going to put an accurate price tag on your head, so don’t let it affect how you play your game. Even if you’re not an athlete!

“What if I say I’m not like the others!” -Foo Fighters

Pete

Blogpost, posh

POSH Need a Striker and Other BS People Say

Pete Huryk

It’s an odd time being a POSH fan! Not because the team are challenging for promotion. Darren Ferguson regularly has his teams near the top of the league. It’s not because we’re scoring loads of goals. Even the high valuation star players keeping them at the club is pretty standard. It’s the fact that some fans still seem to be dissatisfied.

While I understand that my opinion could be viewed as one of an “outsider” because of my geography, I’ll still put it out there. After two decades of watching/listening to POSH play, I’m baffled about the things that people are complaining about. I get it. Some people have their own ax to grind about certain issues. No matter what happens, they’ll always be in the Fry out, Fergie out, etc. camp. This just seems a little different. 

The most common gripe that I’ve seen is that we need to sign a striker. Not because we’re not scoring enough goals or creating enough chances but because RJJ missed a sitter. I get it! You want your striker to scores those ones that look so easy that any middle aged man with a computer screen and an opinion could hit. But they’re not that easy. These players are all young and plying their trade at the lower levels. They need the reps in those pressure situations in order to get it right. We don’t have the millions that it would cost to bring in a striker who fits our team’s style and has the Midas touch in front of goal. What we do have is a player that given the chance could be worth those millions in a year, two years. But for some reason, that gamble on him getting there is too much to bear. We need results now! Oh yeah… we’re getting them.

Not sure if it’s something inherent to POSH fans because this is the only club that I follow to this degree. But there seems to be a catastrophist streak that runs pretty deep. No matter how good things get, there’s something that just isn’t right. 

  • We’ve rehired Fergie again!… So what! He wins!
  • Our chairman talks too much… Fans at other clubs wish they had our chairman.
  • We sell our best players… Yep! And we produce or buy and develop new ones.
  • And so on.

At the beginning of the season, we were promised a project that required patience. A group of young players were going to be given an opportunity to play the system that the manager put in place. They were going to stick to their principles and stick with particular players regardless of results. Now that it has gone better than expected, some fans want to abandon that project. Why not just believe in what you’ve seen so far? Enjoy it! Even the missed sitters. That’s right! If it were easy, you’d get bored. And that just wouldn’t be POSH!

UP THE POSH!

Pete

 

Blogpost, SoccerLifeBalance

5 Things I’m Missing About the United Soccer Coaches Convention

Pete Huryk

Unfortunately! I wasn’t able to make the trip to Anaheim for the Convention this year. However, I figured I’d put down a few thoughts that may bring benefits into view of anyone who is at the Convention.

  1. Sessions – Over the years the types of sessions that I’ve focused on have changed. When I first started attending the Convention, I went to as many field sessions as possible. Eventually, I started attending more psychology based discussions. Bill Beswick was always standing room only but then I really got into the work of Dan Abrahams (check out his podcast and follow him on socials). As my coaching turned into more administrative duties as well, I started attending finance sessions. My co-author and I hope to present in Chicago next year to talk about our book that uses soccer to explain finances to people. Regardless of your changing interests or role, there is always something to check out.
  2. Friends/Colleagues – For years, I traveled to the Convention with one of my colleagues and best friends. There is nothing better than getting a long weekend immersed in your greatest passion with one of your best friends. In addition to that, there are friends that I basically only see at the Convention each year. It’s great to catch up with all of these people from my past and meet new people.
  3. The Energy – I know this is an amorphous one but I always walk away from the Convention energized. Whether I got a new drill, networked with a possible collaborator or just sat in all of that soccer with a problem in my program; I love coming away from the Convention feeling like I got a shot of adrenaline.
  4. Proximity – Despite the size of the US, the soccer world within it is not extremely big. Yes, millions of people play the game and it’s widespread. However, at the Convention, a lot of the big players (figuratively speaking) are there. I’ve met a variety of former heroes including Ricky Davis (who is the reason I started playing). David Copeland-Smith (Beast Mode Soccer), who has trained many of the USWNT over the years, was part of our social crew one year. There’s no real reason to get star struck. They’re at the same place for basically the same reason, a love of the game.
  5. The Women – Whoa! Don’t get the wrong idea! I’m a single guy in my 40s but that’s not what I’m talking about. When I first attended the Convention decades ago, it was not exclusively men attending but it was pretty close. Over the past few years, the number of women attending the Convention seems to have increased exponentially. As a father of a teenage girl (who hates soccer damnit!), I love the idea of our female soccer players getting influenced and inspired by women coaches who are dedicated to their craft. The women’s game has so many positives at the moment. I hope that the trend continues this year with female attendance.
  6. Exploring (an extra one) – Anaheim would have been a new city for me. Regardless of the weather, my tradition when I travel is to go for a run every morning through the city. For me, it’s the best way to get to know the area. At the Convention specifically, I enjoy walking through the Exhibit hall without a purpose. Most of the stuff that is there, I’ve seen before. However, as technology gets better and cheaper, it’s great to see what can be done to help soccer players at any level get better.

