What is the America style of soccer?

Special shout out to FCD and Pareja included
http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1679/us-national-team/2010/07/27/2044938/en-route-what-is-the-american-style-of-play?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

interesting

I thought the article was really good. I will add, unfortunately Parejas style of possesion that everbody seems to love has not been instituted thru the rest of the club. Too bad

go99 wrote:I thought the article was really good. I will add, unfortunately Parejas style of possesion that everbody seems to love has not been instituted thru the rest of the club. Too bad

I think they are trapped at the younger ages by size , speed , an athleticism. Everyone will talk around it but size and speed is what catches the eye at the younger ages. In the u-18 jrs everyone is reletivly the same size and within reason the same speed . The game at that level has taken on ( for lack of a better word ) maturity,, where patience and possession, play a more important role . the younger ages lack 2 of these traits. I have seen alot of teams basically have the same type of player 1 thru 11 . All 11 play the same tempo. All 11 only go 1 direction .All 11 have the same thought process, attack, attack, attack, and the coaches wonder why its ugly .

Why??? cuzz they continue to pick the same type of player over , and over, and over.
The ntx style tends to leave the " younger methodical player " on the outside looking in , in favor of another kid who can ram it down your throat and put it in the net. Some, just think the game more, thus slowing their reaction time down , they have the right idea ,they most likely retain possession,they just didn't execute it at a spastic pace so the conclusion is they are slow.

It's redundant to see how many kids play at a hyper balistic pace only to go down and lose the ball ,dribble it out of bounds, or rip a " mindless " horrible shot that had no prayer of going in . and all the coaches can say is nice try??? How about slow down , protect the ball. and retain freakin possession.
At the older ages IMO,,the game takes on many different tempos, thus allowing alot of different talents to flourish.

One of the main reasons to keep the game small sided and short at the younger ages . It helps to even the playing field . It promotes skill, quick decision making. ball control , touch in tight spaces and foot work. basically the essence of a sound soccer player.
With size and speed you have an upper hand at the early ages that you will not always have . In otherwards you can cover for your own lack of the fundamentals listed above.

IMO until the game is slowed down and compacted at the younger ages alot of talent will be overlooked and may go by the wayside.

Why??? cuzz they continue to pick the same type of player over , and over, and over.
The ntx style tends to leave the " younger methodical player " on the outside looking in , in favor of another kid who can ram it down your throat and put it in the net. Some, just think the game more, thus slowing their reaction time down , they have the right idea ,they most likely retain possession,they just didn't execute it at a spastic pace so the conclusion is they are slow.

It's redundant to see how many kids play at a hyper balistic pace only to go down and lose the ball ,dribble it out of bounds, or rip a " mindless " horrible shot that had no prayer of going in . and all the coaches can say is nice try??? How about slow down , protect the ball. and retain freakin possession.
At the older ages IMO,,the game takes on many different tempos, thus allowing alot of different talents to flourish.

One of the main reasons to keep the game small sided and short at the younger ages . It helps to even the playing field . It promotes skill, quick decision making. ball control , touch in tight spaces and foot work. basically the essence of a sound soccer player.
With size and speed you have an upper hand at the early ages that you will not always have . In otherwards you can cover for your own lack of the fundamentals listed above.

IMO until the game is slowed down and compacted at the younger ages alot of talent will be overlooked and may go by the wayside.[/quote]


Nicely said.... I've experienced this with both my kids over the last 3 years.... Neither one is the fastest kid out there, but they both have good skill, technique, and tactics....

Took bb and dd shopping for teams this summer...

BB got passed on by a coach who said he was not fast enough... His loss I say, because the coach who did take him said, "You know, he's doesn't have great speed.. but he knows what he's doing out there"... The coach went on to comment how he liked bb's ability to control the ball, was able to use both his left and right foot, and make good decisions on the pitch...

