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[quote=Anonymous]If a team or academy, along with the parents, prioritizes winning at young ages over teaching and developing soccer skills, the long-term result is predictable: by middle or high school, you’ll have kids who are fast, strong, or athletic—but not necessarily good soccer players.

Learning requires failure and discomfort. Teams that focus on learning often lose, and that’s okay—especially at younger ages when games don’t really matter and kids are eager to learn. It’s much harder to teach new concepts to middle or high school players.

At younger ages, winning often comes from having the fastest or strongest kids on small fields. But as players grow, the game changes. Technical and tactical skills become critical, and physical advantages level out after puberty.

Unfortunately, in this country, we often value winning over development. My son, now a college player, and many of his former teammates are proof that patience pays off. Their team lost plenty of games when they were young, but they were learning: how to play, solve problems with skill, and think on the field. Speed or size didn’t determine playing time or position. Every kid played every position for extended periods. The coach constantly reminded parents to be patient—the wins would come. And they did: the team eventually won multiple state championships at U11 and U12. Then, as often happens, the coach moved away and academy politics split the team.

Years later, those kids took different paths: some play Division I or III college soccer, others chose club soccer despite offers, and a few play semi-pro. All still love the game and play together when they can. Every one of them had the skills to play at a high level—but more importantly, they had the foundation to choose their own path.[/quote]

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