possession soccer in the eyes of college coaches

So i always here the stories from people of how the game should be played, possession is so much preferred over the dump and run... well as a parent of a senior in high school looking to play college soccer, i can tell you that is not what i have found from the college coaches... i have had multiple discussions with college coaches (mostly D2 schools as that is our focus but some D1) about style and what they are looking for and they all say the same thing. they don't care if you can play possession soccer or build up through the back, they just want someone big, aggressive, strong and fast and who can win in the air (and can do that for 90 minutes, fitness is huge to them)... they all focus on just getting the ball down in the offensive end and putting the ball into the net. they don't care how its accomplished, scoring a goal is one of the hardest things to do in sports and they just want someone who can do that. They look at technical skills as well, but the biggest thing they want is the player who can out muscle, out run or out jump for the ball. the thought is the more the ball stays in the defensive end building the more likely it is to be taken away. they don't care if they lose time of possession 70/30 but win 1-0. Basically it boils down to they want athletes (big, strong, fast) that have some soccer skills, they can teach an athlete soccer, but its harder to teach athleticism to a soccer player. Luckily my DD falls somewhere in the middle of that spectrum so we will see how this all plays out.

While possession might be nice to watch, its not the be all end all that everyone focuses on and its not what alot of the college coaches (that i have spoken to) are  looking for, just a word to the wise for those planning out the DD future....

****
edited to change the real meaning of what i was trying to convey - which was the surprise in what coaches were looking and focusing on in the recruiting process

sportsnerd wrote:So i always here the stories from people of how the game should be played, possession is so much preferred over the dump and run... well as a parent of a senior in high school looking to play college soccer, i can tell you that is a load of crap... i have had multiple discussions with college coaches (mostly D2 schools as that is our focus but some D1) about style and what they are looking for and they all say the same thing. they don't care if you can play possession soccer or build up through the back, they just want someone big, aggressive, strong and fast and who can win in the air (and can do that for 90 minutes, fitness is huge to them)... they all focus on just getting the ball down in the offensive end and putting the ball into the net. they don't care how its accomplished, scoring a goal is one of the hardest things to do in sports and they just want someone who can do that. They look at technical skills as well, but the biggest thing they want is the player who can out muscle, out run or out jump for the ball. the thought is the more the ball stays in the defensive end building the more likely it is to be taken away. they don't care if they lose time of possession 70/30 but win 1-0. Basically it boils down to they want athletes (big, strong, fast) that have some soccer skills, they can teach an athlete soccer, but its harder to teach athleticism to a soccer player. Luckily my DD falls somewhere in the middle of that spectrum so we will see how this all plays out.

While possession might be nice to watch, its not the be all end all that everyone focuses on and its sure not what the college coaches (that i have spoken to) look for, just a word to the wise for those planning out the DD future....

I am definitely not the expert on the subject of possession however after reading this post I can understand why you have only been talking with D2 schools with that outlook.

You're missing quite a bit, though.
High level possession soccer beats kick and chase every time. The reason most colleges play kick and chase is that there aren't enough technical players to play possession. You need 11 of them to play properly. A single black hole brings the whole thing down.
The more important point perhaps is that I can teach a team of 18 year olds to play a coordinated kick and chase style in a month or two. It's impossible to suddenly teach a team of 18 year olds to play possession, because the skills required to do it well take YEARS to develop.
Thus, everyone should be teaching possession. It builds the type of player that will be suited for any style down the road. It also builds the type of player that can slot into a possession-based team that will likely whip a boot ball squad.

wow thats what you come back with... let me know when your kid signs the D1 letter of intent. We are looking at D2 because that is the honest opinion of where my daughter will fit in the scheme of things. I was once told that the 1st step in the recruiting process was an honest evaluation of your talent.

have you watched any college soccer? the goalie gets the ball and then boots in down past midfield and the fight begins... i have also had conversations with ex-D1 players who will tell you the same thing.

ok, good luck with that when you go into the recruiting process. I will let you guys explain that to the college coaches i am sure you know better then the ones who have been doing it for many years. i am only repeating what i have learned through this process. opinion are like a$$holes, everyone has one.

