KTsoccerworld

ODP Major contributor to U-17 Residency Program

2010-10-01T08:26:00.001-07:00

The U.S. Soccer Under-17 Residency Program recently named 40 players selected to participate in the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. The 40 players represent some of the nation's finest, and in addition to their skills, determination and motivation to succeed, also share affiliation with US Youth Soccer, the nation's largest youth sports organization and home to elite programs such as the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series, US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (US Youth Soccer ODP) and US Youth Soccer National League.

Of the 40 players named, 19 return from last year's residency program, 17 of which had been members of US Youth Soccer ODP. Just as those who entered the program last fall, the majority of this year's new additions, 12 of 21, also have the common thread of player development through US Youth Soccer ODP. Three of the 21 newcomers include Luis Martir, who was at Chivas de Guadalajara in Mexico, Mobi Fehr, who was at J-League club Tokyo Verdy and Danny Zaid, who has been playing at Futeca Camp Elite, a Guatemalan soccer academy.

The residency players live on campus at the IMG Academy and train daily under the guidance of Wilmer Cabrera and assistant coaches Paul Caffrey, Gerson Echeverry, Paul Grafer and Erik Imler. Cabrera and Caffrey were former US Youth Soccer ODP coaches for Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association, Echeverry is a former US Youth Soccer ODP Region I coach and Imler was a member of the North Carolina US Youth Soccer ODP staff.

"The majority of the players coming through to the national teams have experience playing at high levels around the country. Players in programs such as US Youth Soccer ODP are familiar with the standards required to compete at the highest level and when they come through to the national team they have an idea about what it will take for them and for our national teams to be successful," said U.S. Under-17 Men's National Team head coach Wilmer Cabrera when asked what makes US Youth Soccer ODP a valuable program for players seeking advancement through the youth levels, specifically those seeking to be a part of the national team.

US Youth Soccer ODP is offered in every state, thus casting a wide net to find players capable of playing at the next level.

Cabrera added, "Competing on a national level is essential for players looking to reach the next level. Players who can test themselves against opposition on a state-wide or region-wide basis give themselves the best opportunity to improve and gain exposure, whether they ultimately go on to play college soccer, professional or with the national teams somewhere down the road."

All players were born in 1994 or 1995 and are eligible for 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico.

"Our organization is known for the best youth soccer in the country and our member clubs and coaches are to be commended for their efforts in developing the future of American soccer," said John Sutter, president of US Youth Soccer. "Our elite-level programs, such as US Youth Soccer ODP, US Youth Soccer National Championship Series and US Youth Soccer National League, continue to provide the highest level of development and visibility to our players across the country and assist to better prepare our national teams for competition."

The US Youth Soccer ODP was formed in 1977 to identify a pool of players in each age group from which a national team will be selected for international competition; to provide high-level training to benefit and enhance the development of players at all levels; and, through the use of carefully selected and licensed coaches, develop a mechanism for the exchange of ideas and curriculum to improve all levels of coaching.

US Youth Soccer ODP is the original Olympic development program. US Youth Soccer ODP is the only elite player development program that can claim members of Major League Soccer and Women's Professional Soccer, as well as a majority of current and past national and youth team members, as alumni. US Youth Soccer ODP exists in every State Association and offers collegiate and national team staff coaches the opportunity to see the nation's elite players in the most competitive of environments. In addition to training and tactics, US Youth Soccer ODP also offers competitions such as regional and national championships as well as participation in international tournaments. US Youth Soccer ODP continues to lead the way for elite player identification and development in the United States.

College Scholarships - 2

2009-11-25T18:48:00.000-08:00

In this issue's "In My Opinion" section, Frank Pace contributes an article about the college recruiting process - the good, the bad and the ugly. Meanwhile, NSCAA President Al Albert dedicates his column to the everlasting contributions of collegiate soccer to the sport in this country. He suggests that college soccer has been a positive force in this country in spite of the perception that college soccer actually retards soccer's overall growth in America.
With reference to a four-part New York Times series by Bill Pennington about Division I athletics, my contribution to the discussion is a pragmatic look at the dream held by many young American players of earning a collegiate soccer scholarship.
More and more players (and parents) believe it is worth investing several thousands of dollars a year on select dubs, uniforms, showcase tournaments, elite camps, recruitment services and even private trainers to improve the odds of landing a soccer scholarship.
A recent survey of parents at the Jarosi Tournament in Columbus, Ohio, revealed that more than 60 percent of parents view soccer at a "select" level as a means to a college athletic scholarship.
The father of a local U-12 player recently removed his son from a private school the child had attended for eight years. The father plans to use the money he will save on tuition to pay for private trainers for his son with a goal of improving the chances of receiving a soccer scholarship.
Advertisements for elite clubs, camps and recruiting services give the impression that signing on with them will increase chances for a scholarship. They seem to suggest that scholarships are there for the taking. Aflyer from an elite club in Ohio, for instance, makes the claim that 80 percent of the club's players receive soccer scholarships.
College recruiting services routinely advertise that their service will improve a player's chance of securing a college soccer scholarship. Alan Yost of the recruiting service NCSA said, "Every high school player who signs on with us expects a scholarship offer...every player!"
A look at the facts paints a far different picture of soccer scholarships. Critics say that select clubs often inflate the number of players who receive scholarships. Many coaches throw away the information from recruiting services, preferring instead to use their own resources and go to many tournaments to watch players. Personal trainers

have offered no data on the number of scholarship athletes they work with. So why do parents buy into the "scholarship sales pitch?"
While there is nothing wrong with using soccer to help a high school player get into one of the best schools - and perhaps get a scholarship - everyone involved should be realistic about the situation.
A study in 1996 determined the following facts for the high school age soccer players:
• There were 8,182 boys and 6,500 girls soccer programs.
• There were more than 283,700 boys and 209,000 girls playing high school soccer.
• There were 51,066 boys and 37,620 girls who were seniors, played soccer and graduated.
• There were 721 college programs for boys and 736 for girls.
• There were 4,326 spots available on college teams for boys; and there were 4416 spots available for the girls.
• There were playing opportunities for fewer than 8 percent of graduating seniors.
• There were 433 scholarships for boys and 806 for girls.
• Less than 1 percent of the graduating boys and around 2 percent of the girls received soccer scholarships.
How's that for a dose of reality? But the good news is that in 2008 the situation is much better, right? Not really.
There are more scholarships available for both men and women. But there are many more players playing the game in high school.
In Pennington's New York Times series, he discussed the scholarship situation for all NCAA sports. According to him, "Excluding the glamour sports of football and basketball, the average NCAA athletic scholarship is nowhere near full tuition, amounting to $8,707. In sports like baseball and track and field, the number is routinely as low as $2,000. Even when football and basketball are included, the average is only $10,409. Tuition and room and board

for NCAA institutions often cost between $20,000
and $50,000."
While the data compiled by the NCAA for the 2003-2004 academic year dealt with all sports, let's focus on men's and women's soccer. The article determined the following:
• Only about 2 percent of all NCAA Division I athletes receive a scholarship.
• There is no such thing as a four-year scholarship. All scholarships are renewable annually.
• There were 330,044 boys and 270,273 girls playing high school soccer.
• There were 2,357 scholarships for boys and 3,964 for girls.
• Those scholarships were awarded to 6,047 boys and 9,310 girls.
• The average award was $8,533 for boys and $8,404 for girls - that means the men's scholarship covered only 39 percent of costs and the women's scholarships covered only 43 percent of costs.
• Only 1.8 percent of high school soccer playing boys received a soccer scholarship; only 3.4 percent of the women received a soccer scholarship.
In the NYT series, Pennington quotes NCAA President Myles Brand as saying, "The youth culture is overly aggressive and while the opportunity for an athletic scholarship is not trivial, it's easy for the opportunity to be exaggerated by parents and advisors. That can skew behavior and, based on numbers, lead to unrealistic expectations."
The statistics above suggest that there is one

Soccer Journal • May-June 2008
NCAA scholarship for every 145 men who played soccer in college. Joe Taylor, a scholarship soccer player from Villanova, said, "It is a huge dogfight to get whatever you can. Everyone is scrambling. There are so many good players, nobody understands how few get to keep playing after high school! If I had to do it over again, I would have skipped a practice every now and then to go to a concert or a movie with my friends. I missed out on a lot of things because of soccer. I wish I could have some of that time back."
It is important that parents and coaches know these statistics and realize how difficult it is to receive a soccer scholarship. Although getting a soccer scholarship is a long shot, there is some good news. Being a good soccer player may give an athlete an edge when colleges award academic scholarships and need-based aid. In fact, there is much more money available to soccer players for academic excellence than athletic prowess. An increased focus on academics will pay greater dividends than soccer excellence in the long run - it may also pay off on the short run.
A recent study by the College Board Association of Princeton, N.J., determined that independent colleges in the United States award more than $10 billion in financial aid each year. This includes awards from institutional funds for scholarships, fellowships and trainee stipends. Add state and federal financial aid funding and there is in excess of $50 billion available for academic and need-based aid each year.
The numbers say that soccer scholarships are relatively scarce. Should your
players stop cracking shots and spend Saturdays cracking the books in a library
instead? Of course not. We know that soccer is a great game. It has an important
place in the lives of your players, whether or not there is a soccer scholarship in
the future. Everyone involved with soccer should just keep the scholarship issue
in perspective. Your players should be playing for fun, fitness and the challenge
of the game. If your players (and parents) are playing only to earn a soccer
scholarship - maybe they should spend more time in the library!

