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The first issue with the large number of youth soccer clubs is intensified when players from one area are discouraged to play with players from another area for several reasons. Due to the substantial money involved with youth soccer clubs, the goal becomes a number (of players) and not soccer player development. Clubs begin to focus, not on player development, but on the number of soccer players and teams within the club. Why does this matter so much? Several reasons that include competition, money, bragging rights, growth, and/or winning. Notice that soccer player development is not one of them. Why? That’s easy, there’s no incentive for clubs to develop players. In other countries, the clubs receive money for training and developing talent, not here, so why bother. So, the ONLY way to make money in youth soccer is to recruit as many soccer players as possible and charge as much as possible, and yes parents will pay thousands of dollars just so their kid can kick a soccer ball.

While soccer clubs are fighting over players, the soccer coaches take sides and that leads us to the second issue with the large number of youth soccer clubs in the US. One club will have 3 talented top tier soccer coaches, while another will have another 2 good ones, and the other soccer club another 3-4. Some of the best soccer coaches are the soccer club technical directors or the club’s director of coaching. However, each soccer club will have one of these, so in a good size city with 5-6 youth soccer clubs, those good coaches will be divided up into 3-4 top soccer clubs. This leaves many clubs with good soccer teams without qualified soccer coaches.

The goal of a soccer community should be to have all the best coaches in one or two clubs, with the best soccer players going to those clubs so that they can get the best coaching, competition, and training in the area. I know that US Soccer has tried with the DA, but that’s just another made up name for the same league, same coaches, same players, HIGHER PRICE. Same goes for MRL and whatever name they come up with next so they can charge even higher prices. So, what is stopping the clubs from getting together? Money, greed, politics, and stubbornness. The thing that puzzles me is that most of the clubs are “non-profit” and are supposed to be set up to HELP player development, but instead are directly hindering the development of these youth soccer players.
The other issue is parents are almost clueless. The majority of parents will throw money at “training” they think is a magic pill for little Johnny to make it big. Here’s a little secret…… clubs, coaches, and leagues don’t make players. It’s a mixture of DNA, environment, and psychology. More on that later.

I think the solution to this problem is the soccer community coming together and identifying a soccer club that will be the top tier club in the area. The rest of the clubs can support that club and send players and coaches to the club. Those clubs on the lower tier would get compensated for sending players and/or coaches to the top tier club. This way the “lower tier” clubs can continue recruiting and developing youth soccer players, but never hoarding them, as they will move on to the top tier club eventually. That’s how it works in other countries.

In Spain, a small club in Barcelona competes with Barca, but they also are extremely proud and delighted when one of their players makes the Barca academy! Why shouldn’t they be? They were part of that player’s development and now they have a chance to someday play professional soccer. The child is now on a path to professional soccer. Barca has all the resources to help that player, great coaching, the finest soccer fields, a great environment, professional training (and I mean professional), great players, culture, and as I stated before, a clear path to the pros.

So, what if each soccer community could pool their resources and put one soccer club together with the best of everything soccer that community has to offer? I think we would be much more efficient in soccer player development and the ones that would benefit the most from this are the kids and US Soccer. Shouldn’t that be the goal anyway? If we shared the responsibility of training and developing soccer players, we could celebrate the accomplishments of every single youth soccer player we develop as a community of soccer clubs, coaches, and parents. We could also dramatically lower the cost of playing soccer, which would open the doors to even more youth soccer players.
Let me know your thoughts below.

The post How the large number of youth soccer clubs impacts youth soccer player development appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

courtesy https://www.facebook.com/liviubird Playing the Seattle Sounders

Sport’s Illustrated’s Liviu Bird stops by to discuss a controversial topic regarding soccer player development that many people don’t know about. Known to many as the “solidarity mechanism”, this FIFA policy allows clubs to be compensated for developing players. The controversy is over whether or not US clubs will be compensated. At this no US clubs are compensated for developing players. Please read this article first Crossfire VS MLS. You will then want to follow up and read the second article here. The stakeholders involved in this controversy are very prominent, the Crossfire Youth Soccer Club, DeAndre Yedlin (by no fault of his own), USSF, MLS, and FIFA.

Definitions:

Training compensation – designed to reimburse clubs for money spent to develop pro players. Crossfire is NOT looking for any compensation through this rule.

Solidarity Mechanism – to incentivize player development – promote grassroots and reward youth clubs for doing a great job.

But before we discuss his article, we get into Liviu’s own soccer player development experience. Liviu will discuss how his parents were always involved with his playing and development. They pushed him but always supported him.

He discusses how he grew up playing on the streets of Romania. How kids improvised and made goals on the street.

