Big,Fast and Aggressive vs. Skilled

Xara wrote:It's the FSA girls that ultimately excell - fast, skilled, and aggressive - in that order. Size gets very watered down in the teenage years as females tend to peak out in height but grow outward in proportions. The Amazonian types that do reach into the 6 feet plus range usually do not end up as soccer players; they will be on the basketball or volleyball teams. Sure, all other things being equal, a girl that is BFSA is the ultimate soccer competitor... but those are extremely rare after age 14. Being big is not always an advantage in soccer since it virtually always drags on a player's speed, and even basic good defensive technique can stop the taller player. Skill can be similarly thwarted, especially when a well-timed hit is regularly thrown in. Aggressiveness is all good and fine but select soccer is loaded with such players. Speed? Speed is paramount. A player can do what she can to adjust for the speed of an opponent, but she can't trump it unless equally fast. Speed is king, especially once the vertical growth becomes horizontal.

Not that any of this is such a huge (pun intended) issue anyway. One can dwell on his or her own daughter's strengths and weaknesses until she's 18 and packing up to go to college. What is the best case end result? That she'll get a college scholarship that won't come close to paying back the time and money spent on select soccer? That she'll have a full-time job playing in college, regularly miss classes, constantly be injured, and likely date her teammates? Or what if she does go onto play in the Olympics? Then what? Sure, it makes for great memories, but the average American could maybe name 3 women who have ever played soccer in the Olympics/WNT. After that, even these athletes have to get real jobs. I just don't get the hyper focus of constantly searching for that smallest detail that may (but probably will not) make your your little science experiment the next great athlete of the world. If that's the goal, get the kids on steroids and be done with it. Statistics show that the majority will either quit the sport or get around $3000 if they do play in college.

Xara - I agree, and I think you kind of emphasized my point. The "Big" really doesn't matter after age 13 or so...skill becomes paramount. However, in academy and the first few years of LHGCL, big is paramount. When the "big" leaves, and the "skill" comes back, how many years have the "skill" been without top-notch coaching or competition? Did the next Mia decide to go play another sport because she is "too small" for top level soccer?

I will say if your kid plays soccer because they think they will "get" something out of it then they will never make it anywhere anyway. They should be playing because it is what they love to do. But I will put this exact same train of thought into other areas

Most kids in the US will not go to college. About half of those that do will fail to complete it. Of those lucky enough to spend the money and time and effort to graduate they will recieve a starting salary of about 46k (national average) assuming they actually manage to find a job. So in the end why worry about all this highschool stuff, and SAT's because statistics show most will not make it.

Why is sports different. Do what you love to do and do it the absolute best that you can

10sDad wrote:

Xara wrote:It's the FSA girls that ultimately excell - fast, skilled, and aggressive - in that order. Size gets very watered down in the teenage years as females tend to peak out in height but grow outward in proportions. The Amazonian types that do reach into the 6 feet plus range usually do not end up as soccer players; they will be on the basketball or volleyball teams. Sure, all other things being equal, a girl that is BFSA is the ultimate soccer competitor... but those are extremely rare after age 14. Being big is not always an advantage in soccer since it virtually always drags on a player's speed, and even basic good defensive technique can stop the taller player. Skill can be similarly thwarted, especially when a well-timed hit is regularly thrown in. Aggressiveness is all good and fine but select soccer is loaded with such players. Speed? Speed is paramount. A player can do what she can to adjust for the speed of an opponent, but she can't trump it unless equally fast. Speed is king, especially once the vertical growth becomes horizontal.

Not that any of this is such a huge (pun intended) issue anyway. One can dwell on his or her own daughter's strengths and weaknesses until she's 18 and packing up to go to college. What is the best case end result? That she'll get a college scholarship that won't come close to paying back the time and money spent on select soccer? That she'll have a full-time job playing in college, regularly miss classes, constantly be injured, and likely date her teammates? Or what if she does go onto play in the Olympics? Then what? Sure, it makes for great memories, but the average American could maybe name 3 women who have ever played soccer in the Olympics/WNT. After that, even these athletes have to get real jobs. I just don't get the hyper focus of constantly searching for that smallest detail that may (but probably will not) make your your little science experiment the next great athlete of the world. If that's the goal, get the kids on steroids and be done with it. Statistics show that the majority will either quit the sport or get around $3000 if they do play in college.