College Scholarships - 1

2009-10-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

The elusive college scholarship
Please read the following article on the pursuit of scholarships from the NY Times. As an interesting note, the soccer player in the article who went to Villanova was also recruited by me when I was at Georgetown - mostly based on his play at a summer camp I ran, but I remember the game he is talking about in the article. Interestingly, we only had 1.5 scholarships available in the entire prgram at the time, so were not able to offer him what Villanova was able to do. So even if you are a scholarship level player, you never know what will turn the tide for a coach. Sometimes lack of an offer is not lack of interest - just lack of resources.

Also - read the question and answer from the last blog on recruiting. Very good question regarding goalkeepers in it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/10/sports/10scholarships.html?scp=1&sq=college+scholarship&st=nyt

Important questions for college coaches in the recruiting process

2009-08-20T09:14:00.000-07:00

Following is part of an article by Avi Stopper about the college recruiting process. I want to add that I think it is important to ask the coach where he feels you may be within your first 2 years should you join his/her program. If there doesn't seem to be much chance in the first 2 years, then it is not a good soccer option.
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The Question College Hopefuls Must Ask
By Avi Stopper

Wilbur Avataria is a good soccer player. He's been in touch with a dozen or so college coaches, visited a handful of those schools, and scored a stunning goal at Dallas Cup. Recruiting is moving along pretty well for him. But there's one glaring exception: he has no idea how serious any of these coaches are about having him on their teams.

Yes, he's sent them a profile, a copy of his transcript, and a video. He's visited their campuses, watched practices, and stayed with players. And he's gotten the coaches to see him play. It really seems like he's actually being recruited. (He text messaged his teammate the other day: "omg! it's happening!!! ttyl")

The problem? Despite the strides he's made, his status is still largely unclear. For all he knows, there could be 50 other players in the exact same position - and in fact, there probably are. College coaches maintain massive databases that contain up to 1,000 players. Gradually, coaches pick up information about the players in their database and then try to make well-reasoned judgments about who's right for their team.

Some players like Wilbur do everything right - they provide coaches with transcripts, schedules, videos, recommendations, etc. - but then fail to ask The Question: "Where do I stand?" The answer to this question is the only thing that really matters in recruiting.
Doing the legwork to get to a college coach to know enough about you to make a well-reasoned judgment is essential. But once this has been accomplished, you must ask the college coach for an honest assessment.
Before you go practice on your little brother, remember that The Question isn't meant to be an interrogation. You don't want to back the college coach into a corner with aggressive questioning. No less, the coach has the responsibility to provide you with an honest answer.

Here are four responses you might hear:

1. Join Us! In the best case scenario, the coach will tell you that he'd really like you to come play for his team.
2. Uh, Sorry. There's always the possibility that you'll hear something like, "We don't feel like you're a good fit for our team." Ouch. It may sting, but getting this sort of honest response, painful as it may be, is actually a good thing. It lets you focus on the schools that are interested.

3. More Info Needed. Another response you may hear is, "We need to see you play more before we make a decision." This is great because it helps you plan your next steps.
4. Ambiguous Blah. You may also get an ambiguous response along the lines of, "We think you can contribute." Don't be afraid to ask a follow-up question like, "What exactly does that mean?" The coach may still not be forthcoming, which is why it's essential for you to communicate with coaches at multiple schools.

The best player-college coach relationships are built on honesty and respect. By being forthright about your interest and asking the coach to do the same, you're setting the right precedent.

Soccer aspects of the College Decision Process...

2009-07-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

Athletics/Soccer – Obviously you may be interested in playing soccer in college if you are reading this. Do your homework on the programs at the schools. Some key issues you need to solve are:
• The coach – this is the adult you will have the most contact with during your time in school. Does the coach look out for you beyond the soccer field?
• The chances of playing within your first 2 years. I always felt that if a player didn’t have a good chance within the first 2 years, then I wouldn’t recruit him.
• The facilities – type of field (practice and game), locker room, training room, weight room, etc.
• The division, conference, style of play. MANY PLAYERS go for the limelight programs and never get the experience they would have had at a “lower” level. If the coach is not recruiting you (truly recruiting you), then know that your chances are very slim of getting the experience you would like to have out of college soccer.
• What other options are there at the school if you do not make the varsity team (due to funding – hardly any schools have JV programs anymore). They may have club teams and intramurals, however.
• Graduation rates and transfer rates. This is the best indication if players are enjoying their experience).

The College Decision Process - part 1

2009-06-09T07:44:00.000-07:00

Georgetown – 22 years – Advice for contacting coaches for recruiting..
Part 1

Above all else – the student-athlete must be the one to contact the coach first. There is always a “yellow flag” that goes up when the parent calls or e-mails first. I am sure you can think of some of things a coach may conclude:

The player is not really interested – just the parent.
The parent does everything for the player.
The player does not have good interpersonal habits, so the parent is covering.

A player making the first contact is much more impressive. We will be coaching and mentoring the player, not the parents (or not supposed to mentoring the parents). You only have one chance to make a good first impression. Almost no matter what, that is best done by the player. Common excuses are that “I am calling for my son because he is in school and can’t call you from there. By the time he is home, you probably wouldn’t be in the office.”

Obviously, if the player tries to call after school, then he may find the coach is in the office. We don’t work 9-5s – much more than that. We all have voice mail – even if you just leave a message that I am trying to contact you and will call back is better than the call from someone other than you. If you leave your number and ask the coach to call you back, then you are also finding out how interested they may be in you and/or how professional they are.

Remember NCAA rules prohibit a coach from calling you until after July 1st prior to your senior year of HS. So if you are calling before that and leave a message, then you will not (or should not) receive a call back.

After the initial call it would not be improper for a parent to touch base. However, if it now becomes just the parent, then the same conclusions as above may apply. Parents are an important part of the process and can affect things. Obviously a parent should do all he/she can to allow the process to work for the student-athlete. Too much or none at all could spell out certain cautions in the mind of the coach.

Remember that we recruit players whom we feel will help our programs on and off the field and, obviously, fit into the academic profile of the school.

To find out more information on NCAA rules for the College Bound student-athlete you can go the following site:
http://www.ncaa.org/library/general/cbsa/2006-07/2006-07_cbsa.pdf

Leaving MD ODP

2008-09-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

A couple of people have posted/e-mailed me about MD ODP this year. Here is an e-mail that was supposed to have been sent to all ODP players from this past year. If you did not receive it, then my apologies.
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To 2008 MD ODP players and families:

I wanted to let you know that after 4 great years with MD ODP I will be stepping down to put more time into some other ventures that I am involved with. My experience with the ODP has been awesome. This year was such a banner year with over 40 players being selected to call back camp - by far a record and by far the number one goal of the program - to place as many deserving players to the next level as possible. I can honestly say that judging by the quality of players who did not get selected to call back camp, Maryland is in excellent shape talent and depth wise.

I want to thank my staff who has been totally dedicated to the players in our program. The improvement in each team has been noticeable and will benefit the players in many ways outside of ODP with their club and school teams. I want to thank the Team Managers. You have done a wonderful job organizing things and that doesn't go unnoticed. Finally I want to thank Jen Pagliaro who has ultimately run the program from the administrative side of things. You can be sure that the success on the field correlates to the professionalism and organization off the field that Jen directed.

I do not know yet who the next ODP director will be or whom will be on the staff. I do want to say that the benefits of the ODP program are tremendous regardless of who is coaching. For the 91s reading this I thank you for your dedication to ODP. For the other ages, I urge you to try out again this year and continue to represent Maryland as one of the best states in the country. I will remain the Assistant Head coach for Region 1 ODP and will see many of you in the regional events.

Thanks for everything,

Keith

ODP & OUR OLYMPIC TEAM

2008-08-08T07:56:00.000-07:00

Here is an article from US Youth Soccer:

hen U.S. Men's Olympic Team head coach Peter Nowak named the 18 players who will represent the United States at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing the roster features 12 players who have experience at the full national team level, including the three youngest players on the team, Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley, and the most senior member of the team in Brian McBride, as well as a common thread of US Youth Soccer and the US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (US Youth Soccer ODP).

Team USA's roster is comprised of 18 players that played their US Youth Soccer ball in various clubs from across the country. Of these, 17 have the common thread of participation in the US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (US Youth Soccer ODP). The breakdown of players via their respective US Youth Soccer Region is as follows: Region I (4), Region II (3), Region III (3), Region IV (7). Benny Feilhaber, who was born in Brazil, played his US Youth Soccer ball for the Irvine Strikers where he won the 2002 US Youth Soccer National Championship.

The US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program was formed in 1977 to identify a pool of players in each age group from which a National Team will be selected for international competition; to provide high-level training to benefit and enhance the development of players at all levels; and, through the use of carefully selected and licensed coaches, develop a mechanism for the exchange of ideas and curriculum to improve all levels of coaching.

US Youth Soccer ODP is the original Olympic development program. US Youth Soccer ODP is the only elite player development program that can claim members of Major League Soccer and the former Women's United Soccer Association, as well as a majority of current and past national and youth team members, as alumni. US Youth Soccer ODP exists in every US Youth Soccer State Association and offers collegiate and national team staff coaches the opportunity to see the nation's elite players in the most competitive of environments. In addition to training and tactics, US Youth Soccer ODP also offers competitions such as regional and national championships as well as participation in international tournaments. US Youth Soccer ODP continues to lead the way for elite player development in the United States.

answering your questions

2008-06-30T12:36:00.000-07:00

Following is an edited response to an earlier blog with several questions that I will answer. Sorry for the delay - was in Europe (yes- the Euros).
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Regarding recruiting, my son will be a sophomore in high school beginning in September 2008, and he would like to hopefully play soccer in college. We have a few questions in this regard and we would greatly appreciate your insights.

