There is something to be said about players who are committed to one team for an entire career. It is hard to find the player who is truly loyal. One player who comes to mind is someone like Paul Scholes who has made a living playing for Manchester United. He has stayed with one club and trusted his instinct to stick with the club who has brought him up to become an International star.

The ever present question that all players face from the youth level all the way up to the Pro’s is do I stay or do I go? Another famous player originally from Manchester has apparently decided to leave the LA Galaxy and go to AC Milan, at least for a little while. His name is David Beckham. Everyone seems to have an opinion. Here’s mine on Loyalty:

From the perspective of the player … Most players want to know that they are on a team that can win and that can help them further their career. As a player we all want to feel that our career is progressing. The minute we feel we are reaching a point where our career is headed to nowhere we begin to look elsewhere. We want to be in the environment that makes us feel confident in our ability and the promise of success.

Sometimes as a player we have to make the decision that best fits our career. From the fans prospective this seems selfish and narrow minded. From the player’s prospective moving on to another club may mean hope and opportunity. David Beckham needs this transfer to Milan for one reason…OPPORTUNITY.

From the perspective of the coach … The coach wants to know he has a complete team which he can rely upon at a moments notice. The coach wants committed players. Many coaches forget that this unwritten code of commitment is not one sided. Often players are mislead by the coaches commitment to his end of the bargain. Not to throw the blame on anyone but there is a feeling here that we, as American soccer, have failed in this department. A coach must be able to lift the standard of his team through quality teaching, training, and player management. This goes for all levels of soccer.

Too many coaches forget that most players who look to move on are not leaving just because his/her friend is on the other team. Players move most often because the coach has let them down. Whether it is holding the team to a better standard in training and games or simply not following through with promises, coaches must be held with the responsibility of getting the most of their players and retaining them. A good coach is one who players are attracted to, because the team can win and the players are given an environment where they can develop and be successful.

Is loyalty important to you?

Well, I have spent so many years talking to many different “soccer experts” about players that they like or dislike…I am talking about professional coaches and scouts, college coaches, national team coaches, club Directors, club coaches, Moms, Dads and everyone in between. When the topic of what qualities people like in soccer players, it always comes down to personal preferences.

What traits and qualities a certain coach, GM, scout or Director place a premium on will tell you a lot about their teams, their program, their style of play and ultimately, what type of players they choose. We are talking about qualities like physical ability, pure speed, work rate, ability to maintain possession, tactical know-ho2, superior technical ability, speed of play, versatility, coachability, and many more. What people value is ultimately the type of players that they prefer. It really is just as simple as that.

This simple fact is often the number one reason why many athletes “disconnect” with teams and programs. We have seen time and time again where a certain player fails miserably at one club and then flourishes at another with no real noticeable change to their game. Finding the right fit is critical to being happy, playing well and having your game liked and appreciated by those in charge. Whether you are choosing a club team, a college program or a professional club, make sure you go and check out the type of players that they “prefer”…if you are a player that likes to maintain possession and likes to play one and two touch soccer and the team you are watching never plays through their midfield, I would say that is not a good fit for you. If you are a small, technical player and the team plays a style that features physical play and high pressuring soccer, I would say that is not a good fit for you. Remember, it all comes down to preference and you need to know what “the flavor of choice” is before making a final decision.

With my U12 team I’m trying to find the balance between 1v1 play and team ball. I hear so many opposing coaches yelling for their players to pass any and all the time, which makes me think they must be frustrating their more creative players.

On the other hand I know there are parents out there who tell their players it is all about them, and that they should only work on their individual abilities - that the team is basically there to showcase the child’s individual talents.

Isn’t there something in the middle? That’s what I’m trying to find. We have 3 guys who have some exceptional qualities. I don’t want to turn them into robots. On the other hand, players need to be able to work together, especially as they get older. Just letting them dribble ad nauseam isn’t the answer either.

Any tips from all you veteran coaches out there on how to strike the balance?

When did playing defender become such an undesirable thing?

I know that every sports has its glamor positions. There’s pitcher or center field in baseball, quarterback in American football, point guard in basketball, but in those sports the other positions played are pretty widely recognized as meaningful and valuable to a team.

The way my parents act in soccer, anything other striker or maybe center mid are like assigning their child some kind of leper status. It’s like checking in to a hotel and the manager leads you and another family along a hallway. They get to a door and say to the others “Welcome to the hotel, here is our grand master suite. (Striker position)” Then they take you along the hallway, down the stairs out a service door and behind the trash dumpster. They throw your stuff down and say “You’ll get nothing and like it (defense, outside mid, holding mid).”

The kids can sometimes be like this, but it seems the parents are the ones most vigorously attaching status to where someone plays on the field. I want to show them all a Franz Beckenbauer video or something.

