Monday March 26th Woke up beat to hell but forced myself up and skipped breakfast (no time). Left hotel at 9:30 am to walk to turf field across the street from Camp Nou for coaches course with Jordi Vinyals and Arnau. Coaches ran sessions and they critiqued them to improve. Paul and I went to [...]
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I swear I remember it like it was yesterday. My parents, brother, and I were at a a barbecue hosted by longtime family friends in Chino, California. My dad and his buddy Edwardo were in the backyard tending the grill, and I (13 years old at the time) was right there trying to be – you know [...]
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Here’s the number one lesson to take away from the U23 performance against Mexico: People have a lot to learn about this sport. I mean A LOT! Stop making excuses for not being able to play dominant possession-centered soccer. You can’t play that way because this is college soccer. You can’t play that way because [...]
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I have no verdict on Klinsmann yet, but I have splashed some thoughts in the comments area. In short, I’m not exactly thrilled and the reasons have nothing to do with score-lines. What seems to surface time and again, is the notion that the national team player pool “is what it is“. The implication being [...]
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Happy mad-libbing! _______________ (Possession/4-3-3/Passing out of the back) like __________________ (F.C. Barcelona/Spain/Ajax) would never work for a __________________ (Mid-low table Premier League/Major League Soccer/NCAA Division I) team. The __________________ (British/American/American College) game is too ____________ (Fast/Physical/Aggressive) for a ________________ (British/MLS/College) team to play like that. The only reason ______________ (F.C. Barcelona/Spain/Ajax) can play like that is [...]
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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 [...]
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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 [...]
Tweet“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, [...]
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