Organization=Success

By Jason | May 1, 2008 2:14 am |

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From the lowest level to the highest level, organization on any soccer team is a must. You see it from the most talented to the least talented. The most organized side in soccer will usually win or at the very least be successful.

My main point in all of this is not to point out specific pro sides because in the end those teams have money. Money will make people more aware of what they are doing. My key teams that I would like to dissect are college club teams, youth teams, adult amateur teams, and even some semi-pro teams as well.

To start off, College Club teams recieve little to no money from the University or learning institution that they are representing. Funny thing is, the school really does not care that it is being advertised all around if it is not an NCAA or “school-team”. For instance, many universities do not have soccer programs at their respective schools, so the Student Body organizes a club team(s). In this situation, talent truly does not matter. This is not to say that a D1 level college club that was poorly organized would lose all of its games. However, if they were organized, they would be unbeatable.

Key Items:
-College is the time for many to drink, party, experiment, and do what ever, so team leadership needs to stop this. Any top D1 program has very strict rules concerning night life, partying, drinking, and anything invovled.
-I think the coach also needs to be well respected and connected as well. Think about it, if a club team’s coach was well connected enough, then people might forego the whole D1 thing and go to a pro club.

Robinho Situation

By Jason | April 23, 2008 7:55 am |

Categories:

Site News,Soccer Central,Soccer Tips,Transfer Central

Recently I was combing through my email when Soccer America, put out an article concerning Brazilian striker, Robinho.

As some of you may know, I put out an article myself about one of his National Team Teammates, Ronaldinho. It seems both ‘Inhos, have fallen out of favor with their respective clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid-how ironic. Both rivals, are sure to be losing key players if they so choose to let go both guys.

Furthermore, the Robinho situation is quite interesting. He has been benched by Bernd Schuster, the Madrid boss. Supposedly Robinho has ditched training sessions rather sneakingly which has not impressed his coach either. He has taken a rather nice liking to jumping out of a dressing room window during training sessions while avoiding the team, the press, and of course Schuster himself.

The general consensus is that Manchester City, who has been in the market for sometime for a big name, is interested. Also, Manchester City has been included in the discussion for Ronaldinho’s services if they become available.

We shall watch these situations very closely to see what ends up happening. By the way, Robinho was the proposed front-runner for the FIFA World Player of the Year award but has fallen out of this race due to these occurrences.

Team Structure: High School

By Jason | April 17, 2008 7:49 am |

Categories:

Soccer Central,Soccer Tips

Many high school teams are very poorly structured and a direct result is losing. The better structured teams are the ones that win. I think it all starts with the coach.

High school sports and soccer is different from organized sports outside of the education system because it is not a business. The players, parents, supporters, and most of the time-coaches, will come and go.

For a high school soccer team to win, be productive, and continue to win, everything starts with the Coach, among many other things. Here is what I think should be in the job description/ participation description for everyone.

The Coach: The coach needs to be among many other things the coach however most coaches only stay at that. This is why teams lose. The coach needs to be the General Manager, team trainer(takes care of everything to sprained ankles to calling 911 in a big emergency), team spokesperson, scout, promotions, and a lot of other things. If you are not willing to do all of this, plus coach, then Prepare To Lose.

I think a big thing with coaches is that they have to be a people person. Nobody is going to come out and help you on their own. Who exactly wants to take part in a 24/7, 6-month commitment for a “share” of your $500-$2000 dollar stipend. So, if you want 10 asst. coaches, many team trainers/ physicians, supportive parents, then you need to get active. But there is one good thing about high school sports. Each player comes with 2 parents, unless they have different beliefs in which case more could be available. On a 22 man team, that’s 44 available people. If you could get half on your staff, wow!

Remaining responsibilities to come!

English Football Opportunities

By Jason | April 14, 2008 1:03 am |

Categories:

Soccer Central,Soccer Tips

English soccer or football is one of those places where players can truly grow and shine. I honestly wish that the U.S. was so well-structured.