We see that most schools have recuriting web form for interested students to fill out. When during a student's high school years would you recommend that a high school student/player fill out such a web recuriting form for colleges that he is interested in, e.g., during his sophomore year, after his sophomore year, during the Fall of their junior year, etc.?
ANSWER: CERTAINLY NO LATER THAN THE BEGINNING OF THE FALL OF THE JUNIOR YEAR. RECRUITING IS HAPPENING EARLIER AND EARLIER...NOT A GOOD TREND IN MY OPINION, BUT REALITY. LET THE COACHES OF SCHOOLS YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN KNOW EARLY.

Also, are such web forms a good and appropriate way for a student/player to make first contact with a college coach? ANSWER: BEST WAY IS VIA A PERSONALIZED LETTER AND/OR E-MAIL. PHONE CALLS ARE GOOD (BY THE PLAYER - NOT THE PARENTS) BUT COACHES CANNOT RETURN A CALL UNTIL AFTER JULY 1st BETWEEN THE JR AND SR YEAR. BE SURE YOU GET THE COACH'S NAME IN YOUR E-MAIL - NOT "DEAR COACH".
And, what other types of and frequency of player/student contact with a college coach would your recommend? UPDATES ON UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS ARE USEFUL. THERE IS A LINE BETWEEN OVERLOAD AND NOT ENOUGH CORRESPONDENCE. COACHES ARE SWAMPED WITH E-MAILS NOW A DAYS, SO BRIEF AND TO THE POINT IS BEST.

Finally, what are your thoughts on college camps? If a student/player is interested in a specific school, would it be a good idea to go to this school's soccer camp, and when would the best time be to attend such a camp, e.g., before the student's junior year, or before the student's senior year? ANSWER: I RECOMMEND GOING TO A SPECIFIC COLLEGE CAMP IF THE PLAYER IS VERY INTERESTED IN THAT SCHOOL. OTHERWISE I RECOMMEND GOING TO A CAMP THAT HAS A NUMBER OF COLLEGE COACHES AT IT (SHAMELESS PLUG FOR ELITE300.COM :) ) EITHER WAY THERE IS A BENEFIT. GOING BOTH BEFORE SOPH AND JUNIOR YEAR IS HELPFUL - AGAIN-ESPECIALLY NOW THAT RECRUITING IS HAPPENING EARLIER THAN YEARS BACK. COACHES NEED TO KNOW YOU BY YOUR JUNIOR YEAR WHENEVER POSSIBLE. NOT KNOWING YOU CERTAINLY DOES NOT ELIMINATE YOU, BUT OTHERS GET A HEAD START IF THEY HAVE DONE THEIR DUE DILLIGENCE.

HOPE THAT HELPS AND GOOD LUCK. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO THROW OUT OTHER QUESTIONS IN REPLY TO THIS BLOG.

Thanks very much for all the great information and guidance you are providing on this blog! And congrats again on the MD ODP boys successes.

ODP TRAINING ITEMS

2008-04-29T05:40:00.000-07:00

Training has been going excellent. Last nights was one of the best with the oldest 3 teams training and playing each other. A couple of observations for the players to attend to:
1) Bring and wear shinguards
2) Bring to the field a properly inflated ball
3) BE WARMED UP/STRETCHED ON YOUR OWN BY 6:30. We do not want to spend 15-20 minutes of our valuable time doing warm-up.
4) If you are arriving late then be sure YOU ARE FULLY DRESSED BEFORE YOU GET OUT OF THE CAR. Too many people come late and then are putting socks on at the field - something that can be done on the car!

As far as the play goes:
DEFENSIVE:
POSITIONING, POSITIONING, POSITIONING ! This is such an iimportant area. Read the game ahead of time and get into good positions early. It was one of the most common shouts from the coaches last night: "If you had been in position earlier then they wouldn't have played the ball."
In defending - positioning is everything. Get into good, early position and contiually adjust relative to the ball, opponents and your teammates.

OFFENSIVE:
SPEED OF PLAY !
Each step up the ladder of play in soccer require one thing above anything else - faster tactical decisions, faster technical executions and faster transition from offensive to defense and defense to offense. Your focus in every training session must be to play faster. This is the number one issue that came out of the international trips as well. The lack of time and space that opponents gave us created difficulties for us. Remember - there is a difference between playing faster and rushing your play. Playing faster can be as simple as taking 2 touches instead of 3 to make the same pass or to play that same pass at a faster speed. It also means getting into supporting positions earlier - this allows your teammates a better chance of playing faster.

Keep up the good work as we enter the final weeks of preparation for the ODP tournament.

Players, parents, coaches - Here is a look into how professional teams train

2008-03-27T07:52:00.001-07:00

One and a half years of work is finally complete and available online. The program "Learn From the Pros" has truly come out as a unique study of the ways the pros do things on the training field. The differences between the MLS teams and Brazilian approach is noticeable and something I found extremely interesting. The feedback to date has been outstanding, and regardless of your involvement in soccer I know you will find it both interesting and educational.

This project is a very inexpensive way to see 8 pro teams with all their training sessions, diagrams and outlines of practices as well as video clips to bring to life the sessions for ONLY A $40 - one time fee. With that you can come and go as much as you want. It takes a while to see it all and I am sure it something you will go to a lot.

Go to www.ktsoccerworld.com and look at the sample session. Or go directly to the registration page you can click on the following:
https://www2382.ssldomain.com/ktsoccerworld/ktregister.asp

Here is what you get:
3 days of Training with New England!
4 days of Training with Fluminense!
2 days of Training with Columbus!
3 days of Training with Palmeiras!
3 days of Training with Chicago!
4 days of Training with Sao Paolo!
2 days of Training with Colorado!
3 days of Training with Corinthians!

ENJOY!

Probably the last update..3/26...9 am

2008-03-26T06:04:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, March 25

We had a minor change in schedule yesterday…the boys decided that they’d rather have some down time to relax or go shopping one last time for their final souvenirs and gifts instead of going on the tour of La Plata. We were able to give them two and a half hours of time to do their thing before loading up the bus and heading to lunch.

Lunch was another amazing meal at Lo Rafael. If anyone ever gets the chance to visit Buenos Aires, please find this restaurant no matter what…you’ll be very glad you did!

After lunch we were off to La Plata. It was about an hour drive, give or take, and the joke among the chaperones is that every trip is about one hour. That’s our tour guides favorite answer any time we ask how far somewhere is. It was a nice drive though and the weather was perfect.

We arrived at Estudiantes de La Plata training facility and were immediately impressed. I’m not sure what to compare it to back home…something like the SoccerPlex I guess, but with the most immaculate Bermuda grass fields (approximately 115 yards by 76 yards). Estudiantes is probably one of the top youth development clubs in the country. Their first team (professional team) is in the top 2 or 3 in the standings for the league, but they are very well known for their youth programs. They have a residency program set up so that kids from all over the country can come in and stay on site while attending school and training in a top class environment. It’s a similar set up to Bradenton back in the States, but this is just for the club!

Our games kicked off a bit later than anticipated. The storms from the other day actually tore the roof off of the school building so the kids were allowed to leave the campus to visit with family. So we had to wait about a half hour for the last few players to arrive. Once we kicked off, we were in for a great learning experience.

The ‘93s played first. I think we were a bit overwhelmed at first by the speed of play and the fitness of the Estudiantes players, but after about 15 or 20 minutes we settled into the game and were able to compete at a decent level. From my perspective, this game was by far our best learning experience in terms of seeing what the game is like at the highest levels around the world. The score at the end of the match was 4-0 in favor of our opponents, but we had a couple of chances to score and I think we earned some respect for our competitiveness and our talent level.

The ‘91s played next and it was more of the same for them. Remember, these are kids who are playing not just for the fun of the game…they are playing for the chance to turn professional and make a living for themselves and their families. Estudiantes scored an early goal but the boys kept after it and worked very hard. With about 8 minutes remaining, a poor back pass from an Estudiantes defender allowed Josh Patterson to strip the ball from the goalkeeper and he calmly slotted it into the back of the empty net. It was a great result for the boys, and it was their second draw of the trip.

We showered and changed in their locker room facilities and then it was off for another one hour bus ride…only this time, we were headed to Ricardo’s home for the BBQ. What a house! What a BBQ!!! When we arrived there was some grilled pork and some sort of grilled cheese (similar to a mozzarella stick I guess) for us to eat. The boys were in heaven. After about 30 minutes, we were called into the living room (yes, all 40 of us could fit in the living room) to watch a magician perform. The guy was good, and he was hysterical. When he had finished his show, we were asked to be seated at the tables and the meal began. I probably can’t remember everything that was served, but I know there was salad, potato salad, breads, beef, chicken, ribs, and on and on. The amount of food was almost overwhelming. The meal was followed by some ice cream. After finishing the meal some of the boys were in the back yard playing soccer with Ricardo’s son. Then it was time to load the bus again. I don’t think any of us realized that it was after midnight! They eat dinner late here, but this was definitely a unique evening.

We returned home and it was straight to bed for everyone. We have just returned from another very good breakfast and now have about 30 minutes to pack up before checking out of the hotel. This may be my last time to write before we head to the airport but if I can I will try to get another update posted.

I know we’ve all had a great time, but I think we’re all looking forward to getting home as well.

