COACHING POSSESSION SERIES: The Final Third

When talking to coaches about their experiences implementing a possession style of play with their teams the number one challenge expressed by nearly every coach is, “We can out possess the other team all day, but we struggle going forward and creating chances.”

Ah, yes.  The final third.  It’s where all of our hard work continually breaks down and causes us the most frustration.

For my club, it was the biggest frustration of our first season implementing the philosophy club-wide.  We consistently outplayed the opponent for a majority of the game, failed to create (and finish!) enough chances, and would lose on one break down that resulted in a goal for the opposing team.  It was the story of nearly every team in the club.

It was discouraging as hell!

When I traveled to Barcelona for the first time in Spring of 2013 it was one of my primary curiosities, “how do they train to be so effective in the final third?”

MANAGING TRANSITIONS

My previous post on managing transitions is a good place to start when looking to improve effectiveness in the final third.  If you haven’t already, make sure to check it out.

DELIBERATE CHOREOGRAPHY

That is right, choreography; pre-planned patterns of play.  In our coaching clinic they showed us how they train choreographed moves going to goal.  After training two or three patterns they put them into an opposed-game with an offside zone.  The attacking team could only enter the offside zone if they used a choreographed pattern.  And (surprise!) if the defense won the ball they transitioned to attack (there are many variations of how the defense could score).

Attacking Pattern #1 (example)

Attacking Pattern #2 (example)

Attacking Pattern #3 (example)

The next phase was to put the players into a small-sided game (7v7 or 8v8) going to goal.  They still used the offside zone, however.  A player is a not allowed to receive the ball while standing in the offside zone (regardless of where the defenders are) unless they were played into the area via combination play.  This eliminated any sort of poaching or overly direct play.  Players had to earn their right to attack goal.  Once a team successfully played into the offside/scoring zone they all could enter and attack goal.

Pay close attention to team shape in this 6v6+GKs game.

SHOOTING AND FINISHING

Even the shooting and finishing phase builds off of the choreography.  At FCB’s Ciutat Esportiva one evening I watched a group of U8s use this passing pattern, which falls more into the realm of automatism, rather than straight choreography:

Here is another FCB shooting and finishing activity that they use in both the academy and the Escola.  Don’t just take this at face value.  The key components are obvious!  Dig deeper and consider the possible nuance.

2v1 Shooting and Finishing Exercise

(All animations and images created using Efficiency Match)

AUTHENTIC SHOOTING AND FINISHING

The problem with the standard shooting and finishing activities we see out on the field here in the US, is a majority of them are unopposed and lack game authenticity.  Very rarely to players actually find themselves in those trained situations in an actual game.

In Spain, they love to use these close goals games in training because they replicate what it is like when the ball is close to goal in an actual game.  Players must recognize when they are given the small window necessary to take a shot on goal.  This is authentic and more likely to transfer to the actual game.

At La Masia they use variations of this type of game a lot, especially with the older ages (U13-above).

4v4+4 Close Goal Game

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Coaching a successful possession-style of play requires more than just passing and receiving.  Yes, rondos and positional possession games are key components to the training, but must be supplemented appropriately.  Ultimately, the goal of the game is to get the ball forward and into the back of the net.  Everything we do is to position ourselves to do so!  We must not forget how important this part of training is.

The patterns and activities provided above are examples of the basics.  We are just scratching the surface here.  So while not comprehensive, it is certainly a good place to start and should provide some food for thought.

Post your questions or thoughts below!

Other posts on COACHING POSSESSION

COACHING POSSESSION SERIES:  Training the Defensive Phase

COACHING POSSESSION SERIES:  Managing Transitions

COACHING POSSESSION SERIES:  Environment and Culture

COACHING POSSESSION SERIES: Managing Transitions

“It’s all about rondos [piggy in the middle]. Rondo, rondo, rondo. Every. Single. Day. It’s the best exercise there is. You learn responsibility and not to lose the ball. If you lose the ball, you go in the middle. Pum-pum-pum-pum, always one touch. If you go in the middle, it’s humiliating, the rest applaud and laugh at you.” – Xavi Hernandez (The Guardian article from 2011

I will admit that when I first heard quotes like this I had my doubts.  See, the rondo that Xavi is describing here is the traditional rondo (could be 6v2 to 10v2, in this case 9v2) which we see from FC Barcelona, and now FC Bayern, on a regular basis.  It looks like this:

While an impressive sight, I wondered how such a simple exercise could really be the magic bullet that would help implement a possession style of play.  American coaches have been doing some form us this for years, haven’t they?   Even before researching Barca’s methods I was very familiar with the American favorite, 5v2.

