Feedback for 04 Coaches

Preferred location, I am Sam Rayburn & Dallas North Tollway but don't mind driving a bit.

By good I mean they know what they are doing. They develop kids, challenge them but not take the fun out it.

My club Dallas Roma F.C. is at 75 and George Bush.  We have a strong '04 team that currently plays CL D2.  The coach is very disciplined and teaches ball control vs. a kick and run style of game so we don't win as many games as we probably could. We did however just win the top division for U12 in the Legacy Freedom Cup tournament this last weekend that featured several other D2 teams in the area, so hard work must be paying off.  We practice Mondays & Wednesdays at 6 to 7:30, and you may contact our coach Michael Schell at 214-244-3172.

As I indicated originally, this next year is going to be crazy because of the new age pure rules. The link I provided earlier should give you an idea at least of the various top clubs are with teams in this age group, but all of this is likely to change.  Independent clubs with only one or two teams and no plan are going to have a tough time.

murphy04 wrote:All go info, thank you, but does anyone have an opinion on what coaches are good and which to avoid?

You're going to find out that a lot of people really won't give an opinion on this. A good coach for my son is not necessarily a good coach for your son. Everybody has an opinion of a coach but in the end, it really doesn't matter.

You also have to take into consideration of where your son fits skill wise. Is he fit for a CL team or is he more along the lines of a PPL team? You may get him on a CL team but he could ride the bench a lot. In the end, find the team and coach that will be a good fit for your son by trying them out.

The spring season is about to start so find some teams you like and then go watch a game. You can see first hand how the coach acts with his kids on the field and their style of play. Also, watch the bench to see how many kids sit most or all of the game.

I don't want to leave you with a bunch of stuff you probably have already heard. Here are a few teams I can think of that I have seen first hand how they play.

Ayses - (Olali - Gold team CL) They are possession style soccer and really push that. I don't think I've seen any of their teams play boot ball. The best thing I like about them is the how the coach will let the players play and not joystick them from the sideline. Sammy can be tough on his kids during practice but in a way to get them to try harder.

Ayses - (Rivillo - Black team PPL) Pretty much the same as above. Rivillo did put his team together a few weeks before the PPL placement tournament. I've only seen that team improve since then.

Andromeda - (Ajdukovich PPL) I was not impressed with his practices. I saw a lot of kids just standing around doing nothing. I actually watched the GK stand the whole entire practice and not touch the ball once. If I remember right, he's a screamer on the sideline during games. I'm not a fan of their practice facility. Nobody is allowed on the field except the player and coach. Sometimes they are pretty far away so you have no idea what is being said or done. I understand their argument for not allowing people out there because of the grass but in my opinion, it allows them to hide questionable actions.

FCD - (Ekeme PPL) Seems to focus on skills during practice but very much. He does joystick his players during the game and is a very loud screamer. He does play a boot ball style of soccer. I found the play a contradiction to his practice. Why would you push skills during practice and then have your kids just clear the ball down field during the game?

FCD - (Che CL) A lot of skills and positioning are taught at his practice. He really seems to connect with his kids which is why so many people try to get on his team. It's been a while since I've seem him at a game. I want to say he is relatively calm and let's his kids play. Only draw back I've seen is at his practice. It appears he has an assistant running things from time to time. That guy is an a$$hole! He screams at the kids and calls them names. (Yes, I've seen this!)

FCD - (Moreno PPL) Focus on skills and positioning. Possession style to some degree. It appears he tries to incorporate a lot of conditioning in his practice. I've seen him at a game before and I wouldn't say he is a screamer but also wouldn't say he just sits on the sideline and watches. I would say it is a level I think I would be comfortable letting my son be in but that's just based off of one game I've seen.

I hope this helps.

Soccerdad, thank you for taking the time to answer, I really appreciate your thoughts on these coaches. We came from a "joystick" coach (like that, hadn't heard that before ) and that is what I will avoid.