By Randy Vogt Futsal has been growing rapidly in the USA as it’s a wonderful player development tool. But refereeing it can be a different ballgame than outdoor soccer as it’smuch quicker, it’s played with five players to a side and a smaller low-bounce ball — plus the rules can be kind of quirky. Coaches […]
youth soccer
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
'Fun, friends and health' is what youth soccer should be about (Q&A Shannon Higgins-Cirovski)
Interview by Olivia Ruiz After starting for the USA when it won the inaugural Women’s World Cup on 1991, Shannon Higgins-Cirovski moved straight intocollege coaching. In May, after several years of coaching youth ball including at U.S. Soccer’s Maryland Training Centers, Higgins-Cirovski, was named the girls Director of Coaching at Maryland youthclub Bethesda SC. SOCCER […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
After Concussion: Don't Just See A Doctor, Be Sure To See The Right Doctor
By Dev Mishra, M.D. Much has been written about concussion in young athletes but today I want to devote a few words to an area not often discussed: Who should the young athletesee after a suspected concussion? Most of you are likely familiar with leagues such as the NFL, NBA and MLS, where athletes with […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
The growth of the academies (Part 2): Is there any evidence that they are giving us better soccer?
By Paul Gardner Evidence from a survey by the Switzerland-based Football Observatory (see Part 1) indicates that the number of acceptably skilled academy graduates isdeclining. So, to ask whether the academies are doing their job is not a mischievous question. Despite the thinking and the energy and the money that, worldwide, has gone into the […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Ref Watch: How the last game of the season can present unique challenges
By Randy Vogt I’m a positive thinker. But all the positive-thinking in the world cannot erase the fact that refereeing is a challenging and sometimes dangerous avocation. Since I keep a very short note on every game that I have officiated, I know that the number of cautions and send-offs I hand out is much […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
The growth of the academies (Part 1): Institutes of Higher Learning for soccer — is this really the way to go?
By Paul Gardner Soccer academies. What a great idea! Fully-funded centers for the development of young players, superior facilities, top coaching, all the latest scientific andprofessional knowledge … and, we are told, with a caring staff who understands not only soccer, but have insight too into the real-life growing-up problems that beset teenagers. There isalso […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Brain expert explains the wisdom of USSF's heading policy for youngsters
By Mike Woitalla @MikeWoitalla Dr. Robert Cantu, one of the USA’s leading experts onconcussions in sports, responded to some of the criticisms of the U.S. Soccer Federation’s recommendations on heading in youth soccer in an interview with SI.com’s Grant Wahl. Last week, U.S. Soccer announced that, in addition to launching a concussion awareness campaign and […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
The border tug of war: Mexico courting U.S. talent is a 'good sign'
By Mike Woitalla In 1998, the Mexican government changed its laws to allow dual citizenship, thus enabling U.S.-born Mexican-Americans to obtain Mexican citizenship. The measure,combined with the rise of the U.S. game, spurred aggressive scouting of U.S. youth with Mexican heritage by the Mexican federation. Now we have a tug-of-war between the two giant neighbors […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Reporter
Roster: U.S. U-15 girls gather in Florida
The U.S. U-15 girls national team convenes for the fifth and final time of 2015 with 24 players in Sunrise, Fla., Nov. 20-27 under U.S. Soccer Women’s Development coach MarkCarr. The squad, comprised of 22 players born in 2001 and two born in 2002, will continue as the U-15 team in 2016 before transitioning in […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They're Saying: Billionaire Joshua Harris
“I sincerely apologize to the kids and their coaches and families for the cancellation of their soccer game in Newark on Sunday night. As a Dad, who has spent hundreds of hours watching my kidsplay sports, I can understand the frustration, and for that, I am truly sorry.” — Joshua Harris, the billionaire owner of […]