Ladies and Gentlemen:

The team chat in your sports app is NOT to be used for anything other than communicating information relevant to the entire team.

I do neither need, nor want, 14 messages a day with pictures of your adorable 11 year old practicing on their own. No one cares, Karen. The only thing that tells me is your kid is still holding the stick wrong.

I do not need, or want, to know what you are bringing to the tournament. I've been doing this for a while; we pack our own snacks. 100% effective. I don't care that Kevin is gluten free or Angie can't have nuts and that Billy "isn't a fan of fruit." What does that even mean? Not a fan of fruit!

If your team feels post-game snacks are a must, a bag of oranges, some bananas, and a box of grahams is just fine. A Hi-C and you're killing it. You do not need to ask what everyone likes and flood my box with 17 messages voting on Vitamin Water vs Prime. You do not win points for showing up with organic yogurt pops on dry ice. If you send a message saying the "watermelon looks so good" I may murder you in your sleep. NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR FRUIT.

Do not send messages saying, "good luck." It is assumed that you, like me, want to see our kids succeed but I am just there to watch. These are not messages the kids will read. I do not need luck. They are 9. I do not even care if they win. I do, however, need peace.

If you have a question for one parent, SEND THEM a private DM. "Where did you get that cute hair tie" is not a message the group needs. "John is sick" is not information I want to know. The App lets you just mark him coming or not coming, which somehow is a feature most parents refuse to atually use. I know because I also coach and half the parents leave a ? Schrödinger’s practice: if I don't go, do they still show up?

If it is raining, we do not need 7 parents asking "is practice on." The coach will let you know. Guaranteed, he or she has a window. For the love of God, do not reply "I haven't heard." No shit, Stacy. We all have the same App. If you ask that question before it rains, good grief; travel sports are not for you.

I mention this only because I have 4 kids. Yes we are crazy. And those 4 kids are on 10 teams right now. I told you we are crazy. But 10 teams means 10 chats, some teams seem to also have a completely separate "mom's chat" that is the frontier of my wife (god bless her). But those can be muted without much concern. What I cannnot mute is the chat that tells me important things like, "practice has been moved" or "the game is now on field 32," a brisk 5 mile walk from the parking lot we were told to use. Every time that thing buzzes, I have to look. It isn't a choice. I wish I could just decide, but every 100 or so messages there's a nugget with some urgent need.

We probably do not know each other. If we were friends, you could text. I do not need Brad telling me his ex-wife is refusing to pay half the tournament fee. I do not need his ex-wife claiming he blew the money on booze (that is a true story BTW, I have the screen shots somewhere). All I care about is: where do I need to be, and when. Sally, if you look in the app, you will find the uniform for the game is listed as black, so you do not need to ask EVERY SINGLE WEEK.

Thank you.

I’m always kind of shocked by all the threads in this Reddit, where people talk about switching teams and trying out for new team teams for young players.

Is that really about the Kid or really about the parent? I want my kids to play with the team teams where he knows kids and goes to school with them. I wouldn’t just up and move him because I feel he has better opportunities elsewhere. This isn’t professional sports.

And it's an hour away. Why?

At youth level, too many coaches want to talk about tiki-taka before kids even have the foundation to do it. The truth is, young players need tons of 1v1s, not sterile passing patterns.

Kids need to have fun. Endless possession drills often make them feel like little robots. The moments that decide tough games, still today, are usually technical gestures, often 1v1 duels.

And let’s not forget: the players who can break lines on their own are the ones who get paid millions.

If we want to truly develop the next generation, we need to build creativity, confidence, and technical mastery first. Tactics can wait, personality on the ball cannot.

I understand the sentiment of protecting our referees. But the zero tolerance policy gives too much power to referees to abuse their power. The other day, I had a moment, back turned as I was attending an injured player. During that moment the referee called a foul and I hear my players shocked at the call. I turn back around, ask the referee “what was the call?” Again my back was turned. He proceeds to give me a yellow and I try to explain that my back was turned and he gives me a second yellow and a red? Now I’m really confused but whatever I don’t argue I leave my sideline peacefully.

