Coaching

Can somebody please tell me who some of the strongest coaches are in this age group. I know or have heard who the strongest teams are. I just wanted to get your opinions on coaching styles, progress with their players etc.

I know of Castro, Snell, Gall, Trevino, who is DSC Coach, I know there are tons. Opinions please as I try to make decisions for my BB. I don't really care about as much about winning(of course I care a little) mainly coaching and who is going to be a good role model for my son while teaching him good soccer.


Thanks!

P.S. This post isn't meant to start a bashing on a particular coach so please try and keep it positive.

Go to www.ratemysoccercoach.com
It might help you get a general idea.

I can tell you that PP (DSC Coach) is outstanding. The kids absolutely love playing for him and he knows how to develop players. He is first class all the way. I haven't played for the other coaches, so I can't provide any insight for them.

castro,snell,and gall probably the top in this age group at developement some of the others seem to do well and are better at recruiting.

gent99 wrote:Can somebody please tell me who some of the strongest coaches are in this age group. I know or have heard who the strongest teams are. I just wanted to get your opinions on coaching styles, progress with their players etc.

I know of Castro, Snell, Gall, Trevino, who is DSC Coach, I know there are tons. Opinions please as I try to make decisions for my BB. I don't really care about as much about winning(of course I care a little) mainly coaching and who is going to be a good role model for my son while teaching him good soccer.


Thanks!

P.S. This post isn't meant to start a bashing on a particular coach so please try and keep it positive.

Not sure how to make this sound like I'm not bashing but you can search this forum for keywords like "development" and should come up with some pretty good informative posts. You can also search for keywords such as "snell" and come up with some pretty good informative posts.('') You can also look at Jon Waters with FC Dallas, he does a good job training and developing.

gent99 wrote:Can somebody please tell me who some of the strongest coaches are in this age group. I know or have heard who the strongest teams are. I just wanted to get your opinions on coaching styles, progress with their players etc.

I know of Castro, Snell, Gall, Trevino, who is DSC Coach, I know there are tons. Opinions please as I try to make decisions for my BB. I don't really care about as much about winning(of course I care a little) mainly coaching and who is going to be a good role model for my son while teaching him good soccer.


Thanks!

P.S. This post isn't meant to start a bashing on a particular coach so please try and keep it positive.

JON WATERS with FC Dallas

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ymmv, but here is a view from 10,000' on some of these guys. Admittedly based on VERY little actual knowledge.

Snell - seems very restrained and quiet on sideline. Is very particular about a few non-playing related details which seems to occasionally lead to disputes. Limited off-field interaction with him on a personal level has been far more positive than was led to believe here. Has 3 (I think) '03 teams, so there is a good chance that your child can find a place in a group that suits his talent/development level. Not as much exposure to the two other teams, but have seen great improvement in ability and style of play in his Premiere team.

Castro - has two teams. '03 son plays on the "upper" of the two. I would imagine son's involvement means that coach's motivation/attendance for that team's events/development is quite high, it certainly seems high. Seems very focused and intense. Upper team is all very strong players who move the ball around and primarily play possession soccer. Lower team looks pretty good also. Seems organized and cordial off the pitch.

Preston P (DSC) - seems like a funny likable guy. People say nice things about him, both as a person and coach. Its my understanding that, between having a 8-5 job and older son(s) that play he oftentimes is unavailable for games, maybe practices?. Has a bunch of good kids on his team.

Gall - have only played a handful of times. Seems very relaxed and positive. Would guess priority is understandably older teams. His '03 team plays hard.

Waters - N/A have never seen the guy or his teams. Lots of positive comments in multiple threads about him.

Adames - He's the only coach who has ever been insulting to me personally (though did apologize later) which kind of skews my viewpoint somewhat. Shrug, sometimes I probably am a dumbass, so who's to argue? That said, his '03 team has gotten a lot better with primarily the same guys so would guess he is better at the coaching than the opponent-outreach program. I think I could beat him in a footrace.

Trevino - do not know.

