By Tim Sheldon, Editor
Futsal On-Line
Frank Dell'Apa of the Boston Globe commented that "the US Soccer Federation wisely is planning ahead with its Project 2010, attempting to develop the next generation of (Claudio) Reynas with coaching programs. USSF president Alan Rothenberg noted last week that Brazil's top player, Ronaldo, is 21 years old. He correctly noted that the US must produce players at a young age also."
Dell'Apa went on to comment that the USSF "might be missing a key point. Ronaldo did not learn the game through highly structured, well-financed programs. He and his Brazilian teammates played in empty lots, in mud and dust, and that is where they developed their ideas about the game, honed their instincts and skills. They then went to tiny community clubs (Ronaldo was a member of Social Club Ramos) where they were placed in structured settings. Their advancement was more of a natural social evolution than a money-fueled program."
This is true, and Dell'Apa might have mentioned Futsal here. All of the great Brazilians grow up playing this game, and Ronaldo played it until he was 16.
The USSF's new player development program is commendable, but Futsal should be added to the mix. Kids should be playing it on their own on playgrounds, just as they play pick-up basketball and sandlot baseball. When this happens, and it eventually will, we'll see world-class stars develop.
After returning from the World Cup, Mike Burns told the Boston Globe that the U.S. should focus on developing players from age five or six. ''Kids need to become more comfortable around the ball,'' he said. ''Kids in Europe not only get coached but they play consistently in the streets. The dedication is there even at a young age. I don't see that here.''
Another example:
Bob Foltman of the Chicago Tribune commented that "As much as soccer people want to say otherwise, our American men are still far behind the rest of the world when it comes to soccer--even countries like Iran.
"The reason also is simple. How many pickup soccer games do you see American children playing? Just a group of children in the park playing soccer with no coaches? Hardly any.
"And it's on those playgrounds or in the parks, just playing, not being told every step of the way how to do things, that skills are developed, creativity formed, imagination fostered.
"It's why Ronaldo is the player he is. His skills were being developed in the streets of Brazil before he was even a teenager. Same with France's Zinedine Zidane or just about any world-class player."
Everyone is saying the same thing: we need small-sided "street" soccer, or the equivalent. That would be Futsal/Five-a-Side, that could be played in any gym or on any playground in the U.S. It's the pure skill-developer we're looking for. It should be an integral part of every youth player's practice schedule, starting now.
Tim Sheldon is former associate editor of Soccer America Magazine. He began writing about Futsal while at Soccer America in 1982 and has been involved with the sport ever since.
He also has covered professional and international soccer in the San Francisco Bay Area for United Press International and the San Francisco Examiner. He has served as information representative for the U.S. Futsal Federation. Telephone: 800-405-0097.
