When the players I was coaching in last year’s World Cup were born, I was competing in the first ever Women’s World Cup in China.  My experience was as one would imagine; an unforgettable chunk of time that I can remember as if it were yesterday. 

Seventeen years later I find myself helping coach the goalkeepers in their own U-17 World Cup and found myself feeling just as excited, nervous and in awe of the entire experience. The level of play that each country produced was a shock to all who entered the packed stadiums. 

At first glance one would think the shot on a frozen rope from 40 yards out was pure luck.  But by the end of the first round of games, fans got used to the idea that young women receiving balls out of the air and placing them effortlessly to their teammate was status quo.   If a ball was miss-trapped, or shot shanked, the boos of the fans would ensue.  It was awesome! 

Where does goalkeeping fall into this category?  After watching every game ( televised in 140 countries; but not in the U.S.A.) the one thing that stood out in my mind was the amount of goals being scored from 25 yards out or more.  Almost 100 goals were scored in the tournament and 70% of them were shots that most players at the club level do not take and therefore, goalkeepers do not see.  It was amazing to me, because the shots were so far out, I assumed they had plenty of time to accurately read the shot and move to make a save.

Was it lack of effort, courage, discipline, technique, power?  Nope.  Some of the goals were placed so perfectly we must tip our hats and clap, but a higher percentage of goals that were scored were due to poor footwork on the goalkeeper’s part.  Footwork is something that we harp on as goalkeeper coaches regularly. 

When we set up the drills, we see the eyes roll and the shoulders sag when we announce, “Today we are going to do footwork.”  I hear the mumbles “We always do this” or “I did this in P.E.” or just plain, “Ahhhhhhh”. 

The idea is not how quickly can a GK move their feet? But how quickly can a GK move their feet in the right direction with the right sequence of steps.  For example, if a ball is hit over my head and my initial instinct is to lean back on my heels while it sails… I will be digging it out of the back of the net.  If, however, the moment the ball is hit, I can read it is over my head and I do a little drop step with the weight on the balls of my feet… I have a fantastic chance of making a save. 

One step, one motion, a movement no bigger than a flinch can make or break my ability to save the game. 
Out of all the crazy saves and wonderful plays all the goalkeeper s made in the U-17 World Cup, the best goalkeepers were not the biggest or the most athletic like one might think.  The best goalkeepers (USA’s Taylor Vancil won the Golden Glove Award ☺) were a perfect combination of intelligence, courage, and composure with a technical proficiency that every movement, every step, every motion was precise. 

The goalkeepers that let in goals that were savable, were the ones that were caught off-guard at the quick shot or wasted movement by a mis-step at a time where an instant is the difference between a save and a goal against.  

If footwork is important for the world’s best, I am hopeful that our NW Nationals keepers can improve in this area from month to month with every step they make in goal.