There are factors beyond the individuality of players that shouldn’t go unrecognized. And this Champion’s League final offers a good backdrop for illustrating the point. Barca has the support of an entire philosophy behind them. A very clear and precise way of playing that has been engrained and rehearsed over years into oblivion. It is […]
Problems
US U-20 World Cup Qualification Failure: Who Cares?
I’m a bit late to the U20 topic, but this is not a news outlet; it is an education outlet. In case you’re not up to speed, we lost to Guatemala and were eliminated from the U20 World Cup for the first time in 8 cycles. And as with most US Soccer failures, many across […]
Requirement For Mass Player Development
There can be no player development factory without monetary incentive. First let me be clear; without competent coaches, all the money in the world will not develop a quality player. So assuming there’s a capable coach, what makes you think he will do everything in his power to develop his pupils? And I assure you, that’s […]
5 Positive Influences for US Soccer in 2010
This year has made me a bit more optimistic for the future of the US game. When compared to my sentiments in years past, this one has been by far the best. No our national teams have not shown any progress, MLS and college remain barely watchable, and our youth development is still piss poor. […]
Winning vs Soccer Development? Part II
This winning vs development argument always seems to revolve around technique. I discussed a bit in part I of this series how a coach can only go so far in technical development. But people talk over and over again about how our professional player’s lack of technique is the biggest problem. Again, we’re missing over […]
Winning vs Development: Really? That’s the problem?
I’ve said it before and will say it again: We have only just begun the discussion on what’s wrong with soccer in the States. This discussion always surfaces, and rightly so, when we flounder on the international stage. Perhaps most recently when the US women lost to a lowly Mexico side, and subsequently limped in […]
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 […]
How A High Level National Team Coach Could Influence US Soccer
While the system and philosophy of soccer in the US as a whole must change, if we had a top-shelf coach we would take a huge stride. If someone like Marcelo Bielsa (I know he’s off the table) took over … The Current National Team Pools Would be Decimated Maybe 2 or 3 guys from the […]
Thank You Ghana! You Are The Savior of US Soccer.
For anyone who is a fan of US Soccer or has a child that aspires to big things in the sport, you should say: “Thank you Ghana”. I know I made my position clear last week, but this can’t be emphasized enough. Thank the lord the US lost to Ghana on Saturday! Or in the […]
US Soccer Development Academy: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
The Academy is a step in the right direction. There’s a 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 […]