I attended 4 of the sessions and both games versus Klinsmann’s senior team. Caleb Porter First and foremost, if our praise for Caleb Porter hasn’t been evident, let me repeat, Caleb Porter is legit. Previously, we’ve been judging him solely from watching his Akron team (on TV and in person). Meaning we’ve never seen him […]
The Most Important Thing You Must Understand About Coaching
This is my response to reader John, who left an excellent set of comments. The last of which I’ll address here. Specifically: I’d love to see you talk about specific tactics, Gary. I have no doubt that you are a very bright guy, but I wish you’d share your knowledge with us. Tell us about […]
Camp For Young Professionals, College Players, and …
There is nothing high-level available for this group of players during their off-seasons. That hurts, and it must be fixed! During the holidays we held a 4 day camp for them. It was a pilot program really, as we have never done such a thing, but I was pleased with the turnout. Here’s the list […]
Youth Teams Playing Up: The Pre-teen Years
Oh how everyone talks as if they know what “development” is, and how to do it. Sigh … Let’s talk a little bit about “playing up” and whether it helps or not. This weekend our U11’s are going to play in a U12 tournament. This isn’t the first time competing up either. The last was […]
Hermann Trophy 2011
For those not aware, the Hermann Trophy is soccer’s equivalent to the Heismann. So I’m scanning the blogs out there, and I came across the following comments on this post concerning the 15 semifinalists for the award. Mark said: 12 forwards and 2 mids in that list. Seems like the trophy is skewed towards goal […]
Progress
“We’ve made good progress in the last 20 years.” Yes we have, and we should all be happy for it. However, it’s easier going from 40% to 70%, than it is from 70% to 100%. The first jump involves broad strokes. You know, the “common sense” stuff. The second jump involves the details. You know, […]
On Leadership and What the Hell Is This Blog Anyways
The following was inspired by Lalo’s latest comment. He makes good points about leadership, and poses questions about the work on this blog. What follows is not intended as a full response, but I preferred to post here instead of in the comments. On the statement: “Leadership is doing the right thing”. I agree. But […]
THE LIST
What follows is an initial list of 25 things obstructing the US from becoming a soccer powerhouse. The “what’s wrong” topic is always around and maintains a certain level of attention. Then, when our national teams flounder, the topic spikes and dominates the discussion. And of course everyone and their mom has an opinion. Errrr […]
3four3 Launches Data Product!
Youth soccer in Southern California continues to evolve, lead, pioneer, and at least in my opinion, host the largest density of talent in the country. It’s like a mecca for the youth game. Now we too hope to contribute to this landscape on a macro scale and push the envelope even further! So we’re opening […]
Referee Influence on Style of Play
There has been plenty of talk as to referees essentially dictating style of play. Not just of one game, but on entire leagues and at all levels. The implication is that this has direct influence on a coach’s player selections and the style of play he implements. So generally: Spain has more possession, skill-based play […]