DD was also picked up this summer by a coach who was not as concerned with her speed, but more with her ability to distribute the ball to the faster players.... She too has had a coach or two in the past who left her on the sidelines because she wasn't as fast as the rest... I've always felt that her talents would be more appreciated as she got older, when coaches' aren't looking for the fastest kid out there anymore, but the ones with the ability to slow the game down and create plays for others, or themselves.....

The ability to be creative is being taken out when the only objective these kids are given is to get it to the forwards so we can score attitude..... Because we all know what happens if you don't score.....

trmntr1 wrote:
Why??? cuzz they continue to pick the same type of player over , and over, and over.
The ntx style tends to leave the " younger methodical player " on the outside looking in , in favor of another kid who can ram it down your throat and put it in the net. Some, just think the game more, thus slowing their reaction time down , they have the right idea ,they most likely retain possession,they just didn't execute it at a spastic pace so the conclusion is they are slow.

It's redundant to see how many kids play at a hyper balistic pace only to go down and lose the ball ,dribble it out of bounds, or rip a " mindless " horrible shot that had no prayer of going in . and all the coaches can say is nice try??? How about slow down , protect the ball. and retain freakin possession.
At the older ages IMO,,the game takes on many different tempos, thus allowing alot of different talents to flourish.

One of the main reasons to keep the game small sided and short at the younger ages . It helps to even the playing field . It promotes skill, quick decision making. ball control , touch in tight spaces and foot work. basically the essence of a sound soccer player.
With size and speed you have an upper hand at the early ages that you will not always have . In otherwards you can cover for your own lack of the fundamentals listed above.

IMO until the game is slowed down and compacted at the younger ages alot of talent will be overlooked and may go by the wayside.

Nicely said.... I've experienced this with both my kids over the last 3 years.... Neither one is the fastest kid out there, but they both have good skill, technique, and tactics....

Took bb and dd shopping for teams this summer...

BB got passed on by a coach who said he was not fast enough... His loss I say, because the coach who did take him said, "You know, he's doesn't have great speed.. but he knows what he's doing out there"... The coach went on to comment how he liked bb's ability to control the ball, was able to use both his left and right foot, and make good decisions on the pitch...

DD was also picked up this summer by a coach who was not as concerned with her speed, but more with her ability to distribute the ball to the faster players.... She too has had a coach or two in the past who left her on the sidelines because she wasn't as fast as the rest... I've always felt that her talents would be more appreciated as she got older, when coaches' aren't looking for the fastest kid out there anymore, but the ones with the ability to slow the game down and create plays for others, or themselves.....

The ability to be creative is being taken out when the only objective these kids are given is to get it to the forwards so we can score attitude..... Because we all know what happens if you don't score.....




[/quote]

Yep... slow and methodical. That's the ticket. Oh yeah, add small and weak to it too.

That's exactly what is needed. I guess we should be recruiting from U11, and below, rec leagues to play for us at the professional level.

If that doesn't do it, why not get that little dude, FC Dallas Coach's grandson or something, and have him run the midfield for national team. You can get much slower and methodical than that. As a bonus, he's as weak as a kitten and only 14 years old. You know, that would put a lot butts in the seats too. Nothing like the novelty of having a teenager on your national team to bring in the bucks.

What about the flip throw in? We can perfect the skill in the US and export the talent for big $$...

Wow!!! FB4.... I think you are totally misunderstanding the point I was trying to make here..... My point is that these coaches are under an insane amount of pressure to keep their teams in the win column.. They are basically being forced to put the biggest, fastest team on the field, while leaving some good sound players on the sidelines.... Just because they aren't as fast as the rest....
And yes by the time they are 15 and 16 the gap between these kids does close in.... But at u-11 - u-14 it's still survival of the fastest...

Because we all know what happens if you don't win? Parents take their bb's to other winning teams.... Sometimes resulting in teams folding, and forcing the coach to start from scratch.....

And no bb has never ridden the bench..... I've seen some good players that have.... Just because they weren't as fast as the rest....

