Soccer Development Through Education —

More on Possession Soccer: A Reader’s Comment

May 14, 2010

This is a response to a comment left on a previous article about soccer possession. We value every single one of our readers whether they agree or disagree with us – without you guys, we don’t exist!
So Wayne took issue with my statement:
“[with] a synchronized high pressure defense, it will be extremely difficult to [...]

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Philadelphia Union Interviews

April 29, 2010

3four3 will be interviewing Amobi Okugo and Danny Mwanga Friday night before their Saturday match with the Galaxy.
Both were club opponents of ours as recently as last year who have turned professional with the Philadelphia Union. Danny was selected #1 in the MLS superdraft and Amobi was chosen 6th. They are quality players as we’ve [...]

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To Specialize or Not to Specialize?

April 25, 2010

Someone from a soccer forum I frequent asked for my thoughts on whether a potential keeper should begin specializing (become “full time”) at the U-9 level. There had been an ongoing discussion in a thread with parents falling on both sides of the fence. So here it goes …
From a developmental perspective only, at U-9 [...]

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Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona Preview

April 9, 2010

This mouth-watering duel between the two Spanish giants will decide a big portion of La Liga title. Both clubs and managers are trying to deny this but reality states that both teams are fully capable of taking maximum points the rest of the way. Fans around the globe will tune in to arguably the most [...]

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Robben and Sneijder in, Real Madrid out!

April 9, 2010

How must Madrid president Florentino Perez feel now that the 2 players he forced out the door last summer have led their new teams to the Champions League semis while his new superstars are watching the games on their 80 inch lcd tv’s at home with him? Arjen Robben’s stunning goal put Bayern through past [...]

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US National Team U20s: Dallas Cup Report

April 6, 2010

Another crack at some Elite competition for US mens soccer and another failure! The US U-20’s were paired in the Super Group at Dallas Cup with the Mexico U-20’s, Vancouver Whitecaps, and Eintracht Frankfurt. With a National Team, player selection is usually critical as there is little time to work. This is usually the case all [...]

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Advice To New Club Soccer Parents

March 10, 2010

There is so much to know and so much advice that can be given.
I’ll offer a couple big ones here. Ones that I think can act as great guideposts over the years.

Become a dedicated fan and student of the sport.
If your ultimate goal is to have your child fulfill his/her potential, you must learn as [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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