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Started By
Message
Disgruntled youth club soccer coach who quit
Posted on 7/9/26 at 5:11 pm
Posted on 7/9/26 at 5:11 pm
This guy coached for a not-for-profit youth club team for 4 years before getting out.
One of the most interesting things he said is that youth players would be better off playing on smaller fields at a later age, and that would develop the kids' touch and skills better, but a youth club can't take in as much money playing 5 vs. 5 or 7 vs. 7 as opposed to 11 vs. 11.
Another point he made is how the youth clubs get nothing (transfer fees) if a player is poached by an MLS academy, and how it's actually better for a youth club team if their players don't get picked up by the MLS, because then you can milk a little more money out of the kids' parents for another few years and have a better team.
His blood pressure went up when he started talking about showcase tournaments. The kids play 3 or 4 games in one weekend. Said that it's arse backwards, and the kids should be training all week to play one game on the weekend, instead of just showing up on the weekend and playing a bunch of games.
I'm sure this isn't any new information to some people on this board, but I thought it was interesting.
One of the most interesting things he said is that youth players would be better off playing on smaller fields at a later age, and that would develop the kids' touch and skills better, but a youth club can't take in as much money playing 5 vs. 5 or 7 vs. 7 as opposed to 11 vs. 11.
Another point he made is how the youth clubs get nothing (transfer fees) if a player is poached by an MLS academy, and how it's actually better for a youth club team if their players don't get picked up by the MLS, because then you can milk a little more money out of the kids' parents for another few years and have a better team.
His blood pressure went up when he started talking about showcase tournaments. The kids play 3 or 4 games in one weekend. Said that it's arse backwards, and the kids should be training all week to play one game on the weekend, instead of just showing up on the weekend and playing a bunch of games.
I'm sure this isn't any new information to some people on this board, but I thought it was interesting.
10
Posted on 7/9/26 at 5:16 pm to Violent Hip Swivel
This is true, but it’s insufficient.
France just dominated a team where 75% of the team they beat were European nationals who weren’t good enough for their actual home countries.
We have Balogun, Tillman, Dest, Robinson. We need to double that in the starting lineup to have a chance. The US system doesn’t produce nearly enough talent otherwise. We never will.
France just dominated a team where 75% of the team they beat were European nationals who weren’t good enough for their actual home countries.
We have Balogun, Tillman, Dest, Robinson. We need to double that in the starting lineup to have a chance. The US system doesn’t produce nearly enough talent otherwise. We never will.
Posted on 7/9/26 at 5:27 pm to Violent Hip Swivel
Those weekend tournaments were some of the best memories of my life. I was never going to be a professional player.
Posted on 7/9/26 at 5:45 pm to TheWalrus
Right?! I still look back at those, playing 1 game Friday night, 2 Saturday games, and then a final on Sunday very fondly. I have no idea how I ever played that many minutes in midfield/winger those weekends, but I guess everyone else was arse dragging by the Saturday evening match too.
Or I was just a kid with infinite energy, oh the days.
Or I was just a kid with infinite energy, oh the days.
Posted on 7/9/26 at 6:18 pm to TheWalrus
quote:
Those weekend tournaments were some of the best memories of my life. I was never going to be a professional player.
This
Posted on 7/9/26 at 6:27 pm to AUin02
quote:
Right?! I still look back at those, playing 1 game Friday night, 2 Saturday games, and then a final on Sunday very fondly. I have no idea how I ever played that many minutes in midfield/winger those weekends, but I guess everyone else was arse dragging by the Saturday evening match too.
Or I was just a kid with infinite energy, oh the days.
Being young, the fact at a young age and in tournaments you might be playing 25 or 30 minute halves. And free substitutions. You can come in and out of games.
Posted on 7/9/26 at 6:37 pm to Violent Hip Swivel
The only part I disagreed with him about is that 90% of parents are awesome.
There’s a difference in showcase tournaments and regular tournaments. In my experience a showcase is for an individual to be seen for personal advancement, tournaments regardless of the level is a reward for the work put in… especially overnight/out of town tournaments.
There’s a difference in showcase tournaments and regular tournaments. In my experience a showcase is for an individual to be seen for personal advancement, tournaments regardless of the level is a reward for the work put in… especially overnight/out of town tournaments.
Posted on 7/9/26 at 7:12 pm to Violent Hip Swivel
quote:
but a youth club can't take in as much money playing 5 vs. 5 or 7 vs. 7 as opposed to 11 vs. 11.
I'm not super educated on the youth system sadly but is this really the case? I get 10 players vs 22 but you can't just have 2 small teams instead of 1 big team?