[/quote]

If that doesn't do it, why not get that little dude, FC Dallas Coach's grandson or something, and have him run the midfield for national team. You can get much slower and methodical than that. As a bonus, he's as weak as a kitten and only 14 years old. You know, that would put a lot butts in the seats too. Nothing like the novelty of having a teenager on your national team to bring in the bucks.[/quote]

That color of envy suits you well FB. Keep in mind, the same thing was said about our current fan-drawing super star in Landon D. I'm guessing you haven't see the FC player as he's definitely not slow/methodical - I'd agree he's weak and tiny, however (again, same thing said about LD).

Whoa FB, by no means am I a big fan elmo (the head coaches grandson), but he is one of the few local players that reguarly plays with the national team so they might disagree. The problem is not the speed of the player (speed kills). It's the speed at which the ball is pushed forward. But that's not the point of the article. What is Americas style? This is one thing that will have to be decided before we make any major impact in soccer.

America hasn't really developed it's own definitive style of play, yet. But the article does note that we are heavily influenced by the British and S Americans. You don't have to go any further than Richland, Blue Sky or Inwood to see that in NTX.

If you want your player to be well rounded, seek out different styles of play and have them develop under opposing systems. The most impressed I have been recently was the U13 Champs from this year's Dallas Cup. They ran a back triangle noone could penatrate and a quick touch attack few could defend. Really exciting play!

I always thought of American style of play as "kill the guy with the ball". Go up to whoever has the ball, raise both hands, and knock him down. Ref's in NTX do not seem to see this as a problem.

Technical players of any size are discriminated against in the USA. We prefer size and speed so we can knock people down. Oh, and the keeper is the kid who has his hand in the hormone jar and matures freakishly early.

When these cease to be an advantage we...lose. Over and over. This is the American legacy in my mind. Maybe i am missing something.

that sounds about right

Why raise both hands and push , a well timed hack across the ankles from behind does the trick. we just need to adopt some soccer goons. take our skilled player off the ball . elbow to the back of the head

I have to laugh cause in a game last week...that is exactly what they did to my kid. That and a chop across the throat so hard that it put him on the turf. Ironically to be big and technical means you get fouled and the ref never calls it...

Rightback wrote:I have to laugh cause in a game last week...that is exactly what they did to my kid. That and a chop across the throat so hard that it put him on the turf. Ironically to be big and technical means you get fouled and the ref never calls it...

Are you kidding . ?? alot of refs reward physical play . I onced asked a ref if he enjoyed the game after a particularly brutal game . My direct question was did he like ugly soccer . He had this, ( whats wrong ,no comment )look on his face . I really don't think he had a concept of skillful play. meanwhile the kids start to play like the balls a hot potato. not wanting to touch it for fear of getting drilled. High kicks ,body checks , diving over and through players, who gives a chit " play on ".

my favorite is still when a player come in to a tackle late and overly aggressive. No ball and studs showing and high. Completely wipes bb out. Ref yells "play on, it was an accident". What? of course it was an accident. If it was intentional it would warrent a red card.

I take back my earlier post. America does have a style of play and it was on full display tonight in the MLS All Star game vs Man U.

Poor touches, bad shape, mental breakdowns, embarassing defense and awful finishing. We have a lot of work to do.

FlatBack4 wrote:

trmntr1 wrote:
Why??? cuzz they continue to pick the same type of player over , and over, and over.
The ntx style tends to leave the " younger methodical player " on the outside looking in , in favor of another kid who can ram it down your throat and put it in the net. Some, just think the game more, thus slowing their reaction time down , they have the right idea ,they most likely retain possession,they just didn't execute it at a spastic pace so the conclusion is they are slow.

It's redundant to see how many kids play at a hyper balistic pace only to go down and lose the ball ,dribble it out of bounds, or rip a " mindless " horrible shot that had no prayer of going in . and all the coaches can say is nice try??? How about slow down , protect the ball. and retain freakin possession.
At the older ages IMO,,the game takes on many different tempos, thus allowing alot of different talents to flourish.

