Can futsal deliver a world-class US soccer star from the inner city?

[Unregistered]

https://www.theguardian.com/football...city-fc-harlem

[Unregistered]

Please.

[Unregistered]

The best youth players I know all played 3v3 at young ages.

[Unregistered]

The best youth players I know all played 3v3 at young ages.

3v3 is a money grabbing joke.

[Unregistered]

There is reasons pro futsal players do are not playing pro outdoor...they are not good enough.


Futsal is a fun diversion from soccer in the winter and to add a change up to the routine but it does not create a player. A player is the only that create himself with heart, desire and passion.

It's 90 percent effort, heart and passion and 10 percent skill and training.

You must has the passions!!!!

[Unregistered]

https://www.theguardian.com/football...city-fc-harlem

better off focusing on poor areas with an existing strong soccer culture. areas like homestead in south florida or Immokalee where kids love soccer, are really good, but are locked out of pay to play competitive soccer.

[Unregistered]

There is reasons pro futsal players do are not playing pro outdoor...they are not good enough.


Futsal is a fun diversion from soccer in the winter and to add a change up to the routine but it does not create a player. A player is the only that create himself with heart, desire and passion.

It's 90 percent effort, heart and passion and 10 percent skill and training.

You must has the passions!!!!

Almost every world player of the year for the past 20 years has grown up spending a significant portion of their training time playing futsal. Neymar, Messi, Ronaldo (and the list goes on and on and on) all credit it to their development. Just look at Gabriel Jesus as the most recent example.

[Unregistered]

Almost every world player of the year for the past 20 years has grown up spending a significant portion of their training time playing futsal. Neymar, Messi, Ronaldo (and the list goes on and on and on) all credit it to their development. Just look at Gabriel Jesus as the most recent example.

Wonder if Ozil or Bale or Hazard grew up playing Futsal?

[Unregistered]

better off focusing on poor areas with an existing strong soccer culture. areas like homestead in south florida or Immokalee where kids love soccer, are really good, but are locked out of pay to play competitive soccer.

The boys in the hood would make fun of anyone in inner-city that played soccer

[Just a Coach]

https://www.theguardian.com/football...city-fc-harlem

Playing futsal alone in not enough to develop as a player in soccer. Futsal helps, just like playing any other invasion game helps, but player development is a very long process. Each and every step must offer least optimal conditions for development. Unfortunately, this is not yet the case. None of the development steps in the current US soccer system is good enough to develop world class players, not even good enough to develop enough professional level players to fill a national team.

[Unregistered]

Wonder if Ozil or Bale or Hazard grew up playing Futsal?

When did they win world player of the year? And its not that you have to play futsal to be successful, or playing it alone will make you successful, but it seems pretty obvious from the evidence that we have, that playing it helps develop players better. And its not just organized by the book futsal that is beneficial, but street soccer as well. Zlatan played a ton of street soccer growing up, but maybe never played futsal.

The evidence seems pretty convincing that playing futsal and soccer develops players better than just soccer, particularly at ages 5-12.

[Unregistered]

When did they win world player of the year?

Well, if you're gonna go by that statement than everyone sucks except Messi and Christiano since they've won the last 8 or so years...

[Unregistered]

3v3 is a money grabbing joke.

3v3 is OK but 4v4 is a much better game as it emulates more of what is seen in the bigger game. That one extra player on the field adds so many more possibilities. When 11v11 is broken down there are just a bunch of little SSG going on all over the field. There's a reason that the top clubs, at the professional level, use 4v4 and not 3v3 in training.

Futsal is a great game that every serious player should participate in at some point in training. The problem is that too many kids don't play it how it was intended to be played. They just takes whacks at the ball. A futsal ball is weighted and it rewards skill while magnifying the mistakes. The game is a great teacher in training kids to work in tight spaces.

And, no, to the previous poster: the best players don't play 3v3. Some have but most don't. You must be referring to u-little soccer.

[Unregistered]

When did they win world player of the year? And its not that you have to play futsal to be successful, or playing it alone will make you successful, but it seems pretty obvious from the evidence that we have, that playing it helps develop players better. And its not just organized by the book futsal that is beneficial, but street soccer as well. Zlatan played a ton of street soccer growing up, but maybe never played futsal.

The evidence seems pretty convincing that playing futsal and soccer develops players better than just soccer, particularly at ages 5-12.

I don't agree with your statement about "pretty convincing" evidence. I think there are some countries that already have a super strong soccer culture that also play futsal. Would iniesta have been iniesta if he played short sided games on grass instead of futsal? would Ronaldinho not have been Ronaldinho is he played no futsal? We do not know. You cannot prove this. I like futsal and my kids plays but I think there are too many people overstating the case.

[Unregistered]

I don't agree with your statement about "pretty convincing" evidence. I think there are some countries that already have a super strong soccer culture that also play futsal. Would iniesta have been iniesta if he played short sided games on grass instead of futsal? would Ronaldinho not have been Ronaldinho is he played no futsal? We do not know. You cannot prove this. I like futsal and my kids plays but I think there are too many people overstating the case.

But you can just see what the players themselves say:

"Everything I am as a Brazilian player I owe to futsal" - Zico

"In futsal you need to think quick and play quick, so it's easier for you when you move to normal soccer" - Pele

"My time in futsal was incredible, decisive in my life. All players should learn to play soccer by playing futsal" Cristiano Ronaldo

"Futsal is extremely important for kids developing skills and understanding. My touch and dribbling come from playing futsal" - Ronaldinho

"I came out of futsal with the skills necessary to play soccer. I play the same way now as I played on the futsal courts as a child." - Denilson

"As a little boy in Argentina I played futsal on the streets and for my club. It was tremendous fun and it really helped me become who I am today" - Messi

So, to answer your question, I guess there is no way to know if Ronaldinho would have been as good if he didn't play futsal. But according to him, that answer is no. And that's as close to proof as we can get.