“My guess is every one of you has seen a coach, a parent-coach, on the other side that is obnoxious and sometimes goes beyond obnoxious.” — Florida state senator Jeremy Ring telling members of the Florida Senate Community Affairs Committee on a bill he introduced based on his experiences as the coach of his 8-year-olddaughter’s […]
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Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Injured Player? Take Safe Steps in the Return-To-Play Decision
By Dev Mishra, M.D. One of the toughest decisions in youth sports is determining when a player who has suffered an injury is ready to return to action. It’s very easy to get caught up inthe moment of competition and perhaps put an injured player back in the game before he or she is really […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Screaming at Children — A Ref's Eye View
By Mike Woitalla It’s amazing that no matter how many games you ref, no matter how much you prepare for the all possible scenarios, you still get blindsided. I had a coach come tome angrily at halftime of a U-10 girls rec game to accuse the opponent of having a boy playing goalkeeper. More on […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
U-17 striker Haji Wright joins New York Cosmos
The NASL’s New York Cosmos have signed 17-year-old Southern California product Haji Wright, who started at striker for the U.S. U-17 national team in its successful quest to qualifyfor the U-17 World Cup. Wright played for the LA Galaxy Academy before entering the U.S. U-17 residency program in Bradenton, Fla. He trained at Schalke 04 […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Is it OK to play in pain?
(With spring soccer starting around the country, the Youth Soccer Insider republishes this article, which first appeared in February 2012.) By Dev K. Mishra, M.D. “What’s the difference between discomfort and pain? And is it OK for me to keep playing if I just have a little bit?” Those are two of the most common […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
The benefits of pool play vs. traditional leagues for U-10s
The Youth Soccer Insider asked Sam Snow, Technical Directorof U.S. Youth Soccer, to explain the benefits of a U-10 “academy” format that differs from the traditional league and team setup. By Sam Snow Numerous clubs acrossmore than 20 state associations have been implementing a youth academy format for the U-10 age group. This format is […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Ref Watch: Why three is so much better than one
By Randy Vogt When I moved to Florida for business 27 years ago, I lived and worked in Orlando and also worked in the state capital of Tallahassee, 250 miles away. So I officiatedin both cities. What I remember over a quarter-century later is the beautiful grass fields as well as all games U-13 and […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Development Academy adds clubs
Baltimore Armour, Sacramento Republic and Florida’s Boca United have been accepted to field U.S. Soccer Development Academy teams for the 2015-16 season in all the divisions: U-13/14s, U-15/16s andU-17/18s. New York City FC will be joining the U-13/14 age group. Baltimore Armour, whose Technical Director is former U.S. U-17 national team coach John Ellinger, was […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Tab Ramos auditions new talent for U-20 World Cup
By Mike Woitalla Coach Tab Ramos has called up three players to the U.S. U-20 national team, which is preparing for the U-20 World Cup in New Zealand May 30-June20, who have never been part of a U.S. youth national team. The roster includes five MLS players, two collegians, and players based in Germany, England, […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Cal South teams shine in USYS girls National League
Three Cal South teams were among the girls divisional champions — and four Cal South teams finished runner-up — in the 2014-15 U.S. Youth Soccer National League that wrapped up last weekend at theBettye Wilson Soccer Complex in Las Vegas. Berths to the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships and guaranteed spots in the league next […]