One of the main reasons to keep the game small sided and short at the younger ages . It helps to even the playing field . It promotes skill, quick decision making. ball control , touch in tight spaces and foot work. basically the essence of a sound soccer player.
With size and speed you have an upper hand at the early ages that you will not always have . In otherwards you can cover for your own lack of the fundamentals listed above.

IMO until the game is slowed down and compacted at the younger ages alot of talent will be overlooked and may go by the wayside.

Nicely said.... I've experienced this with both my kids over the last 3 years.... Neither one is the fastest kid out there, but they both have good skill, technique, and tactics....

Took bb and dd shopping for teams this summer...

BB got passed on by a coach who said he was not fast enough... His loss I say, because the coach who did take him said, "You know, he's doesn't have great speed.. but he knows what he's doing out there"... The coach went on to comment how he liked bb's ability to control the ball, was able to use both his left and right foot, and make good decisions on the pitch...

DD was also picked up this summer by a coach who was not as concerned with her speed, but more with her ability to distribute the ball to the faster players.... She too has had a coach or two in the past who left her on the sidelines because she wasn't as fast as the rest... I've always felt that her talents would be more appreciated as she got older, when coaches' aren't looking for the fastest kid out there anymore, but the ones with the ability to slow the game down and create plays for others, or themselves.....

The ability to be creative is being taken out when the only objective these kids are given is to get it to the forwards so we can score attitude..... Because we all know what happens if you don't score.....

Yep... slow and methodical. That's the ticket. Oh yeah, add small and weak to it too.

That's exactly what is needed. I guess we should be recruiting from U11, and below, rec leagues to play for us at the professional level.

If that doesn't do it, why not get that little dude, FC Dallas Coach's grandson or something, and have him run the midfield for national team. You can get much slower and methodical than that. As a bonus, he's as weak as a kitten and only 14 years old. You know, that would put a lot butts in the seats too. Nothing like the novelty of having a teenager on your national team to bring in the bucks.[/quote]it makes you wonder if hes really that good or does the grandfather have any influence and "connections" for him?

I've said this before about how we are losing the art of defending. We talk about closing in on an attacker at an angle to force them a certain direction and making a quick decisive well timed tackle. Then when the game begins it's back to crashing like bumper cars.

I do feel it's up to the referee to call the game in a way so that technical skill can be an asset. Players being physical while trying to fight for a 50 ball is okay in my book. Having a defender crash or slide into an attacker that is possessing the ball or just pushing them off the ball with their hands should be called.

My son's team has some players that are pretty good technically, but they are always getting pushed or grabbed often times from behind and knocked off the ball. Having excellent dribbling skill and being able to cut and change direction with the ball does not help when defenders can just run into you or push and grab.

I really think that NTX referees have seen ugly soccer for so long that now it's hard for them to discern the difference between a foul and some incidental contact while a defender is making an attempt to play the ball.

Maybe if our style of play would improve then we would see more consistent officiating. It's not easy calling a good game when ugly soccer is all over the place.

Right you are Mr. C. So few teams execute a technical sound game on either end of the field. Way too much sloppy defense and poorly timed offense. Where do we start making the change? The clubs? Coaches? Refs? Parents?

Well said .
If you have the bulk to twart the pushing and shoving then in most cases your slower.
I have always felt that soccer is a game played with the FEET. not the arms. Nothing wrong with physical play just stop the clutching , stiff arms . ect ect.
hockey made an effort to do something about this a few years ago In hopes to open up the game , improve scoring , and let the exciting playmakers flourish.