English soccer has a 24-level structure. The highest being the Premier League and the lowest being the Bristol Downs League 4. However there every team from league 4 to the Premier League has the chance to reach the Premiership or be regulated to league 4 play. And that in itself is what I love about English soccer, the ability for any team to be champions of England.

I think this is something the USSF should take a look at. We have fairly organized leagues-USL, MLS, NPSL, and the amateur USASA. However, it wasn’t until now that a club from the USL had a chance at gaining entry to the MLS-our top league. While the near future will surely have these inclusions-the MLS dream of reaching the goal of 18 teams by 2012. The only foreseeable way to reach this level would be to include top USL teams. However even the top amateur teams would have to go through a big process to even reach “semi-pro” status.

We see a little smidgen of this in the recent inclusion of the San Francisco Glens. Recently the Glens, of the San Francisco Soccer League, have been added as a provisional member to the NPSL West.

English Soccer Opportunities:

Until I took a good look at how English soccer really works, I thought every single person that I heard that was going to England to play was literally crazy. Here was my thinking: I I would hear of guys flying over to England to try and make it professionally. To me, that was ludicrous, why would you think you could make it over there, if you couldn’t make it over here. To add another note: The MLS All-stars play a English Premiership team and most of the time, they lose.

Having taken a good look, I see why so many people try to make it over “there”. There are 24 leagues of play. That means that there are probably thousands of teams, and that is not including the Premiership. So say a player gets a try-out from 250 lower level teams. Odds are pretty good of making it there.

Most people will probably not make it to the Premiership or even the top 10 leagues of play in England. However, opportunities are high when there are 14 different levels to choose from all with 10 or more leagues, and all of those with double digit clubs in them…this time, you do the math.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

By Jason | April 12, 2008 2:14 am |

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Site News,Soccer Central,Soccer Tips

Since the early days to the present day, internationals alike have been trying to jump start American Soccer. We see it from Beckham to Pele, East Coast to West Coast. However with all this hype and rising talent, where does the player that used to be good, go?

I have been honestly thinking about this for quite some time. So what does a player do if he truly can not make an MLS squad or even get a look?

Internal Options:

The United Soccer Leagues or USL, offers just about the same thing that the U.S. does without the money and obvious fame. They are also considered “semi-pro” however the Seattle Sounders will reach the MLS by 2009. The USL also has 2 divisions plus the Premier Development League which is generally geared towards developing College athletes.
The next step down from this would have to be the Major Indoor Soccer League or MISL. These players make significantly less money however they are still professional. Something that someone just looking to play or get noticed might consider doing. The MISL however is not as popular.
The National Premier Soccer League or NPSL, is truly semi-pro. As a matter of fact I do not believe any of these teams actually pay their players to play. I think some travel expenses are paid for and pretty sure equipment is taken care of as well.
United States Adult Soccer Association: (USASA) This is to be honest, amateur level. There is no professional or even semi-pro status tag that is tied to this level of competition. Here you will see the little pub team to Hollywood United–an adult amateur club team that is known to have Alexei Lalas on its side from time to time. If a player were to go this route, I would strongly advise picking a team that competes in a strong league year to year, plays regular and many friendly matches against the senior USL, PDL, or NPSL teams, and always enters into the U.S. Open Cup…this is the least that you want from this type of team.

When all else fails, go international:

If everything else has failed you, and the U.S. simply isn’t your fit or place, look either North or South.

North: Canada has many different teams and leagues that are separate from the USL and NPSL. The CSL would have to be considered the strongest league outside of USL play. The Canadian Soccer League has many good teams as well as opportunities. Look here first.

The next level would have to be the Pacific Coast Soccer League, however it is relatively small. The league consists of teams that are all on the Pacific Coast of Canada and the level varies. Some teams do host top USL players during the USL off-season.

Right near the bottom comes the Canada Indoor Soccer League or CMISL. It is probably comparable to the level of the MISL here in the States, however we would probably consider it a lower league.

