US Soccer's 12 Year Plan... how do we contribute?

The video above provides some significant information of how the US Soccer Federation has planned to find success during the 2010 World Cup. I want to note the time frame of the 5:35-6 Minute mark where they say, "The idea is to create an environment that emphasizes training and development rather than wins and losses. And it's got one goal in mind and that is to produce the next generation of National team players ready to compete against the best players in the world." It continues on, "Bradenton (youth academy) would hopefully grow itself out of existence and we wouldn't need it. We wouldn't need a dream team for 17 year olds if a couple of thousand 17 year olds were in a better environment."

So the question I pose is that if the US Soccer Federation's map to success is not focused on winning at age u17, and is instead focused on providing an environment geared towards training and player development then why do we not follow suit at the youth levels?

I suggest that tradition in youth sports is that adults drive the expectation of winning so high that the youth feel that they are not accepted unless they produce results on game day. Do not get me wrong, I am all for competition and wanting players to want to do what it takes to win. I am an American, I LOVE winning! But in so many circumstances we fail our kids by putting them in environments where they will win the majority of the time and emphasize the need to win. I would like to argue that a healthy balance of wins and losses helps our young players develop faster than if they are winning all of the time.

I will also argue forever that until our country embraces the idea that if we emphasize developing the players on our team to be technically sound and comfortable on the ball that the wins will come when the games are actually relevant.

Int he 2008 publication of Soccer America Magazine there is an article that recognizes a report from the US Soccer Technical Committee:

"Our players are not good enough at the highest levels -- we need to get better," reads the introduction to the Technical Committee's Player Development Report.

The report outlined changes the committee believed are needed at different age groups. Notably, for ages 6-12, the assessment summary included "Need more free play, less structure ... Encourage passion and experimentation." At ages 13-17 (the development stages): "Need to eliminate clutter in the environment -- elite players are stretched too thin."

The article later reads,

To counter the "growing trend of clubs playing an excessive quantity of games in lieu of consistent training patterns," academy teams will not play in any other leagues or State Cup competitions. Players will be allowed to play high school ball, for U.S. national teams and in a few other situations.

"It was never more clear to me that things in our youth soccer structure needed to change than at our first U-15 camp last summer," says U.S. U-15 boys national team coach Jim Barlow, "when about half of the players, on the very first day of national team camp, told their coaches that they were tired of soccer. Too many games, too many leagues, too many tournaments and camps, too much structured soccer had already taken its toll on this group of talented young players."

Bob Jenkins, U.S. Soccer Director of Youth Development, found that the club coaches whose teams participate in an excessive amount of competitions -- placing an emphasis on results over player development -- often agreed that their players were asked to play too many games. But they go along with it because the parents who pay them judge them on their teams' trophy-collecting ability and believe that if the children miss a showcase event they may miss a chance to be discovered by college or national team coaches.

My next question is why does US Youth Soccer promote National Championships at such young ages and at what age does Brazil first host a national championship tournament?



The video is a sobering display of the difference in culture. In the video it mentions that TEAMS are not formed/emphasized until the age of 13. If that is so, how are their players so good?

May I suggest, as Georgia Youth Soccer suggests, that it because of the multiple environments (and culture) that kids PLAY in develop them far more than the structured environments that we put them in. The video shows the different environments that kids grow up PLAYING in.



So we investigate Brazil. Of any country they arguably produce the most professional players in the world AND have five stars above their crest (each representing Wordl Cup Championships). So what does Brazil do different than the U.S.A.?

I would argue that the secret to their success is an emphasis on the ability for players to be confident and comfortable on the ball so they can perform when they make quality tactical decisions and that the ability to make good decisions comes from a less controlled and more free environment for them to express themselves when the ball is at their feet. The Brazilians emphasize the word "relax" or "calme" in Portuguese (watch video below).



There are a ton of things that we need to do to improve the development of the players in our country. But the one thing that will start a cultural swing in our country is the emphasis on players instead of teams. It should be our goal to make soccer enjoyable for all players, however we should not sacrifice the development of any player for any reason, especially to get a result on game day.

I raise the questions; What is our 12 year plan in our community? And how do we go about implementing a 12 year plan that reflects a combination of the US soccer academy structure and the insight of the Brazilian culture?

I am hoping for some replies that can generate some dialogue. I hope that you will assist in the process by expressing/sharing some of your own ideas, questions and concerns so please feel free to respond by clicking the COMMENTS link below. Also, if you want to view the entire Goergia Youth Soccer "Player Development " video it is below.