We like our coach (Gallagher). He is a yeller. He has multiple teams, so he's not always there. He is not super flexible, but this is all he does and he's not going anywhere (alive), and he cares about the kids. He is not always organized logistically, but is always organized at training. He has seemed to breed an impressive amount of loyalty/development with his older teams which has led to them making strides from non-Classic to being regionally competitive. Our '03 kids have all improved a lot. We are pretty far from the center of mass of DFW soccer.

Caveat Emptor: Its really hard to separate "good developer" from "good players" because its a chicken/egg thing. Particularly on the short kind of timeline we are comparing here. You'll never know how any of this relates to your specific situation until you actually try it out. To paraphrase burnthestar, go watch practices.

Best of luck.

Number13 wrote:ymmv, but here is a view from 10,000' on some of these guys. Admittedly based on VERY little actual knowledge.

Snell - seems very restrained and quiet on sideline. Is very particular about a few non-playing related details which seems to occasionally lead to disputes. Limited off-field interaction with him on a personal level has been far more positive than was led to believe here. Has 3 (I think) '03 teams, so there is a good chance that your child can find a place in a group that suits his talent/development level. Not as much exposure to the two other teams, but have seen great improvement in ability and style of play in his Premiere team.

Castro - has two teams. '03 son plays on the "upper" of the two. I would imagine son's involvement means that coach's motivation/attendance for that team's events/development is quite high, it certainly seems high. Seems very focused and intense. Upper team is all very strong players who move the ball around and primarily play possession soccer. Lower team looks pretty good also. Seems organized and cordial off the pitch.

Preston P (DSC) - seems like a funny likable guy. People say nice things about him, both as a person and coach. Its my understanding that, between having a 8-5 job and older son(s) that play he oftentimes is unavailable for games, maybe practices?. Has a bunch of good kids on his team.

Gall - have only played a handful of times. Seems very relaxed and positive. Would guess priority is understandably older teams. His '03 team plays hard.

Waters - N/A have never seen the guy or his teams. Lots of positive comments in multiple threads about him.

Adames - He's the only coach who has ever been insulting to me personally (though did apologize later) which kind of skews my viewpoint somewhat. Shrug, sometimes I probably am a dumbass, so who's to argue? That said, his '03 team has gotten a lot better with primarily the same guys so would guess he is better at the coaching than the opponent-outreach program. I think I could beat him in a footrace.

Trevino - do not know.

We like our coach (Gallagher). He is a yeller. He has multiple teams, so he's not always there. He is not super flexible, but this is all he does and he's not going anywhere (alive), and he cares about the kids. He is not always organized logistically, but is always organized at training. He has seemed to breed an impressive amount of loyalty/development with his older teams which has led to them making strides from non-Classic to being regionally competitive. Our '03 kids have all improved a lot. We are pretty far from the center of mass of DFW soccer.

Caveat Emptor: Its really hard to separate "good developer" from "good players" because its a chicken/egg thing. Particularly on the short kind of timeline we are comparing here. You'll never know how any of this relates to your specific situation until you actually try it out. To paraphrase burnthestar, go watch practices.

Best of luck.

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i have seen a lot of coaches over my time - so my 2 cents

Castro (Solar)- good coach. Hard but fair. has high expectations. Gets good results Like the way his 03 teams play (has at least 2 teams which raises question on where his focus is)

Snell (FCD)- my youngest played against his team recently. What a jerk. You just cannot yell at 9 year old boys the way he does... no room for error. Besides - with the recruiting process, if you make a mistake who knows which one of the 5000 FC Dallas teams you will be relegated to play for...

Gall - Good Strong Team, beyond that I cannot say

Robertson (Liverpool) - has made great progress with a new team... looks like great momentum

Woodberry (liverpool) - looks like he is always looking for another half of a team... is this an indication of the coach? or committment of the player?

Olali (Ayses) - my youngest played against his gold team last SDL season. Positive influence - teaching the kids skills. Obviously not concerned with winning yet. Biggest comment from the sideline: "Relax, Use your skills!" Made an impression as someone focused on the right things at this age.

if things keep up where my youngest is right now - I will be taking a closer look at Castro, Robertson, and Olali. Seems like they have development highest on the priority list.

