Youth Soccer Evolution Podcast

YSE is joined by Nick Humprhies from TrainEffective.com, to discuss his journey from novice to pro. Nick dives deep into the tools and resources that helped him achieve his goal of getting paid to play soccer. Nick had so much to offer that we had to break the podcast into two separate episodes. In part one he discusses his early start as a kid growing up in Australia. How he made the decision to turn pro What he did to get there The obstacles and challenges that he conquered Twitter @TrainEffective Contact Nick @nickhumph YouTube Effective Soccer Training Website: TrainEffective.com The post How to Train Effective with Nick Humphries, Soccer pro – part one appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

Diego Gomez stops by to discuss his experience playing in the Real Madrid Youth System and then transferring to the renowned La Masia with Barcelona’s Youth Academy. This experience led him to create Barcelona Soccer Excellence with a friend, Toni Dovale. Diego takes us through his journey as he started out at a very small club in his hometown in Madrid, Spain. He did well as a 9 year old and caught the eye of Real Madrid scouts at a tryout. Diego moved to Real Madrid and stayed there for 3 years. At the tender age of 12, Diego was spotted by Barcelona scouts at a tournament. He made the decision with his family to move to Barcelona after he saw the vision and philosophy of La Masia. Diego recounts what life was like training at La Masia and even living there as a teenager. He recounts learning from such coaches as Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Jordi Roura, and many other Spanish Coaches. Diego spent 8 years playing for Barcelona’s La Masia and even had a few caps for the Spanish Nationnal Youth team. Unfortunately Diego suffered a few knee injuries that hampered his playing career. He played professionally in Hong Kong, but had to retire at an early age due to knee injuries. Diego’s Development: Environment: He grew up in Spain, his father played professionally, and his friends played in school. Playing with Family: Diego started playing early with his father “since I was very young, about 3 years old”. Youth Academies: He played for some of the world’s finest youth academies and coaches. Today Diego and his partner, Toni, are giving back to Soccer – Futbol with their services at Barcelona Soccer Excellence. BSE offers a line of EUFA Pro Coaches to help with Camps, Clinics, and a development program. They also offer a soccer residency program at La Masia, Soccer Tours, a chance to attend and play at the MIC (Mediterranean International Cup) tournament, and a program to implement the Barcelona philosophy in your own club! You can reach out to Diego in several different ways below. Get a Free Coaches Clinic when you visit the website! Links https://www.barcelonasoccer.club/ Diego’s website and where you can learn all about the services that he and his partner provide through Barcelona Soccer Excellence. Email: Diego@Barcelonasoccer.club Diego on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dgh12 BSE on Twitter https://twitter.com/BSE_soccer Diego on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/diego-g%C3%B3mez-heredia-a9283473 Thank you again Diego for offering your time and insight to the podcast and our community! The post Real Madrid Youth Academy and La Masia give Diego Gomez the experience to build Barcelona Soccer Excellence appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

In episode 26 We interview Niyi Sobo, former pro athlete turned coach and motivational speaker. You have to listen to the show to learn how to improve and dominate all areas of your life, including your favorite sport. Maybe you want to dominate soccer… Niyi goes over some strategies that you can do TODAY! to improve your performance. I absolutely loved it and couldn’t believe he was giving all of this for free. I am very grateful that Niyi took some time to help out our listeners. If you would like to thank him, go Check out his website at www.imnotyou.com. Because if you want to DOMINATE, Niyi can show you how. IMNOTYOU.COM is a brand reserved for highly competitive athletes, who desire to take their game to new and dominant levels, and refuse to “fit in” and settle for average. It’s the mindset you MUST have if you want to dominate your sport and reach your goals. As an athlete, there are 3 areas that you have got to master if you want to succeed and break through and Niyi breaks these down for us during the podcast. Mindset You must have unshakeable believe in yourself and your abilities. Your beliefs, your visions, and your language and attitude have got to reflect the goals you have. Habits You MUST make sure you are doing all the things necessary, every day, to develop the consistency and skill. If you don’t, you can never expect to dominate, or even play well, on a consistent basis. Systems & Strategies You can’t afford to be “random”. If you take random actions, expect random results. All of your moves must be calculated, and part of a bigger picture. If you want the results you say you do, you are going to have to take on an entirely different attitude, a different mindset. You will have to adopt the belief that will set you apart, and make sure that you stay strong when others are weak. You’ll have to adopt the same belief I had during 3 hour 2 a day practices in blistering New orleans heat, when I was the lowest man on the totem pole trying to earn my spot. That belief is.. “I’m Not You.” They give up. You re-up. They compete. You Dominate. If you’re up for that challenge, then listen to the podcast, visit www.IMNOTYOU.com/yse and get the Free report to start dominating. The post How Young Athletes Can Dominate Soccer And Other Areas of Their Life appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