And we see where that has got us.

Then I discovered that there are in fact many variations of rondos, and that they all serve a specific purpose.  These rondos were set up to functionally train technical and tactical components when in possession, defensive components when out of possession, and the transitions to and from.

4 Color Double Rondo

The importance of managing transitions

This brings us to the key concept I want to talk about today:  Managing transitions.

Core concepts trained at FC Barcelona’s Escola.

Coaching possession soccer has as much to do with teaching players to manage transitions, as it does teaching them to “keep the ball.”

FC Barcelona’s Escola program trains these four core concepts every week:

1)Attack

2) Transition from attack to defense

3)Defense

4) Transition from defense to attack.

So EVERY WEEK players are put into all four of those situations and taught how to handle each scenario specifically.

This is not just talk, either.  While in Barcelona last Spring I was able to attend the Escola training sessions (the Escola is Barca’s version of a rec program.  But don’t be fooled, those rec players would murder most of our “competitive” teams!).  Sure enough, players participated in a variety of rondo activities AND several activities that all had transitional elements.  In fact, I did not observe a single activity that didn’t have a transitional element.

So what message was this sending to the players?  You must know what to do with the ball once you have it.  Additionally, the game does not stop when you lose the ball, you must know what to do once you’ve lost it.  It forces players to 100% engaged at all times.

A HOLISTIC APPROACH

Some believe that coaching a possession style of play is a niche endeavor, and that it puts focus primarily on passing and receiving while neglecting other parts of the game.  Absolutely not!

When done well this is a holistic approach that must consider ALL phases of the game.  A well run program teaches players when and how to defend, what to do with the ball once they have it, and what to do when they lose it.  We could break it down into smaller parts, but we’ll leave that for a later date.

It is complete accountability in all moments of the game.  That is why players developed in this system are seen to have high soccer intelligence; they know what to do in nearly any given situation!

Players in possession system must:

• Know when to speed the game up and when to slow it down
• When to press and when to delay
• Be able to recognize if an opponent is balanced or unbalanced
• Identify numbers up opportunities (1v1, 2v1, 3v2) and exploit them
• Recognize when something is not on and circulate the ball
• Recognize when to attack space

TRANSITION GAMES

I find that transitional games going to goal is a great supplement to our rondos, especially at the younger ages (U8-U10). Below I have provided some examples of a few of my favorites.  Take note of the transitional elements being trained, as well as the other key concepts being reinforced, or that could be reinforced.

I’m not going to give explicit instructions for these games, just as I did not for the double rondo above.  Big picture ideas should be obvious, and finding the possible nuance….well, that is the art.

2v1 to 2v1 to 2v2 Transition Game

1v1 to 2v1 to 2v2 Transition Game

3v2 to 2v2 Transition Game

 (All animations and images created using Efficiency Match)

Other posts on COACHING POSSESSION

COACHING POSSESSION SERIES:  Training the Defensive Phase

COACHING POSSESSION SERIES:  The Final Third

COACHING POSSESSION SERIES:  Environment and Culture

COACHING POSSESSION SERIES: Environment and culture

Look at the body language of these U8s.

Really it doesn’t matter what style of play you are trying to implement, or if you have no style at all (but please don’t be that person) — establishing a proper training environment and team culture is critical.

Easy to say.  Much harder to do.

EXPECTATIONS AND ENJOYMENT

During my undergrad I minored in Sports Leadership.  In nearly every coaching course I took we talked about how youth sports should be all about fun and enjoyment.  We talked about how the number one reason children quit is because it stopped being fun, and therefore, our job as coaches was to ensure retention of players by focusing primarily on enjoyment.  Low pressure.  Low expectations.  Let the game be the teacher.

That continues to be the primary narrative, especially in youth soccer.  It goes hand in hand with the similar narrative of silent coaches and lawn chairs.

As an undergrad student it was easy to buy into these theories.  They seemed like rational ideas.  They were comfortable things to believe, and left one feeling warm and fuzzy.

An amazing thing happens, though, when one tests theories in the real world.  Some theories, that sound great on paper, simply do not hold up to real life variables and environments.