Ciao!

PARENTS: PLEASE BE ON TIME TO PICK UP YOU SON SO THE STAFF CAN GET HOME AS WELL! THANKS A LOT.

Argentina. 3/24/11 PM

2008-03-24T20:05:00.001-07:00

Monday, March 24

The teams have returned from a full day. The ‘91s played first today against Excursionistas. It was a tough game from the opening whistle…both teams played very physical styles and tried to put their stamp on the game early. Excursionistas had the better of the play throughout much of the first half and took a 2-0 lead into half time. Our boys played hard all the way through, and after a few adjustments by Coach Miranda, the second half was much more evenly contested. Excursionistas scored a third goal against the run of play, but our players never gave up. We battled our way back, scoring a goal by Coleman O’Neill. As we continued to press higher up field and tried to play a more direct style, we were able to catch them again…this time Luis Mendoza scored the goal. We created a couple more quality chances and really could have scored at least one or two more goals if not for some good goalkeeping and some misfortunes. It was definitely a learning experience for the boys.

The ‘93s played second and came out super-motivated having watched how hard the ’91s battled. We decided to play a more high pressure, higher tempo style of game and from the opening whistle were able to put Excursionistas on their back foot. Our possession was much better than in our previous match and we were creating several good scoring opportunities. At halftime the game was 0-0 but we certainly showed we were the better team. The second half brought more of the same, though our opponent made some tactical adjustments which made things a bit more difficult for us at the start. Our guys solved the problem on the field and continued to create a number of good scoring chances. With about seven minutes to play, Cody Albrecht broke free around the left side and was able to play a perfectly weighted cross into the box for Gabe Phillips to head into the back of the net. There were still a few more chances that we created, but we were unable to finish them. After the game the boys were very happy with their performance.

Following the games, the boys showered in the locker rooms at the Excursionistas stadium and we then headed down to the Tigre River area where we embarked on a 45 minute boat ride. The ride dropped us off on a little island where we were to have lunch at the Gato Blanco (White Cat) restaurant. The meal consisted of salad, baked chicken, and French fries. Desert was a great little fruit salad. After the meal, the boys were able to spend a little time stretching their legs outside the restaurant in a little park area. We then boarded the ship again and began our 45 minute return journey to where the bus was parked. It was a fun and relaxing way to spend the afternoon. Many of the boys fell asleep while on the boat.

We have now returned to the hotel where we are getting showered up and will be having dinner around 8pm. Tonight’s dinner is expected to be a beef dinner, something the boys have been looking forward to. I think they’re a little tired of pasta meals, but the quality of the food continues to impress me.

Tomorrow we head to the City of La Plata after breakfast for a tour of the city and lunch. After lunch we will be playing against Estudiantes de La Plata at 4 and 5:30pm. After our return to Buenos Aires, we have been invited to attend a barbeque at the home of our main tour guide, Ricardo. He promises us a great meal so we are all looking forward to it! Tomorrow may be a long day, but I will do my best to keep you up to date when we finally return to the hotel.

Happy Easter from Argentina and SCOTLAND..updated 3/24 at 2 PM

2008-03-23T05:57:00.000-07:00

Scotland: 3/24/08
We are in outstanding facilities at the Stirling Management Centre. The boys are having big fun while, on the other hand, it has been difficult adjusting to the level of play of our first two opponents. We lost both games but had many sustained successful periods and were at our best so far during the second half of the second game. Also, our coaches have been working hard to solve the problems during the training sessions, and I think we will be very prepared to face the Celtic squad on Monday.

Weather: The temperature would be quite tolerable if it weren't for the insistent winds.
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Sunday, March 23
10 PM:
Sunday, March 23

River Plate 2 – Velez Sarsfield 0. What an experience! The atmosphere was incredible. The visiting River Plate supporters (maybe 1,000 give or take) sang the entire match and most of the time were louder than the Velez fans. The eruption on the first goal was near deafening, and the second goal caused just as much euphoria for the away fans. However, we were seated in the VIP section of the home stands so our surroundings were pretty quiet most of the game. Still it was an incredible experience for the kids to see and hear the passion that our sport brings out around the rest of the world. Hopefully they bring home an understanding of the pride of playing for your club and the supporters.

Upon arriving back at the hotel, we had a 2 hour study period where the boys were asked to stay in their hotel rooms and work on whatever they brought with them. Of course some claimed they didn’t bring homework with them, but still we insisted that they find something productive to do
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Tango night was a blast!!! I think a lot of the boys were skeptical to say the least as we were heading out, but once we arrived they immediately jumped right into the fun. First they learned some “rock and roll” dance moves, while listening to some songs from the 1950’s. After learning some basic steps it was time to partner up…some of the guys were brave enough to pair up with some local girls, while others were brave enough to pair up with teammates. Either way they went, there were a lot of smiles and laughter. Then came dinner…a nice meal that began with some fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, followed up a pasta meal. Then it was back to the dance floor as the tango lessons began. I think some of our guys should stick to soccer, but there were quite a few future Fred Astaires out there! After some more dancing, it was back to the dinner table as the waitresses brought out some ice cream for the teams. Upon finishing their ice cream, some headed back to the dance floor to polish up their moves. A short ride back to the hotel came around midnight and the boys were all still talking about the experience.

This morning we are off from soccer to allow those who want to go to church the opportunity. We will be having a brunch around 11:30 and then at 12:45 heading out of the hotel to see River Plate play Velez Sarsfield. Velez is currently atop the league, while River Plate (traditionally one of the top teams in Argentina) is in second. It should be an awesome game.

We are scheduled to have dinner around 8pm this evening at a local restaurant called “Lo Rafael.” Our tour guides have told us that the Kansas City Wizards absolutely loved this restaurant when they were here last week. I know I am looking forward to it!

Happy Easter from Buenos Aires!!!

Trip updates as they come.updated 3/22 at 1:30 PM

2008-03-20T09:34:00.000-07:00

I will attempt to keep updates from Argentina (Scotland if I hear from them)...
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Argentina - March 22nd:
Saturday, March 22

Change of plans…due to a set of severe thunderstorms that blew through sections of the country last night, the team we were scheduled to play this morning had to cancel. Evidently a small tornado hit the area so getting their team together for the match would have been nearly impossible. The match has been rescheduled for Wednesday.

So we used our morning to let the boys sleep in a little…breakfast at 9am, followed by a 10:30 departure for a training session. We actually used the session for a 4-a-side tournament where we mixed the teams (‘91s and ‘93s) to make things a bit more interesting and to let the boys continue to get to know each other better. It turned out to be a spirited tournament and everyone had a great time.

The boys are showering up and getting ready to head down town to the Recoleta area, a street fair type of setting. We’ll have some free time downtown, followed by a return to the hotel for some study time (yes, we’re keeping on the boys about using their down time wisely), and then it will be off to dinner and tango lessons. I think we’re all looking forward to seeing the tango lessons!
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Argentina - First games
Friday, March 21

(Continued)

We just returned from touring Buenos Aires, including a tour of La Boca and the stadium of Boca Juniors. It was a great trip…the boys seemed to really enjoy walking around the stadium, including the chance to see the locker room of the home team. Tons of pictures were taken and lots of smiling faces after the boys had a few minutes to walk around the fan shop inside the stadium. I’m sure they’ll all be wearing their new Boca Juniors gear tomorrow.

Tomorrow is a match with Tristan Suarez at 9:30 for the ‘93s and 11am for the ‘91s. Following the conclusion of those matches, we’ll be touring the Recoleta Area and experiencing the street fair.
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Friday, March 21

Breakfast was followed by departure for our first set of matches. After a good warm up, the ‘93s took the field against Defensores de Belgrano It took about 10 minutes to get some of the nerves out and then we settled into what turned out to be a fantastic match. The Argentine team created the earlier chances in the first half, but we certainly created a fair number of chances for ourselves, especially toward the latter part of the half. The second half saw us continue to do a good job of defending. We were winning the ball back earlier and doing some nice things on the ball, moving around the opponent and creating spaces to attack. Somewhat against the run of play, Defensores scored their first goal of the afternoon off a deflection that resulted in a fortuitous bounce for them. Almost immediately after the kickoff, we created a couple of great scoring chances but were unlucky not to finish. As we pressed higher up field and pushed more numbers forward trying to pull back an equalizer, we gave up a second goal on a counter attack. The final score ended in a 2-0 defeat, but the coaches feel that a tremendous effort was put forth by the boys, and we learned a great deal about the soccer in Argentina. This is definitely going to be great preparation for the ODP season!

Following the ‘93s, the ‘91s kicked off against the older Defensores de Belgrano team. The opponents had the better of the play in the first half but our boys fought hard, defended well, and gave a great effort. We gave up a goal off of a free kick which rebounded off the post, allowing Defensores to follow the shot and put away the second chance. At halftime Coach Miranda made some slight adjustments to the team and the results paid off with about 10 minutes to play. They did a much better job of keeping possession and not allowing so much time and space for the opponent to play. A Maryland goal came from a tremendous individual effort by one of their players to maintain possession for his team and beat 3 defenders. His cross was met inside the penalty area, chested down, and the resulting shot brought the Maryland bench and our few spectators to their feet! It was clinical finishing. The remaining few minutes of the game saw some hard challenges by both teams as both felt they wanted to press for the win. In the end, the ‘91s were able to finish the game with a well earned draw.

Both teams put on a great display of soccer…sticking to their game plans and playing some very attractive soccer. Several Defensores fans commented about the quality of our play for both teams. We are definitely earning respect! The boys are exhausted but I think proud of their efforts.

