Abby Wambach on the Women's National Team

WOMEN’S WORLD CUP COUNTDOWN: Women's soccer has the same rules but the soccer is different.

It is less than a month from the start of 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will take place from June 26-July 17 in nine venues across Germany.

NEW ARTICLE with new quotes coming out June 24.  If you want to send in your comments on Women's Soccer, please email: WWC@SoccerNation.com

The 2011 Women's World Cup is fast approaching and viewing parties are being arranged and the excitement is building - but there are still some skeptics that women's soccer is not as much fun to watch as men's.  Here is a look at the differences.

Scoring goals & celebrations have no gender differences. Comparing the physical aspects of training styles for women's and men's soccer teams would likely reveal few differences. While youth coaches of boys vs. girls teams would say girls teams are more complex to coach, both sexes are coached to win. A similar comparison of the rulebooks in women's and men's soccer would, not surprisingly, have identical results. But any soccer fan watching from the stands can see that, despite these similarities on paper, there are clear differences between the women's and men's games.

How is women's soccer different than men's?  First and foremost, the world's fascination with last year's world cup was spectacular and generated a lot of media hype.  The upcoming Women's World Cup is imminent and few soccer fans even know when it starts. (June 28th is the first USA match.) Some chauvinists say that women's soccer is not 'real soccer' and anyone intelligent would beg to differ and, as Shannon MacMillan who played in the Women's World Cup years ago said, "Women's soccer is beautiful, passionate and a real team sport."

As to why the women's game is not as popular in the United States Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) Commissioner and founder Jerry Zanelli had the following to say, "U.S. Soccer only publicizes information on the men. For every 20 articles on men's soccer the women maybe get 1." Zanelli went on to comment that he finds it ridiculous that there is more talk about the recent Men's National Team game against Guadeloupe than there is about the upcoming Women's World Cup. 

Women vs Men Soccer

Most noticeable is the speed at which the games are played. Some would argue that what women lack in speed they make up for in technical ability and style of play.

Former U.S. Women's National Team player and current coach of the WPSL San Diego SeaLions Jen Lalor-Nielsen said, "Men's and Women's soccer in America is very different. Women's soccer is softer, more thoughtful. Many American male soccer players are too focused on being great athletes with power, and are not as focused on the more technical aspects of soccer. Great European men's soccer, a lot of women's soccer in America and the top male soccer players world-wide all play with good skill and finesse." 

"In years past, women have had more high-level technical habits than the men, but in recent years neither side has been doing a very good job of developing technical skills here in the United States," explained Ada Greenwood, San Diego Surf Soccer Club coach who has been at the helm of the Women's Soccer program at the University of San Diego since 2003. "Creative players are being shut out at all levels in the U.S., from the youth level all the way to National level. Coaches focus more on developing athletes, rather than skillful soccer players."

The women's game is fundamentally a bit slower. Men's soccer matches are often interrupted through fouls or aggressive play, and this statistically does not occur as much in women's soccer. Let's face it, if women were as fast as the men on the field, they would play better soccer since their emphasis is on technique.

Physical differences

While the women's game may typically be slower than the men's, it certainly isn't for lack of training. In fact, many women soccer players begin their careers playing on boys teams and were often quite competitive. But at some point, the boys start to pull away from the girls in terms of strength and speed.

Colin Chesters, Director of Coaching for San Diego Surf Soccer Club said, "Mens and womens soccer is different. Girls are more team oriented and are less individually dominated. The natural tendency of girls teams is to play more like a team.  A good girl's team has more technical plays. Once boys grow, it can be tough for the girls to hang with the boys. Boys just become quicker and stronger."

Differences in speed and strength between men and women on the soccer pitch can be accounted for by physiological differences between the two genders. No matter how long or hard a woman trains, biological differences between the male and female body will usually keep men a step ahead in power on the field.

The differences between the sexes

Understanding the physical differences between the women's and men's games is easier to master. It's the psychological differences between men and women that are more difficult to pin down.  (Haven't we all been trying to do this for decades?  I have books on the subject collecting dust on my shelves.)

Greenwood says, "To a male soccer player you can say anything you like and they'll get over it in five minutes. Most females are not quite as thick skinned."

Former San Diego State University goalkeeper and current President of the San Diego SeaLions Lu Snyder feels that the female soccer player is more selfless than her male counterpart, "Men are more individualistic in their approach to the game. Women are more loyal to the team as a whole." She also explained that men tend to react without thinking, whereas women tend to contemplate their moves more."

Retired U.S. Soccer defender and current Women's Head Coach at Miramar College Sean Bowers explains that women have a more cerebral approach to the game, "Women are by and large smarter than men. We have to explain our actions and let them know why we are asking them to do certain things, and how what we're saying will benefit their game. I like coaching the women better, because it's not all about speed of play. It's also about formation and the technical side of the game."

FC Cologne's Yvonne Zielinsky admits that for her, positive reinforcement is the best way to motivate her as a player. "I like a coach who doesn't always harp on the negative things," she says. "Of course, you want a coach who makes suggestions on how to improve, but it's better when he tells you what you're doing right."

Markus Kühn, who coaches Zielinsky at FC Cologne, has learned some of the subtleties of coaching a women's team. While the physical aspects of his practices could be implemented on a men's team, there are some aspects of practice that he would not have implemented during his time as a youth boys' coach. "If you, as a coach, turn your back on a group of women players in practice, you don't need to worry that they'll be standing idle," he says. "With the men, you've got to stay on them a little more."

A subtle touch

Zielinsky says she reacts better to positive reinforcement "We call it a 'chatty warm-up," Kühn says. "For the first 10 or 15 minutes of practice, the girls are given some time to catch up with each other and talk about their days before we really get down to business."

Lalor-Nielsen said "As a female player and coach, I know that coaching girls youth soccer requires positive reinforcement and building a connection with the individual players. If a coach can accomplish this, and understands the player as a whole person, the player usually responds with an overwhelmingly positive 110% effort."

Bowers' opinion, "With women creating an off-field chemistry with their teammates is just as important as their chemistry on the field. Team bonding is crucial to the women's game."

Average attendances at Germany's first men's league Bundesliga matches often reach well over 40,000, while in the women’s national league, organizers would be happy to see 4,000 fans pass through the turnstiles.  

Sarah Aguilar, current captain of the WPSL San Diego SeaLions said, "U.S. Soccer does a horrendous job of promoting the women. Years ago when Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Shannon MacMillan, and Joy Fawcett were playing women had longer careers with the U.S. National Team. Now there is much more turnover and it is harder for the fans to connect with players, and U.S. Soccer is not doing a good job getting behind these athletes and giving them the attention they deserve." 

We should all watch the Women's World Cup

"I really enjoy watching the Women's National Team and look forward to the upcoming World Cup. Hopefully we see Alex Morgan and Captain Rachel Buehler, who both played for the San Diego Surf Club, out on the World Cup fields," said Chesters.

Come on America! We can do better than that. Women have always had a louder voice in this country, stand up and cheer for women on the field and get excited about the Women's World Cup.  More than 620,000 tickets have been sold for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany. And, due to the general popularity of women's soccer in Europe, the total number of match tickets on general sale has been increased from 800,000 to 900,000.

PART TWO

SeaLions one of the oldest female soccer clubs in the USA. The WPSL is a sixty-plus team national women's soccer league with five conferences and is considered one of the top women's soccer leagues in the world. For more information, please email Amie Becker.