If it's 5 a side, you're way more likely to be the guy impacting the play...I would think parents would pay MORE if anything
This post was edited on 7/9/26 at 7:13 pm
Posted on 7/9/26 at 7:19 pm to Violent Hip Swivel
quote:
Violent Hip Swivel
just put up more flyers in the hood
Posted on 7/9/26 at 8:25 pm to Bigdawgb
quote:Who are they going to play? Unless you live in a big city with a massive club, it’s expanded short sided games, like they do in practice, how are they going to boast and post about how their kid scored a “trick hat”.
I get 10 players vs 22 but you can't just have 2 small teams instead of 1 big team? If it's 5 a side, you're way more likely to be the guy impacting the play...I would think parents would pay MORE if anything
I’m not against that as a whole, but if your neighboring club is playing actual games you’re fighting the parents and a national cultural mindset across multiple generations on how training is superior to games. It’s not the clubs fault that they have to conform to everyone around them or crumble. This is why it needs to be a top down restructuring of the youth development system.
Posted on 7/9/26 at 10:46 pm to MetArl15
The growth made by this team vs 4 years ago is crazy.
Go look at qualifying last cycle this team was garbage.
The touches the passes look like they were kicking bricks and the ball just bouncing anywhere.
The coaching of Ponch has helped
But our MLS teams need to start academys like almost all the Europeans do.
Its the only way forward that and get highend athletes to understand how much money can be made from playing soccer.
Go look at qualifying last cycle this team was garbage.
The touches the passes look like they were kicking bricks and the ball just bouncing anywhere.
The coaching of Ponch has helped
But our MLS teams need to start academys like almost all the Europeans do.
Its the only way forward that and get highend athletes to understand how much money can be made from playing soccer.
Posted on 7/9/26 at 11:38 pm to WhiteMandingo
quote:I’m pretty sure that all (or almost all) MLS teams have academies. And most of them are free. But there are only so many spots and this obviously doesn’t help if you don’t live in a MLS city.
But our MLS teams need to start academys like almost all the Europeans do
Posted on 7/10/26 at 7:00 am to WhiteMandingo
quote:why does it have to be from the MLS, the MLS is under USSF, as is US Youth Soccer. USYS has infinite more reach than the maybe 30 MLS team academies
But our MLS teams need to start academys like almost all the Europeans do. It’s the only way forward that and get highend athletes to understand how much money can be made from playing soccer.
Posted on 7/10/26 at 7:54 am to Violent Hip Swivel
We just switched clubs with my daughter.
She’s skilled but smaller and slower than most of her team that are basically just a bunch of taller, athletic volleyball type clones. She played 55 games in her 10 year old season and with the age realignment got demoted to the “B” team due to a handful of girls moving down to her team from the older team.
The head of “development” said she needs to move down to the B team to play more games while simultaneously saying she needs to get faster and stronger.
We’re very familiar with the B team coach and elected to join a new club that is more technical based. They’ve grown from 5 total teams to 19 in 3 years.
I say all this because they basically do 2 trainings a week then a technical 3rd training/intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday morning in exactly the format this is discussing. They play one actual tournament a month and build to it through scrimmages the other 3 weeks. Seems more purposeful than driving 2-3 hours each way to play a one off twice a weekend.
I’m hoping that more technical work, smaller sided scrimmages and less traveling will just be easier on her body and also give us a day or two a week where my wife and I can work on her strengthening for 20-30 mins without wearing her down(we’re both PTs).
I do think that the best she ever played was when the old club was doing futsal every week before the courts were redone for fricking pickleball
She’s skilled but smaller and slower than most of her team that are basically just a bunch of taller, athletic volleyball type clones. She played 55 games in her 10 year old season and with the age realignment got demoted to the “B” team due to a handful of girls moving down to her team from the older team.
The head of “development” said she needs to move down to the B team to play more games while simultaneously saying she needs to get faster and stronger.
We’re very familiar with the B team coach and elected to join a new club that is more technical based. They’ve grown from 5 total teams to 19 in 3 years.
I say all this because they basically do 2 trainings a week then a technical 3rd training/intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday morning in exactly the format this is discussing. They play one actual tournament a month and build to it through scrimmages the other 3 weeks. Seems more purposeful than driving 2-3 hours each way to play a one off twice a weekend.
I’m hoping that more technical work, smaller sided scrimmages and less traveling will just be easier on her body and also give us a day or two a week where my wife and I can work on her strengthening for 20-30 mins without wearing her down(we’re both PTs).
I do think that the best she ever played was when the old club was doing futsal every week before the courts were redone for fricking pickleball
This post was edited on 7/10/26 at 8:07 am
Posted on 7/10/26 at 9:09 am to Violent Hip Swivel
I was in the same boat, but it wasn’t my main job. That’s the way it is with most smaller youth clubs in the US, and even among some more prestigious clubs. My son’s high school coach also coached for an MLS Next team (Dallas Hornets).