courtesy https://www.facebook.com/liviubird Playing the Seattle Sounders Sport’s Illustrated’s Liviu Bird stops by to discuss a controversial topic regarding soccer player development that many people don’t know about. Known to many as the “solidarity mechanism”, this FIFA policy allows clubs to be compensated for developing players. The controversy is over whether or not US clubs will be compensated. At this no US clubs are compensated for developing players. Please read this article first Crossfire VS MLS. You will then want to follow up and read the second article here. The stakeholders involved in this controversy are very prominent, the Crossfire Youth Soccer Club, DeAndre Yedlin (by no fault of his own), USSF, MLS, and FIFA. Definitions: Training compensation – designed to reimburse clubs for money spent to develop pro players. Crossfire is NOT looking for any compensation through this rule. Solidarity Mechanism – to incentivize player development – promote grassroots and reward youth clubs for doing a great job. But before we discuss his article, we get into Liviu’s own soccer player development experience. Liviu will discuss how his parents were always involved with his playing and development. They pushed him but always supported him. He discusses how he grew up playing on the streets of Romania. How kids improvised and made goals on the street. Liviu discusses how he just started playing goalie during Recreational soccer. At 16 yrs old he started to specialize in goalie. He feels that it was important that he played on the field before that as 60-70% of a goalie’s involvement is with their feet. Liviu also discuss the importance of goalies being able to read the game and how it can impact the outcome of matches. Free Play days, are those still too organized? or do we still have too much control? Why it’s so important to play with friends, siblings, and family. LINKS Learn More about Liviu Bird: http://www.si.com/author/liviu-bird https://twitter.com/liviubird https://www.facebook.com/liviubird?_rdr=p First article on Solidarity: http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2015/06/29/us-soccer-youth-club-compensation-crossfire-deandre-yedlin-mls-fifa Follow up article, response by FIFA: http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2015/07/21/fifa-crossfire-us-soccer-mls-youth-training-compensation-solidarity If you like the show, please consider giving us a review on iTunes The post Solidarity Mechanism’s Impact on Soccer Player Development with Liviu Bird from Sports Illustrated appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

What an awesome opportunity to host Santino Quaranta a former USA U17, U20, and Men’s National Team member. Santino did not hold anything back. He really went deep into his journey and shared with us the important things that helped him succeed. Santino Quaranta grew up in the streets of Baltimore, Maryland. Those same streets are the foundation that helped build a tenacious soccer player. Santino credits those streets with helping him develop the skills to excel at the next level. He also praises his father and uncle whom he looked up to growing up. Santino Quaranta shared several stories regarding his player development years. From playing small sided games on the streets of Baltimore until sundown, to playing with some of the nation’s top players at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FLA. His development continued throughout his career as he played alongside and against some top international players. One of the things that stuck out most to me was the environment that Santino keeps mentioning. How his mother has stated that he started playing soccer when he could walk, it was part of his Italian roots. Santino was emulating his father and uncle whom also played. Those streets of Baltimore created many elite players, and Santino thinks that it was due to all those games they played on the street. He learned how to play against older kids. Winning didn’t matter there, it was all fun. What they didn’t realize was that all the fun was creating elite talent. I hope you enjoy this great interview, it’s not everyday we get to learn from National team players. Links     http://pipelinesoccerclub.com/ – Santino is a founding member of the Pipeline Soccer Club Twitter –    @santinoquaranta                  @PipelineSC   The post From Street Soccer to IMG Academy to MLS and USA Men’s National Soccer, Santino Quaranta discusses his soccer Journey appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

Jazmin Cardoso, courtesy www.gomason.com In episode 23 I am joined by my incredible and inspirational cousin, Jazmin Cardoso. Jazmin will discuss how the soccer culture and environment around her shaped her development. Jazmin is a gifted soccer player with an infectious smile and personality. During the podcast Jazmin takes us on her journey which began by imulating her older brother that played soccer with his friends. Because she was younger and couldn’t play yet with the boys, she would juggle a ball on the sideline. At 7 years old Jazmin immigrated to the United States and began playing soccer with neighborhood boys. Eventually her brother and cousin noticed her passion and ability and signed her up for a recreational league. At only 9 years old her talent was seen by several parents that had children playing at a local club. They quickly convinced Jazmin to play on their team. From that moment, Jazmin took the local soccer scene in Harrisonburg, VA by the horns. She quickly set out to break records and take her high school to new levels, and eventually landing at George Mason University. Today we get a chance to examine the journey and path that took Jazmin Cardoso from a little girl dribbling on the sidelines, to leading D-I college soccer programs and getting call ups from the Mexican National team. Jazmin discussed how she fell in love with soccer and recalls watching the world cup with her brother. She saw the passion he had for the game and it quickly grew on her. The culture and environment that surrounded her would shape her view of soccer forever. Jazmin developed not only by practicing with a team, but also playing with friends. She discussed how she would go play with friends outside formal training hours and even after youth soccer games. It was never over. Even though Jazmin never had “professional” training, she was already ahead of other girls in the club who had been training under coaches. This demonstrates the power of Free Play. She credits the hours of free play for developing her into a creative player on the field. Jazmin Cardoso (in white)Courtesy www.gomason.com Jazmin discussed a very important topic regarding player development. The decision to specialize. She explained that she spent most of her time playing soccer, which she was more committed to, but also played other sports like volleyball. She never viewed the thousands of hours she played soccer as “specializing” because she loved doing it and it wasn’t always training with coaches. She explained that she loved playing so much, she would go play pickup games after playing travel games. One of her lowest points in soccer was after leaving New Mexico State, she had to sit out a year. Going into her junior year she was not playing as well. For the first time in her life she was sitting on the bench. She discussed her feelings and how she overcame that obstacle through perseverance. Jazmin was asked how she would improve her player development if she was 5 years old again. She stated that she would do the same, go play outside, get as many touches on the ball as possible, watch games, and try new things to make mistakes and learn from them. What a great answer. Links Jazmin’s bio at New Mexico State http://www.nmstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=1900&ATCLID=204773086 Jazmin’s bio at George Mason University http://www.gomason.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=25200&ATCLID=205056141 SPONSOR Receive a 60 FREE TRIAL with MyTeamSpot for our listeners only, when you use promo code YSE60. Improve your communication with players and parents, share videos and photos, update schedules, and focus on player development!!!! RECEIVE TWO FREE AUDIO BOOKS FROM AUDIBLE! The post How a Soccer Culture and Environment developed Jazmin Cardoso into a creative soccer player appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

