Another U.S. Soccer departure: Jared Micklos, DA and YNT director, set to leave
- by Mike Woitalla @MikeWoitalla, Aug 7, 2019
Micklos, who had previously served as Associate Athletic Director at High Point University, became U.S. Soccer's Development Academy Director in late 2014. He helped oversee the expansion of the Boys DA and the launch of the Girls DA in 2017. He became Youth National Teams Director, for both genders, late in 2018. That position had been previously held by Jim Moorhouse, who is now the Director of Extended National Team Administration. Micklos continued to oversee the Development Academy, and most recently led the implementation of a two-tiered format for the Boys DA's U-18/19, which was announced last Wednesday.
The Boys DA launched in 2007, with two age groups -- U-15/16 and U-17/18, which after the switch to birth-year registration in 2017 became U-16/17 and U-18/19. The Boys DA added U-13/14 in 2013 and after Micklos' arrival, added U-12, split the U-13/14 age group into single U-13 and U-14 leagues and added U-15s. It eliminated the U-12s for this season. Between 2014 and the 2018-19 season, the Boys DA expanded from 101 to 178 clubs.
Dutchman Aloys Wijnker moved from U.S. Soccer Coach Educator to Director of the Boys' DA in March 2017, but was not replaced when he returned to the Netherlands in November 2018. (Miriam Hickey has been the Director of the Girls' DA since February of 2017).
According to U.S. Soccer's Organizational Chart, DA and YNT directors come under the supervision of Chief Sport Development Officer Nico Romeijn and Chief Soccer Officer Asher Mendelsohn.
In addition to the new Youth National Teams Director opening, vacancies include 10 boys and girls youth national team head coaching positions, Women's Technical Director, Women’s National Team General Manager, Women's National Coach.
Because there is no road map, no communication, of course we will assume USSF incompetence.
All I can think of to say is: "Hmmm."
Boy, isn’t it amazing the structural and administrative changes the USSF can make ...we are good at that for it doesn’t take hardly any brains , or feel for the game itself to initiate these changes . This is only one side of the equation, the administrative side which requires little knowledge of soccer as epitomized by the president of USSF, but the other side of the equation, the developmental/technical side ,the real important side ,seems to be mired in the mud of change where nothing has happened for the past 50 years.
Will Coerver once called the administrative side ,”paper poopers”, who have the innate ability of being able to discuss for hours about a potted plant.
But we have to be thankful for the administrative side for it caused Will Coerver to create a away of teaching technical skills in order to prove how worthless the administrative side , in this case the Dutch KNVB, really is in the process of developing youth players.
Don’t know him. I’m curious from what I read about his background, how he ever secured this position? I would think the CV would have to be pretty impressive to get this job. Maybe that’s part of the problem.
We know there really isn't a roadmap, but my goodness. What a mess.
I'd say our players are over-achieving on a world stage if this is the crap they deal with from the federation.
Was the age group change something that Klinnsman put in place? Or was Jared or others the mastermind?
What about the new DA split for u18/u19? Is this his final parting gift to US Soccer?
Anyone else get a headache trying to read this portion?
"The Boys DA launched in 2007, with two age groups -- U-15/16 and U-17/18, which after the switch to birth-year registration in 2017 became U-16/17 and U-18/19. The Boys DA added U-13/14 in 2013 and after Micklos' arrival, added U-12, split the U-13/14 age group into single U-13 and U-14 leagues and added U-15s. It eliminated the U-12s for this season. Between 2014 and the 2018-19 season, the Boys DA expanded from 101 to 178 clubs."
Todd, don't make it any worse than it sounds....
There's more to read about him. If I recall correctly, he played club soccer in college and was the water boy at one school. I kid you not.
Now you know why our technical progress in development has been stagnant in the past 50years. These are the kind of people with their expertise that run our development prorams and they can be found in all of the AD programs...