Tad tells it like it is

I covered the opening of the u15 US national girls' team yesterday.

In our interview, Coach Tad Bobak mentioned that the U.S. today was in danger of losing its edge in women's soccer. In some ways, the U.S. could regress because of trying too hard, in a sense, especially when potential players are young and can be easily burned out.

"They’re playing far too many games and there’s too much structure. Everything is very regimented and done in a very organized way, so the kids aren’t free to enjoy themselves and the game. I don’t think kids are enjoying the game nowadays. I’m part of that environment. I try to create some fun in my little arena of it, but it’s so goal-oriented towards getting into a college or winning a tournament. That turns off the beauty of the game. You don’t want to try things in a game, you want to get a result. So creativity is stifled here in America."

"We have our problems in America. We’re so organized that kids aren’t allowed to express their ideas and overcome roadblocks. They’re constantly being told what to do. The other countries have other problems. They’re not organized and not structured at all. There’s no backing by their federations there. They have the opposite problem, plus no money is being put in to their women’s soccer programs. There has to be a balance. Countries like Brazil, where the girls can play pickup soccer and put together a game with creative players even at the last minute. But because they’re not organized, they’re not able to achieve the success that there is on the male side."

"In Germany, there’s more of a balance. Soccer is very much part of their culture, so the women there watch and live for soccer – well, the ones that play. I’m sure they also play on their own. Our kids don’t play on their own. But the Germans are also organized. I think they have a good balance. Countries like that, we have to be careful of."