Attention '04 Parents!

Hi, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Pia Sundhage and I am the coach for the US Womens National Team. Recently, I enjoyed a trip to the great state of Texas to do some recruiting at the Pot 'o Gold Tournament. Before I begin, I must say that the US Soccer office phones have been ringing off the hook from parents in Dallas telling us how great their daughters are. Well, I must say I need to take the time to help you parents understand the reality of U8 soccer.

I would like to let you know what we look for in players when considering them for our pool. There are three things that we look for in making a complete player. These are vision, speed and patience. Vision because players must be able to see the game and by that I mean understand what they need to do next. Vision is not only passing, but also seeing when to beat a defender one on one, slowing the game down or speeding the game up. Speed because at the level I am sure ALL your girls will be playing at one day soon the game gets fast. They must have speed, not only in their feet, but in their vision. Patience because the game does not always unfold the way a player envisions it. They must learn patience by seeing what isn't there as much as what is there.

I must admit, none of your girls are as great as you have been telling us they are. In fact, it was pretty easy to tell that in this particular tournament that SIZE was the biggest factor. Oh, and a novel idea by me, the genius coach, is that SIZE will be probably the biggest advantage for the next 5-6 years. Don't get me wrong, there will be exceptions, but without a doubt this is a huge factor in U8 soccer. It was pretty obvious to me that the biggest teams won most of the games. Is that a coincidence? I would doubt it at this age level.

Oh my goodness, looks who is here. Hey Anson, how are you? Do you want to chime in on the Pot 'o Gold Tournament?

Thanks Pia. Hey guys, Anson Dorrace here. Like Pia, I too made a special recruiting trip to Dallas to see what all the hub bub is about. I must say that there are some really good players here. Not quite as good as what their parents have been telling me in emails and letters, but some real potential without a doubt.

If you don't mind, I would like to add my views from this past weekend.

Wait a second Anson? What qualifications do you have? You have never played this game at a high level. It is obvious that these parents don't care what you say, if you can't juggle a ball 10,000 times. You were just a walk on a weak team in the 1970's, you don't have a clue what soccer is about.

Well Pia, I think I will let my 20 National Championships speak for themselves. But fine, since I don't have the playing experience and they won't respect my views of the tournament, I will just leave these parents with some recommendations.

Please start at number 1 and continue down the list. If you want to play at UNC you must complete this list.

1. Go to Toys R Us and immediately buy your daughter a make up kit, a pony and a puzzle.
2. Don't talk to them about soccer for 1 week.
3. Tell them how much you Love them, no matter how bad they play
4. Get your team together with the team you just played and all of you go out for pizza together
5. SHUT THE F UP!!!!!!!

It is blatantly obvious that 99.9% of you on this board don't have a clue about the game of soccer, development, or coaching for that matter. Quit yelling at your kid, quit telling us how great they are, quit pushing them every single minute they are awake, quit making enemies of people that you will have to share a sideline with in the next 5 years, quit assuming you know what is best for someone else's kid and most of all quit being a bunch of overzealous, overinvolved, know it all parents.

Whether you know it or not, you will ruin your daughter and her love for this great sport if you don't stop. Your daughter is 7, let her act and live like a 7 year old.

See you at the next recruiting event. Maybe I'll come to the next Primetime tournament.

Pia, it was great to see you. Will you be there next week in So Cal for the U5 tournament?

"It is blatantly obvious that 99.9% of you on this board don't have a clue about the game of soccer, development, or coaching for that matter. Quit yelling at your kid, quit telling us how great they are, quit pushing them every single minute they are awake, quit making enemies of people that you will have to share a sideline with in the next 5 years, quit assuming you know what is best for someone else's kid and most of all quit being a bunch of overzealous, overinvolved, know it all parents."

You might as well be talking to the wall. All of these parents think they know the game. And they all think they know what is best for their daughters. Pele could tell them otherwise, but they would all still know better.

I bet more than half of these kids will burn out by U14.

The #1 piece of advice I can give to let your kids last long in this great game is to NOT CRITIQUE your child's performance after the game. In fact, other than "good job" do not talk about the game at all. If there is something you want to "coach on" wait a few days.