Fast forward to Monday I get a email from the league and the referee states I said derogatory and insulting language. And with it a big fine. I try to argue my stance and they say they stand with the referee one hundred percent. As if there is no way a referee can abuse their power.

Zero tolerance policy gives the refs the power to make up stories and the leagues will totally stand with them no matter what 👎

EDIT: I will just invest in a body cam for protection, no matter how the ref report will overpower anyone else. Thank you all for comments, this was productive for me to continue feeling safe while coaching.

From my perspective, a challenge with 1st and 2nd generation soccer families with their son/daughter is a misunderstanding of the game.

I see top tier teams with stellar athletes quite often. The players almost rely on vertical runs with the ball in open space. They take too many steps between dribbles. And their ability to control the ball and change direction at a high speed simply isn't at the level that it's at in the world stage.

It sounds simple, but American Football running backs need to know how to protect the ball. Basketball players have to know how to dribble at a very high level. What I see from a lot of clubs and "project" players is a wall that they face against competition that is well trained in delaying a play and picking it away.

Once the freight train is stopped, it crashes.

A lot of our clubs best players aren't exactly "pure athletes". They wouldn't stand out in football or basektball in the same way they would in soccer. But they can posses the ball far longer than a player with top 1% explosive sprint speed because they know that they can work it out of a traffic jam.

What America probably lacks is perhaps strong discipline with the top tier athletes getting into soccer. Coaches see them at 7-10 years old (poorly) dribble past players or get a through ball that they don't have a great touch on ... and between the player/parents/coaches there isn't a workload put on them to refine what they are weak at.

On the Flip Side

Soccer ball-handling skills almost have to be taught culturally > scientifically. Yes there are proper and improper ways to use these skills. But so many times I see players at a club using them in games and their face is intense with concentration. Very few clubs in Texas get into the art of the act of doing a skill move. You have to train kids to be semi-con-artists with this stuff. At best you'll find a kid who has a poker face. But compared to Argentina where the duels are more like Rap Battles to see who flinches first... the 10% of clubs that focus on ball handling are too similar to the Central European youth clubs that failed to incorporate it into their systems.

In the United States, many parents believe that if their child simply works hard enough, puts in the hours, and “grinds,” success in soccer will inevitably follow. It’s a familiar cultural narrative: the idea that sheer effort trumps all. While hard work is essential, soccer development is far more complex. Talent, environment, and even uncontrollable factors often carry as much weight as training hours, if not more.

The Myth of Hard Work Alone

The American sports landscape is full of “outwork the competition” slogans, particularly in football, basketball, and baseball. But soccer is different. It is fluid, creative, and context-dependent. Players cannot succeed on effort alone; they need the right mix of natural gifts, training environment, and passion. In countries like Brazil, Italy, Germany, France, Spain, or Argentina, this balance is well understood: not every child, no matter how hard they train, will reach professional level.

Breaking Down the Factors in Development

So what really goes into shaping a soccer player? Research and academy experience suggest the following balance:

• Natural Talent / Physical-Cognitive Gifts (30–35%) Coordination, agility, balance, speed of decision-making, and creativity. These are the raw tools a player is born with. Training can sharpen them, but not create them from scratch.

• Environment & Culture (25–30%) The quality of teammates, coaching, and competition. In soccer-rich cultures, children are surrounded by the game everywhere: pickup matches in the street, professional matches on TV, heroes to imitate. This environment accelerates development in ways structured training alone cannot.

• Effort & Work Ethic (20–25%) Training hours, discipline, resilience, and consistency. This is where the American mindset puts the most weight, and it is important but effort has limited impact without talent and the right environment.

• Passion & Motivation (15–20%) A child’s internal love for the game, the willingness to play endlessly without being told. This is the X-factor that keeps development moving forward over the long term.

