# Coaching Reviews?



## Riggins (Dec 4, 2017)

Is there any place to go to get reviews, or parent opinions, on different coaches? My daughter, a G08, has been accepted to a few clubs and it is really hard to know which to accept. Records aren't posted these days, but you can find them from parents. Even so, that isn't always the best measure.

For example, I'd like to get some views on Coach Noguiera from West Coast/OC Surf. I've looked up his  flight 1 results for the last three years and they are not impressive.

2015
G08 flight 1 - not recorded
G09 flight 1 - 1-11-0  gd=-34  am=-3

2016
G08 flight 1 - 2-8-2   gd=-39  am=-3
G07 flight 1 - 1-9-1   gd=-34  am=-3

2017
G09 flight 1 - not recorded (rumor says not good)
G08 flight 1 - not recorded (rumor says they didn't win a game)
G07 flight 1 - 1-9-2   gd=-45 am=-4

gd=goal differential
am=average game margin

So, as you can see his BEST record was two wins. Those are scary records to say "yeah, I think I will send my daughter his way." But, that said, if these girls are really developing, learning to play the game the right way and not the "easy win" way, then it is more interesting.

We have a few coaches to consider, and this isn't meant to be a "slam Noguiera" post. He was just a good extreme example. If there is a forum to discuss coaches specifically, their style, their temperament, how they deal with kids and parents, I would be VERY thankful.


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## Eagle33 (Dec 4, 2017)

I have no affiliation or any interest in this but my outside observation of this coach during games, he is a screamer. He may be great at training - don't know.
I would suggest to attend not only few practices but also games and see different coaches in action before making a decision. Right now is a perfect time for this as everyone running open tryouts.


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## mirage (Dec 4, 2017)

It would be very helpful if there is a site, like "ratemyteacher" to rate coaches.

I'm surprised that such a thing doesn't exist.  

Dom, perhaps its a new product line for you....


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## Striker17 (Dec 4, 2017)

It does and it's silly


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## NumberTen (Dec 4, 2017)

toucan said:


> If that wasn't meant to be a "slam Nogeira" post, then there is no such thing.  The Original Poster could have asked his question in any number of ways; for example, he could have just listed the records of the coach without the name, or he could have just described the records without drilling down to make them correlatable to a coach.  His running commentary on "rumors" of a coach's record two or three years ago says all you need to know.  I don't know who the OP really is, but his agenda is transparent.  This post was a certified hit job.


I am going to disagree with this.  I am tired of abbreviations, initials, and innuendo.  These are adults and we are the paying customers.  I want as much information as possible about the coaches or clubs that I send my kids to.  I call BS on the excuse that "if I don't already know the initials of a coach, then I don't need to know anyway."  I may or I may not need to know, today, tomorrow, or down the line.  I may know someone that needs to know.  That said, protecting the anonymity of a kid or avoiding retaliation is another issue.  If you really believe that you might get blow back from one of your post, then don't make it.  Otherwise,  I will assume that you want to discuss something here on the forum as opposed to a private conversation between two people.


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## Riggins (Dec 4, 2017)

Honestly, it isn't a "hit job". He is a coach at a very well respected club. These records (and the "rumors" of the records for this season) is all I can put together without help. I certainly plan to go to practices for each coach, hopefully watch them play either in a tournament or at State Cup, but I'd love to hear what parents have to say about coaches. That's what this post is about. I, and I imagine a lot of other parents, would like to find the best fit for our kids. I'm hoping there is a resource somewhere to help with the decision.


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## Eagle33 (Dec 4, 2017)

mirage said:


> It would be very helpful if there is a site, like "ratemyteacher" to rate coaches.
> 
> I'm surprised that such a thing doesn't exist.
> 
> Dom, perhaps its a new product line for you....


It actually exists
http://www.ratemysoccercoach.com/


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## timbuck (Dec 4, 2017)

He's been coaching for quite a while and usually has no trouble attracting players to his teams.
I'll PM you a few things too.


