What would you do to overhaul your national player development pathway if finance was not an issue? Founder of Changing the Game Project, John O’Sullivan discusses the financial position of US Soccer after it was revealed they had $100 million in the bank. What would you do with $100 million to improve the sport you love? It’s kind of a magic wand question, isn’t it? You have enough money to make a significant impact in a sport on every level, how do you spend…
US Soccer
Kellyn Acosta is a homegrown talent from Dallas, Texas who now has 50 appearances for FC Dallas who finished as Western Conference Finalists in 2015. PDP Editor, Dave Wright spoke to Kellyn about his player development journey. Now 20 years old with two U20 World Cups behind him, Acosta is a product of the club’s academy. A young player with big ambitions who speaks fondly of playing street soccer constantly as a key part of his development, we caught up with Kellyn to discuss…
Emerson Hyndman currently plays for Championship club Fulham FC. Having come through their academy to feature regularly in the first team, as well as representing his native USA at the FIFA U20 World Cup in New Zealand, the Player Development Project were keen to understand more about the development of a player described by his club as ‘a chief midfield orchestrator’. The name Hyndman is one that attracts a fair bit of attention in US Soccer. Schellas Hyndman coached FC Dallas for 5 years…
In this guest blog, TOVO Institute’s Todd Beane examines US Soccer player retention rates and how coaches can help keep young players in the game. Here’s what the Positive Coach Alliance out of California mentions as to major reasons why up to 75% of our children drop out of sports by the age of 12. 1. It’s not fun anymore 2. Pressure to perform 3. Lack of competence in the sport 4. Time demands As I see this disturbing information gleaned from research professionals, I…
Caleb Porter is a young coach with a decorated resume. Voted the 2013 MLS Coach of the Year after the Portland Timbers accrued 57 league points, Porter has brought a sense of stability to the club on the back of his time as USA Men’s U23 coach and a 12-year tenure in the American college soccer scene.
In this Live Webinar replay, Founder of Changing the Game Project & TEDx Speaker, John O’Sullivan & Former US U17 Assistant Coach & Men’s International, Erik Imler join us to talk Player Development in the USA. PDP Editor, Dave Wright & PDP Co-Founder, Adam Wright host a discussion with John & Erik on how we can change player development for the better with a particular focus on the challenges that parents, coaches and players have in the USA. We discuss a range of topics including: Positive…
Born in Evergreen Park, Chicago, Illinois, Brad Guzan has gone from running around the various sporting fields of the suburbs of his home town to being a star performer for one of England’s most famous clubs, Aston Villa FC. Not only is Brad a top performer in the cauldron of the English Premier League, but he has also been a part of the USA squad for the last eight years and attended two World Cups. We talk to Brad about his player development journey. …
Many believe football is a sport in which early specialisation is important, but is it actually early specialisation or early engagement that players really need? There is little doubt playing with a ball from an early age is beneficial, but should organised football be a child’s only sporting experience? The following image first came to my attention through Twitter, from Ohio University. It is amazing because the image portrays something that is widely known among experts, is widely discussed in coaching circles, and has certainly been written about…
DC United’s Chris Rolfe speaks exclusively to PDP Editor, Dave Wright about his career and early development years from college soccer to US international and the Danish Superliga along the way. Find out what makes Chris tick and what influenced his development in this wide-ranging look back at his career so far. Chris Rolfe is an 11-year veteran of MLS. After beginning his college career with the Dayton Flyers in Ohio, Rolfe was a third-round pick by the Chicago Fire in the 2005 MLS Superdraft….