Colorado Rapids Senior Director of Player Development, Brian Crookham Photo Courtesy of Garrett Ellwood. The Interview with Brian Crookham What an amazing interview that offered not only player development insight, but also some behind the scenes of MLS and the Colorado Rapids’ preparation as they begin their 2015 season. Brian Crookham was first referred by a listener of the Podcast. I appreciate all of you tuning in and listening and I especially appreciate those of you who write and engage with me to make YSE even better. This is truly turning into what I had hoped for, an educated soccer community that is larger than any one single entity. Brian Crookham also takes us on his player development journey and discusses how things have changed since his playing days. A young man from Jenks, Oklahoma, Brian Crookham went the soccer route. He recalls being exposed to small sided games in the late 80s and early 90s and how it changed his view on Player Development. Brian then takes us behind the scenes of the Colorado Rapids Player Development system and discusses how resources are allocated in order to ensure that the curriculum is being implemented correctly, which is no easy task. The Colorado Rapids Player Development Pyramid which is used to enhance the visual of what the Rapids are doing with all of their programs. It’s very inclusive with pathways for each player regardless of their potential. At this time the Colorado Rapids Player Development system serves over 12,000 kids. Learn the role Brian Crookham plays in coordinating all the programs within the Rapids Soccer Development Program. Adidas Alliance partners – Group of clubs that have a Commitment to creating an environment where players can reach their potential. Brian Crookham gave some great advice for parents and coaches: you must be Committed to the process and not necessarily the outcome. Do not be short term outcome based. Winning is not bad, but you should win through the process. Buy into the process!! Then he leaves us with this statement, which I LOVED! “There is not one coach that can walk in and make a player a pro, but every one has the ability to limit a player”. And that includes coaches and parents! We cannot guarantee that they will be a professional player, but we can help them be prepared in case they reach that level. For the future, Brian’s vision is that we must have clear pathways for players, a process, information for players, parents, and coaches. The more programs that buy into the holistic approach, the better off we will be. We need to limit the costs associated with player development. Finally, how would Brian Crookham go about developing a 5 yr old? The child would need an environment where he would enjoy soccer, “me and the ball”, then check where I am. Start with motor skills. Later focus on soccer skills, then worry about understanding the game, making decisions. Then learn to compete and learn to function in a competitive environment. After that, enjoyment comes from practice. Thank you so much for your time Brian! Links http://www.coloradorapids.com/youth/staff Learn more about Brian Crookham http://www.coloradorapids.com/youth Learn more about the Colorado Rapids Program Follow Brian Crookham on Twitter Receive a 60 FREE TRIAL with MyTeamSpot for our listeners only, when you use promo code YSE60. Improve your communication with players and parents, share videos and photos, update schedules, and focus on player development!!!! RECEIVE TWO FREE AUDIO BOOKS Thank you so much for supporting our podcast, if there is anything I can do to help, please let me know. Thank you.   The post Colorado Rapids Director of Soccer Development, Brian Crookham appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

VOTE FOR STAN BAKER HERE! This is part 2 of the interview with Stan Baker, author of “Our Competition is the World” and winner of the 2011 US Youth National Coach of The Year. If you have not listened to Part 1, please go back and listen by clicking here.  In part two Stan continues his discussion on player development and discusses why soccer is an art and players are artists. Stan discussed how Elementary kids at his school have started their own soccer league!! Amazing what kids can do when you get out of their way. He was not kidding when he said they have a great soccer environment. That same environment is also responsible for producing Rubio Rubin, current FC Utrecth player and US National team member. Stan also discussed Funino and how it helps kids develop. Learn more about Funino here and visit their website here. VOTE FOR STAN BEFORE MARCH 28th, 2015! Stan is involved in the in Comcast SportsNet’s inaugural All-Star Coach Program. It is aimed at recognizing the region’s top K-12 public school coaches, and the finalists are in and Stan Baker is one of them. Let’s vote for him!! I can assure you that he definitely deserves it. From numerous nominations, finalists were selected by a panel of community leaders based on exemplary commitment to the school, student-athletes, parents, and the community; excellence in coaching style and interaction with student-athletes; distinction from other coaches; and, quality of coaching, including respect and inspiration. If you liked the podcast, please thank Stan by voting for him! CLICK HERE TO VOTE:  http://www.csnnw.com/page/all-star-coach LINKS Do You Want To Learn More About Stan? http://www.csnnw.com/article/all-star-coach-finalist-stan-baker-woodburn-hs Visit Stan’s website http://www.soccer-artistry.com/ Stan’s Book “Our Competition is the World” Stan discussed in the podcast why he decided to write the book after being inspired by Claudio Reyna speech about player development.   The book mentioned by Stan during the Podcast, “The Boys From Little Mexico” about the kids in his school.   Horst Wein Books http://thebeautifulgame.ie/ Receive a 60 FREE TRIAL with MyTeamSpot for our listeners only, when you use promo code YSE60. Improve your communication with players and parents, share videos and photos, update schedules, and focus on player development!!!! RECEIVE TWO FREE AUDIO BOOKS LINKS Discussed During Podcast Thank you so much for supporting our podcast, if there is anything I can do to help, please let me know. Thank you. The post YSE 21: Why soccer is an Art and players are Artists, with author, coach, teacher, Stan Baker Part 2, appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

