Do you remember when most all Americans, coaches included, thought ‘rondo’ meant this: Now we’re a bit more educated, but still have a long way to go on the rondo front. Today I want to introduce another topic, that of ‘checking your shoulder‘. Many have been saying that phrase quite often but, much like the rondo, […]
About Gary Kleiban
The 5 Key Player Development Components
Player development can be broken into 5 major components: The household/parent/family influence. The playing on your own influence. The pickup game influence. The structured club training influence. The personal training influence. Each taps into a piece of the puzzle. Some may be more important than others. There’s definitely overlap between each. And finally, in the end, there […]
A Huge Deficiency in the Suburban American Soccer Player
It’s well known one of the advantages players outside the US have is pickup ball. Across the globe, players of all ages from 7 year olds to adults benefit from the street game – that informal pickup culture the American player lacks. The barrio, as hispanic/latino cultures call it, is where strong mentalities, ball skills […]
January 12, Downtown LA, You’re Invited
If you’re coming to the NSCAA convention in Los Angeles (or you’re already local), we’re hosting a 3 hour meet-up just a few blocks away. Date: January 12 from 5-8pm Location: The Fine Arts Building in downtown LA. The room we’ve secured is beautiful. Bring your own beer? Forget that, we got you covered! Everyone […]
“White Boys” Can’t Play Soccer?
Hi guys, I opened up quite a bit in an interview, but that’s where John Pranjic – host of the 3four3 podcast – led me at times. I’ll be happy to engage with any of your thoughtful follow up comments, questions, ideas. Listen to the episode here. Last thing, if you appreciate the work John […]
The American Soccer Culture Problem
First, I want to applaud both Colin Cowherd and Jason Whitlock for bringing an important truth about the state of American soccer to the masses. It speaks volumes that these sports generalists call it like it is, while entrenched American soccer media doesn’t. American soccer media, hence its consumers, coddles our players. You don’t hear much […]
MLS Academies Need More, and Better, Competition
So, I’ve harped on the fact that competition in the US isn’t a good gauge of where we’re at. International competition is the barometer. As such, the past 5 years we’ve gone on international trips with a group of players to play in legitimate competitions against the best academies in the world. Full matches vs […]
The Most Undermining Phrase in American Soccer
“It’s just a game”. No, it’s not. It’s an economic market like any other. There are businesses in play, livelihoods at stake, communities to consider, and consumers that should be looked after. This is an ecosystem with real people, with real consequences, who depend on responsible governance. Clubs (independent businesses) get affected. People working with […]
LA Galaxy vs Manchester City – [U15 Full Match Video]
We love to share what matters. Going into this match, this team, our team, the LA Galaxy U14 team was undefeated with a 19-0-2 record in the US Soccer Development Academy with 101 GF and 12 GA. You rarely, if ever, see us publish or mention our domestic exploits (we could be doing it weekly), […]
Should Coaches be Siloed in Specific Age Groups? Part 2
Part 1 touched on why it makes more sense elsewhere in the world. Here in Part 2, we look at some incentives and consequences for instituting coach siloing in the American environment. An Organizational Perspective Looking at a club perspective there’s this sense that efficiencies are introduced, that it’s just simpler to have a conventional […]