South: Mexico, Caribbean, and Latin America as well as Central.

Mexico: This country has a lot of opportunities, however if you do not speak Spanish, I do not know how you will even get a try-out. If you can not make the MLS, then forget about the top league. I would take a strong look at one of the lower level teams or even semi-pro down there.

Caribbean: I have heard most of the Caribbean is not very strong and as a matter of fact I bet one who would be willing to nationalize himself would have a decent shot at making the National team of one of these island nations.

Latin America: Latin America has its share of good playing countries and their respective pro leagues. Obviously, one who does not make the MLS will have an issue making say the Brazilian league team or Argentinian. The level of play is generally strong in Latin America because creativity, ball handling, and speed is a mere “given”.

Central America: Many of these nations will have spots open surely for players that are decently good.

Next: We shall take a look at English Soccer Opportunities!

For Love of the Game

By Jason | April 8, 2008 8:52 pm |

Categories:

Soccer Tips

Its surprising to us all, how so many “hopefuls” just fade away. You know the type. The high school star or maybe even a city league star. Everyone thought that he should go pro but, he doesn’t. These types are all around and many of them are considered the good players that every rec, city, or amateur team has. Maybe these guys that I am talking about even made it to college and shined there. Who knows?

Many of my topics consist of getting to college and then the next level or simply getting to the pro level. I was driving someplace and thought about something. Does a soccer player’s ultimate happiness rest in pro leagues?

I once knew this really good goalkeeper. He won 2 collegiate national championships in Canada. You would have thought that he would be playing or would have played with maybe the CSL(Canadian Soccer League), one of the USL teams up there, or something. Not a chance. He was the head GK coach for an academy that I went to. “My World Cup is every pick-up game, scrimmage, adult league game, sunday league game, or just whenever I’m in goal or on the pitch.”

People need to stop thinking about being the professionals and start thinking about playing. If I could something 24/7, that something would be playing soccer. No doubt about it. However, I wouldn’t want my love of soccer to be blackened by dreams of making money, playing for fame, and living some kind of a crazy life. Players today need to realize that their “World Cup” is now, not tomorrow.

American Pride

By Jason | April 7, 2008 5:26 am |

Categories:

Soccer Tips

The true pride that Americans truly live off of day to day is our college system. As Americans we truly believe that our colleges beat out any and all colleges of the world. We will always say that Oxford, Cambridge, Tokyo, Imperial of London etc. etc. is only comparable or at par–never better than any of ours. Having said all this, it is very easy to see why the one true path to being a Pro soccer player in the U.S. is through our college system.

Reasons why the MLS, USSF, US MNT, and many others select college players:

The first reason is that these institutions will always say a college player is more seasoned and experienced than any youth player. This is arguable to a point however, an off-shores academy player should get looked at as well…no?
Americans always love using plans, schemes, and blueprints for many things. One can clearly see that in the chain of command in every business and especially the Government. The same is applied for pro soccer players. The U.S. pretty much makes their pro athletes go through college first to put money into the education system and also by telling you that you will always have a backup…a college degree.
The money thing comes into play. Whether the American Universities are getting the money from you or another person possibly the government, money is money. This is not meant to be a bash on the U.S. however America has a good blueprint for spreading around the money amongst their many institutions.

Having talked to many college coaches and players, this is what they will always tell you. From a coaches view, they are giving a player an education while fulfilling his/her soccer dreams. From a player’s view, the player is getting a good education while fulfilling his/ her dream.

The Current United States Men’s National Team: Think 2010

By Jason | March 20, 2008 5:43 am |

Categories:

Soccer Central,Soccer Tips

The current state of the men’s national team is kinda iffy at many different areas. To say some good things first off are: We have a capable keeper in Tim Howard. I like Oguchi Onyewu has pretty good size and performed well with the Premiership team Newcastle United. I think “Gooch” as they call him will have a good future ahead of him. After all the stars of now start to fade and get older, the one thing that the U.S. will rely on is the youth-fullness that we now see in the midfield…furthermore these guys should grow into a talented and good midfield someday. I also have a good feeling about the young forwards Freddy Adu and Jozy Altidore.