I started my youth soccer coaching career prioritizing things like enjoyment, and thinking of the game as the teacher.  My early training sessions were loose, I praised the hell out of the players for every little success, and made sure they were always smiling.  I set aside time during trainings, and especially games, where I would say nothing.  Just let them play.

Each session I walked away feeling proud of my work.  I was doing what I was “supposed” to do.

The product on the field, however, was seriously lacking.  And overall player achievement was minimal.  The biggest thing lacking was a sense of competitiveness and tenacity.

This was big problem because, after all, soccer is a competitive game .  How could I say I was properly preparing the players for the game if I was not fostering a competitive spirit? And the problem with competitive environments is that they are uncomfortable. There are winners and losers, and some days you are the loser.

Fortunately, I did not stop studying the craft after completing my undergrad.  I continued, as I still do, to research, study, and experiment with my coaching methods.  I recognized early on that there was a disconnect.

In reading Daniel Coyle’s book The Talent Code, and his blog of the same name, something stuck out to me.  Coyle offers advice based on his experiences studying the biggest hotbeds of talent in the world.  His advice to parents based on his observations is to “seek coaches and teachers who scare you a little.”  He continues, “It’s easy to confuse pleasure and comfort with actual learning. But truly good coaches and teachers are about challenging you to get to the edge of your abilities, time and time again.”

This idea kept nagging at me.  I’m currently in the process of completing my MAT (Master’s of Arts in Teaching), and this is what we talk about constantly:

• Setting clear expectations
• Building relationships with students (they don’t care what you know until they know that you care)
• Having high expectations for student achievement

As I reflect on the best coaches I have observed, these things are a constant:

CLEAR EXPECTATIONS

The coaches set clear, non-negotiable expectations and are consistent in the enforcement of those expectations.  Brian Kleiban (3FOUR3/ Chivas USA Academy) starts out by telling players that there are just two things that players can control:

1) their focus, and

2) how hard they work.

He explains that mistakes are going to happen, and are not a big deal, as long as they are not mistakes due to lack of focus or lack of effort.  If you make a mistake, be the one working hardest to fix it!  Brian also sets consistent consequences for players that struggle with those controllables.  Players know that if they lack in focus or effort that they might have sit out of training, go train with a younger squad, or might even be sent home. To some that sounds harsh, but it’s real. And the product of that environment speaks for itself.

Coaching clinic in Barcelona, Spring 2013.

In my first trip to Barcelona I remember seeing the veins popping out of the neck and forehead of a former FC Barcelona player and Spanish international, as he watched a group of U12 American boys lackadaisically participate in a passing exercise. “Mas intensidad!” he pushed, “con fuerza!!”

He then asked who the coach was. “Are you going to do some thing about this? This is awful.” He was disappointed with the coaches more than anything. The expectations were too low. Unacceptable.

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

The first thing I noticed as I walked around the Cuitat Esportiva, the training facilities of FC Barcelona, was how players shook hands with every coach and director they passed as they walked through the complex.  It was a clear expectation.  American youth player Joshua Pyndath, now at Real Madrid, trialed at FC Barcelona before committing to Madrid.  In his blog about his experience (which has since been taken down) he addressed the rule.  He mentioned how every player shook his hand and greeted him when he arrived for his trial.  He knew it was a rule the players had to follow, but expressed how comfortable it made him feel.

The first morning we arrived at the field for the coaching course in Barcelona the instructor was setting up for the days activities on the far side of the field.  He saw us, dropped everything he was doing, walked the length of the field to greet us and shake our hands.  He did this for every person that arrived at the field.  It was genuine.  And god-forbid you asked him a clarifying question during the clinic!  He would grab you by the shoulders, get in your face and speak a thousand words a minute, his hands gesticulating wildly.  He was passionate and wanted you to get it.  There was no ego, no withholding of information.  He wanted you to learn.

It is something that makes La Masia a very inviting place to be. There is a feeling that everyone cares. That feeling is necessary in order to lay a foundation where constructive criticism and high expectations of achievement can exist on a regular basis.

We are all more willing to take criticism when we know it is coming from someone who cares about us.  True in the classroom and on the field.

HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR ACHIEVEMENT

I’ve wasted many opportunities to make my players better.  Many times we have jumped to a huge lead on an opposing team, so I kick back in my seat and just watch.  What else is there to say?