This will take the pressure off and allow your kids to enjoy playing, which is the #1 way they will improve at this age because if they enjoy playing, they will want to practice or "play" on their own.

Are you saying Pow? What are you saying? Why do you keep doing that?

This is sold out everywhere, so I believe all the 04 parents are probably experts.....

okay let me see if I have this straight.
1. I need to be a sexist pig to my daughter and force her to play with dolls and makeup
2. I need to keep her from playing soccer all week no matter how badly she wants too.
3. Pizza is the key.
4. Shut up and pay your coach because they know EVERYTHING

The time of the uneducated parent is passing. Many parents have played as much or more soccer as many of the coaches. I will take your 99% and see you 90% for the coaches. Parents are overzealous, but so are many of the coaches. It is a detrimental enviornment that we have all participated in creating. And like you said "let my 20 national champ talk for themselves". I suspect that DM could make similar claims in youth soccer.

Here is an idea. If you don't understand what a coach is doing then ask. The coach should be able to explain everything that is being done and why (I said unerstand not agree). It should be done in the best interest of your DD. Don't push your DD or allow a coach to do so. Do ask that she always try hard and do the best theat "she" can. At this age she has to learn not only skill but most important of all, a love for the game. Let her play as much as "she" chooses. Don't focus on the score but on the joy and little accomplishments. I saw a beardsley girl run up to her coach for a high five and a hug. Then proudly pronounce "I scored a goal! In a game" There was big smiles ear to ear and plenty of praise. She didn't care that the tied and he didn't either. My DD started early playing up and had never met a ball she wasn't going to dribble to the end and shoot. She did a step over in the box and the thought about it. Passed accross to and open teammate who scored. You would have thought they won the world cup for the praise that the coach and I heaped on her. From that point on she passed the ball. If all you praise is the wins and score it is all your dd will try to achieve. Praise the play, the effort, the ideas and imagination.
So attn 04 parents! Forget about the score, the scholorships, trophies, teams. Remember your DD. If she has "it" she will get there as long you don't let you and the coaches get in the way.

A large part of the problem is because of a couple of the Liverpool 04 parents. Not all them, just a couple of them. After every tournament they feel the need to come on here and claim that they dominated all of their opponents and make negative statements about their opponents. In reality, their coach is focused on development. Even within the Liverpool family, many of the parents are embarrassed by the behavior of these select few.

Great. Just what we need... another self-appointed expert.

Blank77 wrote:Are you saying Pow? What are you saying? Why do you keep doing that?

This is sold out everywhere, so I believe all the 04 parents are probably experts.....

Michael Lewis? Cool - I loved Liar's Poker.

I wouldn't lay the blame soley at the doorstep of the LP parents but it is a recognized point. But also shared by those who want to see a group of 7yr old girls fall. There were certianly plenty lined up with joy for the Rowdies season and 3v3 losses. Those LP parents will be on board or eventually they will leave to some other team that wins. You are correct the coaches focus of the coach is not there and at some point it bothers those who are looking for the wins and 7yr old glory.

I like the general message by the original poster but not sure using anson helps the story. I've been reading some of his work lately, and the DM approach is far more aligned with anson's philosophy than the 5 bullet points about let your kid be a kid.

Of course anson doesn't coach 7 to 10-year-olds, but if he did he'd probably get the biggest, fastest, most athletic kids together and run intense, highly focused practices and teach them to be highly competitive beasts.

Good topic though. I like shelby's advice and have been trying to follow it for at least a year. Still only 50% success rate. It's hard out here for us over the toppers.

u8wnt wrote:Hi, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Pia Sundhage and I am the coach for the US Womens National Team. Recently, I enjoyed a trip to the great state of Texas to do some recruiting at the Pot 'o Gold Tournament. Before I begin, I must say that the US Soccer office phones have been ringing off the hook from parents in Dallas telling us how great their daughters are. Well, I must say I need to take the time to help you parents understand the reality of U8 soccer.

