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American youth soccer parents and coaches have plenty to complain about. From playing time and excessive travel to questionable coaching decisions and clubs competing below their level, the frustrations are everywhere. For this episode, we went into Reddit’s youth soccer forum and selected real questions from parents and coaches across the country. None of the […]

Another international window, another win over Mexico, and another glimpse into what Mauricio Pochettino is trying to build with the USMNT. The U.S. beat Mexico 3-0, giving Pochettino three straight wins with a new crop of players. The results are important, especially after the pressure he was under not long ago, but there’s something bigger […]

The 4v1 rondo is one of the most fundamental exercises in soccer. It also happens to be one of the most misunderstood. In this episode, we go deep into the details that make the 4v1 far more than a simple possession exercise. We start with Brian Kleiban’s early influences, including Marcelo Bielsa and his trips […]

What happens to a soccer culture when losing has no real consequences? Mauricio Pochettino’s answer is pretty clear: you learn how to lose. In his conversation with Chad Ochocinco, Pochettino pointed directly to the lack of promotion and relegation in MLS. Teams can finish at the bottom of the table and simply start preparing for […]

American soccer has a fundamental problem: the difference between recreation and genuine competition is widely misunderstood. When we call American soccer “recreational,” we’re not talking about AYSO, low-level players, or kids kicking a ball around on the weekend. Recreation can exist at every level of the game, including MLS NEXT, ECNL, USL, and MLS itself. […]

There’s a lot happening in American soccer right now, but the headlines rarely tell the whole story. Messi confronts Don Garber. MLS sets its sights on Indianapolis, where Indy Eleven has spent more than a decade building a club and a market. And Mauricio Pochettino begins reshaping the USMNT with a new generation of players. […]

Youth soccer rarely gives coaches or parents simple answers. In this episode, we work through real questions submitted by 3four3 members, starting with attacking patterns and how players learn to recognize when to overlap, combine, or attack space. We also discuss the role of coaching intervention and why players don’t simply learn these concepts by […]

Don Garber is stepping down as MLS commissioner, but his influence over American soccer isn’t going anywhere. With Garber now taking on a new role as chair of U.S. Soccer’s Soccer Forward Foundation, we examine what the move means within the larger structure of the American game. For Gary, this isn’t about one appointment or […]

Personal training has exploded across American youth soccer. But does your kid actually need it? In Part Three of our series on what it takes to develop a soccer player, we examine the fifth component of player development: personal training. We break down what parents should look for in a trainer, why credentials and social […]

Mauricio Pochettino continues to say the things American soccer needs to hear. His latest comments go beyond talent and performance. Pochettino addresses mentality, professionalism, humility, and the danger of hyping young players before they’ve actually proven themselves at the highest levels. That brings us to Cavan Sullivan. He’s talented and playing well, but American soccer […]

Lionel Messi has retired from the Argentina national team, closing an extraordinary chapter in the history of the sport. We start by looking back at what Messi has meant to Argentina and to football more broadly before getting into the debates that inevitably follow a moment like this: Messi or Maradona? Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? […]

For generations of players, pickup soccer wasn’t a development program. Nobody had to manufacture it. You found a park, put two shoes down for goals, picked teams, and played. And you figured things out. There was no coach stopping the game. No parent protecting you. No age bracket ensuring everyone was at the same stage […]

U.S. Soccer is taking over U.S. Youth Soccer, the largest youth soccer organization in the country. The move is being framed as an effort to unify a fragmented youth soccer landscape—but what does it actually mean for the American soccer ecosystem? We examine the potential consequences of consolidating more power under U.S. Soccer, particularly given […]

Debates sound like a good way to get closer to the truth. In practice, they often do the opposite. They reward quick talking points, encourage people to defend positions they already hold, and leave almost no room for the kind of depth required to understand a complicated ecosystem like American soccer. That problem becomes especially […]

When people talk about player development, the conversation usually centers around four areas: technical, tactical, physical, and psychological. But what actually develops those qualities? That question leads us to five major components of player development: the structured club training environment, the household and family, playing on your own, pickup soccer, and personal training. In Part […]