US Soccer Team Psychology
When played properly, soccer is a team affair. Players must depend on and trust each other in order to accomplish anything on a soccer field. Moreover, we believe that players on successful teams strive to make each other successful and will themselves to care for each other as teammates and behave appropriately, even if not particularly good friends.
This notion of "teammate" is critical. It is not about friendship, which denotes a set of personal attributes and relational elements largely beyond a person's control. What we are talking about here is an act of will that is under each player’s control - the capacity to care for and deeply appreciate each other as members of a team, and to make each other successful - as teammates.