This is why we lose (top 5 academy goals from Barca)

To the "coaches", parents, clubs and DOC's.  Not a single one booted over the top and just outrun too.  No kids running everywhere full speed smashing into things.  Beautiful, controlled, soccer from children.  Why is that so hard?

We had a coach that preached, taught, and implemented this method of playing. And it was beautiful to watch.
Then the results/rankings-obsessed parents ran him out.

Anyone have a hot tub time machine?

When you get that time machine, go back and watch that team. They were no longer doing that. So you can blame parents, coach. general enviornment or whatever else you want too for the reason why. But the suggestion that the team was STILL playing that by qualifying is selective memory. I have my own thoughts as to why things changed and NO I don't think it was all the coaches fault.

It is interesting that the same post on the boys side takes on a conversation about styles of play and development. Girls side really doesn't get much at all and instantly takes a turn as an attack against a team and parents.

So this was not an attack against a particular coach or team hence posted in "General Soccr" At best it's a call out too ALL coaches etc. LW is a great coach doing the best he can in a broken enviornment filled with crazy parents and entitled kids, and yes the parents on your team (everybodies team) are crazy too. If you don't see it it's because you are too crazy to notice. So people can make this about the team and coach OR can go back to the topic at hand.

A rather long podcast (and the interviewer leaves a lot to be desired) and while it's not about youth soccer specifically it does identify what's wrong with American Soccer. Check the podcast at about 27:08.

http://blog.3four3.com/2015/01/27/podcast-whats-wrong-with-american-soccer/

Very interesting comments about Club Soccer at 33:07 ... probably more for boys than our DD's but still interesting perspective, which i tend to agree with.

No top pro team for players to aspire to. Coaching staff with one methodology of training and developement starting at the youngest ages and zero funds available to help players financially. In my opinion, those clubs that have a clear vision on how they want their young players to be developed. That same methodology of coaching is present from the wie littles all the way through ECNL are the club and teams seeing a success at all levels not just here and there. It's not about how many teams you can produce but that your top players are being taught the same from when the enter the club until they leave. A DOC of a club needs to surround himself with about 6-8 coaches that all have similar methods od devolopement. 4 academy coaches, 3 select coaches, and a DOC technical trainer that over sees all trainings and player development. The select level age groups should then start to train together allowing relationships to be formed between age groups.

These guys put 7 players on u.s soccer national teams, and have gotten their players looks from international pro academies. Kleibans key point from the podcast IMO was that their success COULD NOT have happened without promotion /relegation in the youth system. Without promotion /relegation there is no incentive for excellence...its why MLS remains mediocre and why youth leagues that don't have it suffer from wild fluctuations in quality from top to bottom.

My take on the podcast was there was basically no incentive for a smart, soccer-wise entrepreneur to start a team, club and then take them from NASL to MLS. The MLS (based on US Soccer policies) would lock out anyone trying to promote. Thus once players attain MLS status, there is no fear of relegation which produces mediocrity. If you check out this brief article it pretty accurately assesses the USMNT recent World Cup run. Yes, Tim Howard was pretty fantastic and I thought maybe the goalie of the tournament along with Guillermo Ochoa, but you cannot win tournaments if your goalie is that overworked.

http://blog.3four3.com/2014/07/24/world-cup-2014-thoughts-relevant-to-us-soccer/

I think this being a women's forum. We have to take what klieban is saying and apply it to the women's game.

There is no one here in NTX on the boys or girls side doing what Klieban does.  

I actually plunked down the membership fee for a look at their coaching forum.  

They provide you everything they do, including videos of every drill and videos of entire training sessions and game footage.  There is a members forum and they actually respond to questions asked and members share ideas and thoughts on what is provided.

It takes time and patience to get to a level of execution their boys have.  

The majority of NTX parents don't have that patience.  "Who cares if little Suzy has an amazing first touch and field vision if she isn't doing stepovers and scoring 5 goals per game and her team isn't #1 on FBR"

I disagree, I think their are a few trying to put a complete developemental methodology from the academy to the select lvl. I have two that I think are teaching similar methodology from the youth academy's to the select levels. One Adrian Solca and his staff , two I will be the first to say i am not a fan, but Juan Martinez is true to his methods from the wie littles into select. Although JM is just one guy, he needs to get with a team of coaches that he feels has similar ideas and continue his coaching from their. Just my opinion, others are more than welcome to share theirs.

Juan coaches them from academy into Select, so yes he is in that general area. Having had my child there I can say its not what Klieban is doing and no one here is doing 3-4 nights per week training since Ulittle.

Adrian Solca and his staff? Solca is an outstanding coach, but saying he has a staff is far from true. Every solar academy squad is autonomous. Watch them play, no 2 squads play the same way.

Solca has ties to several coaches and those generally feed into him at select to take over the top team, but do some research and see how that is done.

