After playing 14 years of pro ball and serving half-a-decade as an MLS assistant coach, Richie Williams now focuses full-time on the youth game.

Interview by Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

Johan Cruyff, speaking with Rob Draper of the UK's Daily Mail, recounted seeing Pep Guardiola for the first time - shortly after Cruyff had been named Barcelona coach and Guardiola was a "scrawny teenager" in Barcelona's youth team.

By Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

Not very long ago, Zach Pfeffer was still fine-tuning his skills in the basement of his Pennsylvania home with his twin brother, Jared.

By Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

U.S. Soccer has been evaluating the clubs that comprise its Development Academy league since its launch in 2007, but it has now made those evaluations, in which clubs get rated on a 5-star system, public.

By Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

As the U.S. Soccer Development Academy entered its fifth season this month, nearly a third of its 78 clubs moved to a 10-month season, no longer taking a three-month break during which players would commonly play high-school ball, or in the case of Southern California, in the Coast Soccer League.

By Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

By Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

A player who still needs a ride to practice from his parents scored his first Major League Soccer goal earlier this month. ...

Ajax Amsterdam, having produced players from Johan Cruyff to Wesley Sneijder, is considered by legions of American youth coaches as a model for youth development.

By Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

For the 13th time in 14 appearances, the USA returned from the U-17 World Cup in Mexico without a win in the knockout stage, losing 4-0 to Germany in the round of 16 after going 1-1-1 group play. We spoke to Coach Wilmer Cabrera about his team's performance, the future of the U-17s residency program in Bradenton, and player development in the USA.

Interview by Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

Bayern Munich's youth program has produced current German national team stars Philipp Lahm, Thomas Mueller and Bastian Schweinsteiger. The 40 top players that came out of its academy in the last 12 years have a total market value of $320 million.

By Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

The coach of an Omaha FC U-13 girls team resigned after it was revealed he instructed his team to allow the opponents, a team from the same club, to score the game-winning goal that would send them to the state final.

By Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

Only the USA has qualified for each of the 14 U-17 World Cups ...

By Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

The 40th anniversary of AYSO launching girls soccer coincides nicely with this summer's Women's World Cup, at which, as usual, the USA will field players who got their introduction to soccer in AYSO.

By Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

One of the most unfortunate aspects of American youth soccer is forcing kids to choose between club soccer and high school ball.

By Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

The U.S. Soccer Federation has unveiled its new coaching curriculum for coaches of players ages 5-12.

By Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America)

By Mike Woitalla (from PLAYSOCCER Magazine)

I thought it must have been some kind of mistake. E-mails were being sent out to the wrong address list or something. There's just no way that 7-year-olds were being invited to soccer tryouts, I figured.
But it was true.

The story of this year's winner of "Sueno MLS," soccer's answer to "American Idol," underscores how high the odds are stacked against low-income children in American youth soccer.

By Mike Woitalla (from the June issue of Soccer America)

The American youth coaching ranks now include more former pro stars than ever thanks to the influx of retired MLS players, opening a new chapter in youth development.

By Mike Woitalla (from the January issue of Soccer America)

The first national teams most people hear about are the U-17s, who compete in biennial World Cups for boys and girls. But the U.S. Soccer Federation runs U-15 national teams for both genders.

By Mike Woitalla (from the December issue of Soccer America)

From Crystal Palace to Liverpool, West Ham to Everton, British clubs have been entering the American youth soccer "market." As part of Chelsea's quest to "build a network of top youth clubs across America to develop Chelsea Soccer Schools," it has launched a relationship with the Capital Area Soccer League (CASL) of North Carolina. Soccer America's Mike Woitalla interviewed Paul Clement, Chelsea's youth team manager in Soccer America, about the club's motives. ...

MLS clubs are buying into the notion that they can produce homegrown stars.

By Mike Woitalla (Soccer America Magazine, July 2008)

In 2007, the same year that MLS bet on David Beckham and Cuauhtemoc Blanco, it also mandated that its clubs field youth teams. Beckham and Blanco were safe bets: A pair of players with legions of fans in the USA and a history of giving 100 percent every time they stepped on the field. As expected, both boosted attendance, sparked replica jersey sales, and attracted sponsors for the league and their clubs.

But signing superstars is less complicated than venturing into youth development. There's no proven formula for turning young players into pros, no guarantee that investing in development programs will yield a return.

In North Carolina, youth soccer players clashed with senior citizens over the construction of a senior center that would take away three soccer fields: VIDEO ARTICLE

The number of Americans playing for top-tier foreign clubs continues to increase. Click HERE for my column in the New York Sun on players like Giuseppi Rossi, who left New Jersey at age 13 and is now, at age 20, a leading scorer in the Spanish La Liga, and Edgar Castillo, the 20-year-old Mexican First Division starter.

The U.S. Soccer Federation has integrated the country''s top youth clubs into the national team program.