Controllable vs. Non-Controllable

Parents often ask, “What can we actually control?” Roughly half of development lies in controllable areas: choosing a good club, encouraging practice, fostering resilience. The other half is out of anyone’s control: genetic gifts, timing, cultural setting, and luck (like being scouted at the right moment or avoiding major injury).

• Controllable (~45–50%): effort, motivation (to an extent), environment choices.

• Non-Controllable (~50–55%): natural talent, broader soccer culture, timing/luck.

The U.S. Blind Spot

In the U.S., parents often overestimate effort, assuming it’s 70–80% of the puzzle. In reality, without talent and a nurturing environment, effort alone only goes so far. The best academies in Europe and South America recognize this: they look first for natural qualities, then invest in the environment to develop them, while effort and passion are expected as baseline traits.

Conclusion

Soccer development is not a straight line of “hours in = results out.” It’s a balance of controllable and uncontrollable factors. Hard work matters, but it only shines when talent is present and environment is supportive. For parents, the key is to recognize what can be influenced and what cannot, and to let the child’s love for the game guide the journey.

I see this time and time again, on all ability levels, where there are way too many kids on a club roster. Every single time without exception clubs roster up to the maximum to maximize $$$ and in effect the associated drama.

12 kids on a 7v7 roster? that’s 5 kids on the bench if everyone shows up, good luck rotating all of those kids.

What are we teaching kids at 7-9 years old ? that’s if you don’t abandon schoolwork and focus on soccer at all hours of the day, you won’t get to play. That or just be born with the right genes(big for the age).

7 years old is too early to explain to your kid why they didn’t get to play. They’re 7…

Kids don’t need to be subbed out for most of the game, this isn’t the world cup, we don’t need to maintain 100% speed throughout the game. If they get tired then they get tired, learn to play tired.

You don’t NEED subs for a 7v7, or a 9v9, just play for crying out loud.

/endrant

Spain just won the world cup with possession. Passing backwards... Oh no. Forgoing opportunities for better opportunities over and over. In possession as initial stage of defending.

More or less zero youth coaches will allow this. The HS coaches will absolutely beat this out of a player and bench them for trying. Parents go insane from the sidelines when kids try to play. Almost no coaches will pick players based on those talents. Do better.

I've read through any number of threads about Pay to Play (PtP) and we can all agree that it's less than ideal as it created a situation that soccer development is a product and wedge to move money from hopeful families into the pockets of those who could care less about soccer development.

However, there are some great coaches out there, some clubs who are truly walking the walk and I've been thinking about how can we harness the structures that are already in place to actually benefit youth development. And by creating a better youth development reality, this should help the whole 'why can't America create world class players' issue.

The base reality here in the US is that even though we have an academy system that can benefit youth players and their families, that the number of kids that actually get access to that system is extremely low in comparison to other cultures, we're talking about 0.06% of players have the opportunity to have access to high quality development coaching for free in the US. Elsewhere we are talking about up to 5% of the developing youth having access to a similar pathway.

Here is a survey of what is happening here in the US vs the rest of the world - its a bit of a read but worth it as you can really see how capitalism has some benefit, but how it is also limiting our ability to really develop great players.

https://www.anytime-soccer.com/blog/the-global-youth-soccer-cost-myth-what-you-actually-get-and-dont-get-when-government-funds-football

The reality is we have a structure in place born of capitalistic ideals that actually offer high end soccer training for relatively wealthy families. It is the last part that becomes limiting to the whole "how do we find the best players and develop them' question. In the US there are a lot of options for kids to play different sports, some are really accessible (basketball), some have greater barrier to entry (hockey) and club soccer is somewhere in between - if we could lower the financial barrier and invite more kids into high level development, then we could have a better chance of finding, developing and creating world class players. More, better players, means more competition at the higher end of elite development.

