MAPLE......and the 100 clubs

Re: MAPLE......and the 100 clubs

The difference is that in the US, the young kids playing soccer don't have the benefit of the coaches and playing environments that develop the technique of the player as they do in Europe & South America.

True on both counts. So it's not that we lack athletes. It is that we lack coaches (and your dad and the kid down the street who can play count as coaches).

[offside]

Re: MAPLE......and the 100 clubs

The vast majority of US kids play very little other than their alloted practice times. The top teams might practice 3 or 4 times a week as well as provide strength and speed training, yet this still means most players have the ball at their feet, at most, their percentage of 6 hours of practice a week. The observation in another thread that the local players getting recognized often spend much more time on their own, seems to support this premise.

The vast majority of young soccer kids in foreign countries spend more time playing in a day than most top US kids do in a week. The Africans that are identified, signed and brought overseas at young ages have grown up playing 4 or 5 hours a day, every day, which is how they've honed their individual skills sufficiently to interest professional Clubs. Scouts aren't looking for the biggest, fastest, most athletic kids figuring they'll then teach them individual skills. They are identifying skillfull athletes, knowing the academies can strengthen them and teach them team tactics.

When I travel overseas, every park has multiple ages and players playing pickup soccer. It's easy to find a game. Travel throughout the US and the opportunities are much fewer.

Re: MAPLE......and the 100 clubs

The difference is that in the US, the young kids playing soccer don't have the benefit of the coaches and playing environments that develop the technique of the player as they do in Europe & South America.

True on both counts. So it's not that we lack athletes. It is that we lack coaches (and your dad and the kid down the street who can play count as coaches).

I can agree somewhat with this statement. We need to have some fresh blood in the coaching ranks in this country, but to be honest, even the young coaches I see in this state at the club levels with their A and B licenses are not really that good. It is all about winning the U11 and U12 games.

Re: MAPLE......and the 100 clubs

The difference is that in the US, the young kids playing soccer don't have the benefit of the coaches and playing environments that develop the technique of the player as they do in Europe & South America.

True on both counts. So it's not that we lack athletes. It is that we lack coaches (and your dad and the kid down the street who can play count as coaches).

I can agree somewhat with this statement. We need to have some fresh blood in the coaching ranks in this country, but to be honest, even the young coaches I see in this state at the club levels with their A and B licenses are not really that good. It is all about winning the U11 and U12 games.

Those young coaches are the product of bad system. You cannot teach what you do not know.

Re: MAPLE......and the 100 clubs

True on both counts. So it's not that we lack athletes. It is that we lack coaches (and your dad and the kid down the street who can play count as coaches).

I can agree somewhat with this statement. We need to have some fresh blood in the coaching ranks in this country, but to be honest, even the young coaches I see in this state at the club levels with their A and B licenses are not really that good. It is all about winning the U11 and U12 games.

Those young coaches are the product of bad system. You cannot teach what you do not know.[/quote]

They could if..........1.) they weren't more interested in proving themselves as coaches and 2.) the system was set up to force them to.

Re: MAPLE......and the 100 clubs

African players are so technical as they are playing street soccer. Unorganised pick-up games, that were the development program for soccer for years all across the world. In industrial European cities and South American slums. Kids would be playing unstructured soccer for hours at a time.

Those nations realise that those days are past now and have tried as much as possible to recreate that type of environment in practice. Just read anything put out by the KNVB or more specifically, Rinus Michels.

[offside]

Re: MAPLE......and the 100 clubs

African players are so technical as they are playing street soccer. Unorganised pick-up games, that were the development program for soccer for years all across the world. In industrial European cities and South American slums. Kids would be playing unstructured soccer for hours at a time.

Those nations realise that those days are past now and have tried as much as possible to recreate that type of environment in practice.

Practicing 3 times a week for 1.5 hours, with 15 minutes devoted to warmups, means the average Club soccer player is sharing a ball for less than 4 hours a week.

If the US, particularly US soccer and the wealthier suburbs, want to produce international level players, they need to encourage and provide multi-hour blocks of unstructured free play among various sexes and age groups. Rather than kick soccer kids off fields, and out of municipal parks and gyms, as happens in our town, we need to make these spaces more available, more often.

Re: MAPLE......and the 100 clubs

A: In Europe etc, Their best athletes are playing Soccer… while ours are playing Bball and Football… that’s just the way it is.. Soccer in the US is starting to attract more and more better athletes… Imagine the US National Soccer team loaded with the top 10 NBA and NFL stars..??

I'd rather imagine the US NT loaded with these kinds of athletes instead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0O7KkZn4rk

Re: MAPLE......and the 100 clubs

I like the defender kick out, a favorite tactic of CU

is this a club tactic or a specific team you refer to?

Crusaders United. Any team in that club when defenders are under pressure they just boot it out of bounds, ugly.

Re: MAPLE......and the 100 clubs

I like the defender kick out, a favorite tactic of CU

is this a club tactic or a specific team you refer to?

Crusaders United. Any team in that club when defenders are under pressure they just boot it out of bounds, ugly.

are you honestly familiar with more than one team in that club? I doubt it----you are probably p.o.'d because they beat your team last season aren't you?

Re: MAPLE......and the 100 clubs

With so many players moving to MPS and the DAPs, we have a really good chance to be one of the best teams in MAPLE.

Re: MAPLE......and the 100 clubs

are you honestly familiar with more than one team in that club? I doubt it----you are probably p.o.'d because they beat your team last season aren't you?

I see 2 age groups play all the time. We've won some and they've won some, no big deal.

Watch and you'll see