Player Development in The United States: Maintaining A Perspective

U.S. Soccer believes that first and foremost youth soccer is a sport that players should experience

and enjoy as a game with a focus on individual experimentation and development. U.S. Soccer

encourages creating soccer environments that will help promote the players’ lifelong love of the

sport. These environments should allow for the creativity, spontaneity and experimentation that

the game of soccer naturally encourages. Too often, children are put into situations where

development is secondary and winning is a priority, which leads to burnout and stifles individual

skill development.

We believe that a player’s development is enhanced when the short-term goals of a coach are

pursued within the perspective of the player’s long-term needs. The following is a two-part

commentary on the importance of (1) Having continuity and perspective in player development,

and (2) Allowing children to experience soccer as it makes sense for their age and level of soccer

maturity. Part one addresses the theoretical stages of player development and how each

successive step is built upon the foundations established in the previous stage. In the second

part, the current Men’s National Team coaching staff comment on the charge of their specific

age group, and how it fits into the overall United States Men’s National Team program of

development and success.

The development of a player spans three general stages:

(1) Youth level (ages 6-12)

(2) Junior level (ages 13-17)

(3) Senior level (ages 18 and older)

A player’s chances of success at the Senior level are greatly enhanced by mastering the building

blocks of soccer that are best addressed at the Youth and Junior levels.

At the Youth level, ball skills, enjoyment of and experimentation within the game are key for a

player’s development.

At the Junior level, ball skills, enjoyment and insight into the game, with a gradual introduction

to fitness, mental toughness and results. At this point, any success in winning matches should

begin to be the product of a consistent and systematic approach to the game that focuses more on

player development than on team-building. (The theory being that individually competent soccer

players that are placed together on a team are more prepared to win than well-organized players

who are unable to stand alone on their soccer abilities).

At the Senior level, players need to use all these qualities together, along with a commitment to

excellence, in order to figure out how to win. If a player skips a step at the Youth or Junior

levels, he will find success and enjoyment more difficult as he moves toward the senior level.

At the Youth and Junior levels, there are several points to address when discussing how to

achieve these goals:

(1) The game is the best teacher - let the kids learn from it by setting up opportunities for

them to play

(2) Allow kids to learn in environments that are sensitive to age and abilities (emotional and

athletic) and that offer a variety of experiences.

(3) Age and ability competition is a central element in a player’s development.

(4) At the youth level, a competitive environment is not a result-oriented environment. The

differences must be clear. A competitive environment at the youth level encourages

decisions from player and coach alike that focus on performance rather than results.

(Favoring ball skill and inventiveness as the means to find success within the rules and

spirit of the game)

(5) At the junior level, technical skill and attacking soccer are still important themes, but now

there is a greater focus on developing players’ insight into the game by emphasizing the

role of the game itself as a forum for learning. (Still focusing on the performance, rather

than the result)

(6) At the youth and junior levels, matches are important as a means to player development

(enjoyment, ball skill, insight, fitness), not as the aim. The usefulness of the game, in this

respect, can occur in many different forms, from the 4v4 to the full-sided match model.

Even at the Senior level, the game still offers opportunities for growth – only the weight

of balance between factors such as enjoyment, ball skill, insight, fitness and results shift

more toward the latter.

A GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF A YOUTH

SOCCER PLAYER IN THE UNITED STATES

Youth Level

At the early levels of youth soccer …

“Kids are just getting to know the game; they’re exploring, checking things out, feeling their way

into the game. They may wave to you in the middle of the game or spin around, with their arms

out, at midfield because of some sudden, mysterious inspiration. They want to run, to chase, to

kick, to be with their friends – and to follow the ball wherever it goes (and who can blame them!)

During these years the kids should touch the ball as much as possible, learn physical balance,

learn to guide the ball with both feet, and start kicking with some accuracy. When they play

games, they should absolutely be left alone: the field should be their world, on the child’s terms.

These years should be about FREE PLAY with the world’s favorite toy (the ball) and about

falling in love with the game.”

--- Mass. Youth Soccer Association

At the latter stages of the Youth level (ages 8 to 12) the goal is to provide training and game

environments that promote the continued growth of ball skill, an increasing game awareness and

an appreciation for taking calculated risks in the attack through the 3v3 to 8v8 game model. The

small-sided game model is an effective method for developing ball skill and game awareness

because it increases opportunities for players to have contact with the ball and to both attack and

defend without the tactical regimentation that can occur in 11v11 soccer.

