Canada MNT: Road to 2018

[knvb]

Your good post aside @LION ... I'm still going to kick you Sunday. #fact #oldschoollike

 

[trece verde]

Interesting points of view, and not quite as divergent as you might think. Yes, I'm a club director, and I definitely DON't get paid for that - none of our directors do. I sell my brain, not my body (especially since it's at the "nobody needs to see that" stage). My perspective is that you can't set up any kind of elite program without the grassroot base to support it. The pointy end of a pyramid isn't what it rests on.

For this coach, I've had the full gamut of players from bumblebees to geriatrics, and levels of play from Urban Rec to Nations Cup. I've coached my own kids and a few thousand other people's kids. I've lost track of the number of shoelaces I've tied up. There's value and validity in all of them, because without the base, you can't have an elite. It can't exist in a vacuum, and you can't create it that way either.

Things we need:

1. Canadian coaches with pro experience in footy First World leagues.
2. Coach trainers with pro experience in footy First World leagues.
3. A tiered youth development system that takes soccer at least as seriously as junior hockey is in this country, including player recognition and tracking (we call it "scouting").
4. viable options for kids at the top of the heap to continue playing and learning at a level that properly challenges their abilities and develops their soccer intelligence - not the kick harder and run faster NCAA model that churns out interchangeable MLS fodder.
5. Pros who give back to their community, including to the clubs they started with (that's called growing the culture).

Guys, I think I'm flattered to be included in such august company, but it WAS kind of an odd selection set...

 

[Soccer Coach]

This is where you don't get it....

Nobody is under the illusion that Canada is up to par with Mexico. The realistic expectation for these two games was that Canada would take home 0 points in two games. If you expected more, you are delusional. Sure, we all WANTED more, but I don't think anyone EXPECTED more.

But it's people like you that freak out about the system after an expected result to a world power that doesn't help matters.

Climbing the rankings doesn't happen overnight. It will take another generation ONCE we have a true, Canada wide, professional league. Until then, the environment doesn't exist to get young Canadian Professionals the proper level of competition to grow themselves, and the National game. Yes, there are many other roadblocks, but that is the main one, as have been said by many in the know with intelligence on the matter.

Your point is far from clear, because you are calling out:

1. A not-for-profit club executive. If Trece is fired from that "job", he'll likely thank his lucky stars. Being on a BOD is truly thankless, mostly because they have to deal with nutters like you.
2. A private business person that is doing just fine, and has neither the motivation to change his structure, the need, or frankly, the outside influence. Why would Colin Elmes change his structure? He's running a business, I assume it is reasonably profitable and he's (I assume) happy.

Those guys aren't really in the food chain. Trece makes his money at his job, and by selling his body. Colin is likely just peachy the way his business is structured.

I suppose that the clubs could incentivise their club directors for results, but that really won't garner dramatic change as you think it would.

But, regardless, you seem to think you are making an earth shattering point in saying we need a professional league. Like, really? No shite, Sherlock.

Dude, seriously man, calm down.. no need to get so upset over the issue and descend on personal attacks. We are all here trying to improve the situation one way or another and discussing ideas and thoughts.

I will start with the part that we agree. The creation of professional and semi-professional soccer leagues is a must to move forward. Perhaps we might rationalize and see the effects differently, but at least we agree on that.

I will reiterate the issues that we seem to have differences of opinion. Hopefully, you can reflect on it. If you do not agree, simply move on.

a) The two losses to Mexico might be expected, but how badly Canada played and how poorly our players showed was shocking and is cause for concern. You have to remember that Mexico did not call for the games or included in the initial 11 many of their top players (i.e. Peralta, Vela, DosSantos, Lozano, Chicharito {entered in the last 30}. They essentially beat Canada with an experimental team playing in low gear.

You might see it differently, but the press in Mexico and neighbouring countries rated the playing of Mexico as poor and the one of Canada even more poorly (albeit better than the previous 8-1 loss in Honduras)

Canada has a good chance of going to the Hex with a tie in Honduras, and a win here against El Salvador. However, El Salvador has the main team on strike and is sending mainly the U20 team for these competitions (thus a tie and win with them is not really good), and the win against Honduras here was not convincing. There is not real cause for celebration given the level of play and the circumstances.

