Ajax Amsterdam, having produced players from Johan Cruyff to Wesley Sneijder, is considered by legions of American youth coaches as a model for youth development.

We spoke to George Kuntz, who was recently named AYSO's Player Development Technical Advisor, about the challenges of creating a soccer environment that suits recreational players and those who have the potential for excelling at the highest levels.

One thing great soccer players have in common is that they grow up with a favorite player or two whom they idolize and emulate.

The best way for a keeper to be warmed up is to work with someone who understands the keeper's mentality. Therefore, the goalkeeper coach or backup keeper (acting on the keeper coach's instructions) should do the shooting.

For the 13th time in 14 appearances, the USA returned from the U-17 World Cup in Mexico without a win in the knockout stage, losing 4-0 to Germany in the round of 16 after going 1-1-1 group play. We spoke to Coach Wilmer Cabrera about his team's performance, the future of the U-17s residency program in Bradenton, and player development in the USA.

Soccer has evolved over the past 10-20 years. Thousands of town soccer clubs keep reinventing themselves by using new technology, new equipment, new playing formats for different ages and implementing new training systems, to name a few. The end result for many of these clubs is the ability to run a club with fewer volunteers than ever before.