Do your parents and players get bent out of shape about where everyone plays on the field?

I feel like one of the great things about coaching is the chance to have a positive impact on a young man or woman through the teaching of character. I know teaching and results really matter, but at some level it becomes empty if you haven’t positively shaped or impacted the young lives you are entrusted to be a part of.

Last week we had a discipline case where a player basically bagged practice without telling anyone, then later said he hadn’t been feeling well. Even his mother more or less said he made it up. His father was more coddling, saying he should have notified us, but speaking about it like an error in judgment that maybe “some extra laps” would punish.

We’ve done our job to establish our principles of teamwork and mutual responsibility. We’ve explained our standards of participation and communication. The kid knows he is not supposed to do what he did.

Now my dilemma is finding the suitable punishment. I want to uphold the standard in fairness to the rest of the team, but I don’t want simply exasperate the young man and push him away. I need to find the right balance.

How do you handle matters of discipline in your squad? How much is too much, or too little?

OK folks - newbie coach here trying to get a U12 team to play reasonably well. The kids are coming along technically and we’ve got a good Coeveresque program for that. They are decent athletes, but they are not so good at working together on the field…..yet.

I don’t want to overdo this at this age because I know they need to enjoy the pure form of the game, but there has to be some place for learning to combine passes and just basically being able to hold the ball.

What do veteran coaches recommend I can do in training to help build an understanding in this area. I think it’s my weakest point of teaching as well. Please help.

For years, I have been discussing the concept that our four National teams should all play one system of play in order to give our players the comfort level and familiarity that is so needed to be successful at the International level. Many people in US Soccer have consistently told me that they think this is a bad idea and once again I strongly disagree and think it is imperative that we implement a National Team system for all our teams to play, develop in and completely understand.

In looking at the type of players we are currently producing at the National team levels, you cannot help but notice we are very midfielder heavy. If you name the top players right now, they are all midfielders – Donovan, Dempsey, Kljestan, Edu, Adu, Feilhaber, Bradley, Rogers, Clark, Lewis, Holden. Start looking for top International forwards and the list is woefully short – Altidore, Johnson, Ching, Twellman…that is a problem area for sure. Quality Defenders are also in very short supply right now, especially guys that have the necessary combination of being a hard nosed, good 1v1 defender who can also play with his feet, make quality passes and start our counter-attack. How many of our defenders fit that description right now?

So, let’s accept what we have and design all our National teams around a system that is best suited for these areas of strengths and weaknesses. I think we should all be playing a 4-5-1 or 4-2-3-1 system of play that allows us to make the best use of our midfielders’ strength in this country while giving needed support to our defensive line of four. I look at our midfielders and we can put a team out there that has the pace, are comfortable on the ball, are not shy about taking players on one versus one, they can get up and down the field on quick counter attacks and be the focal point of the team. At the same time, we can give support to our defensive line and not expose them so much on the ball and in isolated defending.

This system is very difficult to play properly and requires precision passing and great combination play from the attacking four or five players. It is not a system of play that you just throw out on the field after a week of preparation and it runs like a well oiled machine. I understand the limitations that our National teams have in preparation with all the MLS and European club commitments and that is the very reason why we should always be playing and training in one system starting with the U-17 team so that the players know the system, are comfortable in the system and everyone knows very clearly what their individual roles and responsibilities are on the field.

Once we have our set system, then all the players in the various National team pools will be exposed to the same methods of coaching and training and that can only help in making all our players more comfortable. Then, as it should be, it will be up to the players to go out and play well and I think we can all live with that.

After watching the men’s soccer at the Olympics and seeing us once again fail on another major International stage, I have come to the realization that our National Teams have one very big glaring weakness when compared to the other major soccer countries - we have no style and no system of play.

Maybe it is just me but I don’t see any similarities or consistency within our four National teams (U17, U20, Olympic and Senior) when it comes to a system that our players are working within or a style that is the “signature” of any US National team. The reality is that we have four different coaching staffs acting independently of one another and each trying very hard to be successful at their individual age group and not thinking of player development for the big picture. The result, no identifiable style or consistent system that all our players are brought up in and are comfortable with.

The reason for this “development environment” for me is easy…we don’t have a true National team coach, we have a senior team coach in Bob Bradley. I think Bob Bradley is a very good coach and I have no issues with him and I understand that he is being judged only on how the senior team does in World Cup qualifying and hopefully, the 2010 World Cup. It is not Bob Bradley’s job to worry about the other National teams under him. We had Bruce Arena running our program for eight years and he never gave a second of his time to any of the other youth National teams or Olympic teams. I was shocked when I was told by U-17 Residency players and coaches that during Arena’s era as our “National team coach”, he never trained, visited or worked with any of the players or staff in any capacity. That to me is absurd, a travesty. His presence and input at that time would have meant so much to the players and created that much need consistency that we have sorely been lacking. How could we allow that to happen? How is that acceptable?

