Many players that are very fast growing up do not develop dribbling or passing skills as much, since they rely on their speed. Speed solves many problems in soccer but by the time they become adults, lots of players are fast. This may not be your player, but it is true for many "fast" players. The other thing that happens is defenders get better at reading the fast player and let them know early in the game that there can be consequences.
It's with the same with the big leggers and shooting. Coaches teach them early on to shoot it over the keepers head. It doesn't work anymore by the time the keepers are U16 and can touch the cross bar. The ones that have been practicing precision shooting to the corners then have the advantage. And then people scratch their heads and wonder why the boys keep woofing it over the cross bar (it's because they've been taught to flex rather than point their foot and therefore do it every single time).
This is so spot on, and the experience of a lot of kids. Very similar story for my son, although he was only playing soccer by U13 (and totally out of the sport by U16). It became a job in many respects, MLS Next is a grind for both kids and parents. Like you said "it's the least fun". Our youth soccer system doesn't develop passion for the sport. There are more coaches that are passion robbing than passion creating. (Not totally blaming coaches, as I think the lack of passion is partially cultural).
Even English academies have "facilitator' players that they know will never make it.
Most college coaches are soccer passion killers.
I hear that particularly on the women's side. For men, they're either hardened by that time or have no passion left to lose.
We had mostly good experiences with girl's and boy's club coaches.I hear that particularly on the women's side. For men, they're either hardened by that time or have no passion left to lose.
I could be totally wrong about this, but I tend to hear more positive things about girl's club soccer coaches than I do boys.
My son has had 6 (it’s going to be 7) coaches since he started travel (more than 1/2 of them having to move due to factors beyond his control). Out of the 6 two of them were great (both focused on development and took knocks on the wins as a result), 2 had their merits and demerits, 2 were downright awful. For the money we pay that shouldn’t really be the case.
Damn, you made me count. My son had 10 coaches in his club career, 3 in his last year. His first and last were the worst. I was critical of his first coach and at one point he told my U8 son "don't tell your dad anything I tell you". A couple coaches we really liked, but other parents couldn't stand the same coaches. Most understood soccer, but very few knew how to coach kids. He had a great young coach for a few months but he left to coach in the USL. He had the team performing way above their individual skills. The coach that took over was a complete disaster and the team never won another game after dominating the non-academy teams in the first half of the season. That was the final straw in my son's soccer journey.
How much of that do you think is due to club leadership, or lack thereof?
Part of the issue I've come to believe is that the non academy clubs are organized more as personal fiefdoms than an organized coaching unit. There isn't an organized style of playing or curriculum (though at the MLSN it's closer because of the training they impose, but it doesn't trickle down to the lower level teams) most of the time. The old SM surf prior to the Albion purchase was an exception...so were the Eagles a few years ago (not sure if they are any more)...I've heard maybe Laguna or the Reds. Coaches select players with little to no input from the club-- MLSN really should require a placement director that would direct players to proper levels and use bio banding appropriately. Levels usually aren't interlocked so kids can be moved up or down to enhance playtime but also training opportunities. Coaches are judged on player retention (signing bonuses for players who reup....really????), which means keeping the parents happy with wins, not development. GK coaches are just glorified trainers instead of an active part of the coaching staff. Skills training is absent in a lot of clubs leaving it dumped on coaches who, along with conditioning, don't really have time to do it (only have known a few clubs that did skill training nights for like defenders, or conditioning, or strikers...the old Laufa, Ole, Newbury Park). To build a winning squad for the youngers you have to be a real a hole and be ruthless in a lot of things people don't like to do like recruiting, cutting weaker players and upgrading them, get the big kids near the age line, boot ball tactics. And then there's the pay that quite a few clubs out there since COVID have not been financially stable and those that are (like the Albions of the world) are buying up everything so you are a cog in vast profit making machine.
