Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques And Tactics From World Class Coaching

The Central Regional Championships for the US Youth Futsal Nationals was in Kansas City last weekend. I had one team win and qualify for Nationals while the other had a tough weekend. They played some very good teams but didn’t play as well has they have recently. I’ve said before that the only thing consistent about...

Last weekend I had my first games back with my teams after the long holiday break. Because of the way the schedule worked out we didn’t have a practice before our games. I knew we wouldn’t be really sharp but I was surprised by just how rusty the players really were. You could tell that...

It was a great time for a break! I really enjoyed the time away from the field and the chance to spend time with family and friends. It was also a productive time as I was able to complete my spring league and tournament plan as well as the Technical Training curriculum for next season....

I had a ton of Futsal games last week. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve divided my teams up for the Futsal season to make sure they all get plenty of playing time. This is great for the players but it doubles the number of games I have on any given weekend. I love working with...

The first full weekend of Futsal for my teams is always interesting because it’s first time some of my players have been in a Futsal game. Some are surprised how much they enjoy the new experience while others aren’t as sure. It’s just too different than what they were used to with arena soccer. I...

My Thanksgiving holiday week was full of family, american football and too much food. It was a great break and chance to reset. I usually have my teams take the first week of Futsal off because that gives them a two-week break between the end of the outdoor season and our first Futsal game. This...

Well, last weekend was the end of the outdoor season for the last of my teams. Just in time too because the weather has really made a turn to the colder side in the midwest. All of our training sessions from now on will be focused on the techniques and tactics of Futsal. It’s almost...

My teams are making the transition to indoor Futsal training this week. Some of them still have an outdoor tournament this weekend but our club always moving inside on the first of November. I enjoy the change of pace and the focus on different skills and tactics. Some coaches focus on training Futsal in isolation...

As I mentioned last week, my weekend was focused on refereeing as I renewed my outdoor and Futsal certifications. I was asked to do a presentation to the group from a coach’s perspective. I tried to show how coaches, referees and players need to work together to create a positive experience for everyone. I let...

Last week was our final weekend of league play which came just in time because the weather is due to get much colder this weekend. Since I don’t have any games this weekend I scheduled my recertification courses for outdoor and Futsal refereeing. It’s always interesting going into a room of referees as a local...

This is the last weekend of league play in our area. It’s great to see the players really starting to understand the key aspects of the game that we’ve been focusing on. They’re not always getting it right but seeing them work hard to play the game in the right way is always very satisfying....

I can’t believe I’m sitting here today NOT looking forward to the World Cup this summer. Having the US miss the World Cup for the first time in my adult life is a very hard pill to swallow. This is a youth soccer podcast so I usually don’t focus on national team or professional results...

With one of my teams last weekend I decided not to coach while the ball was in play. The team had played a tournament the previous weekend and they had heard enough from me :-). I wanted them to take total ownership of the game and make their own decisions whenever the ball was in...

I had another tournament with some of my teams last weekend. It’s been a crowded schedule lately which I think contributed to a slow start for a couple of teams. I could tell early on that they just weren’t up for it the way that they usually are. They just weren’t competing with the other...

Last weekend’s tournament in Iowa went well despite some weather issues. The tournament did a good job of managing them but on the show I talk about the best way I’ve seen of dealing with weather delays. As I’ve said before I enjoy having my teams play multiple games over the course of a weekend...

This weekend I’m taking my girls teams to Iowa for a tournament. This year I split up my teams and took the boys to one tournament and the girls to another. This gives me more time with the players and families away from the field. These are the only two out of town trips I’ll...

Last weekend I had two teams in a tournament in Omaha. We travel with our teams that are U10 and above at least once a season. It’s a great way to see some new competition, in a new environment. The fields were grass as opposed to the turf fields that we normally play on. They...

Our club has started a program called, ‘RecConnect’ to provide a resource for recreational coaches. Five of our club’s premier coaches have ‘adopted’ a 2nd grade boys or girls division. We send out weekly tips and suggestions, make ourselves available to answer questions and attend the games on the weekend. This helps create a stronger...

I’m working with five different teams this year, U9 boys, U10 boys, U11 girls, U13 boys and U16 girls. That may seem like too many teams but I’m able to schedule the practices easily since we have lighted fields and the league and tournament scheduler does a great job making sure I don’t have any...

I was watching the US Open Cup game last night with Sporting KC vs San Jose. The game went to PK’s and it got me thinking about the differences between youth and adult PKs. The goalkeepers are usually much smaller in relation to the goal so the things that will work for young players will...