Xara - I agree, and I think you kind of emphasized my point. The "Big" really doesn't matter after age 13 or so...skill becomes paramount. However, in academy and the first few years of LHGCL, big is paramount. When the "big" leaves, and the "skill" comes back, how many years have the "skill" been without top-notch coaching or competition? Did the next Mia decide to go play another sport because she is "too small" for top level soccer?

10s I think you missed Xara's key point. Big has little to do with it. Speed is king.

I agree with him/her/it...100%.

I also think it's largely myth that there are tons of hyper-skilled girls who happen to be small and are getting passed over for top coaching. If their skill is great enough that they play and process the game with speed, they are sought out by coaches. If they can juggle 500, but do everything slow as molasses in game situations, they aren't.

Look at rosters on top teams - very few are stacked with giants. In fact very few have any giants at all unless those giants have outright speed, speed of thought, or speed of play. Height helps at center back, holding mid, and possibly target forward depending on the style of play. Just about everywhere else it's a liability for girls because they don't typically have the muscle mass to move those longer limbs around at same speed as smaller players.

maddad02 wrote:A little food for thought...

Arguably the three greatest to ever play the game:
Pele - 5'8"
Messi - 5'7"
Maradona - 5'5"

It's only my opinion, but I've always maintained that whether big or small, short or tall, it's the size of a child's heart that ultimately guides them to success.

Common demoninator for all three is not only their skill, but extraordinary balance and off the charts quickness/agility/acceleration over 5 to 15 yards.

I'm sure tons of pros have heart, but those guys were all phenom level athletes.

3-4-3 wrote:

10s I think you missed Xara's key point. Big has little to do with it. Speed is king.

I agree with him/her/it...100%.

I also think it's largely myth that there are tons of hyper-skilled girls who happen to be small and are getting passed over for top coaching. If their skill is great enough that they play and process the game with speed, they are sought out by coaches. If they can juggle 500, but do everything slow as molasses in game situations, they aren't.

Look at rosters on top teams - very few are stacked with giants. In fact very few have any giants at all unless those giants have outright speed, speed of thought, or speed of play. Height helps at center back, holding mid, and possibly target forward depending on the style of play. Just about everywhere else it's a liability for girls because they don't typically have the muscle mass to move those longer limbs around at same speed as smaller players.

More trying to be a bit provocative and incite the discussion. The question is this: Do smaller skilled players get passed over in favor of size and speed? Yes, speed is important, and so is quickness and agility (long legs are faster over distance, short legs are quicker in tight confines). Skills can be taught, talent and desire not so much. Is it better to attempt to teach a BFA skills, even though the talent and desire you require may be in a smaller player?

There is no answer to this question...each situation is different. There is no black and white rule or anything that can or even should be proposed. Its just a question of whether winning now means putting potential future stars at a disadvantage.

The top teams will earn a spot in D1...then slowly over time, the smaller, talented ones with the desire will move up as some of the purely physical players leave. The top teams will remain the top teams, but the personnel will change.

3-4-3 wrote:

maddad02 wrote:A little food for thought...

Arguably the three greatest to ever play the game:
Pele - 5'8"
Messi - 5'7"
Maradona - 5'5"

It's only my opinion, but I've always maintained that whether big or small, short or tall, it's the size of a child's heart that ultimately guides them to success.

Common demoninator for all three is not only their skill, but extraordinary balance and off the charts quickness/agility/acceleration over 5 to 15 yards.

I'm sure tons of pros have heart, but those guys were all phenom level athletes.