So if you’re at the Convention, enjoy it! There are so many reasons to be there. Hopefully you’re surrounded by people you know taking in the energy and content.

Stay classy San Diego Anaheim!

Pete

Blogpost, posh

Unbalanced POSH Fall to Leeds

Pete Huryk

As Hector Kyprianou’s off-balance “shot” went wide of the goal on Sunday, it was the perfect representation of the match. POSH have been in great form for a while now. The loss combined with the performance were relatively uncharacteristic of life at London Road recently. There were moments when the players showed the understanding and fluidity that fans have become accustomed. Unfortunately, it wasn’t consistent enough to find the net or create many chances. For some, it seems be more than just a loss to a highly rated Championship side. They view it as an indication of bigger problems or impending doom if we’re promoted to the Championship. It’s just unbalance!

Played two weeks earlier, I’d be willing to bet (and I’m not a betting man) that POSH win this match. Leeds’ poor recent form aside. The POSH squad was balanced at that time. Although there are several stars within the team, the collection of the pieces and how they interrelated is far more important. The loss of Kioso and Bilokapić caused uncertainty in the play of a side whose success has come from understanding the tendencies of their teammates and being able to predict their movements accurately. Kioso’s recall does NOT mean that we need to sign him at all costs. He is a good player, no doubt. However, it is not him specifically that needs to return. It is the balance and understanding. Whether Katongo or Knight or someone else, Ferguson has proven that he can get these players to meld together. It just doesn’t happen overnight. The defeat is not a sign of anything more than a bit of time is needed to get the balance back. And I know that many love the FA Cup but this was a great result on so many levels.

  • It takes away the distraction from league play.
  • Fergie can “audition” a few alignments and personnel combinations in order to see what really works.
  • The message can be sent to the players (honestly) that they need to improve to reach Championship standards.
  • This is EXACTLY what Fergie signed up to do. Take a young squad filled with unpolished diamonds and get them to play great football together. The departure of one (or more) spells opportunity for others, not doom for the collective.

Over the years, I’ve never been shy about my support for Darren and I won’t be now! This transfer window will be difficult, no doubt. Peterborough United is not Wrexham. We need to sell assets to progress the club forward. So if Edwards, JCH, EMC, Poku, RJJ, Knight and Burrows were all to go in this window, I know one thing for certain. Fergie will get a new set of players up into the promotion places as soon as humanly possible. It’s what he does! It’s who he is! POSH we are! 

The Leeds loss was a blessing. Onward! Forward!

Pete

Blogpost, SoccerLifeBalance

The Coach’s Conundrum and Corollary

Pete Huryk

Last night, I read some really exciting news! Brian White was named to the roster for the US Men’s National Team’s camp this January. While he was in high school, I was lucky enough to coach Brian. His success on the field has everything to do with his choices and dedication to his craft as a player. I am extremely proud of him for all of his achievements, not only because he is a great player but also a great person. However, that pride as a coach is not restricted to Brian and his very public achievement. I am also extremely proud of Mitch, Thomas, Mason, Joe, Trey, Julie, Adrienne, Sarah, Mike M., Mike A., Jeremy and the list goes on. There is so much pride in my almost quarter century coaching career and very little of it has to do with kicking a ball.