VOTE FOR STAN BAKER HERE! Stan Baker, author of “Our Competition is the World” and winner of the 2011 US Youth National Coach of The Year joined us to celebrate our 20th episode. Stan is not only a good friend, but he’s also a great coach to players, mentor students and players, and just an ALL-Around outstanding person. He is well traveled throughout the world, studying and learning through coaching certifications from such soccer hotbeds as Brazil, Argentina, and Spain. Oh yeah, and he holds his USSF A License. Although licenses and certificates are not what make Stan a great coach, it does demonstrate his desire to continue learning, something we can all appreciate. Stan will be the first to tell you that he is still hungry to learn more and that’s just one of many reasons he is so intelligent. Do you want to improve your soccer game for free? We discussed numerous topics around player development and received his input on how to improve at a very very low cost, even for free. There are no more excuses for not developing our players. Stan discusses the importance of finding a wall and how he used one to develop his own game and why he teaches kids to do the same today. Just like Mark Burke discusses in his book “A Different Kind of Soccer” What happened at the young age of 13 that improved Stan’s development? Problems with coaches who want to be in control, but players are artists, they should be allowed to be free and creative Why you need to improve comfort level in small spaces with the ball Problems that arise when we see the game in terms of other sports like basketball and baseball. Those sports have timeouts and set up plays, but soccer is an open game, constantly changing. Players need to learn what to do on their own, and the game can teach them. Learn more about Funino here and visit their website here From Brazil – they warm up the spirit by playing a game before training, may show why Brazil plays so creative and loose (yes I know they lost the semifinal in the WC, but how many teams wouldn’t kill to be in that position). Argentina – they take it a little more serious, educate kids early on 11 v 11. This was interesting to learn. VOTE FOR STAN! Stan is involved in the in Comcast SportsNet’s inaugural All-Star Coach Program. It is aimed at recognizing the region’s top K-12 public school coaches, and the finalists are in and Stan Baker is one of them. Let’s vote for him!! I can assure you that he definitely deserves it. From numerous nominations, finalists were selected by a panel of community leaders based on exemplary commitment to the school, student-athletes, parents, and the community; excellence in coaching style and interaction with student-athletes; distinction from other coaches; and, quality of coaching, including respect and inspiration. If you liked the podcast, please thank Stan by voting for him! CLICK HERE TO VOTE:  http://www.csnnw.com/page/all-star-coach LINKS Do You Want To Learn More About Stan? http://www.csnnw.com/article/all-star-coach-finalist-stan-baker-woodburn-hs Visit Stan’s website http://www.soccer-artistry.com/ Stan’s Book “Our Competition is the World” Stan discussed in the podcast why he decided to write the book after being inspired by Claudio Reyna speech about player development.   The book mentioned by Stan during the Podcast, “The Boys From Little Mexico” about the kids in his school.   Horst Wein Books http://thebeautifulgame.ie/ Receive a 60 FREE TRIAL with MyTeamSpot for our listeners only, when you use promo code YSE60. Improve your communication with players and parents, share videos and photos, update schedules, and focus on player development!!!! RECEIVE TWO FREE AUDIO BOOKS LINKS Discussed During Podcast Thank you so much for supporting our podcast, if there is anything I can do to help, please let me know. Thank you. The post YSE 20: How to improve your soccer game for free, with author Stan Baker, Part 1 appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

This is the second part of the interview with Jon Townsend regarding his article titled “The Game is Free” for www.thesefootballtimes.net. It’s a great article that makes you step back and really think about why we are paying so much money for soccer development. If you have not listened to Part 1 of the Jon Townsend interview, please click here.  Jon Townsend discusses the environment he grew up in and how it impacted his soccer development. No player has ever reached a high level just by playing in an academy system, free play must be utilized to maximize soccer development Parents view dollars as an opportunity and think they can buy their way to talent, so soccer development is viewed as the more money you spend the higher level kids should be able to play. Way too many coaches making money off parent’s ignorance about soccer development. Parents are desperate and willing to pay whatever it takes. Intensity, volume, and frequency is what will help you improve Creativity is being coached out of the kids and they are not allowed to be artists with the ball during their soccer development. Cant expect kids to be creative if they are made to do anything. Free Play is one of  the best tools for player development and it’s free, but parents want to pay for it because they feel that soccer development should cost a lot of money. Is the obsession with control that so many coaches and adults have hurting our soccer development? Finally Jon discussed his plans for his book on his player development journey as a player, which will be appropriately titled “Its just a ball”. Can’t wait to read it Jon. You Can Follow Jon here: And let him know how much you enjoyed the podcast and article! Twitter @jon_townsend3 Email: farpostfooty@gmail.com THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS   Receive a 60 FREE TRIAL with MyTeamSpot for our listeners only, when you use promo code YSE60. Improve your communication with players and parents, share videos and photos, update schedules, and focus on player development!!!! RECEIVE TWO FREE AUDIO BOOKS LINKS Discussed During Podcast Raheem Sterling’s discovery was discussed in the book The Nowhere Men: The Unknown Story of Football’s True Talent Spotters Great piece on Icelandic Football by Jon Townsend http://farpostfooty.com/ – Jon Townsend’s very own website where he posts other articles about soccer and player development. http://www.thesefootballtimes.net/ where you can get many other great soccer related articles with Jon Townsend and other writers. http://www.theoriginalcoach.com/#!the-game-is-free/cj8q –  “The Game is Free” article written by John Townsend https://www.yearzerosoccer.org/ – Project Jon Townsend is currently working on. The post YSE 19: Jon Townsend, The Game is Free, Part 2 appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

