What If We Hit The Reset Button?

[Stephen A smith]

How do the best European and South American countries do it?

Those kids come up on a different mentality, they have nothing. They don't come up in the pay to play system. Here are some things that can be done.

It's Broke, So Let's Fix It:A 5-Point Blueprint to Fix American Soccer

We spoke with U.S. soccer experts from various parts of the industry to talk about the current state of affairs and what can be done to foster a healthier, more fruitful ecosystem.

www.urbansoccerpark.com

 

[blam]

If this were 100m sprint, then picking the best is easy. You just rank the runners from fastest to slowest and pick the top 3. It is easy to measure who is fast.

How do you measure if a player is good at soccer?

 

[Grace T.]

Unfortunately the power dynamic is not likely to change. Parents are too afraid to speak up about poor coaching, poor training, poor development and bad behavior for fear of how it will impact their child's standing with the club and/or the "it" team.

I'm not sure it's that the top teams parents are too afraid to speak up. It's more that parents care about the winning results. If the team isn't winning the coach will hear it. If the team is winning, the parents are getting what they want.

It causes coaches to adopt a ruthless strategy (with tactics, recruitment, cutting, many times at the expense of development) to get those advancements. My son's last team was very much a winning is the important thing...I'm very much an advocate for at the younger ages development first....his former team went very far in State Cup but there are only 6-7 of the original players left. And despite the wining is important approach, they've managed to recruit some great talent and those that remain are happy with the results. Indeed, the club (despite purporting to place development in front of winning) has been very vocal in its marketing on the ability of teams to punch over their weight.

If this were 100m sprint, then picking the best is easy. You just rank the runners from fastest to slowest and pick the top 3. It is easy to measure who is fast.

How do you measure if a player is good at soccer?

The approach of the European academies at the younger ages seem to be to latch onto the early developers....older, taller, more mature. Didn't used to be that way but the era of Messi and his HGH shots is rapidly coming to a close.

 

[Soccerhelper]

Those kids come up on a different mentality, they have nothing. They don't come up in the pay to play system. Here are some things that can be done.

It's Broke, So Let's Fix It:A 5-Point Blueprint to Fix American Soccer

We spoke with U.S. soccer experts from various parts of the industry to talk about the current state of affairs and what can be done to foster a healthier, more fruitful ecosystem.

www.urbansoccerpark.com

I was waiting for you @Stephen A smith
“Just L.A. and Orange County are almost as big as a country like Belgium, which is number one ranked in the world with FIFA."

“The example I just gave for Belgium is the same in Holland or France or Spain or Germany,” said Van der Most. “Pretty much every neighborhood has a club and every neighborhood has in addition to youth soccer, also adult soccer. Players when you’re 16, 17, and you’re really good, you play with and against adults. It’s all within your own area.”

Contrast that to the U.S. where, “literally you spend thousands of dollars on going down and playing a team that’s a two-hour drive away,” he added, referring to a recent trip to Florida where his Galaxy team played a squad from San Diego.

“In the U.S. it’s the opposite of other countries. It’s funded bottom up. So the worst teams are funding the club,” said Chase.

So much more insight. Hello everyone. I was told that that the DA for girls would be 100% paid for all the clubs who got the DA. I swear That ain;t happening, no way...

 

[jpeter]

Those kids come up on a different mentality, they have nothing. They don't come up in the pay to play system. Here are some things that can be done.

It's Broke, So Let's Fix It:A 5-Point Blueprint to Fix American Soccer

We spoke with U.S. soccer experts from various parts of the industry to talk about the current state of affairs and what can be done to foster a healthier, more fruitful ecosystem.

www.urbansoccerpark.com

That is a excellent piece of writing.

Agree 100% as futstal as the foundation for younger players.

