Steve Rollins
@Softtop_67
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Love to give back to the beautiful game, Soccer Coach, Ajax UEFA B, SRUSA scout, Tovo T1&2
Princeton, NJ
Joined June 2023
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The amount of 15,16,17 yr olds who have been playing soccer in the US for a decade who can't even do/understand the basics of the game is something I have never been able to grasp. Why do we fail so many??
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I was asked what do I use instead of ManU or Beep tests
Here you go
With 28 players I do 4 teams of 7
They play on a 65x 50(half a field going across)
2x 20 min halves, 2 min break between
Rules of the game
You must have all players-gk in the offensive half to score
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At the youth level, body shape and facing the correct direction is a problem for most players
Passing to the wrong foot is a close 2nd
These 2 basics cause more problems for the youth player than anything else
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Today I will mention 2 things I want to see from a
#6
1) Ball moves away from the direction it came from 9x out of 10
2) U sit in the passing lane in front of the CBs so the opposing 9 can't receive to their feet
Do these 2 things and you have my attention
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There are 3 types of advantages in soccer.
Numerical
Situational
Positional
How many players understand the game to even this basic level?
Now how many can identify them during play?
This is a basic threshold for an elite player imo
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Big fast girls who play around the back and then launch it long is just not enjoyable soccer. Yet this is what's on display in a Big10 game. I don't care that it's Power5 it's really crap
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We have all seen this but the question I ask myself Why dont my players look like this? Theres really nothing in any of these clips that your avg US player cannot do physically. So then why can they not play this way? 1 thing that stands out to me...pace of movement off the ball
Look at the level of Japanese 🇯🇵 High School soccer 🤯
The work being done there is incredible and it’s a matter of time until they become a legit World Cup contender.
I’d not be surprised if they make a deep run soon…
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Having worked with truly elite youth I can tell you what separates them from the very good is that they are phenomenally good at the basics.
Rarely is it every those wow moments that got them to their level
Watch youth games. Most goals are from a basic error not a brilliant play
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Tips for defenders at Showcases
1) Get involved in the offense
2) Make some hard tackles
3) Distribute both long and short, that is not kick it away, its distribute
4) Penetrate off the dribble 2x a game
5) Hustle to get behind the ball if beaten
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Just saw a team sheet for one of the big showcases. 15 out of 21 players had a gpa over 4.0. It's become a completely useless data point. I now just ask what math class are you taking, it's a better indicator
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The profile of the avg player at ECNL
Speed of foot 8
Speed of play 5
Aggressiveness 8
IQ 4
Off the ball 6
Technique 8
Technique in context 5
This is 85% of the pool colleges choose from
Should give a player insight as to where to improve
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Since I am a huge advocate of teaching the IQ side I will try to give a simple yet effective way a PSA can review film.
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Showcase tips for Forwards
1) Pressure on an angle
2) Engage in a 1v1, distribute when 1v2 or 1v3
3) If the pass is going to be straight, run needs to be on an angle
4) Move laterally into open Channels when looking to receive
5) Don't turn in ur half if body is Sq to the pass
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One of my goals has been to create a EU style academy. 1 team each age group both boys and girls side. No fees for players, purely merit based with 2 yr agreements on entry 1 yr thereafter. I have had 1 major obstacle
Finding a club willing to sell that already has league status
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99% of youth soccer is recreational
90% of College soccer is recreational as well
I keep having to remind myself of this
It changes how I view games
It changes my why
Very few kids should be held to professional standards, its not why they play
Learning and Joy
Learning and Joy
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With ECNL FL just a few days away some tips, better to look good than win
1) Move without the ball. A few well timed sprints will be noticed
2) Be decisive
3) Be overly aggressive. Coaches don't care about the space you are vacating when recruiting
4) Dribble some, pass some
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The fat lady has sung and the page has turned
"Well, I've been afraid of changin'
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older
And I'm getting older too"
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This weekend is a right of passage weekend for my household as its my daughter final youth tournament. We made many sacrifices along the way, mostly time and the lack of other activities, but the time we got to spend together and the memories we have are the real payoffs to this
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Saw a club post about their class of 24 commits. At least 10 of the 18 have yet to play a game for the club. They left their former club after committing. It's really misleading and poor behavior
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The biggest difficulty in managing a football team is not the tactics, that does not matter. Managing a football team is how you manage people who don't play and still want to be part of the group. Much of the importance we as coaches/humans have is the treatment of those people
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I am against the Beep test and others like it. There are other better ways to determine soccer fitness levels. But if they are your thing, it's not a hill worth dying on.