Jon Townsend stopped by to discuss a great article I read about the cost of player development, titled “The Game is Free” for www.thesefootballtimes.net. It’s a great article that makes you step back and really think about why we are paying so much money for the price of soccer development. Jon has great stories about growing up in a Latino community in Chicago and San Jose, CA., and how that helped shape not only his soccer development, but his way of thinking about it. Jon feels he is a product of the street game and academy system, and players should not just depend on an academy for development. Jon discusses some of the reasons he wrote the article. One reason is that he spend time in Europe and In Europe kids are playing all over, in the US we have an abundance of land, but don’t let kids play on that land unless they belong to a league or club team. This is hurting the youth soccer development. Instead of kid playing outside at the park, kids play video games. John discusses the environment he grew up in and how it impacted his soccer development. No player has ever reached a high level just by playing in an academy system, free play must be utilized to maximize soccer development Parents view dollars as an opportunity and think they can buy their way to talent, so soccer development is viewed as the more money you spend the higher level kids should be able to play. Way too many coaches making money off parent’s ignorance about soccer development. Parents are desperate and willing to pay whatever it takes. Intensity, volume, and frequency is what will help you improve Creativity is being coached out of the kids and they are not allowed to be artists with the ball during their soccer development. Cant expect kids to be creative if they are made to do anything. Free Play is one of  the best tools for player development and it’s free, but parents want to pay for it because they feel that soccer development should cost a lot of money. Is the obsession with control that so many coaches and adults have hurting our soccer development? I love the story about Jon’s Siberian Huskey. He would go to his backyard and grabbed a toy or ball and played one on one vs the dog. This is actually something I used to do, and I am sure many others have. You should try it, it’s a lot of fun and you both benefit. The dog gets tired of chasing you around and has fun, while you improve your soccer development. Also discussed a great story about a European academy coach looking for NATURAL talent, not cone player. He wanted to see what the kids would do in a “free play” environment. A HUGE PROBLEM that was discussed and I had not thought about is that many Academies and Big Clubs are going into ethnic communities and taking players out, instead going in there and enhancing their environment by building fields and actually helping them. Don’t remove them from that environment that made them so good before they were removed. Finally Jon discussed his plans for his book on his player development journey as a player, which will be appropriately titled “Its just a ball”. Can’t wait to read it Jon. You Can Follow Jon here: Twitter @jon_townsend3 Email: farpostfooty@gmail.com THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS   Receive a 60 FREE TRIAL with MyTeamSpot for our listeners only, when you use promo code YSE60. Improve your communication with players and parents, share videos and photos, update schedules, and focus on player development!!!! RECEIVE A FREE AUDIO BOOK LINKS Discussed During Podcast Raheem Sterling’s discovery was discussed in the book The Nowhere Men: The Unknown Story of Football’s True Talent Spotters Great piece on Icelandic Football by Jon Townsend http://farpostfooty.com/ – John’s very own website where he posts other articles about soccer and player development. http://www.thesefootballtimes.net/ where you can get many other great soccer related articles. http://www.theoriginalcoach.com/#!the-game-is-free/cj8q –  “The Game is Free” article. https://www.yearzerosoccer.org/ – Project Jon is currently working on. The post YSE 18: The price of soccer development and how to overcome that barrier, with Jon Townsend Part 1 appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

In Episode 17 Coach Keith Tozer, new Professional Futsal League Commissioner stops by to discuss the PFL and everything Futsal. We were very grateful for his time as he was in between flights on his way to promote the new league. Keith Tozer is everything Futsal in the United States and is very influential throughout the world. When the Futsal history of the US is written, his name will be all over the place. He is the commissioner, the US Youth Futsal Technical Director, and the United States Men’s Futsal Head Coach. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting him and hanging out with him, it’s always a pleasure and I learn something new every time. This a picture with Me and Coach Tozer! Why Futsal is critical to player development What kind of an impact it will have on player development across not only the United States, but the entire CONCACAF region. He also discusses the impact it will have the USMNT (futsal and soccer teams). During the podcast, we discussed how the idea about a professional futsal league was born and the plan for success. What some of the goals are moving forward for the Professional Futsal League How to get involved and support PFL New Futsal coaching certifications And I have an awesome announcement….. This Podcast is now sponsored by My Team Spot.  MyTeamSpot is the ultimate team management tool for coaches, parents and players. Customize your dashboard, contact players and parents, schedule practices and games and provide real-time updates, team histories, events and much more.use PROMO CODE YSE60 for a 60 day free trial for our listeners. Thank you My Team Spot.        Drew Ducker and Falcao Futsal Coaching Seminar and Futsal Player Camp with Drew Ducker. Click on the links for additional information. Don’t forget the YSE Promo Code for a discount!       LINKS Professional Futsal League              @profutsalleague Barcelona Futsal team to visit US and play the inaugural Futsal game for the PFL Follow Coach Keith Tozer @coachTozer @mwfutsalassoc  USsoccer.com Futsal Midwest Futsal Association   The post Keith Tozer, PFL Commissioner and USMNT Futsal Head Coach appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

