Jeff Bennett's Blog

I have grown up in Boston with some great sports franchises right in this town in the Celtics, Red Sox, Patriots and Bruins.  I played soccer when it was not popular to do so and there was no MLS to look to as a fan.  So as a kid I adopted Manchester United because we were able to watch their games once per week through cable television.  At the time, little did I know that I was adopting one of the best sports teams in the world.  As an adult I still follow the Red Devils and have been fortunate to see them play in Manchester, England at their famed Old Trafford pitch.  This post is an incredible story about my team and how their goalie used his iPod in a very ingenious way to help win a match.

A recent Manchester United match with the Tottenham Hotspur’s was tied up after regulation and was headed to overtime penalty kicks. Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster was faced with the always difficult task of defending against the penalty kicks.  Enter the iPod video to help Foster ready himself.  A well-prepared Foster whipped out his iPod to study the tendencies of Tottenham  midfielder Jamie O’Hara who he was going to face.  Foster watched video of a kick O’Hara took against Dutch powerhouse PSV Eindhoven last year that suggested O’Hara liked to strike the ball to the left of the goalkeeper. He made the same move against Foster, who dove and blocked the shot.

The rules of soccer, both in England and at the international level, don’t say much about the use of technology — let alone an iPod — by players during matches. British soccer’s governing body, the Football Association., ruled that because there was nothing inherently dangerous about Foster’s tactic, there would be no disciplinary action.

Video has become a staple in helping teams at all levels study their level of play and also gain a better understanding of their opponents.  Most of this has been used in the class room or practice facilities in the run up to games.  Foster’s ingeneous preparation and use of the iPod at the right moment of this match takes it to a whole new level. It’s not hard to imagine professional and national soccer teams throughout the world now loading videos of their opponents on iPods to prep their goalkeepers.