I agree with Sam on all points. Just last week at a HS varsity game, the team we were playing had a kid run onto the field as he was throwing it in. When the ref told him it was an illegal throw, he honestly asked the ref if he had to have his feet down. Oy. We had a freshman this summer who hadn't played a lot of soccer previously and in a summer league game, did a throw in like a chest pass in basketball. Apparently, he went home that night, pulled up a couple YouTube videos, and the next week, his throw ins were textbook perfect. And yeah, most games, I would say that at least 80% of throw-ins end up with lost possession to the other team within two touches or less.
Illegal in what way? Yes I know it's hard to control a throw-in but still, it's just giving up control needlessly. And it wastes time. I'm not saying it's a big deal, but I'm also saying that they should spend a tiny bit of time on it since it's just part of the game.
Ball not going over their head, picking up their foot, stepping on the field, it happens. Why does it matter? It's not about controlling the throw in, it's that usually a turnover will result within 2-3 touches. You have been second guessing this coach (and many coaches in the past years if I remember correctly) because he doesn't do things YOU think should be done. So, do this... get your coaches license (if you don't have it already), go to the club and offer to take over a team. Then you are in total control of what gets taught, game strategy, substitutions, everything.
First of all-- if you were doing throw ins at U6 then you were ignoring US soccer guidance. Foul throws happen at all levels, pretty much every game. For his sake, I hope your son becomes an ultimate frisbee player
So last year, they played what looked like non-typical American soccer at age 8? This year at age 9, they're playing more classic low tactic bunch/boot ball? It seems like, maybe they didn't really "learn" how to play "good" soccer, but it was the joysticking. My club (community, not select) was in a city, near a university and a section of townwith a large immigrant community. Adults would squeeze in to the space behind the full sizedgoal and the turn of the running track that enclosed the field. We called it the UN. You'd get 20 guys sometimes in that space playing to 6X4 goals, the ball rarely got above waist high. No coaching. They passed and moved, 3rd man runs the whole 9 yards. They had "learned" how to play a posession based game, so didn't need someone on the sideline telling them. They just needed enough other players wth a similar soccer mindset. Digression... THey sent a guy away with a Neymar Barca jersey one time - "come back when you know how to play..." for constantly trying to dribble end to end and failing. I told my kids (12-14) that my goal wasn't for any of them to play professionally...(affluent urban parents, many international, their path wasn't pro sports) my goal was, when they're off at college, or afterwards, when their in new cities in the US and around the world, was that they'd be able to go to that game in their new city, and not get sent away.
Opposing coach got a yellow once, u12, after my teams 20th bad throw. I think he was more upset tht we were winning 3-1 and "can't even do throw ins". Spring season, at their field/their refs, after being down 5-1, my Italian player bags 2 quick ones in the 2nd half with a nice mazy run and a multiple give and go play. He's on another run when he cuts between the 2 CB, one of whom clotheslines him. Play on says the ref... After the game, his dad says 'Why do the refs in America blow the whistle for bad throws but never for real fouls..." I teach them, but don't care until 14. By 14, then they're more coordinated, it's a 10 minute fix.
Last year I imagine they were playing more like what a Spanish U8 team would play. So yes, not typical American. This year, typical American. Spanish is better obviously. You know what is ironic, a few years ago when I first got on this board I was not a proponent of possession style. And I got a lot of flack for it on here (from members who I haven't seen in a while). But since then I have learned a lot and now am a big proponent of playing out of the back and possession. Not just for grown-ups, but also for kids as there is more development value in it. There's practically no development value in just booting the ball. Kids at 7/8/9/10 who are playing comp soccer should be taught this (regardless of how much they win or lose) because then by the time they are 13/14 they will be in a much better spot. The problem today is that kids at 13/14 are behind their peers in other countries. They can't play out of pressure. And you wonder why the USMNT is behind. If you saw them in the last two friendlies you saw a team who were trying to play out, but aren't very good at it. They just haven't developed the chops like a lot of other countries have.
Do you have a source or basis for this opinion? I'm posting the most-recent group stages and brackets for the Generation Adidas Cup in 2022. If you take a look at the playoffs, two MLS Next academy teams won the competition at the U15 and U17 levels. https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/topics/generation-adidas-cup/schedule/2022/u17-schedule-standings https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/topics/generation-adidas-cup/schedule/2022/u15-schedule-standings I think you're making things up to try and bolster your opinions about optimal training methods for EIGHT YEAR OLDS as if you're an expert. You're not....but if you truly think so, you should take over the reins coaching and see how that turns out.... I echo what many other posters have said on here: relax. You seem determined to create success for your child, and that's admirable, but success is going to have to come from your own child's internal motivation/fire. Being overbearing and too intense about coaching, tactics, and the like will only drive your child away from the sport. I saw it in my own playing career with teammates and I've seen it quite often attempting to move through the higher levels of youth soccer as a referee. Eight and nine year olds should be focusing on building individual technical abilities on the ball, basic passing and shooting mechanics, communicating with one another, problem solving, finding and creating space off the ball, etc. The high intensity tactical training is better suited for older players with better spatial awareness and familiarity with the game. Coaches will be able to cover more tactical ground in less time, and be more efficient. Please recognize that there is only so much a parent can do to make their child successful. Provide support, provide encouragement, provide opportunities: let them figure out how to succeed. If this current coach is so fundamentally bad, switch clubs. Top level players recognize that there is only so much a parent can do, which is why there are plenty of photos of elite footballers sitting with one another, relaxing, and letting trained coaches train their children. They trust the system.
