Errr...look familiar (and from closer).
If Howard had truly f'ed it, as opposed to well maybe someone else coulda done better in that particular circumstance, I'd be the first on his case.or
US Men's National Team - what went wrong?
- Thread starter Hired Gun
- Start date
Errr...look familiar (and from closer).
If Howard had truly f'ed it, as opposed to well maybe someone else coulda done better in that particular circumstance, I'd be the first on his case.or
younothat
PREMIER
Wow all those millions for what? Women's team look like a bargain, at least they produce results
From https://twitter.com/WaltHickey/status/917937410872430596
From https://twitter.com/WaltHickey/status/917937410872430596
I've heard about 6 interviews with Taylor Twellman in the past 20 hours. He kept repeating the "Definition of Insanity" quote. Did he just hear this for the first time and is now trying to spread it to the world?
If my kids didn't love playing soccer, I would have protested US Soccer with my wallet last year when they honked up the age groups.
tylerdurden
SILVER
I've heard one interview with him where he sounded like he was seriously going to have an aneurysm on camera...he was SO pissed and rightfully so. I've been using that saying for years and in this situation, if they don't fire these guys, it's exactly what it is...insanity.
Kinda like Lucy and Charlie Brown with the football, same scenario over and over but expecting a different result.
There's two ways this can go down. The USSF shows Arena and Gulati the door and rebuild or they double down with stupid and continue down the drain.
C’mon, that 2nd goal was a ridiculous shot. 1 inch off the far post into the side netting. That guy will never score another goal like that ever. And he should have never been given that much time and space.
Gulati got the job because of his influence in MLS. He was never a serious player, coach, or referee. The origin of his career was apparently re-organizing the water cart at a state ODP camp. Everybody liked his result so much that he just kept getting promoted.
Reminds me of this --
Toepuncher
BRONZE
There's to much focus on winning, than development at the youth level. In my opinion.
younothat
PREMIER
U.S. Soccer failures has an easy fix
https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/world-cup-articles/us-soccer-failures-has-an-easy-fix_aid43012
"U.S. Soccer is held back by the closed market that has kept the Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise owners happy, but the rest of the sport hindered for over two decades. A closed market that provides a safety net to encourage mediocrity and punish greatness. It’s the antithesis of growth and success. It stands against everything that the American dream represents. Yet this league has prospered financially in the States because the Federation endorses it as the First Division of Professional Soccer."
"If you are actually passionate about the future of this sport, supporting franchises that stand in the way of actual growth is a direct hindrance. If you want to see the actual potential of soccer in this country to be unleashed, act with your dollar and voice support for an open market.
An open market allows for clubs to move up the pyramid with promotion or to fall off with relegation. It encourages player development with success from clubs being built to sell-on players and profit from that business. It creates an environment where innovation is encouraged and individuals are driven to their best.
While it may seem like a grand dream, there really is an obvious path to changing the culture of the sport in this country. U.S. Soccer Federation needs to step up and realize that this current closed system is not just or fair. Or even beneficial to the mission of the Federation.
This is not a 10-year change or even a five-year change. This is an immediate change that can happen as soon as 2018. U.S. Soccer Federation tells MLS they need to open a path to the league and create an open market or U.S. Soccer will endorse another league as the First Division of Professional Soccer in this country.
An open market will improve the culture of the sport overnight. Competition breeds excellence and as long as there is no real competition, there is no real need for teams to pursue excellence.
It’s time for the arrogance of U.S. Soccer, MLS, and other figureheads to realize this failure is not fixed from a coaching hire or a hope that the next generation will be better. It’s time to change the basic fabric of the game in this country.
It’s time to support an open market."
https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/world-cup-articles/us-soccer-failures-has-an-easy-fix_aid43012
"U.S. Soccer is held back by the closed market that has kept the Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise owners happy, but the rest of the sport hindered for over two decades. A closed market that provides a safety net to encourage mediocrity and punish greatness. It’s the antithesis of growth and success. It stands against everything that the American dream represents. Yet this league has prospered financially in the States because the Federation endorses it as the First Division of Professional Soccer."
"If you are actually passionate about the future of this sport, supporting franchises that stand in the way of actual growth is a direct hindrance. If you want to see the actual potential of soccer in this country to be unleashed, act with your dollar and voice support for an open market.
An open market allows for clubs to move up the pyramid with promotion or to fall off with relegation. It encourages player development with success from clubs being built to sell-on players and profit from that business. It creates an environment where innovation is encouraged and individuals are driven to their best.