The games were followed by a nice lunch at the hotel and the boys are currently showering up as we’re about to head out for a city tour of Buenos Aires, including La Boca area at 4pm. Dinner is scheduled for the hotel at 8pm
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3/21 - Short e-mail from Scotland:
Keith: Good morning. We made it safely to Scotland. Accomodations are excellent. Food is great. Fields are outstanding. We have had two training sessions and have our first game this evening. All players are fine and ready to play. Internet access is limited and expensive. Will try to write again soon. All the best, Steve Pfeil
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Argentina:

3/20 - Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Leg one of our journey began with our departure from Reagan International…the flight was a few minutes delayed but once airborne, it was smooth sailing. We landed in Miami on time to a beautiful sunny afternoon. We have a three hour lay over so the boys have been going in groups to the Pizza Hut or Nathan’s for dinner. The next leg of our journey begins at 8:30pm when we depart Miami for Buenos Aires.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

The journey from Miami to Buenos Aires was very smooth. The flight left on time and touched down on time. Most of the boys slept for most of the long flight. Getting through customs was a breeze…in fact one of the hosts who met us at the airport commented that we set a record for getting through customs faster than any group he’s ever worked with. Also important to note, several flight attendants commented to us about how well behaved our group was on the flight! Upon arrival at the hotel, we gave the boys a chance to get to their rooms and take advantage of some of the down time to rest up. A few decided to venture out into the downtown areas with the coaches and chaperones…we needed to stretch out legs a bit.

Lunch is scheduled for 12:30pm in the hotel. It will be our first meal in the hotel, where we will actually eat a majority of our meals for the week.

Just returned from lunch. It was a delicious meal that consisted of salad, soup, chicken, and french fries. The boys ate like it was the first time they’d ever seen food so we know they thought it was good too!

Next up is a training session at 4pm. We departed the hotel at 3:30pm and traveled about 30 minutes across the city to a modern field turf training facility, very much like what we’ve trained on at the SoccerPlex. Both teams spent time working on getting the kinks out of their legs and on keeping possession of the ball. Later both teams worked on free kicks, both attacking and defending. It was a hot, sunny afternoon so both teams ended the session a bit early….approximately 5:30pm. Then it was back aboard the bus to battle the traffic back to the hotel.

Dinner is planned for 8pm in the hotel, to be followed by team meetings with the respective coaches. The plan is to have the players get to bed early tonight in preparation for a full day tomorrow. Both teams play against Defensores de Belgrano…the ‘91s kicking off at 10am and the ‘93s kicking off at 11:30am. Following the conclusion of the matches, we will return to our hotel to shower, change, eat, and then head out for a tour of the city.
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More on the games to come tomorrow.

Final Argentina Items

2008-03-11T10:19:00.000-07:00

It seems as though the info packet has done its job as there have been very few questions that have come up. Here are a few other things to keep in mind and some reminders from the packet. Please feel free to e-mail or respond to this blog with other questions
1) Money. It is not possible for us to tell you how much to send with your son. All meals are covered as well as the pro game. While there may be an "add-on" after arrive (if the group decides they want it), that would be very cheap ($20-$30). (Nothing is planned, but an opportunity to do a river boat tour or a tango night may arise.) So, players will need money for snacks and whatever personal spending they need. REMEMBER THAT THEY DO NEED $22 CASH FOR THE BUENOS AIRES AIRPORT FOR THEIR DEPARTURE TAX ON THE FINAL DAY)
If they are going to buy anything significant, they will be able to do so with credit or debit card (credit cards working best). Less need for actual cash.
There are ATMs as well as the ability to change money at the hotel.
The coaching staff/chaperones will be available to hold any large amount of cash anyone may bring. Drew Hoffman will address that at the parent's meeting and with the players.
2) Remember sun block and bug spray. Mosquitoes like Americans (but they are NOT bad mosquitoes (no worries about Yellow Fever or anything - form what I understand they have had 1 case of yellow fever in 1 monkey in Northern jungle part of Argentina.)
3) We are awaiting the warm-ups and travel bag from the state. Hoping to have them for you Monday. If not, then we will let you know what plan B is.
4) Water is safe down there. While we will be using bottle water, we are at a very modern hotel in a very modern city with very drinkable water. No issues using it for brushing teeth, etc. We will tell all not to eat from street vendors and the like (something I would do if we were traveling in the US as well!).
5) Phone calls. I strongly discourage any use of cell phones. They simply lend to situations where calls come in at unwanted times (from parents, friends, girlfriends, etc). If a player simply has to call home, then they can get phone cards easily down there. They will have some access to e-mail and that will be best way to stay in touch.You all have the emergency numbers that should be used - IN AN EMERGENCY ONLY. Thanks.
6) Remember to pack any liquids in check in luggage unless they meet carry on requirements: in a zip lock bag, etc)...
7) Hotel info can be seen on here (I think web link in info packet didn't work- at least for me):
http://www.epoquehotels.com/h.php/buenos-aires-hotels/boutique-hotel/h/nogaro/l/en/
8) Personal Items: I would not go beyond an IPOD for music. Playing cards, etc are all fine. Travel alarm or inexpensive watch could be good too.
9)The company we are using is excellent. They currently have the Kansas City Wizards and Real Salt Lake down here. They are the group that has hosted the Regional teams as well. After they leave - Maryland OODP comes in. I have asked them to send me the final itinerary as soon as it is final. We have had rough ones, but felt it best to wait till we have everything ironed out. We will have representatives/guides with us the entire time including staying at hotel with us.

I hope that now covers things and reiterates other important things. The trip will be great, so please don't worry. If your son forgets something - they will find it in Buenos Aires:) Just don't forget your soccer shoes!!

Any questions... feel free to contact us via this or e-mail.

Great ODP Weekend at Williamsburg

2008-02-24T14:27:00.000-08:00

A great job to players, coaches and parents for this past weekend. I was so impressed with how quickly the teams were playing the style we want in Maryland. One of the most impressive games was one we lost by a few goals - but only due to the physical size difference between our 95s and the opponent. Even the opponent's coach said afterwards that we were the most impressive team he had ever seen at that age. That type of play will pay off down the road. We need to keep encouraging the possession style of play that gets the players comfortable with the ball under pressure. The weekend also brought out areas that we need to address in training, and we look at the next few sessions to iron out the main issues we saw.
At any rate, thanks for all the hard work from everyone.
Upcoming practices will be announced soon. (WE STILL NEED FIELDS!!)

Answering your questions...

2008-01-21T08:14:00.000-08:00

Anonymous said...
Question 1:
Coach -- thanks for all your guidance and insights on this blog. I have found what you have to say to be very interesting and helpful. Here are a couple of things that have been on my mind ... what is your feeling about high school age and younger kids playing "too much soccer," assuming you think there is such a thing as too much soccer ... ?
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KTSOCCER WORLD:
US Soccer has been addressing the issue of too much soccer and have come out with guidelines in a handbook entitled: “BEST PRACTICES”. This gives suggested practice amounts (days and minutes per week) as well as games per week. More and more associations are trying to bring their leagues/clubs in line with these suggestions. Unfortunately, high school soccer does not fall under the US Soccer Umbrella so as kids hit HS age they end up playing far more soccer than would be recommended. As HS soccer is a school activity there is a tendency to use every available day as either practice or games. Some HS coaches are realizing this and give appropriate days off (or lighter training sessions). The other unfortunately part of HS soccer has been that they have traditionally played on poor fields (and often football width fields – far narrower than needed). This leads to poor quality games, more of a physical game and hence more injuries. This should gradually change for the better as more and more schools are putting in the new turf (while never as good as a good grass field – much better than what most played on before). The better fields will lead to better soccer and fewer injuries. To download the 70 page PDF of Best Practices you can go to this link:
http://images.ussoccer.com/Documents/cms/ussf/Best_Practices.pdf
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Question 2:
I've seen a number of kids seemingly get dinged-up from all the soccer practice and games they are playing. Burnout has also seemed to be a factor for a couple of kids that I have seen quit soccer.
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KTSOCCERWORLD:
Burnout is a major issue for young players, referees and even some coaches. It comes from the factors above (too much soccer sometimes and it comes from the factors below – the unfair emphasis on winning at younger ages. Parents share a lot of the blame for this culture happening in youth soccer (its not just coaches). Parents believe that if their kid is on a team that wins that it will automatically lead to a scholarship. Going into things with that approach will automatically take away the chances for enjoyment (that is why we initially start to play anything – because it is fun). All coaches and parents must keep that in mind. The number one reason kids burnout is due to a lack of having fun – not playing too much or too little – just not having fun when they are playing/practicing.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Question 3:

I've also read some recruiting accounts where some college coaches say that they like to see kids who have participated in more than one sport, as they think such an approach can help development. In this regard, it seems that many of the soccer programs today almost preclude participation in any other sport ...
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KTSOCCERWORLD:
I have honestly not heard of any coach preferring a player to divide them selves between a few sports (2 sport athletes in college has virtually gone other than in Division 3 – and that may be where you heard that). At some point a player who wants to play at the highest level possible (and has the God given talent and athleticism to do so), must concentrate on that sport above all the rest. I might throw out that starting at the HS age may be the time where a strong dedication to one sport might be important (IF THAT IS WHAT THE PLAYER WANTS).
___________________________________________________________________________________
Also, what do you think about what is seemingly a very strong emphasis on winning at the club level? Is it too much?
SEE ABOVE……..

Interested in other people’s thoughts..........

