An on-field attitude that reflects a country's culture

One of the better-written stories about new USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinnsman's deliberate effort to create an onfield identity for the US Men's National Team that somehow matches the culture of the United States of America, by Brian Straus of AOL Sporting News.

The money quote by Klinnsman:

“One of my challenges will be to find a way to define how a U.S. team should represent its country. What should be the style of play? Is it more proactive and aggressive, a forward-thinking style of play? Or is it more reacting style of play,” Klinsmann asked shortly after his appointment.

My initial thought: isn't it ambitious, or even wacky, to think you can change a national team's style of play to reflect the mentality of a country? Even if you have a year or so to do it, before the games start to (really, really) count again?

The answer: no.  Coaching a national team has some factors - time, friendlies, pools of players that occasionally get together for minicamps and a relatively small number of games per year - and one key mechanism that actually do make this possible.

That mechanism: player selection.  We need to remind ourselves that even in a top 10 global soccer national team, and even more so for a (for now) 2nd tier program like the USMNT, it is not abundantly clear who the XI best players - or even best XI players - are.  So the adage of playing the cards you're dealt is out the window.

With every little choice Klinnsman makes- from dusting off Jose Torres to where you position a Donovan or Dempsey to which U-20 athletes you begin to take chances with - you actually, deliberately forge an identity.  Straus reminds us of this in terms of the 2 best in the team:

The style born from the talents of Donovan and Dempsey indeed reflects a certain American mentality, which Klinsmann (a 13-year resident of Southern California) described as one that “never really waits and sees and leaves it up to other people to decide what is next.”

And with time to enact bigger-picture philosophies- like apparently emphasizing US-Mexican players or evangelizing soccer in, ahem, underrepresented parts of the country (like non-posh suburban locales), Klinnsman can set a tone from the top.

Here's hoping he's around more than one World Cup cycle to see some benefits of his new emphasis float to the top - while somehow NOT sacrificing what is currently the identity of the USMNT, the no-deficit-is-too-large, play-from-behind, scrappy, resilient persona the team took on during the road to South Africa 2010.

Silly Season

Guest Post: Aaron Young

With some of the biggest professional soccer leagues in the world finalizing their squads this week, it got me wondering about how this frentic marketplace effects the average fan and supporter. Let me explain, this is what many English pundits call "silly season." Unlike most American professional sports where trades and salary caps regulate a teams personnel, soccer is dominated by transfer markets, where clubs buy and sell the contracts of a player at what is deemed fair market value for the player's services. Often time the media and fan base can have a large influence on who goes where or the terms of the deal.

This brings me to my point: why do we care? Are we so invested in a sport and their stars that our sole focus throughout the "silly season" is on the market? Do we really become the Wall Street traders of soccer? Yes and no. Fans and supporters do keep a close eye on "commodity trading," but more so the everyday fan and supporter care about the club and the promise for something better. Each year we all believe our club will win it all. Few actually do. Barcelona FC has recently become the exception to the rule having won every title it competes in. The reality is that putting our faith and hopes into clubs is much like the ambition to have a better life we all strive for. And through our obession of following transfers we somehow feel more in control over our own situation. While Americans have the opportunity reflected by the pursuit of the American dream, the rest of the world can see it in their soccer club's push for success; and it's during the transfer season when this becomes most transparent to each of us.

Editor's Note: I believe there is a third-level answer to "Why do we care (about silly season)?" that, as Aaron suggests, goes beyond obsession with our favorite clubs, and fascination with the trading of players as commodities.  The most intrinsic factor that compels us to football transfers might be that there is no cultural parallel for it in any other sport, labor market or maybe even sociology.  The idea, for example, of a 30 year old Cameroonian being sold by a global powerhouse Italian club for a reported 28M Euros to an obscure Russian club that commutes by plane to its own home games from the safer confines of suburban Moscow...it's so culturally mind-boggling that it at least adds a layer of complexity to our annual obsession with the transfer window.

Storytellers: Breakout in Costa Rica

Author: Matthew Spitz, Founder & Editor, USFutblog

One of my favorite soccer memories came when I was living in a little Costa Rican town called La Paz. I was staying with a family down there and their 9 year old son wanted to have a soccer pass. So, we walked outside their shanty home to the dirt road street and started to mess around with the ball. Before I knew it our one on one pass turned into a 8 v. 8 street game. Kids just flocked toward the ball; it was really unbelievable. To witness first hand the impact soccer had in brining this miniscule community together was a crazy experience. I never realized the significance the sport could have until that moment. Pure bliss is the only way I can describe it, as time stood still. 