We need to have someone who will “unify” our National teams by implementing a style and system that will allow us to be successful. We need to let our elite players know what is expected from them so they can relax and perform at their best. We need to let all the youth coaches in this country know what system and traits are being run at the National team levels so they can begin to prepare their “future” elite players properly. We need to know that all the National team coaches are working as one in the areas of scouting, training, style and system of play. All our National teams should be playing the same way, with the same areas of emphasis, using the same type of players at the various positions so that we have a developing pyramid starting at the regional identification levels all the way up to the senior team. Once we start that, we can then begin the never ending debate of which players should be picked and played, that will never change but how can we have that discussion when every coach is doing his own thing with no checks or balances? That is sheer craziness to me.

I believe that US Soccer should consult with Bob Bradley and hire a full time “General Manager” that works closely with Bradley and oversee the other National Team coaches to ensure that we are implementing the same system and style that the senior team is using. He should ensure that all players are evaluated, he should have a “depth chart” of the top players at the various age groups position by position and keep close evaluations on those players. Training of our National Teams should be consistent and similar. The coaches should be talking the same talk and the players should be walking to the same music…if not, I am afraid we will continue to have our top four National teams continue to operate independently and we continue to have no real National Team system or style for our players to excel in.

OK all you big-time coaches who read the site. Help a brother out here. I’m coaching a school team composed of boys with a mixed background, but most have not played much at all. We’re going to start our season in a week against much more experienced players.

I expect us to take our lumps, but I’d like for everyone to get the most out of it. What are some points of emphasis you would recommend to make us the most competitive we can be in a short period of time?

We’re together 3 times per week for 90 minutes each. I don’t want to spent that time on fitness because I feel we’re so far behind on technique and basic tactics. We’ve been doing some remedial technical training with most of them really need. I’ve also been trying to implement some basics on defending as a group and some basic attacking concepts.

Am I on the right track? Should I be focusing on something else entirely. I need your free advice, so don’t be shy. Click “Comments” below and tell me what you think.

Let’s all give it up for our American women and role models. It is the evening before the golden match; by the time I submit this rant for posting we will know who has won the all important Gold Medal and who can claim supremacy in the world of women’s international soccer.

Uh, not so fast people. Shoot me now and listen later but in this not-so-humble blogger’s opinion regardless which team scores more goals and wins Olympic gold, Brazil’s soccer women will remain the team I personally would prefer to watch and have our young players emulate. How is it possible that in a world where FIFA claims the U.S. has more registered female players than any other country, Brazil who does not even rank in the top ten can arguably field at least three players (Daniela, Cristiane, Marta) who are more skillful and way more fun to watch than anyone we have on the field? Apologies to Aly Wagner who may not have the “required” physical qualities to seriously be considered a key player for the U.S. but still has plenty of game.

I am not here to take anything away from the U.S. women. They are motivated and talented soccer athletes to be admired for their work. No doubt they have compiled impressive stats and unequaled international results over the years. Here once again we come to the crux of the issue; American culture seems only to be comfortable and familiar with measuring and quantifying results which trump our understanding of the essence of the game. Granted the Olympics along with the World Cup is the highest level where winning results can mean glory and big bucks to these professionals. Get ready for a Pia Sundhage Gold Medal soccer camp near you.

The problem with our overemphasis on results, however, is that the majority of us do not live in the world of professional soccer. Most of us participate in the realm of amateur soccer (college, club, high school) where fun, learning, and growth along with a focus on the quality of the process are supposed to be the value.

In my first “No Fun Allowed” article I proposed to anyone reading a rhetorical question relating to much of this asking anyone courageous enough for a definition of the essence of this game. With all respect the essence of the game is not your daughter having fun as important as that may be. I would still like to have someone attempt to define the essence of the game in order to accentuate the fact that this can’t easily be quantified. If we can come to some sort of a consensus about the essence of soccer then perhaps we will be in a better position to emphasize this concept to our players and then maybe just maybe the next Marta will be playing and winning for the United States.

If you went to the park for a pickup game and Brazil was on one side of the park while the U.S. was on the other who would you choose to play with and why? Hey Soccer Dads…I don’t want to hear about Heather Mitts.

Hey the game is on gotta go.

What do you think? Did the USA win Thursday morning trump No Fun Allowed’s concerns about the state of play on the women’s side in this country? And just what is the essence of the game of soccer? Click on Comments below and let us know.