Matt10

Our #FC26 @OperationSports Community Sliders are posted as completed set Version 2.5. Thanks to everyone who tested and provided feedback. Big thanks to the OS discord testers for everything they do. Any questions, feel free to ask. Breakdown video will be next. Enjoy!

@alexlubyansky_ @tomsan106 Starting to get on my good side, Alex. Respect for being so open minded and double up for crediting Tom's incredibly brilliant work.

I just had an incredible deep conversation with Tom and this book changed how I think about everything. My small project is senior level only, euro model on US soil. The convo unlocked tremendous insight into something way more important than what I am doing- how to get youngsters to develop actual mastery. Dr Ratey's foreword alone is worth an hour of your time. Free. No catch. Just the most important thing you can do for your child before they ever touch a soccer field. @tomsan106 #USMNT #MeritOverMoney

For those interested in sharing thoughts about Football Starts at Home, and what it truly means, let’s clear up a common misconception. It’s not simply about scattering a few balls around the house and letting your child play. In fact, ball mastery isn’t even the core of the idea. If you want to understand what really makes this approach so powerful, take some time to read the book below (it’s free). At the very least, check out the Foreword and Afterword by Harvard Medical School Associate Professor, Dr. John Ratey, MD. tomsan.com/books/football…

I've watched it. Isn't this an exclusion model that doesn't even think about the 99% other non pre-professional players? What about the coaches that make $$ to coach those players? I mean, the money doesn't just come in from the letter leagues like MLSNext and ECNL, right? It comes from multiple hundreds-thousands of clubs that have 3-10 team levels per age group, charging $1-2k for the Fall and Spring season - and a big line item is paying the coach up front. I saw another social media individual say to the parents "do not pay" - but is boycotting the solution? This is where myself as a parent, and also as a grassroots coach who gets the question from my players parents of whether or not they should go premier soon, isn't addressed...ever.

@Matt10L Disagree very respectfully. My club has no minimum age. We have a good 16 year old on it. You can watch my breakdown on YouTube it’s 17 minutes long and dives deep.

Parents ask me ECNL or MLS Next all the time. When I explain what neither of them is actually designed to do they're always shocked. I'm not selling anything. Just telling the truth. That's how rare it is in American youth soccer. #USMNT #MeritOverMoney

Waktu aku di Indo tahun 2006, internet masih cuma dial-up. Masa sekarang anak2 nggak main bola lagi? Nggak main sama anak kampung juga? Tiap sore habis sekolah aku selalu main sama anak kampung. Kalau dulu aku nggak pernah main sama mereka, nggak mungkin aku bisa main di level atas di Amerika.

Coba saya buat lebih simpel, ya. Ide bermain sepakbola dari rumah ini bukan sepakbola yg kompleks, tetapi sekadar ayah & anak main bola (plastik, karet, dst). Sebagai pelatih grassroots pun saya mengalami generasi skr motoriknya kurang. Jadi, dgn program ini, yg lebih ke ball mastery, harapan paling kecilnya melatih motorik anak karena banyak anak yg langsung dicemplungin ke lapangan tanpa basic, bisa pengaruh ke kepercayaan diri juga. Ball mastery tidak butuh area yg luas & bisa dimainkan dengan bola apapun. Saya pun kasih PR utk parents dgn iming-iming mengurangi screen time. Perkara prestasi juara Asia dst, nanti dulu deh. Yg penting anak-anak fun & gerak dulu.

@IHateSoccerPod Not just MLS clubs then, it should be premier clubs that have multiple teams per age group.

@Matt10L They do. MLS clubs have them.

I’m starting to get annoyed with the “slip through the cracks” excuse as to why kids don’t make it. Are they playing? Where are these kids playing? If a kid goes and tears it up at HS believe me, an ECNL or MLSNext club is going to wonder who the heck he/she is.

@jcanas00 @3four3 Exactly, this is just typical snobby bs that is borderline cliche now after what...20 years now?

@3four3 What does the "C" in Atlanta United FC mean again? I can't quite place it. You're so close. But yet, incredibly off the mark.

Friendly reminder: Anyone who calls MLS teams, "clubs", should not be taken serious. It's a clear indication they don't even understand the most fundamental thing about football, what MLS actually is (and hence what it is not), and thus the ecosystem as a whole. If you operate from a totally incorrect fundamental axiom, your derivatives are off.