 

[Soccerhelper]

I played some hoops in HS and thought I was all that. No shot clock or 3 pt line. I was a true point guard who never shot unless I was on a fast break from one of my steals and shooting a pull up free throw line on a 3 on 2 fast break or a layup. No shooting from me. Anyway, I got married and got better at hoops too. I went to the Yorba Linda Rec Center and sign me and my buddies for top level A ball. The rec leader was smart. He said, "easy fella, you can't just go to the A league. You need to show us through winning each level. They had A, B, C and D. Bring your squad next week for and will see where your team fits, ok coach? I said ok. After are ass kicking the next week, we were in the C league and lost in the finals instead of getting killed by 40 and pissing off the top players. I was put in my place and it worked itself all out and I still got to play basketball at 32 years old after ACL

 

[jpeter]

I played some hoops in HS and thought I was all that. No shot clock or 3 pt line. I was a true point guard who never shot unless I was on a fast break from one of my steals and shooting a pull up free throw line on a 3 on 2 fast break or a layup. No shooting from me. Anyway, I got married and got better at hoops too. I went to the Yorba Linda Rec Center and sign me and my buddies for top level A ball. The rec leader was smart. He said, "easy fella, you can't just go to the A league. You need to show us through winning each level. They had A, B, C and D. He bring your squad next week for to see where your team fits, ok coach? I said ok. After are ass kicking the next week, we were in the C league and lost in the finals instead of getting killed by 40 and pissing off the top players. I was put in my place and it worked itself all out and I still got to play basketball at 32 years old after ACL

I learned the hard way not to gamble too much on the golf course. My game hasn't keep up w/ my associates or improved much with time, still Duffing along but enjoy it anyway.

 

[maestroFRSM]

I'm not sure it's that the top teams parents are too afraid to speak up. It's more that parents care about the winning results. If the team isn't winning the coach will hear it. If the team is winning, the parents are getting what they want.

It causes coaches to adopt a ruthless strategy (with tactics, recruitment, cutting, many times at the expense of development) to get those advancements. My son's last team was very much a winning is the important thing...I'm very much an advocate for at the younger ages development first....his former team went very far in State Cup but there are only 6-7 of the original players left. And despite the wining is important approach, they've managed to recruit some great talent and those that remain are happy with the results. Indeed, the club (despite purporting to place development in front of winning) has been very vocal in its marketing on the ability of teams to punch over their weight.



The approach of the European academies at the younger ages seem to be to latch onto the early developers....older, taller, more mature. Didn't used to be that way but the era of Messi and his HGH shots is rapidly coming to a close.

Very nice points. Regarding youngers, Parents pay big $, expect to win, development suffers, kids don’t learn, coaches don’t coach/develop talent but play to win.
As informed parents, we need to put our money with coaches/clubs where development is paramount. Hard part is finding that, understanding it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and not putting our unrealized athletic goals on our kids. Clubs are at fault, but too many dumb ass parents out there as well.

 

[dad4]

Many parents can't tell you whether development is happening.

Or, they have no idea whether their kid will even want to play in 5 years. Why focus on a 15 year soccer regimen if junior is likely to quit and do something else long before then?

Not bad people. Just different priorities.

 

[maestroFRSM]

Many parents can't tell you whether development is happening.

Or, they have no idea whether their kid will even want to play in 5 years. Why focus on a 15 year soccer regimen if junior is likely to quit and do something else long before then?

Not bad people. Just different priorities.

Point taken, but in my opinion, most crazy sideline parents who yell at the coach for trying to build from the back, make connecting passes at the risk of a turnover aren't thinking this is junior's last year in soccer and therefore, we must win this league game. Their projecting their own needs on little one. Priorities are screwy.

At a young age, winning shouldn't be the end goal - the process should be, whether you're playing for one year or 15.

RIP 24:
"Those time when you get up early... those times when you stay up late... when you're too tired... you don't want to push yourself, but you do it anyway."
"That is actually the dream."

 

[Soccerhelper]

Point taken, but in my opinion, most crazy sideline parents who yell at the coach for trying to build from the back, make connecting passes at the risk of a turnover aren't thinking this is junior's last year in soccer and therefore, we must win this league game. Their projecting their own needs on little one. Priorities are screwy.

At a young age, winning shouldn't be the end goal - the process should be, whether you're playing for one year or 15.

RIP 24:
"Those time when you get up early... those times when you stay up late... when you're too tired... you don't want to push yourself, but you do it anyway."
"That is actually the dream."

What is a good healthy age to start teaching winning? We do live in America where winning come above all else. This is our society for the most part. I do think to teach soccer the right way we need futsul early and small sided games. I think 4th grade is time to start the winning mind set.

 

[jpeter]

What is a good healthy age to start teaching winning? We do live in America where winning come above all else. This is our society for the most part. I do think to teach soccer the right way we need futsul early and small sided games. I think 4th grade is time to start the winning mind set.

My kids starting playing futsal at 6 entered the U9 indoor league at 7 (youngest allowed) and wanted to have there faces on the wall as league champs. With no coach it was all them, they wanted to win every ball, match, duel, fun to watch but even better for them to see there faces on the wall when they walked in.

 

[younothat]

 

[Soccerhelper]

 

[Soccerhelper]

I can see clearly now everyone, what about you? Where is the actual top club in the city of Los Angeles located? Clean up time parents unless you're all ok with the Status Quo and all the Quid Pro Quo going on in youth soccer........

Quid pro quo ("something for something" in Latin[2]) is a Latin phrase used in English to mean an exchange of goods or services, in which one transfer is contingent upon the other; "a favor for a favor". Phrases with similar meanings include: "give and take", "tit for tat", "you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours", and "one hand washes the other". Other languages use other phrases for the same purpose.

There are many forms of Quid Pro Quo.....

 

[carla hinkle]

I appreciate that the "win at all costs" coach/club mentality may sacrifice development and, in the long term, be detrimental to soccer in the US as a whole. But (at a risk of stating the obvious) it's not easy to focus on development of younger players rather than winning. It's a very fine line to keep players motivated and parents happy if the team is losing all the time. A team that loses most of their games can be a very down atmosphere. Kids lose confidence, parents wonder what the point is, the coach loses motivation, it's just a bad downhill spiral. On the other hand, teams that win all the time may be less incentivized to make any changes or continue improving.

Maybe the optimal set up is a team that wins half their games? And keeps the losses close. And has communication between the coach, players and parents that they are putting in work that will pay off later. But that is very hard to do, requires a talented and motivated coach, appropriate flight/level team placement, patient parents, and kids who understand what the coach is going for. I've had kids on teams like this but it is a special circumstance. I've tried to appreciate those teams in the moment because it doesn't come around all that often.

The thing I find the most frustrating in So Cal youth soccer is the segretated/competing leagues. You are literally preventing teams of similar levels from playing each other and end up with way more travel than should be. Geographically divided leagues I understand -- the San Diego 10 year old shouldn't be driving to OC or LA for games very often. But the leagues should be optimized so teams of similar levels play each other -- from the best teams to the most beginner. The league landscape has fragmented so much I'm not sure how to address that issue.

 

[jpeter]

Jimmy, classic while we're in that genre

 

[dad4]

I don’t think direct vs possession is the largest problem. If you are really worried about too much long ball, add a half court rule like futsal or a 3 line rule like indoor soccer. Either would be a good small change.

The fracturing of the landscape is a bigger issue. overlapping leagues at lower levels is annoying but tolerable. overlapping leagues at the highest level is ridiculous. time for ECNL and DA to merge, or DA to drop the club link and just do regional all star teams.

 

[timbuck]

If I was king, this is what I'd do:

So Cal Youth League Set Up
Leagues should be broken up in the following manner. Forget Coast, SCDSL, Presidio, blah, blah, blah:
1. The Great Park League - All of Orange County plays here
2. The Oceanside/Polo Field League - Anything South of Pendleton plays here
3. The Silverlakes League - Anything east of Anaheim
4. The Anything between Manhattan Beach and Thousand Oaks League - Maybe play in Carson (Dignity Health Sports park) or any other large complexes in LA that clubs use. Could probably break this up into a few leagues based on geography and the mess of traffic in the area. Coastal, Downtown, Pasadena
5. Lancaster and Friends League

Set up 3 flights. A club can have a maximum of 5 teams per age group. And no more than 2 teams per flight.

Start the fall season by playing 4 games in the flight that you think you belong in. Then reshuffle the flights for the next 6 games of the season. If a team is killing everyone in flight 3 – move them up. If a team is getting crushed in flight 1, move them down.

Allow teams to play a maximum of 3 tournaments, plus State Cup per 12 months.

Start the season on Labor Day weekend. End the season the 1st week of December - Including State Cup for all age groups. (If you keep the 1st rounds local, you could even play weeknight games). You could even start the season before Labor Day weekend since many schools are starting back in mid-August now.

Tryouts
With the above league set up, you can let players take a break for most of December and January. They can even use this time to work on some soccer skills or recover from injuries, so they can prepare for the tryouts in a few months.

Tryouts are held in February. A player can register to tryout for up to 4 teams. They must attend at least 1 tryout with a club in order to receive an offer. (None of these backroom deals). All offers must be out by February 28th and accepted by March 5th. (Kind of the way club volleyball does things today. But they have a shorter window for accepting offers). Impose big fines for clubs that violate these rules. Suspend players from tournament play that violate these rules.

DA/ECNL
I don’t care which one exists or goes away. But we need 1 top level league. For ease of conversation, let’s say it is DA. And let’s say there should only be 6 DA Clubs in So Cal. (2 for LA, 2 in OC and 2 in San Diego)

If your club is going to be DA, then your club is ONLY a DA club. You can have 1 team per age group from U13 and above. There is no DA 2 or DPL. These clubs cannot have SCDSL/CSL/Presidio/NPL/etc teams. Players that want to play at the highest levels come to your tryouts. DA clubs are out scouting young players across the area. There is not a “we are joining XYZ club at 9 years old because we think it will help us make the DA team in 4 years by spending our money on this club and we think loyalty should be rewarded.”

These 6 Clubs must have:

• Quality Fields
• A physical facility that includes video review capabilities; athletic trainers for help with injuries; a study lounge for homework; an office for parent and player meetings
• At least 3 coaches at all practices and games. All with at least a recent B license and continuing coach education.
• 20 player rosters (I may even be ok with 23 players if there are some rules to ensure playing time for field players and keepers).
• Can bring in players from outside clubs for tryouts and scrimmages as needed. If they want to add a player for league games during season, they must cut another player. ("Injured Reserve" would also be an option if a player is expected to be out at least 3 months)
• Fully funded for players. This is funded by US Soccer, national and local sponsorship and a $20 per player fee is tacked on to every player registered with US Soccer (IE- everyone in the US that plays club soccer from to u7 to u19 from signature on up to Gold/Discovery type of play).

Non-DA clubs should network with the DA coaches and try to get players promoted to DA. DA coaches should hold open training sessions to help Non-DA coaches understand what they are looking for and to help with continued coach education.


Coaches
We need more female coaches. And we need more young coaches. The sidelines are filled with 40+ year old men who are making a living coaching 4 teams.

I’ve seen many young female coaches quit because they are just starting out in life after college and quit coaching to get a “Real Job” or to raise a family. These are skilled players that can be great role models to young players. They have passion for the game and they have a personality that meshes will with young players.

There has to be a better way to keep more young female coaches involved in the game. Some type of apprenticeship program that will let them generate a little extra cash while they are working a full time job.

We need to find a better way to provide coach education/licenses to young coaches. To a fresh college grad, dropping $500 for a D license is their monthly rent budget or student loan payment. Forget about the cost of a C or B license for a young coach. Several thousand for the class and more for travel and expense.

Some clubs will help cover the costs, but it’s usually on a “you pay for it and we’ll reimburse you once you pass the class.” (Which is okay. But for a 23 year old to be out that kind of cash for a few months, it’s the difference between eating Top Ramen every night or splurging for grilled chicken and vegetables once in a while). What if you put it on your credit card and then the club folds? Or they bring in new coaches before you get reimbursed?

I’d say we also need a better way to educate coaches who don’t want to coach 4 teams and make it a full time job. There’s quite a few out there that coach 1 or 2 teams because they love the game. But they aren’t willing to spring for a “C” license or higher with the travel to Kansas City 2+ times. Put the content out there for cheap or free to let everyone learn what those that take the class are learning. But require in-person attendance if you want the license.


College Recruiting
The current club showcase “pyramid” is designed to make life easier for college coaches to see players. This doesn’t really exist in the same format for other sports. Plenty of football and basketball coaches are out on the recruiting trail during their seasons. Talking to coaches. Watching games. Networking to see what kind of players are hidden gems.

Scrap the current “Showcase” environment. The Power 5 conferences should all host their own showcase type of tournament over the summer. Players stay in the dorms. It's free to play and free to stay. Invite any college coach that wants to come and watch. Charge coaches a fee to attend to offset what it would cost a team to enter. Get BIG sponsors. Nike, Ford, Gatorade, Bank of America to fund it all. Make it last a week. Teams play 2 games per day and play every other day.
Each conference conducts 2 per summer so you cover the geography of conferences.
Pac 12 Example: UCLA/USC, ASU and UofA hold 1 showcase for So Cal and the Southwest and rotate every few years. And Stanford, Oregon and Washington hold 1 showcase for the Northwest.

If parents want to watch, they can pay for their own room and board.


I'd also say that we need to revamp the "rec" soccer world. Lots of players out there today would be better served in a rec type of set up. But the coaching is bad. And the dedication of players to attend practices and games is all over the map. There's got to be something in-between rec and club for the player that likes soccer, is dedicated but isn't trying to be world class.

 

[Simisoccerfan]

If I was king, this is what I'd do:

So Cal Youth League Set Up
Leagues should be broken up in the following manner. Forget Coast, SCDSL, Presidio, blah, blah, blah:
1. The Great Park League - All of Orange County plays here
2. The Oceanside/Polo Field League - Anything South of Pendleton plays here
3. The Silverlakes League - Anything east of Anaheim
4. The Anything between Manhattan Beach and Thousand Oaks League - Maybe play in Carson (Dignity Health Sports park) or any other large complexes in LA that clubs use. Could probably break this up into a few leagues based on geography and the mess of traffic in the area. Coastal, Downtown, Pasadena
5. Lancaster and Friends League

Set up 3 flights. A club can have a maximum of 5 teams per age group. And no more than 2 teams per flight.

Start the fall season by playing 4 games in the flight that you think you belong in. Then reshuffle the flights for the next 6 games of the season. If a team is killing everyone in flight 3 – move them up. If a team is getting crushed in flight 1, move them down.

Allow teams to play a maximum of 3 tournaments, plus State Cup per 12 months.

Start the season on Labor Day weekend. End the season the 1st week of December - Including State Cup for all age groups. (If you keep the 1st rounds local, you could even play weeknight games). You could even start the season before Labor Day weekend since many schools are starting back in mid-August now.

Tryouts
With the above league set up, you can let players take a break for most of December and January. They can even use this time to work on some soccer skills or recover from injuries, so they can prepare for the tryouts in a few months.

Tryouts are held in February. A player can register to tryout for up to 4 teams. They must attend at least 1 tryout with a club in order to receive an offer. (None of these backroom deals). All offers must be out by February 28th and accepted by March 5th. (Kind of the way club volleyball does things today. But they have a shorter window for accepting offers). Impose big fines for clubs that violate these rules. Suspend players from tournament play that violate these rules.

DA/ECNL
I don’t care which one exists or goes away. But we need 1 top level league. For ease of conversation, let’s say it is DA. And let’s say there should only be 6 DA Clubs in So Cal. (2 for LA, 2 in OC and 2 in San Diego)

If your club is going to be DA, then your club is ONLY a DA club. You can have 1 team per age group from U13 and above. There is no DA 2 or DPL. These clubs cannot have SCDSL/CSL/Presidio/NPL/etc teams. Players that want to play at the highest levels come to your tryouts. DA clubs are out scouting young players across the area. There is not a “we are joining XYZ club at 9 years old because we think it will help us make the DA team in 4 years by spending our money on this club and we think loyalty should be rewarded.”