Good observations on coaches. On Olali he has coached two teams from U-11 all the way through U-19. The AYSES 91 Gold team won multiple state cups some before USSF DA existed, they won Disney Showcases, etc. Many of the players went on to play college soccer some with excellent recognition in college. For example, Zach Alder was a forward for AYSES 91 got full scholarship to Stevens Institute of Technology majors in engineering and was the Empire 8 conference player of the year this last year. Kevin Olali starts for the University of South Florida.

He has also coached the AYSES 94 Gold team who has been a top DI team, recently won the Disney Showcase, and has players already committed to Furman University, St. John's University, several DII programs and soon others will make commitments with athletic scholarships to play college soccer.

One thing you will notice if you watch AYSES teams play they all try to control possession of the ball. When they are young, they struggle scoring wise against bigger, stronger, and faster kids on the top teams. When they get old, they rise to the top of the league and are able to match up physically while still controlling possession of the ball.

The best time to learn to control the ball is before a child reaches post puberty. Thus, the AYSES metholodology focuses on small sides games, technical development, and controlling posession in game situations to help players develop so when they mature they know how to play soccer and can match up physically with the big, strong, and fast teams that play more direct style soccer.

There are not that many teams who focus on development. Most teams focus on recruiting individual contributors who are the better athletes for their age. Essentially making some upper level teams all star teams full of personalities. Another approach is to pick a coach for their development philosophy and stick with them from U-11 till U-19 if possible. It is great when players can play for the same coach their whole youth soccer career.

Darn. I was hoping Olali would not be brought up in this conversation. He is the best kept secret in DFW. Cares about the kids. Teaching a good brand of soccer (possession not "kick ball"). Not about wins/losses, but focused on development. Obviously I am a supporter of Ayses and a fan of his (and one or two others mentioned above). If a positive learning environment/track record of development/high quality facilities are important to you, I would encourage you to check him out.

The other thing that has not been mentioned on this Board is this - Olali only has one other team (not including his '94 team that will end soon) he is coaching. Not sure you can say that about the other "high profile" coaches. As far as I know Olali is keeping his '03 team and not handing it over to someone else.

I think this says it best -

http://ayses.com/AboutUs/index_E.html

Solar00Dad wrote:i have seen a lot of coaches over my time - so my 2 cents

Castro (Solar)- good coach. Hard but fair. has high expectations. Gets good results Like the way his 03 teams play (has at least 2 teams which raises question on where his focus is)

to call Snell a jerk and not Castro is mind buggling. I have seen him make his own son cry by screaming at him that he was not good enough to play for him. does it get results, sure but at what costs to these BB. his only focus now and ever is WINNING!!!

as for the 2 teams, his wife coaches one and half the players are from his first team.

I don't think Gall coaches anymore in this age group, nor does PP. At least not going forward. I think their kids are combined under Thomber, Lopez, or are in the wind somewhere. Could be wrong.

I've never heard Snell yell inappropriately at a 9 yr old. I've seen him show some obvious disdain for adults over some debatably trivial stuff, but I've never seen him go overboard on a kid at a game. I don't watch all of his games, but the ones I do he is usually pretty quiet and sitting in a chair or on the bench the whole time.

Castro is hard on his own kid. And likes to win. I have no idea how he could ever relate to the typical soccer parent.

donovansucks wrote:Darn. I was hoping Olali would not be brought up in this conversation. He is the best kept secret in DFW. Cares about the kids. Teaching a good brand of soccer (possession not "kick ball"). Not about wins/losses, but focused on development. Obviously I am a supporter of Ayses and a fan of his (and one or two others mentioned above). If a positive learning environment/track record of development/high quality facilities are important to you, I would encourage you to check him out.

The other thing that has not been mentioned on this Board is this - Olali only has one other team (not including his '94 team that will end soon) he is coaching. Not sure you can say that about the other "high profile" coaches. As far as I know Olali is keeping his '03 team and not handing it over to someone else.