I cannot believe I read your whole post because I knew what would happen.  After I finished it was confirmed.  I am now dumber for spending the time working my way through it.

timmyh wrote:You're missing quite a bit, though.
High level possession soccer beats kick and chase every time.  The reason most colleges play kick and chase is that there aren't enough technical players to play possession.  You need 11 of them to play properly.  A single black hole brings the whole thing down.
The more important point perhaps is that I can teach a team of 18 year olds to play a coordinated kick and chase style in a month or two.  It's impossible to suddenly teach a team of 18 year olds to play possession, because the skills required to do it well take YEARS to develop.
Thus, everyone should be teaching possession.  It builds the type of player that will be suited for any style down the road.  It also builds the type of player that can slot into a possession-based team that will likely whip a boot ball squad.

You are right on.  These coaches don't play possession style because they cannot get the technical soccer players/athletes they need to play it.  The D2 coaches that were talked to are a perfect example of what's wrong with soccer in this country.

This is a setup for ''build out of the back" guy.

TatonkaBurger wrote:

timmyh wrote:You're missing quite a bit, though.
High level possession soccer beats kick and chase every time.  The reason most colleges play kick and chase is that there aren't enough technical players to play possession.  You need 11 of them to play properly.  A single black hole brings the whole thing down.
The more important point perhaps is that I can teach a team of 18 year olds to play a coordinated kick and chase style in a month or two.  It's impossible to suddenly teach a team of 18 year olds to play possession, because the skills required to do it well take YEARS to develop.
Thus, everyone should be teaching possession.  It builds the type of player that will be suited for any style down the road.  It also builds the type of player that can slot into a possession-based team that will likely whip a boot ball squad.

You are right on.  These coaches don't play possession style because they cannot get the technical soccer players/athletes they need to play it.  The D2 coaches that were talked to are a perfect example of what's wrong with soccer in this country.

I think the hardest part for colleges is to find players technical enough to play possession, yet also big/strong/fast enough to DEFEND against kickball. It's a catch 22 that perpetuates selection of the big fast kids.

Still, the point the OP is missing isn't that possession is a fallacy to be teaching our kids at ages 5-18. The fact that big/fast/strong/kick/chase is easy to teach reinforces even further the need to spend time teaching "proper" soccer. "Proper" soccer training is building the skills required to keep the ball in tight spaces and make quick decisions. Those things literally take 5+ years to develop. Kick it far and run fast doesn't take any development time at all.

sportsnerd wrote:wow thats what you come back with... let me know when your kid signs the D1 letter of intent. We are looking at D2 because that is the honest opinion of where my daughter will fit in the scheme of things. I was once told that the 1st step in the recruiting process was an honest evaluation of your talent.

have you watched any college soccer? the goalie gets the ball and then boots in down past midfield and the fight begins... i have also had conversations with ex-D1 players who will tell you the same thing.

Hey in my opinion if any DD plays soccer throughout their years and ends up playing in college, its a win. Plain and simple. D2 coaches might very well be left with the dump and run style players after all the intent letters are signed. You are right however there will be games where the possession numbers (70/30) do not add up to your teams 1-0 win, but that does not mean the style is dysfunctional. I would much rather take my chances with holding the ball for 70% of the time than get lucky with the 30%. Now I am sure you will go run and tell everyone the we are all crazy for thinking this way, but you will forget to tell them that you are a dumba$$.

I think the moral to this story is, no matter how technical you child is, she better be able
To jump and run as well. Athleticism is a must!!!

ONLYASOCCERDAD wrote:I think the moral to this story is, no matter how technical you child is, she better be able
To jump and run as well. Athleticism is a must!!!

Reverend!!

i am so glad everyone's DD on these boards is off to a big time D1 program, they sure are the lucky ones. Seeing as most players will not be in that boat, soccer is just a means to help get a kid through college. I have no fantasy or visions that my daughter will be playing for the USWNT in the future instead she will just be a doctor or dentist or nurse or some other lowly profession.

Since that is the case we have visited with quite a few coaches and been to quite a few camps and this is the general opinion of what i have heard, whether its good for the overall health of soccer at the high levels i could not care less, that isn't my interest or area, i want my DD to be a productive member of society and if soccer helps that happen then so be it. i think the majority of parents with kids that play will have the same opinion (unless your DD is one of the best which of course will be the minority of the population) and understand. I went into this process thinking that wow the skills and technical ability will be what the coaches are looking for, but was surprised in what i found (and its not just D2, this exists as well in D1 whether you wish to admit it or not)

KeeperCommander wrote:

sportsnerd wrote:wow thats what you come back with... let me know when your kid signs the D1 letter of intent. We are looking at D2 because that is the honest opinion of where my daughter will fit in the scheme of things. I was once told that the 1st step in the recruiting process was an honest evaluation of your talent.

have you watched any college soccer? the goalie gets the ball and then boots in down past midfield and the fight begins... i have also had conversations with ex-D1 players who will tell you the same thing.