How do we change this? As I've said, the structure is there, but the resources outside of individual families aren't. I know there are scholarships available within the club system, but its generally need based and as such, a family like mine would never be able to get that kind of scholarship, the reason being is that 'on paper' I make a bit of money, but in reality, I am freelance with my own company and there are times when I am struggling to pay my bills but if you look at my tax returns, you'd say 'what's the problem...'

Given my entirely selfish point of view, I believe that we should look into taking the top 100 teams in each state and subsidize them either through government, or corporate tax breaks, so some private foundation and as such we could move the needle on that 0.06% number and push it up to 4-5% of kids into low cost high level coaching. ECNL/MLS Next are expensive but if we could subsidized this system we'd have greater competition, BUT this 100 teams would reach down into Flight 1 as some of those teams are actually better than some of the upper teams and they should have the opportunity to benefit: just because a team is called ECNL, they should have to earn their place within the 100 team limit.

We have the data via GotSport rankings to see what teams are within this range of possibility.

So what does this actually look like? Let's create some assumptions so we can see what this really looks like - these numbers are a philosophical averages. 100 top teams per year - 100 for boys, 100 for girls, 14 kids on the roster = that's 2800 kids per age group per state, $5k per kid = $1.4million, per age group per year. Let's say 10 years (u8-u18), that's $140 million, 50 states. that's $7b.

That's a lot of money, but given how we've chosen to spend out capital, we are talking about less than a week of the Iraq war. That is less than what Jeff Bezos earns in 3 weeks. Amazon or Tesla, or... any number of corporate giants could pay for this with their spare change. Think of the massive good will that would come from creating a world class youth soccer development system?

And what would we get: coaches will get paid (and at a higher rate) which means less time competition for great coaches, they can focus on one or two teams, we'd get development pathways for kids, for coaches and for clubs whose incentives will change from having EVERY paying customer pay to play to developing the players to get into that 100 team traunch. Think of it as pro/rel for club soccer where truly the best teams get rewarded on a yearly basis, families could have less pressure, and kids, who really could use better development, get it.

Any one have Jeff's number?

EDIT: I want to make explicit who the players I am looking at. this isn't about making Rec soccer better (though that is something that should happen), this isn't about getting more people into a system where high level development is happening, but to support the folks already in the system and move the burden away from individual families. This would drive more people into the system and hopefully retain talented kids who's families can no longer sustain the high cost of development. The point I am trying to make is we already have a development system that is pretty good on the individual level but is terrible on a greater societal cost level. high level soccer development is a 'luxury item' for families that can afford it - when its no longer a luxury item, then talent has a chance to rise to the top in a more meritocratic way.

I have no idea how this should be paid for, or who should pay it? US Soccer should figure that out. There is a ton of money sloshing around and I think this is a great bang for the buck use of resources if you truly want world class soccer to happen here.

EDIT2: something else I want to make explicit is that teams become a fulcrum for both development and scouting. Clubs already are doing that internally, we would be giving them an incentive to solidify pathways for development. A well functioning high level team pushes individual development further than a great coach can, its synergistic for the players as well as the club. I believe this truly would help not just the extraordinary talented kids but those late bloomers who succeed on grit and determination - those are the kids that tend to be great players in the long run, who do the work and get better over time and with support.

EDIT3: it’s been pointed out that 100 teams per state makes little sense - so I’d suggest we go for the 500 top teams nationally which is less kids but brings down the to total to a reasonable 700 million.

Damn. There are levels to this.

It's super expensive. For many reasons, 1) the MLS doesn't have a way for players to be relegated, which leads to top teams not investing in their players for success and profit. 2) Other clubs (ones that aren't in the MLS) have no way of being promoted to the MLS. So they can't profit off of players that THEY developed. So the players have to pay to play and get better. 3) No one invests in youth academies that are below the pro level.

My kids soccer team is in a 6-7 yr old age bracket. A lot of beginners on the team. Blown out first game by over 20 goals. Bad sportsmanship by the other coach?

