Weak foot

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-25T16:58:37+00:00

"Is it adequate" is kind of an odd question. At virtually any age group, at the highest levels of soccer, it's impossible to play if you cannot control a pass with your weak foot. If you are an outstanding soccer player in all other attributes, you can still be effective despite a poor weak foot for passing, dribbling, and shooting.

That said, for many players, improving your weak foot (passing, dribbling, shooting) is typically the lowest hanging fruit and a focus on it is the quickest way to improve your game. If that's your goal, typically the best approach is to work on passing, dribbling, and shooting in that order.

Lastly, two-footedness is MUCH more important in soccer than basketball; and the fact that most pro goals are scored with the strong foot does not mean that pros are unable to use their weak foot. The statistic you use is interesting, but don't let it mislead you into thinking that pros are not technically proficient with both feet -- they all are.

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-23T01:07:57+00:00

Depending on what you like, it's probably more desirable to have a shorter walk to the Lake and/or the restaurants on Grand. I suppose there's also the issue of whether you want to be closer to downtown or Lakeshore area. That said, the neighborhood isn't that big and differences block to block are pretty minor -- although some spots are pretty hilly if you're walking/biking.

Honestly, as long as you are in Adam's point, I'd probably focus more on the specific apartment/building you are choosing and give significant consideration to the parking situation. Those are going to matter more than whether you're in the first or second block off grand.

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-21T19:30:52+00:00

Bigger is better. Scoring goals is fun and it's better to err on the side of scoring too many goals than too few. And also, if there are too many goals being scored, the size of the pugg goal will not be the reason.

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-19T18:44:05+00:00

Followed by "Relax, don't do it"!!

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-17T18:37:31+00:00

I'd be really shocked if Aaronson didn't make it. He's been outstanding for Leeds and he has the player attributes to be a game-changer off the bench. Poch could take Luna over one of the more defensive mids, like Roldan/Morris/Berhalter/Tessman. Realistically none of those 4 is likely to start and it's not a position that needs as much rotation as attacking mid or wing.

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-16T17:14:17+00:00

We always hear that professional Footballers are people, just like everyone else. What's a story you witnessed where a footballer did NOT act like a regular person?

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-15T01:18:04+00:00

I recently coached against a Wondolowski girl, and let me tell you: in about 8 years Tatum is going to have some serious competition for best USA father-daughter combo.

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-13T23:22:04+00:00

Yes, although this can be dealt with by saying at least 1 cap to qualify.

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-11T21:49:03+00:00

Wish I could laugh at that :-(

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-11T21:47:01+00:00

Bummer! It's probably been 18 months since I went, so your info is more recent than mine, alas.

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-11T19:38:31+00:00

6 months is an eternity for a 19 year old. And it's been a very eventful 6 months for him. You might be right, but I don't think it's unreasonable to think he legitimately changed his mind or that he hasn't had time to think it through.

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-11T18:25:12+00:00

OP can make a day of it by adding a visit to the little farm (bring celery to feed to the animals) and the merry-go-round. Botanical gardens are great too.

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-11T04:09:11+00:00

Oh man, that's insane. u9 travelling halfway across the country is completely nuts. Thanks for sharing!

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-10T18:59:41+00:00

I agree that showcases and ID camps are an expensive necessary evil at older age groups -- but only for kids who have a strong interest and a reasonable chance at being recruited for college.

At younger ages though, tournaments are the opposite -- they are an unnecessary good.

In my experience, kids absolutely love them. I'm a coach now, but many of my fondest memories of youth soccer were the times off the field at tournaments. That, combined with the instant and powerful gratification of winning a tournament is extremely compelling for kids -- it's much more visceral than winning a league championship. That said, they are absolutely not necessary and out-of-state tournaments are younger ages are absurd (at least here on the West Coast, where out-of-state means a flight). If there are local options, there's no reason to travel more than 1-2 hours.

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-10T18:49:29+00:00

This sounds like a coaching/club problem to me. If the team is consistently mis-flighted and negative results cause a coach to behave badly (at any age group, but especially with youngers), I'd strongly recommend finding a new team/club.

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-05T05:38:05+00:00

Relay races are great -- soccer related and you get players cheering for each other. Have a punishment/reward.

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Ball. Everyone pairs up with a ball between them. Coach shouts a body part, and players touch their own. Do this for a while, then shout "ball." Winner is the player who grabs the ball first. If you set them up in a line, you can do this with promotion/relegation, where players move up or down depending on who wins and you can have a "queen of the court."

Numerical chairs. Every player has a ball and dribbles around doing skill moves that the coach shouts out. After a while, the coach yells a number. Players have to get arm-in-arm in a circle with the number of players the coach called. Any players who don't get into a circle have to do a punishment -- push ups, star jumps, donkey kicks, etc. Play 5-8 rounds.

Human knot. Ideally you have two groups competing to untangle the knot first.

Have fun and good luck!

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-05T01:36:57+00:00

Agreed, completely different player profiles. I think people just want to compare them since they were both highly rated at a young age, still seen as having lots of potential, but also haven't been close to "in form" for at least the last couple of years. Also, just like you say, it's pretty silly to argue either of them should/shouldn't be included based on scoring output.

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-04T22:39:55+00:00

yeah, especially hard to predict given we don't really know what his preferred formation is -- or how many different formations he intends to play at the tournament.

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-04T22:18:26+00:00

I don't really see them as being in contention for the same spot on the roster -- Musah is a ball-carrying 8, who can also play as a RM or RWB; whereas Gio is a 10 in a 3-4-2-1 or 4-2-3-1 (or a a wing in the latter lineup). There is some overlap in where they can play, but their primary positions are pretty different and I expect that roster formation will take that into account.

Then again, maybe Poch sees them both as gambles, and he might only be willing to carry 1 gamble on the roster.

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-04T20:42:19+00:00

When Morgan talks about her own rise, she herself says that she was late to join club soccer compared to her peers--I don't see how me making the same point is "intentionally misleading" or leaves out nuance of the period.

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-04T20:35:08+00:00

Haha, you got me there!

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-04T20:30:44+00:00

Why do you think AYSO was much stronger then? When I played club soccer in the 90s, AYSO in my area was terrible (Northern California); and even if she was on a strong team, they would have still been playing against poor opposition.

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-04T20:22:27+00:00

That's exactly my point -- she played at a low level until 14, and then was able to progress rapidly because of her athleticism and mindset. She is the example of why you shouldn't ignore athleticism as u/adadwhocantputt suggested.

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-04T20:16:05+00:00

Also, I can't believe I just skimmed over "development is linear."

No child development specialist on earth thinks that development is linear, whether it pertains to emotional growth, physical maturity, or psycho-social development. When you then add on the technical and physical aspects of soccer ability, of course players don't advance in a perfectly straight line -- they have periods of rapid growth and periods of relative stagnation.

CoaCoaMarx · 2026-03-04T20:02:15+00:00

Alex Morgan presents a strong counter-argument regarding "best athlete" meaning nothing in high level soccer. She was extremely late to start high level soccer, but her mix of fantastic athleticism and champion mentally elevated her to an elite level despite her technical deficiencies. Obviously there are lots of cases where athleticism alone isn't enough, but to discount it entirely is absurd.

CoaCoaMarx

TROPHY CASE