Post ODP Meeting Items

2008-01-09T11:06:00.001-08:00

Thanks to all the parents who made it out last night for the meeting. Following are a few items I forgot to mention as well as a response to comment for one of the other blogs.
1) I mentioned this to the 91 parents but meant to do same for the 92s and 93s. The player pool for your age groups is around 24-25 players. For the ODP tournament in June we select minimally 18. We are allowed to take more although can only play 18 in each game. Therefore, just as the last chapter was making the ODP pool, the next challenge for those players is to emerge as one of the 18 at least.
2) For the 94 and 95 age groups we take 2 teams each to the ODP tournament, therefore all players can be rostered.
3) The Jefferson Cup appears to be the one potential conflict with the international trips. As I said in an earlier blog response, one has to believe that experience of going to Buenos Aires and playing those teams will make the individual better and therefore make his club team better when he returns - as opposed to going to Richmond and playing most likely the same teams one sees at most other tournaments.
In the long run it makes more sense on all accounts to go to Argentina or Scotland. You help yourself and you help your club. (Others on your club get to play more at Jefferson Cup as well - also in theory helping the development of your team.
4) Reminder to try and attend the NSCAA convention and MSYSA Workshop at the convention in Baltimore. Info can be found on the following links:
www.nscaa.com
http://www.msysa.org/programs/workshop/index_E.html

Addressing comments in a response to an earlier blog:
The 91 team had 10 players from last year try out again this year.
Only 3 players from last "voluntarily" decided not to try out. 8 are on clubs that are part of the Academy program and therefore were not allowed to tryout. Kinda misleading to say they voluntarily didn't come out. Several of them thought that they were going to be able to tryout anyway as we almost did get the rules changed. It is certainly possible that those rules could be changed in the future.
Numbers for 92 team are being sorted now and will post when I have an accurate count.

Lowering the cost of participation in the ODP was requested due to some players not being out he team this year due to academy. Didn't really understand that, but will say that we operate on a zero balance budget - meaning that MSYSA makes no money on ODP and, in fact, usually loses money on the program. I wish that we could find a way to lower the costs. MSYSA needs very much to create a fundraising arm to their organization. I am happy that over the last 4 years we have not really had to raise the fees at all. I am certainly open to ideas to try and make fees smaller.

Again - thanks for attendance last night and please get in any forms, etc that you may still need to get to Jen. If you signed up for an international tour, but did not put in a deposit, then we need to get that (or cc #) asap. If you did not sign up last night and have decided you do want to go, then same thing - we need to know asap. Thanks a lot. You will be hearing from your coaches soon regarding training as we sort out fields.

Academy Programs

2007-12-22T07:13:00.000-08:00

The new US Soccer Academy program is the first youth league ever organized by US Soccer and not US Youth Soccer. That, in essence, is why it is so different. All other youth soccer leagues and events (including ODP) is under the umbrella of US Youth Soccer. Decisions on the rules and regulations for those are made by the Regional Director’s and State Presidents. Rules and regs for the Academy league are made by US Soccer (significant input coming from our national youth team coaches). The Academy program is actually just another league with specific rules that the organizers feel will be better for the development of the players.

The Academy program will have identification events to select players for opportunities with the National teams. Some national camps have already occurred with players from a Thanksgiving event. (We are very happy that 6 guys who played for MD ODP were selected out of those events to be on US teams in the NIKE Friendlies. At the same time that event was going on there was an “inter regional” with the ODP programs in Disney. Likewise players were selected from that event to join various national team events.

So what I believe we have are 2 programs that both have the ability to present players for the next level. The Academy program does it through club events while the ODP does it through state and regional events. Both have merit. I certainly hope that the Academy Program reaches it goal of providing a top developmental environment for the players involved. Important to keep in mind is that each club will be different based on coaching staff, facilities, finances, etc. That is not different than it has ever been. In many ways the Academy teams that really have the most on the line are the MLS youth teams. They probably have the most vested interest as they hope to directly benefit from the development of the players in their program.

Having said all that I do believe that the most important indicator of whether the Academy program is successful is if it does attract the college coaches. That is the main by-product for 99.9% of the players that are on top club teams. One thing I know for sure – college coaches will go to all tournaments and events that have good players regardless of whether they are “Academy”, US Youth Soccer/ODP or anything else. As there are not enough Academy teams to cover all the top players in the country (or even in any one area), all programs will continue to play an important role in the game’s development.

ODP INTERNATIONAL TRIPS

2007-12-21T15:16:00.000-08:00

) How does participating in or not participating in the overseas trip hurt / help a player? What if we are financially constrained?
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I have been on many, many international soccer tours with club, college, national teams, ODP teams. I have yet to have a poor soccer experience. It is the world's game and these trips expose the players to a passion for the sport that unfortunately cannot be replicated in this country - although we can only hope we are moving that way.

We play teams that are made up of same age players from the professional clubs of Argentina
(91 and 93 teams) and Scotland (95 trip). These are players who are trying to work their way up to the professional level. They were born with the soccer ball at their feet and the game in their hearts. Exposure to this environment never ceases to motivate me. The players will go against talent and sophistication that they are not use to. This will push them to be there best and find ways to be better. They simply do not get pushed this way at home - even when playing against older players. It is hard to describe the effect this has on the players.
In Argentina we take the U-15s and 17s. They play back to back games and that night they "critique" each other. We see the soccer brains developing at these team meetings. We see older payers helping younger players the same way a true club system would be... unfortunately not found here either.
For some players the opportunity to return to train with a professional club has happened. We had 2 players last year get invited to train with Celtic for 2 weeks in the summer. The year before we had a U-15 player invited to train with a Brazilian club.
Regarding finances for these trips - all I can say is that we price them at the absolute east we can. MSYSA makes no money off the trips - actually they lose money sue to costs of the staff. Is it worth it? I can't answer that. We can find ways to help with a payment plan and things like that, but unfortunately this is the one area where we do not have any financial assistance.
Does it hurt or help to go or not go?? Well naturally your son will have a unique opportunity for improvement and for a significant cultural education. It certainly won't be held against anyone for not going, but those who do go have an experience that they can bring back to help their game, their club team and teammates.
Hope that helps. It is an amazing culture we expose the boys to - on and off the field.

ODP TRYOUT EVALUATIONS

2007-12-19T11:16:00.000-08:00

ODP TRYOUTS – WHAT SEPARATES PLAYERS

Trying out for ODP teams can be a very stressful time - before, during and after. When tryouts are over I often get e-mails and calls asking for evaluations of the players so they can work on what they need to do to improve. With hundreds of quality soccer players trying out it is impossible to give individual evaluations. However, there are some areas of the game that are the MOST COMMON in separating players from one level to another. These may be helpful in evaluating one’s own child, oneself or the player you coach.

1) First touch on the ball. Do you control the ball or does the ball control you? This is easy to see and those who have the ball controlling them can never make the step to a high level. First touch may well be the first thing to look at.
2) Speed of play. This is more in relation to what I cal “soccer speed”. How fast can one execute a technical requirement of the game. Can a payer (under pressure) take a pass and as quickly and efficiently as possible execute the next play.
3) Tactical decisions. Even if the player does things with effective speed, then the question becomes: is the player making the best decision possible and how fast does that player see the options.
4) Does the player make the game better? This can be due to overall ability, athleticism and a good “soccer brain”. It can also be because that player does something extremely well that a coach may feel overrides the deficiencies. For example – the player is a great 1v1 player, but lacks defensive instincts or great passing. Maybe the player is a fantastic defender but lacks elsewhere. The essential question is does the player have a chance to make the team better as opposed to just holding his own (not a good standard to use in making an ODP team).

Needless to say, there are other things that can factor in – especially at the younger age groups where sizes of players are so varied. Coaches are always asking the question: “While this player may not be able to compete athletically now, can he be one of the best when he does catch up with the athletically advanced players?” We certainly try and select those players even if they do not seem to be as effective as some who do not make it.

At the end of the day our staff can safely say that anyone who is selected has deserved to be, but we also know there are some not selected who are very good players. For those the greatest challenge is to now look at their game and really try and improve the above areas in particular. The higher the level the less time and space players have to be effective. Work on speed of play, speed of execution and speed of thought.

Feel free to give your thoughts…
www.ktsoccerworld.com

More on the Non-Academic/soccer factors in the college decision

2007-09-18T06:47:00.000-07:00

Non-academic-athletic factors – These include the location of the school (urban or rural), size of school (and of classes), off-campus activities, housing, social life, etc.

Consider where you are when you step off campus. What does the city or town offer and is it what you are looking for. This is not saying that one scenario is better than another, but your entire college life will not just be within the confines of the campus. If you are in a major city, then you have the option of taking advantage of the many cultural and social outlets that will be there. At the same time you will have the challenges that a big city brings – transportation, safety, noise, etc.

If you come from a small private school with small class sizes you may wish to continue that. Ask the average class size at the school. There is usually a direct correlation of class size to total student body size. What are you comfortable with?

Clearly you need to see what other the school offers within its campus that will enhance your experience. That may be concerts, clubs to join, speakers and many other events.

Spend a night in a dorm if you can. Certainly if you are a potential student-athlete then you should take an overnight visit to get to know the team. Remember that the dorm room is critical to your enjoyment as you will end up back in that room everyday you are in college.

Truly, just walking around and looking at the current students gives you an idea of what you would be joining. The best thing that can happen is that at some point during your visit to a school you are able to say – “I know this is for me”.

more on the college decision process

2007-09-05T06:45:00.000-07:00

Parts 3 and 4 of a decision...

