THIS is world-class young talent. Pirlo surely would agree. How do we get to this in our country?

Author: James

Lifelong player and student of the beautiful game in Germany, England, and USA. Volunteer futsal coach and USSF referee. View all posts by James

Andrew Hogg says:

January 26, 2016 at 11:01 am

Love that video….
Here’s the key things that stick out for me on this video”
1. He’s not doing anything “technically complicated”. Watch all his moves – they are simple foot-to-foot passes, fast changes of direction, some quick turns, etc.
2. Its all about speed, quickness and timing – as well as obviously seeing the field and the players around him.

This is a great video, i think, to show kids. Especially the ones that don’t have all those “cool” moves like the “top” kids do. Good soccer is just not about all those cool moves – its about doing a few things with the ball very well, moving quickly, running fast and seeing the field. And of course understanding the tactics and flow of the game.

And guess what – i don’t know a single club in the bay area that focuses on teaching those things to our kids! 🙂 There is way too much focus on advanced skills on the ball that even the pros don’t use – and that the kids shouldn’t be taught until they can do the basics of dribbling a ball down the field, at speed, with frequent directional changes. And your previous post on what kids know (or don’t know) when they get to MLS backs that up….

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