Interview by Emily Cohen Alex Morgan, at age 22, was the youngest member of the USA’s runner-up squad at the 2011 Women’s World Cup, whereshe scored in the semifinal and final. Three years earlier, in the midst of her college career at Cal, she led the USA to the 2008 U-20 World Cup title. We […]
Youth Soccer Insider
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Richie Williams: Remember when you were a kid
By Mike Woitalla After playing 14 years of pro ball and serving half-a-decade as an MLS assistant coach, Richie Williams now focuses full-time on theyouth game. Recently named coach of the U.S. U-18 men’s national team, Williams is also a U.S. Soccer Development Academy Technical Advisor, assessing and advising the Academy’snortheastern clubs. A defensive midfielder […]
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American game enjoying a coaching renaissance
By Christian Lavers Over the past 5 years, the landscape of the youth soccer world has changed dramatically, and the pace and magnitude of change shows no signs ofslowing down. With the creation and growth of new and different leagues, competitions, identification programs, and clubs, the expectations and demands on coaches have also changed significantly. […]
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Tab Ramos: 'I know what Jurgen's looking for'
Interview by Mike Woitalla No other coach of a U.S. national team on the men’s side had as illustrious career in the U.S. jersey as new U-20 boss TabRamos, who played in three World Cups, two Copa Americas, the Olympics and the U-20 World Cup. One of the most skillful players in U.S. history, his […]
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Cruyff: 'Everyone grows'; Coaches' sons; U.S. Foundation grant cycle opens
By Mike Woitalla Johan Cruyff, speaking with Rob Draper of the UK’s The Barca youth coaches toldCruyff that Guardiola was “one of the best.” But over the next year, the Dutchman said he looked for Guardiola in the reserves and didn’t see him: “So then Ilooked at the first youth team, and he didn’t play […]
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Patience key when coaching boys in transition (Q&A with Manny Schellscheidt)
Interview by Mike Woitalla For insight into coaching boys* when they hit puberty and how to challenge early-bloomers, we spoke to U.S. Hall of Fame coachManfred “Manny” Schellscheidt, who had been the technical director of U.S. Soccer’s U-14 boys National Identification Program since 1998 and is one of the nation’s most experiencedyouth coaches. Schellscheidt has […]
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How goalkeeper coaches can help keepers read the game
By Tim Mulqueen The goalkeeper coach, or the person filling that role, oversees every aspect of the goalkeepers training. This means running the keeper drills andsuggesting strategies as well as overseeing the keepers’ interaction with the rest of the team. The more involved the goalkeeper coach is, the better he can guide the goalkeepers’development and […]
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Minors take on Major League Soccer challenge
By Mike Woitalla Not very long ago, Zach Pfeffer was still fine-tuning his skills in the basement of his Pennsylvania home with his twin brother,Jared. “We would just play down there for hours, kick the ball around, and rocket balls of the walls,” said Zach, shortly after making his MLS debut last monthat age 16. […]
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The Joint was Jumpin'
By Emily Cohen I was literally left speechless upon entering Portland’s Jeld-Wen Field nearly two weeks ago for the U.S. women’s national team friendlyagainst Canada, the second game in the so-called “Celebration Series.” It was still an hour before kickoff and, as Fats Waller famously sang, “The joint is jumpin’!” Living in the Bay Area, […]
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Club vs. High School conflict heats up (A view from the NSCAA)
Interview by Mike Woitalla More than a third of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s 30,000-plus members are high school coaches. So we spoke withNSCAA CEO Joe Cummings about the tug-of-war for players between high schools and elite clubs, who often urge their players to skip scholastic ball. The conflict intensified when theU.S. Soccer […]