Pan American Calcio

But right now, the gap between training environment and professional impact is still too large in too many places — even within the most resourced academies. And that gap is exactly where smaller footballing nations continue to stay competitive.

It’s a development question: 👉 Are we producing players who are well-trained? 👉 Or players who are immediately effective in real games? The best systems will eventually do both.

Spent last week in Costa Rica and it reinforced something that is often said but rarely unpacked properly. Countries like Costa Rica, Panama, and Honduras operate with limited resources, yet consistently export players who can step into MLS environments and contribute quickly.

Ok, time for some self-promotion. I will pin this thread with scouting-related work that I'm proud of. I'm a software engineer and also run a SaaS, so I've never had the chance to focus on scouting full-time. But over the last 12 years, I've followed football far beyond a casual level, especially during my time working with @PanAmCalcio. My profile was never a scouting mural that mentions every u23 player that can walk in a straight line, so I think it adds more weight to some of these posts. I also believe scouting is about being more right than wrong, and not about being super right in 10% and wrong about 90%. In that aspect I feel super confident about my track record.

@THEChrisKessell This happens only in US. Nowhere else in the world

So MLS assistant coach is a destination for a successful USL Championship head coach? Interesting development.

At U11, the game is simple. The more adults complicate it, the worse they make it for the kids.

Parents are naturally inclined to trust: rankings badges selections club names But those things are often disconnected from reality.

I put together a U11 team, played a few local Houston tournaments, and it ended up ranked #1 in Texas and top 10 in the U.S. We never even trained as a team. Here’s the uncomfortable truth 👇