The following video is split in half. One half is conducive to high-level development, the other isn’t. One half is 1 in a 1000 in our country, the other is the norm. If you find yourself nitpicking and making arguments otherwise, it’s highly likely you are THE problem. The eternal question of course, is how […]
Philosophy
Why “Developing All Players to Their Potential” is a Lie
You can not be all things to all people. You have to pick. Let’s consider you have a single roster that you get to work with for a certain number of hours per week. I think we can all agree this roster is comprised of players with unique qualities and varying levels of talent (or […]
Stop Playing Up! Start Playing down.
Let’s suppose that a coach would like his team to consistently execute deliberately orchestrated possession-centered, attacking, attractive, and winning soccer during matches. But it’s just not happening. Here are the two main possibilities: 1) The players are not at the level of competition. This is the most cited reason. And it’s most often not true. […]
Coaching Defined – The 3 Key Elements
What gets us in trouble is that anyone, absolutely anyone, can be a “coach”. Everyone’s got thoughts and a narrative about the game. And no matter how ill-developed, incoherent, or superficial they may be, that falls into the philosophy bucket. Everyone’s got activities. And everyone can take a player, or two, or 22, and […]
Chivas USA is a Lemon
In case you don’t follow us on Twitter or Facebook, we were in St. Louis, Ft. Lauderdale, and Indianapolis last week for the MAC Hermann award, MLS combine, and MLS superdraft, respectively. The most worthwhile thing to mention from the combine and draft is the comportment of Chivas USA. I think it’s safe to assume […]
Jose Mourinho Documentary
Because what we stand for is genuine passion, and the genuine pursuit and study of excellence. This is a man with the courage to expose his humanity. To expose his inner self even if it transcends what others have outlined as acceptable. And that not only makes him remarkable, but I believe is the enormous […]
Map to the Gold Standard (version 1) Infographic
This is going to be an iterative process. Here’s the base version containing fundamental requirements.
It’s Time for Some Tough Love Again
Gary, let’s ‘move on’ already. What is all this crap you’re writing? Start telling me / showing me, how to do ‘it’. You’re repeating yourself. Ok guys, I hear you. Ever consider the possibility that I’m doing exactly what I should be doing? Ever considered that these so-called ‘repetitive’ posts are crucial? Think about this: […]
Influence! Are You Making A Difference?
I believe anyone can make a difference. But here we encounter the usual problem of language. Why? Well, because words break! They ALL do, if driven hard enough. Do you make a difference? Depends on what you mean by difference, doesn’t it? The Problem The fact that words can be made to break, is at […]
I Opened 101 Soccer Fortune Cookies For You
One fortune cookie after another – in my brain – was just cracked open and its contents written down. Totally free-flowed and not second guessed. Winning is important. Possession is the optimal, if not the only, way to develop a player to their potential. Possession significantly increases your chances of winning consistently at all levels […]