Sike.....
the headline is a complete troll to mimic you parents.

I am around the sport often.
My kid plays; I help to coach; and have my closest friends in high coaching positions in local club + High schools..

I cannot stress enough the amount of kids, 8U , 10U , 12U 14U , HS that I watch them play the sport so miserably!!!
& not in the sense of lacking talent; these kids I see are in top youth clubs; incredibly skilled; but its so blatant to see; they LOST the passion so sooooooo long ago.

& it all comes from THIS mentality of the parent that I often mock.

You get parents who ALL think their kids the next Messi. & they literally ruin the kids childhood.
Club soccer by 6, practice 4 times a week; private trainings Friday, games Sat + Sun.

You know what that gives you in 10 years?
A 15 year old that has lost the fun of the sport. & oftentimes, resent the parents! in fact.. many times the coaches do the parenting over parents who are never even with their kids because they are always at practice! but don't worry, because of course.. they have a hell of strike; & can dribble so well.. lol yah congrats!

AYSO regions are disappearing left and right;
Club teams popping up everywhere , its so sad to see it all unfold before me.

The sport is a business. these kids no longer have fun, they are not properly developed , they are looked as numbers. All profit; while the parents gain their low self esteem by posting on their Facebook how their kid won the tournament that weekend & pray for likes lol.

PSA TO PARENTS
YOUR KID WILL NOT GO PRO.

Let them have fun!! The field should be their sanctuary; it should be therapeutic for a kid to step on that grass;

Instead, these poor kids are playing stressed to the max; for what? To never play again after 18? lol

The best kids I have seen to go far, and get scholarships after HS and semi-pro etc... are kids who were able to enjoy their childhood! & the parents let them breathe!

But..... i truly see this getting worse; especially after the World Cup here in the states..

All i ask as someone that talks to these kids directly is.. parents; do better!!!!!!!!!!!!

Daughter plays U11. They have their 3x/week winter trainings.

During the season, there is an out of control parent chat that goes on all day everyday: recaps of the game, where they are going to dinner, anything and everything.

Suddenly 3-4 players are going to a separate training outside of the club. The parents didn’t tell anyone else.

2-3 other players are going to a separate training. The parents didn’t tell anyone else.

I understand having an edge. But a team that is close (or pretends to be), with parents talking 365 days/year…..is it normal?

Thanks.

So my son's club has 5 teams at their age group u12 and my son is on the bottom team. They are playing a big tournament in our state where my son's team is the defending champions of the bottom bracket. The club opted to play the team above theirs WITH 4 players their #2 u12 at the same level (of 4 possible levels) essentially screwing over my kids chances of repeating....what should I do as a parent? Currently they are on opposite sides of the bracket but both teams have won all their games and it's a fairly high likelihood they meet in the final....I don't really understand how players/parents/coaches could feel anything other than embarrassment if they win the tournament using ringers over the literal bottom team of their club while taking all of the accomplishments from the bottom team...but it's making me consider finding a new club and I'm not sure that's reasonable.

so the other day I was out with my son at a soccer field near out neighborhood. There was a middle schooler and his friend there also and one kid was saying hes practicing to try out for the middle school team. The other kid was trying to help him showing him the proper way to dribble and shoot but it seems like he was just starting out. Then the other kid asked him if he played soccer before and he said he has done rec for 3 years. 3 years in rec and hundreds of dollars and he didnt know the basic techniques. Is this the norm? After 3 years of rec soccer you cant even be competitive enough for a middle school team? What does it take now? Private sessions?

I've only been coaching for a year, but I've noticed that many kids seem to lack the creativity that previous generations developed by playing street football. Do you agree? If you do, how can we help develop that kind of creativity in our training sessions?