If Canada advances this time to the Hex is more a matter of fluke than a sign of significant improvement.

b) I mentioned many parties from Trece to Bart to make the point that we not have a single institution or organization capable of producing good quality internationally competitive players, and all of them are interrelated. I know that you do not have a way to see it, but by U10 or U11 our Canadian kids are significantly behind the Mexican kids let alone Argentinean or Brazilian kids. By U15 the difference in technique is simple too large. Our kids have not even entered the competitive stream and are already at a deficit.

c) So why our kids are already behind by U10/U11, sadly by having well intentioned coaches like yourself who try to "teach" kids the "right" way to play the game. (I do hope that you are kidding about giving ice cream to players if they use the "correct" foot). I understand that most people do not realize how twisted is the system that we have created here and the ideas of what is considered good soccer. Most Canadian kids would be better off by playing freely with little intervention and then scouts approaching and selecting those who might consider suited for high levels of competition (irrespective of the income of the families or political club connections)

There are Chicharitos, Neymars, and Messis born in Canada, we simply kill them in the process with the weird teachings and concept of the game and system that we have in place locally. This is what you are unable to see and indeed is a tragedy for the kids.

A few weeks ago, I had some Chilean friends visiting and by chance they happened to watch a Gold U12 team trainning. They told me with amusement: "What the heck is going on there? Those kids are treating the ball like hot potato". "The coach keeps telling them one or two touches and move the ball fast". I simply sighthed and told them thats the way they teach them here. They replied no wonder you have a sucky national team.

 

[trece verde]

Soccer Coach: sometimes a bronze kid is just a bronze kid. Don't question Dude's tactics for keeping kids interested in the game; to me what he's managed to do is a bigger victory than the number of thoroughbreds we produce. You can't force the same philosophy on community/recreational football that you use with high performance players, and especially with the young girls he's working with. Yes, you still have skewed levels of ability and interest in a group like the one he's described, but I'd wager that the majority of them are perfectly happy (like most of the young girls I've coached) just belonging to a team. The primary motivation in the sport for kids like that is the social aspect, and I commend anybody willing to put the time in as a coach to gain even those small victories. We raise their level of competency up a notch at a time and it benefits all of us in the long run. These coaches might not develop the next Maradona, but the kids whose interest they've managed to keep might.

At the other end of the spectrum, I do agree with you, especially about the hot potato approach - but that's mostly about the concepts of developing coaches properly that I mentioned earlier. The one thing you touched on that should be recognized more is "playing without intervention." To me, and the friends I grew up with, this meant that how you spent your free time during and after school was by playing football. Recess, lunch time, after school, under cover with a tennis ball when it was just too wet to go out on the gravel, it didn't matter - the point was that you were playing just for fun, but you also got to express your creativity as a player. For most of my European and Latino friends, this was a big part of their childhood too, and for the majority of our kids it's missing. With the exception of the ones who work on freestyling, kids just aren't playing for fun, and the only soccer time they're getting is the structured time they're spending with their coaches. This is why I've been telling kids for years that if they want to improve their touch, they have to touch a ball more frequently. Go home and dribble a tennis ball around your house until you drive your mom crazy enough to send you outside to do it. You don't have enough time to develop this in 2-3 training sessions per week when focus is on team play and tactics; I'd love to have the kids' teams I deal with just get together by themselves a couple of times a week and just play the game. I wish we had more accessible fields to allow it to be so...

Anyway, there is room for and need for both here. And the Jeezus image was offside...

 

[Dude]

There are Chicharitos, Neymars, and Messis born in Canada, we simply kill them in the process with the weird teachings and concept of the game and system that we have in place locally. This is what you are unable to see and indeed is a tragedy for the kids.

It's this comment that warrants me kicking you in your cnut. At what point did I state we didn't have the talent? It's impossible that we don't have that talent somewhere on our soil! And I don't think it will be even that hard a search! It's the lack of a progressive system and pathway into a true professional environment that fails these kids. They are stalled by 14. I have been saying this for YEARS, here on TTP. We all have.

I don't know exactly how your thought process works, where people state one thing, then you come out and create a false statement that is exactly the opposite of the other's position, but I tell you what, it will lose you any credibility you seem to be fishing for here.

 

[Regs]

Good read / interview:

http://www.torontosun.com/2016/03/30/canadian-soccer-fans-too-high-and-too-low

• Floro's contract is over if Canada fails to qualify for the Hex
• Big Vic could spearhead a change to the CONCACAF WC qualifying process - one that is similar to South America
• May 12th is the CONCACAF Presidency vote
• 2 draws in September is enough to see us through IF Honduras does not get a result in Mexico - we don't even need to score another goal - yes, 1 goal from six games could see us through!