Liviu discusses how he just started playing goalie during Recreational soccer. At 16 yrs old he started to specialize in goalie. He feels that it was important that he played on the field before that as 60-70% of a goalie’s involvement is with their feet.

Liviu also discuss the importance of goalies being able to read the game and how it can impact the outcome of matches.

Free Play days, are those still too organized? or do we still have too much control? Why it’s so important to play with friends, siblings, and family.

LINKS

Learn More about Liviu Bird: http://www.si.com/author/liviu-bird

https://twitter.com/liviubird

https://www.facebook.com/liviubird?_rdr=p

First article on Solidarity: http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2015/06/29/us-soccer-youth-club-compensation-crossfire-deandre-yedlin-mls-fifa

Follow up article, response by FIFA: http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2015/07/21/fifa-crossfire-us-soccer-mls-youth-training-compensation-solidarity

If you like the show, please consider giving us a review on iTunes

The post Solidarity Mechanism’s Impact on Soccer Player Development with Liviu Bird from Sports Illustrated appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

What an awesome opportunity to host Santino Quaranta a former USA U17, U20, and Men’s National Team member. Santino did not hold anything back. He really went deep into his journey and shared with us the important things that helped him succeed. Santino Quaranta grew up in the streets of Baltimore, Maryland. Those same streets are the foundation that helped build a tenacious soccer player. Santino credits those streets with helping him develop the skills to excel at the next level. He also praises his father and uncle whom he looked up to growing up.

Santino Quaranta shared several stories regarding his player development years. From playing small sided games on the streets of Baltimore until sundown, to playing with some of the nation’s top players at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FLA. His development continued throughout his career as he played alongside and against some top international players.

One of the things that stuck out most to me was the environment that Santino keeps mentioning. How his mother has stated that he started playing soccer when he could walk, it was part of his Italian roots. Santino was emulating his father and uncle whom also played. Those streets of Baltimore created many elite players, and Santino thinks that it was due to all those games they played on the street. He learned how to play against older kids. Winning didn’t matter there, it was all fun. What they didn’t realize was that all the fun was creating elite talent.

I hope you enjoy this great interview, it’s not everyday we get to learn from National team players.

Links

http://pipelinesoccerclub.com/ – Santino is a founding member of the Pipeline Soccer Club

Twitter –    @santinoquaranta                  @PipelineSC

The post From Street Soccer to IMG Academy to MLS and USA Men’s National Soccer, Santino Quaranta discusses his soccer Journey appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

Jazmin Cardoso, courtesy www.gomason.com

In episode 23 I am joined by my incredible and inspirational cousin, Jazmin Cardoso. Jazmin will discuss how the soccer culture and environment around her shaped her development. Jazmin is a gifted soccer player with an infectious smile and personality. During the podcast Jazmin takes us on her journey which began by imulating her older brother that played soccer with his friends. Because she was younger and couldn’t play yet with the boys, she would juggle a ball on the sideline. At 7 years old Jazmin immigrated to the United States and began playing soccer with neighborhood boys. Eventually her brother and cousin noticed her passion and ability and signed her up for a recreational league.

At only 9 years old her talent was seen by several parents that had children playing at a local club. They quickly convinced Jazmin to play on their team. From that moment, Jazmin took the local soccer scene in Harrisonburg, VA by the horns. She quickly set out to break records and take her high school to new levels, and eventually landing at George Mason University. Today we get a chance to examine the journey and path that took Jazmin Cardoso from a little girl dribbling on the sidelines, to leading D-I college soccer programs and getting call ups from the Mexican National team.

Jazmin discussed how she fell in love with soccer and recalls watching the world cup with her brother. She saw the passion he had for the game and it quickly grew on her. The culture and environment that surrounded her would shape her view of soccer forever.

Jazmin developed not only by practicing with a team, but also playing with friends. She discussed how she would go play with friends outside formal training hours and even after youth soccer games. It was never over.

Even though Jazmin never had “professional” training, she was already ahead of other girls in the club who had been training under coaches. This demonstrates the power of Free Play. She credits the hours of free play for developing her into a creative player on the field.

Jazmin Cardoso (in white)
Courtesy www.gomason.com

Jazmin discussed a very important topic regarding player development. The decision to specialize. She explained that she spent most of her time playing soccer, which she was more committed to, but also played other sports like volleyball. She never viewed the thousands of hours she played soccer as “specializing” because she loved doing it and it wasn’t always training with coaches. She explained that she loved playing so much, she would go play pickup games after playing travel games.

One of her lowest points in soccer was after leaving New Mexico State, she had to sit out a year. Going into her junior year she was not playing as well. For the first time in her life she was sitting on the bench. She discussed her feelings and how she overcame that obstacle through perseverance.