I would like to let you know what we look for in players when considering them for our pool. There are three things that we look for in making a complete player. These are vision, speed and patience. Vision because players must be able to see the game and by that I mean understand what they need to do next. Vision is not only passing, but also seeing when to beat a defender one on one, slowing the game down or speeding the game up. Speed because at the level I am sure ALL your girls will be playing at one day soon the game gets fast. They must have speed, not only in their feet, but in their vision. Patience because the game does not always unfold the way a player envisions it. They must learn patience by seeing what isn't there as much as what is there.

I must admit, none of your girls are as great as you have been telling us they are. In fact, it was pretty easy to tell that in this particular tournament that SIZE was the biggest factor. Oh, and a novel idea by me, the genius coach, is that SIZE will be probably the biggest advantage for the next 5-6 years. Don't get me wrong, there will be exceptions, but without a doubt this is a huge factor in U8 soccer. It was pretty obvious to me that the biggest teams won most of the games. Is that a coincidence? I would doubt it at this age level.

Oh my goodness, looks who is here. Hey Anson, how are you? Do you want to chime in on the Pot 'o Gold Tournament?

Thanks Pia. Hey guys, Anson Dorrace here. Like Pia, I too made a special recruiting trip to Dallas to see what all the hub bub is about. I must say that there are some really good players here. Not quite as good as what their parents have been telling me in emails and letters, but some real potential without a doubt.

If you don't mind, I would like to add my views from this past weekend.

Wait a second Anson? What qualifications do you have? You have never played this game at a high level. It is obvious that these parents don't care what you say, if you can't juggle a ball 10,000 times. You were just a walk on a weak team in the 1970's, you don't have a clue what soccer is about.

Well Pia, I think I will let my 20 National Championships speak for themselves. But fine, since I don't have the playing experience and they won't respect my views of the tournament, I will just leave these parents with some recommendations.

Please start at number 1 and continue down the list. If you want to play at UNC you must complete this list.

1. Go to Toys R Us and immediately buy your daughter a make up kit, a pony and a puzzle.
2. Don't talk to them about soccer for 1 week.
3. Tell them how much you Love them, no matter how bad they play
4. Get your team together with the team you just played and all of you go out for pizza together
5. SHUT THE F UP!!!!!!!

It is blatantly obvious that 99.9% of you on this board don't have a clue about the game of soccer, development, or coaching for that matter. Quit yelling at your kid, quit telling us how great they are, quit pushing them every single minute they are awake, quit making enemies of people that you will have to share a sideline with in the next 5 years, quit assuming you know what is best for someone else's kid and most of all quit being a bunch of overzealous, overinvolved, know it all parents.

Whether you know it or not, you will ruin your daughter and her love for this great sport if you don't stop. Your daughter is 7, let her act and live like a 7 year old.

See you at the next recruiting event. Maybe I'll come to the next Primetime tournament.

Pia, it was great to see you. Will you be there next week in So Cal for the U5 tournament?

Whew. At least I'm in the .01%.

I am not sure if the original posters are who she/he claim to be and if their statements are true but if true, you gotta love NTX soccer parents... Calling, emailing, and writing letters to the US Womens National Team coach to talk about their 7 or 8 year olds... I hope that is not true... Anyway, I agree with most of their suggestions (but not the one about going to Toys R Us). Most of us (parents and coaches) take this WAY TOO SERIOUSLY. Let them play and learn to love the game!

Assuming that you are not one of those parents, you need to find a right coach/team. Read the "Has DM lost the plot?" thread to see if DM's approach works for you and your DD. There are coaches who try to "keep up with DM" and there are coaches who simply ignore the "win now at all cost" mindset and focus on developing his/her players. Be wary of a coach who "cuts" girls during Academy years... Be wary of a coach who tries to micro manage during games... Be wary of a coach who asks defenders to simply kick the ball out or boot it to the big/fast forward... Be wary of a coach who cares more about winning than playing good soccer...

wxyz wrote:I am not sure if the original posters are who she/he claim to be and if their statements are true but if true, you gotta love NTX soccer parents... Calling, emailing, and writing letters to the US Womens National Team coach to talk about their 7 or 8 year olds... I hope that is not true... Anyway, I agree with most of their suggestions (but not the one about going to Toys R Us). Most of us (parents and coaches) take this WAY TOO SERIOUSLY. Let them play and learn to love the game!

