An email came out from US Youth Soccer on Monday, August 24. It was to announce changes that most people had heard something about already. The first is that they are mandating small-sided soccer for players below the age of 12. They are also standardizing the formats for each age group. The U8’s will play 4 v 4 without goalkeepers, U9-U10's will play 7 v 7 and U11 and U12 teams will play 9 v 9. This is a change from the 6 v 6 and 8 v 8 formats that many of … [Read more...]
#025 Systems of Play for U11 and U12
Last weekend was our first tournament weekend. There is always a lot of discussion about whether playing multiple games over a weekend is good for players. I think it depends on the age and level of the players. For high school age and above I think more harm than good comes from playing more than a game a day and no more than three days in a row. These are players that are playing close to if not full 90 minute games and often with limited … [Read more...]
#024 Formations for Small-Sided Soccer
The questions and suggestions keep coming in each week and one that I received today gave me an idea. Michael K said, ‘I am really enjoying your podcasts and am finding them very informative and educational. Would it be possible to include sessions that focus on set plays and restarts? This is a topic that I have on my list but it’s one that I’ve avoided because it’s not one of my strengths. I have a couple of corners and free kicks that I use with my teams … [Read more...]
#021 Getting a Jump Start to the Season
I continue to receive a lot of great feedback on the podcast as well as ratings and reviews on iTunes. I really appreciate everyone that has taken the time to send an email or write a review. I'll do my best to bring you information on the topics and ideas you've requested. This week we went past 100,000 downloads of our episodes! I’m glad that so many coaches are finding the podcast useful and spreading the word about the training sessions and information … [Read more...]
#017 Formations and Adjustments
A few weeks ago I mentioned what a crazy time of year this is. The last tournaments of the year lead into State Cup and President’s Cup competitions. That’s immediately followed by tryouts. Now’s the time to look back and review. Last week I gave you an overview of our tryout process. This week I look at how I arrived at a formation and style of play for one of my teams as well as how it evolved and changed over the course of the year as well as how it might … [Read more...]
#015 Analyzing Your Team’s Performance
We had a request from a coach wanting to learn more about how to breakdown the game from the sideline so I arranged to talk with John Pascarella, Assistant Coach for Sporting KC. John has coached at every level of the game and knows what to look for whether he's watching games at the highest level or younger youth teams playing in local leagues. We discuss what to look for in your opponents as well as what to focus on with your own team. He shares his … [Read more...]
#014 Do Your Players Move Without the Ball?
This is a busy time for youth soccer clubs in the United States. Memorial Day weekend tournaments around the country last weekend lead in to State Cup this week in many states. Then tryouts for next year’s teams come right after that. This three weeks is kind of ‘The Storm before the Quiet’. The summer brings a much needed break but these few weeks are always crazy In this week’s episode I look at how to train your players to move without the ball. It’s … [Read more...]
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