The Vision of a Champion

Advice and Inspiration from the World's Most Successful Women's Soccer Coach (Latest Edition)

By: Anson Dorrance, Gloria Averbuch

Narrated by: Anson Dorrace

Anson Dorrance has one of the most successful coaching records in the history of athletics. Under Dorrance’s leadership at the University of North Carolina (UNC), the Tar Heels women’s soccer teams have won 22 of the 37 NCAA Women’s Soccer Championships with a .881 winning percentage over 40 seasons. He has led his team to a 101-game unbeaten streak, and his players have won 20 National Player of the Year awards. In The Vision of a Champion, Dorrance teams up with best-selling health and fitness writer Gloria Averbuch to deliver a transformational guide to developing soccer excellence at the high school and collegiate levels. This book combines practical strategies for training and competing with the wisdom and advice of a veteran coach.

Dorrance’s advice is proven: thanks to his coaching, women’s soccer at the University of North Carolina has dominated the collegiate field for more than four decades. The Vision of a Champion explains the secrets of that success in a narrative that is inspiring to athletes, coaches, and parents alike. The authors begin with a deep look into the world of women’s soccer at UNC, from details of training to the all-important team culture that makes a good team great. The second section is a road map for aspiring star players: It discusses how to be a true student of the game and how to develop to one’s full potential. The remainder of the book thoroughly examines what Dorrance learned as an elite coach who took the United States national team to its first world championship in 1991, analyzing all aspects of training, competition, fitness, and soccer mentality.

The Vision of a Champion is a major resource for all aspiring high school and college soccer players; inside are all the skills and character strengths needed to excel on and off the field.

©2005 Anson Dorrace (P)2021 Creative Allies

Great book!

Enjoyed listening to each chapter and learning from its recommendations to best support my daughters that play soccer.

Inspiring!

The perspective he shares with the reader is unlike any other. As a young soccer player this taught me so much about the player I am working to become. This inspired me to become a better version of myself on and off the field. Anson seems like the coach every player would like to have, and this book does a wonderful job of converting his messages to the listener .

Soccer and reality

I do not play soccer but I am a mom of soccer players. This was such a beneficial read to improve their skill but also a great new take on things in my life as well. Loved it! I would definitely recommend this book.

Invaluable!

Thank you for sharing your wisdom and insights, Coach! Incredible stuff. Will the accompanying materials referenced in the book be made available for download? When?

Must read (but some issues)

Don’t let the issues get in the way of you reading this. It’s a must for any girl (or parent or coach of one) who has soccer dreams. Boys can take away a lot from this too.

Flaws: there was very little editing (if any at all). Mistakes are kept in (Anson stumbling upon a word then saying “Take two” and rolling on like a champ, is left in…many times), and there isn’t a lot of updated information from nearly 20 years between last writing and recording. Plus, a lot is omitted because it isn’t relevant, but the updated things (specifically regarding training) aren’t updated in the audiobook. That’s frustrating. I thought I was getting a full audiobook made in the last two years, but I got *most* of an audiobook that should have been our 20 years ago.

STILL, must-listen.