3-4-3 I was responding to the OP where the benefit of size is concerned. My only point being those three are wonderful examples that one doesn't need to be physically gifted with great size in order to achieve greatness.

I really think only 1 would have made it thru NTX and thats pele. The other 2 would have been 2 small and unprotected by officiating. They would have never made it onto competative teams or recieved top level training and never would have developed in Messi or Maradonna. Everybody loves those players and pronounce their obvious genius now that it developed and proven. The difference is in those place they are not shun out of the game before they develop.

I think a big issue is "coaches hubris" (patent pending) The coaches believe that with my coaching I can turn this kid into a player. Where others are often looking for kids that have the base trait and then train them. So one takes an athlete and tries to train him into a soccer player. The other finds a soccer athlete and trains him to be a soccer player.

Thats why so many of the top teams are really big here. Coaches aren't blind to the lack of skill they just believe they can teach the kid touch. So many coaches talk about all the talent they develop. My favorite being that guy only recruits we develop players. Talent is born, discovered. It can be trained but it is not created by a coach.

Big and aggressive!!!


IBRAH!!!!

Speaking as one who has a DD that is in the shorter category, I can say that stride for stride, she can out distance most players. (She ran a mile and a half in 8.37 at school). If she relied only on speed to get her through each game though, she would only be a 1/3 player. It doesn't matter if a player has a huge physique or a small one. Size or speed alone cannot make one a great player. I have seen many girls who are tall struggle with an ungainly run because they haven't grown into their legs. I have seen many smaller ones get run over or play in fear of larger players.

I think it does go back to heart and a willingness to actually learn the game. Skills, speed, size can only take a player so far. I also agree that there are many, many coaches out there who essentially crop shop and recruit pre-trained players because they won't or don't take the time to train them themselves.

As to the argument of which size wins, my DD doesn't let a big player intimidate her on the field. Many smaller players are like that. My DD once said, "the only difference in battling for the ball with a big player versus a smaller one is that I can kick the ball better through the legs of a tall girl, besides if the whole team is tall, it is harder to see me."

To me size is not an issue, it is how the DD plays the game. If she plays to intimidate and knock players around then she will never progress beyond the rock em sock em robot play. If she uses her size and speed with sound skills and a good brain then she would be a once in a blue moon athlete that all coaches would want.

10sDad wrote:

The top teams will earn a spot in D1...then slowly over time, the smaller, talented ones with the desire will move up as some of the purely physical players leave. The top teams will remain the top teams, but the personnel will change.

It's a provocative question. And I agree 100% with what I bolded because this is precisely what happens. Size is relevant, but not much. I can rattle off a list of sought after players in my DD's age group that are among the smallest on their teams. Being the contrarian that I am, I come to a different conclusion though.

It's the FA players who are being short changed, and the result is u.s. soccer mediocrity. The FA players get ID'd early based on their physical attributes, but the focus is winning at early ages so in large part they are not developed technically. The truly stud athletes move on to higher profile sports as they get older when their less athletically gifted, but harder working and more soccer focused peers end up becoming more effective soccer players.

The result is the majority of technical players we spit out are mediocre athletes, and we produce FEW technically outstanding players who are also outstanding athletes.

I think it's a bigger issue on the boys side than girls, but it's there. I just don't think size is an issue other than tendency to mistake early maturation for athletic potential. Everyone is wanting to copy Barcelona these days anyway. The problem to me is more about the coaching emphasis to which the most talented youth players are exposed throughout their development years.

IMO few of the exceptional athletes become complete players because all they were asked to do at youth levels was play foward and run past people to score goals, or play sweeper and chase down the other team's athletes and kick it out of bounds. An exaggeration of course but not by much. How often do you see the fastest, most dangerous ATHLETE on a team trained up as a center mid (unless it's the coaches DD).

Meanwhile the overlooked youth player gets to actually learn the game because they're taught by coaches who have to teach what they know of real soccer to have any chance at long term results. Many of THEM win the war of attrition when the athletically gifted youth stars drop from the pool.

