Even today with soccer people (mostly ex-players of various degrees) coaching youth, there is still too much emphasis on winning. So at very young ages, coaches select the bigger, more physically developed players. Players are selected on birth dates. So while the cut off for age groups was 1 August, many kids born in August, September, October and November had an advantage over their younger counterparts among U8 to U10 selections. All that changes this new season with the introduction of the 1 January cutoff. It will be crazy. I saw a meme today about Cruyff seeking out this kid named Guardiola who had received a lot of praise in the Barcelona youth system. Cruyff did not see him with the first team, nor with the reserves. He ended up finding him on a third team. When asked why the kid was not playing up, the coaches responded that he was too small and would cost victories. Cruyff had nothing of it and told them to play him up. We won't see that here.
Exactly. My cousin who played with CAL Berkley in 2010 in the final 8 with maybe 5-6 players who went to MLS . He even scored in a a pk loss to eventual champion Caleb Porter's Akron. They faced a number of Italian primavera clubs on a tour of Italy and many Italian youth coaches approached him. DeRossi's dad at Roma even took pictures with him and exchanged numbers etc etc. Obviously that wouldn't have ever flown but if he were in Europe and/or European he may have gotten a look. He bounced around to a few NASL/USL clubs and then played in the PDL languishing for a few years and decided he had enough of it as he wasn't getting paid and decided it wasn't for him. He had technical ability and positioned himself very well and could read a game better than most kids his age. He wasn't tall so GM's and coaches didn't like that in him but they never told him that was the reason. He finally tried out with the new Sacramento Republic USL team that won the championship in their first year and Preki liked him and he may have signed him but the club wanted to go with lesser known, and lesser quality local players as they were trying to get hometown kids on the club. There are so many other players just like him in America and bringing it back to Pirlo, it makes you wonder if a talent like his would have even gotten a look in the American youth/college/SL/NASL / MLS setup? I have my doubts...
No along with Cruyff, Platini, Messi and many other players whose special skill is vision. I made a comment once to a girls U9 coach about one of her players after reffing their game. This gal could see where her teammates would make their runs and sent them ball they could run onto. I mentioned that she had great vision on the field. It went over her coach's head.
First time in awhile that Pirlo wasn't the biggest legend in a photo @Shen-O @NickyViola Want to THANK @NYCFC for an amazing night of #calcio #Honored to meet @Pirlo_official #Legend pic.twitter.com/dyjbqoXIIp— Mike Piazza (@mikepiazza31) April 28, 2016
I read Pirlo ran quite a bit last night. I think he realizes its time to start earning his last big paycheck.
First, who is Piazza? Pirlo always ran. He usually was among the top in length ran. The perception problem is that he runs as a marathoner and not a sprinter. The idiots who have been writing articles about Pirlo being a failure at NYCFC have no clue. The problem is not Pirlo. It is the level of play from his mates. Pirlo does not belong in MLS because the quality is too low.
He played for (and maybe even helped coach) Italy's World Baseball Cup team or whateverthehellit'scalled.
The league is not for him. I knew it before he signed and that is why I questioned the move from the beginning. I wanted to see him personally but that doesn't mean I knew he would succeed. Its an athletic league with little skill and/or technique. Players run forever but as we've seen with other foreigners, just because you are or were a superstar, it doesn't work in MLS. I personally think clubs should take a page out of the Mexican League and go with maybe younger, second line Latins/South Americans who are good players but maybe not quite up to par for European leagues. Traditionally in MLS or at least since 1996, those are the types of players who do well in the league.
Parma will be in Lega Pro next year and they could be back in Serie A by the time Pirlo turns 40. That would look good.....
Interesting as I read a different article and it was not leaning towards that title. Nor did Pirlo actually state so, even in this article linked.
English lesson with my teacher!! 😄 #improve #pirlostyle @kaplanintl pic.twitter.com/NOKgSqOn7R— Andrea Pirlo (@Pirlo_official) June 9, 2016