By Mike Woitalla Only one team that reached the semifinals of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy national championship in 2016 has a chance to return 2017 semifinals. FCDallas, which is aiming for a third straight U-15/16 U.S. national title, will host the Colorado Rapids in a July 6 quarterfinal. No other 2016 semifinalist reached the […]
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Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Take care of the mighty hamstring
By Dev Mishra, M.D. We’re learning more and more about the importance of the hamstrings in injury prevention and overall athletic performance. Orthopedic surgeons have longbeen taught that the hamstrings are the “friend” of the ACL. Rehab after surgery focuses heavily on the hamstrings, and effective hamstring strengthening is at the core ofprevention programs such […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Tennessee SC's Ronnie Woodard: 'Start teaching and stop yelling'
Interview by Charley Nordin Last year marked the first time a club from Tennessee won a U.S. Youth Soccer national championship. Coached by Ronnie Woodard,Tennessee SC’s U-18 girls lifted the Francis J. Kelly Cup and Woodard was named the 2016 NSCAA National Coach of the Year. Woodard (née Coveleskie) started coaching after playinggoalkeeper at Duke […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
The Ghana Connection continues: Osman is national boys player of the year
By Mike Woitalla For the third time in six years, the Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year is a Ghana product who came to the USA via the Right to Dream Academy, which seeks opportunities abroad for promising young talent from West Africa. U-18 men’s nationalteam GOALKEEPERS (2): Trey Muse (Seattle Sounders; Tukwila, […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Drink up: Hydration tips for summer soccer
By Dev K. Mishra, M.D. In a previous Youth Soccer Insider we discussed recognizing signs of heat illness. Now we will discuss an even more important strategy — preventing dehydration and possible heat illness through a good hydration strategy. Hydration is a key element in proper sports safety, and a good hydration strategy will also […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
Tab Ramos paints a rosy American future in the changing U-20 World Cup — but a U-18 World Cup would make more sense
By Paul Gardner Tab Ramos has been talking in glowingterms of his team and its adventures at the Under-20 World Cup in the Republic of Korea. Certainly, there is plenty that looks good. Winning its group, getting to the quarterfinal. Listen up:“We built a team with confident players who were there to win the tournament […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Development Academy Playoffs: 23 clubs qualify in both age groups
The U.S. Soccer Development Academy U-15/16 and U-17/18 playoffs take place June 22-26 at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana. In each age group, 32 of 74 DA clubs qualified. Twenty-three clubsqualified teams in both age groups. The clubs that reached the playoffs in both age groups are: Atlanta United**, Bethesda SC, Baltimore Armour, Capital Area […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
U.S. U-16 Boys: Ulysses Llanez returns from Mexico
L.A. Galaxy academy forward Ulysses Llanez is back with the U.S. U-16 boys national team after having attending Mexico’s U-16 training camp last December. He’s part ofCoach Shaun Tsakiris’ 20-player roster for 2017 U-16 International Dream Cup that begins Wednesday in Japan. Llanez, who has scored 11 goals in 17 games for theGalaxy’s U-16 Development […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Tab Ramos is bullish on USA after U-20 World Cup performance and DA progress
Interview by Mike Woitalla The USA won its group at the 2017 U-20 World Cup and advanced to the quarterfinals, where Coach Tab Ramos’ team fell, 2-1, inovertime to the surprise team of the tournament, Venezuela, which won its first four games with shutouts and faces England in the final on Sunday. The tournament in […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
And the Refs Who Do Care
By Randy Vogt Recently, I wrote about the refs who don’t care. They arethe refs who do as little as humanly possible to survive on the soccer field that day. But I’m a positive person so I would also like to write about the many refs who do care. While Ican cite a few odious […]