It's five days after Mexico won the 2012 Olympic gold medal. Scouts from 11 Mexican pro clubs and three representatives of the Mexican federation (FMF) are eying players from ages 13 to 18.

Assignors are the people who give referees and assistant referees their schedules every week so it's imperative that an official maintains a positive relationship with them.

I have coached probably 1,000 different players since my first youth team in 1975. There were junior high squads, high school freshmen, junior varsity and, now, varsity teams. But I feel like I’ve worked with only a few. That's because the same boys show up again and again. Well, not the same ones -- but the same types.

The same boys show up again and again. Well, not the same ones -- they'd be too old, and even worse they would know all my tricks -- but the same types.

Dear Soccer-Playing Children of America,

If there's a book about a youth soccer coach's experience as entertaining and insightful as what Dan Woog has produced, I'm unaware of it.

The youngest youth soccer players start out by kicking a smaller ball into a smaller goal on a small-sided field. By the time they have graduated to U-13 and often sooner, they are playing 11 vs. 11 with a No. 5 ball on a regulation field with goals that are 8 feet high and 8 yards wide.

Hope Solo's memoir, released days after she helped the USA win gold at the 2012 London Games, debuted at No. 3 on the New York Times bestseller list. The goalkeeper's propensity for controversy and the promise of revealing details from her battles with coaches, teammates (and even a dance partner) undoubtedly boosted sales. The book also provides a glimpse into the youth soccer days of the world's best female goalkeeper.