What an honor to have Mike Jacobs join our Podcast. We are grateful for his time and appreciate Mike coming on the show and sharing his insight about player development, the partnership between MLS and USL, the #pathtopro initiative, and the goals for the USL academies. Mike Jacobs, USLPROSOCCER.com Mike jacobs is the current president of the NSCAA and the USL vice president of developmental properties. He is also an author and at one time was the youngest coach in Division I soccer. Mike has given so much of his time to soccer development in US, he is a true pioneer, and continues to blaze trails and improve the development of players and the system in the US. It’s clear from speaking with Mike that he has a true passion for the sport and the development of players, coaches, and organizations. We were lucky to get Mike on the show as he was busy with USL and getting prepared to take on the presidency of the NSCAA. We did discussed a little about the 2015 convention, which took place in Philadelphia. Make sure to follow the link and visit nscaa.com for information on the 2016 Convention. You can also find a ton of resources on the website. It’s available every year, and it appears that it just keeps getting better and better. I actually met our first guest ever on the show, Ted Kroeten, through the NSCAA. So if you don’t know what it is yet, definitely go to the website and check out all of their resources to improve your coaching and understanding of the game. Other Key Points We Learned  Starting kids too early, with regiment sessions can have a negative impact on kids. They may end up losing level of enthusiasm. Mike feels that kids should be enjoying themselves when they are playing at the very young ages such as 5-7. He discussed how Landon Donavon grew up playing AYSO and his fond memories about those years. We want the kids to come back the next day and next year. That’s what coaches of young players should focus on, the love of the game. To help young children love the game of soccer, Mike felt that you should create a setting for them to love the game. Get as many 1 to 1 ball to kid ratio as possible. Mike felt that his parents fostered and encouraged him as a child and he hopes parents will do that with their own kids. Don’t push them too early into agility and speed training. Get them to love the game first. He brought up a great point about kids that love the game more at 9 will be better when they are 15. The kids that are being pushed too early will burn out. So be cautious and don’t start pushing kids into something they don’t enjoy. Let them fall in love and they will want to play and improve on their own.   Exciting time for Soccer in America Mike also discussed how exciting it is to be involved with Soccer at the moment. The professional level continues to gain strength, there is more growth than ever. USL’s affiliation with MLS has given rise to “farm systems” (like in baseball). Galaxy started their own USL Pro team with the Galaxy Sol. Several teams have followed or affiliated with other USL Pro teams. The “pipeline” has created a true pathway to professional soccer in the US. It also gives players the opportunity to play with the 1st team in the MLS. The “pathway” is not complete yet, but it’s another step in that direction. Once the academies are formed, it will give more players an opportunity to develop and create a true player development pyramid. LINKS southampton video discussed during the show http://www.uslsoccer.com/ NSCAA – resource for coaches and parents of players http://www.littleleagueparentsgonewild.com this is Mike’s new website, check it out and let him know what you think. Follow Mike on Twitter @jacobs_usl #pathtopro If you have questions, comments, please share with us at ernesto@youthsoccerevolution.com you can also like our Facebook group at the top of the page. The post YSE 16: Creating the pathway to professional soccer with Mike Jacobs, NSCAA President and USL PRO Vice President appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

Today the Professional Futsal League announced that they are starting a professional futsal league in the United States. I got some chills running down my spine when I first read about this on Twitter. I then went on their website and it was almost unreal. I can’t believe I am this excited about a futsal league! It appears that the league is spearheaded by Dallas Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson and Keith Tozer, US Men’s Futsal National team head coach. I’ve never met Mr. Nelson, but I’ve had the pleasure of hanging out with coach Tozer and he’s all about Futsal! I don’t have enough space here to list all his accolades, but let’s just say he’s the man you want when starting anything Futsal! His passion and knowledge about Futsal are just unbelievable, there’s no other way to describe it. Check out Coach Tozer’s February 8th class in Milwaukee, WI. (I am not paid for this endorsement). You already know how much I love Futsal and I believe it’s a critical piece to developing soccer players. I’ve had Drew Ducker on the podcast, Episode 6 discussing his play with the US Men’s National Futsal team. I have a special page on my website about http://youthsoccerevolution.com/futsal/  The new Professional Futsal League (PFL) is scheduled to start in the Fall of 2016, and maybe a few tournaments in the Spring of 2015, that’s not too far away. You can go on their website and get additional information at www.professionalfutsal.com. You can also follow them on twitter.   I had to get this post up as I am super excited. I have a few friends directly involved with Professional Futsal that will be guests on the Podcast pretty soon, including Otto Orf from Futsal Factory. Stay tuned and hang on for the ride, this is going to be a fun one. I can’t wait to see the product. But the biggest reason for my excitement is the impact this will have on developing players right here in the US. I also discuss my daughter’s development as a young player. My focus is not on her turning pro one day, but to be successful at soccer wherever it is she wants to play. This is something that every parent goes through, so I am sharing some of my experiences with you, the listener so that you can learn from my mistakes and also to let you know what is working for me and my child. This is the video that I discussed in the podcast. My daughter playing barefoot in the living room. The post Professional Futsal League in USA to start in 2016 appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

Mark O Sullivan In YSE 14 we welcome Mark O Sullivan from www.FootBlogBall.wordpress.com.  Mark holds a EUFA A License. Mark recently wrote an article titled “Development Model or The Emperor’s New Clothes“. In the article which you can read here, Mark brought great insight and analysis into the difference between Content vs Model in a soccer club model. One model he uses as an example is the LTAD model which is used by different clubs around the world, most notably in the UK and Canada. (Before this podcast episode, I had reached out to Chris Murphy from Coastal FC in Canada to discuss this model. I am currently trying to work out a time to discuss the model further so we can learn more about it and its benefits). Some of the other things you’ll learn from this episode: Mark explained that he grew up playing on the street, nothing organized until 9 or 10 years old. Not sure how it happened, but someone always had a ball, just like in many neighborhoods across Europe. Mark also gave us some insight into his coach, who either “had an amazing knowledge of the game or very little”. Something very interesting was his take on technique, which he thinks he learned on the streets, he would see it on TV, it helped him and his friends create a great imagination. They commentated on their own games, had a great time with their imagination. They watched what the pros did and imitated them. That’s how he learned to play with both feet. There was so much variability during the games on the streets. Take Aways: -structure must be from child’s perspective to maximize learning -we know what is good for kids, but implement it for adults, this has to change -Hard skills (easy to measure) vs soft skills and why many kids get overlooked due to size. -Development model on a home page, don’t let your club do this! -make it as fun as possible for the kids Links: https://footblogball.wordpress.com/2014/10/30/development-model-or-the-emperors-new-clothes/ Mark’s Follow up article “Turn the Curriculum on its head: Coaching in Context”. The post YSE: 14: Content vs Model, Soccer Club and Academy Development Model Analysis with Mark O sullivan appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