Hey in my opinion if any DD plays soccer throughout their years and ends up playing in college, its a win.  Plain and simple.  D2 coaches might very well be left with the dump and run style players after all the intent letters are signed.  You are right however there will be games where the possession numbers (70/30) do not add up to your teams 1-0 win, but that does not mean the style is dysfunctional.  I would much rather take my chances with holding the ball for 70% of the time than get lucky with the 30%.  Now I am sure you will go run and tell everyone the we are all crazy for thinking this way, but you will forget to tell them that you are a dumba$$.

I dont think anyone is crazy, i was more surprised at what i have found out about what gets taught at the Club level and what the college coaches are looking for. Maybe the term dump and run was not the right term, but instead very direct soccer is more accurate. and btw i have been called alot worse then dumbass before so no biggie...

sportsnerd wrote:i am so glad everyone's DD on these boards is off to a big time D1 program, they sure are the lucky ones. Seeing as most players will not be in that boat, soccer is just a means to help get a kid through college. I have no fantasy or visions that my daughter will be playing for the USWNT in the future instead she will just be a doctor or dentist or nurse or some other lowly profession.

Since that is the case we have visited with quite a few coaches and been to quite a few camps and this is the general opinion of what i have heard, whether its good for the overall health of soccer at the high levels i could not care less, that isn't my interest or area, i want my DD to be a productive member of society and if soccer helps that happen then so be it. i think the majority of parents with kids that play will have the same opinion (unless your DD is one of the best which of course will be the minority of the population) and understand. I went into this process thinking that wow the skills and technical ability will be what the coaches are looking for, but was surprised in what i found (and its not just D2, this exists as well in D1 whether you wish to admit it or not)

Which position does your daughter play? Can she jump? Is she an athletic girl?

sportsnerd wrote: ...they don't care if you can play possession soccer or build up through the back, they just want someone big, aggressive, strong and fast and who can win in the air...

For what it's worth, I don't believe any college coaches told you that they don't care if a player has any technical skills - much less "all of them."

sportsnerd wrote:i am so glad everyone's DD on these boards is off to a big time D1 program, they sure are the lucky ones. Seeing as most players will not be in that boat, soccer is just a means to help get a kid through college. I have no fantasy or visions that my daughter will be playing for the USWNT in the future instead she will just be a doctor or dentist or nurse or some other lowly profession.

Since that is the case we have visited with quite a few coaches and been to quite a few camps and this is the general opinion of what i have heard, whether its good for the overall health of soccer at the high levels i could not care less, that isn't my interest or area, i want my DD to be a productive member of society and if soccer helps that happen then so be it. i think the majority of parents with kids that play will have the same opinion (unless your DD is one of the best which of course will be the minority of the population) and understand. I went into this process thinking that wow the skills and technical ability will be what the coaches are looking for, but was surprised in what i found (and its not just D2, this exists as well in D1 whether you wish to admit it or not)

I think you are missing the point. At every level certainly there will be coaches that think this way. D1, D2, Pro, even U14. That doesn't mean that we as parents dumb our kids down to play at a level that compares with a few coaches. Now if my kid gets offers to play at a school that will give her a great education but they play dump and run then so be it. I guess we just became dump and runners. Still not going to believe it is the best style.

ONLYASOCCERDAD wrote:

sportsnerd wrote:i am so glad everyone's DD on these boards is off to a big time D1 program, they sure are the lucky ones. Seeing as most players will not be in that boat, soccer is just a means to help get a kid through college. I have no fantasy or visions that my daughter will be playing for the USWNT in the future instead she will just be a doctor or dentist or nurse or some other lowly profession.

Since that is the case we have visited with quite a few coaches and been to quite a few camps and this is the general opinion of what i have heard, whether its good for the overall health of soccer at the high levels i could not care less, that isn't my interest or area, i want my DD to be a productive member of society and if soccer helps that happen then so be it. i think the majority of parents with kids that play will have the same opinion (unless your DD is one of the best which of course will be the minority of the population) and understand. I went into this process thinking that wow the skills and technical ability will be what the coaches are looking for, but was surprised in what i found (and its not just D2, this exists as well in D1 whether you wish to admit it or not)

Which position does your daughter play? Can she jump? Is she an athletic girl?