Jazmin was asked how she would improve her player development if she was 5 years old again. She stated that she would do the same, go play outside, get as many touches on the ball as possible, watch games, and try new things to make mistakes and learn from them. What a great answer.

Links

Jazmin’s bio at New Mexico State http://www.nmstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=1900&ATCLID=204773086

Jazmin’s bio at George Mason University http://www.gomason.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=25200&ATCLID=205056141

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Colorado Rapids Senior Director of Player Development, Brian Crookham Photo Courtesy of Garrett Ellwood.

The Interview with Brian Crookham

What an amazing interview that offered not only player development insight, but also some behind the scenes of MLS and the Colorado Rapids’ preparation as they begin their 2015 season. Brian Crookham was first referred by a listener of the Podcast. I appreciate all of you tuning in and listening and I especially appreciate those of you who write and engage with me to make YSE even better. This is truly turning into what I had hoped for, an educated soccer community that is larger than any one single entity.

Brian Crookham also takes us on his player development journey and discusses how things have changed since his playing days. A young man from Jenks, Oklahoma, Brian Crookham went the soccer route. He recalls being exposed to small sided games in the late 80s and early 90s and how it changed his view on Player Development.

Brian then takes us behind the scenes of the Colorado Rapids Player Development system and discusses how resources are allocated in order to ensure that the curriculum is being implemented correctly, which is no easy task. The Colorado Rapids Player Development Pyramid which is used to enhance the visual of what the Rapids are doing with all of their programs. It’s very inclusive with pathways for each player regardless of their potential. At this time the Colorado Rapids Player Development system serves over 12,000 kids.

Learn the role Brian Crookham plays in coordinating all the programs within the Rapids Soccer Development Program.
Adidas Alliance partners – Group of clubs that have a Commitment to creating an environment where players can reach their potential.

Brian Crookham gave some great advice for parents and coaches: you must be Committed to the process and not necessarily the outcome. Do not be short term outcome based.
Winning is not bad, but you should win through the process. Buy into the process!!

Then he leaves us with this statement, which I LOVED!
“There is not one coach that can walk in and make a player a pro, but every one has the ability to limit a player”. And that includes coaches and parents! We cannot guarantee that they will be a professional player, but we can help them be prepared in case they reach that level.

For the future, Brian’s vision is that we must have clear pathways for players, a process, information for players, parents, and coaches. The more programs that buy into the holistic approach, the better off we will be. We need to limit the costs associated with player development.

Finally, how would Brian Crookham go about developing a 5 yr old?
The child would need an environment where he would enjoy soccer, “me and the ball”, then check where I am. Start with motor skills.
Later focus on soccer skills, then worry about understanding the game, making decisions. Then learn to compete and learn to function in a competitive environment. After that, enjoyment comes from practice.

Thank you so much for your time Brian!

Links
http://www.coloradorapids.com/youth/staff Learn more about Brian Crookham

http://www.coloradorapids.com/youth Learn more about the Colorado Rapids Program

Follow Brian Crookham on Twitter

Receive a 60 FREE TRIAL with MyTeamSpot for our listeners only, when you use promo code YSE60. Improve your communication with players and parents, share videos and photos, update schedules, and focus on player development!!!!

RECEIVE TWO FREE AUDIO BOOKS

Thank you so much for supporting our podcast, if there is anything I can do to help, please let me know. Thank you.

The post Colorado Rapids Director of Soccer Development, Brian Crookham appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

” I think helping people understand that soccer players can benefit from playing futsal is good but what is even better is that some players will be even better futsal players than they ever will be soccer players and when people see these guys in full flow they will excite spectators and grow your audience”

This is something we need to start advocating now that we have a US Youth Futsal National Team and a Professional Futsal League. As Futsal educators and advocates, we should not only think about improving the soccer player, but WE need to start thinking about developing the next Futsal player. We have a new goal and that goal is aligned with what we are already trying to do, develop futsal players for the future.

So from now on, not only will I educate parents on how futsal can enhance the skills of a soccer player, but that your son or daughter may one day become an excellent Futsal player, and there is nothing wrong with that. As a matter of fact it should be celebrated. Futsal players are no joke and are admired Futsal players around the world. Falcao and Ricardinho are just two of the best. Speaking of Ricardinho, I am working on a post about his development. Ricardinho tried out for soccer clubs as a kid, he was told by a soccer coach that he was too small to play soccer. He thought he would never play soccer again. A coach saw him playing and asked him to join their futsal team. In 2010 he won the Futsal Player of the Year award, more on that later. This happens to thousands of kids here in the US. Since the majority of coaches are in the “win at all costs” bandwagon, the smaller “weaker” players are pushed to the side. But now we can offer them Futsal! and just like Ricardinho, they will have an opportunity to continue their love for soccer and futsal. Futsal welcomes every player, big or small. The advantages of size in Futsal are very few (you can always use that big Pivo or Fixo). Now the smaller technically gifted players neglected by soccer coaches will have a Futsal coach waiting for them with open arms. And they will be given the ball and the crowd will request creativity.

