Soccer coaching techniques

Modern Soccer: Coaching at the Next Level

As soccer players both domestically and internationally are becoming stronger, faster, and more advanced in their skill-sets at a younger age, modern coaches must adapt their techniques to fit the needs of generation 2.0 soccer players. Unlike certain other sports where technology advancements alter the way the game is played, soccer remains a relatively unchanged game. As a result, most of the alterations that successful soccer coaches have made over the past two decades have been in the areas of physical and mental strength & conditioning, on the ball skills, and preparing players to take the necessary steps toward becoming successful international soccer players.

Globally, soccer in the year 2011 is more competitive than ever. American players are signing contracts with international teams at the highest level of competition. In 1994, Alexi Lalas was one of the first Americans to play internationally when he joined Padova of Italy’s top league, Serie A. Since then, nearly 100 American players have played for international clubs and over 50 are currently playing for some of the top teams in the best leagues in Europe. As more and more players are using the MLS as a minor league to train for the jump to the international majors, coaching styles and systems must adapt to train players to make that transition. While the goal of every coach on every field in America is to see one of their players earn a spot on the US National team, the goal beyond that is now to see that same player wear the famed Red crest of Manchester United or the blue and black stripes of Inter Milan. Thus, coaches must adopt the training styles of Sir Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho and train their players to be technically elite and physically fit in order to compete with the best in the world.

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While the MLS and US national team schedules prepare American players to expect matches once or twice a week, international players, especially those competing in England’s Premier League, must have the stamina to endure two or three games a week. Thus, increased endurance must begin at the local level, when youth coaches draw heavy commitments from their players to attend practice 4 or 5 days a week and compete in every tournament possible. While heavy conditioning drills in practice can help increase fitness ten-fold, the endurance and mental toughness that three or four 90-minute soccer games a week requires can only be built through experience on the pitch. By the time a player enters their first game at the international level, they need to mentally be a veteran player with the toughness of Roy Keane in order to succeed.

Coaching a soccer team, at any level, is never an easy task. Injuries, transactions, and numerous other variables can have a disabling effect on a coach’s ability to train a team to be competitive at the highest level. With players like Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney, from Argentina and England, respectively, dominating youth leagues and playing top-level soccer by the age of 16, American coaches are under constant pressure to churn out top-level talent. If players from the U.S. can receive sufficient exposure to the best competition at a young age, building up the mental and physical stamina to compete in the worlds most famed stadiums will be an achievable goal and the trend that Alexi Lalas established in 1994 will continue to attract more followers.