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## Primetime (Dec 4, 2017)

My advice is don't chase teams or team records.   Go somewhere for the club and or program.  Look at the other coaches in the club as well.  Not every coach stays with every team.   You might want to go somewhere for a team with a great record then after you get there one or two key players leave now suddenly it's not the same team.  Plus those couple key players go to the competition so now the teams they're up against are also stronger so it's two fold.   You might go somewhere for the coach then next season the coach moves back down an age group so now the coach you went for you only got one season with.   A lot of clubs have coaches who only stay or prefer to stay in certain age groups.   Either scenario leaves you back in the same boat buying a new uniform Kit.   Look for a club to call home, somewhere that offered opportunities every which way with multiple teams within the club.   
   If your chasing team records and coaches you'll be forever chasing that rainbow.  One thing kids need for adolescent life in general is stability.


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## Grace T. (Dec 4, 2017)

Eagle33 said:


> It actually exists
> http://www.ratemysoccercoach.com/



Love that people are rating their AYSO coaches on this too.


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## Deadpoolscores! (Dec 4, 2017)

Riggins said:


> Is there any place to go to get reviews, or parent opinions, on different coaches? My daughter, a G08, has been accepted to a few clubs and it is really hard to know which to accept. Records aren't posted these days, but you can find them from parents. Even so, that isn't always the best measure.
> 
> For example, I'd like to get some views on Coach Noguiera from West Coast/OC Surf. I've looked up his  flight 1 results for the last three years and they are not impressive.
> 
> ...


It's obvious this coach needs to come to realization his teams are not ready for Flight 1 base off his records. Parents were foolish to believe that their DD has been prepared by this coach to play at the Flight 1 level or wanted to feel their DD was ready to play at Flight 1. The reality is he doesn't have the right players to play at Flight 1or he is out coached by the competition or again he fails to recognize that he should not have his team at Flight 1.


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## Soccer Cat (Dec 4, 2017)

You will always get mixed reviews, especially on a forum like this.  Personally, unless you know the person giving advice I wouldn't put much stock into it.  My kid has had coaches we thought were excellent, but another parent on the team couldn't stand them.   Each parent has a good idea what a "good" coach is!

Like someone else said above, go to practices and attend games.  Watch their demeanor.  That's about the best unbiased info you will get.


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## Soccer (Dec 4, 2017)

According to the West Coast tryout thread Victor will not be the G08 coach.

Josh Stringer will, a great coach.  And Mas Yamasaki, who is moving to West Coast from Encinitas Express.  He has a good reputation too.


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## Riggins (Dec 4, 2017)

They announced at the tryouts that they will have flight 1 Stringer, flight 1 Yamasaki, flight 2 Stringer, and flight 2 Noguiera. I guess turnout was good enough they added that last flight 2 team.


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## MyDaughtersAKeeper (Dec 4, 2017)

Wins and losses don't matter at this age.  Winning is more fun than losing, but managing playing time, parents expectations, communicating well, developing players, and ensuring your kid wants to come back next year are more important.  As many have said on this forum elsewhere, find the right coach for your kid.  Good luck on the search. 
PS  I don't know this coach at all but have heard good things about WCFC (for what that is worth).


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## mirage (Dec 4, 2017)

Soccer Cat said:


> You will always get mixed reviews, especially on a forum like this...../QUOTE]


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## mirage (Dec 4, 2017)

Soccer Cat said:


> You will always get mixed reviews, especially on a forum like this....



Isn't this true for any review site?  We all have our perspective and bias that we express.

If there's enough sampling, then a general trend can develop and unknown can start to form an impression of what the coach is like.

Unless you are an expert on the subject, what can you tell by attending practices and watching.  You only know what you know and you don't know what you don't know.  What seems good to you may or may not be actually good.

After 10 years of club soccer, with three top tier clubs, and two medium sized clubs between the two kids, I can say that vast majority of coaches are about the same.  The bell curve truly exists and licensing has almost nothing to do with the quality of coaching (my kids have played in DA, Premier, Flt 1 Champions, Gold, Flight 2, 3, and Bronze over the years)

Some coaches are very good one-on-one, whereas some are better with groups.  Some are great training coaches but horrible game day coaches.  And almost every coach has an optimal age group to coach.  In other words, some coaches for younger should never coach olders and vise-versa. 