If you are giving beep tests to 13/14 yr olds....you are an idiot
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I dont envy college coaches who are involved in recruiting.
You get a 5 min reel of highlights out of context
you get to watch maybe 20 min of 3 games
then its maybe an ID camp
Having to commit to a player for 4 years when you have seen them play for 4 hours is a tough job
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The problem with the whole Div chasing is just an agenda that is pushed by individual ego
I can name 20 D1 schools that nobody would guess were D1 and I can name 20 D3 schools that most people would think are D1
Few get that within the Divs there are levels that overlap other Div
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I have watched the u15/U17 international teams for years. The JPN player fits a certain profile, with its flaws as well. My soapbox has been for years that the US player profile is too heavily based on physical attributes and this stems from what we emphasize from ulittle on up
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A quick sample of this practice
Watched about an hour of a scrimmage at the
#TOVO
camp at the
@hunschool
. The one thing I noticed that is very telling.... not one long ball, in the air. Everything on the deck. Would also add that not a single ball is put into a 50/50 intentionally. Wasn't sure if I was in
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2 basic things tell me you are a good defender
1) You keep the ball and your mark in the same reference point or line of sight
2) You control your opponents body 1st then you go for the ball
If you do these 2 things you have a great foundation to work with, if you dont meh
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I can be extremely critical of teams but here is a positive comment. Forget about the record or not making conf tourny This team is poised to make a big jump next year I predict a conf tourny semi They showed spurts of brilliance another year to get confident and consistent wow
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here is my bias
For our top teams and players to be world class they need a level of soccer IQ that is rarely found in the US. So this is the measuring stick for me. If grassroots, alphabet leagues and college all raised our IQ standards as a system we would be better
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The best coaches, regardless of methodology, are detail oriented. They are consistent with demanding good habits over anything else. No drill or ssg or any other session has as much impact on a player as a coach who is a stickler in adherence to principles
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When I am asked about
#Tovo
I think relationships. Between player, coaches, teammates etc. Nothing matters if you can't get relationships right. Too many think the game is about the ball. I have learned it's not
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When I hear a coach say, What did you see? And Why did you make that choice? I think I fall in love
Everything begins with those two components!!!!
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one of the metrics i look at when evaluating youth players are 1 touch passes that break lines. to do this consistently you need to be very aware of your environment, position your body correctly then execute. it generally shows me that a player scans, plans, do in right order
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The quality of play in NCAA WSOC has improved dramatically. Yet there are a mere handful of teams that can field 15 quality players. The Youth system of nearly 1mil girls fails far too many. The real top end does a great job of mixing athleticism, IQ and technique
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i know that i am a strange egg and differ from so many coaches as to what i like to see from players Here is my biggest gripe If you use your athleticism to escape trouble you should not have been in, in the first place, I generally dont rate you where others would be like wow
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Mistakes I see far too often in highlight clips
Poor 1st touch, u may recover but 1st touch not great
Passes that bounce to teammates, make it easy for them to receive
Using only dominant foot, can't not use other foot
Defensive mistake/poor GK is not an offensive highlight for u
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Just like in any profession, college soccer being a business, there are ethical and unethical people. I cheer for the success of good people regardless of their success on the field.