During the end of season banquet one year, I was asked to “say a few words.” We had an extremely successful season and that was an amazing ride. However, the theme of my words were that the success of coaching was not to be measured in the wins that we had achieved that season but rather the successful marriages, careers, lives, etc. that would come ten or twenty years down the road. 

The coach’s conundrum (for me at least) is that we want to win the game but we know that game isn’t what matters. Wanting to win is important. Preparing in order to win is important. Not because the game is a matter of life and death. But because the game helps us toward better results in life before our death. Through sport, we learn how to give our all, hopefully in service of something bigger than ourselves, for a finite amount of time. Years of practice, hopefully, lead to progress and mastery. Not only of the skills required to play because those are largely fleeting but the intangibles that come with sport. The results of any individual contest are nowhere near as important as the ripples that sports create through a lifetime of endeavors that require commitment.

Like Ted Lasso tells his son in the first season, being a coach is a lot like being a dad (or mom). It requires a letting go of the control one might want on the result. The strength of a good coach or parent is in the preparation and the long term impact. Some do it without realizing and others are intentional about their influence. Neither is easy and people get it wrong all the time. Especially, when we tend to focus on the things that are fleeting rather than the ones that are lasting. 

Wanting good things for my players is a constant and trying to prepare them for the trials that they’ll face outside of the lines is as well. I’ve not done it perfectly because no one can but I’ve done it with intention. All around the world there are people that I had the privilege to influence for a short period of time and I hope that I helped nudge them closer to whom they were meant to be.

Two things! Thanks for reading and check out my book that explains finances using soccer as a metaphor.

Pete

Blogpost, SoccerLifeBalance

Soccer Moms Save The World

Pete Huryk

Imagine it as the headline on the newspaper (if people still read them) or plastered across your Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter (X damnit!) feed. Soccer moms! The often forgotten chauffeurs to legions of youngsters who chase a ball incessantly throughout the country. That makes no sense! Quite the opposite, it makes perfect sense but the credit will never come. The only hope is that the results do.

We live in a tumultuous time with so many layers to our societies and culture. There is division on so many levels throughout the world. Often it can seem as though conflict is the outcome of every encounter with all things up for debate (but more often just labeling and shutting down). It’s a difficult time to be sure but not insurmountable nor particularly new. Throughout human history, empires have risen and fallen. Times of plenty have been followed by time of lack. So going back to my headline idea, the world does not particularly need saving but rather redirecting toward constructive ends.

Then why soccer moms? I’ll deal with the more obvious first. Moms are the force behind the human race. Yes, I know that us dads play our part but there is a lot of heavy lifting at the beginning that requires the mom. One of the problems that I’ve heard about frequently over the past few months is the threat of “under population” that is coming. Just one example but definitely an issue that moms can help to rectify. Many of the others will require leaders who can galvanize people toward a more positive end. All of those leaders will have a mom.

Then why soccer? Soccer is the most popular sport in the world and with good reason. It represents the struggles of life in so many ways that I believe people are inherently drawn to it. The lack of full possession of the ball, skill development over a variety of areas, the need for balance in attack/defense, the limited influence of coaches during actual performance, and so many other facets make soccer the world’s game. It is a truly simple game that is utterly complex in its application depending on the level of the players. Just like life!

So as the world continues to run into issues, the course will need to be redirected. Moms are bound to be major players in the nudging of society and culture. The beautiful game teaches so many principles that can be applied routinely to the bigger game of life. It stands to reason that Soccer Moms (could) Save the World. The question is what direction to nudge? 

With economic upheaval looming in the near future, finance might be the place to start. Financial literacy is not taught in most schools. Most kids are not going to learn about this topic on their own. They need to be nudged and given a vehicle to get there (sorry for the extra driving moms). My friend/co-author and I took the time to create that vehicle. “Setting and Scoring Financial Goals” is our attempt to give young people that understanding that they need to make good financial decisions.

We’re living in unprecedented times where information is at our fingertips and individuals do have the ability to unite as one voice or echo a voice that’s worth hearing. Perhaps the combination of these two hugely influential forces could be used to make for a better tomorrow if the right echos were heard by the young players in their care.

