Part 3 in a three-part series. Click here for Part 1 or Part 2.

At the recent US Soccer Development Academy Spring Showcase, coaches from the assembled academy clubs gathered to hear a panel discussion involving coaches from 5 U.S. Youth National Teams. Speaking at the meeting were U14 BNT head coach Manny Schellscheidt, U15 BNT head coach Jim Barlow, U17 MNT head coach Wilmer Cabrera, U18 MNT assistant coach Tim Regan and U20 MNT assistant coach Dave Dir (U18 and U20 head coaches Mike Matkovich and Thomas Rongen were with their teams in Portugal and Holland, respectively).

In this article, the YNT coaches discuss how Academy and other youth coaches can help them in their efforts to develop potential national team players.

Manny Schellscheidt, U14 BNT Head Coach: Manny reiterated the need for players at the younger ages to have more time to enjoy the game on their own and for youth coaches to guard against burning the players out with over-organized activities.

Jim Barlow, U15 BNT Head Coach:  Coach Barlow said coaches should make sure their best players are being properly challenged. He said if a player at this age seems to make it look easy it may be because it is too easy. He encouraged coaches to create a challenging environment for their best players and added that he wants to see U15 BNT players playing Academy games rather than staying back on a U15 club team for the sake of winning State Cups.

Wilmer Cabrera, U17 MNT Head Coach: He encouraged youth coaches to punish losses and reward wins in all of their training activities, noting it helps build the natural desire among players to be winners. He said there is a trend among youth players here to give up too easy, and added that his teams as a rule play older age group teams domestically.

He also criticized the trend to have youth teams focus on possession without trying to attack the opposition goal. All players on the team should have an attitude that they can score, rather than thinking of it simply as a job for forwards only.

Tim Regan, U18 MNT Assistant Coach: Regan reiterated the earlier comments that top players need to regularly play against older opposition.

Dave Dir, U20 MNT Assistant Coach: Dir agreed that coaches need to create the most demanding environment they can, but also added that coaches can do a better job of getting players to focus on what they can control and to not worry about little things, including goading tactics from the opposition. “In international matches, opposing players recognize very quickly who they can affect with little things. Our players need to be mentally tougher in that way.”

Missed a part? Click here for Part 1 or Part 2.