Games are a forum for players to test their ball skills and game awareness, and should be

considered an additional means of development, rather than the objective. Results become

important as they give the players a competitive focus in the match. Coaches are encouraged to

promote soccer that:

(1) Is free flowing,

(2) Is coach-guided, not coach-directed,

(3) Demands that all players on the field – regardless of their specified position – participate in

defending and attacking.

Junior Level

As the players graduate to the junior level, they should be comfortable with the ball and have an

insight into the game that will allow them to deal with the increasing pace of the game (both in

athletic speed and speed of decisions). The goal at this point in a player’s development is to

begin expanding his understanding of the game as much as his technical and game maturity will

allow. Again, this is accomplished through the small-sided game model for practice (up through

9 v. 9 games) and the full-sided game for matches. The graduation to the full-sided game model

should be a logical and subtle step. The ideas and principles that apply to the smaller game

models continue to apply to the bigger game. The outcome of the game is still largely determined

by ball skill and game insight.

Senior Level

If a player has been exposed to a program that is able to address his/her needs and abilities over

the long-term, this player should be prepared for this next stage of the game. At this point,

winning is the purpose of the game. The emphasis is therefore to have players pull together all

the components of their game in order to be as competitive as possible (both as an individual

player and as part of a team) and get a positive result in individual matches. If their ball skills

are insufficient, or they lack basic concepts of team play, they will struggle to have a positive

impact on the game. Ill-prepared players will have difficulty continuing their soccer careers at

the higher levels. At the Senior Level, the performance should determine the result. While there

is still a measurable focus on development, the emphasis is now more on insight and team

concepts, rather than individual development of ball skills.

The following is a commentary by the current age-group National Team coaches on:

(1) The balance between developing soccer players and winning matches at their

particular level within the National Teams programs, and

(2) How the age-group fits into the larger National Teams schematic.

Under-14 Boy’s National Development Program

The current U-14 National Program is the first contact a player will have with US Soccer. These

players then graduate into the U-15 Boy’s Program. The goal and emphasis with players of this

age is placed on development of skills and a deeper understanding of the game in a competitive,

fun environment in the company of the most talented players that we can find.

We like to strike a good balance between training and matches, in which the players learn to take

their cues and clues from the game. As attack and defense are in constant battle, the game has

the power to teach and reveal itself to each player. There is plenty of action in the basic units of

the game (1:1, 1:2, 2:2 and other small sided games in even and odd numbers) building up to the

full-sided game.

The hope is to create originals, not clones. We simply follow this simple principle: The

game/competition sets the demands and the player responds (Here is the problem. Find the

solution and try to execute that solution). Players are encourage/allowed to experiment and

explore the game with the help of the coaches that understand the game and work well with kids.

In this environment, there is plenty of room for trial and error.

Putting children into the straitjackets of positional play too early only destroys their instincts to

be involved in the game. As they mature and are capable of keeping track of more things that are

occurring on the field, we can increase the number of players that compete against each other.

As they move to the full-sided game, the goal is for all the players to be able to keep track of all

the other players on the field, and then to deal effectively with the situations that evolve out of

these relationships. Under these conditions, time and space can be created or eliminated based

on how effectively players are able to cope with the conditions of the game. It is all about ideas

and developing the right attitude. Great skill begins with a desire to be master of the ball, and/ or

the key elements of the game and we try to encourage each player to be a master of the ball.

Looking back at the past U-14 camps, there is reason to believe that this approach works. There

have been some highly attractive, very competitive soccer played by these 13 year-olds that was

refreshing to watch. With constant care in the years to come, these young players have the

potential for a bright future. The Under-14 National Camp occurs in August of each year. The

past three years the camp has been held in Massachusetts.

Under-15 Boy’s National Team

Each year we welcome a new age group mostly of players who come from the U-14 National

Camp. We work with this group for a one-year cycle with an emphasis on speed of play and the

ability to solve problems in competitive situations. In general, most of our players have a good

starting point athletically and many are technically sound in slower games or isolated situations.

