woodeng

wow! u really dont like chucky doak!!!!

Good thread and I cant believe you beat spain!!! But heres my point of view of why the USA will not be a world force (altho you just battered spain, who have been unbeatable recently!). At high school level there is hardly no difference between you and England, in fact I would love to bring my U16 team over here and see how they would do. As the standard is more or less the same. The big difference I think is the college system. (Ouch Im waiting for stones to be thrown at me!) In England, each professional club has about 30 players in age group U12,13,14 etc and at 16 the club signs these players to schoolboy forms, these players then train full-time with the club and their experienced professionals. At 18, the club then signs the best 2-3 players and these are now professionals who carry on training usuaully with the first team and learn from players who have been playing in the game for years. In america, they go college until they are 21 and then go the MLS (correct if iam wrong). This is where the huge difference is, players in england at 16 are playing with seasoned veterans and in america at 18 they go college; rooney 16, owen 17, ferdinand 18, beckham 18 and countless more started professionally at a yound age. Now I know adu and altidore went straight into the mls at a young age, but these two have gone to europe. Alot of english lads are now coming to usa to play college soccer, but these are the boys who have been rejected by their clubs and these are the 3rd teir clubs who dont want them. The level is not high enough to produce world class players, sorry. But at least they are getting an education, whereas in england they dont really. Now dont get me wrong, I love the sport structure in the states but if you want elite football then the current college structure for soccer will not generate enough top class players. But you dominate every other sport in the world, so give us a chance with football!!! I would agree with the comment made about the national team being very one dimensional. I have found with coaching in america that players always ask: "What do I do when I have the ball here? Where do I run when i this position? Its all very sturctured and they seem to struggle with playing instinctively and not relying on the coach to play the game for them. As aonther poster has siad, lots of mini-games and the game will coach them and also probly let them have fun as well!

"It was incorrectly reported that the referee didn't issue any cautions, that is incorrect. The Chucky Doak player that started the brawl in the second half was cautioned for wreckless play in the first half. In my opinon the Chucky Doak player that started the brawl did not know how to play soccer." - LAW5 and "I would love to see some of these schools clean up their own acts, but if it takes TSSAA sanctions, then so be it." - coach17 LAW5, that is way out of line. The player in question does know how to play soccer is a good player, although Im do not justify him fighting etc. But the player is a good person and you have no right on commenting on that player. coach17, i know both the coach and assistant coach of this team (met them through a thread actually) and both do not condone any such behaviour and do not tolerate such play. Both are good coaches who coach correctly and do promote good morals. Both boys and girls teams are a bunch of young adults who are great people and athletes and you have no rights in making the comments you have! I have heard both sides of the storey and there are different opinions to what happened. It happened, its been dealt with, that should be enough.

"When Elizabethton plays these two the Greene County schools there is always a good possibility of things turning ugly. I am a Cyclone fan all the way, so call me biased if you must, but the pushing, grabbing, holding, and verbal intimidation tactics must stop. I witnessed it routinely in the twelve years I coached. This may be the incident that finally forces the TSSAA and the game officials to investigate and put an end to this type of physical play." More than a little biased I think! Verging on slander!

Everthing is so political!!!! I don't really understand the taxes thing, but if the parents pay the correct tax then their son / daughter should be allowed to play. We ARE TALKING ABOUT CHILDREN (OR YOUNG ADULTS) HERE, WHAT IS BEST FOR THEM? Isnt that what we should be looking at. So playing for the Home Schooled Team or their local team, let them play and let them compete. AAA or Div II or whatever. The majorty will probly gain from the socialising process.

Anna Ricker, coach at Chuckey Doak. Has taken a team to state (last 4 I believe) with no club players and has made sectionals 3 times in the last 4 years. She deserves alot of respect!!

Just thought i'd drop note about the standard of soccer I watched during my trip to TN. The coaches, players and parents of these games should be commended. Although the tactics were alittle different to what I'am used to, I learnt alot (Your never to old!). The standard to other states ive seen was higher and to be honest very well run / organised. We could take a lot of tips from TN. Congrats!

I saw them beat a JV team 5-1. I'am suprised to hear they got beat 9-2 by Elizabethton. They have 4-5 good players and play some decent soccer. In Knoxville, nice pitch, very friendly!

I'd have to agree, speed does make teams revert to a sweeper. But the only way to break with a tradition is to stop doing it and not going back. And start players playing the flat back 4 young, but thats easier said than done. I know in Italy, they start coaching defensive techniques and tactics when they are 8. With over half their training time dedicated to the back four. The real problem is, whether the coach wants results fast or to develop a programme which produces a flat back-four and upto date soccer tactics. And its a results business, thats what the parents, players and school wants!

Cheers BigG, much appreciated.

Hello, I'am visiting the knoxville / East TN area between the dates 21st March - 2nd April. I have seen Girls Soccer in TN, which was impressive to say the least and would love to catch a boys game. So could anybody let me know if a good game falls between these dates and where it would be played. Cheers

Oooooo, tried not to comment, but I have too. There are many variables (changing players / or changing people to different positions) to change when things aren't going your way as a soccer coach and your game plan / formation is the last alternative. Coaches spend many hours on the training pitch working on a particular tactic, and they have to keep faith in their team before they change game plan. Soccer is different a sport to others, if your losing 1-0 and you change too soon and lose another goal, its game over! Im sure coaches do have ideas to adapt and they can, but its a tough decision to make and when to make them. So give the coaches a break!!!!

An interesting comment by Big G, as i was wondering what the A/AA private schools thought of being bumped up into AAA. Suppose you could do a promotion and relegation system for the A/AA private schools; where if you won state or made consecutive state appearances you get promoted to AAA for the next season. Then if the teams record was poor for the next couple of seasons, they could be relegated back into A/AA. This would give the publics a chance to be successful. As im sure if a public won state, they would want to be take on the privates and see if they could beat them!