Finally…The Whole Breakdown for 2010:

The U.S. has notoriously only carried 2 goalkeepers for the last 5 World Cups. I am sure there are other reserve keepers or keepers that still train with the team in case one of the two goes down…but only 2 are listed. We can clearly see that Brad Guzan will probably become the starter once Howard is gone. However do not look to only Guzan as this country’s future…there are others and soon they will start getting some time for friendlies etc. etc.

The Defense: Anchored by Carlos Bocanegra, we shall see how well their younger guys develop(Parkhurst, Moore, and Gooch). While others will certainly vie for spots on the team, I do like Gooch as aforementioned.

Midfield: The midfield should shape up to be something great someday. As I said, we have a really nice mix here. Right now and for the next Cup, which should be the last for Eddie Lewis, we’ll see Bobby Convey a young but very experienced player. Landon Donovan, a more attacking mid/ forward also must be mentioned. The youth that I speak of is only going to get better as they develop, The U.S. has 4 talented mid-fielders in Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber, Maurice Edu, and Convey.

Forwards: Clint Dempsey will anchor this line for a long time, we should see him on the U.S. for another good 10 years however I can’t tell you how high I would be on the tandem of Jozy Altidore and Freddy Adu who are both “barely legal”(18).

We should see a much stronger U.S. national side in 2010. The thing that the U.S. will always have over other opponents is our diversity. We see this diversity emerging as former immigrants’ children are now playing on the team.

Money Issues: When It Does Matter

By Jason | March 18, 2008 2:14 am |

Categories:

Soccer Central,Soccer Tips

So what do you do, when your child, player, or if you are a player who has a money issue? Put it this way, you have to be penny-wise.

Now the example situation is the best possible paired with the worst environment. Lets say you’re dirt poor but you have some of the best skills. The academy teams in your area are not offering scholarships and/ or they don’t cover all expenses. You won’t get anywhere for free but certainly you can’t pay the current U.S. academy price. Also, there is no MLS Academy in your area.

Course of Action-High School Players:

Find the local club team…maybe its not the Premier team you’ve always dreamed of but this has to work. Often cases this team may not even be Class 1(the competitive level class). You can still find good class 3 teams…make sure they are in the top level of class 3, and compete in many local tournaments. Also, as a side note, if you are very talented a class 3 coach may pick up your entire fee dues if he feels you will be a standout star player. Another thing, review all the clubs in your area, and find the one that will give you the best financial aid package that is the best fit.
Join the Sunday league–a.k.a the city league. This league is cheap and plays just about every Sunday year around. This is good to develop skills and also good for playing time–which is very important.
Look for an adult amateur team that is local. As a freshman looking for experience and a challenge, older players are very knowledgeable and will go into a challenge extra hard…they lack wind so they will try and push you around. This will also be pretty cheap as well.
Try to attend the open try-outs for the local semi-pro team. They pay all costs for their players and if you make the team, practicing with that kind of talent is valuable to your growth and development. This will most likely be free besides travel expense. Keep an eye out for local PDL, NPSL, or a pro teams academy team.

Getting Gear:

Invest in good boots/cleats: The obvious options are out there except my mind thinks Adidas Copa Mundial…they are about $100 but they will last a very long time.
Look for deals: All the online soccer stores have sales for last years equipment(shin guards, socks, bags, balls, etc. etc.
If you have as many teams as I listed above, then practice attire should be taken care of i.e. jerseys, shorts, socks…

Overall, be on a lot of teams, cause exposure will be a problem. Join teams that take care of their players or good players financially. And try and be wanted by teams.

Weighing Your Options: Big Money vs. Little Money

By Jason | March 15, 2008 2:18 am |

Categories:

Soccer Central,Soccer Tips

The state of the U.S.’s current Academy system is very hard to explain and learn. However, I have studied youth and college soccer for the past 3 years…primarily for myself although I have come to terms with myself and am willing to use it for the better good of developing soccer.

