Be the President: Be the GM Part 3
by Fuzion on Aug 2, 2011 1:15 PM CDT
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So by now, you all know the drill. We put up a nice short "What Would You Do?" scenario, and you in kind respond with your thoughts, concerns, doubts or what-have-yous. You take the time to think about what you would do, given certain parameters and ideas, and then how you would apply those to the given situation. It's pretty simple really, though usually it requires a lot of legwork and forward-thinking on the part of those who opt to respond.
So we find ourselves this week with two interesting tidbits from the world of US Soccer. Bob Bradley, Head Coach of US Soccer for the last few years has been relieved of duty and subsequently Juergen Klinsmann has been hired on to hopefully lead US Men's National Soccer to something beyond that which Bradley has been able to accomplish in his tenure. I think by now we've hashed out a lot of the intriguing possibilities of what could have been, might have been and even perhaps what should have been. But I'm still curious to know, what would you do with the reins to the US Soccer program?
I am giving you Sunil Gulati's position, you've usurped his power in a surprising vote of confidence, and now have your chance to do what you will with the program. This includes both Men's and Women's as well as youth development. Yes, you have total control. There are only a few stipulations.
This happened before Klinsmann became Head Coach, thus Bob Bradley is still the Head Coach. If you opt to also let Bradley go, then you must fill his position with someone other than Klinsmann. You must also come up with two of the first hires to go along with that hiring. These must be Coaching Staff or Scouting Staff (yes, I'm giving you an option). If you opt to keep Bradley, you have control of player movements and must make a minimum of 4-5 player moves, whether bringing guys into the Reserves Squad, moving Reserves to the Subs, or moving Subs to Starters. Also include your Starting XI for the Mexico match.
The second stipulation is a bit tougher, I will admit. You must describe what you would do to fight the corruption in FIFA as a whole, and how you as a lone soldier would find a way to combat the politics at each level of the organization.
The floor is yours.
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Tough job
But somebody’s gots to do it.
Unfortunately, this cowboy is gonna have to wait until off from work.
Word
This is by far the most challenging yet intriguing assignment: reshape the footballing world of the US. I am Ceasar. But like play, this will take time and some research…will post this one later
This response was anticipated
Hence why it was posted midweek. Enjoy! =)
-- "...I was sick, napping, and then woke up and came to the computer to read a note from the Gingered Angel of Doom..." Martek - Dynamo Theory Blog
Hmmm.
No time to do this at the moment, but I think I might have to sit down and take a stab at this later. One question: Why must I choose someone other than Klinsmann to fill the Head Coach position? I am a rather big fan of the Klinsmann move myself.
Because Klinsmann is the man now
And I’d rather see people think outside the box than inside it.
-- "...I was sick, napping, and then woke up and came to the computer to read a note from the Gingered Angel of Doom..." Martek - Dynamo Theory Blog
Ok
My excuse was I was taking my (mental) 15 minute break…sadly, thats what it took here and it probably shows. Ok, so the new hire:
USMNT Head Coach
Guus Hiddink
-Responsible for the selection of the team and team strategy
USSF Director of Sports Development
Gerard Houllier
-Responsible for Technical Standards and Implementation on a National level
USSF Deputy Director of Sports Development
Caleb Porter
-Responsible to Liaise with Regional Directors of Sports Development to ensure curriculum standards are implemented and oversee scouting of regional talent
-Reports to USSF Director of Sports Development
USSF Proposal:
Organize into geographic areas
-Regional Director of football (who reports to Deputy Director of Sports Development)
-Responsible for Regional Scouts
-All clubs in geographic area
-Identify roster from each area from all clubs and/or high schools by age group
-Work with high school coaches
USMNT curriculum (borrow from Youth Development)
-To be implemented at all clubs and high schools
USMNT accreditation
-For high school & club coaches
Create national academy and geographic academies
-Tuition and board
-Youth Development
-Making the player’s movements faster and better
-Linking movements efficiently and wisely
-Using the weaker foot
-Weaknesses in the player’s game
-Psychological factors (sports personality tests)
-Medical factors
-Physical tests (beep test)
-Technical skills
-Skill training (juggling the ball, running with the ball, dribbling, kicking, passing and ball control)
-Tactical (to help the ball carrier, to get the ball back, to offer support, to pass the ball and follow the pass, positioning and the movement into space)
This is taking ideas from the current structure, the French Association (FFF) and the Spanish Association (RFEF)
Also, f*** FIFA. If we can use Seal Team Six to get Osama surely something can “happen” to Uncle Sepp (cough cough)
Oh yeah
Who are these guys and how’d we get ’em?
Guus Hiddink – coach of Turkish national team. Minor footballing legend
Gerard Houllier – former Ligue 1/EPL manager. Helped youth development in France and train arguably one of the best generation of French footballers
Caleb Porter – University of Akron coach. Need someone with experience working with local coaches, as undoubtedly he has that recruiting all around.
