Let’s tackle the issues you will have with the parents as a coach.  Parents at the youth level are very competitive because soccer is not a very well known sport to the average person.  Most parents will think they know more than you, can do a better job than you and will criticize your every move.  You cannot let this happen.

Coaches need to keep parents involved as much as possible so they see how much you are putting into the team.  Whether it is a weekly e-mail or a short meeting after matches,  parents need to hear from you.  This will give parents the feeling that they are involved in some way.

Let the parents ask you questions, give you advice and make sure they are comfortable approaching you to speak their mind.  Happy parents will translate into happy players.

The biggest issue Parents will complain about will be playing time for their child.  Playing time can be tough to manage depending on the size of the roster you are working with.  At the youth level all players should have equal playing time.

There will be instances where a few players will play more than others, but this issue needs to be spread around the season so when the season is complete everyone has had the same opportunities on the pitch.  A good way to keep track of this is the weekly e-mail or meeting.

U.S. Mens National Team coach Bob Bradley has confirmed he is interested in the opening at Aston Villa in the English Premier League.

Bradley remains under contract with the national team until the end of the year and is currently in the midst of talking with the United States Soccer Federation about an extension.

There are many who believe that Bradley is out as U.S. coach.  Bradley has done a decent job overall with the national team, but his roster decisions at the World Cup were disastrous.

Aston Villa would be going out on a huge limb by signing Bradley, which would leave no room for error for the manager.

What do you think?  Can Bradley hang with the Elite managers in the EPL?

The U.S. Mens National Team will take on Poland in their next match on October 9th at Soldier Field .  This will fall upon an international fixture date which will allow the European based players to play with the team.  Although, there is a major MLS scheduling issue as some key players will play with their clubs two days prior to the match.

As of now, Bob Bradley is still in charge of the national team.  Let’s hope to see a new face leading this group so we can get some different players on the pitch.  Bradley has done a decent job as coach but it’s time to move in a new direction.  Bradley’s roster decisions have not been the best and his ability to get his team prepared was awful this summer.

How great would it be to never see Robbie Findlay on the pitch again?

Look for the U.S. to add another friendly match on October 12 or 13.

As the recreational fall soccer season approaches, coaches both new and experienced will face tough challenges ahead.  Here we are going to give you advice on how to overcome situations that may arise as you go through the season.  There are ways to treat players to get the respect you deserve for your time that you give to develop our youth. Both on and off the pitch.

For new coaches coaching youth soccer can be a terrifying experience.  Usually players under the age of 10 play in local recreational leagues across the country.  Most coaches in these age groups are voluntary positions usually held by a parent of a child on the team.

At first it may seem like an easy task to handle.  Most parents take this responsibly with absolutely no idea of what’s ahead.  The main thing to coaching at this level is that you treat all players and parents equally.

The issue that coaches at this level fall into is that they will rely heavily on one or two “star” players to lead the team to glory.  Parent coaches will get too worried about results and not the development of players and teamwork.  All players should receive the same amount of playing time and the same amount of attention as all other players.  If you stray from this motto, big problems are right around the corner.

Even at a young age if you treat your best player like they are better than everyone else it could stick with them for the rest of their lives.  I have personally witnessed this with numerous players who would dominate at the younger age groups, but never actually learned the team aspect of the game.  The team aspect is the most important thing to teach at this age.  A good theory to live by is, “we win as a team, we lose as a team.”

The French Football Federation has handed down a stiff punishment to the leaders of the French National team who were  blamed for the inappropriate behavior at the World Cup.  The FFF suspended striker Nicolas Anelka for 18 matches, former captain Patrice Evra for five matches, Franck Ribery for three matches and Jeremy Toulalan for one match.

Sources say Anelka and former coach Raymond Domenech were involved in a heated exchange in the locker room at halftime of the 2-0 loss to Mexico.  Domenech and the FFF decided to send Anelka home while the majority of the players disagreed with the move.  The French players chose to skip the following day of training in protest and were sent home after the knockout stages from the Cup.

New French manager Laurent Blanc, dropped all 23 players from the World Cup roster in a friendly against Norway, which they lost 2-1.  Blanc has extremely talented players at his disposal in France but needs to get his players on the same page. Only time will tell if this overhaul of the national team will do any good.

Give us your comments and tell us what you think.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter is considering eliminating all ties in group play at the next World Cup in Brazil.  FIFA is looking at sending the draws straight to penalty kicks or a sudden death overtime period to determine a winner.

This is a great idea to get these group games to be more entertaining.  At the World Cup this summer there were many 1st round matches that  were played with the mentality of  “not to lose.”  This change would open up the games and allow more attacking play to take place.

Blatter is on the right track on improving the sport looking at all options to garner more interest.  Getting rid of ties in bracket play is a great idea and should be put into place.

Leave a comment and tell us what you think about the change.

Like most of the Bay Area, here at Livethepitch.com we woke up feeling screwed over. So we went straight to the organization who put on this “great” event.  After speaking with a representative from El Mexicano Presenta, I was told that they WILL be giving refunds for the tickets.  Parking will be another issue and I have yet to get in touch with the parking company at this time.