Some may consider this naive
Your methodology or style of play or wins are all secondary to your
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After watching the game a few observations.
The player profile is different for each team, drastically different, I dont think any player on either team makes the other team. The player profile is just not even close.
I dont recall the US having a shot, this was a drubbing.
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I've received criticism that I am anti college or US youth. I don't think I am. What I am is someone who says that neither are elite from a world view.
Here is a u17 game
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I have a theory that with the heavy influx of internationals in men's college soccer the boys youth system has been forced to evolve sooner than the girls side. Athleticism is by far the most sought after quality for girls, everything else is still icing, not yet cake
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I wish every kid/parent got to experience what really top end coaching is. Having worked with some coaches who routinely develop professional level players there is a stark difference between what they do and the rest. The level of detail and effort is just mind blowing
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Sometimes I hate what is emphasized
I see dozens of kids everyday posting video of their summer grind Good for them working on themselves
What I don't see a ton of...the ball...
Been involved in youth soccer for decades I know most of them can't pass 15 yards consistently
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Watched a game yesterday and these are the stats of players turning blind
Player 1 tried 14x lost ball 13x
Player 2 tried 3x lost ball 2x
Player 3 tried 3x lost ball 2x
Player 4 tried 8x lost ball 8x
The team never possessed ball in final 3rd. 28x they lost ball after 1st pass
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98% of the time during the game a player doesn't have the ball. What % of coaching interventions are dedicated to what you do off the ball?
I would bet it's less than 10% on avg
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"It's not the repetition of a solution. It's the repetition of finding a solution that is most important"
@_ToddBeane
This statement from a session on the floor with Tide Pods really resonates with me
#Tovo
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Showcase tips for midfielders
1) play the entire game like you are down by 1 with 20 min left
2) play simple and precise in ur half, don't lose the ball
3) take chances in off half
4) movement is key constant 15 yrd sprints
5) get behind the ball quickly on transition
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Always looked at the highest end of soccer development as the ability to do the simple tasks brilliantly. So many, including myself, move towards the more complex in our training long before our players have mastered the simple. Maybe to keep them engaged, maybe it's our ego.
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There is a fine line between parents having negative interference and positive input.
They should not be giving play by play instructions However to say they need to be completely silent and not question a coach is not the proper answer either
A child needs input from many places
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one major component to teach youth players is to press quickly to get the player on the ball to drop their head. This takes away the long option, other than hit and hope and changes how the back line moves
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Emma Hayes is a brilliant coach. If she is coming to USWNT it's a tremendous get for US. Hopefully her philosophy will trickle down the entire youth system
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Sad that Georgia is out. They were an absolute pleasure to watch this year. Them alongside BYU and Pitt have brought many hours of the beautiful game to us this year. I watch a lot of soccer and for me these 3 were the most enjoyable to watch, and luckily 2 are still marching on
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A good number of the "upsets" this week in woso imo were due to playing style. When you play hit and hope you are not well structured to defend the transition. This gives weaker teams more chances then necessary. Positional play is more than just possession based play
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The best player in the world is a 5'4" midfielder. Her vision is beyond incredible.
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ID camps are part of almost every schools recruiting process. However the vast majority of camp invites are not. If a coach has seen you play, they have spoke to you via phone or in person it is not uncommon for them to want to see you for a longer stretch of time at a camp
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The vast majority of dribbling in the game is now to attract a defender not beat a defender. This is one of the biggest missing concepts in the youth/college game Both the how and the why
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In D1 there is a 6 from overseas that I love to watch. Her poise, movement and decisions are all class. She however doesn't fit the physical model most D1 schools recruit and that is a shame. The majority of mediocre programs only recruit 1 physical type and imo that is why meh
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I will never understand why so much of youth soccer is a frenetic race to mediocre
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I hate when youth coaches dont allow GKs to take goal kicks...very few things in the game stand out as I have given up on you as this does
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2 big wsoc showcases this week it will be interesting to see how the youth system is doing. I still predict that 99% of the time we will see 1 of 2 sequences
Receive ball head down 2 touches before looking up
Panic ball to outside up the line
Who will be able 2 play at diff level
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We could learn a lot from crayons; some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, while others bright, some have weird names, but they all have learned to live together in the same box.