Of course these are gross generalizations, and I do have tremendous respect for the handful of coaches I've watched take great athletes over the years and develop them as complete players. Those coaches sacrifice some results for the sake of developing their own. They are few and far between.

go99 wrote:I really think only 1 would have made it thru NTX and thats pele. The other 2 would have been 2 small and unprotected by officiating. They would have never made it onto competative teams or recieved top level training and never would have developed in Messi or Maradonna. Everybody loves those players and pronounce their obvious genius now that it developed and proven. The difference is in those place they are not shun out of the game before they develop.

I've heard that argument before and just don't buy it. First - how is Pele any different? Pele 5'8, Messi 5'7, Maradonna 5'5.

Second - if ANY of those three GREW UP in the states they WOULD NOT have been world class players. It's just reality. Neither Lebron or MJ could've been world class if they'd grown up playing in Argentina.

Third - you are making the assumption these prodigies were largely MADE and weren't identifiable as potential pros at an early age. All of them were noticed by pro outfits at very early ages. Pro clubs didn't know they were all time greats, but they knew they had potential as professional quality players well before they were teenagers. I'm on board with lamenting about u.s. coaching, but let's not pretend they're just too dumb to spot talent. You telling me if you shipped an 11 year old Pele, Messi or Maradonna from their home country to the U.S., they wouldn't dominate the NTX soccer and end up on every D1 coaches' speed dial? Why? Cause they're short? LOL.

I have already heard of several 7, 8, & 9 year olds who are FAs and from the beginning of their academy careers are the forwards/strikers who chase the through balls, dribble a little and shoot on goal. They are coached to only do that and generally, given their speed, are somewhat successful and are highly sought after as goal scorers so a team can win. However, once rec/kickball style of play goes away due to the maturity and advancement in skills of opponents, these chase-the-ball FAs are way behind; lacking touch and passing abilities. These players (and their parents mainly) are now regretting the fact that they didn't get good coaching for their DDs and found scoring goals to be the only important quality.

Winning is too much the driver, when it should be the coaching. When is someone going to do a coach ranking that takes into account winning percentage, goals scored/defended, but also those teams that have some of the best individual players in NTX per age group and how those teams would do without those all-stars and also those big club coaches who are able to hand pick from players within the clubs' many teams? It would be an interesting study and I doubt it is possible but there are many on these forums who could provide some interesting experience/guidance.

most people aren't buying messi at the reported 5'7" especially the 5'7" announces who stand next to him and notice he is smaller than them. Of course by 11 or 13 you can tell but what about 7, 8, or 9? Get a player at that age physical size is already starting to wane and skill is starting to take over the game. you are talking select and I am saying select is too late. I am talking about academy. Look at the size of the players on the top teams. Look at who we all see as the best players in the age group. How many of those are small? We then move those players up to more and more training while the smaller player has already been pushed aside

So yes at 11 when messi was already at the Barca academy he could have made a team her although I still have my doubt (ball fakes don't work when defenders don't play the ball) But what about when he is tiny and getting run over by all over the older early birth year kids?

oh and yes coaches are too dumb to spot actual talent. They only spot talent that helps them win the game as they know it. NTX soccer. Now this is gonna be easier from a boys perspective. How many coaches do you know that have identified any high level talent from NTX. How many players have they identified and sent to the national team or europe?

Now we are left to either say the coach can identify real talent and chooses not too or he identifies talent and then fails to develop it, or he fails to identify talent. I would argue a combo of the last too. either way the record is clear. If the coach has no proven track record of actually doing it how are we to assume he can. Thats why clubs in Brazil use scouts. People with an identifiable track record of finding talent.

So, if DD happens to be a little, undiscovered "Messi", who are the NTX club coaches most likely to discover (recognize) and develop her talent? - Let the opinions fly...

Reasons would be nice too.

The irony here is that two of the recent Texas (one North one South) players with youth national team experience are probably the smallest on the field 99% of the time.

