Commentary
TCM Survey: Youth soccer players who don’t practice at home are more likely to quit
Results from The Coaching Manual's survey.
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All Commentary Articles
Who’s accountable as US youth nat’l teams slide into mediocrity?
The U.S. U-20 WNT finished fourth at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Papua New Guinea on Saturday, losing 1-0 to Japan in the third-place game after a 2-1 extra-time loss to eventual tournament champions North Korea in the semifinals last week. Not bad, right? Surely it means that U.S. Soccer has righted the ship and put the program on course for future success? Not so much, writes Charles Boehm.
Is Development Academy ready to admit new clubs in the DC area?
Is the D.C./Maryland/Virginia region underrepresented in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy? It's a long-running debate in certain DMV soccer circles. Now The federation has taken notice, and looks ready to bring on some new local competition, reports SoccerWire's Charles Boehm.
Shawhan: The depressing cynicism of the U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team
Mark Shawhan watched the U-20 U.S. Women's National Team open their 2016 World Cup campaign with a drab, cynical 0-0 draw against France, and he was less than impressed with the regressive tactics rolled out by coach Michelle French. Is it another sign of a program in stagnation?
What’s the real problem? American soccer and a culture of mastery
The United States does not have a culture of mastery, writes guest columnist Kris Ward. We are an over-caffeinated, over-stimulated, over-worked, microwave culture that values results above all else. We are programmed only to see the fruits of the labor and trained to ignore, if not avoid, the labor itself. Yet there is a way.
Election blues: The youth soccer war drawing parallels to Trump-Clinton
This year's U.S. Presidential election has been an ugly, stressful, draining experience for millions of Americans. So imagine Charles Boehm's surprise (and dismay) to hear more than one veteran youth soccer insider use the Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump race as a comparison for our sport's latest internecine squabble: the rise of U.S. Soccer's new Girls Development Academy (set to debut next fall) as an alternative to/competitor with/destroyer of the established Elite Clubs National League.
U.S. U-17 Women crash out of World Cup early – yet again. What now?
Before the start of the 2016 U-17 World Cup, supporters and observers of the U.S. women’s youth national teams were assured repeatedly that this time would be different. Technical director April Heinrichs and senior head coach Jill Ellis have successfully revamped the YNT development pathway, we were told. U-17s coach B.J. Snow assembled a marvelously talented, sophisticated U-17 squad, and should seriously challenge for the World Cup this time. So much for that, writes Mark Shawhan.
Financial aid for players adds to winning culture at FC Dallas Youth
Among the growing number of clubs nationwide trying to buck the trend of skyrocketing travel soccer expenses is FC Dallas Youth, which has historically shown a willingness to help players cover the cost of being a part of its program. As the club continues to gain more attention for its success on the pitch, its efforts off of the pitch have quietly been one of the driving forces behind the growth of the empire.