 

[Soccer Coach]

It's this comment that warrants me kicking you in your cnut. At what point did I state we didn't have the talent? It's impossible that we don't have that talent somewhere on our soil! And I don't think it will be even that hard a search! It's the lack of a progressive system and pathway into a true professional environment that fails these kids. They are stalled by 14. I have been saying this for YEARS, here on TTP. We all have.

I don't know exactly how your thought process works, where people state one thing, then you come out and create a false statement that is exactly the opposite of the other's position, but I tell you what, it will lose you any credibility you seem to be fishing for here.

Dude. Seriously. Where all this aggression comes from? No need to make reference to violence just because someones has a different view.


1) We agree that we do not have a coherent, coordinated, and organic system that develops children and youth into top competitive players (whether they choose to get paid or not is secondary).

2) I will try to expand on the point that seems of divergence. Perhaps you are not understanding it or perhaps I am not making it clear. The lack of real competition (either through professional or semi-professional leagues) developed a soccer culture all the way from the National Team Program to the grassroots level (you, me, Trece et al) that is not conductive of good soccer, positive results, and skilled players. In other words, your thought process (assuming you are a representative grassroot coach in the country) of how to teach the kids did not come from a vacuum. The ideas of how to teach children, youth, and adults grew unchecked by the lack of the harsh reality of true competition.

The article that @Regs provide make reference to this.

It is not only the organizational and logistic structure of how to identify, select and train the kids. We could have all that and still do poorly. However, we need to go deeper than that. Our THINKING about the game has to change.

FROM THE CSA PRESIDENT:
"More broadly, the CSA’s top boss pointed to a positive culture shift within the program that Floro helped orchestrate.

“To be quite frank, we’ve been speaking English for 100 years in our country and it hasn’t done us every well,” Montagliani said, referring to the CSA historically.

“It doesn’t guarantee results — we all know that — but it’s about changing the mindset of how we do things. From what I’ve seen through (Floro’s) 21/2 years internally, he has done that.”

I will try to be specific, so you can see. Look at the last Canada - Mexico game and the two goal of the win.

First the goal of Tecatito Jesus Corona.



a) Tecatito is mere height of 1.64 Meters and is of the light frame. When he was 11 or 12 he was very short. There is no way that Tecatito would have been selected for any provincial program in Canada from U13 and onwards. I would say that he would not have even made it to Metro or Gold. Most coaches would not have wanted him. However, they would have chose Larin gladly.

b) The piece of skill that led to the goal is completely discouraged by our soccer culture. Tecatito did that thousands of time in the streets of Monterrey, and then when he was selected to play competitevely coaches did not come and discouraged it as too fancy, too many touches, or the wrong foot or angle. He failed many times before doing it well at the national level.

Perhaps I am wrong, but think about what would you do if one of your players tries to do this and then falls and losses the ball? Would you be saying try again/practice more? or Would you be telling him this is not the "correct" way to play? You do not need to answer. Just think to yourself.

c) The ball travelling towards the net. It is on the ground and more a pass than a direct shot. This is taught and encouraged. I have never heard a coach here said to the player when is front of the net make a pass to the net. It is all about blasting at full force (which most of the time does not result in a goal). Look at all the wide shots of the Canadian players in these two games. The use power rather than a gentle pass to the net.

Second the foul that led to the penalty.
a) A really stupid foul in the penalty box. Not to blame the player because this is what this soccer culture has taught him to do.
b) I have refereed a lot in the past, and I see countless of times players fouling in the are or near the area. Not once, I have seen the coach pulling the player or scolding him. It is all about tough play and brute force. Well, then you see the result. Players give penalties when confronted with difficult situations because they have been conditioned to do this. Take the guy when beaten.

We can go on about many other instances like when our forward heads the ball aiming to the open net rather thank trying to control with one foot and then sending the ball into the net.

The point is that they way we think about the game and the way we think about solving the problems in the field has to be changed and this really starts with you and me and the little kids.

Would you have have recommended tecatito to gold/metro team at 11/12 given his height and frame?
Would you have taught/encouraged him to do that piece of technique at that age?
Do you think that tecatito was given "ice cream" to use the "correct foot" to kick the ball at 11 by a coach?
How much of your trainning sessions are devoted about ball control and "fancy" moves?