It drives me nuts when we talk about Pele, Messi or Maradona as examples for what our kids should be striving for. These 3 are complete freaks of nature. Quit striving for the skill level of these 3, its not going to happen...and if it was, you would already know. Also, I would disagree with 3-4-3, these 3 would have been world class no matter where they grew up.

It is the next tier of players we need to be emulating. Bottom line is, good and even great players come in all different shapes and sizes. Each will bring something different to the table and that is what is going to make a good TEAM.

One thing that I believe is being overlooked when we talk about physical attributes and even skill sets of players in U7-U10 is the wide gap in the ability to strike a ball, especially with loft. There are a ton of goals scored every weekend that in 2 years will become very easy saves for any goalkeeper. Don't get me wrong, we also see some great goals, but I believe we don't take into consideration enough the games that are 3-0 with all three goals being scored on free kicks or shots from outside the area. I am not saying there is anything wrong with playing to your strengths at this age. All I am saying is that if your DD is one that scores many goals this way, DO NOT get discouraged when her goal scoring prowess goes away in 12-24 months. It won't mean she is any different of a player, it just means she is going to have to find other ways to score. If forwards like this rely too much on these types of goals, they will not learn the creativity to be successful further down the road.

As far as identifying talent goes...I believe it is virtually impossible to say that the BFA's of today will be the superstars of tomorrow. It is the combination of physical ability and game understanding that will keep them in the elite status. The small, skillful girls will have the same opportunity to be successful if they understand the game well enough to offset their diminutive stature.

It seems their is a group that ONLY thinks small, skillful people can succeed in this game and that is simply not true. There is a place for both kinds and those that possess both will be on top in the end.

slrsoccer wrote:It drives me nuts when we talk about Pele, Messi or Maradona as examples for what our kids should be striving for. These 3 are complete freaks of nature. Quit striving for the skill level of these 3, its not going to happen...and if it was, you would already know. Also, I would disagree with 3-4-3, these 3 would have been world class no matter where they grew up.

They may have been world class athletes, but they would not have been world class soccer players....especially if you're talking about them growing up here in the eras in which they were born. Not a chance. They were ALL worthy of attention by pro scouts long before they ever hit select soccer age.

Exactly where and how in the u.s. would they have developed that level of skill? Watching '60s, 70s or 80's youtube videos of players in brazil and argentina?

Who of anywhere close to world class talent would they have gone outside and played against for hours on hours? Part of greatness is being born in the right place at the right time with the right talents to match your place and time. Take a read of Malcolm Gladwell's outliers - very compelling argument.

You are misunderstanding what I am saying. Timing, scouting, recognition and geography certainly play a role, however their natural talent would have been there no matter where they were born.

Is Messi the player he is today because he was born in Argentina? Or is he the player he is today because he became part of Barcelon's Youth Program at 11? Or is it a combination of both? I think I've mentioned this before, but Messi is the player he is because he sees and reads the game at a level in which no one in the world is even close to. Many argue this is due to playing with his homegrown teammates for so long. I believe this has only a small part in the equation.

If he grew up in any of the reputable clubs in NTX, he would have been identified. Maybe not by Barcelona, but someone would have taken note.

My original post mentioned the "Mia model" and the "Abby model".

I think we all agree that Abby would be identified by NTX coaches immediately and fought over for the privilidge of having her on the team. The question is whether her skills would have been developed, or if a NTX coach decided she would be a great sweeper instead of developing what she was truly interested in.

When Mia was growing up, she was definitely identifyable...but then again, soccer was not as popular as it is now (the pool was smaller - and there was no academy). Imagine her in the academy system in NTX TODAY...being of a small stature, would she be overlooked due to her lack of size?

In fact, imagine that you were a NTX academy coach and you had one spot left on your roster, and a 8 yr old Mia and Abby show up (I know...nice problem to have)...but you can only pick up one. Which do you take to compete with the other NTX teams?

