At a glance, international soccer and college soccer look the same.
Players in brightly colored jerseys flash across the field, the crowd gasps at perfectly executed moves and beautiful shots right over outstretched goalies hands.
Despite the similarities in appearance, the international and collegiate game are entirely different in the style of play with different rules that govern the match and the way the game flows.
For the Tigers who also represent their countries at the international level, the transition to college soccer can be a rough one, especially playing in Southeastern Conference games.
“Soccer overall is very different,” said junior midfielder Natalia Gomez-Junco. “[In college] it is more based on effort, on toughness and physical intensity. Whereas in Mexico, I was more used to technical possession and more [tactics].”
One reason for the physical nature of the college game comes from the difference between the international and collegiate rules for substitution.
According to the official rules of FIFA, international teams are allowed up to three substitutions per match.
“In international soccer, substitutions are limited, so you get a much slower paced game,” said LSU coach Brian Lee. “Some would probably say [it’s a] better game at the international level because there is more tempo to it, and you can pace the game. Players know that they probably got to at least have a plan to go 90
minutes.”
Limited subs in the international game, create a style of play focused on possession. The team that controls the ball establishes the tempo of each match.
International teams track their players’ number of passes per game and their passing completion percentage, which are used in players’ evaluations.
The substitution rules in college soccer do not limit the overall number of substitution in a match. Instead the rules focus on when a player is allowed to re-enter the game after being subbed out.
According to official NCAA rules, a player cannot re-enter the game after being substituted out in the first half. In the second half, a player can re-enter once after being taken out of the match.
These rules allow coaches to frequently rotate players, creating a higher-paced game. Bench players play an influential role in the college game because they can raise the level of play for 10 or 20 minutes then be taken out.
“Teams can take a philosophy of just running, running, running and bring players in and out,” Lee said. “It changes things a little and the college game becomes much more direct.”
The rotation of players allows players to play more physical because the players have time to rest.
Another major difference between the international and college games is the amount of time national teams and college teams have to develop chemistry within the team.
College teams have a defined season in the fall, giving players the opportunity to build chemistry on the field and relationships with each other off the field.
“I think the chemistry we have right now is so good,” Gomez-Junco said. “I think everyone just gives everything for each other. I think that is helping in the games.”
While college teams have a regular season to build chemistry, international teams depend on concentrated training before tournaments to establish connections on the
field.
Gomez-Junco competed in two FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cups for Mexico and has earned a spot on the senior team in 2013 and 2014.
“[For U-20 World Cups] I basically stay in Mexico City for the whole summer [for] like one or two months before the World Cup,” Gomez-Junco said. “Before that we kind of practice for one week, then we are off for two weeks.”
The short amount of time national teams have to train together creates a more intense training environment by putting the emphasis on perfection.
Junior midfielder Fernanda Piña, who competed in the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Trinidad & Tobago, said when training with the national team there is more pressure to be perfect than in practices for LSU.
“I’ve learned things here that make me a better player to play for my country and in my country I’ve learned things that make me a different soccer player here,” Gomez-Junco said. “I think those two things complement each other.”
You can contact Morgan Prewitt on Twitter @kmprewitt_TDR.