Obsolutes drive me nuts. Always will, but makes for fun reading at times.
As players get older, tackles require more scrutiny, because kids are more coordinated than at U11/U12. Makes sense to me why sometimes a ref may choose to let a play continue at the earlier ages. I have not seen a ton of quality from a referee standpoint, but I have seen some. I am pretty confident CA, WA, NJ, FL, MI, etc. parents all feel the same way about referees, that NTX does. It's the American way (wait...I think it is the world way).
Soccer IS physical...World Cup showed that clearly. There is always pulling of jerseys, clips of heels, pushing, shoving...even from Barcelona/Real Madrid. That kind of action is here to stay folks.
Size/speed....if that is all a player has, then the gap will likely be closed in time. Better skills from a slower/less quick player helps make up for that lack of speed. Teams are made up of all kinds of players, to say one attribute is preferred over the other is laughable. Ideally, a player possesses both, but if they don't? Just keep working on whatever they are deficient in...they CAN improve in all things except height...for that, you get what you get.
Defense? "Team" defense must be taught. Not easy to do either, because it takes reps, patience and team coordination. I am confident LAFC in DC had the horses top to bottom and they practiced their team defense quite often. In having both, they clearly were the cream of the U13s.
Generally, youth soccer is no different than watching youth basketball. Set plays increase as they get older and they move away from the the best player shooting/taking it to the hole, because they learn what to do off the ball and each player knows what the other will do. Possession and team defense improve as kids get older, regardless of the sport. BTW...does anyone have a problem with the state of basketball in the U.S.? Are we ticked that a given team does not possess the basketball more before shooting? Maybe, but probably not (have not ever been to a bball blog, so maybe they argue the same thing). Regardless, far too many comparisons get made about youth soccer here to professional soccer played elsewhere. Really?
Finally... take an all-star team who practiced only for a few days and have them play a top team in the world....and you get last night. Not cool. But what was? The 70K plus in the stands!!! Granted it takes MLS playing a world-renowned club, but at least MLS is learning a little as they mature as well. Very cool to see Reliant that filled.

Not once did I see conditioning mentioned.
To be successful i.e. winning (and don't fool yourself into thinking a 16-year old playing the sport only through HS is more interested in developing soccer as a national sport than he is about winning) you better bring a full tool bag. You must have size on the back line - and you must have speed, but they don't have to come from the same player. (By the way, if your bb can't clear/pass the ball w/ either foot w/ confidence by 14 he better learn or return to rec). Your mids better be aggressive, good ball handlers in tight spots (w/ both feet again), outstanding passers, good finishers, and excellent passers off headers (simply getting to the ball does not make you a good header). The forwards must have REAL speed and be able to convert on volleys. Don't even attempt to put a forward up front if he can't score w/ both feet from inside the 18. The good defenders can smell a single-sided player the first 5 minutes he's on the pitch & take away his shot.
As a team you must be able to make the short passes on 1-2 touches at full speed and work the ball quickly. This aids in getting the defense out of shape and more scoring chances. Slow, methodical possession is boring and easily shut down. I disagree on the earlier comment regarding speed. The average players may be of similar speed but true speed is a game changer and you better have some for success. It is much like height in that it is a natural attribute. Speed kills in soccer. But the biggest attribute is conditioning. A well-conditioned team w/ a full tool box in N. TX goes a long way. I know of a lesser-known team that played State Cup w/ a 12-man side and made it to the semi's before losing late to the eventual National Champion (carrying an 18-man side). Conditioning & teamwork, not pure talent was what had them up & playing toe-to-toe all the way to the end. With the starters, the bigger club was losing ground and it was only w/ subbing the whole bench that they prevailed (it didn't hurt that their entire bench would start on every other club in NTX).
The issue w/ US Soccer is not that we don't have kids w/ all the attributes necessary to be successful (Dallas Cup will show you that). Its that a number of the players who could be successful long-term leave the game for various reasons. Our country has a greater number of opportunities and interests that draw our youth away from soccer than most every other country in the world. Our national style would be best described as heavy on speed & conditioning. It is the advantage we've carried into most international matches we've played of late. Just look at the number of late results we earned in the World Cup as an example.

Preach it, Middie! Couldn't agree more. I might add that your last point is void if the first two points aren't already intact. Part of the problem we had during the WC was that we had to rely on conditioning and make those late runs. Maybe improved technique and discipline would have gotten us on top early, then dominate the entire match.