There are not even enough great coaches to cover all the A teams for all the age groups. B teams with a great coach is extremely rare. This is a huge headwind unfortunately and I think a reason why US is behind in soccer. A players with access to the scarce resource burnout or do not have the genetics when older. The kids who might have a chance never got access to the top level coaching.
What makes the A team of clubs so much better?
- Thread starter Lou789
- Start date
I agree top level players burn out: the burnout is more in the form that you see in this thread and the mls one, heavier on the boys than girls side (perhaps due to scholarship numbers or gridiron football), that when they get to late middle school or high school they decide mls next is not for them (because it makes sense for college admissions only if you are going the college recruitment route and need the scholarship or are applying to a handful of institutions you need the admissions bump for). The pros on the boy side also all go through academies and a handful of other institutions and that’s decided for the most part by middle school on the boys side. The bigger issue on the non mls next side is the number of hours. You simply aren’t going to match European academies if you aren’t doing it non stop every day and the reality is few non academy players are working on things on their own every day for hours (to be fair neither are Europeans except for the academy players who are structured for those hours)
JeterwastheBEST
SILVER ELITE
Oh, you mean "Slobodan"'s basement torture chamber?
JeterwastheBEST
SILVER ELITE
It's "Slobodan's" sliced and diced "rights" world, were all just living in it....
Here's a friendly tip: When you've gone over your data minutes and grandma let's you back online 3 days later, fast forward to the most recent page. That way it's not as obvious you're a clown.
Burnout certainly plays a role, but I think in a lot of cases there are just more, and arguably better, athletic options for kids when they get to HS.
JeterwastheBEST
SILVER ELITE
"Slobodan" your attempts at comedy are almost as bad as your soccer comments and karaoke choices...
CoachReed68
BRONZE
Too many parents are blinded into thinking that playing on the “A” team will accelerate development simply because they’re playing against the “elite” players.
If development is what is truly desired, then they would select a team (regardless of club) that trains twice as much than the “A” team of any other club.
Development occurs mostly during proper trainings, not games. The proper training ratio should be 4:1, not the other way around. If your “B” team trains four times a week, and the “A” team trains two times a week, then the “B” team would be better choice for individual player development.
In my experience, “A” teams mostly do not develop - they recruit. They entice parents with shiny objects and bells and whistles and recruit the players who were developed elsewhere and palm them off as their own. When those players finally make the “A” team, their development trajectory flattens to the same pace as the other “A” team players.
Most “A” teams train just twice a week, or possibly three times a week. If they do train a third day, then that session is usually nothing more than Speed & Agility, which does nothing to develop technical ball control.
If development is what is truly desired, then they would select a team (regardless of club) that trains twice as much than the “A” team of any other club.
Development occurs mostly during proper trainings, not games. The proper training ratio should be 4:1, not the other way around. If your “B” team trains four times a week, and the “A” team trains two times a week, then the “B” team would be better choice for individual player development.
In my experience, “A” teams mostly do not develop - they recruit. They entice parents with shiny objects and bells and whistles and recruit the players who were developed elsewhere and palm them off as their own. When those players finally make the “A” team, their development trajectory flattens to the same pace as the other “A” team players.
Most “A” teams train just twice a week, or possibly three times a week. If they do train a third day, then that session is usually nothing more than Speed & Agility, which does nothing to develop technical ball control.
CoachReed68
BRONZE
Yes, 100%. The parents are so conspiratorial and paranoid about the status of their kids. Ridiculous.
In my experience, an A team trains 3 times a week. What team trains more than that?
Karlton Athletic
SILVER
We had a combined NL/RL team for the "trapped" middle schoolers this year that attended a tournament, and the biggest difference was the parents: there was a sizeable group of NL parents that seemed genuinely pissed when a kid - not their own, of course - did something they disagreed with, and would happily tell anyone within earshot. They gave off definite "your kid's bringing my kid's level down" vibe, though the team did really well. They didn't attend any team meals either.
The RL parents were way more chill and social in comparison.