The truth is, a lot!  Some of our sloppiest play happens when we have a big lead and the opponent is weak.  The problem is that when playing a weak opponent you don’t get punished for your mistakes, so they don’t look like mistakes.  Only if you have a clear idea of what the on field product should look like, and you have high expectations for achievement, do you recognize these as mistakes.  And if you recognize it you should fix it.

Again, I have wasted a lot of opportunities to make my players better.

Claudia Reyna has been quoted saying, “At the best places, the youth coaches are sitting down. And if they get up to give instructions, they sit right back down again.”  There is some truth to that.  Coaches at La Masia do not typically pace up and down the side line.  But that is not to say that they are silent and “let the kids play” either.  They coach!  They stand up and give feedback, or make corrections and adjustments.  They have high expectations for achievement and even when they are up 12-0 (pretty common for the younger teams) they are prodding their team to do better.  This is what they mean when they say the result doesn’t matter.  Not that winning doesn’t matter, because a winning mentality is critical to player development.  It’s that simply winning does not tell the whole story.  It’s about HOW you go about it!

I highly recommend the book Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov (@Doug_Lemov).  While it is written from an education perspective I believe coaches can learn a great deal about building relationships and establishing a culture of high achievement.

And what about Enjoyment?

Obviously enjoyment is important.  It just seems that as the pendulum swings drastically to one end of the spectrum we lose sight of other critical factors.

It is in fact possible to create a training environment that is both enjoyable and challenging.

Remember, it is easy to be the coach that makes every training session “fun”, just like it is easy to be the coach that makes every session physically demanding.  What is actually impressive is a coach that understands all variables and purposeful plans for them.

Other posts on COACHING POSSESSION

COACHING POSSESSION SERIES:  Training the Defensive Phase

COACHING POSSESSION SERIES:  The Final Third

COACHING POSSESSION SERIES:  Managing Transitions

Teaching tactics to young players

**disclaimer** The following is NOT an official explanation of automatism from an FC Barcelona youth coach.  Also, I am not professing to be an expert on the concept.  This is just my interpretation based on my observations at La Masia and my experiences coaching youth players.

AUTOMATISM vs TACTICS

It is said that FC Barcelona does not directly teach tactics to young players at La Masia, and instead they focus on automatism.  Check out this article for further background on the concept and the context.

Here is a dictionary definition of automatism:

“The performance of actions without conscious thought or intention.”

The take away for many youth soccer “experts” is that FC Barcelona does not teach tactics to young players.  Full stop.  They use this to justify their belief that technique alone should be the primary focus at the young ages.  However, to say that FC Barcelona does not teach tactics does not do the academy, it’s teams, or it’s players justice.

The idea is to design training sessions and exercises that train tactical concepts and patterns so that players are receiving tactical instruction without realizing it.

This is where rondos and positional possession games come into play.  They are used to train players what do when they have the ball, what to do when they don’t have the ball, and how to transition between those two moments.

For those that do not know, a positional possession game places players in specific spaces within the playing area to best replicate the responsibilities and situations they will face in a game.  One of my favorite positional possession games is this 3v3+3 game:

3v3+3

In this game, the blue players are neutrals and are set up by position.  The two on the end line are the center backs, and the one in the middle is a center defensive mid.  The teams in red and yellow are a combination of wing players out wide (wing backs or wingers) and central attacking players up top (either center attacking mids or center forwards).  This game can be used to train several functions.  First, it is training repetitive movement patterns in the CBs and CDM that will translate directly to the game.  It can be used to reinforce how to move the ball along the back four and CDM when playing around the back.  It is also training a transition to defense AND a transition to attack for the non-neutrals.  By manipulating conditions I can use this to train how to use ball circulation for the purpose of disorganizing the opponent in order to find penetrating passes to the CAMs and CFs.  This exercise can be used over and over throughout the entire season to train a variety of concepts.

If we are not direct with the players then yes, this could result in automatism; performance of actions without conscious thought.  Regardless, it is still a form of training tactical patterns.

And best of all?  These games are not devoid of technical training.  It is just training technique within context of the game, another concept entirely, but I will get into that another day.

Another common positional possession game used at La Masia and that Pep Guardiola still consistently uses even at FC Bayern Munich:

4v4+3

 (All animations and images created using Efficiency Match)

How would you use this activity to train automatism in your team?

U16 USSDA – Playing out of the back

This blog is about discussing things related to coaching soccer and player development, specifically from the perspective of a possession-oriented coach.