Courtesy Mlive.com For Episode 13 of the YSE Podcast we had the privilege of speaking to Martin Blanc. Martin is a recent graduate of the prestigious Kalamazoo College, a private school located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he played four years of collegiate soccer. Martin brings us a unique point of view of American Soccer training and development. Martin was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and moved to the United States at the age of 13 years old. He credits much of his development to the environment where he grew up, and states that his unique style of play comes from the streets. A former coach of Martin, Mr. Dustin Snyder, once described Martin as “a unique player with the Latin flair”. He is a pleasure to play with, against, and watch play. Martin offers us so many incredible stories about his upbringing in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He describes the environment and recalls being a kid in his backyard, trying to emulate the greats from his hometown such as Pablo Aimar and Javier Saviola. According to Martin, there was not a whole lot of coaching going on, but there was some from his father and some relatives. He credits his technical ability to playing Papi Futbol in Argentina, on the streets of Buenos Aires. Papi Futbol is a 5 a-side game played by all youth in Argentina. He recalls playing soccer with a flattened juice box because balls were not allowed during recess. He also spent time juggling an empty water bottle with friends. He described how the political unrest in Buenos Aires, which caused several strikes by teachers at the school, sent him to play on the streets. School would be canceled each time there was a strike, instead of wasting the day, Martin and his friends took advantage of the day off from school and would go rent a field to play the entire day. Martin describes his transition from Papi futbol, which is 5-a-side to full 11 v 11 when he was 14 years old in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He also gives us his advice on why players should prepare themselves physically when they start getting older and playing at higher levels. Martin also credits watching soccer on television with his father and even today as a tool to continue learning. He explains the difference between deliberate practice and playing for the love of the game. If you play for the love of the game, deliberate practice will be a game once you get older. During the podcast, Martin will also share some of the issues with making into a professional youth academy in countries like Argentina. He recalls a specific, but unfortunate, incident during his tryout at 12 years old with Argentinos Juniors. Although Martin made the squad there were a few issues with what he was facing. Martin’s #1 most important advice that he gives players, coaches, and parents today is to let the kids have fun. Once the child is in love with the game, they will find the desire within to get better. The child will play soccer for fun and improve their skills without realizing that. This is what Ted Kroeten refers to in his interview, the intrinsic learning. Martin offered his email for anyone that wants to reach out to him, to discuss futbol, papi futbol, or any questions about Argentinian soccer. Martin can be reached at martinblanc10@gmail.com If you like this story and podcast, please consider sharing it with friends and soccer fans on twitter or facebook! The post YSE 13: Soccer and Papi Futbol in Argentina with Martin Blanc appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

In the 12th episode of the Youth Soccer Evolution Podcast, we welcome a very special guest, Christopher Gluck from www.PossessionWithPurpose.com. Chris has a unique soccer journey, which we love here at YSE. He was an American who started a club in England. He started the Burnham Bulldogs, which had about 150 kids before he had to step down due to leaving the country (he was in the military). He explained how training and development was different there when he coached his two sons, and how he never traveled more than 10-15 miles at the most for games. Chris was kind enough to share an hour with YSE and discuss his “Family of Indices that measure the ‘bell curve’ of strategic activities that occur in a game of football (soccer)”. It is soccer coaching tools at its best. He goes into detail on how coaches can use the formula to improve not only as soccer coaches, but help improve the performance and training and development of players. Chris Gluck, PossessionWithSoccer.com The formula is so successful that Chris was recently asked to present at theWorld Conference on Science and Soccer. You can see the entire presentation by clicking on the link. After listening to the Episode 12, if you still are having a hard time understanding the possession with purpose formula, you can read his Revised Introduction here. In the Revised Introducation, he introduces “The Family of Strategic Indices” Attacking Possession with Purpose (APWP): How effective a team is in performing these six process steps throughout the course of a game. Gain possession of the ball Move the ball Penetrate the opponents defending final third Generate a shot taken That ends up on target and, Gets past the keeper Defending Possession with Purpose (DPWP): How effective the opponent is in performing those six process steps, throughout the course of a game, against you. Composite Possession with Purpose (CPWP): The mathematical difference between the APWP Index and DPWP Index. After reading the Introduction, you can use the same tools he uses to evaluate your team. You no longer have to measure wins and loses to evaluate your team’s performance. You can use the same tool, which is trademarked, that Chris uses. Here is how you can do it all for FREE! Listen to the Podcast and then read this blog post Getting Better as Youth Soccer Coach.  Here are the steps you will need to master, but read the post to learn how to evaluate them. If you decide to put this into practice, I would love to hear about it. Send me an email at Ernesto@YouthSoccerEvolution.com and let me know your thoughts. Chris explained that there not any youth teams doing this right now. ? Split the pitch into thirds and place one parent at the entry point into your own defending final third and one at the entry point into your opponent’s defending final third. ? Next, place two parents at the middle of the pitch. ? Then place one parent at or near the end line on your defending side of the pitch and then one parent at the same position on the opponent’s defending side of the pitch. ? Give each parent a clipboard and pen (waterproof if necessary) and have them begin to count and keep track of certain ‘team’ data points. ? The two parents in the center of the pitch are to count and document (all) passes attempted and passes completed for each team (throw-ins and free kicks included) across the entire pitch. If you have four parents then have two track passes attempted and two track passes completed, one for each team. ? The two parents at the entry to the defending final third are to count and document passes attempted and completed(within and into) the defending final third for each team. This also includes all throw-ins, crosses, corners and free kicks that are not specific shots taken on goal. If you have four parents/guardians then have one each track passes attempted and passes completed separately for each team. ? Finally, the two parents on the end lines are to count and document shots taken, shots on goal, and goals scored for each team. I want to thank Chris again for coming on the show and demonstrating his soccer coaching tools. He has given us so much to think about and ACTIONABLE steps we can take TODAY with our team and improve the player development process. If you like what Chris is doing, make sure you support his www.PossessionWithPurpose.com blog, on twitter @chrisgluckpwp, or with his other work at the Columbian where he writes about the Portland Timbers, You can also read his work on SoccerYanks.com or at StumpTownFooty.com   The post YSE 12: Soccer Coaching Tools, with Chris Gluck, from Posession with Purpose appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

