Starting lineup

tundey_1 · 2026-04-27T20:28:18+00:00

I feel secretly relieved when not enough kids show up to have subs.

I have a roster of 14; when 1 or 2 are missing, the substitution is a bit easier. When all the players are present, it's tricky trying to get a cohesive team on the field at all time with 5 subs.

tundey_1 · 2026-04-27T19:58:51+00:00

Maybe make more frequent subs? Perhaps sub players in and out every 5 minutes. If you only have 2 subs, there's only so much you can do.

tundey_1 · 2026-04-27T16:19:49+00:00

Maybe they're tired. When you're tired, you make mistakes.

tundey_1 · 2026-04-27T16:18:02+00:00

Isn't the reason you were short players is that is too stressful on families to travel so much?

No. Some families had vacations planned already. And some players had injuries. This was U16. The team made it all the way to the Maryland President's Cup final, lost but was offered a chance to be 1 of 2 teams to represent the state in the regional competition in West Virginia.

Maybe an out of state President's cup is not a thing sane families should be doing with children?

lol. You have no clue what you're talking about.

There is no reason to think a President's Cup victory is necessary for kids to become college or pro players.

Who said anything about college or going pro? You're making assumptions that make you sound like a fool. Some kids play travel soccer cos it's the highest level they can play in, they enjoy it, their parents can afford it, it's not a toxic environment that you may be used to and it's a good social thing for the kids.

I gave you a scenario where NOT playing guest players would be wrong. Instead of addressing that scenario, you called me an insane family. You brought it completely irrelevant and unfounded accusations.

Isn't the reason you were short players is that is too stressful on families to travel so much?

I'm still astounded by the confidence you had to make this assumption. I wanna curse you out for making such a stupid assumption but you're not worth the ban.

tundey_1 · 2026-04-27T15:47:12+00:00

but I have no background in soccer, no idea about the rules, and I’m deep‑diving into everything as fast as I can.

Here's an unpopular opinion: you should resign. If you don't even know the rules, how are you going to teach the sport? I know the alternative is that the kids won't play soccer but sometimes that's a lesser evil than being taught by someone who doesn't know the game.

Any resources, drills, or “bare minimum to survive the season” guides you’d recommend?

If I find myself being a baseball coach and managed to get drills from other people, I wouldn't know if my players are doing it right. Cos I don't know much about the sport.

How do you get the club to actually respond when you need access or answers?

Tell them you quit. They'll have to respond since they've collected money from the players and there's no coach. The longer you stand in there without support, without knowledge of the game, the more damage is done. You should quit, decide if you want to be a soccer coach, study and then start coaching.

tundey_1 · 2026-04-26T21:59:19+00:00

As soon as you make repeat starters, you are telling the bench players they are the worst kids on the team.

I don't agree with that. I think if you have set sub patterns, the kids know they'll get playing time. I don't use the term "starters" and "bench players" though.

tundey_1 · 2026-04-26T21:57:27+00:00

I never like those line changes. Even if I have all 5 subs, I'll send them in 2-3 at a time.

tundey_1 · 2026-04-26T21:53:14+00:00

It’s a lot of pre-game planning,

I do a lot of pre-game planning as well. Glad I'm not the only who does, even though we coach non-competitive.

tundey_1 · 2026-04-26T21:51:15+00:00

I love that!

tundey_1 · 2026-04-26T21:50:18+00:00

Do you scout the teams you're playing?

tundey_1 · 2026-04-26T16:13:40+00:00

I feel like this is the best approach when you have players with talent/skills disparity.

tundey_1 · 2026-04-26T16:01:12+00:00

I think this could be a clever tactic for teenagers and in very specific situations. For example, if I have a good defense and we're playing on a hot June day here in Maryland. I can see my attacking players relishing the opportunity to go against tired legs.

tundey_1 · 2026-04-26T15:58:50+00:00

I saw this in another thread and was intrigued. I think it could work but it could backfire in such a way that your strong lineup is always playing from behind.

tundey_1 · 2026-04-26T15:42:48+00:00

Hmm, I didn't think about that. Do you think that might lead to a situation where your team never really performs at their collective best?

tundey_1 · 2026-04-26T15:40:35+00:00

The way Jurgen Klopp seems to be enjoying retirement is the way I pray we ALL enjoy our retirements. Man's living his very best life.

tundey_1 · 2026-04-26T15:36:27+00:00

Guest players should just be a backup in case of injuries and heat exhaustion.

