From parking lot practice to US college & WC

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https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn...ntl/index.html

Story above is a common theme of second rate treatment of a women’s national soccer team, but what strikes me is how much further these women have come with far less instruction and game opportunities than an average US club team. How does a team who practices in parking lots with little instruction and playing time end up with players at PSG, US colleges, and the World Cup? What are we doing wrong here that so much is spent on youth soccer with less success on average?

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https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn...ntl/index.html

Story above is a common theme of second rate treatment of a women’s national soccer team, but what strikes me is how much further these women have come with far less instruction and game opportunities than an average US club team. How does a team who practices in parking lots with little instruction and playing time end up with players at PSG, US colleges, and the World Cup? What are we doing wrong here that so much is spent on youth soccer with less success on average?

You are grossly underestimating and understating a number of things here. First, the country has a soccer culture where soccer is the primary sport played and watched. Second, these women were already ID’d as “National Team” level players, so they were already gifted, athletic, and smart in the game. Much of their coaching likely happened at younger ages with parents and volunteer coaches who knew the game and played the game. They likely grew up with a ball at their feet, unlike in the US where kids don’t really get quality coaching unless they play club and generally at older ages.

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You are grossly underestimating and understating a number of things here. First, the country has a soccer culture where soccer is the primary sport played and watched. Second, these women were already ID’d as “National Team” level players, so they were already gifted, athletic, and smart in the game. Much of their coaching likely happened at younger ages with parents and volunteer coaches who knew the game and played the game. They likely grew up with a ball at their feet, unlike in the US where kids don’t really get quality coaching unless they play club and generally at older ages.

I hear what you are saying, but there’s a quantum leap between watching soccer and playing pickup games as a young child and developing the skills to play internationally and in US colleges. Maybe those early experiences make them good at 10 or 11 years old, but what explains the step up in skills that occurred between years 11 and 18 or 19 with little resources? The story describes the Chilean national women’s program in disarray and largely ignored by their governing body. Hardly seems like they were ID’ing and training players. FIFA had them listed as inactive.

Are you saying that the costly formal instruction kids receive here can’t bridge the gap with foreigners who are introduced to the sport earlier informally?

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I hear what you are saying, but there’s a quantum leap between watching soccer and playing pickup games as a young child and developing the skills to play internationally and in US colleges. Maybe those early experiences make them good at 10 or 11 years old, but what explains the step up in skills that occurred between years 11 and 18 or 19 with little resources? The story describes the Chilean national women’s program in disarray and largely ignored by their governing body. Hardly seems like they were ID’ing and training players. FIFA had them listed as inactive.

Are you saying that the costly formal instruction kids receive here can’t bridge the gap with foreigners who are introduced to the sport earlier informally?

What I'm saying is that overseas they start with the ball earlier and are all in throughout their youth development, not pulled in multiple directions playing different sports. They start development with coaches that played the game and know the game, whereas here, our Rec coaches are volunteer parents who generally know nothing about the game.

Because of the culture, through the teenage years I'm sure they still had opportunities to play competitively. In countries like that, kids will find games to play, whenever and where ever. Add in the fact that while Chile is a small country, it can pull from a broad swath of their population as it isn't pay2play, cost isnt a factor.

Between the soccer culture and the lack of pay2play, I would say, yes, it is difficult to see how "formal" instruction can bridge the gap. Soccer is not a difficult sport to learn. For kids who play street soccer or cage soccer and have great technical skills and watch professional soccer all the time, learning 11v11 with minimal coaching is not out of the realm of possibility.

Imagine our kids practice 2 90 minute sessions per week and play 70 minute game, total of 250 minutes. Compare that to kids in Chile who probably are playing 6-7 days per week in some capacity, formal or informal. When they aren't on the pitch, they are screwing around with a ball at their feet, learning tricks, juggling, etc. I could see players like that racking up 600-700 minutes a week touching a ball. Now stretch that out over years...

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What I'm saying is that overseas they start with the ball earlier and are all in throughout their youth development, not pulled in multiple directions playing different sports. They start development with coaches that played the game and know the game, whereas here, our Rec coaches are volunteer parents who generally know nothing about the game.

Because of the culture, through the teenage years I'm sure they still had opportunities to play competitively. In countries like that, kids will find games to play, whenever and where ever. Add in the fact that while Chile is a small country, it can pull from a broad swath of their population as it isn't pay2play, cost isnt a factor.

Between the soccer culture and the lack of pay2play, I would say, yes, it is difficult to see how "formal" instruction can bridge the gap. Soccer is not a difficult sport to learn. For kids who play street soccer or cage soccer and have great technical skills and watch professional soccer all the time, learning 11v11 with minimal coaching is not out of the realm of possibility.

Imagine our kids practice 2 90 minute sessions per week and play 70 minute game, total of 250 minutes. Compare that to kids in Chile who probably are playing 6-7 days per week in some capacity, formal or informal. When they aren't on the pitch, they are screwing around with a ball at their feet, learning tricks, juggling, etc. I could see players like that racking up 600-700 minutes a week touching a ball. Now stretch that out over years...

While early soccer experience is important and pay-to-play does hurt the game, you need to know the backstories of these individual Chilean players to understand their success. Some of them came from privileged families that had money for soccer instruction outside of what their national team could provide. Endler, the one that plays for PSG, had a German father so the family lived at least part time in Europe and she was exposed to multiple sports. Rothfeld played for youth clubs with experienced international coaches. In the article below, she talks about being id’ed at 13 and playing in Switzerland, which is hardly most Chilean children’s experience. As in all pro sports, follow the money.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/victory...-in-chile/amp/