While it may seem like a grand dream, there really is an obvious path to changing the culture of the sport in this country. U.S. Soccer Federation needs to step up and realize that this current closed system is not just or fair. Or even beneficial to the mission of the Federation.
This is not a 10-year change or even a five-year change. This is an immediate change that can happen as soon as 2018. U.S. Soccer Federation tells MLS they need to open a path to the league and create an open market or U.S. Soccer will endorse another league as the First Division of Professional Soccer in this country.
An open market will improve the culture of the sport overnight. Competition breeds excellence and as long as there is no real competition, there is no real need for teams to pursue excellence.
It’s time for the arrogance of U.S. Soccer, MLS, and other figureheads to realize this failure is not fixed from a coaching hire or a hope that the next generation will be better. It’s time to change the basic fabric of the game in this country.
It’s time to support an open market."
The Missing Years: U.S. Soccer’s Development Gap
Brian Sciaretta explored the past three decades of player development and noticed few players born in the early 1990s have panned out—a situation that continues to haunt the men's national team.
http://americansoccernow.com/articl...ccer-s-development-gap#/.WddNFNcwH3A.facebook
Pundits have questioned tactics, player selection, heart, and a whole other set of issues. What is rarely discussed, however, is a black hole of development among the American-born/raised players born in 1990-1994 and 1996.
Brian Sciaretta explored the past three decades of player development and noticed few players born in the early 1990s have panned out—a situation that continues to haunt the men's national team.
http://americansoccernow.com/articl...ccer-s-development-gap#/.WddNFNcwH3A.facebook
Pundits have questioned tactics, player selection, heart, and a whole other set of issues. What is rarely discussed, however, is a black hole of development among the American-born/raised players born in 1990-1994 and 1996.
Interesting and informative article. It does answer a few questions as to why USMNT is troubled, but many more questions are still left unanswered.
In the past what the USMNT might have lacked in technical skill and sophistication they made up for in grit and work rate, determination and a refusal to lose. Against Trinidad they didn't even have that.
So now we are hearing the usual grumbling about US youth soccer placing too much focus on winning vs. development. I think this is misguided and overly simplistic, and in our search for answers we need to be very careful not to sacrifice our drive to win. It's the whole point of playing the game after all.
The experience of successful soccer countries around the world has shown that winning and development are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Here's an instructive article about how in Spain, winning is a fundamental part of youth soccer training culture from the very young ages. Oh yeah, and they are pretty good at development too.
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...ll-coaches-barcelona-winning-natural-instinct
So now we are hearing the usual grumbling about US youth soccer placing too much focus on winning vs. development. I think this is misguided and overly simplistic, and in our search for answers we need to be very careful not to sacrifice our drive to win. It's the whole point of playing the game after all.
The experience of successful soccer countries around the world has shown that winning and development are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Here's an instructive article about how in Spain, winning is a fundamental part of youth soccer training culture from the very young ages. Oh yeah, and they are pretty good at development too.
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...ll-coaches-barcelona-winning-natural-instinct
One of the things that struck me about the article was the use of video analysis. I think video analysis of your own play and the play of successful teams particularly as it relates to decision making would be a critical tool in improving soccer IQ. I think for most kids its easier to learn visually rather than verbally. How many clubs include video analysis in their training? From what I have seen its few, if any.
Sons of Pitches
SILVER ELITE
11 of our 14 games this year will be on film. Our coach will do 2 film breakdown meetings this year.
I would think with the proliferation of websites like Hudle, VidSwap, etc... there must be many teams doing video analysis, from what research I have done these services are growing and relatively affordable if you split it between all the families on a team.
Surfref
PREMIER
IMHO the problems start at the youth level. The pay-to-play system and multiple gaming league systems need to be overhauled.
I think the biggest problem is the youth coach education. Too many coaches just get their initial 16 hours of E training and never get any further training. Some get their D training, but few go past D. The lowest level (Grade 8) referees are required to get (yearly) 5 hours of face to face training, complete 3 hours of online training and take a test. Most licensed professionals are required to attend a designated number of hours of continuing education. How come soccer coaches do not have to attend a designated number of hours of training to keep their coaching license? Coach licenses should be good for two years and only renewed after the completion of a designated number of hours (I would suggest 20 hours) of continuing coaching education to include concussion protocol, LOTG changes, goalkeeper training techniques and coaching techniques, or move to the next higher coaching license level. The training needs to be standardized by US Soccer and administered by certified trainers. US Soccer already has a blueprint for training and certification in the Referee program, so it would be fairly easy to implement for the coaches. This would help build better coaches at the youth level and force out the lazy and bad coaches.