Robert Fulghum
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A high % of the difference between a mediocre player and a top player in their age group are the decisions they make. Yet almost 0% of training in the US is based around the decision process. For those few of you who have adopted this view. 👏
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@AlexiLalas
If a DOC made that and they were producing 3 pros per year out of that academy then sure makes sense. Those however are not the measurements of a US director. They are rewarded based on revenue or paying players. This creates an incentive that is different than development
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Make better decisions
Once players learn that space is the highest priority in the game they can make better decisions Better decisions improve your technique.
Too many focus on results, not just winning but of particular actions, in dev phase. Stop relying on genetic lottery
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on the women's side I am more versed than the men's. I can tell you how a team plays by whom they recruit. I know many coaches who profess modern possession style ball who just dont recruit that way. Some are successful but most are not
Interesting gap between recruited/preached
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Too much of the game from youth to college is based on genetics. Some may applaud this style or methods I find it tough to watch when I know we can do better.
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One core principle I teach defenders is to have your mark and the ball in the same reference line you can see both without turning your head. This structure makes defending easier. As an offensive player you need to move constantly knowing your defender is trying to do this
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I don't post a lot of my own kids but every once in a while I do.
So again no apologies.
He is still growing into his game but his ability to break lines is something he works hard on. Playing all 4 defensive positions in 3 weeks has been a challenge
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The biggest difference in the youth game between what I have seen here vs EU is game IQ. Athletically both are on par in the men's side on the women's the US have far greater numbers of athletic girls.
Technique is generally pretty close on the ball
Off the ball the US fails
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I saw a post about left footed CB + why they are sought after
1 example
Right footed player to make this pass has to close his left shoulder taking 1/3 of the field away since once he closes his shoulder he cannot effectively pass to his left
Left footed more of the field is open
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To follow up on my last tweet about gaps in youth players
I don't like unopposed training or passing patterns because I see very very few coaches be strict with technique. If you are playing without consequences, technique suffers
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Always impressed with how fast and athletic the US player is. Always dismayed by how slow the speed of play is
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One of the reason I dont like unopposed drills is the turn on first touch When a defender is behind you turning blind is rarely successful I watched a U18 player lose the ball 10 out of 11 turns yesterday I am sure she was successful against the cone in practice Makes bad habits
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Here is a great example of why I disagree that our youth system is succeeding. The players in this clip are HS/early college age. They play a very different game than you see here in the States
Let me explain this sequence since I was present & know these players…
16 yrs old Midfielder to 18 yrs old striker to 18yrs old winger to 19yrs old midfielder to 18yrs old RWB for the goal. Clinical. 👏🏾👏🏾💪🏾
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Finding space was the greatest focus of the
#Tovo
camp in Philly. I love how Gabi here continually finds space and adjusts her profile. Then when the ball arrives a great choice for the assist
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Just set the dates for my week long summer camps Nothing do I enjoy more than helping young players with their own personal journies I am happy that I am able to offer these completely free and give back to the game that has brought me such pleasure over the years 16 hrs all free
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Starting to see a trend in recruiting vs results. Teams that are recruiting better players are beginning to have better results than those who are grabbing the pure athlete. It's in many of the conf I follow. Baby steps
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Very good Cal Luthern v WashU D3 final on now
Interesting tactics by both teams
Worth it for players to watch and learn
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There are college coaches who I personally like who are just having awful years. I hope they get a little more time
There are also those who are winning that I would love to see get hit by a truck crossing the street...but that's another conversation
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today I got the chance to connect a coach I think the world of with a good player/kid.
