News

American soccer players have a problem.

A big problem.

As of May 2023, we have 101 professional soccer clubs for 6,900,000 male soccer players. An American's chance of going pro in the USA is 131,578:1.

Our landscape needs an update.

With ChatGPT's help, I've created an 8-tier professional soccer pyramid for the USA.

When searching for college athletics programs, one common error I've seen is that potential student-athletes feel the need to maximize their option...

Breathe.

You heard me, class of 2024 soccer players and parents.

Take a deep breath and put College Contact Day into context.

June 15^th is the earliest college coaches can contact rising juniors. Some of you will inevitably receive a call or email. Odds are you know the coach, have attended one of their camps, or are a nationally recognized player.

For those of you who were contacted, congratulations! This is merely the start of the college recruitment process.

For those who didn’t…take another deep breath.

What can the NCAA Division 2 Men's Soccer College Cup tell us about the average D2 roster? Lots. Using data from the tournament, this article shows the NCAA D2 Men's Soccer roster, positional, and class trends. This article is a recruitment tool to educate high school students on the realities of the collegiate game.

This is the first article in a series. The goal is to shed light on the state of men’s college soccer rosters, particularly for the benefit of high school students. These spots are competitive, more so than the general public believes. Through an objective data analysis, we’re going to put many assumptions to rest.

Coaching movement off the ball is really difficult. The context of the game is constantly changing. New realities emerge, then disappear in an instant.
But, as Johan Cruyff said, “soccer is a thinking game and the feet are the tools.” So how can we train players to break bad habits and move with greater intent off the ball? This post explores that topic.

Preseason is a grind. Managing the grind with outside interests and pursuits isn’t an obstacle to fulfilment. Rather, those core values and desires give meaning to our professional and playing pursuits. Here are 10 tips to managing the grind as you pursue greatness.

When teams struggle with communication, it’s not the act of verbalizing that’s an issue…it’s the quality and clarity of the thoughts conveyed.

Communication starts with a thought.

My kids are entry-level aged. They love playing soccer, racking up hours of 1v1 games and shooting competitions each day. Our living room has becom...

“I loathe all that passing for the sake of it, all that tiki-taka. It's so much rubbish and has no purpose. You have to pass the ball with a clear intention, with the aim of making it into the opposition's goal. It's not about passing for the sake of it.” – Pep Guardiola to The Telegraph

Though many coaches, players, and fans have encountered that quote, it’s sure to catch some by surprise. I remember feeling surprised when first encountering it.

Yet, at the same time, I agreed.

Far from Route 1 soccer, direct possession is a controlled approach to direct attacking. It often starts with low tempo, deep buildouts, but those actions are by design. Rather than unbalancing the opposition in their own defensive third, where there’s less space to disorganize them, direct possession looks to maximize space on the vertical axis and attack it once the opponent’s overcommit high up the field. Plus, that change in tempo is deadly.

It’s quick, structured, purposeful, and lethal.

It’s also a lot of fun to watch.

Most people know John Cleese for his work in film. With 694 credits on IMDB, odds are you’ve seen him in multiple movies. But did you also know he...