Storytellers: Eating Fries with People From All Over

Story by: Aaron Young

Years ago, there use to be a pub on a college campus (which for the sake of anonymity will remain anonymous) that we use to drink at. It was a small, cramped place. But it was ours. The pub was the hub for all the soccer players, fans, and aficionados on campus. From undergrads to masters and PhDs, we all came together to share stories. Some came from Barcelona, others from Liverpool. We spanned the globe, with Argentinians, New Zealanders, Chinese and many others. But what brought us together wasn't the beer or the questionable food, but soccer....

The stories of our father's teaching us the game, and mother's consoling us after loss were prevalent in almost any conversation. What made these experiences unique and colorful were how different we all dealt with the same issues and that at the end of the day, playing or being a part of a community that embraced us for who we are was all that we needed.

I'll always remember a friend from Barcelona telling me to stop eating fries because it was bad for me, and a Liverpudlians and a Münchner then stuffing their face with the fries and telling the Catalonian...."This is how you eat fries!" The bond we share is based on soccer, the memories we have are based on coming together, as one global soccer community. It's what binds us...

Storytellers: The Power of Mentorship

Submitted by Mike Herman

President, Compton United Soccer Club

I was standing in my garage amazed. Just three hours ago this place had been a disorganized mess – bins teeming over with used cleats, boxes of t-shirts and donated uniforms cluttering the floor, dust and soccer balls wedged in between it all. But now, after just a few hours of steady work, the place had been transformed into a tidy, organized, workable space. And Luis’ beaming smile testified that he had done it all himself.

I was smiling too, and not just because of my newly tidied garage. In the few years I had come to know Luis, I was seeing changes in him. His life was slowly being “reorganized” and put into place. We were seeing him become the kind of “space” where God could work as well.

When I first met Luis, he was struggling – at school, with his family, and with himself. He was a talented soccer player, often leading his Compton United team in scoring. But CU is as much about excelling OFF the field as on – and Luis was not doing that.

Like many teens, Luis’ most obvious problem was his attitude. He was a likeable kid, as long as things were going well. But when his teammates played below his expectations, he yelled. When the refs made calls he didn’t like, he argued. When teachers made decisions he didn’t agree with, he rebelled.

When Luis joined the club, he had the opportunity to spend time with men who were willing to invest in his character as well as his playing ability. His coaches and I put in a lot of time with Luis – hanging out, talking about life an soccer, digging into topics like anger and attitude – and yes, even cleaning out garages. Changes were slow but Luis was growing. It was clear that he was full of leadership potential.

In 2009, Luis was chosen as one of 4 guys to be a part of our most intense leadership development program – the Crash Elite. These 4 students, chosen because of their outstanding leadership potential, were placed in mentoring relationships with the pro players that volunteer with Compton United. (One of my main objectives for my chaplain work with the professional LA teams, Chivas USA and the Galaxy, was the recruit Christian players to work alongside our guys. The Crash Elite is the program that we created as a result!) Throughout the MLS season, the Crash Elite players meet weekly with the players (currently Justin Braun and Micheal Lahoud) for a private soccer training sessions. After those sessions end, the players take the boys out for dinner, where the mentoring really happens. Over a sandwich they discuss life, faith, school, relationships, future plans, college, girls, soccer, and anything else that comes up!

It has been during this period of time we have seen the most growth in Luis. His grades have shot up, his attitude at home has changed. He builds up his teammates and controls himself from yelling at the refs. He has become a very positive role model.

Several years ago, college was never on Luis’ radar. Now he actively participates in our College Advisory Group and is making plans to apply for college after he graduates high school.

As Luis wrote about his time in Crash Elite, “As each day passes and I am learning new stuff from Michael and Justin, I see them not just like professionals or friends – I see them like family. I know that if I ever need good advice about school, house problems, or family problems, Michael is the perfect guy. Now if I need advice about girls, soccer, or forward skills, Justin is the perfect guy. Being with them has changed my life. They taught me how to respect women, everything takes time, don’t hurry thru things, and always listen to my parents and take care of my family.”

It is evident to all of us that a new Luis is emerging. His grades have shot up, his attitude at home has changed (as noted by his parents!), and he’s active in our College Advisory Group as he makes plans for his future. He has become a leader among his teammates, building them up on the field and controlling himself with the refs. He has become a very positive role model for all of Compton United.

*Please support Compton United Soccer Club and Mike Herman's tireless efforts to improve the soccer and life experiences of youth in his community!