Throw sacks of money at them, give the internationals citizenship and quite possibly a “Honduran submarine” if need be
by Michael_D on Aug 2, 2011 3:37 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
A few ideas
Yr 1
1. Get Micheal D and his ideas on the planning team. His ideas are practical, less global, more concrete and tactile. However, before instituting, want buy-in and participation from invested community and national partners, which also means inviting folks to be part of the planning that have not been included before.
2. Get a GREAT interim USMNT coach- preferably Hiddink. Goal is to take the team as far as possible and to publicize, like 1980 US Hockey Team.
3. Set up a structure for compiling data
4. Begin a bottom to top and vice versa review of US Soccer. From YSO, pros, men’s, women’s, everybody. All levels, big or small. Young or old.
Begin collecting opinions, ideas, data.
This, of course, would cost $$$. One way to decrease costs would be to develop internet surveys, yet use employees to hoof it to those w/o access.
Make a concerted effort to reach out to immigrant, legal or illegal communities. This would mean getting people to speak to them in their own language.
5. Look @ most successful youth systems across the world. Make a plan for upgrading Project 40 with subsidies from US Soccer, but broaden across ALL US Pro Leagues.
Yr 2
5. Compile data.
6. Now, take a hard look @ the Q Report and Project 2010. What was done, what wasn’t? Why or why not? Why progress was lost, what positive gains were made? Where are we compared to what the project goals were?
Compare what was gained from #2 data collection.
7. Decide where we want to go- based on data collection and 1998 plans (Q Report and Project 2010). Invite the many invested partners to be part of the planning.
Include planning on how to change immigrant fan allegiance to US or pro leagues. While this is daunting, there need to be incremental efforts, even if that means 2nd or 3rd generation fans.
Yr 3
8. With them, create a new strategic plan. Set up achievable time based goals for yrs 1-3.
Look @ broadening to 10 yr plan.
Sell investors on this plan. Focus on changing ethnic soccer demographic in the US.
Concurrent: Review personnel top to bottom to see if they are the right people for their job. Even if not, look if they might be a fit for alternate roles in the organization.
On an International level, begin very public recommendations about drafting regulations to increase transparency. Leverage this as for the good of the game. Include UEFA and G-14 to get Blatter in a squeeze play. Privately, let him know he is secure for his reign, but you are making sure this sort of things ends with his reign. Begin to make very public inroads to crafting an ability to change FIFA- not now, but for the future. Get enough dirt on the corrupt to get them to help you do so, promising them they won’t be outed if they “play along”, but that the carnival is over when Blatter retires.
Create a structure to hold the Emperor and his court accountable. This may take decades, but the journey must begin with crucial first steps.
Wow
well done sir, well done. I think it dovetails with what I propose but yours incorporates those crucial details that mine glossed over.
I will say, though, that the emphasis on casting a wider net on the talent pool is necessary. As you’ve noted before, by focusing primarily on the “pay-to-play” clubs which are larger and more well-funded, you overlook a very wide base of creative and technically-adept talent. It’s not to say that those “established” clubs don’t have talent, but having kids in those clubs and friends’ kids in those clubs, I have to honestly say I’m not terribly impressed with their training programs. Scouting out some of the smaller, shall we say “ethnic” clubs, I’ve met guys who played professionally overseas who bring their previous training and teach these kids: passing, ball control and possession, and touch. And I have to say, I’ve seen kids from these clubs go up against ones from the bigger clubs and its a rather noticeable difference in the quality of passing and technique. If this is happening in a smaller suburb of Houston, I imagine this happens elsewhere around the country.
This isn’t an indictment of those larger clubs because they are overall very good and there are some very talented kids there, I’m just simply saying that by focusing on those sort of “feeder” clubs we overlook a larger talent pool that could definitely change the dynamic of the UMNST and U-xx teams.
As for FIFA, you handled it far better than I could…it exists simply because it must, I suppose, but I loathe everything about it
This sounds promising...
From The Guardian:
“Oh, definitely [the style would be] influenced by the Latin Americans, I mean, because they are such a huge part of the population here,” he said. “And they love the game. I mean they’re all soccer freaks. And they will have an influence on that. I think that the appointment of Claudio Reyna as the technical director of youth development, this is the first signal – [saying] we want to dig into the Latin community and we want to get those kids … And we don’t want them to go back to their home countries. We want them to become real American players.”
Full article here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/aug/02/jurgen-klinsmann-latin-american-spirit
I do hope, of course, that its not strictly the Latino community as I’ve played with quite a few African footballers and Asian footballers (and their respective leagues) and wow, there are some real gems in there. Again, we have such a diverse population from around the footballing world that surely we’ve got a potential starting XI better than the ones we’ve got…which isn’t to say they’re bad, as they certainly live up to their potential but we all know that in order to progress we need more skill and creativity that right now is left wanting
carlo costly to dynamo
Hey guys, had trouble sleeping last night so i saw this when it broke at around 2 AM, this story broke on goal.com and the chronicle.
Carlo Costly could be in Houston today to finalize a deal to join the dynamo. originally wanted DP money in June so we let him walk. now his agent got real and there seems to be a deal about to go through. here are the stories:
spanish
Chronicle
goal.com
not a speed forward, similar to ching. yet having watched costly play, he is a very talented scorer. he can finish with both feet and is left footed.