Here is what to do as of right now:

Call El Mexicano Presenta at 408-960-2700 and ask to speak with someone about getting a refund for your tickets.

Let them know your story and they will ask you for your name, telephone number, the number of tickets you purchased and how much you spent on the tickets.

We will continue to call until we are reimbursed for this terrible experience and keep everyone updated on our progress.

Please let us know if you have any problems or concerns.

When the announcement came that Real Madrid was playing Club America in San Francisco’s Candlestick Park a few months ago all of us here at Livethepitch.com were stoked about seeing some of the best players in the world in our own backyard.  As we waited for weeks for this great event, the excitement was through the roof.  Until game day.

We purchased our tickets through Ticketmaster.com and were thrown off a little by the fact that we couldn’t print the tickets from home like all other Ticketmaster.com events.  We purchased three tickets through the site for a total of  $170.00.  A little expensive, even though these were the cheapest tickets available.

As we drove down the 101 from the city towards Candlestick, we quickly realized that this could be a challenge to get into the match on time.  Traffic leaving the city was bumper to bumper as it took us over an hour to get to the stadium from the Hayes Valley neighborhood.

When we finally arrived at the stadium we waited again just to get into the parking lot for a $30.00 fee.  While walking towards the stadium we were instructed by security to head to the gate A for will call. After waiting in line for a few minutes there, we overheard that the wait was over an hour and to head to gate B. (I don’t think gate A was even will call even though there were signs).

While walking around the stadium we realized there  was going to be a problem on the horizon.

As we made the turn around the stadium to get to gate B we witnessed complete pandemonium.  I would estimate around 5,000 people in numerous lines with four windows handling tickets. Police standing by looking like they were ready for a riot.  It was now past 8:00 as we found ourselves sitting in a line that was not moving.  Sitting in the same spot 10 minutes later, 20 minutes and after 30 minutes of waiting in line we bailed. At the pace we were moving, we probably would have made it to our seats just as the referee blew the final whistle.

To top it off, the parking company wouldn’t refund anyone that couldn’t get into the game. We pulled over and argued with them for a few minutes with another pissed off fan. He is an attorney and says he is going to file suit in small claims against City Park in the morning. Not sure if that will go anywhere, but I gave him an email address to contact us and will post an update if I hear anything.

We weren’t the only unhappy fans:

@drewmwilson “Real Madrid at Candlestick is a mess. Waited an hour in line only to discover credit card machines are down. Failed. Going home.”

@aaaaaalexandra Trying to get through the will call line at candlestick park… this is the most disorganized event I’ve ever been to

@gerardramos went to candlestick for realmadrid v clubamerica. stood in line at willcall with thousands then left. can’t believe I’m missing this game.

@nickmyer5 “Could get in candlestick to see real Madrid. Will call fail.”

@guitarchitekt “Who else got screwed by Ticketmaster at the Candlestick will call tonight? Truly backwards and evil company”

@Rikusl “Will call for a soccer game at Candlestick? Absolutely pathetic. Been in line for an hour with no progress.”

What was your experience like? Let us know in the comments.

U.S. Men’s National Team coach Bob Bradley announced his roster that will face off against Brazil at the New Meadowlands Stadium next Tuesday night. Bradley’s roster includes 14 players who were on the U.S. World Cup squad this summer.

Key performers Jay Demerit, Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore and Stuart Holden will not be with the squad as they prepare for their upcoming league seasons.

As the USSF has yet to determine Bradley’s fate as head coach, this is a very important match for the national team. I question some of the players on this roster, as this could be a great opportunity to let some young faces get some key experience at the International level.

Bradley did however go out on a limb and call up Jermaine Jones for the match. Jones has three appearances with Germany but since he has an American father chose to play for the Americans. Since Jones had seen time with the German national team he had to persuade FIFA to let him go with the U.S.

Robbie Findlay does not deserve to be on this roster. Bradley must see something in him that the rest of the world doesn’t. Findlay was a no show this summer and has proven time and time again that he cannot score goals at this level. He has great pace but has yet to show any kind of technical ability going to goal.

Roster
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan, Tim Howard

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Bornstein, Steve Cherundolo, Clarence Goodson, Chad Marshall, Jonathan Spector

Midfielders: Alejandro Bedoya, Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Jermaine Jones, Sacha Kljestan

Forwards: Edson Buddle, Robbie Findley, Herculez Gomez

The U.S. Under 20 Men defeated hosts Northern Ireland 3-0 in the final of the 2010 Milk Cup. The Milk Cup is widely regarded as the top youth tournament in the world. This is a great accomplishment for the boys as they went 3-0 and played a great style of soccer.

Head coach Thomas Rongen put together a great group of players that look to have a great future as this is only the 2nd time they have won this tournament. The last in 2005, was led by Charlie Davies and Dax McCarty. Gale Agbossoumonde, Juan Agudelo, and Adrian Ruelas each scored brilliant goals to lead the U.S. to the championship.