Perhaps you do all that, but I bet you that the MAJORITY of grassroots coaches in Canada would have bypassed Tecatito and would have curtailed his footwork from the start.

 

[djones]

I still wanna know why Canada only had one opportunity to qualify for the Copa America and others had two or three. That was a deal Montagliani made with Jack Warner. It's very suspicious to me. Favourable voting for World Cup hosting rights?

 

[trece verde]

Dunno if that's a deal that Vic would have made with Warner, or if it was something that would have been foisted on him without other options - Smilin' Jack had a disproportionate amount of influence before he finally got ousted. Having Canada come to town for a qualifier might be a reasonably big deal on some of the postage stamp islands in the east Caribbean, but for the South American sides? Not so likely.

 

[dezza]

I'll just leave this here... http://www.howlermagazine.com/dont-believe-the-hypothetical-spring-2016/

It's US-centric, but it pretty much all applies to Canada as well.

 

[Dude]

Dude. Seriously. Where all this aggression comes from? No need to make reference to violence just because someones has a different view.


1) We agree that we do not have a coherent, coordinated, and organic system that develops children and youth into top competitive players (whether they choose to get paid or not is secondary).

2) I will try to expand on the point that seems of divergence. Perhaps you are not understanding it or perhaps I am not making it clear. The lack of real competition (either through professional or semi-professional leagues) developed a soccer culture all the way from the National Team Program to the grassroots level (you, me, Trece et al) that is not conductive of good soccer, positive results, and skilled players. In other words, your thought process (assuming you are a representative grassroot coach in the country) of how to teach the kids did not come from a vacuum. The ideas of how to teach children, youth, and adults grew unchecked by the lack of the harsh reality of true competition.

The article that @Regs provide make reference to this.

It is not only the organizational and logistic structure of how to identify, select and train the kids. We could have all that and still do poorly. However, we need to go deeper than that. Our THINKING about the game has to change.

FROM THE CSA PRESIDENT:
"More broadly, the CSA’s top boss pointed to a positive culture shift within the program that Floro helped orchestrate.

“To be quite frank, we’ve been speaking English for 100 years in our country and it hasn’t done us every well,” Montagliani said, referring to the CSA historically.

“It doesn’t guarantee results — we all know that — but it’s about changing the mindset of how we do things. From what I’ve seen through (Floro’s) 21/2 years internally, he has done that.”

I will try to be specific, so you can see. Look at the last Canada - Mexico game and the two goal of the win.

First the goal of Tecatito Jesus Corona.



a) Tecatito is mere height of 1.64 Meters and is of the light frame. When he was 11 or 12 he was very short. There is no way that Tecatito would have been selected for any provincial program in Canada from U13 and onwards. I would say that he would not have even made it to Metro or Gold. Most coaches would not have wanted him. However, they would have chose Larin gladly.

b) The piece of skill that led to the goal is completely discouraged by our soccer culture. Tecatito did that thousands of time in the streets of Monterrey, and then when he was selected to play competitevely coaches did not come and discouraged it as too fancy, too many touches, or the wrong foot or angle. He failed many times before doing it well at the national level.

Perhaps I am wrong, but think about what would you do if one of your players tries to do this and then falls and losses the ball? Would you be saying try again/practice more? or Would you be telling him this is not the "correct" way to play? You do not need to answer. Just think to yourself.

c) The ball travelling towards the net. It is on the ground and more a pass than a direct shot. This is taught and encouraged. I have never heard a coach here said to the player when is front of the net make a pass to the net. It is all about blasting at full force (which most of the time does not result in a goal). Look at all the wide shots of the Canadian players in these two games. The use power rather than a gentle pass to the net.

Second the foul that led to the penalty.
a) A really stupid foul in the penalty box. Not to blame the player because this is what this soccer culture has taught him to do.
b) I have refereed a lot in the past, and I see countless of times players fouling in the are or near the area. Not once, I have seen the coach pulling the player or scolding him. It is all about tough play and brute force. Well, then you see the result. Players give penalties when confronted with difficult situations because they have been conditioned to do this. Take the guy when beaten.

We can go on about many other instances like when our forward heads the ball aiming to the open net rather thank trying to control with one foot and then sending the ball into the net.