In my first ever blog post I outlined some key possession concepts, one of which is “playing out of the back.”

Recently, I shared a post from a U18 USSDA training session I observed locally.

Here is an excerpt from that post:

Now, before we get too far, let’s clarify the assumptions being made here:

• We are assuming that the teams we are analyzing want to be possession-oriented.
• We are assuming they selected their players according to that desired style of play and that they work on this specific aspect of their game, playing from the back, in a similar way to the U18 team (the assistant coach for the U18s, mentioned above, is the U16 head coach).

 

Last weekend I went out to watch the U16s play their first game.

Here is what I saw as they attempted to play from the back:

 

The lack of depth provided by the CB (not to mention lack of awareness and not keeping an open body position) leads to a variety of turnovers, all of which nearly turn disastrous for the team.

The following weekend, the team almost completely abandoned playing out of the back.  From the onset they opted to punt and take long restarts over playing out of the back.  A lack of success in the opening game seemingly resulted in a change of philosophy.

 

What is the main take-away?

Possession soccer is positional; if positioning and spacing are poor, it will always be a disaster.

It is not just about selecting the best players and letting them play.  And you can’t superficially cover something like this.  In order to implement a possession-oriented philosophy it requires that one understands all of the key details, how they fit together, and most importantly, how to train them.

 

 

TRAINING SESSION: FC Barcelona Juvenil A (U19)

**disclaimer**  It is difficult to make a solid assessment of a coach or a program based on observing one isolated session.  Context, as always, is key.  I know that many coaches are interested to see what other teams, especially high level ones, are doing, and that is my main reason for sharing.

photo: Pep Morata

4/9/2014 – FC Barcelona Juvenil A (U19) training session

Context:  Jordi Vinyals, head coach of Juvenil A, was preparing his team for the semi-final game of the Youth Champions League vs Schalke 04.  The game was to be played away in Switzerland and this was the final training session at La Masia before the team was set to travel.  Juvenil A had already won their local league championship with a recent win over nearby club FC Damm.  The squad consisted of guys like Munir El Haddadi, Adama Traore, Elohor Godswill, and Wilfred Kaptoum.

Session:

Local media was on hand to take a picture of the team (coaches included) as part of their send off to Switzerland.  We saw the picture (above) in the local newspapers the next day.

Several coaches milled around setting up cones as players trickled into the field area.

Coaches’ pre-training talk: Too far away to hear what was being said but Vinyals was very animated.

Warm up: Team was sent over to the fitness coach for a dynamic warm up.  Players moved back and forth across a 20 meter area while doing a variety of dynamic stretches and specified movement patterns.

Technical warm up:

Next, the players split off into three rondos.  The boxes were approximately 8×8.  There were two groups of 5v2 and one group of 6v2.  The goalkeepers participated in the warm up with the rest of the team and also were part of the rondos.  Coaches supervised the rondos and occasionally jumped in to make coaching points.  CONDITIONS:  Wasn’t clear the exact # of passes the players on the outside were trying to get without losing the ball, but it was somewhere in the range of 20-30.  If they reached their goal they would stop the ball and clap and laugh, poking fun at the guys in the middle.  The defender had to either gain possession of the ball or knock it completely out of play to get out of the middle, it was not enough just to get a touch.  Intensity in this exercise was HIGH, as the defenders are flying around trying to win the ball.  Nobody wanted to be in the middle so they playfully argued over who it last went off.  Coaches occasionally called out the bad pass and made the passer go in.  Sometimes the players admitted the bad pass as well, apologizing to their teammates.  The exercise started out two touch but then moves to one touch towards the end.

Fitness:

The fitness coach had set up a circuit in one corner of the field.  Players rotated through in pairs, cycling through some functional strength training (with specific work on hamstring strength), plyometrics, as well as a series of sprints and a variety of changes of directions.

Long Passing:  As the coaches picked up the cones from the previous exercise and worked on transitioning to the next activity the players partnered up and knocked some long passes back and forth.  Coaches were not monitoring or giving feedback, and it only lasted a few minutes.  Goalkeepers went to one of the goals and did a GK-specific warm up with their hands.