We are just a bunch of snobs. It's been like that from day 1. We value everything Euro over our own. Do a lot of Euro coaches get paid as well as ours do in club? Not even talking GA, ECNL or MLSNEXT level - just simple 1 above grassroots/rec, in charge of 3 other teams, making $85 per player with 12 players on the roster kind of coach. No wonder Euro coaches want to come here. Our terrible pay-to-play system gets them paid. But...we can't not pay the coaches right?

@golz_tv with wll due respect, we arent going to hype up landon like he played in these top clubs consistently, he was there for a cup of coffee and some fish in chips

“If I have a conversation with a youth soccer coach from pick wherever in America, half the time that coach thinks they know more about soccer than I do.” USMNT legend Landon Donovan calls out youth soccer coaches in the U.S. 😳 “In England, a small country, there is an overall common goal and a common desire for the national team to succeed because it helps everyone,” he said. “I know the media is rough and stuff like that, but everyone in general wants it to succeed. Right? “In America, we have such a massive country, and we have a lot of people who know nothing about soccer, who get an opinion on soccer and have influence in soccer. “And so it's really hard to find commonality, because if I have a conversation with a youth soccer coach from pick wherever in America, half the time that coach thinks they know more about soccer than I do. “And I mean, they really believe it. “It's just because they have like power in their little fiefdoms that they run and whatever. The parents are beholden to them, the kids are beholden to them. “So they just think they're powerful in these because they have a seat on the U.S. Soccer board, or they're one of the member associations who gets to vote on things. “And so they feel like they're as influential as the Commissioner of MLS. It’s crazy.” Donovan has seen it all. Having played for MLS sides like LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes, he also spent time coaching San Diego Loyal in USL and San Diego Wave in NWSL. He played in Europe as well, with Everton, Bayern Munich, and Bayer Leverkusen. [via @goal’s The Rondo]

@StephenChaconas @LaceUpSoccer Yeah same, 50% minimum at my club.

@LaceUpSoccer I understand exactly what players you’re talking about. To those that do this it’s unacceptable l. My point is, I’ve literally never seen it happen. Every recreational, grassroots, and “elite“ club I’ve ever known has playing time standards typically U12 and below. Interesting.

Look I don't want passion merchants either though. I think caring the way I know the KC way to play is an unquestionable identity in attack and defense. Whether he fails or succeed, that's the very first thing I wanted to see with Wicky. I don't know his coaching philosophy or tactics right now.

@cowlonfull Blame whoever you want, but as fans, we're all in the same boat; we have to be realistic about where we are (rock bottom), and WE HAVE to give the whole operation time to figure out who and what works. One window and 8 games is not enough time to want to burn it all down again.

It was always going to get worse before it got any better, for SKC I know we were happy to see change in players, coaching, soccer operations, owner, but this is what happens when you clean house. Thinking that this was going to be a 1 year turnaround is completely unrealistic

Yup we are 0-4 and it doesn't matter. Mixed abilities rec team, but I've been their coach after my own sons went to club/premier. So these are all their friends that aren't all super athletic, but they love the game. They are also playing up in age group and the teams we play against set up with 4ATB sitting at the top of their box regardless of where the ball is. As a team we are working at recognizing the points of the diamond for our shape and having confidence/bravery. I love the grassroots course, Todd. Almost done with it and have already applied it to these players. Thanks again!

Young Coaches ✏️ If you have a poor team you will lose more than you like. If you have a good team you may win more than you deserve. Consider focusing on your ability to promote learning and joy and you’ll do right by your players win or lose. #TOVO #intelligentfootball

@SportingKC Hilarious that it was Borges' arm that pushed their player, not Shapi at all. Terrible call ref.

78' | Shapi receives a red card and we'll finish the game with 10 men. 🟥

Nah, everyone was always giving him grief. Simply not understanding he was in a role that required him to try things - even if it hurt his passing %; I defended him every single time - but in typical supporter fashion, it's what have you done for me lately. Admittedly, he started to struggle at the worst time when so many eyes were on him before leaving.

Never thought I’d be saying this but I do miss him in our white shirt… total marmite amongst fans (yep me included😉)

@DanBelow @tomsan106 100% it's so sad to see all these empty fields, or just open grass area, not being used. Organized sports as a way of learning is what keeps development well behind. It has to be encouraged to play just to play - no parents watching, no coaching, no pressure.

@Matt10L @tomsan106 But also don't overthink it. Most of it is just marketing. People need to learn that it's as accessible as backyard football. All you need is a ball. And not even that. Just a round object that won't break your foot when you kick it.