The point is that they way we think about the game and the way we think about solving the problems in the field has to be changed and this really starts with you and me and the little kids.

Would you have have recommended tecatito to gold/metro team at 11/12 given his height and frame?
Would you have taught/encouraged him to do that piece of technique at that age?
Do you think that tecatito was given "ice cream" to use the "correct foot" to kick the ball at 11 by a coach?
How much of your trainning sessions are devoted about ball control and "fancy" moves?

Perhaps you do all that, but I bet you that the MAJORITY of grassroots coaches in Canada would have bypassed Tecatito and would have curtailed his footwork from the start.

I already told you why and where, go back and read again. You are making some very pointed and direct assumptions about people in this thread, in particular me, that are 100% inaccurate. You just made a very long post, and guess what? I didn't read a word past, "Dude. Seriously. Where all this aggression comes from?"

Why?

You lost credibility. It may be that you make some very good points, but you lost me with your assumptions about me, and trying to sell those off as fact.

 

[DeltaDodger]

Can someone arrange a debate in a pub somewhere between @Dude and @Soccer Coach

THey need to wear this shirt though.


I think we could get a nice little fundraiser for the local soccer community.

 

[stoned wall+]

Dude. Seriously. Where all this aggression comes from? No need to make reference to violence just because someones has a different view.


1) We agree that we do not have a coherent, coordinated, and organic system that develops children and youth into top competitive players (whether they choose to get paid or not is secondary).

2) I will try to expand on the point that seems of divergence. Perhaps you are not understanding it or perhaps I am not making it clear. The lack of real competition (either through professional or semi-professional leagues) developed a soccer culture all the way from the National Team Program to the grassroots level (you, me, Trece et al) that is not conductive of good soccer, positive results, and skilled players. In other words, your thought process (assuming you are a representative grassroot coach in the country) of how to teach the kids did not come from a vacuum. The ideas of how to teach children, youth, and adults grew unchecked by the lack of the harsh reality of true competition.

The article that @Regs provide make reference to this.

It is not only the organizational and logistic structure of how to identify, select and train the kids. We could have all that and still do poorly. However, we need to go deeper than that. Our THINKING about the game has to change.

FROM THE CSA PRESIDENT:
"More broadly, the CSA’s top boss pointed to a positive culture shift within the program that Floro helped orchestrate.

“To be quite frank, we’ve been speaking English for 100 years in our country and it hasn’t done us every well,” Montagliani said, referring to the CSA historically.

“It doesn’t guarantee results — we all know that — but it’s about changing the mindset of how we do things. From what I’ve seen through (Floro’s) 21/2 years internally, he has done that.”

I will try to be specific, so you can see. Look at the last Canada - Mexico game and the two goal of the win.

First the goal of Tecatito Jesus Corona.



a) Tecatito is mere height of 1.64 Meters and is of the light frame. When he was 11 or 12 he was very short. There is no way that Tecatito would have been selected for any provincial program in Canada from U13 and onwards. I would say that he would not have even made it to Metro or Gold. Most coaches would not have wanted him. However, they would have chose Larin gladly.

b) The piece of skill that led to the goal is completely discouraged by our soccer culture. Tecatito did that thousands of time in the streets of Monterrey, and then when he was selected to play competitevely coaches did not come and discouraged it as too fancy, too many touches, or the wrong foot or angle. He failed many times before doing it well at the national level.

Perhaps I am wrong, but think about what would you do if one of your players tries to do this and then falls and losses the ball? Would you be saying try again/practice more? or Would you be telling him this is not the "correct" way to play? You do not need to answer. Just think to yourself.

c) The ball travelling towards the net. It is on the ground and more a pass than a direct shot. This is taught and encouraged. I have never heard a coach here said to the player when is front of the net make a pass to the net. It is all about blasting at full force (which most of the time does not result in a goal). Look at all the wide shots of the Canadian players in these two games. The use power rather than a gentle pass to the net.

Second the foul that led to the penalty.
a) A really stupid foul in the penalty box. Not to blame the player because this is what this soccer culture has taught him to do.
b) I have refereed a lot in the past, and I see countless of times players fouling in the are or near the area. Not once, I have seen the coach pulling the player or scolding him. It is all about tough play and brute force. Well, then you see the result. Players give penalties when confronted with difficult situations because they have been conditioned to do this. Take the guy when beaten.

We can go on about many other instances like when our forward heads the ball aiming to the open net rather thank trying to control with one foot and then sending the ball into the net.

