One of the coolest aspects of the USSF National Youth License course is that it goes into a lot of detail about how kids learn, how their bodies develop, how they interpret and understand things, and thus what their practice sessions should be like. Their age will dictate what they can realistically understand and process.

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Six ownership groups that were previously part of the USL-First Division have joined forces with St. Louis Soccer United to form a new professional soccer league that will begin play in 2010.

The Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina Railhawks, Miami FC, Minnesota Thunder, Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps have joined St.

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Six ownership groups that were previously part of the USL-First Division have joined forces with St. Louis Soccer United to form a new professional soccer league that will begin play in 2010.

The Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina Railhawks, Miami FC, Minnesota Thunder, Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps have joined St.

Click to continue reading...

I've been a little bit surprised by some of the fan reactions we've seen over the past few days since the announced departure of Tom Soehn as head coach of DC United. The most common sentiment has been "Thanks for your service", which is nice, but maybe not entirely genuine coming from the same people who were writing (and probably chanting at games) "FIRE SOEHN" so frequently in the past.

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It's all gone pear shaped north of the border. And I mean, totally. Toronto FC is melting down. Montreal and Vancouver have been kicked out of USL. Bloggers are furiously trying to find the USL teams a home and curb stomp TFC management.
Richard Whittall has coped with the crisis by succumbing to complete, barking madness:

This might put me on the business end of a very detailed flaming post, but why doesn't MLS consider a radical move: a wholesale ideological change in direction away from purchasing "ready-made" talent, either overseas or within the league, and toward investment in superb managerial and coaching staff?

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Let me present a very simplistic formulation. Let's assume that in order for MLS to receive higher television revenues, it must draw in more supporters. Let it also be resolved that, for those fans to show up at MLS games and commit wholesale to the league, the quality of the on-pitch product must get better. Click to continue reading...

Its been just over a month since I last put fingers to keyboard and tapped out a paragraph or two for this blog and a lot has happened in that time. Crowds continue to be a major talking point and I was very pleased to see Gold Coast and Brisbane take steps to reduce their ticket prices and make them more affordable for the general fan. Click to continue reading...

Charlie Davies, one of the most promising US soccer players, was badly injured in a car accident on Tuesday morning and is now listed in serious condition after lengthy surgery this afternoon.

"Obviously, as a team we were saddened to learn this news," said U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley.

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Early this morning, David Fellerath posted an interesting interview with Carolina Railhawks President Brian Wellman on the Triangle Offense blog site.
I thought, first and foremost, it was excellent work by Fellerath to post a long interview with Wellman that goes beyond the simple front office speak usually seen from folks in such positions, and if you have interest in the USL and/or the Railhawks at all, it's worth a read. Click to continue reading...

Today I have seen two different pieces on what the US U20's bomb out in Egypt means for player development in the US. (See these great pieces, Phil Schoen's here and Glenn Davis' here.) Player development in the US, or at least what passes for it, is a serious problem. I've always maintained that the elimination of the MLS Reserve League was about one thing only, reducing the player pool available to potentially strike or (more likely) be locked out should the negotiations for the new CBA somehow fail. Click to continue reading...

On the heels of the worst World Cup result of a USA under-20 team in over a decade, Goal.com's Andrea Canales reports that a transition in development in Bradenton, Florida and the lack of an MLS reserve league could be the root of these problems.
I wasn't terribly surprised when the USA under-20 team, a squad where many members do not see regular playing time (partly as a result of MLS having no reserve league right now), had its worst performance of the World Cup against a South Korea team known for speed and fitness. Click to continue reading...

Give it up for the Ivy League, pumping out quality articles American soccer; just yesterday, I linked to a story from a Princeton student, who related his experiences during the Summer of Soccer. ...