They cherry pick the studs from across several top solar squads and bring them together, with 1 or 2 solar squads folding up shop after having their top players taken.

Nothing against it. But that is the methodology.

Klieban and his squad will be back again at Dallas Cup this year. They win the U13 group last year.

They are even more impressive in person and their parents are great. Very friendly group and will chat up anyone. I'll be back to see them this year.

Borussia wrote:Juan coaches them from academy into Select, so yes he is in that general area.  Having had my child there I can say its not what Klieban is doing and no one here is doing 3-4 nights per week training since Ulittle.

Adrian Solca and his staff?  Solca is an outstanding coach, but saying he has a staff is far from true.  Every solar academy squad is autonomous.  Watch them play, no 2 squads play the same way.  

Solca has ties to several coaches and those generally feed into him at select to take over the top team, but do some research and see how that is done.

They cherry pick the studs from across several top solar squads and bring them together, with 1 or 2 solar squads folding up shop after having their top players taken.  

Nothing against it. But that is the methodology.

Lol, each to his own opinion.

To be clear... What Klieban is doing is not the only way to do it and no where did I say its the best.

Both brothers have very strong feelings on what should and should not be done with youth soccer and at the national team level.

I am a fan of theirs, but its not the only way.

The Kleibans have a ton of fanboys. The style of play of their 01 and 00 teams put them on the map along with their very outspoken blog. I like what they are doing with coaching education, though they are really helping more the borussia type dad coaches than experienced pro coaches.

A consistent theme among Kleibans fanboys is this eagerness to knock what other coaches are doing...some of this attitude comes from Kleibans themselves as they will often rip into another coach's Twitter comments or training sessions on their blog.

I enjoy reading their blog because the comments from those knowledgeable coaches who are not caught up in fanboyish behavior bring a ton of value to most their discussions.

The reality is the Kleibans cherry picked their players as much as anyone else. They had a benefactor that allowed them to scour their area and offer training to the best players they could find at no cost. They did not develop these 01s and 00s since uLittle. I know this because one of the anti fanboy posters pointed it out years ago.

Yes, their methods are legit for building a possession style of soccer...and I like these guys' content and think they are smart dudes pushing u.s. Soccer in good directions...but don't get gushy...you take the best pre-developed players and train them with gifted money while all your comp is doing pay to play, you have a massive advantage and should be able to stand out.  

If they had an FBR in Cali these guys would've been near the top every year...they didn't take a bunch of scrubs and patiently go through years of losing while they built the technical and tactical foundation you see today.

And while I love that they're wanting to educate and would probably pay for it myself, I'm on the fence about them charging for their content. It looks a little bit like they're building a brand by throwing rocks at the establishment, and are looking to profit from their following...no different than any other social media personality. I would think if they were truly rebels looking to raise the level in the states, they would be educating the masses without trying to make a mint off their backs. It wouldn't surprise me to see them absorbed into the establishment within the next few years and their rebellious voices muted.

And I 100pct agree about solar teams having a connected style of play...from the 99s on down to 03s their style is recognizable as possession soccer. It's not hard to have all your teams playing the same style, it's just hard to do it with posession or any other skill based style. But there are probably at least 5 to 10 girls coaches in NTX who I think could do exactly what the Kleibans have done if given the same resources and willing to follow the same methods. Pulp, Grubb, Solca, Tatu, JM and probably several others.

The Kleibans or whoever has a better mousetrap SHOULD be running down US Soccer based on its results. They deserve it by their leadership over time and the results they have produced. There should be new ideas and methods tried in order to compete internationally. Kleibans will need to continue proving it with their ideas and their results with their kids as they move up. If it works, then they will gain more control and power. It will take grassroot benefactors to create change in the short-term and dedication and adherence to results in the long-term.

[quote="Borussia"]To be clear... What Klieban is doing is not the only way to do it and no where did I say its the best.

Both brothers have very strong feelings on what should and should not be done with youth soccer and at the national team level.  

I am a fan of theirs, but its not the only way.[/quote]



Gary Kleiban, the one who runs 3four3, is entertaining and has some HSO's.  I follow him on twitter and read the blog and he is definitely a self-promoter and is working to build his franchise. 

I have a hard time buying into his rhetoric about the MLS and it's tryanical control of US soccer when he ( his brother actually) is coaching at Chivas USA, an MLS team.  ( at least for another few months).  He comes across as a guy trying to build his brand and push his agenda.  Nothing wrong with that, but its pretty clear. 

As for the soccer, his showcase team, the U14 Chivas DA team, I also watched them play last year at Dallas Cup and was a little underwhelmed.  When you sell your team as the GOLD STANDARD in US soccer and the RIGHT way to do things, I expected more.  I watched them against Sporting United and Chigaco Fire.  During the Chicago Fire game I thought Chicago outplayed Chivas and was unfortunate to lose the game 1-0.  There was plenty of kicking it long by Chivas and players dribbling to no-where.   They are better than most at possession, but GOLD STANDARD, I didn't think so. 

