TopDrawerSoccer.com

We have no depth. That's the reiterated lesson of Saturday Night's U.S. Men's National Team 3-1 loss to Honduras. Yes, it was our 2nd choice team, with most of the starters playing with their European professional teams. I get that. The problem is that in a match like this you want to see who might be in the works for spots 12-20 on a World Cup roster this summer. If this was it, we're in trouble.Honduras carved us open at Home Depot Center, thrilling what sounded like a majority-Honduran crowd ... Read more...

With the year's end, it has been suggested a list of top stories from American soccer in 2009 would be appropriate. Actually a list of top stories from the decade was suggested, but I'm having a hard enough time remembering what has happened this week at Disney, let alone what happened in 2000. Which brings to mind the question as to whether this year or next year is really the end of the decade. I guess it is the 9 year, but we still don't know what to call the first decade of the century (I... Read more...

So I enjoyed Christmas with my family and left Indianapolis early this evening - and here I am in Northern Georgia having made what in my mind is very good time. Thankfully very few other travelers were out on the road and I was able to motoro through Kentucky and Tennessee, even passing by the Tennessee Titans' stadium in Nashville, where the home team was getting punked by San Diego tonight.I have a confession to make - I like other sports besides soccer. yes, I'll be listening to ... Read more...

I've gotten scolded by a few of you for not wrapping up my series of travel blogs.The truth is I was so glad to get home that I didn't even think about it. After a couple of days in Dallas with some lovely hosts, I traveled on to Raleigh for the NCAA Men's College Cup.Along with that I covered matches that were part of the U.S. Youth Soccer National League, the U.S. Youth Soccer Boys ODP ('92 age group), the CASL Shootout and the USSF Development Academy League, which placed a p... Read more...

I think there’s an old saying that goes something like: “Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me and I’ll perhaps learn it. Have me teach somebody else and I know it forever.”I tried to find the exact wording of the saying on the internet and all I could find was the Chinese proverb which is close: “Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.” That’s pretty close to my version.My 14-year-old son has never been very interes... Read more...

I really wanted to see the Stanford UCLA game on Friday night and my Dish Network package (I know I need to change this) does not include ESPN2. So I strolled over to my neighborhood bar, ordered a wine cooler and asked the waitress to change the channel. The broadcast was thoroughly enjoyable. I especially got a kick out of Stanford’s formation and the way Rachel Quon – as a freshman – played. It was neat to see that all the praise I've read of her is true. The speed of play and the skil... Read more...

I'm in the press box at Aggie Soccer Stadium in College Station, Texas. The NCAA Women's College Cup final will kick off in a little more than an hour, with North Carolina going for a 20th NCAA championship while Stanford attempts to earn its first by completing a perfect season.It's raining here and more than a little chilly. I was watching a couple of club matches this morning on the fields just outside the stadium. The young ladies competing seemed to be getting after it just fine, ... Read more...

Another day, another state. (Memo to Kiddos - 12 days gone and 12 days 'til I get back - so don't forget about me). So after the Boys ODP event at the Disney Showcase in Florida this weekend, I awoke at 3 a.m. Monday in Orlando and somehow found the airport in the fog, then flew to Los Angeles for a couple of days of planning meeting for TopDrawerSoccer.com and our parent company, Advanced Soccer Media. Most of you know I work out of Indianapolis, so it is good for me to get out and rub elbo... Read more...

I don't know how many games constitute too many games for players, but this trip definitely brings too many games for me to watch. I love watching soccer as much as anyone and more than most, but after 7 consecutive days of watching multiple games, the eyes are starting to glaze over.But I'll be back out there tomorrow. Usually the elements are just an occupational hazard, but Friday night brought a rare one - my fingers were too cold to take notes. My handwriting is... Read more...

I mean I guess technically I should write "Things for which to be thankful" - but honestly, who talks like that? Mark Twain wouldn't have used that.So I'm in a cheap hotel room in South Florida instead of out at games today because a monsoon hit the place and the games are all washed out, except for possible the U15 GNT tonight. If they play, rest assured I'll be there writing about it so you have something to read on Thanksgiving morning.There are the obvious things wh... Read more...