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Daniel Feuerstein, Richard Farley of World Soccer Reader and Mad About Futbol, Ignacio Rodriguez of Traffic Sports and host Kartik Krishnaiyer break down the US U-20 team in its forst two World Cup matches. Among the issues discussed are:

- The emergence of Tony Taylor
- Brek Shea's dispointing first two games
- Red Bull New York's long term vision for player development
- Dilly Duka and Red Bull
- Gale and Miami FC
- Traffic Sports USYNT player development program
- Kye Davies vs Jorge Flores
- Rongen's 4-3-3

And much more.

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US soccer has progressed to the level where like the rest of the world, MLS clubs should considering paying modest youth transfer fees to local clubs that develop the young players they select for their U16 and U18 academy teams.

Reimbursement in the form of scholarships would encourage local clubs to develop complete players instead of focusing on wins and also to invest in low-income players, further improving the vision of youth player development in the US.

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I have been very outspoken in the past in reference to Major League Soccer really dropping the ball in reference to player development by doing away with its Reserve Division.
Andrea Canales from Goal.com wrote an excellent article about not only how the absence of the Reserve Division is stunting the development of the young American professional player, but also negatively affecting our United States Under-20 National team. Click to continue reading...

From what I can see there isn't too much going on out there. I suppose the biggest discussion point at the minute (apart from the FA's refusal to punish Bellamy, Neville, or Mascherano) is Arsene's insistence that the enforcement of a restriction on the transfer of u18's would ruin his youth policy, and while Arsenal probably have more at stake than most other clubs, it is a rule which will negatively impact every club in Engalnd.

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In case you have missed anything, here are some recent links with Chicago pro soccer mention:
WPS expansion draft
• John Howell, Bleacher Report: Red Stars lose two subs to Philadelphia in WPS first expansion draft
• Beau Dure, USA Today: Philly looks strong in WPS expansion draft
• Jeff Kassouf, The Equalizer: Grading the WPS expansion draft
Chicago Fire player development
• L. Click to continue reading...

The Fire Bob Bradley movement has returned front and center. This movement's proponents continue to advocate the termination of the current US coach while offering little advice in the way of a realistic replacement. Many proponents of this movement have also vastly over rated the talent level in the current US Men's National Team Player pool, believing that the failures that can be rightfully blamed on a poor youth system, college soccer and a domestic league that doesn't focus on player development as it once did are all down to a single man.

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The Women's Professional Soccer League has not generated much interest from the casual sports fan, let alone the average soccer fan. Soccer America's Mike Woitalla examines what problems lie within trying to develop a women's professional soccer league.
The first season of the Women's Professional Soccer league produced smaller crowds and bigger financial losses than anticipated. Click to continue reading...

Fox Sports Jamie Trecker and World Soccer Reader's Richard Farley joins us to discuss the following topics.

• US Player Development in the wake of two lackluster qualifying wins
• The state of the US program
• Where the US stacks up against other international sides
• Mexico's re-emergence as a power under Javier Aguirre
• Bob Bradley's team management
• The attitude of Americans fans and press
• Does the US have an issue integrating minority players into its national setup
• Will the US look at a non-American coach anytime in the near future

This and much more on an action packed MLS Talk Podcast brought to you by Audible.

Click to continue reading...

Bob Bradley has far too many critics. Some people who believe the US is a big time program and should be led by the likes of Guus Hiddink, just do not get the realities of dysfunctional US Soccer Federation who blew the hiring of Jurgen Klinsmann for the simple fact that they are control freaks and do not take well to any type of criticism.

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Player Development here (http://www.cysanorth.org/index.php?option=com_content task=view id=186 Itemid=94) to read more Click to continue reading...

As we have seen from the excellent reporting by Kartik and Brian Quarstad this week, the future of the United Soccer Leagues is very unclear and very much up in the air.

Whether or not some will admit it, the USL is very important to American soccer. Some have said the USL has no reason to exist, and that Major League Soccer and the USSF the latter of whom sometimes seem to be allergic to work can hand both the professional game and player development.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDy3iedI9f4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDy3iedI9f4 This Comcast Sportsnet report from a few years back gives a sense of the atmosphere at Maryland matches.
Here we are on the eve of the 2009 College Soccer season and you'll never believe it, but I am actually a defender of college as a method of player development for certain types of players. Click to continue reading...