I make very very few personal outreaches thats not more than here is xyz contact info
I feel good today and hope it works out
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I do not understand why all rosters aren't being trimmed already. Players 29 to 33 are never getting on the field, and frankly are a dime a dozen if you need to expand later. These kids deserve the opportunity to play elsewhere. What are folks waiting for?
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@Katiem_smith
For u10 to u16 it changed every game. IMO I have a responsibility to develop every player I choose to take. Playing time, starts etc are all pieces of that puzzle. To deprive any player that opportunity to develop would be failing at my job
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@huttilabs
Head up, don't turn blind, hips open, far leg
Simple structure of support, short forward, long forward
Identify space, ie don't run into space already occupied
If kids did just those basics they would elevate their games tremendously
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How many college teams play with a true 6 or a regista that controls the tempo of the game? IMO it's a role I don't see much of as the primary style is go forward as fast as you can regardless of numbers back. Any suggestions who to watch?
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Worked 3rd man runs with my camp kids last night. What kids are able to achieve never ceases to amaze me. Some were seeing the pass/space 2 to 3 actions before it happen....just a wow moment!!!!
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From 2 youth tourny this weekend - this from different college coaches. The players are unaware of whats around them and because of this make bad choices. Fundamentals are receiving information, processing information and executing that decision most are too execution focused
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Yet the vast majority of players for that position are all over the place. No discipline. They bang it forward with little thought. Their body profile is always Sq. They only see the ball. To me an intelligent 6 is the straw that stirs the game. Would love to see more of them
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I heard another line I believe I am going to steal
Too much play station and not enough play ground
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"The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. No, not at all. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences, carry water with you and tend the grass wherever you may be."
Robert Fulghum
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@ImCollegeSoccer
Always like to add, that while it's your first go at these types of calls, it's not for the coaches. Most have done this 100s of times and understand how a teenager will be nervous etc. Prepare like you said but don't worry too much about it. Coaches will guide the conversation
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1 thing that i dont see being mentioned a lot is how many of the "committed" 25 and 26 will be decommitting once roster caps are announced. If there are 34 on the roster now and only 6 graduating for every freshman they take they need to cut a player Interested in seeing the math
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Apparently my daughter believes if she brings an outfit for every day of the next semester she doesn't need to do laundry...I cannot believe the amount she is packing
#moveinday
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Pass around the back until it goes to the FB who is way to flat and stuck to the line. Turn on receipt, bomb it up the line. Take a knee, pull out the rosaries and pray for brilliance. This is 95% of the gameplans
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Does anyone correct decisions by using a higher level of competition? See so many kids get away with a poor decision because their opponents are not of a great level. Too many times I catch myself thinking at the next level that's just giving the ball away
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@ImCollegeSoccer
The issue is beyond just the soccer. The better soccer D3 schools are generally speaking very high academic schools. The mid to lower D1 schools, again generally speaking, are not. So if you are all conf D3 in a good D3 conf very few D1 schools would be of interest academically
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had a conversation with a coach the other day about a player's fitness. He was complaining that during the game his striker was too tired to track back defensively. During our chat a ball was played over the top and the striker sprinted 45 yrds...yup out of shape lol
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@MCameron008
Have less problems with the pathway and more problems with the qualities of a player that pathway cherishes
Would a 5'4" Aitana or a 5'3" Teresa even get a look from a U15 ECNL club or a Power 5 college?
When we rebalance the qualities of the elite player the pathway wont matter
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Up to about 70 woso games so far this season, seeing about 120 different teams.
What I am beginning to see are a few more higher IQ individuals but few teams with enough to play consistently without resorting to hit and hope.
Progress is happening albeit slowly
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@CATeam04
Mens side very possible and in fact likely. Women's side very unlikely. Not enough women players from outside the ECNL/GA mold. We just don't develop enough intelligent female players. We only promote the genetically gifted from the earliest of ages
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