US soccer selects for certain traits, like physicality and speed. This can get results against less physical teams, but in the long run it's doesn't really pan out. US soccer was actually having more success in the 80s and 90s when they were playing more direct. Because that style can get you wins. But then after Barca got uber popular US decide they wanted to play like that, but they don't have the chops for it. As we just saw vs Japan and Saudi Arabia. They would probably have more success playing more direct tbh. "Eight and nine year olds should be focusing on building individual technical abilities on the ball, basic passing and shooting mechanics, communicating with one another, problem solving, finding and creating space off the ball, etc." Where did I say anything that disagrees with this? I actually agree with this, and if you've actually heard me you would know that it is the basic passing and space off ball that is not happening this year but was last year. The kids this year are booting it to timbuktoo or they are all trying to go solo and dribble the entire pitch up the middle. It's literally rec soccer style and this is a top comp club. It's not appropriate. The situation is more complicated that you know. Not all coaches in a club agree with one another. I know coaches who are not fond (to put it nicely) of this coache's approach. Other coaches want to give so and so a chance. Politics are involved. It's not as simple as "just switch clubs".
Man alive my posts keep flying over your head. You keep saying things that you believe are true, with zero support, that aren't actually true. I am trying to call that behavior out so that you recognize when you're well outside your area of expertise. Nobody is an expert in everything; that's okay. I am certainly no expert in setting up a team in a 4-2-3-1 to try and pass through an opponent playing a low block...so I don't deliver any opinions on that. That quote, above, is not accurate in the current US system after Jurgen Klinsmann was hired as the USMNT coach. Speed obviously matters and will continue to matter, but the system is no longer solely promoting big strong athletic types and is no longer designed to promote big strong athletic types. Just look at the younger generation of players making it into the USMNT (compare Oguchi Onyewu's generation against Serginio Dest; compare Cobi Jones and John O'Brien to our current midfielders). There's a difference between this current generation and the older generation based on size alone. Just look at the types of center midfielders that are getting signed on HG contracts by MLS teams. It's a different world out there than you think exists. I base my opinion on my experience refereeing hundreds of youth soccer games over the past decade, and refereeing many players who have made it to the professional level. Your statement was accurate maybe 10-15 years ago, when I was a youth and college player playing competitive soccer. Sure, I acknowledge that your situation is more complicated than I'm aware of. That's significantly outside my area of expertise in giving you any sort of advice. The point I'm trying to make is to encourage you to take your exuberance for your child's success, and repurpose that energy into endeavors that will actually most-likely result in your child's success. Sometimes, that's recognizing when you're not the expert...and hanging back providing much-needed encouragement so your child can improve on their own terms based on their own motivation.
How do you know that you've watched more soccer than me? I pretty much do nothing but watch soccer at all levels. The hubris. I watch youth and MLS Next and semi-pro and pro and college. And I play a lot, with all walks of life. Our midfielders are still quite physical. Which one is not? I guarantee that had Iniesta grown up in the US no way he gets selected for the mens NT. No way.
@AlextheRef I would like you to watch this video about how possession is good for development. Please tell me if you agree with the video or disagree.
How is "watching more soccer" the relevant inquiry here? I'm sure someone has watched more soccer than Pep Guardiola. Do you think they're more qualified than Pep as a result? If you've watched more soccer than your child's coach, or a college coach, are you more qualified to take their role as a result? Look I'm not going to out myself on this forum just to prove a point. But I've reached a somewhat decent level as a player (NCAA D3, conference accolades), and have reached a somewhat decent level as a referee that has allowed me to stay involved with this game at a high level and receive training with this game at a high level. I was introduced to you a few weeks ago when I saw you deliver the startling opinion on a different forum that Giovanni Reyna would have topped out as a college player if it wasn't for nepotism and who his dad was. You also delivered the opinion that nepotism was the reason Jordan Morris made it to the MLS. So, right there, I didn't find your opinions or bases for those opinions very credible. You have continued to assert opinions over the past three pages of this thread that are inaccurate or missing the mark. I'm being more direct than other posters in calling that behavior out. In response to your video, building the skills to keep possession under pressure is OBVIOUSLY good for player development; that's not the point I'm making at all here. It shouldn't even be a question. I'm not debating you on player development. I'm trying to get you to self reflect a little bit about your overanalysis on the abilities of a U-littles coach. Please recognize that even if your child's coach this year is the worst U8-U9 coach in America, the poor coaching will not make a significant or substantial difference in your child's abilities at the age of 16-17. Cool strawman that's irrelevant to the point I'm making. I agree with this, but that's more of a problem with the scouting issue our country has.
