CARSON, California - Since Jurgen Klinsmann’s appointment as the coach and Technical Director of U.S. Soccer, he has harped on the idea of establishing a continuous playing style from the full national team down to the youngest national team. While implementing such a practice is a difficult proposition, Klinsmann has made concerted efforts to shredded along the process.
U.S. U18 Men’s National Team head coach Javier Perez is one of the key pieces to the success of this ideology. Perez, hired by USSF in 2012, now serves as an assistant coach for Klinsmann with the full national team and for Tab Ramos with the U20s on top of his duties as the U18 coach. He is one of the most connected coaches in the player development pyramid for U.S. Soccer.
Perez is currently with the U20 Men’s National Team, which is headed to New Zealand for final preparations before the World Cup kicks off. Last week, he was with the group in Los Angeles for a brief camp. Perez chatted with TopDrawerSoccer about his U18 age group, this U20 team, and staying connected from the full national team down to the younger ones in the system.