By Mike Woitalla (Soccer America Magazine)

This fall marks the launch of a youth league in which every game will be an audition for the national team program. By creating the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, for U-16 and U-18 boys, the Federation is in effect cutting out the middle man when it comes to identifying talent for its national team program.

The U.S. Soccer Federation has integrated the country's top youth clubs into the national team program. It's the Federation's first step in trying to take advantage of the strengths of American youth soccer while tackling its flaws.

Sixty-four clubs are fielding teams in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy U-16 and U-18 boys leagues, which kick off in October. After an eight-month season, winners of each conference meet in the Academy Finals at The Home Depot Center.

U.S. Soccer coaches will be selecting qualified clubs for the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Clubs on a rolling basis until Aug. 1. The first 31 clubs accepted to the academy represent 16 states and the District of Columbia:

U.S. SOCCER DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY CLUBS (by state)

California
De Anza Force Soccer Club
Mustang FC
Nomads Soccer Club
Colorado
Colorado Rush
Real Colorado
Connecticut
Oakwood Soccer Club
District of Columbia
D.C. United
Florida
Clearwater Chargers Soccer Club
IMG Soccer Academy
Kendall Soccer Coalition
Georgia
Atlanta Fire United Soccer Association
Illinois
Chicago Fire Soccer Player Development Academy
Chicago Magic Soccer Club
Chicago Sockers
Maryland
Potomac Soccer
Massachusetts
FC Greater Boston Bolts
Michigan
Michigan Wolves
Vardar
New Hampshire
Seacoast United
New Jersey
Players Development Academy
New York Red Bulls
New York
B/W Gottschee
FC Westchester
North Carolina
CASL - Capitol Area Soccer League
Greensboro Youth Soccer Club
Pennsylvania
FC DELCO
Virginia
Richmond Kickers Soccer Club
Richmond Strikers
VA Rush Soccer Club
Washington
Crossfire Premier Soccer Club
Washington Premier FC

The USA leads the world in registered youth soccer players, according to a survey by FIFA, soccer's world governing body. The USA has 3.9 million registered youth players (2.34 million boys and 1.56 million girls). Brazil (2.1 million) and Germany (1.3 million) rank second and third, followed by South Africa (1.3 million), France (1 million) and England (820,000).

Click HERE for FIFA's Big Count stats package

Major League Soccer has launched a summer youth program, "Verano MLS," that will provide 8- to 12-year-olds venues for twice-a-week pick-up-style soccer and "an opportunity to meet MLS players and coaches."

The first 11 clubs that will field U-16 and U-18 in the inaugural season of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy , which kicks off this fall, have been chosen. They: Atlanta Fire United Soccer Association (Georgia), B/W Gottschee (New York), Capitol Area Soccer League (North Carolina), De Anza Force Soccer Club (Northern California), FC DELCO (Pennsylvania), FC Greater Boston Bolts (Massachusetts), Michigan Wolves (Michigan), Nomads Soccer Club (Southern California), Players Development Academy (New Jersey), Seacoast United (New Hampshire) and FC Westchester (New York).

The nationwide Development Academy, which was unveiled on June 4, is in the midst of accepting applications from clubs that will field teams to be divided into regions based on geographic proximity. Each region will be comprised of 15 to 20 teams, with each team playing between 30 to 38 home and away matches during an eight-month season. The winner of each region play in the Academy Finals at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

The Tennessean reports that the former president of the Tennessee Futbol Club has been charged with stealing $180,000 from the club. Read more HERE.

Houston Chronicle soccer columnist Glenn Davis writes, "I have long wondered why the youth soccer policy in this country isn't dictated from the top. Layers of politics and organizations litter the landscape of U.S. soccer and makes a simple game confusing to all involved, especially at the youth soccer level."

Click HERE for Davis' article, "Youth soccer takes a step in right direction."

The USL (Super Y-League) announced its "full support" of the program HERE.

Shortly after being elected U.S. Soccer President in March of 2006, Sunil Gulati launched a complete review of all the Federation's technical areas. The Technical Committee, headed by Kevin Payne, concluded that on the youth player development front, at ages 13 to 17, elite players needed an increase in the quality and quantity of training; an increase in the number of quality games, but a reduction in the overall amount of games. Between the myriad state, regional and national competitions, showcase tournaments and ODP events, a typical young American elite player was "stretched too thin." Said U.S. U-15 boys national team coach Jim Barlow, "It was never more clear to me that things in our youth soccer structure needed to change than at our first U-15 camp last summer when about half of the players, on the very first day of national team camp, told their coaches that they were tired of soccer. Too many games, too many leagues, too many tournaments and camps, too much structured soccer had already taken its toll on this group of talented young players." And thus came the launch of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.