Parents, coaches, and clubs need to understand that Futsal should no longer be viewed as only a tool to enhance the skills and development of a soccer player, but as a sport that will produce its own brilliant players. We as coaches and parents need to recognize that and give the opportunity to the kids to develop as futsal players if they choose to go that route. We should be taking the approach of Spain and Brazil by letting the kids start out with futsal and then allowing them to progress to the outdoor game. This will improve their development tremendously for numerous reasons, including the fact that they won’t be playing 7 v 7 when they are only 8 years old. The fact that the US has so much land for soccer fields is actually a curse when you look at it through a soccer player development perspective. Because we have the real estate to build soccer fields all over the place, we think that every child should be playing on a regular size field. So just by introducing the kids to futsal at an early age, the soccer player development process will be improved. Futsal is not going anywhere, the quicker that coaches and parents realize that, the quicker we can progress and start developing players. Youth Futsal leagues are popping up everywhere and as Keith Tozer said, we have the most futsal courts in the entire world (we have 2-3 gyms in every school). The future looks bright for Futsal and Futsal players around the globe.

What are your thoughts about the US developing a world class futsal player? can it be done? or Will we find coaches to stunt their growth?

The post Soccer development shouldn’t be the ONLY goal for Futsal players appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

Mike Jacobs, USLPROSOCCER.com

Mike jacobs is the current president of the NSCAA and the USL vice president of developmental properties. He is also an author and at one time was the youngest coach in Division I soccer. Mike has given so much of his time to soccer development in US, he is a true pioneer, and continues to blaze trails and improve the development of players and the system in the US. It’s clear from speaking with Mike that he has a true passion for the sport and the development of players, coaches, and organizations.

We were lucky to get Mike on the show as he was busy with USL and getting prepared to take on the presidency of the NSCAA. We did discussed a little about the 2015 convention, which took place in Philadelphia. Make sure to follow the link and visit nscaa.com for information on the 2016 Convention. You can also find a ton of resources on the website. It’s available every year, and it appears that it just keeps getting better and better. I actually met our first guest ever on the show, Ted Kroeten, through the NSCAA. So if you don’t know what it is yet, definitely go to the website and check out all of their resources to improve your coaching and understanding of the game.

Other Key Points We Learned 

Starting kids too early, with regiment sessions can have a negative impact on kids. They may end up losing level of enthusiasm.
Mike feels that kids should be enjoying themselves when they are playing at the very young ages such as 5-7. He discussed how Landon Donavon grew up playing AYSO and his fond memories about those years. We want the kids to come back the next day and next year. That’s what coaches of young players should focus on, the love of the game.

To help young children love the game of soccer, Mike felt that you should create a setting for them to love the game. Get as many 1 to 1 ball to kid ratio as possible. Mike felt that his parents fostered and encouraged him as a child and he hopes parents will do that with their own kids. Don’t push them too early into agility and speed training. Get them to love the game first. He brought up a great point about kids that love the game more at 9 will be better when they are 15. The kids that are being pushed too early will burn out. So be cautious and don’t start pushing kids into something they don’t enjoy. Let them fall in love and they will want to play and improve on their own.

Exciting time for Soccer in America
Mike also discussed how exciting it is to be involved with Soccer at the moment. The professional level continues to gain strength, there is more growth than ever. USL’s affiliation with MLS has given rise to “farm systems” (like in baseball). Galaxy started their own USL Pro team with the Galaxy Sol. Several teams have followed or affiliated with other USL Pro teams. The “pipeline” has created a true pathway to professional soccer in the US. It also gives players the opportunity to play with the 1st team in the MLS. The “pathway” is not complete yet, but it’s another step in that direction. Once the academies are formed, it will give more players an opportunity to develop and create a true player development pyramid.

LINKS

southampton video discussed during the show

http://www.uslsoccer.com/

NSCAA – resource for coaches and parents of players

http://www.littleleagueparentsgonewild.com this is Mike’s new website, check it out and let him know what you think.

Follow Mike on Twitter
@jacobs_usl #pathtopro

If you have questions, comments, please share with us at ernesto@youthsoccerevolution.com
you can also like our Facebook group at the top of the page.