Youtube videos:
Effectively
We’re renting a player that is more experienced than Bruin but doesn’t have Ching’s mileage. You’re right, he’s not a speedy forward but he is plenty quick and he’s broad…but as ever, let’s get someone who can actually feed him the ball. Then I’ll start really cheering this one…hopefully you get some rest nic :)
Mexico Game
- = starters
I’d press and press and press hard. I’d also be ready to sub and sub and sub again as I want these guys in Mexico’s face every time a Mexican player touches the ball.
Gkers
Hall
*Howard
Johnson
DFers
*Bocanegra
Ream
*Cherundalo
*Goodson
*Lichaj
Spector
Chandler
MFers
*Dempsey (free role)
*Bradley
Edu
Torres
- Bedoya
*Adu
Shea
Diskerud
FW’s
*Altidore
*Donovan (withdrawn role)
Braun
Agudelo
BTW
Would also begin scheduling friendlies with some of the minnow islands in CONCACAF to begin blooding youth in ‘minor league’ international friendlies- similar to what Bora did using recent college grads and other domestic players in the buildup yrs before WC 1994.
Well thought out through and through
Now can someone tell me why in the hell guys with no sports management experience, no executive leadership experience, no professional sports experience, and no true professional sports contacts can come up with a quality, well thought out plan while they work 40 hr work weeks and yet at the top of US Soccer sits a guy who “works” as many hours but produces far less?
This my friends is where soccer in the US will forever fall short. It is the ruling class right now that is killing it.
-- "...I was sick, napping, and then woke up and came to the computer to read a note from the Gingered Angel of Doom..." Martek - Dynamo Theory Blog
Sorry to place this here, I just want my fellow readers to hear about this
more news
Here is an article from a Honduran news site. What’s important to note is that Costly was released by Atlas’ new coach Ruben Omar Romano and is now teamless. having read other statements made by him with regard to this move though, it seems he is still somewhat tied to Atlas, however they are obviously more than willing to let him go.
http://www.latribuna.hn/2011/08/03/tecnico-del-houston-dynamo-quiere-en-sus-filas-a-costly/
the most imprtant paragraphs
Durante el pasado mes de junio y cuando se disputaba la Copa Oro, representantes del jugador y del Dynamo, se reunieron en Houston, sin embargo, en aquella oportunidad no llegaron a ningún acuerdo, ya que el delantero “catracho” tenía contrato con el Atlas, pero días después el nuevo entrenador de ese equipo mexicano, Rubén Omar Romano, lo descartó.
translation: during this past june, while Costly was playing in the Gold Cup, his representatives met with the Dynamo reps in Houston. However, they could not come to an agreement as Costly was an Atla player. However, Ruben Omar Romano, the new coach of Atlas released Costly from the team, leaving him essentially teamless.
Tal y como lo informa Chron.com, el tiempo será vital para la contratación de Costly, ya que actualmente está sin equipo, aunque ayer, fue convocado para integrar la selección hondureña, que jugará un amistoso el próximo 10 de agosto ante su similar de Venezuela, en Fort Lauderdale, Estados Unidos.
translation: According to Chron.com, this is the perfect time to sign him considering he is currently without a team. Despite that, he was called to the Honduran national team for a friendly against Venezuela in Fort Lauderdale, USA.
Another article with him quoted from yesterday:
http://www.mediotiempo.com/futbol/mexico/noticias/2011/08/02/carlos-costly-se-presento-en-atlas-para-arreglar-su-finiquito
“Si he escuchado esa oferta sobre Houston Dynamo pero todavía no hay nada concreto, no me ha platicado nada la directiva de Atlas, estamos arreglando el asunto del contrato que tengo aquí con ellos, se ha estado negociando y esperemos que salga algo”, comentó el hondureño. Carlos Costly – August 2, 2011 (yesterday)
"I have heard about the offer from Houston Dynamo but it is still not concrete as I have not heard anything from the Atlas Front Office. We (Atlas and Costly) have been working on the issue of my current contract with Atlas, negotiations have been ongoing and we are waiting for the result."
So he still had 6 months on his contract when they released him so im assuming the negotiations are for final compensation and termination fees or whatever. basically cutting the final strings before he can walk away.
pretty reassuring, what does everyone think? He should be reasonably fit and I truly think he can score more than 5 goals in these last 12 or so games. Ive seen a lot of him in WC qualifying and Gold cup and he is actually pretty sick compared to Garey or Weaver.
I know we still have a HUGE HOLE at CAM but I still think this is a very positive move. He is also definitely faster than Weaver, Garey, Bruin, and Ching. he is 29, left footed and a good finisher with his head and has a dangerous left footed shot from outside the box.
At 6 foot 3 i think this guy pretty much seals Weaver’s fate, or Garey’s
Make a fan post with this info nicolai
And I’ll move it to the front page for ya.
-- "...I was sick, napping, and then woke up and came to the computer to read a note from the Gingered Angel of Doom..." Martek - Dynamo Theory Blog
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