Mother’s Day is May 12th this year. Just an FYI!

Pete   

Blogpost, self-reliance

Aliving!

Pete Huryk

Playing with language is one of my favorite things to do. We capture our experiences in words. Or perhaps evaluate or maybe even create through these sound and character accumulations. Our minds get a different picture or experience depending on the words that we use and how we use them. Push and shove mean basically the same thing but put into the context of a situation, they can be miles apart. So we need to be deliberate and sometimes careful with the words that we use. Sometimes I like to take a page out of my favorite author’s playbook (Dr. Seuss). I make up words to fit my purposes.

Today I didn’t do it on purpose. ”Aliving” was the product of my writing too quickly but it might serve my needs. If you’re reading this, then you’re living. Breathing, drinking, eating, sleeping, talking, walking, etc. you’re doing that thing in the present, right now! It’s an action. And almost the same exact meaning, you’re alive. It’s a state that you’re in. It’s adjective that describes you at the moment. So what if we put them together? Did a word double down on it! What if you weren’t just living or alive? You were aliving!

You weren’t just going through the motions and being the normal you. You had that extra pep in your step, you were seeing things clearly, recognizing how special this thing is that you’re doing right now! (Pete, I’m on the toilet reading this.) Yep! In structure that keeps you safe from the cold in winter and you don’t have to smell that crap ten minutes later because its flushed away! Aliving could be living life at a higher cadence. Most days you could be living but every once in a while, you could choose to be aliving.

It’s a silly concept isn’t it? Making up a word to get the most out of the moment you’re living. So much of what we do is silly. Hours of looking at photos of people that we don’t know that make us feel badly about our life even though the two are not connected at all. Reliving a mental picture of our worst mistakes despite not being able to fix them. Most of what we do is pretty silly when put under a microscope. So it comes down to how you want to run your life. It’s really up to you. Either way, you’re alive (unless I bored you to death, Sorry dead dude!) But now you may consider taking another step up the ladder by ALIVING!

It’s a great day to be alive-ing!

Pete

Blogpost, self-reliance

Embracing Failure!

Pete Huryk

Nobody welcomes failure with open arms. It often feels like that “not-so-attractive” girl who’s had a crush on you since second grade. Imagine you’re at the school dance, and she’s the only one who asks you for a slow dance. What would you do? Reject her, hoping that a more attractive partner will come along? Well, not quite. You’d dance.

  1. Learning through Failure: The first step in embracing failure is recognizing that it’s not the end of the world. Just like that not-so-attractive girl, failure has something to offer, too. It’s a chance to learn and grow. Failure teaches us valuable lessons that success often can’t. Each misstep provides an opportunity to refine our skills and strategies.
  2. Building Resilience: Dancing with failure builds resilience. Rejecting her might seem like the easy way out, but it won’t make you stronger or more experienced. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from setbacks, and it’s a trait highly valued in both personal and professional life. The more you face failure, the more resilient you become.
  3. Embracing Imperfection: Nobody is perfect, and nothing starts off that way either. Ideal opportunities are often the result of many imperfect attempts. By dancing with failure, you acknowledge that growth is a process, and perfection is rarely the starting point. It’s the imperfect steps that eventually lead to something great.
  4. Preparing for Ideal: When you learn to dance with failure, you’re not just settling. Instead, you’re preparing yourself for when the ideal opportunity finally arrives. By then, you’ll have honed your skills, developed resilience, and embraced the imperfections of the journey. You’ll be ready to seize the moment.
  5. Overcoming Fear: Fear of failure can be paralyzing. But when you’re willing to dance with failure, you diminish that fear. You understand that failure is just a temporary setback, not a permanent label. This newfound courage can help you take risks and pursue your goals more boldly.
  6. A Humble Perspective: Dancing with failure also keeps you grounded and humble. It reminds you that success is not always guaranteed and that setbacks are a part of life. This humility can make you more approachable and relatable to others, enhancing your relationships and leadership qualities.

So, next time failure extends her hand, don’t hesitate to dance. It might just be your ticket to a brighter future.