The post YSE 16: Creating the pathway to professional soccer with Mike Jacobs, NSCAA President and USL PRO Vice President appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

Mark O Sullivan

In YSE 14 we welcome Mark O Sullivan from www.FootBlogBall.wordpress.com.  Mark holds a EUFA A License. Mark recently wrote an article titled “Development Model or The Emperor’s New Clothes“. In the article which you can read here, Mark brought great insight and analysis into the difference between Content vs Model in a soccer club model. One model he uses as an example is the LTAD model which is used by different clubs around the world, most notably in the UK and Canada. (Before this podcast episode, I had reached out to Chris Murphy from Coastal FC in Canada to discuss this model. I am currently trying to work out a time to discuss the model further so we can learn more about it and its benefits).

Some of the other things you’ll learn from this episode:

Mark explained that he grew up playing on the street, nothing organized until 9 or 10 years old. Not sure how it happened, but someone always had a ball, just like in many neighborhoods across Europe. Mark also gave us some insight into his coach, who either “had an amazing knowledge of the game or very little”.

Something very interesting was his take on technique, which he thinks he learned on the streets, he would see it on TV, it helped him and his friends create a great imagination. They commentated on their own games, had a great time with their imagination. They watched what the pros did and imitated them. That’s how he learned to play with both feet. There was so much variability during the games on the streets.

Take Aways:

-structure must be from child’s perspective to maximize learning

-we know what is good for kids, but implement it for adults, this has to change

-Hard skills (easy to measure) vs soft skills and why many kids get overlooked due to size.

-Development model on a home page, don’t let your club do this!

-make it as fun as possible for the kids

Links:

https://footblogball.wordpress.com/2014/10/30/development-model-or-the-emperors-new-clothes/

Mark’s Follow up article “Turn the Curriculum on its head: Coaching in Context”.

The post YSE: 14: Content vs Model, Soccer Club and Academy Development Model Analysis with Mark O sullivan appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

Courtesy Mlive.com

For Episode 13 of the YSE Podcast we had the privilege of speaking to Martin Blanc.
Martin is a recent graduate of the prestigious Kalamazoo College, a private school located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he played four years of collegiate soccer. Martin brings us a unique point of view of American Soccer training and development. Martin was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and moved to the United States at the age of 13 years old. He credits much of his development to the environment where he grew up, and states that his unique style of play comes from the streets. A former coach of Martin, Mr. Dustin Snyder, once described Martin as “a unique player with the Latin flair”. He is a pleasure to play with, against, and watch play.

Martin offers us so many incredible stories about his upbringing in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He describes the environment and recalls being a kid in his backyard, trying to emulate the greats from his hometown such as Pablo Aimar and Javier Saviola. According to Martin, there was not a whole lot of coaching going on, but there was some from his father and some relatives.

He credits his technical ability to playing Papi Futbol in Argentina, on the streets of Buenos Aires. Papi Futbol is a 5 a-side game played by all youth in Argentina. He recalls playing soccer with a flattened juice box because balls were not allowed during recess. He also spent time juggling an empty water bottle with friends. He described how the political unrest in Buenos Aires, which caused several strikes by teachers at the school, sent him to play on the streets. School would be canceled each time there was a strike, instead of wasting the day, Martin and his friends took advantage of the day off from school and would go rent a field to play the entire day.

Martin describes his transition from Papi futbol, which is 5-a-side to full 11 v 11 when he was 14 years old in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He also gives us his advice on why players should prepare themselves physically when they start getting older and playing at higher levels.

Martin also credits watching soccer on television with his father and even today as a tool to continue learning. He explains the difference between deliberate practice and playing for the love of the game. If you play for the love of the game, deliberate practice will be a game once you get older.

During the podcast, Martin will also share some of the issues with making into a professional youth academy in countries like Argentina. He recalls a specific, but unfortunate, incident during his tryout at 12 years old with Argentinos Juniors. Although Martin made the squad there were a few issues with what he was facing.

Martin’s #1 most important advice that he gives players, coaches, and parents today is to let the kids have fun. Once the child is in love with the game, they will find the desire within to get better. The child will play soccer for fun and improve their skills without realizing that. This is what Ted Kroeten refers to in his interview, the intrinsic learning.

Martin offered his email for anyone that wants to reach out to him, to discuss futbol, papi futbol, or any questions about Argentinian soccer. Martin can be reached at martinblanc10@gmail.com

If you like this story and podcast, please consider sharing it with friends and soccer fans on twitter or facebook!

The post YSE 13: Soccer and Papi Futbol in Argentina with Martin Blanc appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.