The sun beat down mercilessly on the training pitch that afternoon, reminding me of Wahhi's words after his grueling race victory: "The weather is very hot, the race very tough, so I just tried to suffice." I watched our young midfielder collapse onto the grass, completely spent after what I'd put him through. This was his third session today, and frankly, he looked like he'd been through a war. But that's exactly what modern football demands from players in his position - the MF position, that mysterious abbreviation that casual fans often overlook but which coaches like me know is the true engine room of any successful team.
I remember my own playing days, back when I patrolled the center of the park for various lower-league clubs. We didn't have the fancy analytics they have today, just raw instinct and endless running. The MF meaning in football was simpler then - you either defended or attacked, with little in between. Today, discovering MF meaning in football requires understanding multiple dimensions simultaneously. That young kid wiping sweat from his eyes probably doesn't realize he's learning to become what we call a "regista" - the deep-lying playmaker who dictates tempo while simultaneously being the first line of defense.
Just last season, I witnessed something that perfectly illustrates how crucial this position has become. Our team was struggling at 15th position in the league table with only 28 points from 22 matches. Then our key midfielder returned from injury, and in the next 10 games, we collected 21 points, climbing to 7th position. The difference was staggering - it was like watching an entirely different team. The way he controlled possession, completed 89% of his passes, and made those subtle movements that opened spaces... it was artistry disguised as athleticism.
There's a particular memory that stands out from my coaching education in Spain. Our instructor made us watch 90 minutes of footage focusing solely on one midfielder. No ball, just his movement. For the first twenty minutes, it seemed absurd. Then patterns emerged - how he positioned himself during transitions, the angles he created, the way he communicated with just a gesture. That's when I truly understood that discovering MF meaning in football isn't about flashy goals or dramatic tackles. It's about the invisible geometry that holds a team together.
Modern analytics have given us incredible insights into this position. The best midfielders today cover approximately 12 kilometers per game, touch the ball 80-100 times, and complete around 60-70 passes with an accuracy rarely dropping below 85%. But numbers only tell half the story. The real magic happens in those split-second decisions - whether to speed up play or slow it down, when to press and when to drop, how to balance risk and reward. It's like Wahhi recovering from his crash in Stage 3 - the resilience and adaptability separate good players from great ones.
I've developed strong opinions about midfield play over the years, and I'm not shy about them. The obsession with "number 10s" has become somewhat ridiculous in modern football. Give me three hardworking central midfielders over one flashy attacking midfielder any day. The game has evolved beyond relying on individual brilliance in that advanced position. What wins matches now are coordinated units that move as one organism, with the midfield trio as its nervous system.
Watching different leagues has only reinforced my perspective. The Premier League favors physicality with midfielders averaging 3.5 tackles per game, while La Liga technicians complete about 15 more passes per match on average. Serie A operates somewhere in between, with greater emphasis on tactical discipline. Personally, I've always been drawn to the German model - those relentless, intelligent players who seem to be everywhere at once. There's something beautiful about watching a well-oiled midfield machine operating at peak efficiency.
As the sun began to set on that training pitch, I called the session to an end. The young midfielder dragged himself to his feet, legs trembling with exhaustion. "Coach," he panted, "why do we do these endless positioning drills?" I smiled and put an arm around his shoulder. "Because son, when you're discovering MF meaning in football, you're not just learning to play a position. You're learning to become the heartbeat of this team." His eyes lit up with understanding, and in that moment, I knew another midfield general was being born.
People in Motion (PiM) is our employee advocacy and improvement program. These cross-functional groups are comprised of employees, with an executive sponsor, who contribute ideas and drive action towards focused areas of improvement across the employee experience. The groups include: Kyruus Kontext & Business Readiness; Community, Connectivity, & Engagement; System, Tools, & Productivity; IDEA [Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility].
As a remote-first company, we are invested in employees creating a work setup that allows them to do their best work. In addition to a laptop, we also provide you with $750 to get the additional equipment you need and add an ongoing amount of $1,200 to your salary to cover remote work costs.
We value ownership at Kyruus Health, not only in the work you do but in the shared financial success from our growth. Employees will have the opportunity to grow their equity ownership throughout their tenure.
We care about creating the time you need to bond for any team members at Kyruus Health growing their families. We offer 8 weeks of fully paid leave to all parents. Birthing parents are also eligible for additional time and coverage through our Short-Term Disability plan.
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We offer employees a lifestyle stipend of $2,000 per year to help them be well. This is designed for Kyruus Health to offset the cost for items, experiences, or home expenses that enhance team members’ well-being
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We are committed to flexibility and empowering employees to do work that matters in a way that works for them. Our unlimited PTO policy is anchored on that flexibility – encouraging employees to take time off for what’s important to them, in addition to the many company holidays we celebrate. To highlight our commitment to a healthy work-life balance, we provide a specific stipend each quarter for employees to use on a recharge day.