Elijah Michaelswmu.edu How to Maximize Player Development as a player, parent, coach, and administrator In Episode 11, we had the pleasure of discussing the development of a young goalie, Elijah Michaels, that I first met when he was around 12 years old. The interview was conducted back in May of 2014 when Elijah was still in High School. Today he is at Western Michigan University plying his trade with the Broncos. I want to thank Elijah and Ann for coming on the show. Elijah Michaels was still a field player, when I first met him, playing on his Red Arrow SC team coached by his mother, Ann Michaels. Elijah continued having fun playing and developing into one of the best goalkeepers in Michigan. He and his mother took some time to discuss their journey which started back when Elijah was about 5 years old. Elijah is a bright young man as you can tell in the interview and I knew he would have a lot of insight into developing as a young goalkeeper. Elijah goes into detail about the reason he kept playing soccer and why he still loves it today. He and his mother specifically discuss how they were able to navigate through numerous goalie camps and eventually used the College ID camps to their advantage by getting letters of recommendation from Toni Dicicco! They give us many tips and advice on how to navigate this difficult process and why starting early is critical in today’s world. Elijah also gives great insight into the mind of a young keeper and how they take games, training sessions, and winning and losing. Why he decided to specialize in High School. Why having a terrible memory is good for goalkeeping. Ann stated that as a parent, she decided to learn and play the sport herself so that she could help her kids develop. I thought this was a great point, because the sport is not as easy as it looks or as easy as parents may think it is. I am also working on an ebook to help parents and players navigate through the college recruiting process. If you are interested in a free copy, just let me know. Links: Elijah’s WMU bio http://www.soccerplus.org/ Where Elijah met coach Dicicco Would you like to connect with Elijah or have any questions for him? He gave his email Elijahmichaels1@gmail.com please contact him. Unsure about your player development knowledge? Want to make sure you maximize your player development model? Click here for more information.    The post YSE11: How to navigate College ID camps and play Division I Soccer, with Elijah Michaels appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

Mark Burke has been described as “sure of touch, calm of mind, he would lope around in seemingly lackadaisical fashion before offering a cute little pass here or a deft touch there. A man with an eye for ball retention.” He enjoyed a promising career in England with Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Wolves. He soon left Port Vale to join Fortuna Sittard and apply his trade in Holland as a 26-year-old in 1995. It was in the Netherlands that Mark began to understand and view the soccer player development process. We were lucky enough to get him on the podcast to discuss player development with us and talk a little about his book, A Different Kind Of Soccer. Mark knows what it takes to make it in Europe and he shared some of his insights. Additionally Mark shares his visit to Holland and what he learned about player development in the Netherlands. Why the Dutch’s attention to detail and belief in their own system is what separates them from the rest. Why the Dutch have decided to stick to their philosophy and continue developing players.  Mark was a great guest on the show and we can’t thank him enough for sharing his blueprint on developing players. Get his book to ensure that you are optimizing the development of any player you coach or parent. The book will teach you what the game is about, the stages of learning, and how to improve your technique and mental game. There is also insight into the training and development approach. This book is a great tool for the Player, the Coach, the Parent, and the Club Administrator. And if you decide to purchase the book, make sure you use our link (or click on the banner above) and Mark has graciously agreed to donate some of the proceeds to the YSE Podcast. Thank you in advance! “In England it’s a totally different thinking. If you don’t follow that run people will wonder what you’re playing at. The Dutch are thinkers. They think more about the game than we do. We have this idea of the Dutch being very liberal but that’s not really true – it’s an extremely regimented and organised culture and the football is the same. It’s organised to the smallest detail.” “I had a lot of ideas about football before I went there but it was in Holland that I learnt how to organise them. In that first year I found out so much. Pim Verbeek really took me under his wing. We used to drive all over Holland just watching games to introduce me to the different styles and how teams played. It was a real football education”. http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11096/8307015/brits-abroad-mark-burke If you have a question for Mark or you want to let him know you are a fan of his book or interview, let him know here. Follow Mark on Twitter https://twitter.com/iammarkburke on facebook https://www.facebook.com/adifferentkindofsoccer   The post YSE10: A Different Kind of Training and Development with Mark Burke, former Aston Villa player appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.

In episode 9 of the Youth Soccer Evolution Podcast, Jason Pratt from the Positive Coaching Alliance tells us how coaches and parents can develop more confident soccer players through the use of positive coaching. He also gives us a great tool (also known as Filling Emotional Tank) that can be found on his website that coaches can implement today to improve the positive environment within their team and start improving the confidence level of players. Jason shares with us how Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), a non profit organization is changing the coaching environment one coach at a time by introducing the tools and resources that are inadvertently being ignored by many coaching courses and educators. The PCA works with other clubs and teams to improve the culture and create Better Athletes and Better People. Jason gives us a point of view that few coaches and parents think about during training sessions and game days. We dive deep into the player development process, the impact coaches have on players, and why coaches need to provide positive healthy environment to foster player development. Check out the PCA website at PositiveCoach.org to learn all about the Tools and Resources that PCA offers and to learn how your club can get involved with PCA (full disclosure, I am not being paid by PCA, but I do recognize the impact the organization is having on coaches). You can go directly to the coaches “Tools” link here.  Don’t forget to give us a 5 Star review on iTunes if you like the show. Give us your feedback below or send us email at ernesto@youthsoccerevolution.com   The post YSE:9: Developing Confident, Creative Soccer players through Positive Coaching with Jason Pratt appeared first on Youth Soccer Evolution.