The point is that they way we think about the game and the way we think about solving the problems in the field has to be changed and this really starts with you and me and the little kids.

Would you have have recommended tecatito to gold/metro team at 11/12 given his height and frame?
Would you have taught/encouraged him to do that piece of technique at that age?
Do you think that tecatito was given "ice cream" to use the "correct foot" to kick the ball at 11 by a coach?
How much of your trainning sessions are devoted about ball control and "fancy" moves?

Perhaps you do all that, but I bet you that the MAJORITY of grassroots coaches in Canada would have bypassed Tecatito and would have curtailed his footwork from the start.

Dude. Seriously. Where all this aggression comes from? No need to make reference to violence just because someones has a different view.


1) We agree that we do not have a coherent, coordinated, and organic system that develops children and youth into top competitive players (whether they choose to get paid or not is secondary).

2) I will try to expand on the point that seems of divergence. Perhaps you are not understanding it or perhaps I am not making it clear. The lack of real competition (either through professional or semi-professional leagues) developed a soccer culture all the way from the National Team Program to the grassroots level (you, me, Trece et al) that is not conductive of good soccer, positive results, and skilled players. In other words, your thought process (assuming you are a representative grassroot coach in the country) of how to teach the kids did not come from a vacuum. The ideas of how to teach children, youth, and adults grew unchecked by the lack of the harsh reality of true competition.

The article that @Regs provide make reference to this.

It is not only the organizational and logistic structure of how to identify, select and train the kids. We could have all that and still do poorly. However, we need to go deeper than that. Our THINKING about the game has to change.

FROM THE CSA PRESIDENT:
"More broadly, the CSA’s top boss pointed to a positive culture shift within the program that Floro helped orchestrate.

“To be quite frank, we’ve been speaking English for 100 years in our country and it hasn’t done us every well,” Montagliani said, referring to the CSA historically.

“It doesn’t guarantee results — we all know that — but it’s about changing the mindset of how we do things. From what I’ve seen through (Floro’s) 21/2 years internally, he has done that.”

I will try to be specific, so you can see. Look at the last Canada - Mexico game and the two goal of the win.

First the goal of Tecatito Jesus Corona.



a) Tecatito is mere height of 1.64 Meters and is of the light frame. When he was 11 or 12 he was very short. There is no way that Tecatito would have been selected for any provincial program in Canada from U13 and onwards. I would say that he would not have even made it to Metro or Gold. Most coaches would not have wanted him. However, they would have chose Larin gladly.

b) The piece of skill that led to the goal is completely discouraged by our soccer culture. Tecatito did that thousands of time in the streets of Monterrey, and then when he was selected to play competitevely coaches did not come and discouraged it as too fancy, too many touches, or the wrong foot or angle. He failed many times before doing it well at the national level.

Perhaps I am wrong, but think about what would you do if one of your players tries to do this and then falls and losses the ball? Would you be saying try again/practice more? or Would you be telling him this is not the "correct" way to play? You do not need to answer. Just think to yourself.

c) The ball travelling towards the net. It is on the ground and more a pass than a direct shot. This is taught and encouraged. I have never heard a coach here said to the player when is front of the net make a pass to the net. It is all about blasting at full force (which most of the time does not result in a goal). Look at all the wide shots of the Canadian players in these two games. The use power rather than a gentle pass to the net.

Second the foul that led to the penalty.
a) A really stupid foul in the penalty box. Not to blame the player because this is what this soccer culture has taught him to do.
b) I have refereed a lot in the past, and I see countless of times players fouling in the are or near the area. Not once, I have seen the coach pulling the player or scolding him. It is all about tough play and brute force. Well, then you see the result. Players give penalties when confronted with difficult situations because they have been conditioned to do this. Take the guy when beaten.

We can go on about many other instances like when our forward heads the ball aiming to the open net rather thank trying to control with one foot and then sending the ball into the net.

The point is that they way we think about the game and the way we think about solving the problems in the field has to be changed and this really starts with you and me and the little kids.

Would you have have recommended tecatito to gold/metro team at 11/12 given his height and frame?
Would you have taught/encouraged him to do that piece of technique at that age?
Do you think that tecatito was given "ice cream" to use the "correct foot" to kick the ball at 11 by a coach?
How much of your trainning sessions are devoted about ball control and "fancy" moves?