When we increase the demands of the game and the speed of play, many have a hard time

mastering the ball, staying tuned in, seeing the game and making sense of their plays. By being

in the company of better players and faster games, these aspects improve dramatically.

In our training sessions we play small-sided games with different demands and challenges that

we ask players to confront. The games are fast and to keep up with the speed of play, good

technical ability and good habits on and off the ball are necessary. We ask the players to stay

tuned in mentally, to read the game and the demands of the game and to make decisions that help

their team win. We want their individual personalities to grow and for them to begin to solve

problems as a group. Therefore, we give the players some freedom to make decisions, to solve

problems, and to experiment with the game. We are more concerned with them developing into

better players who can figure out how to win than with telling them exactly what to do. In this

sense, we do not put a big emphasis on the results, but rather on how they are progressing as

players. At the same time, we do provide them with our tactical insights and feedback, and we

give them starting points for dealing with certain situations.

Our events have varied in numbers from 4-6 per year consisting mostly of training camps and

competitive domestic and international events. Over the past three player cycles, the U-15 group

has traveled to compete in tournaments in Mexico, Bolivia, France and Germany. Domestically,

the teams have competed against U-15 regional teams, older regional teams, the U-17 US

National Team, and MLS teams.

Under-17 Men’s National Team.

The Under-17 program is a result-oriented developmental program. Result-oriented in the sense

of qualifying for the FIFA Under-17 World Championship, and developmental in the sense that

players are prepared to be successful at the next levels of MNT programs and are prepared to

enter college or professional soccer.

To this end, the U-17 National Team Program has entered into a new stage of player

development with the increase in numbers in the residency program from 20 to 30 players. This

allows us to bring in more players from the age below our main birth year (the main birth years

for the U-17s are the even birth years). These players can now stay beyond the U-17 WC and

work towards early high school graduation, work to prepare for development with the U-18

MNT, work to prepare to enter the pro soccer environment or work to enter the college soccer

environment one year early.

Our soccer curriculum combines a variety of experiences that (1) prepare the players for the

specific objective of the World Championship qualification and success at the World

Championship, and (2) provide them with an environment that allows them to hone the skills

needed to be successful at the next levels of elite soccer. The players must compete daily for

their spots, and they are given challenging levels of match competition.

The Under-17 MNT plays matches to build toward two events: the CONCACAF Qualifying

Tournament and the FIFA Under-17 World Championship. In the first year of residency (evennumbered

years), the team travels to three of four international tournaments, as well as a foreign

trip to the country that will host the next world championship. The team is in the full-time

residency program so they train together year round, usually practicing during the week and

playing games on the weekend. Domestically, the team plays a mix of matches versus

international teams, pro teams, college teams, older club teams and older MNTs.

Under-18 Men’s National Team

The primary function of the Under-18 Men’s National Team is to identify potential Under-20

caliber players from this age group and to provide soccer opportunities for our players to develop

and prepare for the U-20 National Team. The U-18 age group will eventually provide more than

50% of the player pool for the next U-20 group. As a result, U.S. Soccer has recently expanded

its full-time residency program to include eight 1987 birth year players. We expect this group to

form the core of the next U-18 player pool.

Because this age group does not have a World Championship, the challenge is to set up

environments that come close to replicating that type of environment for the players. The limited

time that the team is together places constraints on what the players can realistically accomplish.

Therefore, we try to put the players in as many challenging matches as possible. We consider

the time in the Under-18 MNT to be a transitional phase of development between the Junior and

Senior levels of development.

In the U-18 program, the players come together for four-to-five events per year over a two-year

cycle that ends with the players moving on to the U-20 age group. Each nine-day domestic camp

will have 3 or 4 matches against competition ranging from a top youth club or ODP teams, to

other US National Teams and MLS teams. Both the practices and the matches are used to

evaluate the players and provide information to the coaching staff regarding personnel, as well as

player development issues. Each year ends with a top-level club or international tournament in

either Europe or South America. We approach these tournaments as our own qualifiers and

world championships. Our hope is to provide enough quality events to prepare these players for

their next step in international competition.

Under-20 Men’s National Team

The Under-20 team is similar to the Under-17 team in that it is a result-oriented developmental

program. We are preparing players to be successful at a World Championship and to be

successful at the next National Team level.