For the record, I love Abby and Mia - but Michelle Akers was the one who, through her leadership and love for the game, put the team on her back and made our national team what it is today. Abby, Hope, Alex, Mia, etc. would still be relative unknowns if it weren't for her...just sayin'.

10sDad wrote:My original post mentioned the "Mia model" and the "Abby model".

I think we all agree that Abby would be identified by NTX coaches immediately and fought over for the privilidge of having her on the team. The question is whether her skills would have been developed, or if a NTX coach decided she would be a great sweeper instead of developing what she was truly interested in.

When Mia was growing up, she was definitely identifyable...but then again, soccer was not as popular as it is now (the pool was smaller - and there was no academy). Imagine her in the academy system in NTX TODAY...being of a small stature, would she be overlooked due to her lack of size?

In fact, imagine that you were a NTX academy coach and you had one spot left on your roster, and a 8 yr old Mia and Abby show up (I know...nice problem to have)...but you can only pick up one. Which do you take to compete with the other NTX teams?

For the record, I love Abby and Mia - but Michelle Akers was the one who, through her leadership and love for the game, put the team on her back and made our national team what it is today. Abby, Hope, Alex, Mia, etc. would still be relative unknowns if it weren't for her...just sayin'.

Nailed it there buddy! On all points.

10sDad wrote:My original post mentioned the "Mia model" and the "Abby model".

I think we all agree that Abby would be identified by NTX coaches immediately and fought over for the privilidge of having her on the team. The question is whether her skills would have been developed, or if a NTX coach decided she would be a great sweeper instead of developing what she was truly interested in.

When Mia was growing up, she was definitely identifyable...but then again, soccer was not as popular as it is now (the pool was smaller - and there was no academy). Imagine her in the academy system in NTX TODAY...being of a small stature, would she be overlooked due to her lack of size?

In fact, imagine that you were a NTX academy coach and you had one spot left on your roster, and a 8 yr old Mia and Abby show up (I know...nice problem to have)...but you can only pick up one. Which do you take to compete with the other NTX teams?

For the record, I love Abby and Mia - but Michelle Akers was the one who, through her leadership and love for the game, put the team on her back and made our national team what it is today. Abby, Hope, Alex, Mia, etc. would still be relative unknowns if it weren't for her...just sayin'.

Impossible to answer because we don't know how GOOD Mia was compared to Abby at 8. Was Abby a clumsy 8 year old that grew into her frame as a teen? Was MIA a mediocre player that came into her own after she started playing boys?

If Mia was a better player and helped teams win games, it's SAFE to assume she would not be overlooked because of her stature.

Again, go look at the rosters on top teams. Itty bitty players are standouts on every team in the top 4 of the '01 age group. Gunners just posted about the NTX girls in the national pool. I think one of them is probably under 5 foot. I doubt any of them missed out on PT when they were 8 because of stature. For better or worse, the standard in NTX is very clear...you help me win, I want you on my team.

This size discrimination, early dev thing may have been a staple of the NTX soccer of yesteryear, but the game has changed. I just don't see it today with the younger teams coming through. Today, it's more likely parents BELIEVING their kid is getting short changed because of her size, when in actuality there are deficiencies in her game that need the focus.

I will acknowledge there probably are a small # of coaches that teach a physical, aerial assault style and will exclude a player based on size. But those aren't the coaches likely to make much real difference in any player's development anyway.

slrsoccer wrote:You are misunderstanding what I am saying. Timing, scouting, recognition and geography certainly play a role, however their natural talent would have been there no matter where they were born.

Is Messi the player he is today because he was born in Argentina? Or is he the player he is today because he became part of Barcelon's Youth Program at 11? Or is it a combination of both? I think I've mentioned this before, but Messi is the player he is because he sees and reads the game at a level in which no one in the world is even close to. Many argue this is due to playing with his homegrown teammates for so long. I believe this has only a small part in the equation.

If he grew up in any of the reputable clubs in NTX, he would have been identified. Maybe not by Barcelona, but someone would have taken note.