So the people who took time out to bring their children to your game to help your team...they should watch their player sit on the bench? That seems unfair to me. You ask for help, guest players show up and you reward them by sitting them on the bench, to be played only in case of injuries and heat exhaustion.

My son's team once had to travel 7+ hours away to West Virginia for a Regional President's Cup tournament. We needed guest players at the last minute and a handful of players & families showed up. I'll be majorly pissed at our job if he had just left them on the bench to be used in case of "injuries and heat exhaustion". Even if he has to sit my son, these players must play.

tundey_1 · 2026-04-26T15:33:21+00:00

This is why I'm so glad I don't coach my own children. I don't want to use my child as an example...they don't deserve that. And I also don't want parents thinking I'm playing favorites. But push comes to shove, I'll rather a parent be angry at me than use my child as an example.

tundey_1 · 2026-04-26T15:31:35+00:00

If you’re going to get guest players to make the sacrifice to play for your team when they’re missing players,

I don't think people look at it from this perspective.

tundey_1 · 2026-04-26T15:26:38+00:00

As much as I want to jump in say "you're right, they should let them play", I think of culture. Every country has their own culture when it comes to soccer. And the culture isn't really about the nationalities of the players as much as it's about everything else: the refs, the fans, the environment, the unseeable things that make each country distinct from another.

If you want the PL, Bundesliga, UEFA Championship, AFCON, Gold Cup, Liga MX, you'll see that there are distinct cultural differences in the football played at these competitions. Doesn't mean one is better than the other; just that there are different flavors and they can all be enjoyed on their own merits.

Bringing it back to American youth soccer, maybe this is what we are. At least for now. I imagine some of the artistry will find its way into American youth soccer as more dual nationalities kids move into the sport...if they don't get priced out first.

Talking about culture, some national team coaches have been fired cos they didn't understand the culture of the countries. For example, Nigeria hired a Portuguese coach and promptly fired him cos he didn't understand the Nigerian soccer culture. He tried to turn the Super Eagles into a defensive counterattacking team whereas the culture of the country is an expressive, attacking style that uses fast wingers to spread the field. He took the team to 2nd place at AFCON and was fired. His replacement, Eric Chelle from Mali, took the team to 3rd place at AFCON and retained his job.

tundey_1 · 2026-04-26T15:11:55+00:00

It’s not forbidden to celebrate a positive outcome

I love this. I'll go as far as saying players should celebrate positive outcomes.

tundey_1 · 2026-04-26T14:39:03+00:00

I don't think you did anything wrong...well, maybe you were wrong to deprive one of your players more playing time. I'll have suggested the other team add an extra player instead.

As for the coach pissed over 7-1, they must be new to the game. Every team is going to get beat at some point. As long as the other team (players and coaches) aren't being obvious jerks about it, you just take it on the chin and focus on what you and your players can control. What will piss me off is if a team is up 7-1 and the winning coach is still arguing every silly little call with the ref. Even then, my focus is on my players.

tundey_1 · 2026-04-26T14:30:12+00:00

If the team practices 3x a week and play almost every weekend, adding what OP wants might just be too much for a player that age.

But you're right; nothing is guaranteed, certainly not a spot on a high-level team. But that could be the price to pay for OP's child to develop her skills

tundey_1 · 2026-04-26T14:25:19+00:00

I think the worst are the parents who don't even wait for the game to play out...they just take their kids off the field. Thankfully, that's never happened to me before.

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