lol - ok so you think that a coaching license and ref license means that you know more than someone who watches and plays and studies the game a lot? ok fine, I'll go get my licenses. Not that hard. I can tell you for sure there are many licensed coaches who aren't experts in the game. This is obvious just by talking to a lot of coaches as you will see they all have a wide variety of opinions and knowledge of the game. Just because someone went through the courses to obtain the license doesn't mean he knows more about the game than someone who has played it all their life. But I will get my licenses and then that will shut down your part of the arguement. I play against college kids all the time. A lot of them don't have the highest soccer IQ. Playing college soccer in and of itself doesn't tell me much. It mostly tells me a kid has some talent and is likely in good condition and is physical. "You also delivered the opinion that nepotism was the reason Jordan Morris made it to the MLS" And no I never said this. You all misquoting me and not getting my point. I never said it was the only reason. I was actually asking a question as to the degree that nepotism plays in the selection. It's not that it plays zero role or 100%. But everyone there got butthurt by the question and bastardized the question. Of course you have to have talent. That goes without saying. But then if you have 10 players who are equally talented, maybe the ones who get selected have some connections. So it does play role. I didn't say it played a big or small role, I simply posed a question. And I don't recall anyone saying that nepotism or favortism plays zero role. We all see it in various forms at the highest levels.
He's not a U-littles coach. That makes it sound like rec. This is a club where the coaches are paid. Every city has their big notable clubs that play in ECNL or MLS Next. One of those. If it were rec soccer then I would agree. Actually he coaches older kids mostly.
Watching and playing soccer doesn't mean you can COACH soccer. Just getting the coaching license doesn't mean you can COACH soccer. It's more than just doing drills and coming up with a game plan. It's getting the BEST out of each individual. You're right. Getting your coaching license would not be difficult. Once you do that, go to the club and ask to take on a team. Personally, I like watching possession soccer. However, as a parent, I can't control how other kids play, what the coach does, or for that matter what *MY* kid does. Please listen to those of us who have gone before you... relax. Watch your kid do something he enjoys. Support him when he's down. Encourage him. This second guessing about everything that happens around him when he's EIGHT will lead you to an early grave if it continues over the next decade (if not more). Think the coach is making a wrong decision? No problem. I haven't agreed 100% with ANY coach we've been with. Have my kids gotten better? YES. Are they doing something they enjoy doing? YES. What more is there?
I hardly played soccer growing up. Watched it as an adult. I used to know all the players name (not all literally but many on the big teams). I understand the basics of making runs, off the ball movement, spreading out etc. I have a close family member that is a professional soccer player. The one thing I've learned about my knowledge is that I don't know jack. Most of you don't know jack and if you think you know you probably don't. I don't say this to belittle anyone but say that there's more you don't know that you do.
Not sure if you're pointing at me, but I have played soccer since I was about 6 years old. I didn't really start watching it until adulthood. Was hard to watch back then, pre-internet. Just saw what was on TV which was mainly just World Cups and Olympics. The best players don't necessarily make the best coaches and the best coaches weren't always great players. Jose Mourinho for example, only played in the lower levels. But had a great mind for soccer. Bill Belichick never played pro but is one of the greatest football coaches ever.
I'm just going to stop engaging with you. I tried. You can win this battle, your child's U9 coach is not a "U-littles coach." Yes, I do believe I know more about the game than you based on what I've seen you post about your background, experience, and your current opinions. But I'm not going to get into any more of this sort of battle. Maybe you do know more than me, I'll concede it's possible. Regardless, I highly encourage you to get referee and coaching licenses, and use your energy to work your way up the system and give back to the game. I'll present the following quotes about why I believe you said nepotism was the reason Jordan Morris made it to the MLS, so other posters considering engaging with you can see your mental gymnastics:
I think there are two factors that prevent the US men's team from being a global power. 1) pay-to-play 2) nepotism These two factors prevent the best from rising to the top. Yes a lot of really good players still come out of it. But just not the best. I read an article recently about how the US Messi was probably a kid in an urban area who couldn't afford to play club. Like I said I was asking about the % influence of nepotism. Want to answer the question? Nowhere did I say that Morris was not talented and only made it on nepotism. Of course there has to be talent. But nepotism seems to be a factor. Also, no where did I even say I am anti-nepotism. I just view it as one of the dynamics of many corners of life, though yes it can have negative effects in certain cases. But that really wasn't the point. The point is to understand what role it plays in US soccer.
I think the US Soccer administration and most fans are a bit delusional about just how good we are. They think surely because of all the money we've spent and the MLS and the players in Europe that now is the time! Word Cup is ours! It think they just blast chants of USA! USA! over the speaker and drown out any real criticism. How does a country like Croatia with a population of 4 million produce more world class players than big wealthy USA? The discussion has been had many times before with criticism of nepotism, pay-to-play, no promotion-relegation, and other factors. But nothing changes. While the MLS continues to mostly import talent and barely develop domestic talent. What do they take - like 100 kids a year in the draft? out of how many in college and in the academies and the semi-pro leagues? Our FIFA ranking is 15, just behind Uruguay (population 3.5 MM) and Switzerland (population 8.6 MM). Our population is 330 million and we spend a lot on soccer and have good facilities and a lot of coaches and clubs.