3. Non-academic-athletic factors – These include the location of the school (urban or rural), size of school (and of classes), off-campus activities, housing, social life, etc
4. Financial Factors – Obviously this is critical, but I put it last for a reason. I strongly urge people to try and decide on the college they want to go to and then see if they can make it work financially. You will be amazed at the many ways of working out a plan to pay for school. Your best resource for help is the financial Aid Department at that school. Many of the high cost schools have some creative ways of funding the education. Naturally, you may have the opportunity for athletic scholarships (if you are the best of the best), but there are other ways to get to the school you want).

I will expand on these 2 areas in the next blog.

Advice for Recruiting - #2

2007-07-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

“The Main Ingredients”
Part 1

I often give talks on the college recruiting process to HS, club and camp groups. I break down the process into 4 categories of consideration:

1. Academics – Find the schools that are the best challenge for you. Be sure they have the areas of study you are interested As many will not know yet what they want to study and some of you will change your mind, make sure you find out how one goes about deciding on a major at each school. Is it easy to change direction after a year or 2? NCAA rules give you 2 years before you need to declare a major – plenty of time to figure things out (and change your mind!)

Category 2 next... Athletics/Soccer

RECRUITING ADVICE FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

2007-07-09T07:55:00.000-07:00

Learn From the Pros

2007-05-10T18:11:00.000-07:00

“Learn From the Pros” is Launching!
Don’t Miss It…

Almost a year’s work is about to go online and I think you are going to love it! If you click on the following link, then you will be directed to a sample of one of the days of training by the famous Brazilian club – Corinthians. http://www.ktsoccerworld.com/train_preview.asp
Check it out and if you like it ( and only a true soccer basher won’t), then please consider joining ktsoccerworld to be able to see the entire project.
4 MLS teams and 4 of the top Brazilian teams…
Anywhere from 2 to 4 training sessions per team that will have a complete printable outline of each session. These outlines have diagrams as well as comments form me about the keys points to each exercise. Additionally, you will be able to view video clips from these sessions that will help give you a clear idea of what the team is working on. Needless to say, it will be great just seeing some of the best players in soccer training.

So it doesn’t matter if you are a coach, player or fan, this is something unique and real interesting. The best part is that it only has a one time fee of $40 – that allows you complete access for as long as you want and as many times as you want. Help me spread the good word about this project. I hope you enjoy it and look forward to hearing from you about what you see and also with any questions regarding the training.

The sample session is up and the first team will be completely up soon.

Scott Alexander

2007-03-31T10:22:00.000-07:00

Scott Alexander - In Memoriam
January 18, 1971 – March 26, 2007

Coach Scott Alexander was only 36 years when a brain tumor suddenly took his life. He was the Head Coach for Magruder HS in Montgomery County, Maryland - as well as a successful youth coach in the area. I got to know Scott a couple years ago when I was his instructor at the National “C” License. Scott proved very clearly that he was a talented and enthusiastic coach as he earned his license as one of the top coaches in the course. As I sat yesterday through a moving hour and a half memorial service (held in the auditorium of Magruder HS), it was clear that I had not been lucky enough to have known him well.

In a life cut tragically short, Scott was able to touch so many people in such a lasting way. I listened to coaching colleagues, co-workers and former players and friends talk about a man who put more into 36 years than almost everyone does in twice that time. He was in education and there can be no better compliment in that field than that you were able to make a difference in the lives of young people. Scott did.

One of Scott’s former players spoke eloquently about the way his Coach affected the lives of those on his teams. All the players former and present went onto the stage and one by one lit a candle of the player next to him. This had significant meaning to the guys as it was some sort of tradition that Scott had created with his teams. To me I saw one candle’s flame brighten up as it lit up another and then another and then another. This passing of the energy of the flame is symbolic to me of the way that Scott’s life obviously strengthened those of so many people – he shared his light and brightened up the lives of so many young people.

His memory and legacy will continue to affect the lives of many. I am sorry that I did not get to know Scott better. As a coach there is nothing more gratifying than to see your players improve as a whole person. I am quite sure that the Magruder HS soccer team past, present and in the future will continue to reflect Scott’s positive energy, his integrity and his obvious care for the betterment of those around him. I noticed they wear adidas… maybe next year every time they put on their uniform they can think:
All Day I Dream About Scott … I have no doubt that his legacy will live on in them for many years to come.

Rest In Peace

COACHING LESSONS FROM BROADCASTING

2007-03-30T04:30:00.000-07:00

Keep it simple. We often complicate the game by over-analysis. We often complicate practices by having too many drills and rules. It is called the simple game for a reason. Broadcasters often over do it as well - Talk for the sake of talking instead of for painting a picture with a comment or an idea. In my openings to the matches it became obvious that this was something I already knew from coaching. Keep it simple and it works a lot better.

The view from the booth is better than from the field. The coaches have the worst seat in the house. When you are evaluating a game you must do it from above. We are always at midfield when we broadcast and high up. I have often seen the game differently than from the coaches below. It was something I always knew as a coach, but could never detach myself from the field to sit up high when my teams were playing. It might be a good thing to do once in a while. A knew perspective on the same picture. That is what broadcasting brought me.

Working as a team is better than as individuals. This is not a new concept, but it is so over spoken without backing it up. There has to be a leader (the producer – the coach). There has to be other important parts (cameramen, play by play guy, analyst, assistant coach, captain…). There has to be a lot of ‘workers’ (graphics, sound, cable men, starters, subs, trainers…) If each did there own thing, then the final product doesn’t play out. When everyone works together under a common direction, then everybody makes the show and team work best. The sum of the parts… We have heard it so many times – because it is so true.

My thanks tothe entire production crew - Sean Wheelock (play by play),Dave Bolton, the NSCAA with Pat Britx and Chris Wyche and Fox Soccer for showing that lessons from teamwork on the field carry to virtually everything off the field.

PS – Instant replays help too!

“My First Special Report: Penn State’s Grady Renfrow Beating Cancer”

2007-03-28T07:31:00.001-07:00

Indiana at Penn State

For 5-6 long months in the winter/spring of 2004 Grady Renfrow – a Junior soccer player for Penn State – battled Leukemia in the Georgetown University Hospital in a room overlooking the soccer field. I became very close friends with Grady during that time period when chemo challenged everything he had inside himself. I told our producers about Grady a couple weeks before the match and they thought it would be a great piece to put on the air (with Grady’s permission, of course). I was given the task of getting the okay as well as all background information. On the day of the game all I knew was that they were planning on doing something…

…little did I know that they were going to have me do the story!

So another learning experience, but one I was honored to have. The saying in sports that games are decided in a matter of seconds and inches also holds true for live broadcasting. The story was partly taped a couple hours prior to the game, but was started and ended live at halftime – by me! In a quick rehearsal during the commercial where I had to give the history of Grady in about 45 seconds I finished 1 second late. And I was told (or reminded) that I could not be 1 second late. When the camera went live I was able to get everything in and give a smooth lead into interviews with Penn State head coach Barry Gorman and with Grady. Then back to me live to wrap up and send it back to Sean Wheelock in the booth.

I can tell you that I was more nervous about that then anything else I had done in my short broadcasting career because Grady deserved a professionally done story. I think he got it, and as I said on the air I was real proud to be able to see him play live after seeing him go through his courageous and inspirational battle.

As a side note, Penn State upset Indiana 1-0 on senior night. Had Grady not missed his sophomore year due to the cancer he would have been amongst those seniors, but he will be back for one more year and enjoy his senior night next Fall.

“2 Games Back to Back”

2007-03-28T07:30:00.002-07:00

William and Mary at ODU
Wake Forest at Virginia

The last time I studied this hard was back in college – no probably high school! When I say study I mean finding out about the tendencies of the teams, the history of the rivalry, each of the starters and main reserves for each team, etc. This week we had games Thursday night and Friday night. I had to be careful not to overlook Friday while preparing for Thursday. This was no different than when I was coaching and we had Friday – Sunday games as is often the case in college soccer. We would always only prepare the team for the next game, but in our minds as coaches we had to prepare for both games. Inevitably one could not be as prepared for the Sunday game as the Friday game, but you had to try your best for both.

So I talked with all 4 coaches, read and re-read and re-read all the press releases, media guides, web pages, etc about all the teams and jolted my memory banks about those players whom I knew from seeing on the recruiting trails. Many of the players I watched while working these Fox Soccer broadcasts were players I tried to get at Georgetown, so I had a lot of familiarity with them. Most made me pissed off that I didn’t get them at GU, but some made me happy I lost out!! (No names-sorry).

Old Dominion secured a spot in the NCAA tournament (at least in this reporters opinion) with a 2-1 victory over the Tribe (who’s season ended with the loss).

The Wake – Virginia match was great. #3 vs #2 in the country and it fit the billing – albeit in cold, rainy conditions that kept the crowd down to just under 3000. Good weather may have brought upwards of 8000 to Klockner Stadium. Wake “upset” U Va 2-1 on a great goal by Freshman Cody Arnealt. The game of inches cliché was back in order as U Va came that close to tying the score with 3 seconds left. The goal was disallowed as the assistant referee flagged the ball out of bounds first – but just barely. I supported the referees in this decision. They were delighted to hear that- although probably surprised after 22 years of me usually arguing their calls! Hey – why upset the referees now…I may return to the sidelines someday!!!

