SoCal Teenagers Living the Dream

It was a near perfect afternoon for Lynwood native, Ulysses Llanez. Imagine growing up in Southern California with the dream of playing soccer at the highest level possible. Add to that the opportunity to play for the US Mens National Team in your home town at just the age of 18. That is exactly what […]

Tryout advice for soccer families

Tryouts are coming up for young players (younger than high school age). CLICK HERE for a comprehensive list of tryouts happening around San Diego. Map of San Diego soccer clubs: Tryouts are stressful Hundreds of families will be heading out to competitive soccer tryouts over the next few weeks. Tryouts are stressful. I sat down […]

Key qualities of a great soccer player

A few months ago, I talked to Shawn Beyer about US Soccer Talent Identification Scouts. CLICK HERE to read about what scouts do at games. 6 KEY QUALITIES OF GREAT SOCCER PLAYERS, according to US Soccer A very important part of our interview was when Shawn listed the six key qualities that US Soccer looks […]

Why DMCV Sharks Joined ECNL. One word: Community

Established in 1970, Del Mar Carmel Valley Sharks remain a mainstay in the Southern California soccer world. Five years ago, Warren Barton joined DMCV Sharks. Since then, he’s been helping the Sharks continue to grow and improve. Sharks have a thriving recreational youth program, and they have teams in various competitive SoCal leagues, including ECNL. […]

ECNL & DA. Is it just about high school soccer? (Spoiler alert: NO)

Fall League Soccer is in full swing. After a summer full of playoffs and tournaments, soccer leagues across the country are now in full-swing. Competitive youth soccer players will be spending their weekends on soccer fields nation-wide. They will be battling for wins, league titles, and the improvement that comes along with highly competitive matches. […]

Abby Wambach on the Importance of High School Soccer

Abby Wambach is a soccer legend. Olympic Gold Medalist. World Cup Champion. NCAA D1 Champion. And, back in the day, she got to play soccer for her high school. Today’s soccer players have a new and difficult choice to make. Like most of her soccer peers, and the “99ers” who paved the way, she played […]

Women’s World Cup Final: Preview from the Expert

There may not be a better person in the world to preview the 2019 Women’s World Cup Final. From 2009 until late 2017, Mirelle van Rijbroek was the director of all things girls’ youth soccer in the Netherlands. She trained, coached, and was an important part of the Dutch girls’ youth system that eventually became […]

SOPHIE JONES NAMED GATORADE NATIONAL GIRLS SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Sophie Jones, future Blue Devil The Gatorade Player of the Year program recognizes the nation’s most elite high school athletes for their accomplishments on and off the field. The 2019 Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year is future Duke Blue Devil, Sophie Jones. Sophie Jones, an interview with SoccerNation Gatorade just announced the […]

After years of Development, LAFC is Ready for Its First DA Playoffs

Back in 2016, LAFC didn’t have a stadium. Or a head coach. Or Carlos Vela. MLS had awarded a franchise to Los Angeles, but they wouldn’t play their first game in the league until 2018. They did, however, have an Under-12 US Soccer Development Academy team. From the ground up LAFC ownership had decided to […]

American Soccer: Using Our Strengths and Addressing Our Challenges (Part 1)

A conversation with the Director of Talent Identification for US Soccer, Mirelle van Rijbroek The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup has kicked off in France. Leading up to this Women’s World Cup, I asked van Rijbroek the hard question: Who does she think will win the championship? She answered, “Well, I hope we do, of […]

EPL & MLS Champs in San Diego, Youth Edition #ManCityCup

Manchester City are the reigning English Premier League champions.Atlanta United are the reigning Major League Soccer champions.Both teams, as well as a host of other top international clubs, are sending their 2005 boys’ teams to compete in the 2019 Nexen Man City Cup International Super Group in San Diego over Memorial Day weekend. Games to […]

Surf Soccer Club Sends Seniors off in Style

High school athletes in America love “Senior Day.” It is a cherished tradition. For soccer players who have chosen to play in the Development Academy, however, “Senior Day” is one item in the long list of sacrifices made to purse the highest levels of their sport. The “High School vs DA” debate marches on, and […]

College Recruiting: ScoutingZone at the Girls DA Showcase and Beyond

I’ll get straight to the point. If you want to play college soccer and your showcase works with ScoutingZone, you’d better have your FREE ScoutingZone profile up to date. ScoutingZone has been working for years on improving and refining their system. As a result, the top recruiting showcases are now working with SZ to get […]

Albion, you’ve just won National Cup! What are you going to do next?

“We’re going to Disneyland!” Next year, they’re headed to the US Soccer Development Academy. The girls of Mike Whittaker’s Albion SC 2006 team have one last summer under the US Youth Soccer (USYS) umbrella, and they’ve just extended their USYS season by winning the Cal South National Cup. The Albion girls battled San Diego Surf […]