re: Need help with youth soccer player development.

Hard to go wrong if the ball is at his feet. Every extra hour he puts in will show. I'd also say to make sure there are fun and challenging elements; that will help keep his drive going.

I remember when my son was around that age he would be constantly challenging me to 1v1s in the backyard. At first I had to find a balance of not going to easy or hard on him, but a few years later now he can beat me pretty often.

We also play "horse" a good bit. My shots would typically be things I knew he needed to work on but he has no idea (calling a shot with your non-dominant foot). If you don't have a goal at home, the game could change to who's pass makes it closer to a target object. Again, a few years later he's taking and making the free kicks for his team.

Those are the ones I remember because they were fun and also I think helped his game.