Travis

Amazing to have Club America at EHS

@_CoachMathias @PaulSpacey There’s a lot to unpack here. First, many Olympic sports allow for late entry while others don’t. Do you know many gymnasts that started late? Second, when do you think dembele started playing soccer ?

You are so wrong on this. Most of olympian atheltes focus on one sport fully around 14-15 years old. You are maybe quite unatheltic so for you it was impossible to have a decent level without starting really young. In fact, Dembele didn't start playing football young. He was playing multpiles sports until 12-13 years old.

"Let them play multiple sports." Fine. Just know the kids who don't are already ahead.

@THEChrisKessell Not exactly from that angle, but this is a great book on this topic by a great author. amazon.com/Playing-to-Win…

Has anywhere ever seen anything written from the perspective of parents who paid mega-dollars for their child to do the national travel sports circuit and the child either decided to not pursue college athletics (turned down offers) or didn't receive any offers?

@IHateSoccerPod You are correct. I did not watch. I jumped to conclusions on that. Hat tip to you on that.

@Tsmith47 You didn’t watch the video did you? The teams switch after every game 🤦‍♂️

Development over winning eh? You better not keep score in anything you do in training. Don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. If you do want to make a competitive practice tho… watch this!

@4itzology @FathalliMo I was told you wouldnt get this much time in space in the premier league, haha.

@FathalliMo False 9 kills this m2m stuff Add Raphinha and Fermin positioning it’s bad for teams that try this too often Only happens tho bc the freedom they gave Martin Way too much time and space

Barcelona killing Newcastle’s m2m: •Reset + switch to overloaded left → m2m unsettled & roles disrupted. •Yamal & Raph narrow, Cancelo high & Lewa deep → free the halfspace. •Anticlockwise Lewa–Fermin rotation → open diagonal lane + attack the HS.x.com/brnswi/status/…

@Tampabum @Matthew_Gaskin American hockey surpassed Canadian hockey ?

@Matthew_Gaskin Crazy thought…. American Hockey caught/surpassed Canadiens and the world for the same reason the world caught the US in baseball and basketball.

Ay, man, American sports gotta get back to getting kids that come from pain and strife. These suburban, travel ball, trust fund kids ain't getting it done. The World has caught/surpassed us in baseball and basketball.

@IHateSoccerPod @BeauIgor lol my guy with a resume check.Well I played d1, then served as an asst coach at my alma mater and have coached @ a priv.schl in TX for the last 20 yrs where we started out at the bottom of the conference and have won 8 of the last 10 🏆. I care about winning

@Tsmith47 @BeauIgor I ask this because in my twenty two years of coaching I’ve only seen this reaction from soccer parents and coaches that lose a lot that haven’t developed many elite level players.

Let’s chat about “WINNING OVER DEVELOPMENT.” We’ve made winning not matter at all. Which means we’ve also allowed losing to not matter at all. We’ve developed a generation of players that aren’t bothered with losing. If you’re okay with losing, what does that make you?

@IHateSoccerPod @BeauIgor And you would probably say the same thing if you were in their position. Dang it sucks that we lost, but apparently a school I really like was there and is interested in me. Almost like we can hold two thoughts at once.

@BeauIgor No and no. The players don’t value it either all that much. They will come home after an 0-2 weekend and still say verbatim “but I played well and _______ coaches were there and they are interested.”

@cwhall75 There are multiple women's soccer players who make 30k but dont play? Are you saying per year or over four years?

I know several kids on very good financial deals at big programs who rarely play a meaningful minute. Great for their pockets and their agent’s bottom line I guess. But ending their meaningful soccer at 18-19yo for $30,000 feels like a bad trade to me

I struggle with the idea of NIL agents. Agent’s incentive is to maximize the money/commission. But the place that pays most is not necessarily (or even usually) the best sporting choice. Lot of kids on good money sit the bench. Destroy their future in the game chasing early money

@IHateSoccerPod And it’s your take that people regularly take that absolutist position, or is that just a straw man ?

@Tsmith47 Development over winning acts as if there should be absolutely no focus on winning. Ever. Thanks for stopping in tho.

@zaynyc23 @ManagerTactical Sure there is

@ManagerTactical Move on … no time for players on the fence

Look… the 2026 World Cup is in the USA, so if the USMNT 🇺🇸 was the priority the choice would be easy. He couldn’t make it more obvious.

@KaveBat @ManagerTactical What a bizarre last line. Why couldn’t they be dumped by an Asian or South American team as well ?

@ManagerTactical hes not the difference between making the round of 16 or quarterfinals…usmnt is mid and at best will win round of 32 and be dumped by the likes of african or some good euro team

@SCrew_14 @amadon11 @PaulSpacey What are you talking about? The baseball infrastructure was very strong 30 years ago, it’s just different than it is now.

@Tsmith47 @amadon11 @PaulSpacey Idk you can ask him. Pt being, he didn’t play competitively until HS. Travel ball didn’t exist 30 yrs ago like it does now. Furthermore, going pro in sports was done via HS. 1 yr HS -> minors -> MLB

“Natural athletes can play any sport." Wrong. Soccer punishes late starters in ways other sports don't.

@SCrew_14 @amadon11 @PaulSpacey I’m not sure you are saying what you think you are saying. Your contention is he “never” played baseball until he was 17/18 ? perhaps he played growing up, and took a few years away before returning to organized baseball again? Which is more likely ?

@Tsmith47 @amadon11 @PaulSpacey I did not touch his Wikipedia page. I’m sure there’s probably other corroborating sources if you search

@SCrew_14 @amadon11 @PaulSpacey can you please share the name of the guy who had a decent career in MLB despite not playing baseball until his senior year in hs?

@amadon11 @PaulSpacey Went to HS w/guy who didn’t play baseball til Sr yr. Played in majors, decent career. Fast. Impossible with soccer.

@joshdbrett @DrakeFantasy That’s a pretty poor analogy. Spending more money greatly increases your odds. The #2 highest spending team won and they have a very creative contract on their most expensive asset.

@DrakeFantasy Or you need to spend the money smarter. Major League Baseball has no cap, but the team that spends the most doesn't always win. The Mets had the highest payroll last year and didn't make the playoffs.

Say it with me kids, NIL is unsustainable.

@roxrichie @LucaFCB10 @NealGardner_ You think it’s wise to send them off to Australia ?

@LucaFCB10 @NealGardner_ In this case don’t you think it will favour Argentina more if they decide to play in let’s say Brazil? Would be better if it’s on a completely neutral continent.

This is completely reasonable. OF COURSE they don’t want it in Spain, common sense. No idea why it was even proposed.

@MercerHoops @JackGodar Really ?

@JackGodar Say HELLO to multiple LowMajors going Undefeated playing THE WORST POSSIBLE Schedule then

Yes, if a Division 1 team goes undefeated in the regular season they should get an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament

@Echo112212 @ProspectsUsmnt First point yes, second point just way more true on the girls side than on the boys side

@Tsmith47 @ProspectsUsmnt Yes I do understand. I’m saying soccer in the US is limited to recently arrived immigrant groups for whom it’s part of their culture, and the cosmopolitan upper middle class (which is not all upper middle class people) who can afford to have their kids play and travel

Have we actually won any major recruiting battles in the last two years? -Richardson -Esmir -Vargas -Brown -Gutierrez -Banks? We’re hemorrhaging talent. Doesn’t help when your coach is mailing it in, but the rest of the federation needs to figure out what they can do better.