I think this says it best -

http://ayses.com/AboutUs/index_E.html

I think you'll find, if you'll stop drinking the Kooliad, that Olali cares little for the player himself. Instead, he is driven to get his hands on the player's money.

Number13 wrote:I don't think Gall coaches anymore in this age group, nor does PP. At least not going forward. I think their kids are combined under Thomber, Lopez, or are in the wind somewhere. Could be wrong.

I've never heard Snell yell inappropriately at a 9 yr old. I've seen him show some obvious disdain for adults over some debatably trivial stuff, but I've never seen him go overboard on a kid at a game. I don't watch all of his games, but the ones I do he is usually pretty quiet and sitting in a chair or on the bench the whole time.

Castro is hard on his own kid. And likes to win. I have no idea how he could ever relate to the typical soccer parent.

Heard Castro finished 2nd in a tourney and told the boys he wouldnt even accept the trophies if he were them. Blasted them for losing in the finals at the awards ceremony. History shows its only a matter of time til enough is enough.

yellowboots wrote:

Number13 wrote:I don't think Gall coaches anymore in this age group, nor does PP. At least not going forward. I think their kids are combined under Thomber, Lopez, or are in the wind somewhere. Could be wrong.

I've never heard Snell yell inappropriately at a 9 yr old. I've seen him show some obvious disdain for adults over some debatably trivial stuff, but I've never seen him go overboard on a kid at a game. I don't watch all of his games, but the ones I do he is usually pretty quiet and sitting in a chair or on the bench the whole time.

Castro is hard on his own kid. And likes to win. I have no idea how he could ever relate to the typical soccer parent.

Heard Castro finished 2nd in a tourney and told the boys he wouldnt even accept the trophies if he were them. Blasted them for losing in the finals at the awards ceremony. History shows its only a matter of time til enough is enough.

Yes, it happened. No, for his players, they like winning more than they dislike being treated like dogs.

Number13 wrote:
Castro likes to win. I have no idea how he could ever relate to the typical soccer parent.

Please be more precise, the delusional or non-delusional ones?

Ibystander wrote:

Number13 wrote:
Castro likes to win. I have no idea how he could ever relate to the typical soccer parent.

Please be more precise, the delusional or non-delusional ones?

I said typical didn't I?

Number13 wrote:

Ibystander wrote:

Number13 wrote:
Castro likes to win. I have no idea how he could ever relate to the typical soccer parent.

Please be more precise, the delusional or non-delusional ones?

I said typical didn't I?

Going with delusional ...

Castro dislikes losing to Odyssey. The number one team.

[quote="odie1993"]

Solar00Dad wrote:i have seen a lot of coaches over my time - so my 2 cents

Castro (Solar)- good coach. Hard but fair. has high expectations. Gets good results Like the way his 03 teams play (has at least 2 teams which raises question on where his focus is)

to call Snell a jerk and not Castro is mind buggling. I have seen him make his own son cry by screaming at him that he was not good enough to play for him. does it get results, sure but at what costs to these BB. his only focus now and ever is WINNING!!!"

Check these coaches ratings by parents on:
www.ratemysoccercoach.com
One's coaching ability is rated very highly, the other extremely poorly but because of his sorry attitude.

Offsidesdad wrote:Castro dislikes losing to Odyssey. The number one team.

that is up for great debate...Odyssey is a great team though.

Interesting post. Castro is different than most in the way he goes about teaching kids, not for everybody. Is over the top competitive and takes it out on kids at times though I've heard he's mellowed some. I personally would not play on a team that has the coach's bb on it. Sometimes you concentrate so much on the tree that you miss the forest. Only gets worse with time.
If you’re comparing Castro to Snell however, it’s not even close. Snell is a waste of time.

I've never heard Snell yell inappropriately at a 9 yr old.

Neither have I. I have, from reading this board, heard about his questionable behavior and will admit to being curious if the statements are true/false.

My BB plays on one team in PSA, 04 group. The past two seasons he has played FCD-Snell (Copa & Predator); out of the four games Snell managed to show up,wait for it,... zero times. I may never know.