Perhaps you do all that, but I bet you that the MAJORITY of grassroots coaches in Canada would have bypassed Tecatito and would have curtailed his footwork from the start.

When Messi was a boy he really liked cookies. When he was young his coach gave him a cookie for every goal that he scored. Granted he is no Tecatito or Mexican for that matter, but I would say that he turned out to be a descent player.

 

[Dude]

I actually really like a good discussion, and a good debate. That has been lacking here for a long time, so more of that, please.

If Soccer Coach can do that without making completely baseless and incorrect assumptions about the people he is "speaking to and about", then great. The fact is, I read through his stuff, and it's the same stuff we've been writing here for 10+ years. Same stuff! No Earth shattering revelations here! But all of a sudden "we" have no idea or concept of what he's selling. Football simpletons, you see.

So, yeah....

But if soccer coach looks anything remotely close to Kim Kardashian, I'll wear that shirt with him.

 

[Regs]

I'll just leave this here... http://www.howlermagazine.com/dont-believe-the-hypothetical-spring-2016/

It's US-centric, but it pretty much all applies to Canada as well.

Good read, thanks!

Brian Budd came to mind

 

[Soccer Coach]

I actually really like a good discussion, and a good debate. That has been lacking here for a long time, so more of that, please.

If Soccer Coach can do that without making completely baseless and incorrect assumptions about the people he is "speaking to and about", then great. The fact is, I read through his stuff, and it's the same stuff we've been writing here for 10+ years. Same stuff! No Earth shattering revelations here! But all of a sudden "we" have no idea or concept of what he's selling. Football simpletons, you see.

So, yeah....

But if soccer coach looks anything remotely close to Kim Kardashian, I'll wear that shirt with him.

I do not really think that is the same stuff, but perhaps untill you see it, you will not beleive it. oh well.. you are welcome to drop by to the Burnaby Lake this Saturday at 1:30 PM for the VMSL, B-Cup Final. As someone say, we can have a discussion and you can see how we try to play and how we feel the game differently. You will see. Most of our players are very short or not athletic. We try to play always on the ground. It is very distictive. We also have many Canadian born players, and it took us a while to change the way they played, but they have come to enjoy it and appreciate it. Feel free to drop by and chat with our players; they can discuss how different it is that most of the teams in our division. Trust me. To have a team with only 7 goals against in a season is because we do things differently.

... and yes... we are one more time the underdogs... the team that finished last but transformed itself and prove that it can go to a final.

 

[bulljive]

Honestly soccer coach you're not bringing new concepts. I'm happy to see Campo Athletico have a good season and have passionate soccer people behind them. However playing the ball on the ground and being a skilled team is nothing new locally. Do you really think no other teams have played this style? Seriously ? Do you think you have IT figured and the rest of us just don't have a clue? Christ man get over yourself.

 

[Reds-16]

Can someone arrange a debate in a pub somewhere between @Dude and @Soccer Coach

THey need to wear this shirt though.View attachment 13617


I think we could get a nice little fundraiser for the local soccer community.

Sunday in the Beer Garden??

 

[Reds-16]

I actually really like a good discussion, and a good debate. That has been lacking here for a long time, so more of that, please.

If Soccer Coach can do that without making completely baseless and incorrect assumptions about the people he is "speaking to and about", then great. The fact is, I read through his stuff, and it's the same stuff we've been writing here for 10+ years. Same stuff! No Earth shattering revelations here! But all of a sudden "we" have no idea or concept of what he's selling. Football simpletons, you see.

So, yeah....

But if soccer coach looks anything remotely close to Kim Kardashian, I'll wear that shirt with him.

He probably has a big ass, will that get you in the shirt??!!!

 

[LION]

Soccer coach,
You do come across as you know it and the rest don't. Assuming what guys do. Assuming we coach guys to blast at net.
How is giving rewards to players that listen a bad thing? It's girls. People like to get rewarded no?

You finished last in div1. And now winning div2. Is that massive? Am I missing something?

And maybe just maybe. A team with 7 goals against in a division is a good team needing to go up a division. Do it again next year in a higher division. Then come talking that what your doing is so different.

In saying that, our u21 team needs to play a team above their level and get ready for provincials. Let's set up a friendly in the next two weeks or so. As I'm sure you want to stay sharp for the B provincials.

Then I will get to see this magic first hand and learn so much from playing you guys.
Game?