Attila Nyiri Coaching Methodology and Training
New American Soccer Methodology
Time has arrived in the United States of America to write new books about soccer. Texts explaining the overall failure in player development. Books about the zeal to imitate methodologies of established soccer nations and always spectacularly fail, books about the heroic age of soccer, and undoubtedly about the team few Americans ever knew existed, yet won a bronze medal at the first world cup in 1930. The shocking titles should read, "Why Didn't US Soccer Develop Superstars Given the Rich Culture that is Guaranteed by the Domestically Available Infrastructure and Human Endowments?", "Why are American Soccer Fans Kept in The Dark About the Rich Past of Their Game in the United States? Or, Why US Soccer Never Equaled the Feat Attained at the First World Cup?
Volumes such as these should be followed by others, detailing the degeneration of our soccer culture. How through the past century, the "Soccer Industry" was able to create and cultivate an undemanding, an under and misinformed, uncaring, knowledge impoverished mass-following, in the face of the tsunami of fake soccer academies and products.
In my opinion, there is simply one truth and millions of views. We seek that truth and are ready to lay the blueprint for it. Our goal is to turn everything salvageable from all negative processes and forge new positive inroads for the beautiful game.
Many silent young coaches and bonafide experts know better than continuing in this direction that will never yield different results. And perhaps we are in the last moment, if not yet past it. We believe that those American professionals who embarked on their journey to re-learn, refine, and polish everything handed down, are worthy of being followed. We wish that those forced by circumstances to follow their clubs' ill-conceived direction and endure the ridicule of Europeans and South American coaches, owners, and bosses should have a place where they too can belong and call home. But more importantly, continue with the development of young American players in the CORRECT MANNER. The Correct Way is an undertaking that is much harder to do when all around us, our world, is filled with fake information that is accepted as something written in stone that will later, if followed, at best lead to the creation of certain mediocrity.
Let's not forget that at the beginning, once we were amongst the top three teams globally, regardless of what the "expert" excuses are today to diminish that feat. On the woman's side, we are World Champions. We defeated our English Cousins at another World Cup, yet they are still hell-bent on teaching us the game! We had every notable star play in the USA in the old NASL, from Cruyff to Pele, Beckenbauer to Roberto Carlos to Gerd Muller and George Best, Hugo Sanchez, amongst many others. By the early eighties, alarm bells rang when against the Tampa Bay Rowdies and the San Diego Soccers, the New York Cosmos, on a weeknight outdrew both the Yankees and the Mets combined when all three played at home. Record attendances and outdrawing both baseball teams did not sit well with "American Game purists." From then on, every effort was made and employed to dismantle the game of soccer and poison the minds of most Americans against soccer. But those of us who love the game don't believe that soccer is NOT also an American game. Variants of all so-called "American" sports exist in some form or shape in Great Britain. Rounders for baseball and rugby for American football. But because both of these games are refined and polished to meet American tastes, they became accepted and declared American Sports. There was an attempt by sport tinkerers for "refining" soccer, but, thankfully, it failed. As these tenets are of utmost importance to us, herewith we find it necessary to affix our views below:
Sports culture, soccer amongst it, is part of our nation's general culture, and it is one of its most essential protractors. It is closely related to every branch of physical education, sports psychology, sports medicine, environment, event management, hospitality industry, and country image. It permeates our entire society. Therefore, it is societal. To many, sport is their hobby, their pastime, and to us "soccer people," it is our lives. Therefore, we expect patrons, associations, and our federation to handle the matters mentioned earlier with the measure concurrent with its importance.
Since, in the past half-century, administrators of local leagues, State Associations, the National Association (USSF), the federation (CONCACAF), and all subsequent governing bodies (FIFA), together with the media, played an active role in crushing youth development in the USA. We believe that now they have a special responsibility not to block attempts for its rebuilding. Furthermore, they have to take an active role in its assistance and aid. No league, association, or federation should ever view our soccer culture at the Guinness Book of Records level or some curious vestige or bastardized and mimicked alternate of the old-world sport. Nor should our sport be the cash cow and the object of get-rich-quick schemes on the back of "stupidity in soccer."
WITHOUT EXCEPTIONAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, SOCCER HAS NO FUTURE!!!