Part 2 in a three-part series. Click here for Part 1.

At the recent US Soccer Development Academy Spring Showcase, coaches from the assembled academy clubs gathered to hear a panel discussion involving coaches from 5 U.S. Youth National Teams. Speaking at the meeting were U14 BNT head coach Manny Schellscheidt, U15 BNT head coach Jim Barlow, U17 MNT head coach Wilmer Cabrera, U18 MNT assistant coach Tim Regan and U20 MNT assistant coach Dave Dir (U18 and U20 head coaches Mike Matkovich and Thomas Rongen were with their teams in Portugal and Holland, respectively).

In this article, the coaches answered a question on the biggest challenges they face in coaching their respective age groups.

Manny Schellscheidt, U14 BNT Head Coach: Manny, also the head coach at Seton Hall, said it is very difficult to know whether they are getting the best players, adding that the process for identifying the top players at his age needs to improve.

He added that culturally, kids of this age are too inclined to spend more time playing video games or engaging in other sedentary activities rather than playing soccer. He went on to note that too much of the time that is spent playing soccer is spent in an organized setting rather than in free play.

Jim Barlow, U15 BNT Head Coach: Coach Barlow said the biggest challenge is the relatively small amount of time he and his staff have with the players selected for various camps. He noted that the weeklong training camps could be spent entirely on remedial technical training, but would rather try to work on the more complete development of each individual. In relation to that he added that the relatively short time can also make it difficult to get to know the players more personally as a good coach should.

Wilmer Cabrera, U17 MNT Head Coach: Wilmer, who played in two World Cups for Colombia, said it can be difficult to get some players over the fear of making mistakes, something they will need to accomplish in order to truly improve. He added that there is a lot of naiveté in the American youth player, due to many of the players not having fully embraced a love for the game, including following it at the highest levels. This naiveté can prove to be a severe disadvantage in international competition.

Tim Regan, U18 MNT Assistant Coach: The former MLS defender said players coming to camp without the proper fitness or discipline is a major challenge.

Dave Dir, U20 MNT Assistant Coach: Coach Dir noted that the U20s typically are drawing players from three different playing backgrounds including American college players, overseas professionals and domestic professionals. “It’s difficult to get all of them together at once,” he noted. As a result, forming a core group that trains together and meshes over an extended period of time prior to U20 World Cup and CONCACAF qualifying is a distinct challenge.

Click here for Part 3.