Regional U16 ODP Teams

I played against Liverpool's U-16 squad, including Michael Owen, who was 14. We lost 10-0, and they went easy on us (except Owen scored seven times). Our team was pretty weak, but those guys would have pasted any state team at the time. I think that the level of play has increased over here considerably in that time, but those guys just knew how to play like they were professionals (they were, actually I guess). They could probably handle our regional teams, and probably our national team too. Without professional grooming at a younger age, we are still struggling to develop players that understand the game to the same degree that those players do. I had the same experience playing EC Vittoria (Brasil) in U-18. They had 95% possession, and we were a decent squad, with a few players from Indiana U and some foreign ringers. I felt like a complete novice though I have played since age five. We had two shots. EC Vittoria had beaten Ajax in the final of the Dallas Cup earlier that year, and were supposed to be the #1 U-18 club in the world. They were lightyears ahead of anything I have seen from US youth teams, even at the national level. We have some skilled players, but they just don't make the right decisions automatically like the top foreign players do.

I have played against a lot of foreign clubs. Unless they have top flight teams, most town (club) teams are pretty weak, below the level of players in the US. Their elite clubs, however, are a different story, and really make our ODP and club systems look completely inadequate in comparison. We are making progress, but we will reach a plateau unless some changes are made.

 

DC United U-14's win English Tourney

Well I can assure you that the gap is closing. A DC United sponsored Super Y League U-14 team (not even a regional all star team) competed against several Premiership and First Division youth sides in a tour of England. Surprise, DC United did quite well. The first couple of days took a bit of adjustment as they won one game and lost two (each by one goal) but they found their legs after that. Some of the teams they competed against were U-16's, so DC United's team was "playing up" two years as well.

They came to compete in the Everton youth tournament, that was one of the premier youth events in England at that age. DC United's U-14's did so well in fact, that they won it, and stunned 100% of the English fans, players, coaches and scouts. Here's a link and an excerpt. There was a better article, but I cannot seem to find it.

And the link is:

http://www.dcunited.com/index.cfm?section=main&cont_id=120729

 

Us vs. The World, Youth Level

Last summer, my son's U9 team played a good youth club team in Spain (Espanyol). Gave up 7 months in age due to U.S. August 1st cut-off date vs. January 1st international date. Lost 9-0, never managed a shot on goal.

This was the best U9 team in Chicago area, so almost certainly one of the best in the country.

Conclusion - Ain't no way in hell a young U.S. club team can compete with the best of the European youth squads.

However, when you consider that there are probably 20 - 30 top U9 club teams in Chicago area and that Espanyol and Barcelona pretty much gobble up every top U9 in the whole Catalonia region, you'll understand that we're comparing apples and oranges. If you created a U9 Chicago All-Star team (an amusing concept) and you eliminated the 7-month age gap ... hmmm, maybe.

DigitalTron's example with the older ages is, of course, just that -- an All-Star team. Maybe the Fire will notch up its development program and do something like this in our area -- i.e., create and nurture a real team -- as opposed to the community-relations type program that it currently offers.

 

All I've got to say is: Pick-up soccer. Kids taking their balls to school with them, playing at recess, etc. "To master technical skills is to begin to understand tactical skills."

I've seen EC Vitoria play at Dallas Cup before('99 when they beat Donovan's U17 NT) and good god their skill on the ball was just simply unbelievable. Glued to their foot. The tactical game is easy to play when a player doesn't have to worry about his technical skills(first touch, receiving, passing and dribbling). A technically sound player IMHO has more vision.

I think by 2010 we'll be surprised how much having a professional league improves the quality of our youth. The 'education' of America's players continues---(1)You've got to go pro to be considered for the national team (2) Play year round. Number 2 is big for youth players IMHO. Nothing solidifies technical skills like playing in a ton of games.

 

Day 4 was a clean sweep ... final record: 13 W, 3 D, 0 L.

It's never easy to win in Costa Rica at any level. I would not have expected our regional teams to go undefeated over 16 games. That's a remarkable accomplishment.

(IIRC, our regional teams struggled against similar opponents last year. Does anyone remember?)

 

Foreign Training

Wanderer -

I would say that pick-up soccer is half the story. No question that U.S. kids, on the whole, are behind in pick-up soccer. In particularly, juggling. Throughout Europe, I saw kids (and adults) working on their first touch via juggling games. A ball, a little space, that's what they do. Rarely see that here.

But the other half is training. I agree with passtheblitz, the second-tier/local European youth teams aren't very scary. But the top tier ... well, that's different. The Espanyol U10 kids were training 4x weekly. And they played like it, too -- team tactics were very polished. Even if we matched those kids technically and athletically, they would have whupped our tails simply because they had been more extensively coached.

But hey, we seem to be figuring something out, at least to judge from the ODP Regional Teams' successes in Costa Rica. Congrats to those kids!