My question was whether he would've been WORLD CLASS had he spent his formative years playing in the U.S.

Of course we can never know for sure on these hypotheticals, but the track record suggests he wouldn't have had the environment needed to be shaped into one of the best players in the world at 11.

No US club has any track record of being the primary driver of development for players that young. Messi's dad coached, and there are a lot of American dad coaches, but by the time he was 8 Messi was playing for the same local club for which Batistuta and Maradona played. That means the players he played against where all very, very good, and one can assume the coaches were too. Where is the US equivalent?

By 11 Messi was already WORLD CLASS! Cryuff saw him tryout and said right away Barca was not letting this kid leave without a contract...despite his medical issues. Where is the evidence of any US player...ever...that became WORLD CLASS until they left the states and got pro training? Is there a single one in the history of u.s. soccer? (that's a legit question, I truly don't know).

I do know only a handful of our players have any argument that can be made for them having achieved world class status at all, and nearly all of them have gotten there late in their career compared to the soccer factories of the world. Dempsey was approaching 30 before he could've been put in that category (imagine if he'd been born in Argentina).

Would Messi have scored a lot of goals in NTX? No doubt. Would he have been scholarshipped and his parents having to block calls from coaches during their work hours? Likely. Would he have been 11 years old, world class, and sought by the best pro academies in the world? Hmmmmm...

U.S. Soccer would've had NO PROBLEM identifying a Messi. Developing him to the top level is a different story. We would struggle identifying xavi, pirlo or y.toure far more than we would a dribbling phenom who scores goals.

3-4-3 wrote:...you help me win, I want you on my team.

Absolutely true...point conceded.
The next great NTX soccer star may be playing on the U-10 Pink Ponies rec team right now...

3-4-3 wrote:
U.S. Soccer would've had NO PROBLEM identifying a Messi. Developing him to the top level is a different story. We would struggle identifying xavi, pirlo or y.toure far more than we would a dribbling phenom who scores goals.

Um...while I like your post, something tells me we'd be pretty good at identifying the fast giant kid who is physically beyond everyone else who also happens to have a very gifted older brother.

Of course so would the pointyball coaches.

DrB wrote:

3-4-3 wrote:
U.S. Soccer would've had NO PROBLEM identifying a Messi. Developing him to the top level is a different story. We would struggle identifying xavi, pirlo or y.toure far more than we would a dribbling phenom who scores goals.

Um...while I like your post, something tells me we'd be pretty good at identifying the fast giant kid who is physically beyond everyone else who also happens to have a very gifted older brother.

Of course so would the pointyball coaches.

Agreed. I don't think the big kid with skill who runs like train would have an issue being identified. Especially with the talented older brother.

Matter of fact... I think people would be drooling over Yaya.

Go City!!!

Balotelli45 wrote:

DrB wrote:

3-4-3 wrote:
U.S. Soccer would've had NO PROBLEM identifying a Messi. Developing him to the top level is a different story. We would struggle identifying xavi, pirlo or y.toure far more than we would a dribbling phenom who scores goals.

Um...while I like your post, something tells me we'd be pretty good at identifying the fast giant kid who is physically beyond everyone else who also happens to have a very gifted older brother.

Of course so would the pointyball coaches.

Agreed. I don't think the big kid with skill who runs like train would have an issue being identified. Especially with the talented older brother.

Matter of fact... I think people would be drooling over Yaya.

Go City!!!

Would he have been identified as a potential star soccer player, or just a big strong kid who can help me win games? He and his brother would've been likely pigeonholed as "athletes". No way Yaya's skill gets developed in the U.S. system. The list is VERY small of u.s. youth coaches who will develop the yaya types as a midfield maestro.

He'd have been spit out as an Altidore, or a Gooch, ending up a journeyman in some 2nd or 3rd division european league...unless he left the states early enough to make a decent career for himself by the time he was 25ish. Of course Yaya, his brother and M.Richards would've just as easily been star linebackers once they got tired of the soccer scene. LOL.