Do any legit youth teams play direct vs. Indirect soccer?

[Unregistered]

I know there are advantages to both direct (big kicks to corners that forwards chase down) and indirect (possession) style soccer but do any good teams play direct?

Most soccer people seem to frown on direct soccer yet I see it played all the time in youth and high school.

[Unregistered]

I know there are advantages to both direct (big kicks to corners that forwards chase down) and indirect (possession) style soccer but do any good teams play direct?

Most soccer people seem to frown on direct soccer yet I see it played all the time in youth and high school.

Takes a ton of training to keep the ball. High School coaches (at least 90%) couldn't teach what they don't know. No soccer minds in our conference. Our coach has the kids dribble thru cones and fitness. That's it. No connecting, combining, recycle, etc

Lump it in and chase

[Unregistered]

The proper way to play is a mix of both direct and indirect. YOu want kids capable of playing possession but if you try to build out slowly through lines every single time you have the ball, it is going to become harder to do as the opposition realizes they can press high without much worry. YOu have to have the ability to skip lines and long ball it on occasion. It is the same as mixing in different pitches, mixing run plays and pass plays, driving to the paint or shooting perimeter. You cant rely on one tactic every time you have the ball. Even the pinnacle of tiki taka Barcelona under Guardiola played the occasional long, diagonal passes over the top just to keep the defense honest.

The unfortunate part for youth soccer is you have coaches that swear by either and arent teaching their players to recognize when to switch things up or mix in the unexpected. Hence we have US Soccer Robot players.