Here goes: Thus far, the U.S. has a complex academy system. In Europe, pro teams sponsor and develop their own academy players. I have other posts on this so I won’t go into big details. The difference between our current (what you could call) academy system is like the difference between Privatized Insurance and say Universal Healthcare… get the difference? Ok…the only reason why these clubs get these kids’ parents to sign them over to the club is because the club promises many things such as food, a safe environment, some form of schooling, housing, and anything else…possibly a pro career.

The current U.S. academy is like playing for a club except you travel a lot and just being on the team is very expensive.

But this is not my argument…My main point here is: Should you(as parents) put your kids on a U.S. Academy team or just put them on a regular club or even cheaper put them on a city league team?

A U.S. Development Academy is technically sponsored by USSF(United States Soccer Federation), however there is only money involved when you make it to the finals of the entire system or you prove your mettle. Either option is not easy. Here is what to expect from this type of team:

Major exposure at a price: A player can/should expect to go to all the big U.S. tourney’s(Blue Chip, Dallas Cup, Disney, Nomads, Surf Cup, etc. etc.) But a cost…each trip to these tournaments will cost anywhere from $500-anything with 000 at the end and a different number than 0 in front. See my point.
Besides paying travel expenses, a player will most likely pay for his/her uniform and all other gear. Now some teams pay for this…but these clubs rarely have the money for this.
Club fees: There are many of these…a club will get away with charing you anywhere from $200-thousands for fees such as: Coach Travel expenses, insurance, travel costs, tournament fees, grounds fees, etc. etc.
However, with all the money mentioned…a player can also expect to get college recruitment from all this…not a bad trade off.

Now a city-league team/ regular club may have some of these perks however at a much cheaper cost:

City-League: I would recommend playing city league as well as playing for a club or academy team but that’s just a side-note. City-league will not get anybody noticed unless there is an active 4-year college in the immediate area. Fees are minimal and sometimes local cab companies-no honestly-sponsor the team. So sometimes its all about car expenses as this team will not be traveling more than 200 miles, probably not even 100. They are a good way to play against top talent, grow, and play a different type of soccer that you will not find in club/ academy/ anywhere else except here.

Club: To compare the current U.S. Academy and club soccer is pretty hard. And to be honest, the comparison between some clubs and academies are so far apart, somebody might think I’m making a cheap joke right about now. The perfect comparison to playing at the academy level and club level is playing club on any State Premier League team. Premier is the top class and is just about the only comparison. W/o further ado, club pros/cons:

A player will get less exposure unless the team goes to a lot of tournaments. Now I’m all for Premier clubs, but they must go to a lot of tournaments. So, if you live in California like I do…Surf Cup, Newport Surf Cup, and Nomads are the ones that a team needs to attend. This will have higher costs but definitely cheaper than hopping on a plane and going to Florida from California for a tournament.
The level of play will obviously be good, but it will be less than playing at the academy level. Put it this way, in the current U.S. academy system, the best clubs are the academies.
Costs, considering that most clubs really don’t go all that far, except in-state and maybe 1 or 2 (which is pushing it) will be out of state. However, the costs will be lower.

So lets put everything into prospective. Overall, if a player and his family has the money to burn or can get some type of scholarship or financial aid from the team…then by all means play Academy. However, a cheaper route is to find, the best club team in your area even if that means driving an hour one-way…it will still be cheaper.

Page 2 of 3«123 »

Organization=Success

Robinho Situation

Team Structure: High School

English Football Opportunities

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

For Love of the Game

American Pride

The Current United States Men’s National Team: Think 2010

Money Issues: When It Does Matter

Weighing Your Options: Big Money vs. Little Money

Manchester United knocked out of FA Cup

Living The Life: Two Points on Being A Pro

Future Sights: Euro 2008

Future Sights: Euro 2008

Name: Jason Fukushima

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