Coaches also take on multiple teams within their clubs because the more teams they coach, the more they get paid. This takes away from time spent developing and focusing.
Because I only had one team, I had them doing things like Futsal and indoor among other things during the offseason. Of course, some of this was voluntary because it was in the summer and people had vacations and other things.
One thing I noticed is it was always the same kids who took advantage of these opportunities.
Coaches also take on multiple teams within their clubs because the more teams they coach, the more they get paid. This takes away from time spent developing and focusing.
Because I only had one team, I had them doing things like Futsal and indoor among other things during the offseason. Of course, some of this was voluntary because it was in the summer and people had vacations and other things.
One thing I noticed is it was always the same kids who took advantage of these opportunities.
Posted on 7/10/26 at 9:52 am to Violent Hip Swivel
Man, that video hit home as a coach and father. I would invest my time, money, energy, etc. on not only my kids, but I would invest myself as much in his teammates. As a club, we would give scholarships to those who came from underprivileged backgrounds that demonstrated promise.
Even though we were a smaller club that couldn’t afford to play in ECNL or meet their conditions, we played those teams in showcase tournaments and beat those teams. We consistently won those championships.
However, it was a double edged sword. By developing those kids and competing against larger, more “prestigious” clubs, some of them would get poached. Some just wanted the prestige of playing in national leagues, even if it meant they wouldn’t necessarily be developed. The parents were just as bad.
Constant turnover as a team gets older hurt the rest of the players. It was deflating for those kids who stuck with each other and some would leave just because of that. Very frustrating and sad to invest not only money, but time and emotion, into a person for them to turn their back on you and their teammates
Even though we were a smaller club that couldn’t afford to play in ECNL or meet their conditions, we played those teams in showcase tournaments and beat those teams. We consistently won those championships.
However, it was a double edged sword. By developing those kids and competing against larger, more “prestigious” clubs, some of them would get poached. Some just wanted the prestige of playing in national leagues, even if it meant they wouldn’t necessarily be developed. The parents were just as bad.
Constant turnover as a team gets older hurt the rest of the players. It was deflating for those kids who stuck with each other and some would leave just because of that. Very frustrating and sad to invest not only money, but time and emotion, into a person for them to turn their back on you and their teammates
Posted on 7/10/26 at 4:05 pm to Violent Hip Swivel
Posted on 7/11/26 at 7:28 am to Citica8
Ok go look at all the European teams all if there players were at academy.
They start when ghey are 10 years old and practice / train soccer 8 hours a day and school for 4 hours.
The Lafc academy is probably just some skills and drills compared to that.
Pulisic was a Chelsea academy kid he spent years in Cobham.
When you have Yamal has been in academy since he was 8.
They have hids dropping crosses down with feather touch that is skill technique years of training. Insane body control.
Little Billy can just cant get coached by the mailman 2 a week and play on Saturday morning and expect to keep pace with these kids who are machines.
They start when ghey are 10 years old and practice / train soccer 8 hours a day and school for 4 hours.
The Lafc academy is probably just some skills and drills compared to that.
Pulisic was a Chelsea academy kid he spent years in Cobham.
When you have Yamal has been in academy since he was 8.
They have hids dropping crosses down with feather touch that is skill technique years of training. Insane body control.
Little Billy can just cant get coached by the mailman 2 a week and play on Saturday morning and expect to keep pace with these kids who are machines.
Posted on 7/11/26 at 7:36 am to WhiteMandingo
quote:
Pulisic was a Chelsea academy kid he spent years in Cobham. When you have Yamal has been in academy since he was 8.
lol. You guys are so ignorant on these academies.
The amount of 8,10, and 12 year olds that are interested in training one thing and one thing only for 8 hours a day by a coach/ teacher 40 hours a week is about as close to 0 as you get.
People complain about the travel ball system rewarding the good players moving up to better teams, that’s literally pro sports 101 and exactly how the academies work. Kids start at a low end local team in Europe and the better kids get funneled to the better clubs.
Posted on 7/11/26 at 8:03 am to WhiteMandingo
Yamal and the rest of Spain is also content playing small sided games and not keeping score until they are 12 or 14.
Played adult league with a guy that was in Chelsea's system. He would not have played on our high school team much less club. Small, slow, and lazy he had a great touch and knew the game extremely well, now he's coaching. Not all of the academies are like a national team training camp there are average players there as well
Played adult league with a guy that was in Chelsea's system. He would not have played on our high school team much less club. Small, slow, and lazy he had a great touch and knew the game extremely well, now he's coaching. Not all of the academies are like a national team training camp there are average players there as well
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