Westwood, CA – Made the 45 minute journey on a free Sunday afternoon to catch the Bruins-Lions. From a soccer standpoint it was a disappointing 90 minutes. However, I got to see the only player on the 3four3 watch list that I had never seen. It was well worth the trip. Kelyn Rowe is a […]
Elite
A Letter to Our Players
We have several recently turned 20 year-olds from our first ever boys team that have true professional-level quality. Years ago, I predicted with 100% certainty that one kid in particular would go all the way. I actually have standing bets with people on this (most notable are $500 on one, and a lobster dinner every […]
College Soccer Recruiting: On Being A Player Advocate
On a lighter note, here’s a post offering some behind-the-scenes insight. The following is our original email sent to the University of North Carolina, arguably the nation’s most prestigious women’s program. I’m sharing this now that our girls team (our first and likely last) has aged out. Hello Chris and UNC Staff, I am writing […]
Apparently Clint Dempsey is World Class. Who Knew?
First, let’s get something out of the way; Dempsey is a quality player. He is one of the few worthy of representing our country. He has a good touch, a good brain, and is highly valuable to his club. But World Class? I know we want one of these badly, but people are reaching and […]
American Invited to Join La Masia
This will go down as a mark in US Soccer history. Ben Lederman, a U-11, has been invited to join FC Barcelona’s youth Academy. He started his trial with the famed academy on April 11, 2011 and just 4 training sessions later, the Director of all 7 v 7 at the club, Andres Carrasco, had […]
Is It Difficult to Identify Elite Soccer Players?
After I published the US needs a high level coach, a great discussion ensued in the comments. Today I want to focus on a particular topic that arose. Specifically, is it difficult to identify an elite player? And if so, why? The answer is quite involved, but I will offer a good starting point. At […]
The Best of UCSB and Creighton Soccer – Who Should be in the 2011 MLS Draft?
I was in Santa Barbara Tuesday night where 24th ranked Creighton defeated 21st ranked UCSB, 1-0. It was a typical college soccer game that relies on physical play and an abuse of long balls – no pauses or build-ups in possession. So I’m only writing this to report on who is ready for the next […]
Moises Orozco Must Go Pro!
So I took a drive to the Home Depot Center today where the US Development Academy Finals are being held. Specifically, I went to watch Real So Cal vs Concorde Fire. My objective was to identify if there were any elite players. One of 3four3’s missions is to scout and promote the absolute cream. In […]
Who Says The US Doesn’t Have Quality Soccer Players? [Video]
Here’s our U-19s doing a one-touch warmup before last Monday’s National Cup game. It is 7 v 7 with 2 neutrals (in blue). The dimensions of the grid are roughly 32 x 20 yards (about 1/10 a soccer field). If you can’t see the video, click here. Things To Keep in Mind This was only […]
US National Team U20s: Dallas Cup Report
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 […]