3 FOUR 3 — Passionate students of the beautiful game

Luis Gil Signs With MLS: Say Goodbye to World Class!

February 22, 2010

I was happy for the 16 year old when I heard the news. But as far as his development is concerned, not so much.
On the one hand, I did not want to see him continue as an amateur in the “Development” Academy with the occasional NT camps or games. So, it’s certainly a step up [...]

Read the full article →

US Soccer Development Academy: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

February 12, 2010

The Academy is a step in the right direction. There is a laundry list of things that are correct – many of which have been mentioned within the soccer community.
The Good

A unified national league.
Virtually year-round.
Extra day of training.
Level competition.
MLS teams involved.
Better logistics for scouts.
Phasing out of high-school.
Abolishing crazy tournament schedules.
Training is taken more seriously.
… and [...]

Read the full article →

Possession Soccer: What does it take?

January 29, 2010

This post is my response to an observation made by one of our readers, CarlosT from the Sounder At Heart blog. In his comment to our possession article, he shared the video below and stated:

“It seems to me that while this style of play is associated with hugely talented teams like Argentina and Brazil, the technical [...]

Read the full article →

US vs Honduras: Excuses and Another Bob Bradley Indictment

January 24, 2010

While it certainly would have been different with the 1st team, I view this performance (a 1-3 loss) as a further indictment of Bradley:

He doesn’t know what a “true quality” player is.
He simply has no tactical understanding.

On the first point, does he mean to tell me these “second string” players are the best we [...]

Read the full article →

Funes Mori: Example of US Soccer Failure

January 23, 2010

The problem with US Soccer is not that we lack extremely talented players; we have them! There are loads of players with world class potential here. I see it every week at the youth level, and sometimes college.
The problem is we have ignorance and incompetence occupying the coaching and management positions at the higher levels.
The [...]

Read the full article →

Fundamental Guide to Soccer IQ

January 20, 2010

I think we can all agree that Soccer IQ is about decision making.
- When to dribble.
- When to pass.
- When to shoot.
- When to send a cross.
- When to go forward or backward.
- etc.
Disagreements arise on what is the correct thing to do – the reason for the different styles of play.
While the correct decisions [...]

Read the full article →

Breaking Bad Habits

January 17, 2010

Most of us have seen that TV show or movie where the cowboy jumps on a horse’s back with the aim of domestication. The wild animal violently resists being ridden and will buck, jump, twist, whatever it takes to knock the cowboy on his ass! After all, the horse is wild and doesn’t want to [...]

Read the full article →

MLS Draft Prospects

January 12, 2010

I’ve been holding this in for a while now – ever since coverage and speculation over this year’s MLS Draft started. With the Draft this Thursday, I just have to say my piece.
I’m disgusted by what most “reporters/analysts” are writing. And these are considered good sources of soccer information in America. These guys have large [...]

Read the full article →

Danny Mwanga – Our Story

January 8, 2010

It all started in 2007 at the Nomads Tournament in San Diego. Our silver elite U-16 club team was slated to open group play against the Oregon State Champions, WSM Internationals. It was a beautiful day – perfect for soccer.
1st Encounter
Little did we know a nightmare was around the corner. My brother and I started [...]

Read the full article →

Who Is This Soccer Player?

January 7, 2010

Look at the image closely …
That’s right, you have no idea! Well, I’ll tell you.

He is the guy who has the same dream you do!
He is the player that wants to get that professional contract instead of you!
He might be the player who will get that starting spot, instead of you!
Or he might be the [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries