So much for U17 4-1 loss!

[Unregistered]

We do not have a huge problem in the United States with not having enough quality players to put together a good roster that can compete at an international level. The problem is at the international level and our US YNT coaches along with our NT coaches are not at the level. They are bad all around with both the men's and women's programs. We have a problem with coaching at the international level! Scouting, player management, roster selection and simple experience are a major issues.

Prior to the U17 World Cup the results against top international teams were very good. Go back and look at the results. I watched those U17 friendly games (along with the U17 WC qualifying games) and prior to the WC I thought the Carlton, the hyped kid from Atlanta United was not at an international level. He will be a good player in the MLS, but that is it. He shouldn’t be on the national team. This has to been seen now or else we have him in World Cup qualification and he continues in the next cycle. There are a few others like him. These youth NT rosters need to scrutinized by our new men’s national staff. John Hackworth, the U17 coach, has always been a poor evaluator of talent and player selection. My former players that played for him at the national level said he sessions, attitude and coaching ability was terrible. They all said working with him was a joke and they were getting better training back at their clubs. Hackworth doesn’t get tactics right either; he doesn’t get the game. We have an excellent talent pool from U15 to U23 along with a 5 or so guys on the current USMNT roster so the future should be good, but it is way more concerning to me that we have unqualified and low-level individuals making decisions around roster and game day player selections. We have very few top-level coaches in our youth national system. Other than Omid Namazi and Tab Ramos, our youth national coaches aren’t at the international level.

It was the same with our men’s national team. We had to beat T&T to advance, one game, just one game to advance. Jermaine Jones is older, and might not have been a guy to go to Russia, but he is certainly better than any player on the T&T roster and could have played in front of our back four with Bradley, and the midfield would have been won. Danny Williams just put on a show in a win vs. Manchester United over the weekend and he wasn’t good enough to play against T&T or even be selected to the roster?? William is another central player that would have won the battle with hard work as a central player, but does get called up?? Fabian Johnson has the experience and discipline along with physicality. Both goals vs. T&T came from the US left side in that match, where Johnson would have played. Geoff Cameron should have been on the field as well, and again, he is better than any player on the T&T team and didn’t see the field. He is in the top 5 guys on that team and didn’t see the field. Bruce Arena is a gym teacher. Arena was a multi sport coach that played minimal soccer growing up. He was hired as a college soccer coach in the 80’s because there weren’t any soccer coaches to coach university teams. There weren’t enough soccer coaches back then to fill the vacancies of college coaching positions so any soccer background with a PE cert got you a job. The fact that he won at UVA or early in the MLS means nothing. They are PE soccer coaches, not pro or international level coaches. There are guys like this still involved in our national system. These guys need to go and Sunil Gulati*is a huge part of the problem.

I think the U17 quarter final loss wasn’t as much as being beaten by a team that was light years better, because it was a close game for most of the match. To me it was a matter of poor player roster and game day selection. Poor coaching that isn’t up to the level of the players. Poor coaching that cannot manage the talent. This has to change.

Carleton kid seemed a top player back in u14-15 but now the physical side and speed is catching up to him and seems to have slipped quite a bit. Other than 1 game in this cup( which had opened up anyway due to high score), he had a terrible showing I thought constantly turning over the ball. And when he was subbed off in I believe the first game late, his body language look like he was disgusted that he would even be taken off. Against England, Tyler kid from rsl looked totally lost and constantly give up the ball dribbling and bad passes. Should never have been given the start. Bad coaching decisions. The kid from Weston barely saw playing time and would have been a better choice.

[Unregistered]

Carleton kid seemed a top player back in u14-15 but now the physical side and speed is catching up to him and seems to have slipped quite a bit. Other than 1 game in this cup( which had opened up anyway due to high score), he had a terrible showing I thought constantly turning over the ball. And when he was subbed off in I believe the first game late, his body language look like he was disgusted that he would even be taken off. Against England, Tyler kid from rsl looked totally lost and constantly give up the ball dribbling and bad passes. Should never have been given the start. Bad coaching decisions. The kid from Weston barely saw playing time and would have been a better choice.

Taylor booth

[Unregistered]

We do not have a huge problem in the United States with not having enough quality players to put together a good roster that can compete at an international level. The problem is at the international level and our US YNT coaches along with our NT coaches are not at the level. They are bad all around with both the men's and women's programs. We have a problem with coaching at the international level! Scouting, player management, roster selection and simple experience are a major issues.

Prior to the U17 World Cup the results against top international teams were very good. Go back and look at the results. I watched those U17 friendly games (along with the U17 WC qualifying games) and prior to the WC I thought the Carlton, the hyped kid from Atlanta United was not at an international level. He will be a good player in the MLS, but that is it. He shouldn’t be on the national team. This has to been seen now or else we have him in World Cup qualification and he continues in the next cycle. There are a few others like him. These youth NT rosters need to scrutinized by our new men’s national staff. John Hackworth, the U17 coach, has always been a poor evaluator of talent and player selection. My former players that played for him at the national level said he sessions, attitude and coaching ability was terrible. They all said working with him was a joke and they were getting better training back at their clubs. Hackworth doesn’t get tactics right either; he doesn’t get the game. We have an excellent talent pool from U15 to U23 along with a 5 or so guys on the current USMNT roster so the future should be good, but it is way more concerning to me that we have unqualified and low-level individuals making decisions around roster and game day player selections. We have very few top-level coaches in our youth national system. Other than Omid Namazi and Tab Ramos, our youth national coaches aren’t at the international level.

It was the same with our men’s national team. We had to beat T&T to advance, one game, just one game to advance. Jermaine Jones is older, and might not have been a guy to go to Russia, but he is certainly better than any player on the T&T roster and could have played in front of our back four with Bradley, and the midfield would have been won. Danny Williams just put on a show in a win vs. Manchester United over the weekend and he wasn’t good enough to play against T&T or even be selected to the roster?? William is another central player that would have won the battle with hard work as a central player, but does get called up?? Fabian Johnson has the experience and discipline along with physicality. Both goals vs. T&T came from the US left side in that match, where Johnson would have played. Geoff Cameron should have been on the field as well, and again, he is better than any player on the T&T team and didn’t see the field. He is in the top 5 guys on that team and didn’t see the field. Bruce Arena is a gym teacher. Arena was a multi sport coach that played minimal soccer growing up. He was hired as a college soccer coach in the 80’s because there weren’t any soccer coaches to coach university teams. There weren’t enough soccer coaches back then to fill the vacancies of college coaching positions so any soccer background with a PE cert got you a job. The fact that he won at UVA or early in the MLS means nothing. They are PE soccer coaches, not pro or international level coaches. There are guys like this still involved in our national system. These guys need to go and Sunil Gulati*is a huge part of the problem.

I think the U17 quarter final loss wasn’t as much as being beaten by a team that was light years better, because it was a close game for most of the match. To me it was a matter of poor player roster and game day selection. Poor coaching that isn’t up to the level of the players. Poor coaching that cannot manage the talent. This has to change.

I do wonder sometimes about roster selections and PT allocation (mostly for the younger NTs). Is there a lot of "who you know" and political garage that goes on? I hear that there is, but it's hard to know what's fact and what's fiction. It would not surprise me if there was.

[Unregistered]

There is a divergence starting at around U16 between the US and the rest of the world. It isn't more than coincidental that 16 is when players in Europe can sign contracts and are training ALL THE TIME. The play other great teams ALL THE TIME. Ours practice (at best) 4x/week and travel hours to play one game a week, sometimes against poor quality clubs. Then at 18 they either go to college to play or MLS, neither of which can come close to the training and competition international players are getting.

[Unregistered]

There is a divergence starting at around U16 between the US and the rest of the world. It isn't more than coincidental that 16 is when players in Europe can sign contracts and are training ALL THE TIME. The play other great teams ALL THE TIME. Ours practice (at best) 4x/week and travel hours to play one game a week, sometimes against poor quality clubs. Then at 18 they either go to college to play or MLS, neither of which can come close to the training and competition international players are getting.

This makes perfect sense

[Unregistered]

There is a divergence starting at around U16 between the US and the rest of the world. It isn't more than coincidental that 16 is when players in Europe can sign contracts and are training ALL THE TIME. The play other great teams ALL THE TIME. Ours practice (at best) 4x/week and travel hours to play one game a week, sometimes against poor quality clubs. Then at 18 they either go to college to play or MLS, neither of which can come close to the training and competition international players are getting.

We keep hiding under the child labor laws!

[Unregistered]

I guess, maybe you're too obtuse to understand that "more technical training" is far from a "specific" answer.

Oh, ok....coaches...try more "technical training" in practice from now on and problem solved. Give me a fvckin break. The underlining problems with our soccer culture are much much deeper than that.

Lack of elite technical skills ( or even above average international quality)is obvious on the men's NT side. 40 minutes more of technical training at practice 2 or 3 times a week will not develop the next group of world beaters. It just won't cause it's still not even close to enough touches. At a certain level...the kids and players need to accept resonaibity for their technical prowess on their own. 8 cones and a 20 x 20 space is all they need to tech train. Should be damn near everyday.

Compounding the problem is an ego centric culture that values winning games above all else even at the youngest age groups. Tactics and passing more important than creativity and ball skill mastery from the very beginning. How or why will the youngest players ( this is where in needs to start) develop the technical skills and freedom to use them in a setting where it's accepted and rewarded? Who will teach them? The dearth of competent let alone elite level coaches is a huge issue.

So many other problems. Too numerous too list. Much bigger problems than "tear down the DA." As a matter of fact...this network thats already established could be helpful in implementing the numerous changes that are needed.

But, what do I know, I'm obtuse.

This Ego centric culture is funny. US soccer should have no ego, we have won nothing!

Also, the dinosaur refs must go. We can teach technical all day long but if in the games you go shoulder to shoulder with someone, in youth soccer, it is a foul. That's just one very small example that as a culture, we have a very long way to go. Kids are diving at U11 and the refs cannot tell the difference:)

[Unregistered]

This Ego centric culture is funny. US soccer should have no ego, we have won nothing!

Also, the dinosaur refs must go. We can teach technical all day long but if in the games you go shoulder to shoulder with someone, in youth soccer, it is a foul. That's just one very small example that as a culture, we have a very long way to go. Kids are diving at U11 and the refs cannot tell the difference:)

The Ego centric culture was directed more at parents of 7 and 8 year olds playing a soccer game with the only goal of the coach is to win the game. Parents are just as bad. Winning games at this level and honestly up several years means nothing at all. But...parents need the wins for ego, validation, bragging, etc.

Developing the technical foundation is what should matter.

Kids would be better served if they got dropped off and played futsal small sided. No score keeping. Reward creativity and technical ability

[Unregistered]

Our system needs restructuring asap! Coaches and Parents bought into the DA system please don't respond!

I am unsure what exact changes are needed in our youth system.

What is funny to me is that if you re-calibrated a new system and called it something different than "DA", you would have the same area kids playing in that system.

This is where the "hating" comes from - parents who have kids that can't make DA teams.

They should make Tee-Shirts, "DA teams suck and my kid was not good enough to make team". LMAO

[Unregistered]

The Ego centric culture was directed more at parents of 7 and 8 year olds playing a soccer game with the only goal of the coach is to win the game. Parents are just as bad. Winning games at this level and honestly up several years means nothing at all. But...parents need the wins for ego, validation, bragging, etc.

Developing the technical foundation is what should matter.

Kids would be better served if they got dropped off and played futsal small sided. No score keeping. Reward creativity and technical ability

Well, bragging is OK. After all my kid is a better player than yours.

[Unregistered]

We do not have a huge problem in the United States with not having enough quality players to put together a good roster that can compete at an international level. The problem is at the international level and our US YNT coaches along with our NT coaches are not at the level. They are bad all around with both the men's and women's programs. We have a problem with coaching at the international level! Scouting, player management, roster selection and simple experience are a major issues.

Prior to the U17 World Cup the results against top international teams were very good. Go back and look at the results. I watched those U17 friendly games (along with the U17 WC qualifying games) and prior to the WC I thought the Carlton, the hyped kid from Atlanta United was not at an international level. He will be a good player in the MLS, but that is it. He shouldn’t be on the national team. This has to been seen now or else we have him in World Cup qualification and he continues in the next cycle. There are a few others like him. These youth NT rosters need to scrutinized by our new men’s national staff. John Hackworth, the U17 coach, has always been a poor evaluator of talent and player selection. My former players that played for him at the national level said he sessions, attitude and coaching ability was terrible. They all said working with him was a joke and they were getting better training back at their clubs. Hackworth doesn’t get tactics right either; he doesn’t get the game. We have an excellent talent pool from U15 to U23 along with a 5 or so guys on the current USMNT roster so the future should be good, but it is way more concerning to me that we have unqualified and low-level individuals making decisions around roster and game day player selections. We have very few top-level coaches in our youth national system. Other than Omid Namazi and Tab Ramos, our youth national coaches aren’t at the international level.

It was the same with our men’s national team. We had to beat T&T to advance, one game, just one game to advance. Jermaine Jones is older, and might not have been a guy to go to Russia, but he is certainly better than any player on the T&T roster and could have played in front of our back four with Bradley, and the midfield would have been won. Danny Williams just put on a show in a win vs. Manchester United over the weekend and he wasn’t good enough to play against T&T or even be selected to the roster?? William is another central player that would have won the battle with hard work as a central player, but does get called up?? Fabian Johnson has the experience and discipline along with physicality. Both goals vs. T&T came from the US left side in that match, where Johnson would have played. Geoff Cameron should have been on the field as well, and again, he is better than any player on the T&T team and didn’t see the field. He is in the top 5 guys on that team and didn’t see the field. Bruce Arena is a gym teacher. Arena was a multi sport coach that played minimal soccer growing up. He was hired as a college soccer coach in the 80’s because there weren’t any soccer coaches to coach university teams. There weren’t enough soccer coaches back then to fill the vacancies of college coaching positions so any soccer background with a PE cert got you a job. The fact that he won at UVA or early in the MLS means nothing. They are PE soccer coaches, not pro or international level coaches. There are guys like this still involved in our national system. These guys need to go and Sunil Gulati*is a huge part of the problem.

I think the U17 quarter final loss wasn’t as much as being beaten by a team that was light years better, because it was a close game for most of the match. To me it was a matter of poor player roster and game day selection. Poor coaching that isn’t up to the level of the players. Poor coaching that cannot manage the talent. This has to change.

excellent points. I do not know much about the roster for the u17's, but I'm sure there were other players that were left off that should not have been. The biggest issue I saw was the lack of origination vs England, and that is the coaches fault. I don't think for a moment I thought the US it make the game interesting.

My other thought was how long this team has been together, u15? If so, how many different players received looks other than the original set of players. I don't expect for anyone to look it up, but it would be interesting to know.

[Unregistered]

excellent points. I do not know much about the roster for the u17's, but I'm sure there were other players that were left off that should not have been. The biggest issue I saw was the lack of origination vs England, and that is the coaches fault. I don't think for a moment I thought the US it make the game interesting.

My other thought was how long this team has been together, u15? If so, how many different players received looks other than the original set of players. I don't expect for anyone to look it up, but it would be interesting to know.

90% of this team has been together for 2 to 3 years. Not much roster changes during that time.

[Unregistered]

Well, bragging is OK. After all my kid is a better player than yours.

Undoubtedly

[Unregistered]

I do wonder sometimes about roster selections and PT allocation (mostly for the younger NTs). Is there a lot of "who you know" and political garage that goes on? I hear that there is, but it's hard to know what's fact and what's fiction. It would not surprise me if there was.

It is the good ol boy systems through and through!!!! It is who you know, not what you know or can do. If your parents have enough money, you make the team, if your parent is a coach and knows someone, you make the team, if your good but cant afford it, then someone who can makes the team, it is the system that is in place.

[Unregistered]

It is the good ol boy systems through and through!!!! It is who you know, not what you know or can do. If your parents have enough money, you make the team, if your parent is a coach and knows someone, you make the team, if your good but cant afford it, then someone who can makes the team, it is the system that is in place.

Interesting. How does parent's money factor in?