So any review site that can provide insight into any coach, that the general soccer community contributes to is a good idea.  It will make the whole coaching thing much more transparent and set expectations for parents.  It also gives more power to the buyers side - which is us.


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## SoccerFan4Life (Dec 5, 2017)

- Wins & losses could matter depending on what you want from the team and also depending on how many players on the team are way ahead of everyone else.   If that superstar kid leaves the team, your wins become losses. 

Personally I would recommend go to their upcoming tournaments and see how the coach manages the team.  Also look at the following: 
- Is he a screamer? 
- Do the kids respond to the coach,   
- do you like his  playing style (long ball, posession style, playing from the back,)?   
- Do the parents look like they get along and having fun on the sidelines?  
- Does the coach offer conditioning and endurance training 
- Does your child get along with the kids
- Do you have crazy parents that scream and yell when the ref makes a mistake


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## baldref (Dec 5, 2017)

SoccerFan4Life said:


> - Wins & losses could matter depending on what you want from the team and also depending on how many players on the team are way ahead of everyone else.   If that superstar kid leaves the team, your wins become losses.
> 
> Personally I would recommend go to their upcoming tournaments and see how the coach manages the team.  Also look at the following:
> - Is he a screamer?
> ...


refs don't make mistakes.


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## espola (Dec 5, 2017)

baldref said:


> refs don't make mistakes.


Well, there's one.


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## baldref (Dec 5, 2017)

espola said:


> Well, there's one.


that's what your parents said


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## Not_that_Serious (Dec 5, 2017)

Record, kind of an indicator of how the team was put together. either A) kids playing outside talent level B) very bad coach C) Load of Injuries. Usually its putting a team together who's talent level doesnt fit the level they are playing at. If the other teams at the club win and have a team losing all the time - might be the $ team. Not always the coaches fault, could be a club decision - coach could be improving them by the seasons end. happens if coach will take on the team just to get the paycheck - doesnt indicate if the coach is terrible. you just dont want your kid being cannon fodder for other teams. not a good feeling and doesnt usually help the kid. best way is to go to at least a couple practices and watch from a distance - not like a coach would would change how they act if they have prospective buyers.  Dont know how WC changes given they just sold their soul


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## zebrafish (Dec 5, 2017)

SoccerFan4Life said:


> - Wins & losses could matter depending on what you want from the team and also depending on how many players on the team are way ahead of everyone else.   If that superstar kid leaves the team, your wins become losses.
> 
> Personally I would recommend go to their upcoming tournaments and see how the coach manages the team.  Also look at the following:
> - Is he a screamer?
> ...


Some excellent advice.
Watching coaches in games is critical IMHO for seeing the "real" coach


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## Deadpoolscores! (Dec 5, 2017)

zebrafish said:


> Some excellent advice.
> Watching coaches in games is critical IMHO for seeing the "real" coach


You'll see the real coach when the team is losing. True colors always come out at that time.


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## coachrefparent (Dec 6, 2017)

Riggins said:


> Honestly, it isn't a "hit job". He is a coach at a very well respected club. These records (and the "rumors" of the records for this season) is all I can put together without help. I certainly plan to go to practices for each coach, hopefully watch them play either in a tournament or at State Cup, but I'd love to hear what parents have to say about coaches. That's what this post is about. I, and I imagine a lot of other parents, would like to find the best fit for our kids. I'm hoping there is a resource somewhere to help with the decision.


Whst are the names of the other coaches,  and what are their records?


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## socalkdg (Dec 6, 2017)

Grace T. said:


> Love that people are rating their AYSO coaches on this too.


I'll have to see if I'm on the list.


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## Riggins (Dec 6, 2017)

coachrefparent said:


> Whst are the names of the other coaches,  and what are their records?