Assuming that you are not one of those parents, you need to find a right coach/team. Read the "Has DM lost the plot?" thread to see if DM's approach works for you and your DD. There are coaches who try to "keep up with DM" and there are coaches who simply ignore the "win now at all cost" mindset and focus on developing his/her players. Be wary of a coach who "cuts" girls during Academy years... Be wary of a coach who tries to micro manage during games... Be wary of a coach who asks defenders to simply kick the ball out or boot it to the big/fast forward... Be wary of a coach who cares more about winning than playing good soccer...

I'm almost certain the original post in this thread is bogus. Hard for me to believe Anson would misspell his last name.

wxyz wrote:I am not sure if the original posters are who she/he claim to be

Please don't tell me you received an email from a Nigerian prince today too.

soccer5555 wrote:

wxyz wrote:I am not sure if the original posters are who she/he claim to be

Please don't tell me you received an email from a Nigerian prince today too.

No but I think one of his relatives offered to help me with $17,300,00 bank transaction and all I had to do was give them my bank account and routing number along with my SSAN and DOB. You don't think it was one of those scammers of phisher do you?

soccer5555 wrote:

wxyz wrote:I am not sure if the original posters are who she/he claim to be

Please don't tell me you received an email from a Nigerian prince today too.

Did u receive one too?

freefl2 wrote:

soccer5555 wrote:

wxyz wrote:I am not sure if the original posters are who she/he claim to be

Please don't tell me you received an email from a Nigerian prince today too.

No but I think one of his relatives offered to help me with $17,300,00 bank transaction and all I had to do was give them my bank account and routing number along with my SSAN and DOB. You don't think it was one of those scammers of phisher do you?

What? I was only offered $16,200,000! I guess there must have been some market movement in the underlying assets...

wxyz wrote:

freefl2 wrote:

soccer5555 wrote:

wxyz wrote:I am not sure if the original posters are who she/he claim to be

Please don't tell me you received an email from a Nigerian prince today too.

No but I think one of his relatives offered to help me with $17,300,00 bank transaction and all I had to do was give them my bank account and routing number along with my SSAN and DOB. You don't think it was one of those scammers of phisher do you?

What? I was only offered $16,200,000! I guess there must have been some market movement in the underlying assets...

That's nothing... I just won $500,000,000 in an international lottery. I am going to forward by bank account information and then I will OWN this forum you HEAR ME?!?!?!?

Funny thing is I never purchased a ticket for this lottery, but... who CARES about DETAILS... I am going to be FILTHY STINKING RICH!!!

Shelby427 wrote:

wxyz wrote:

freefl2 wrote:

soccer5555 wrote:

wxyz wrote:I am not sure if the original posters are who she/he claim to be

Please don't tell me you received an email from a Nigerian prince today too.

No but I think one of his relatives offered to help me with $17,300,00 bank transaction and all I had to do was give them my bank account and routing number along with my SSAN and DOB. You don't think it was one of those scammers of phisher do you?

What? I was only offered $16,200,000! I guess there must have been some market movement in the underlying assets...

That's nothing... I just won $500,000,000 in an international lottery. I am going to forward by bank account information and then I will OWN this forum you HEAR ME?!?!?!?

Funny thing is I never purchased a ticket for this lottery, but... who CARES about DETAILS... I am going to be FILTHY STINKING RICH!!!

Toby: Didn't you lose a lot of money on that other investment? The email?
Michael Scott: You know what Toby, when the son of the deposed king of Nigeria emails you directly, asking for help, you help! His father ran the freaking country! Ok?

Blank77 wrote:Are you saying Pow? What are you saying? Why do you keep doing that?

This is sold out everywhere, so I believe all the 04 parents are probably experts.....

It's the  Catalina wine mixer!