Yup. Our biggest problem is coaching. That's why I'm interested to see how all our youngsters in Euro academies pan out. It's too early to tell how they'll do, because it's somewhat new to hve all these Americans in Euro academies. There's two sides to the equation here, and I understand both. There's one who thinks there's a lot of value in learning the game the right way abroad. There's others who think playing time is most important and playing in MLS at a young age, getting time, is more important than being schooled on tactics. Both routes could prove right for certain players. Time will tell. MLS academies are still young, as are many of the Americans in Euro academies. But our coaching is worrying, and I hope we go the route Japan went and start hiring foreign coaches for academies who specialize in tactics. There are some very good MLS coaches, but imo only a handful, and they're found in Sea, Salt Lake and Hou. Maybe Arena and Olsen as well, although I think Arena's tactics aren't that great. But the larger issue is a league with some pretty poor tacticians as head coaches, why would anyone feel confident about the coaching below the head coaching level, in the academies? Even kids from IMG and our youth NT's struggle with tactics. The technical ability is clearly improving, but the tactical understanding just isn't there. It'll take time though.
Notice that there is a big difference between leaving ASAP, and staying in the MLS for as long as you wish. Players don't owe anything to any of us. We can't make them follow our dreams. Leaving the league early in all cases is, in the long term, bad for the program and the NT. If most of the good ones never left, it'd also be bad. The ideal situation is (IMO) for most of them leaving when they feel ready, without feeling any extra pressure to go to Europe at 16, where they're likely to ride pine and flop. I fail to see what's the big advantage of sitting on the bench for some Championship club's youth side, when they could be having minutes playing with actual MLS sides.
I agree with this. But Gyau isn't marginal in the slightest. This is how young players break into the pro's. I don't see how spursfan could rate Lleget over Gyau as he implied in one of his post.
I'm not sure how old most of the posters on this thread are. But as a young person who recently went through youth, highschool, and community college soccer, I'd like to share some of my personal experiences from different playing and coaching environments that reflects on many of the things that have been said in this thread. I am the first person in my family to seriously play soccer. No one knew that to be able to get looked at by colleges you have to play for a competitive club team, and highschool barely means jack. I several other players who, if they were able to play competitive younger, would probably be playing college ball right now. On top of the fact that ten years ago not everyone knew how the system worked, the biggest problem is that competitive teams are expensive, so many skilled young players aren't able to play on them. I only was able to play on one for one year. Develpment in highschool sucks because coaches don't coach tactics very well and just focus on fitness and hope they have players with skills come to their school. Competitive club coaches can be good if you're lucky, but there often seems to be too much emphasis on winning and not enough on developing players. its also difficult when theres only 2 or 3 practices a week. I played two seasons at community college where I felt me and several other players knew and understood the game more than the coaches. Some of the coaches were idiots. They barely could understand the concept of an attacking fullback ( which is my preferred position). It is yet another reflection of the lack of good coaching in this country. So to get some good coaching I went to Bolivia for a month before my second season and trained the Tahuichi academy. It was an eye opener to how intense professional training really is. The players grow up with the ball; playing in the streets and playing on bumpy fields makes trapping and dribbling natural for them. The pace at which players think and pass is waayy faster than youth soccer in the states. At first myself and the other american players had to compensate by using out athleticism, but by the end of the month we started to get the rythm of the game and using our brains as much as our body. The coaches look to develop skills and understanding of how each position in their preferred 4-2-2-2 formation should work. Even in other formations they work on understanding the game. In the streets of Bolivia there are street soccer courts instead of basketball courts. Everybody just plays all of the time. For America to get better, we need to go into the inner cities and put soccer goals under the basketball hoops in all the parks. Get the poorer inner city youth playing soccer all the time, create a true grassroots culture, not just soccer for those who can afford it. When I went back for my second season at community college, I became frustrated with the way other players played and how the coach seemed to not notice players were out of position leaving huge holes in the defense, and also the way that he preferred to have the defense play with a stopper and a sweeper and use old english long ball tactics. From a young player's perspective who has no personal connections it seems like the system is extremely flawed and skips over a large portion of the population who has the athletic ability and the potential to be good players but never gets a real chance at being looked at by pro's or by university teams. I hope this comes across as useful insight to what the youth system has been like the past 10 years and not just someone whining. Thanks for taking the time to read this
Anyway, more stuff supporting the "Running Beasts" theory. http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/...or-usa-soccer-despite-turn-of-fortunes-100412
I've read that article and it's true, there's not many coaches in the U.S. who are able, and will take the time to work on making players better at their positions. Also like I said the key is to create a natural environment for kids to play everyday and just learn the game. The game is its own best teacher. If you play everyday you learn things that no coach can teach you. P.S. Sorry if I accidentally called everybody here old .
A good chunk of the current generation of quality american national team seems to have been raised by Germany. The DFB really saved face for the USSF.
This just got posted and retweeted by @USAprospects: @JgreenSTPA: @J_Klinsmann Invite Julian Green to play against Russia!
That tweet is from Green's father who is saying Jurgen, call in my son; not Jurgen called in my son. Although why not call in Green, Gyau, Lletget?
Eh on Lletget but agreed on the other two. And Nick DeLeon would be rad too but I doubt that'll happen
Kind of a silly thread, isn't it? The next generation is stepping up. With WCQ and Gold Cup, a lot of generation next guys will go to Gold Cup, while the most promising will be in WCQ. Just look at the ages of the core players/frequent call-ups. Pretty good distribution, really. I. Long in the tooth (age/injury) (last WC go round for certain) 1. Cherundolo (33) 2. Bocanegra (33) 3. Onyewu (30) 4. Beasley (30) II. Age itself isn't an issue now (2014), but would be in 2018 1. Howard (33) 2. Jones (31) 3. Donovan (30) 4. Dempsey (29) 5. Gomez (30) 6. Goodson (30) 7. Rimando (33) 8. Beckerman (30) 9. Wondolowski (29) 10. Gordon (31) III. Prime 1. Bradley (25) 2. Cameron (27) 3. Edu (26) 4. Kljestan (27) 5. E. Johnson (28) 6. Guzan (28) 7. Parkhurst (28) 8. Zusi (26) IV. Young 1. F. Johnson (24) 2. Altidore (23) 3. Williams (23) 4. Chandler (22) 5. S. Johnson (23) V. Babies 1. Shea (22) 2. Boyd (21) 3. Gatt (21) 4. Diskerud (22) 5. Gyau (20) 6. Agudelo (19) Not to mention guys like Brooks, and yes, Freddy.
This may still be a winter event in Brazil but it can easily get into the mid-70's in day time and players over 30 would be severely tested to press hard for three matches straight. One starter and one semi-regular in the top 6-8 league (since Guzan won't play instead or Howard) Vielen dank für deine Spieler, Deutschland. Not a single player in a Top 6-8 league. And the worst thing is that you can add groups III through V - or half a decade worth - and you still get only Bradley and Cameron as the "home grown" Yanks and, of the two, only Cameron rose through the ranks of MLS.
we dont train tactics at all in the US. caleb porter is the first coach to try and even then it is so far behind. im so sick of the college coaches in MLS. ready for an influx of coaches who teach tactics.
I think the generation mixed in with those in the baby group has more of an infusion of MLS talent. By whatever means younger players have just gotten better. And for whatever reason the current "prime crop" was full of flops even compared to our traditionally meager standards. Okugo, DeLeon, Bruin, Rowe, all these guys can play....not only are they skilled but they have some idea about tactics. The quality on the GC squad is going to surprise some people.