Pele-Santos-Beckham

2007-03-28T07:30:00.001-07:00

January 29, 2007

Last night I saw Santos play in the “House that Pele Built” - my original name for “Vila Belmiro”. Santos defeated Guaratingueta 1-0 on some brilliance by Brazilian international Ze Roberto. It was over 30 years ago when I last saw Santos play as toured the US and played at RFK stadium. I don’t remember much about the game – other than the magical Brazilians led by the world’s greatest player in their White jerseys with diagonal black stripe (the same as they still wear). It was not many years later that Pele came to the NY Cosmos and changed the landscape of soccer in the United States forever.

On the drive up the mountain from Santos back to the hotel in Sao Paulo I couldn’t help but think that were it not for Pele very few of us may be able to have full time careers in this great game. I also started thinking what a mistake it would be to think that the MLS’s signing of David Beckham could possibly have anywhere near the same effect. A positive effect – for sure as he is a great player in his own right. However, Beckham certainly does not have the magic that awes us as did Pele (other than an occasional free kick!)

He does bring the international spotlight on US domestic soccer, and he may even be opening the door for other world stars to join our league under the new “Beckham rule”. However, he may be a disappointment as he lacks the flair that would draw and keep new fans. Hopefully, we can take full advantage of the fact that he is an ultimate professional, and will take the league seriously- unlike some previous mega-stars who came over… remember Lothar Mathias??? Thankfully most of us forget that he played in the MLS.

Hopefully someday I will leave Old Trafford and have similar thoughts about Beckham as I did about Pele – but I doubt it. There will only ever be one King.

“Broadcasting isn’t always in a Booth”

2007-03-28T07:29:00.000-07:00

Maryland at UNC – Fox Soccer

Whenever possible they want the cameras placed where they film across the field into the main stands. That meant at UNC that the play by play (Sean Wheelock) and I were positioned high up on scaffolding between the 2 benches. The day prior to the match that would not have been a problem as it was a beautiful 84 degrees and sunny. What a difference a day can make. At kick off on Friday at 8 PM it was already 50 degrees and falling after a rain soaked day. On top of that was a steady wind blowing – you guessed it – right at us in the scaffolding? The main problem this presented for me was that it was not easy placing my notes anywhere so I was relying on memory much more than before. (For those who know me well – relying on my memory is not always a good thing. I could always remember a soccer player or a part of any game my team has ever played, but day to day memory has something to be desired).

Fortunately, both teams put on a good game which always makes it easier to commentate on. On this specific night I was able to experience (and therefore appreciate) the play by play part of announcing. We think moisture from the rain all day must have got into some of the wiring. 15 minutes into the match Sean Wheelock’s microphone did not seem to be working… As we are talking as if everything was ok, we were also looking at each wondering what was happening. Then I get the producer in my ear: “Keith – you take over…take over, now”. I am fortunate that Maryland and UNC were 2 teams I knew very well so that my 5 minutes or so of play by play was more descriptive than “the guy in red is playing it back to his teammate who is being pressured by the guy in white…”.

Technical difficulties do happen and it gave me a great appreciation of how sharp play by play guys need to be. I definitely prefer the analyst position where I only need to talk when there is something to talk about.

PS – AS one would guess in the cold and wind – the game went through 2 overtimes and ended correctly as a 1-1 draw. It was Md captain Steve King who equalized in the second half after Ben Hunter had put UNC on top after just 10 minutes into the match. Maryland Goalkeeper Chris Seitz saved the day stopping a UNC penalty kick ate in the game.

“All Preparation can go Down the Drain in a Second”

2007-03-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

Duke at Maryland –Fox Soccer

One live TV match under my belt and now I was ready for anything. Seasoned after 2 hours on the air, I knew my main job would be to come up with a pre game introduction to grab the interest of the viewers. No tomato patches at Maryland to talk about (See Blog #1), so it was all mine to devise. And this would be easy: 2 of the top teams in the country in front of a frenzied Maryland crowd. I had prepared all day and virtually memorized my pre game piece (just as I had for 22 years for my games as head coach at Georgetown). I always walked into the locker room knowing exactly the points I wanted to make – the emotion I wanted to bring out. This was no different. When it came time to tape my intro I was standing at midfield an hour before the game and already the stands were filling. Showtime!

In my earpiece the producer says 5 seconds Keith… ready... go. I knew I nailed it right from the start. A fantastic opening that brought in the importance of the ACC match, the NCAA implications and the atmosphere. Then reality hit – it wasn’t my show… the next words from the producer in my earpiece was: “Keith that was great, but if we use all that we will have to start the game late. Now do it again and cut it half. I’ll give you 20 seconds to gather your thoughts. He gave me 15 seconds, and I learned another big lesson – simplify everything as much as possible. I think I nailed it in the short version as well! Preparation helps you adjust when things do not go as planned.

More to come…

PS – Maryland did not disappoint their crowd of 6 and half thousand as Maurice Edu won the center midfield battle with Duke’s Michael Videra scoring the lone goal. Impressive Terp goalkeeper Chris Seitz from California gain yet another shutout in his young career - a future MLS star for sure. Edu was this year’s first pick in the MLS super draft (Toronto) and Seitz was the 4th (Real Salt Lake)

“From Veteran Coach to Rookie Broadcaster”

2007-03-28T07:24:00.001-07:00

“From Veteran Coach to Rookie Broadcaster”
Coastal Carolina at UNC-Greensboro

I have been a soccer coach my entire adult life. You would think that heading down Interstate 95 to Greensboro, NC last fall to do my first broadcast for the NSCAA and Fox Soccer Channel would be a chance to simply review in my head all the players for each team. Instead it was a 5 hour drive wondering about all the things that have nothing to do with soccer that could affect my rookie appearance as the color commentator for this match between Coastal Carolina and UNC-Greensboro. Where do I stand if I am doing an interview? Where do I hold the microphone? Do I look at the camera or the coach I am talking with? These were just a few of many questions going through my head over and over again. My first experience ended up relatively painless, but is worth talking about.

I arrived at the UNC-G soccer stadium 3 and 1/2 hours prior to the match to meet the producer Dave Bolton and Sean Wheelock (the play by play announcer). We were supposed to meet 3 hours prior, but my saying I always used with the players I coached for 22 years at Georgetown - “that the only way to be on time is to be early” – stuck in my head all day as I headed there. So 30 minutes early and what did I find? - No one who could help me with anything yet. In fact most people didn’t even realize I was going to be doing this game. I was hoping there would be an easy to follow users’ guide for a first time color commentator. I was also hoping this would be about 3 pages long only with big print so I could see it without my reading glasses! But there was nothing.

When I finally met with the Dave and Sean as well as Pat Britz from the NSCAA it was fairly evident that I was expected to be able to figure things out as we go. Dave’s productions are first class and he just gets people to do it right – with or without experience. Immediately I was told that I would do an opening piece that would be taped an hour prior to game time. It needed to be big, exciting – bring the audience into the game before the game starts. This was it – my Dick Vitale moment. Then I was asked to include a ritual that the UNC-G head coach (Mike Parker – a very close friend of mine) did before every home game: pick a tomato from a tomato patch he had planted in the corner of the stadium. So I had to throw out all my soccer lines and thoughts of the strategy the teams would need to battle each other and come up with an introduction of which the highlight would be picking tomatoes! (It was actually a good way to change a often similar opening).

Welcome to live TV. I don’t even like tomatoes! More to come…

PS – UNC-Greensboro won 4-0 with impressive performances by their center midfield duo from Iceland – Jokull Elisabetarson and Henning Jonasson , sophomore Tom Campbell and senior Randi Patterson - both from the PDA club in New Jersey as well as senior Scott Jones (drafted in this years MLS super draft by FC Dallas)

WELCOME!!!

2007-03-28T07:24:00.000-07:00

Welcome to KTSOCCERWORLD
“Our First Blog”

After 24 years of college coaching (the last 22 as Head Coach at Georgetown University), I have created KTSOCCERWORLD. This will be a company of services and education on many aspects of soccer from coaching education to player clinics to lecture and consultations. The most exciting part of KTSOCCERWORLD will be the launching this spring with observations of 8 professional teams as they take up to a week to prepare for a game. How much time is dedicated to fitness, to technical work and to tactics? How do they combine these areas together? The goal of this study is to see teams when they only have 1 match during that week. What does the Monday through Friday look like as a team prepares for a major game on Saturday? An exciting part of this project is the teams we are observing. We will see 4 MLS teams as well as 4 of the top teams from BRAZIL with VIDEO, ANIMATION and COMMENTARY! I will spend 4 weeks from mid-January to mid-February with significant access to teams that will include Santos (Pele’s club) and the famous Corinthians.

As the web site launches I hope you will continue to come back to read various blogs on a variety of topics. I look forward to your feedback and comments on them. One of my new ventures after leaving Georgetown was working as the “Analyst” on Fox Soccer Channel for college games of the week. My transition from veteran coach to rookie broadcaster was interesting, to say the least. I will let you in on some of the behind the scenes challenges. I will also write about many of my experiences coaching at Georgetown. How have players changed over the years? How can you best prepare yourself or your child for college soccer? How to go about the recruiting process?

I will try and share some of my experiences and insight with you on topics that will help you as a coach, player, soccer ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’, and fan. Feel free to start your feedback with topics you may want to hear about. Click on the “About Us” tab on the homepage to find out more about the background of KTSOCCERWORLD and the many years of experience I hope to share with you.

Enjoy and please pass on to your soccer friends. A main goal of mine after leaving Georgetown is to help promote the development of the game. This is my vehicle for doing just that. Welcome to KTSOCCERWORLD !