Much of the development at the U-20 level is about competition and "intensified preparation for

the next level" (i.e. the Olympic team, National Team and/or a professional career). It is

important that we find players who show the characteristics that will help them advance to play

at the next level. We want to help these players mature as adults so they can handle any

environment. We need to instill the belief that these players can win at an international level

against the competition that they will see in the future. In this way, they learn to win in a manner

that will be successful at higher levels. The more we can expose them to quality competition,

training and coaching, the more we improve player development.

The challenge at this age group is blending collegiate players with young professionals. Our

players are competing against international teams whose entire rosters are made up of full-time

professionals in some of the world’s best leagues. We must create opportunities that replicate a

professional training and match environment. Currently almost 50% of this team’s player pool is

comprised of professional players as opposed to ten years ago when there were no U-20

professional players. As time goes by, we would expect more young players to be professional

at this age.

Similar to the Under-17’s, the Under-20’s use each two-year cycle to prepare for two events: the

CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament and the FIFA World Youth Championship. The Under-

20’s typically take two to three foreign trips a year, participating in at least one high-level

European tournament. Several domestic training camps are held throughout the year, where the

competition ranges from A-League teams to foreign clubs to MLS Teams to regional teams and

other U.S. National Teams. Due to the make-up of this team, it is often difficult to hold training

camps where the entire compliment of players are available, as the college season begins as the

MLS season ends.

Under-23 Men’s National Team

The focus of the Under-23 MNT program is to develop the professional player in preparation for

representing the U.S. at the Olympics and potentially playing for the full National Team. In our

current system, many of the players enter this age bracket as college players and become

professionals while still in this age group. As our system evolves, we would expect that more

players entering this age group would be professionals – similar to the U-20 age group.

Providing a variety of international competitions and contributing to their growth as pros is a

vital component of this program. For those players who have been members of our youth teams

leading up to the U-23’s, continuing and building on their international experience is important.

For those just arriving on the National Team scene becoming comfortable and familiar with the

various styles and tempos of international play is a must. The components of the game are the

guidelines at every stage of development. From the U-14 program to the MNT, the

incrementally increasing focus is results. Game management and adjusting tactically to achieve

results becomes more important than substituting to provide experience for younger players.

The Men’s Olympic Soccer Tournament has evolved into a professional competition for players

under the age of 23 with the addition of three “overage” players. The focus of the Senior Team

is results. Therefore the U-23 program is a significant link in the development of our players and

teams.

The Under-23 MNT puts it focus on preparing the team for the Olympics and the players for the

pro ranks and the Men’s National Team. As the Olympics approach, the intensity of the camps

and the number of the camps increase, building up to the Pan-Am Games, the Olympic

Qualifying Tournament and the Olympic Tournament. As this pool of players is made up almost

entirely of professionals, this team holds fewer camps than any of the other YNTs. This team

typically participates in European tournaments against other similar age National Teams, as well

as holding domestic training camps that usually include games against MLS teams and other

National Teams.

Men’s National Team

Player development occurs at every level. The objective of the Men’s National Team is to

achieve results in international competition, and to develop players for the international arena.

For this reason, there is a close relationship between the Men’s National Team and the U-23

team, and at times, the U-20 team. Players at the Men’s National Team possess the technical,

tactical, physical and mental tools to be successful, but some players simply lack the

international game experience. Development at the level of the MNT is achieved through

competition – players playing in games and gaining experience at the various levels from

international friendlies and competitions to World Cup Qualifiers to the World Cup itself.

The four-year World Cup cycle builds toward World Cup qualifying and the World Cup, and the

team’s schedule follows that pattern. The first 18 months after the World Cup are used to

identify players, and then as qualifying nears, the player pool is pared down and focus moves

from player identification to qualification. A large training camp is held in January of each year,

and once the MLS season begins, the MNT activity slows down in non-World Cup, non-Gold

Cup years. In addition to friendlies, the MNT also participate in the CONCACAF Gold Cup,

World Cup Qualifying, and the FIFA Confederations Cup. The U.S. usually plays 10-20

friendlies a year; typically the majority come against teams from CONCACAF, CONMEBOL

and UEFA.

Compiled by:

Manfred Schellscheidt

Ken Lolla

John Ellinger

George Gelnovatch

Thomas Rongen

Glenn Myernick

Bruce Arena