In the U.S., everyone screams “pay-to-play” is killing soccer development. Baloney, that’s only half the story. We’re not producing enough elite players. The system fails the kids who pay and the ones who can’t. If both groups are failing, pay-to-play isn’t the real problem. The real scandal? We throw kids into organized soccer before they’ve mastered basic technical skills. The world’s best develop those foundations between ages 2 and 5, at home, in the living room, and backyard. Latin families are far more likely to use a ball as a natural toy with their child, giving them that organic head start. The love for the game grows naturally. Yet almost no one in the U.S. is talking about it. Most don’t even know what the real problem is, and that’s the biggest problem of all. You can’t fix what you don’t understand.⚽️😉

@_ToddBeane Thanks, Todd. I'm looking at the grassroots course, so was curious about the approach.

@Matt10L We defend forward and play with coordinated and well instructed defensive principles. “Joga bonito” is a Brasilian reference so we play aligned with a Cruyff vision from Europe. #TOVO #inteliigentfootball

If I could change … There is a predominant thought in coaching that a child must first learn to master passing before they apply that skill in context. Thus, coaches create a sequential learning model based upon this reasoning. ▪️Isolated to Contextual. However, 👇 Without coaches this is not how children learn. They play, swim, run, bike by doing the activity. This leads to a desire to do better, to learn. Play and refine. “But, my kids first must do passing drills then they pass in context,” is the standard reply. NOTE I have done this experiment many times. I line kids up in pairs to pass back and forth and kids do this very well. Then we do a contextual exercise requiring passing and they execute quite poorly. So when are they ready to let “passing drills” behind? Now. No amount of passing back and forth prepares kids for the mastery of passing required to play. It is not sequential in the way we think. The greater challenge is for a coach to leave what was done to him behind. To leave tradition and status quo behind. To abandon ego for better education. I did it and have not turned back. You can, too. Ironically, in context you discover more quickly and easily the technical shortcomings. There and then you teach the details. As not all kids have the same issues from baseline to better. I know I am a salmon swimming upstream. I value greatly technical skill which is why I changed the way my players develop those skills. Every exercise in our portfolio is “technical training” or what some call “ball mastery.” Just not in the way one expects. And do not read this as a critique of ball control or isolated skills specialists. Ball and a wall, juggling, soccer tennis - love it all. Ball control matters! We just train it differently. I thank you for considering swimming upstream with us where we find players of great skill, intelligence and character. #TOVO #intelligentfootball

@Mizzou_Fan3 @victoraren57 @Joelazo_10 Have to remember too that if Jedi starts, Ream will compliment. They produced the goods on that left hand side for years at Fulham. Battled through relegation and promotion. It shouldn't be underestimated.

@victoraren57 @Joelazo_10 I agree. Ream had consistently performed has our top CB… Even up until recently before Richards took off as CB1 in 2025. Yes, he’s declined. But I still think he’s a Top 3 CB. I think they just gotta be strategic how you use him now. Can’t make him cover too much ground.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of Coach Poch’s #USMNT time so far is his shortsighted belief Father Time wouldn’t catch Tim Ream. (Not Ream’s fault) EVERYONE ELSE predicted this, except him. Should’ve been testing all options (Campbell/Banks/Wynder/Whoever!) since day 1.

@ItsIbzFFC Andersen is our leader in clearances by a fine margin. You want to put even more spotlight at the RCB by putting in someone shorter in that position?

As PL is developing, and tactics are being further nuanced… My most unpopular Fulham opinion is Tete should be moved to a right sided CB, and fulham should make a bid for an attacking RB.. & Sess’s position, adaptable style & clever movement should make him start as LB..

@Edrocun76 @isureaper31 Yeah hard to get these tactics to not override the good work done. Some teams are better than others though.

@Matt10L @isureaper31 I’ve been playing this gameplay for a couple days and I’m enjoying it. Some teams rely excessively on long balls, like in your video, but others also build up play with nice short passes. The midfield duels are great. There’s a lot of fighting for the ball.

We've got PES2021 playing so good right now in the SimSnob Experience Gameplay Mod 🫡 @isureaper31 ▶️ Fight for the ball ▶️ Closedown rate ▶️ Pressure to perform ▶️ Realistic humanlike errors in passing/shooting ▶️ Proper defensive shift ▶️ Much More 🎥Full match: youtube.com/live/hwfan2QNk… ⚽️Thread: evoweb.uk/threads/simsno… ⬇️Download: drive.google.com/drive/folders/…