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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=NOVASoccerCoach][quote=Anonymous]About this hang up on physicality in American soccer....So I watched the Maradona HBO doc last night and it was the classic 'zero physical advantage so I had to find other ways'.  His footwork and smarts unbelievable.  Until the addictions.  A lot of truly amazing players fall into this category, Messi, Cryuff (said he was slow so had to be faster in his brain), Iniesta, Pep,  etc.

At the age of 16 Paul Scholes as he did not possess outstanding power, speed or athletic prowess which – unfortunately – is highly coveted by many misguided individuals involved at the grassroots level of the game. Without question, Scholes could have easily dropped out of the sport at a young age if the Manchester United academy staff were transfixed with short-term “success” and results. If they had been focusing on winning games, and therefore utilizing the capabilities of players who demonstrated greater speed and physicality, Paul Scholes would have been simply left on the bench. This is how Les Kershaw (the former Manchester United Academy Director) describes Paul Scholes and his development:

"He was a little one. He had asthma. No strength. No power. No athleticism. No endurance. 'You've got a bleeding dwarf,' I remember somebody said to Brian Kidd (Former youth-team coach). 'You will eat your words,' said Kidd. If Scholes had been at a lesser club, they would have got rid of him and he would probably not be in the game now. We stuck with Scholes, a wonderful technician.

He ended up one of the best midfielders of all time.  Sir Alex Ferguson (former Manchester United manager): “He has a clever football brain. He’s two-footed, has a quick football brain and that marks him out as one of the best players in the game. He`s actually the cleverest midfield player we’ve ever had. To work with him has been an absolute pleasure.”

The US will never be like this because the end game is 18 college.  There isn't time for kids to show later potential.  The sport is done for them when they could just be coming into their own.[/quote]

Agree with you 100% the issue is here in America there's not a soccer-infused culture. Kids in other countries start touching a ball at 1-2 years old, they play soccer outside on the streets. In America we play basketball. Imagine if all the basketball courts in the whole country were futsal cages. USA would produce the best soccer players in the world easily. [/quote]

The US youth system works against developmental of offense midfielders. I see it with my DD at u12. Our club is one of the big athletic club with not much technical skill. She is not as aggressive as your typical top team girl in term on receive the ball, head down and attack regardless if it’s a 1v1 or 1v3. She can do that but it’s not her playing style. Now her passing is very aggressive -  dribble to draw in defenders, accurate under pressure, splitting the defense, eliminating one or two defenders, switching play, through ball with the right weight, etc. She likes passing and getting her teams involved. At u10 she said it’s easier to pass and it works better. She knows what type of balls each teammate can handle and who will be in the right position and who drifts.  She get frustrated when she passes to another player who puts her head and dribbles when she wants her to make the next pass to the open player. She does not fit in. She is big, fairly fast and really technical. The coaches wants her to just dribble and shoot. I do not think they know what to do with her.

We did one of those “soccer” trips to the UK with the team and those coaches were all over her within 30 minutes. Those coaches gave me the impression they knew what to do with her. I came away thinking what if we lived there? Now tryouts at club ...lol. You can see her technical skill but she style is the antithesis to what is needed to standout at a tryout. I can see how future midfielders get passed over in favor of the typical travel girl. The club tryout system seems good at identifying defenders and strikers but not midfielders. [/quote]

My kid is the same way. A clever tactician who studies the game but isn't a physically dominating player by any stretch. He won't outrun anyone on the pitch, but he can find seams and holes that others cannot see and isn't afraid to make the moves and passes necessary to hit those spots.

Unfortuantely, we played with side here that valued none of that. They wanted big fast kids running really fast, and if he didn't "kick it long to the big guy" he was benched. When we went overseas to Holland this Summer and he kicked around with kids in a park he was approached by youth coaches and scouts asking about where he was playing. But here it's been just frustrating for him.

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