It is really hard to get records, given these are "youngers" coaches. The coaches we are looking at though are:

Amy Androsko - Slammers FC
Walter Tuer - Slammers FC
Ryan Ruggerello - Laguna United
New Guy - Pats MV (just starting a new team, but came from another club... name escapes me)
Victor Nogueira - OC Surf

And that's the list. I can't find records for Amy and Ryan since they coach young teams are are new to their clubs. I don't know if they coached elsewhere so I can't look for old years. Walter has been around a while, and I know he had an "average" year this year, from talking to parents. But no one gave a record, and I didn't feel comfortable asking. The guy at Pats MV had really good teams before moving, but this team is completely from scratch and I know he has lots of offers out. And then there is Victor, whom I am eliminating based on feedback here, other coaches at WC/Surf, and seeing his practice.

So, that's the list. I want my daughter somewhere that the coach is interested in the girls and the game; driven to develop the girls individually and as a team; is a reasonable communicator to the parents (lower priority); and has a decent enough personality to motivate the girls without scaring them to death.


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## Riggins (Dec 6, 2017)

Forgot these two:

Chris Sullivan - Irvine Pats
Mike Greer - CDA Slammers Orange

Thanks!


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## Messi>CR7 (Dec 6, 2017)

Riggins said:


> Forgot these two:
> 
> Chris Sullivan - Irvine Pats
> Mike Greer - CDA Slammers Orange
> ...


IMHO looking at the records is very misleading for the younger age groups.  The records you posted for this particular coach does not tell me whether he is a good or a bad coach.  What they tell me is that these teams should not have played flight 1.  It could be due to club's mandate to field a flight 1 team regardless, or coach promised the parents their kids will play flight 1, etc.  Even if Jill Ellis or Pep Guardiola were coaching these teams, they probably would've ended up with the same miserable records.  If your U10 team was getting killed in spring league/summer tourneys by other flight 1 teams, no amount of coaching can close that gap during 3 months of fall league.

I think a team needs to have a realistic chance to win at least 30% of the league games.  Otherwise, you are probably better off playing a lower flight.  I understand the argument to play tougher opponents for improvement, but there isn't much learning in an 8-0 game.  it gets very demoralizing very quickly for both the kids (especially the little ones) and parents.  

Records do matter if you know the age group and the teams, and have watched them for a while.  If you play the same team from earlier and notice the same group of players have improved (individually and/or play as a team), then the coach is doing something right.  Otherwise, W-L record is very misleading.

I don't know any of these coaches personally, but my DD has played against Chris Sullivan's team.  They seem well coached, and the coach has a good demeanor.

I would suggest you also look at the size of the roster each club tends to fill.  My DD played 7v7 on a team with 9 players, then 9v9 on a team with 11 players, so playing time is never an issue.  Saddest thing in youth soccer to me is when I see five or six kids on the side line in a 9v9 game.

Good luck.


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## timbuck (Dec 6, 2017)

Riggins said:


> Forgot these two:
> 
> Chris Sullivan - Irvine Pats
> Mike Greer - CDA Slammers Orange
> ...


When did Chris join Irvine Pats? Wasn’t the with OC Strikers?  
“Will the last OC Strikers coach please turn off the lights and lock the door on the way out.”


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## timbuck (Dec 6, 2017)

Messi>CR7 said:


> IMHO looking at the records is very misleading for the younger age groups.  The records you posted for this particular coach does not tell me whether he is a good or a bad coach.  What they tell me is that these teams should not have played flight 1.  It could be due to club's mandate to field a flight 1 team regardless, or coach promised the parents their kids will play flight 1, etc.  Even if Jill Ellis or Pep Guardiola were coaching these teams, they probably would've ended up with the same miserable records.  If your U10 team was getting killed in spring league/summer tourneys by other flight 1 teams, no amount of coaching can close that gap during 3 months of fall league.
> 
> I think a team needs to have a realistic chance to win at least 30% of the league games.  Otherwise, you are probably better off playing a lower flight.  I understand the argument to play tougher opponents for improvement, but there isn't much learning in an 8-0 game.  it gets very demoralizing very quickly for both the kids (especially the little ones) and parents.
> 
> ...