Positional Possession game:

Two teams of 10v10 placed in a grid divided into thirds, both set up in a 4-3-3 shape.  So basically it was a 4v3 game in the end thirds and 3v3 in the middle third.  There was a condition that allowed just one player from a neighboring grid to crossover and give the team in possession an additional player.  Typically it was a Winger, OB, or a CM that crossed zones but occasionally the CF dropped into “midfield” or a CB stepped into “midfield.”  Players tried to keep the ball in one grid for 3-4 passes and then find a pass into the next third.  Essentially, they were playing through the lines.  CONDITION:  No more than two touches. Extra touches result in give away.  Work periods of 7 minutes.  Group does 3 work periods with two quick water breaks in between.

Tactical work:

Vinyals and his staff had scouted Schalke 04 and expected them to play long out of the back, but not straight off the goalkick.  The team was split into two groups of 11.  The “Schalke” scout team would play from the GK to the CB, but then the CB would play a long ball toward the forwards.  They worked through a variety of possible patterns where the “Schalke” defenders would get the ball but always hit it long.  Vinyals was INTENSE during this tactical work.  He wanted the forwards to press and try to win the ball high up the field, but the rest of the team prepared for the long ball forward.  He stopped several times to bark at players that were not doing what he asked.  It was clear he wanted ONE player to challenge the ball in the air and the rest to drop off and/or mark runners.  When the group got scored on because the pressure on the ball was poor and no one followed the back post run, he FLIPPED out.  He also showed obvious frustration when one of the CBs went up to challenge a ball in the CDM’s space.  If the “Barca” team won they ball they worked the ball quickly on the ground toward goal and tried to score.

After this they worked briefly on playing out of the back from goal kicks.  CBs dropped alongside 18, FBs got high and wide and the CDM worked to support the ball and look to switch the field immediately.  They played out under high pressure, but never knocked it long.

Small-sided game to goal:  Group was divided into 3 teams of 6, with one player designated as a neutral.  One team sitting out.  Team that scores stays on field, losing team rotates off.  If no goal scored within a few minutes coaches rotate a team out.  Ball always started with goalkeeper and was played short to a teammate.   Intensity in the exercise is extremely high and the players’ competitive spirit was on show.  One team gets scored on several times in a row and has to keep sitting out.  A few of their players get into a shouting match as they exit the field, but coaches do not intervene.  They end up scoring in their next game, to their obvious relief.  CONDITION:  Two-touch max (additional touches resulted in give away).

Total practice time is about 90 minutes on the dot.  (**note** an assistant coach is timing every exercise and the sessions moves along like clock-work because of it.)

Post-training Q&A:

We attended the training session as a guest of Jordi Vinyals and he spoke with us after the session to answer any questions we had.  Much of the detail in this session above comes from this Q&A, but since I cannot recall specific direct quotes I have not listed any of the information as such.

 

Here are the HIGHLIGHTS from the Juvenial A v Schalke 04 semi-final match.

Implementing a club-wide philosophy and methodology

In 2012, when I took over as Director of Coaching of what was then called CRUFA (Columbia River United FA) I had a vision of implementing a club-wide philosophy and methodology.  We re-branded the club Barcelona Oregon and began educating coaches, parents, and players about the concepts of total football and positional play.  We mandated all teams play the 4-3-3 with a single pivot (or related small-sided formation), but more importantly, all teams must play a possession-oriented, attacking style of play.

Some key concepts:

• Receiving across your body
• Spacing
• Playing out of the back
• Playing through the lines
• Switching the point of attack (circulate the ball)
• Numerical advantage in attack
• Attacking outside backs
• Losing your mark (older teams)
• HIGH PRESSURE DEFENSE

Starting in Winter of 2013 we hosted a coaching clinic with Brian Kleiban (3FOUR3), sent coaches to Barcelona to observe training and games at FC Barcelona’s La Masia in Spring of 2013 and 2014, and conducted our own in house coaching clinics periodically.  Coaches that did not buy in were let go.  We built a small staff of knowledgeable and passionate coaches that have fully committed to the club philosophy and methodology.

In the last year we have had a large club try (unsuccessfully) to recruit one of our coaches and his entire team.  One of our 1997 boys made the Timbers U16 academy roster, and one of our 2002 girls has been heavily recruited to play on a nearby 2000 ECNL team.  With the Timbers now forming a U13/U14 academy team, we expect interest in some of the players from our marquee 2000 boys team.

The video below highlights what we were able to do in year one.  These clips are from Fall 2013 and Winter 2014.  Keep in mind we are one of the smaller clubs in our area, and certainly do not have the “best” players around.  No excuses, we still get it done.