For most Americans who identify as soccer aficionados (including many émigrés) this time of year is exciting because of the start of the European season.� In this crowd the fact that it is also the start of the American college season is mostly of no note at all, or perhaps a cause for casual derision.

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According to Justin Rodriguez at ESPN (click here for the original article and all the details), Gyau (16) and Renken (15) have signed multi-year contracts with Bundesliga upstarts 1899 Hoffenheim. Some quotes that should encourage US fans and allay concerns of player development are:
"The key to the decision made by the boys and their families is that Hoffenheim constructed an outstanding path for their development as players," Segal said. Click to continue reading...

U.S. Soccer have partnered to develop this fantastic resource which provides technical instruction and basic drills for soccer player's age 8 to 12 years old.

CHICAGO (Aug. 19, 2009) U.S. Soccer and EA SPORTS have teamed up to introduce EA SPORTS Interactive Training, a free, online tutorial that uses EA SPORTS technology to help train the soccer stars of the future.

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U.S. Soccer have partnered to develop this fantastic resource which provides technical instruction and basic drills for soccer player's age 8 to 12 years old.

CHICAGO (Aug. 19, 2009) U.S. Soccer and EA SPORTS have teamed up to introduce EA SPORTS Interactive Training, a free, online tutorial that uses EA SPORTS technology to help train the soccer stars of the future.

Click to continue reading...

In the second installment of our two-part feature on Technical Directors in Major League Soccer, L.E. Eisenmenger speaks with Paul Bravo of the Colorado Rapids, Brian Bliss of the Columbus Crew, interim head coach Peter Vermes of the Kansas City Wizards, and Mike Burns of the New England Revolution about what their clubs currently do with player development and what they would like to see from MLS. Click to continue reading...

The TBR Mailbag is a bi-weekly feature brought to you by the TBR front office to allow you, the fans, to write in and ask questions about the team, organization, and the return of professional soccer to Tampa Bay. If you have any questions you would like answered, please email us at mailbag@tbrowdies. Click to continue reading...

Football NSW Launches ‘Project 22'

Free to all selected players, this highly professional development setup allows players to train up to five (5) times a week – for 40 weeks of the year – with highly experienced and qualified instructors.

Now it's time for Canberra to follow, not neccessarily in the same form, but develop we must. Click to continue reading...

While I was watching the USA loose to Mexico again on Wednesday, something struck me. It is clear from the Hexagonal Concacaf World Cup qualifiers that the USA is not the dominant team in the region. We may be the best (or one of the best), but not dominant by any measurement.
Mexico used to be dominant in every way in Concacaf until we developed over the last thirty years into a serious threat. Click to continue reading...

A gnawing and suspicious paradox lies at the heart of African national team experiences in world competition: African teams tend to do much better at the youth level than they do at the senior level.� Take the fact, for example, that African teams have won 5 of the 12 FIFA U17 World Cups (with the 2009 version scheduled to be hosted by Nigeria in October and November), but not a single African team has ever made it as far as the semi-finals of a full World Cup.

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This action packed episode of the Major League Soccer Talk Podcast features post match audio from Juan Carlos Osorio after Red Bull was dumped out of the CONCACAF Champions League, as well some analysis by host Kartik Krishnaiyer about the advancement of DC United and Puerto Rico Islanders into the group stage of the CCL.

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(P.S: Below is a press release by Strategic Public Relations Group Singapore, a renowned public relations consultancy who are coordinating the above-mentioned event)
Singapore, 28 July 2009
NATIONAL DAY CHALLENGE KICKS OFF WITH GRUDGE MATCH
Singapore Lions takes on China to launch new football event
Singapore – In celebration of Singapore's National Day, the Singapore National Team will play China to kick off a new annual football event – the National Day Challenge. Click to continue reading...