Click HERE to continue this Soccer America article by Mike Woitalla

The U.S. Soccer Federation has released several documents pertaining to the new program that will provide opportunities for more than 2,000 players:

Links:

Academy Overview,

On the Field Details

Academy Presentation

Membership Application for clubs

The U.S. Soccer Federation looks set to dramatically decrease its dependence
on the Olympic Development Program, which is run by the state associations and
U.S. Youth Soccer. According to Washington Post reporter
Steven Goff, the Federation is creating a nationwide academy program and a national youth league for teenage boys that will involve up to 2,400 players at both the U-15 and U-18 age groups. "The federation plans to identify 60 to 80 youth clubs across the country," reports Goff. "Those clubs will then select players from the under-15 and under-18 age groups to participate in the academy."

Academy teams will play in a regionally structured national league in which the U-16 national team will compete. Goff reports that the plan,
reportedly approved by the U.S. Soccer Federation's board of directors, encourages each MLS club to field teams; that national team coaches will scout the games; and that teams will play a 36- to 38-game schedule, plus friendlies.

America's youth soccer landscape already includes national championships run by
U.S. Youth Soccer (cup and league), U.S. Club Soccer, the Super Y-League, and
Red Bull -- plus a myriad showcase tournaments. The USSF's ambitious move
into the grassroots level of player development has long had many advocates, but it will also further heat up what we call American youth soccer's Turf War.

Las Vegas expects a $14 million economic impact by hosting US Youth Soccer's west region championships - and that's not including money left in the casinos by the 5,000 visitors (players, coaches, team and tournament officials and family members) for the June 18-24 games. More than 250 boys and girls teams, U-12 through U-19, will be vying to advance to the national championship tournaments. Vegas figures on 35,000 "room nights" being booked at area hotels during the seven-day event.

First the Red Bulls fired someone who had turned their youth program into one of the league's best. Then they hired someone whom their club had already once fired. So they had to fire him:

Despite having established a reputation as the leading youth program in MLS, the New York Red Bulls inexplicably fired its youth development director, Giovanni Savarese, last March. Savarese, the most popular player in New York Red Bull (nee MetroStars) history, had deep roots in the Tri-State area, is a former Venezuelan national team player, and played professionally in Britain and Italy in addition to MLS and USL ball. In early May, the Red Bulls hired Armen Simoniants as youth director to "move the program in a new direction." But two weeks later the Red Bulls were informed by the Herald News that the Simoniants' resume included "false or inaccurate information." Among the discrepancies that the Red Bulls apparently didn't notice: Simoniants was not the head coach of the MetroStars reserve team in 2000-03. Moreover, the Herald News discovered that he had been fired by the MetroStars as the reserve team's assistant coach. Ives Galarcep's article in the Herald News quotes from the team's internal memo regarding his performance during his first tenure with the club. The Red Bulls fired Simoniants on May 22.

Click HERE for the Herald News article.

The Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier didn't report exactly what the word was that Waterloo West's goalkeeper uttered after he misjudged a ball and gave up a corner kick. But the referee deemed it worthy of a red card, which was enough to eliminate the Wahawks from postseason play - because Iowa High School Athletic Association rules dictate that a team loses playoff eligibility if it collects four red cards during the season. Frank's ejection made it a quartet for the Wahawks and meant a forfeit in the regional game against Dubuque Senior while they were leading, 2-1.

"I had to call the association, and they said it's automatically done, right then and there," West athletic director Jeff Frost told the Courier. "It's a bad situation for everybody and a tough way for our seniors to go out, but the rules are the rules. Even if we would have continued playing, the state would have stepped in anyway and made us forfeit the game."

"How can a family that is working hard but only making $7 an hour afford the $100 it takes just to sign up for some of these leagues?" was the question Jose Alvarez asked when he created an affordable youth league in South Bend, Ind. The South Bend Tribune reports that Alavarez got support from Notre Dame women's soccer coach Randy Waldrum: "I used my connections through the NSCAA to get them set up, and over a period of time we have been able to get them about 60 balls as well."

Click HERE to read more.

The Kennebec Journal reports that hosting the U.S. Youth Soccer Region I Championships (U-12 to U-19) in June will have a $9 million economic impact on the Portland, Maine area. It's estimated that 15,000 people will visit during seven-day event.

Click HERE for the article.

How far has American soccer come in providing opportunities for young Latino players?

By Mike Woitalla (Soccer America Magazine)

The increase in immigration from Africa has created a burgeoning source of talent for the U.S. youth national team program.

By Mike Woitalla, Soccer America Magazine

About two million people fled Sierra Leone during the decade-long civil war that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and destroyed two-thirds of the nation's infrastructure. One of the refugees was an 11-year-old boy named Israel Sesay.

MLS clubs are taking a variety of approaches in response to the league's Youth Development Initiative, which requires them to have youth programs in place this year.

By Mike Woitalla, Soccer America Magazine

It's a system that is figuratively and literally foreign to American sports, but is now being adopted by MLS, whose Youth Development Initiative requires its clubs to field youth teams and gives them rights to the players they nurture.

Get the rest of this Soccer America Magazine article HERE!