Since arriving in the U.S., one difference in youth soccer culture has stood out immediately: the obsession with one-to-one and very small group training. Private sessions. Groups of one to four players. The assumption that fewer players automatically means better...
For many American players, their first international match is a shock. The pace feels faster. The contact arrives earlier. The intensity is relentless. Players who look confident and dominant at home suddenly hesitate — like rabbits in headlights. That reaction...
How Tom Byer’s philosophy — and NCE Soccer’s player-centered approach — prove that talent isn’t born, it’s built. Natural ability in football is often mistaken for early development. Drawing on Tom Byer’s Football Starts at Home and NCE Soccer’s player-centered...
Reading Bounce by Matthew Syed was a turning point for me. Until then, I believed ability was inherited — that some players were born with it and others weren’t. I included myself in that first group. But Bounce dismantled that idea completely. It showed me that...
When I first read Mindset by Carol Dweck, I expected it to make me a better coach. What I didn’t expect was how deeply it would influence me as a parent — and how much it would help me understand my own journey as a young player. Dweck’s ideas about the growth mindset...
With U.S. youth soccer shifting to an August 1–July 31 age cut-off in 2026–27, and MLS NEXT adjusting its structures accordingly, the intent is clear: reduce disruption and improve alignment across the pathway. That’s positive. But one of the ongoing challenges within...