Why does that matter???

KeeperCommander wrote:

sportsnerd wrote:wow thats what you come back with... let me know when your kid signs the D1 letter of intent. We are looking at D2 because that is the honest opinion of where my daughter will fit in the scheme of things. I was once told that the 1st step in the recruiting process was an honest evaluation of your talent.

have you watched any college soccer? the goalie gets the ball and then boots in down past midfield and the fight begins... i have also had conversations with ex-D1 players who will tell you the same thing.

Hey in my opinion if any DD plays soccer throughout their years and ends up playing in college, its a win.  Plain and simple.  D2 coaches might very well be left with the dump and run style players after all the intent letters are signed.  You are right however there will be games where the possession numbers (70/30) do not add up to your teams 1-0 win, but that does not mean the style is dysfunctional.  I would much rather take my chances with holding the ball for 70% of the time than get lucky with the 30%.  Now I am sure you will go run and tell everyone the we are all crazy for thinking this way, but you will forget to tell them that you are a dumba$$.

let's be honest. the long ball is a great play in soccer..........WHEN PLAYED AT THE RIGHT TIME. There's nothing wrong with a dump and chase play when it is appropriate. The issue becomes if that's all you do, then a smart team just sits their defender a bit farther back and get to the ball before you do. Aside form the aesthetics, possession soccer works more of the time, because if the other team doesn't have the ball, they can't score. So if you have the ball 70% of the time, the more likely you will be the one scoring. Of course, it happens that you can lose the possession battle and still win the game, no one denies that. That happens in soccer all the time, but over a 15-20 game season, you can't get lucky all the time.

All else being equal, though, teach the big, fast people how to technically hold a soccer ball, and they're unstoppable. Just cuz coaches like big fast players doesn't mean it's not better if those big fast players can actually play.

KeeperCommander wrote:

sportsnerd wrote:i am so glad everyone's DD on these boards is off to a big time D1 program, they sure are the lucky ones. Seeing as most players will not be in that boat, soccer is just a means to help get a kid through college. I have no fantasy or visions that my daughter will be playing for the USWNT in the future instead she will just be a doctor or dentist or nurse or some other lowly profession.

Since that is the case we have visited with quite a few coaches and been to quite a few camps and this is the general opinion of what i have heard, whether its good for the overall health of soccer at the high levels i could not care less, that isn't my interest or area, i want my DD to be a productive member of society and if soccer helps that happen then so be it. i think the majority of parents with kids that play will have the same opinion (unless your DD is one of the best which of course will be the minority of the population) and understand. I went into this process thinking that wow the skills and technical ability will be what the coaches are looking for, but was surprised in what i found (and its not just D2, this exists as well in D1 whether you wish to admit it or not)

I think you are missing the point.  At every level certainly there will be coaches that think this way.  D1, D2, Pro, even U14.  That doesn't mean that we as parents dumb our kids down to play at a level that compares with a few coaches.  Now if my kid gets offers to play at a school that will give her a great education but they play dump and run then so be it.  I guess we just became dump and runners.  Still not going to believe it is the best style.

Dont get me wrong, never said it was best style. Just surprised at what they are looking for when they recruit. Opened my eyes to alot of things.

and btw i have been called alot worse then dumbass before so no biggie...

That definitely does not surprise me... but me too, so touche!

timmyh wrote:

sportsnerd wrote:  ...they don't care if you can play possession soccer or build up through the back, they just want someone big, aggressive, strong and fast and who can win in the air...

For what it's worth, I don't believe any college coaches told you that they don't care if a player has any technical skills - much less "all of them."

ok, whatever floats your boat...

KeeperCommander wrote:

and btw i have been called alot worse then dumbass before so no biggie...

That definitely does not surprise me... but me too, so touche!

Well, I haven't so y'all must be really dumb... lmao

skiberdad wrote:

KeeperCommander wrote:

and btw i have been called alot worse then dumbass before so no biggie...

That definitely does not surprise me... but me too, so touche!

Well, I haven't so y'all must be really dumb... lmao  

if you haven't been called a dumbass in your life, then your not really trying...

sportsnerd wrote:

skiberdad wrote:

KeeperCommander wrote:

and btw i have been called alot worse then dumbass before so no biggie...

That definitely does not surprise me... but me too, so touche!

Well, I haven't so y'all must be really dumb... lmao  

if you haven't been called a dumbass in your life, then your not really trying...

lmao.....