Dallas Texans is also a franchise now that is being sold to other cities! So California, St. Louis, NY/NJ are the other hot beds as well.
I found the parents to be naturally too competitive. There seems to be an idea where 'if we dont win every game and play at the highest level possible we are not happy' which they need to shake off. Its hard to coach the game when all the parents want is there little kid to get a trophy to stick in his bedroom. I think that alot of the kids out there have to ability to play soccer down to a tee but they dont have the mind of a soccer player. You can coach technique,skill and movement but unless something clicks in the kid about how to put it to use on the field they get to a point where they just dont get any better. Maybe that comes from the fact that you dont get the more natural sportsman playing the game. A mate of mine used to say that coaching young kids in america was like playing chess lol you have to tell every kid when and where to move as they dont have a clue. I always try to get them to watch the EPL or even play FIFA Soccer just to get the idea of movement.
What you said about knowing the game I could not have said better. I always try to coach them as thinkers not as chess pieces because it drives me crazy when the kids don't understand the game and why you do this and that. My homework for them 3/4 of the time is to watch the games, I give them the time, dates, what pub is showing it, talk to the parents, etc. They need to watch it as well as playing it to understand. Again, it is getting better but ****, it is annoying as part of the reason I became the player/coach I am/was was because of my love the game and watched everything I could from 1994 up, meaning i watched a seriously underachieving Liverpool side and chose them!
It is frustrating! These kids play soccer for 3 hours a week and wonder why they are not picking it up. I try to tell parents that when I was a kid I would play 10-15 hours a week! I always find that kids who also play basketball seem to pick up the team side of the game alot quicker. The sports of very simular in terms of movement and space.
Agree again! Why did you come to wum again? I tell them all the ****ing time, you can't just come to practice and that is it. You have to do it on your own, practice with your friends, mom and dad, bro and sis, cousins, dog, cat, etc. I spent countless hours with my wall, roof, and curb just getting touches, let alone playing pick up in the streets!
A wum is ok, but easy on the tragedy stuff, it gets touchy and we have been WUMMED heavy over the past, um, 20 odd years so yea..... All is good, best of luck with you lot and 4th and I am out, got work in the morning, good chatting about the US system, which you actually did know about! keep it 100
If they could just get people to move away from Baseball, Basketball and Football it would be a huge for Soccer. Some of the facilities I have seen in the states are fantastic and wouldnt look out of place in a professional club here in the UK. You have all that and then kids who just play the sport for fun lol Their is nothing wrong with that though but it would be great if you had more world class players. For a country the size of yours just having Landon Donavan Clint Dempsey isnt a good enough return on all that grass roots investment.
I wouldn't put Landon in there, yes he is a US record holder but he bottles it when it comes to going oversees, he could easily play for Everton for example but he says no. Dempsey said bring the **** on, bring the mother ****er on and he, for me, is the best US player, hands down at the moment. In terms of legends, Mcbride and Friedel hold more water for me than Donovan. Donovan is also a little pussy as well and bitches when he is not the spotlight.
NO WAY!! That little turd knowingly stepped over the mark and continued to do so for his own perverted pleasure. So all is not good as far as I am concerned. He should be banned from this board.
Cannot wait for this season to end. It's been largely terrible and i'm fed up with pointing out our obvious problems and poor financial management.
Hoping to get a nice frank debate going tonight without you boys crying off if it gets too emotional...
