By Mike Woitalla Coach April Kater has gathered 48 players for the first U.S. U-14 girls national team training camp of the year, March 19-26 at the U.S.Soccer National Training Center in Carson, California. Most the players called up were born in 2002. Fourteen are 2003-born. Twelve players on the roster hail from California, followed by […]
Youth Soccer Insider
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Anson Dorrance on the Girls Academy, ECNL and his fears of over-bureaucratic American soccer
Interview by Mike Woitalla We’re in the midst of confounding times for women’s and girls soccer in the USA. Within the last eight months, the USA won the 2015Women’s World Cup and the U.S. U-20s and U-17s impressively qualified for their World Cups — all three teams with plenty of impressive young talent. Yet the […]
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The Matthew Olosunde odyssey, from Trenton to Manchester United
By Mike Woitalla Of course, a soccer crazy boy like Matthew Olosunde played ball in the house, and broke stuff. Even living-room windows. But he didn’t getin trouble. “No, no,” says his father, Peter Olosunde. “He never got in trouble. Because he has this innocent face he comes to you with and it makes itimpossible […]
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U.S. girls overcome harsh conditions to return to U-17 Women's World Cup
By Mike Woitalla The USA, which two years ago failed to qualify for the U-17 Women’s World Cup, stormed through this year’s qualifying tournament with five wins, including a 5-0win over Canada in the semifinal to clinch the berth and a 2-1 victory over Mexico in final of the U-17 Concacaf Championship in Grenada. “It’s […]
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Sam Snow on teaching proper heading technique
By Sam SnowUS Youth Soccer Coaching Director U.S. Soccer has recommended to its youth members to eliminate the skill of heading the ball in trainingsessions and games for children 10 years old and younger. Children 11 to 13 years old may head the ball in games, but are limited in how often the skill can […]
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Multinational So Cal Blues have something special
By Mike Woitalla Three nations — the USA, Mexico and Brazil — that are aiming to qualify for the 2016 U-17 Women’s World Cup have players from the Southern California Blues. We’ll start with Ashley Sanchez, who already helped the USA qualify for the 2016U-20 Women’s World. The 16-year-old Sanchez made five assists and scored […]
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College-bound Juniors: An action plan for you and your parents
By Lisa Lavelle Connecting with the right college can seem daunting and intimidating. With 5,800 universities and thousands collegiate soccer programs, selecting the onethat’s right for you can be like hunting for a needle in a haystack. For juniors in high school, here are a few things to keep you on track and help you […]
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Perfect so far, U.S. U-17 girls move closer to World Cup spot
By Mike Woitalla The USA, aiming to return to the U-17 Women’s World Cup after failing to qualify two years ago, clinched first place in Group B of the Concacaf Championshipwith a 2-0 win over Costa Rica on Wednesday following victories over Mexico (1-0) and Jamaica (8-1). Coach B.J. Snow’s team can earn a spot […]
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Bravo to parents saying no to overpriced coaching
By Mike Woitalla I got a few things wrong when in a 2007 articleI predicted what American youth soccer would look like by now. There is still no Under-2 National Championship and Prenatal Soccer Camps have yet to launch. But the youth soccerindustrial complex forges full speed ahead. There are businesses out there offering soccer […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
USA aims for return to U-17 Women's World Cup
By Mike Woitalla The USA may be a world power in women’s soccer, but its U-17 girls program has struggled on the world stage. After finishing runner-up at theinaugural U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2008, the USA failed to qualify in 2010, exited in the first round of the 2012 World Cup — albeit without […]