In the grand scheme, he is great for the soccer community and the more ideas out there the better.  Just don't think he is reinventing the wheel like he portrays on his blog at times.

One thing Kleiban does not address is the money. I think that is another extremely important aspect as to why USMNT and MLS will never likely be on par with the rest of the world.

Let's do a little comparison:
- Average income of MLS club - $24M
- Average income of Euro club (England, France, Spain, Germany, Italy) is $132M
- Average MLS player salary - $200K
- Average Euro player salary - $1.8M

Now, if you are a little dude with talent what direction are you going to start leaning when you get to middle school/high school? I think the US will only be competitive on the men's side when money and opportunities start really presenting themselves...and when the homecoming queen really wants to stand next to the center mid rather than the all star quarterback. After many years of this, might the USMNT actually go far in the world cup or other global events.

For now, it seems the women will be the only ones to put star's above their uniform crest.

So here's to our DD's, all of them and may the good Lord bless each and every one.

Almost RWD but how about we compare MLS to say Denmark, Netherlands, Portugal, Brazil, and lets say Japan. Players from the euro countries usually start out in lower league in their home country.

Go,
I cannot say about Brazil, Japan and some of the other Euro countries you mentioned. However while I was watching Keys and Gray last Friday (great show on beIN sports btw) they mentioned that there are only 2 players in the current EPL that have promoted from the Football Leagues to the Football Championship League and then the Premier League.

I was surprised to hear that, but then I've not done my homework on the likes of Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard, and Sterling.

Oh, and here is my source of information:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2833020/Premier-League-wages-dwarf-Europe-flight-players-England-earning-average-2-3million-year.html

Going back to the original post...have you watched the quality of a college game recently? Yikes! And let's be honest, that's what the whole club program on the women's side is there for, to sell you on a scholarship. Walk around the fields and ask parents if they're hoping for a place on VfL Wolfsburg's women's team or a chance to play NCAA D1 soccer. As long as colleges place a higher value on size and speed than skills and ability then the clubs will never adapt.

There is a deeper cause that isn't discussed much. Soccer in the US is typically a place for kids with money. No other country comes close to the fees we pay. So the kids and parents aren't using soccer as "a way out" it's either a game or for a few a way to get free tuition. So let's say you DD is a rising star, and let's say the MLS has a fully developed youth system in place, how many parents are going to be willing to ship their 12 year old across country? Not many.

Now compare that to the story of a young kid in south america who loves the game and shows abilities only seen in a blue moon. Sadly though the kid has a developemental issue that may actually shorten his life unless expensive treatment takes place. A treatment that is probably out of the reach of his parents until a huge club comes along and not only wants to help with the treatment but feels like the kid can be a star. So the parents pack his bags and send him across the world to live, learn, and be full enveloped in that club's teaching and philosophy. He eats, breaths, and plays all the time.

Meanwhile we look at our watches when practice is running 5 minutes over because Suzy has a dance lesson.

It's about dedication, dedication to the point of survival. That's why other countries are better at the game. One ball, no PS4, no ponies, no orange slices. Play soccer all the time. Becks was 12 when his parents turned him over to SAF and Co. and it worked...then on the other hand I don't know if I'd give him a TAKS test anytime soon ;-)

db10, yes and the fact that there are so many options here to choose from....dance, gymnastics, competitive cheer, swimming, tennis...the list goes on. Other countries don't have half of that.

To your point though. I have a friend who works in the FCD organization and he said FCD would never (under current ownership anyway) go out and pay the big money for the likes of Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, David Beckham and other former World soccer stars. They elect to go to Latin America and pull in these 17 year old kids who are barely old enough to leave their parents side, much less live alone in the US. Yet, that is what they do and all for merely pennies. They call it "development from within" I think.

I'm not criticizing that strategy, but it says two things to me. 1. FCD will not likely have the player namesake draw like Brek Shea, Donovan etc, but 2, it does show the commitment of these Central American and Latin American kids have. The sold out desire to focus on one sport and do it with all their gusto. May they do well for themselves and their family. And maybe someday help change the US mindset towards soccer. Heck, I'm just hoping Dale Hansen will retire so we can see some soccer reporting on channel 8.

db10 wrote:It's about dedication, dedication to the point of survival. That's why other countries are better at the game. One ball, no PS4, no ponies, no orange slices. Play soccer all the time. Becks was 12 when his parents turned him over to SAF and Co. and it worked...then on the other hand I don't know if I'd give him a TAKS test anytime soon ;-)

I love it. Finally someone on here gets it.

All the whining and moaning about US Soccer can't compete but 99% aren't willing to truly dedicate to it.

I for one am pushing for my DD to go to college on her academic abilities and hopefully a few scholarships will follow. No way would I be willing to ship her off to another country to live and train for a career that will most likely end by the time she 30.