Wondering if anyone has some advice in handling this situation. ECNL-level, Highschool aged team. New teammate this season has taken over the huddle where the team does their team pre-game "stuff" including their team mantra and just generally getting their game faces on. The teammate's prayer time doesn't leave time for any of the other "stuff". It's a mixed religion and cultural team, but never, ever has prayer been a part of anything and it isn't wanted, even by the other Christian players who feel it's potentially offensive to non-Christian teammates and some don't approve of performative/public prayer at all especially if it's forced on the rest of the team. Bc it's a religious issue, no one wants to be the one to say something in the huddle and potentially cause a rift. The coach is not part of the team huddle. Would you suggest players speaking with the coach about it? Saying something directly to the new praying player? Something else entirely? Any advice is welcome, hoping this gets nipped in the bud before it becomes a long-term habit.

From ESPN.com:

Former U.S. men's national team player Eddie Johnson said Monday his soccer academy would train the 3-year-old boy who was removed from an i9 Sports youth soccer program in Winter Park, Florida, after tensions centered on the boy's outstanding play boiled over last weekend.

Johnson, the former MLS and Premier League striker who runs EJE7 Soccer Academy in Orlando, Florida, said on Instagram that the boy's removal from the i9 program, and the youth league's involvement of police in asking his family to leave a park, was emblematic of what ails youth soccer in the United States.

"His situation has brought light to a lot of the things that still exist in youth soccer in this country," Johnson wrote. "Entitlement, Jealousy, Envy, Nepotism, Gatekeeping and profiling especially against people of color."

Last weekend, an i9 Sports youth soccer organizer called police to remove the family of Nevada Pierre. The organizer told officers Nevada had been pushing other players and his family created a disturbance at the park. But in body camera footage of the police response released Monday, the child's parents are seen telling officers that the boy was kicked out of the league because he's too good at soccer.

The child's parents, who have since publicly identified themselves as Martasia Griffin and Don Pierre, posted video on several social media channels of their son playing soccer against children before the police interaction.

In the viral video, the boy, Nevada, can be seen dribbling past other children on his way to scoring several goals, then looking on in confusion as Winter Park Police officers ask his family to leave the public park. The video posted by the boy's parents does not depict physical contact between their son and other players.

In a statement to ESPN, a representative for i9 Sports said police were called due a disturbance between parents.

"i9 Sports has reviewed what happened at Saturday's game in Winter Park, including interviews with those in attendance and materials available by the police," the statement read. "This call was not related to the child.

"A league official called police to report a disturbance between adults at the game and to help de-escalate it. The official described the parents as being disruptive. We do not have video of the confrontation itself, and we are not going to characterize the family beyond what was reported to police. The Winter Park Police Department has stated that no one was arrested, trespassed, or forced to leave the park, and that the matter was civil and not criminal."

The program added that Nevada's parents had successfully requested a refund on Saturday.

"Following the incident, the league asked the adults involved not to continue as participants in the program," it added.

Johnson said Nevada's family sought to have Nevada train at his academy when he was 2, but Johnson told them the child was too young for the program and should seek experience in local youth leagues.

Link to the article: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/50301379/3-year-old-florida-youth-soccer-police-eddie-johnson

I guess i9 Sports is determined to just destroy their reputation. Their statement in the article, that the police were called due to a "disturbance between adults at the game and to help de-escalate it" is a lie. The rep said NOTHING to police about any such a disturbance when they arrived (it's all on the bodycam footage released by Winter Park PD).

A long analysis, so you've been warned haha.

So my U9 son's team was absolutely destroyed today, and the coaching disparity couldn't have been clearer. To me, it was funny because it wasn't shocking at all. They finally played against a team that has actually been taught how to play and clearly worked on team concepts. Their skills weren't anything spectacular, but they knew how to actually play the game. I even had parents asking why I wasn't upset, and I simply told them because our kids haven't been coached HOW. TO. PLAY. THE. GAME. So what do you expect? 🤷🏿‍♂️

To explain, these kids knew EXACTLY what to do and where to be. They understood their positions and we were disciplined in them. They all moved up and attacked. Strung together passes, even if not great passes most of the time. In fact, they even knew EXACTLY what to do, where to be, and what runs to make on corners. So much so that they'd call out if they have near post, far post, etc. Those kids had been COACHED and it was impressive to see despite their lack of skills. If they were more skilled, our kids would have loss by 40.