I think the biggest problem is the youth coach education. Too many coaches just get their initial 16 hours of E training and never get any further training. Some get their D training, but few go past D. The lowest level (Grade 8) referees are required to get (yearly) 5 hours of face to face training, complete 3 hours of online training and take a test. Most licensed professionals are required to attend a designated number of hours of continuing education. How come soccer coaches do not have to attend a designated number of hours of training to keep their coaching license? Coach licenses should be good for two years and only renewed after the completion of a designated number of hours (I would suggest 20 hours) of continuing coaching education to include concussion protocol, LOTG changes, goalkeeper training techniques and coaching techniques, or move to the next higher coaching license level. The training needs to be standardized by US Soccer and administered by certified trainers. US Soccer already has a blueprint for training and certification in the Referee program, so it would be fairly easy to implement for the coaches. This would help build better coaches at the youth level and force out the lazy and bad coaches.
Great article. "they are pretty good at development too". Well, that's the point. The Spanish have a long tradition of playing it at the feet and building. The Americans have a long tradition of trying to use their athleticism in direct soccer as opposed to finesse. There are two ways to go at this. One is to say run-and-sock 'em soccer is o.k....it's just our American style...s the rondos and the passing game.....s the rest of the thinking soccer is a negative game about mistake avoidance instead of making the score....let's develop our own American style based on who we are and what works and stop trying to imitate others.
The other is to say that the possession game really matters and we should try to develop it...but it takes time to develop that game and teams that try to do it are going to lose against teams that play the direct style...since we have a play to pay system, and coaches are only judged on wins/loses (there really is no other official stick parents have to judge them, in fairness to the parents), the emphasis on winning and losing hurts the development of the possession game, especially early on. U.S. Soccer, rightly or wrongly, has made the decision learning the possession game is important, and its recommendations are to deemphasize winning as a result until age 12, but they lacked the courage of their convictions to make that mandatory, which meant nothing changed. It's like the old saying, you can have it fast, good or cheap...pick two. You can have it competitive, possession-oriented or professional, pick 2, under the current pay to play system.
Note Spain doesn't have the same pay to play system. They select kids from a very early age. What jumped out at me most about the article was 8 hour bus trip. It's a job to these kids. It's their future, so of course they are invested in it. Video review and then laps before training even begins? Well they don't say but you can imagine how much time they are practicing.
All I here is there push toward academy and focus on development. The men have been doing this for 10 years with the DA and there may be less talent in the pipeline now than there was 10 years ago. This comes in the face that soccer is the fastest growing sport in the country. So US Soccer says this is working so lets use it for the woman. Don't give me the BS that everyone else in the world is catching up, yes of course they are just as everyone has caught up to North Carolina from 20 years ago; there is more competition. All they did and continue to do is dilute the talent between the various programs DA, ECNL, NPL, DPL CSL or any other nick nack paddy whack program these aholes can come up with. All coach's and clubs care about is try to hold on to their best/all players/$$. This needs to be streamlined to one top national league with relegation and promotion (Competition). We are Americans and have influences from all over the world in soccer and otherwise. Let these various influences create the players not one system where all players are treated like robots to the exact same thing.
Totally agree with this. My AYSO refs license was more extensive than my 8, and my father's AYSO coaching training was longer and more in depth than my E. The AYSO material and curriculum is also much better, at least as far as kids just starting out learning the game and needing to know the basics.
This is the other thing I keep hearing about. We need more "A" licensed coach's. Just because a coach has a designation does mean he can coach. I've seen plenty of "A" "B" licensed coach's not being able to coach their team out of a paper bag. Also seen coach's with low or no license do a tremendous job of teaching/coaching.
Well, the other issue there is we mean a lot of different things when we say "good coach". Is a good coach a tactician that is going to win games and bring the club home a Surf Cup win? Is the coach a good manager that's going to keep the team and parents unified going forward, and can pick a winning cohesive unit and select talent appropriately? Is a good coach someone who'll impart skills to each individual player, teaching the striker how to make that toe pick under the goalie rushing at him, or getting the keeper that extra half inch on the jump? Is a good coach someone whose going to improve the kids soccer IQ? Is a good coach someone who is focused on the team as a unit, emphasize guided self-learning and imparting them a possession-based overall education? The licensing education is about the last one for US soccer. It's going to be even more so given that the "let 'em play" advocates have US soccer's ear, trying to recreate a street soccer environment, which goes completely against the Guardian article ajaxahi posted. That's why I always find it funny when parents ask a particular private trainer what's your license level since it has nothing to do with that.