These 6 Clubs must have:

• Quality Fields
• A physical facility that includes video review capabilities; athletic trainers for help with injuries; a study lounge for homework; an office for parent and player meetings
• At least 3 coaches at all practices and games. All with at least a recent B license and continuing coach education.
• 20 player rosters (I may even be ok with 23 players if there are some rules to ensure playing time for field players and keepers).
• Can bring in players from outside clubs for tryouts and scrimmages as needed. If they want to add a player for league games during season, they must cut another player. ("Injured Reserve" would also be an option if a player is expected to be out at least 3 months)
• Fully funded for players. This is funded by US Soccer, national and local sponsorship and a $20 per player fee is tacked on to every player registered with US Soccer (IE- everyone in the US that plays club soccer from to u7 to u19 from signature on up to Gold/Discovery type of play).

Non-DA clubs should network with the DA coaches and try to get players promoted to DA. DA coaches should hold open training sessions to help Non-DA coaches understand what they are looking for and to help with continued coach education.


Coaches
We need more female coaches. And we need more young coaches. The sidelines are filled with 40+ year old men who are making a living coaching 4 teams.

I’ve seen many young female coaches quit because they are just starting out in life after college and quit coaching to get a “Real Job” or to raise a family. These are skilled players that can be great role models to young players. They have passion for the game and they have a personality that meshes will with young players.

There has to be a better way to keep more young female coaches involved in the game. Some type of apprenticeship program that will let them generate a little extra cash while they are working a full time job.

We need to find a better way to provide coach education/licenses to young coaches. To a fresh college grad, dropping $500 for a D license is their monthly rent budget or student loan payment. Forget about the cost of a C or B license for a young coach. Several thousand for the class and more for travel and expense.

Some clubs will help cover the costs, but it’s usually on a “you pay for it and we’ll reimburse you once you pass the class.” (Which is okay. But for a 23 year old to be out that kind of cash for a few months, it’s the difference between eating Top Ramen every night or splurging for grilled chicken and vegetables once in a while). What if you put it on your credit card and then the club folds? Or they bring in new coaches before you get reimbursed?

I’d say we also need a better way to educate coaches who don’t want to coach 4 teams and make it a full time job. There’s quite a few out there that coach 1 or 2 teams because they love the game. But they aren’t willing to spring for a “C” license or higher with the travel to Kansas City 2+ times. Put the content out there for cheap or free to let everyone learn what those that take the class are learning. But require in-person attendance if you want the license.


College Recruiting
The current club showcase “pyramid” is designed to make life easier for college coaches to see players. This doesn’t really exist in the same format for other sports. Plenty of football and basketball coaches are out on the recruiting trail during their seasons. Talking to coaches. Watching games. Networking to see what kind of players are hidden gems.

Scrap the current “Showcase” environment. The Power 5 conferences should all host their own showcase type of tournament over the summer. Players stay in the dorms. It's free to play and free to stay. Invite any college coach that wants to come and watch. Charge coaches a fee to attend to offset what it would cost a team to enter. Get BIG sponsors. Nike, Ford, Gatorade, Bank of America to fund it all. Make it last a week. Teams play 2 games per day and play every other day.
Each conference conducts 2 per summer so you cover the geography of conferences.
Pac 12 Example: UCLA/USC, ASU and UofA hold 1 showcase for So Cal and the Southwest and rotate every few years. And Stanford, Oregon and Washington hold 1 showcase for the Northwest.

If parents want to watch, they can pay for their own room and board.


I'd also say that we need to revamp the "rec" soccer world. Lots of players out there today would be better served in a rec type of set up. But the coaching is bad. And the dedication of players to attend practices and games is all over the map. There's got to be something in-between rec and club for the player that likes soccer, is dedicated but isn't trying to be world class.

Interesting plan. Might work if you live in the OC and plan on playing at Power 5 Conference team. The drive for us in LA/Ventura to Carson would be a nightmare. Also there are another 330+ Division 1 teams and plenty more D2, D3, and NAIA schools you are missing in your College Recruiting plan.