I’d also add that if you see a team dominate using 1 player, be cautious. 
And any time you hear a coach constantly yell “Get the ball to Laura” the second the win the ball, they aren’t doing much to improve the play of anyone on the team.  They’re just riding one player that dominates a game (usually by size, speed or both).


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## El Clasico (Dec 6, 2017)

Riggins said:


> The coaches we are looking at though are:
> 
> Amy Androsko - Slammers FC
> Walter Tuer - Slammers FC
> ...


No, you don't!!  You eliminated the coach that is best equipped to fulfill your demands.

Fortunately, I only have a couple more years and all my kids will have aged out of this Club Soccer charade. Every year, it gets worse and worse. Just haven't figured out if it is the clubs and their marketing machines or the parents are just dumber and dumber. I don't need to defend Victor because his resume and achievements speak for themselves but I am constantly left speechless buy parent posters of youngers. You will have a complete F'ing idiot post on the forums asking dumb a** questions and even bigger f'ing idiots will respond without having any idea of what they are talking about. OP then thanks bigger f'ing idiot for their extremely insightful observations and advice.

As for Victor, over the years, my players have played against his teams more times than I can count and most people are smart enough to figure out what he is doing, or use to be able to anyway. Parents today only care about winning at U10 which is why they would eliminate the only guy on their list that has actually produced a Woman's Professional Player, USWNT Player or WWC player, which just might explain why, despite his won/loss record, he has no problem filling his roster.


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## Riggins (Dec 7, 2017)

I certainly wish Victor well, and hope he returns to his former glory. As for now, he really doesn't seem a fit for my daughter. Others can do as the see fit. That said, the fact WC (apparently) took away his flight 1 team before the end of the season, tends to show a lack of confidence from the club in him.

El Clasico, thanks for your extremely insightful observations and advice.


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## Surfref (Mar 6, 2018)

Grace T. said:


> The gauntlet is thrown down.  Will refs and parents be next?


I thought all refs sucked


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## Grace T. (Mar 6, 2018)

Surfref said:


> I thought all refs sucked


I thought that was true of most parents (they're the worst and are ruining US Soccer), coaches (well except the A-level coaches for flight 1 mega clubs), DOCs (they're in for the money) and players too (they're all horrible...except my little Billy and Sally of course).


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## Zdrone (Mar 6, 2018)

Surfref said:


> I thought all refs sucked


No way! 

Best friends forever!

*whistle blows*

Ref you blind?!?
Obvious red card!
Where’s the ref tent!
A yellow for that?!? It was pat on the back!
Every game they get worse!

*triple whistle*
Good game ref!
“Sally don’t worry, the ref lost it for you”

Wished there were a website I could voice my frustration!


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## outside! (Mar 7, 2018)

And just like that, bec is gone.


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## Striker17 (Mar 7, 2018)

Wonder who owns that ratings site..hmmmmm


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## Fact (Mar 7, 2018)

outside! said:


> And just like that, bec is gone.


He should be gone.  How absurd of him to think his product is not a competitor.



Striker17 said:


> Wonder who owns that ratings site..hmmmmm


However, I would like to know who actually owns or controls the sites.


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## GoldenFjord (Mar 7, 2018)

Fact said:


> He should be gone.  How absurd of him to think his product is not a competitor.
> 
> 
> However, I would like to know who actually owns or controls the sites.


I tried to write a review and it didn’t get approved. This is abject censorship. I’ll go ahead and post it in full in the other thread. 
Turrible.


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## RedNevilles (Mar 7, 2018)

Fact said:


> He should be gone.  How absurd of him to think his product is not a competitor.
> 
> 
> However, I would like to know who actually owns or controls the sites.


Seeing as I can only see one review I guess it’s an LAGSB parent


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## Striker17 (Mar 8, 2018)

This is a joke right? Parents of soccer players did this?
Wow and I thought ratings are dumb.


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