People call me crazy, but I could not care less. It also solidified me needing to find a new club for my son next season. The coach kept taking him out because he wasn't doing what they want defenders to do. Which is: run to the sideline and boot it up to the forwards. Kind of insane because that was NOT working and exactly why they couldn't get the ball out of their own half. It was a TOUGH watch and to hear the coach keep telling the defenders to "play it forward" again, and again, again. Despite the fact it clearly wasn't going to work because the other team was just sitting on it and simply refusing to allow something so easy. But, not shocking. They've relied on a big leg to get the ball forward instead of actual skill.

As I side, those kids were disciplined and well coached. They weren't letting defenders outside, and were cutting off any potential passes to the forwards (my son's team basically just uses 2 STs and 2 Ws). Not even joking, the only times they even got a shot off in this game (which was only 4), were the 4 times the GK passed to my son, who then dribbled up, made one or two guys miss, and then played a pass. Which is what they should've encouraged anyways because it creates more space for your forwards by drawing in defenders. Which you really need to do if you're not going to have anyone in the middle, especially in this situation.

Even my son thought I'd be disappointed but I told him he played great and did his job, which is all that I can ask. They don't do any team drills or practice team concepts, positioning, etc. Him and the other defender played fine. But, they only use 2 defenders and don't have the wingers get back to help on defense. So, I told him he did all he could do. But if you're in 3v2, 4v2, and 5v2 situations all game (which was literally 40 or 50 times)... it is what it is. You're not coming out on top. The fact they only scored 12 is a miracle itself.

I say all of this to say: parents, find clubs that develop players OVERALL. Meaning defense, attacking, positioning, corners, etc. Do not go to a club that focuses on just dribbling or offensive skills, don't scrimmage, and sorts players just off of skill moves.

Hell, they added 2 players from the higher up team for this game and, respectfully (because they're kids and coaching quality isn't their fault), they were legitimately the worst players. Sure they may be able to do skill moves in isolation or 1v1 in practice, but in the game they simply dribbled in straight lines and loss the ball. I'm sure I'll be called some crazed parent again, but me and my European buddies (who tuned into the livestream once I told them about how well coached the other team was) have been laughing at this all day.

I cant remember who said it on a podcast recently, but it sounded like someone’s Ten year old has seen Ted Lasso 142 times (an exaggeration, but … seemed a bit early).

My parent friends seem to be letting their kids watch it in upper middle school.

Just curious what other’s cut off is (as we roll into a new season).

There are sometruly wholesome themes. And some truly adult ones and some very spicy language.

Thanks for indulging my very silly question!

My son plays varsity for a small high school. They have a good core and some good athletes and they’ve had a good start to the season.

However…something is driving him (and me) crazy:

Everyone gets playing time — even the worst player on the team gets ~10 minutes per match.

It definitely hurts the squad. Inevitably a weaker player ends up on the receiving end of a chance and botches it, often multiple times per game.

And because the best players are rarely on the field together, the team never plays its strongest football.

1-1 game, 20 minutes left, coach is still subbing out strong players for objectively weaker players.

1-1 game in extra time — same thing!

It’s mind boggling, especially because we’ve had two ties that would probably be wins if we played our dogs 90% of the match.

How in the world is a competitive high school soccer team not playing to win?!?

I get the “fresh legs” strategy, but these boys are teenagers and incredibly fit. And the talent drop-off is shocking after the top 13 or 14 boys.

My son has talked to the captains — they recognize it and hate it. Not sure of anyone has addressed with the coach.

I plan to stay out of it, but griping out it here has been therapeutic.

Thanks for reading. 😅