When I tell people I have embarked on a yearly road trip to cover some of the leading events in the elite club soccer and college worlds, I typically comments about how lucky I am to be going to such featured destinations as Florida and Southern California.Yes, the weather here in South Florida is warmer than it is at this time of year at my home in Indiana. Yes, millions of people come here every year for vacation, and yes, part of the reason these events are held here is to attract p... Read more...

When I signed up my son to try out for ODP, I was asked to donate $5 toward a scholarship fund to help needy players. I happily handed over the $5 because it seems to me that ODP especially has the responsibility to look out for good players who may not have the means or the where withal to play for a more expensive club.I was shocked when I looked at the application for the ODP scholarship for Eastern Pennsylvania. It looks as though it was written by an estate lawyer, with requiremen... Read more...

We all know soccer is an all weather sport. I’ll never forget playing games in Austin, Texas, in the 95-degree sun when only eight of our players showed up for an 11 v 11 game. And of course there are the memories of games played in mud, pouring rain, and even what felt like hail.But sometimes people realize that the game cannot go on. The Capital Fall Classic in Richmond, Va., was cancelled Thursday after the remains of Hurricane Ida drenched the area and rendered the fields ... Read more...

Lately I have been wondering if it is possible to over emphasize juggling. I know all the reasons why you should juggle: ball control, hand-eye coordination and touch. But lately it seems as though my kids are just juggling and juggling and … well maybe it’s just jealousy.For years I’ve tried to teach myself to juggle and it just isn’t happening. The NSCAA conference always ends with a small-sided tournament and a few years ago I was put on a team with young women who were all ... Read more...

What’s up with boys’ ODP?  ODP was supposed to be the be-all and end-all of American Youth Soccer.  It was the road to the national team AND to college scholarships – remember when you were nothing as a boys player if you didn’t have “ODP” on your resume? I think at the U13 and U14 age groups it’s still a path to get noticed, but I am finding that it is increasingly insignificant at the older age groups.  In the last four years, especially since the debut of the Develop... Read more...

During my over-30 recreational game yesterday, we had the ball in the green team’s end of the field. I was playing right forward and had the ball. In a burst of ambition, my right mid-fielder overlapped me, ran past the other team's defense, and got open outside the 18. I passed her the ball, not realizing that she was offsides, and broke for the goal. The green players hustled to mark me and pressure my midfielder. THEY DID NOT STAND THERE LIKE STATUES WITH THEIR ARMS UP! Needless to say, p... Read more...

Club soccer lately is reminding me of Garrison Keilor’s fictional hometown, Lake Wobegon, where: “The women are strong, the men are good looking and all the children are above average." My 14-year-old son is scheduled to play in a tournament next month where the lowest category is “premier.” Going up from “premier,” you have “superior,” then “elite,” and finally, the top bracket is called “championship.” I can laugh about this when I don’t think too hard about how em... Read more...

Soccer is supposed to be an inexpensive sport -- at least equipment-wise, right? Shin guards, cleats, and a uniform. We are not talking about the hundreds of dollars worth of equipment needed for hockey, lacrosse or, God forbid, riding horses.This morning’s newspaper showing snow on the baseball field in Colorado reminded me that cold temperatures will be here before we know it. My kids have already talked me into buying them the long-sleeved, synthetic shirts to go under their jerse... Read more...

It turns out Goal Scoring Mom and I were writing the same blog so I decided to incorporate hers into mine. We were both licking our wounds after watching the U20 Men's National Team lose in rather lopsided fashion at the FIFA U20 World Cup in Egypt today. Just as with their opening match against Germany, the U.S. team lose 3-0 today (against South Korea) and didn't look good in doing so. "A horror show from the Americans," the official FIFA Commentator said during today's telecast on ESPN2. ... Read more...

One definition of an addiction is that your obsession with a particular activity or substance begins to interfere with your work life.This past Saturday, the National Book Festival brought a fantastic array of authors and books to the nation’s capital, a mere two-hour drive from my house in Pennsylvania. I didn’t have a game I needed to coach. My kids were relaxing after a hard week of school soccer. As an author who needs to raise her profile and develop more professional contacts... Read more...