By Mike Woitalla The Boys U.S. Soccer Development Academy, which recently completed its 10th season, ended its inaugural season of 2007-08 with 25 scouts. It enters its 11th yearwith a network of 125 scouts, who report 12 regional Technical Advisors, the number of which has also increased. This week, U.S. Soccer announced the hiring of […]
Youth Soccer Insider
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
No punting allowed — a welcome change to American youth soccer
By Mike Woitalla I imagine all coaches must do this: Look back on their early years and consider what we would have done differently. Now I coach older kids, but 12 yearsago I was coaching the youngest, and back then we used goalkeepers even for the 6-year-olds. And in the years that followed, from U-8s […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
A coach's life: Daouda Kante of Kansas Rush and how 'respecting kids goes a long way'
By Charley Nordin Upon moving to New York from Mali, Daouda Kante starred for New Jersey high school power St. Benedict’s Prep. After college ball atMercer and FIU, Kante went pro, including three seasons (2002-04) for MLS’s New England Revolution. He started in the Revs’ runner-up finish to the Los Angeles Galaxy on MLS Cup […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
USL provides big boost to young pro prospects
By Mike Woitalla Thirteen years ago, Michael Orozco was one of the most talented young players in Southern California. The Los Angeles Galaxy invited the18-year-old to training. Though Orozco impressed, he wasn’t ready for first team play on a squad full of seasoned veterans that in following year became 2005 MLS champs. Back then, youngMLS […]
Posted inStory
A coach's life: MLS veteran Eric Quill returns to his Texas youth club and wins another national title
By Mike Woitalla Eric Quill played on the U-16 U.S. Youth Soccer 1994 national championship-winning Houston Texans team coached by legendary youth coachRoy Rees. During Quill’s nine-year MLS career, his coaches included Bob Gansler and Bob Bradley. After his playing career, Quillreturned to his childhood club and this summer guided Texans SC Houston to the […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Review your Emergency Action Plan
By Dev K. Mishra, M.D. An Emergency Action Plan (EAP) is a written set of systems and processes that are followed if a serious health or environmental condition occurs. Byhaving a plan and rehearsing it ahead of the season it gives an organization the best possible chance that appropriate steps are taken to address the […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Beware of referee fatigue
By Randy Vogt Much has been written in the media about player fatigue, whether it’s professional teams playing three games in eight days or youth squads playing four or fivegames in a weekend tournament. And rightly so! But while player fatigue is an obvious issue, what has been overlooked is referee fatigue. Exacerbated by the […]
Posted inStory
Galaxy coach Brian Kleiban has the American Messi's back
By Mike Woitalla@MikeWoitalla Growing up in Southern California, the son of Argentine parents,Brian Kleiban admired Fernando Redondo, Ariel Ortega, Pablo Aimar, Juan Roman Riquelme and JuanVeron — creative Argentine players and predecessors to Lionel Messi. After Kleiban started coaching youth soccer, he made annual internship trips to FCBarcelona. Why couldn’t the USA produce players like […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Tab Ramos on 2017 Development Academy finals and Mexican-American tug of war
By Mike Woitalla The U.S. Soccer Development Academy concluded its 10th season last weekend, with the Texans SC Houston winning the U-17/18 title and Atlanta United the U-15/16crown. U.S. Soccer Youth Technical Director Tab Ramos, also the USA’s U-20 national team coach, liked what he saw. “I think every year the Development Academy isgetting better […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Efrain Alvarez, age 15, helps shoot Galaxy into U-17/18 Development Academy final
By Mike Woitalla Efrain Alvarez, who turned 15 on June 19, sparked the Los Angeles Galaxy’s comeback against the Seattle Sounders in the U.S. Soccer DevelopmentAcademy U-17/18 semifinals. After Seattle took a 2-0 lead into halftime, Alvarez scored in the 71st minute. Ulysses Llanez equalized in the 78th minute and EthanZubak, who plays for Galaxy II in the […]