Mirella Ceja-Orozco is an immigration attorney at Ojala-Barbour Law FirmPLLC in St. Paul, Minnesota, the Chair of the Minnesota State Bar Immigration Division, and Adjunct Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Law. On Saturday at the United SoccerCoaches Convention in Baltimore, Ceja-Orozco hosts the session, .* SOCCER AMERICA: How has yourimmigration legal work […]
Youth Soccer Insider
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Crucial to coaching: Developing skill, not simply teaching technique
The following is an excerpt from John O’Sullivan‘s latest book, “Every Moment Matters: How theWorld’s Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams.” * * * * * * * * * * Travel to most any youthsoccer field in the United States, and you will see the following elements: children standing in lines […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Highly Recommended New Year's Resolutions for Referees
We heard the word “whistleblower” throughout the second half of 2019. But this year we celebrate another form of whistleblower as we honor soccer referees. Right here, right now, I’ve justproclaimed 2020 to be the Year of the Referee as we know that all refs need to have 20/20 vision. And those without, such as […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Why free play is a crucial ingredient for player development
The following is an excerpt from John O’Sullivan‘s latest book, “Every Moment Matters: How theWorld’s Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams.” * * * * * * * * * * Ted Kroeten is onto something in St. Paul, Minnesota, and you can tell from the smiles on the faces of the […]
Posted inStory
U.S. Soccer set to tackle ref abuse — and our suggestions
After collecting data by surveying current and former referees, the Referee Working Group of U.S. Soccer’s Youth Task Force has determined the need for U.S. Soccer to launch a campaign to combatreferee abuse. TheRefereeing Working Group, one of the six groups that comprise the Task Force created in 2018, launched a formal study to confirm […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Logic demands the NCAA and high school change their timekeeping rules
Most of the games I ref are under the U.S. Soccer umbrella, so official time is kept by the match referee. If time needs to be added, I announce, “A minimum of three minutes of stoppagetime,” just as is done in professional games. I cannot remember the last time anybody has ever questioned when I […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Be on the lookout for anxiety in young athletes
According to the National Institute for MentalHealth, it’s estimated that about 32% of all adolescents in the USA have some form of anxiety and about 8% have what would be classified as severe anxiety. It shouldn’tbe surprising then that the estimates for anxiety disorders in young athletes is also high. While there are only a […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
A Ref's View: Your clues for youth games
What type of a soccer game is it going to be? Here are questions and some simple clues to find out: How much does the ref care? In order to find out, just check the goals. Are they anchored? Theycertainly need to be as a game cannot start without the goals being anchored as this […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Rondo: A simple practice game with multiple benefits
“Everything that goes on in a match, except shooting, you can do in a rondo. The competitive aspect, fighting to make space, what to do when in possession andwhat to do when you haven’t got the ball, how to play ‘one touch’ soccer, how to counteract the tight marking and how to win the ball […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Determining playing time for your team
We all feel lousy whenever we’re excluded from something, so imagine being kids languishing on the bench of their youth soccer teams. Randy Vogt asked me to pen this article about playing time after he felt sorry for kids sitting more thanplaying in club games and not even getting on the field in the high […]