Klinsmann part 2

 The coach has said that wants players on his team that will do whatever it takes to get in better shape, play at a higher level against better talent, I agree with that.

He also states that this program of player first will then make the team better. I disagree. Now at some level I understand that I am splitting hairs. But it is very important to understand the confusing message being sent to young players and coaches around the United States. It is akin to the message of “we play our best players.’ No, you play the players who are playing the best.

In this same context the coach is saying that by having the individual get better the team will benefit, and at some level this is true. However it misses the big picture, and actually the picture that 99.9% of kids playing soccer should see as well as their coaches and parents. It is still a team game. And any successful team will subjugate the individual talent and statistics, and sacrifice the individual’s goal for the long term benefit of the team.

If you don’t believe me, I check out the San Antonio Spurs and their run to the NBA championship. Their stars play less minutes, accrue less individual stats than players in their same position on contending or NON CONTENDING teams, and their unselfish passing is incredible. That dedication to passing and sacrificing individual stats is an integral part of their success. They even take less money to play in San Antonio to be around other players and a coach who subscribe to the team first mantra, and to be in a place that helps them have an excellent chance to win.

At Frozen Shorts we constantly talk about if the team plays better, the individual will get better. It is stated that it takes a whole village to raise a child. We say it takes a whole village modeling behavior in the long term best interest of the child to raise children in a community.

Now on the world stage it may very well be that the great players elevate their game to an amazingly high level during a game. But, that is for a much chosen few. That talent cannot be bought, and it comes at quite a price as you can see from listening and watching athletes talk and play.

With no players ranked in the top 100 in the world, the U.S. is ripe for the very kind of thing we love, the underdog.

It is this dynamic, all across the sports world that actually fuels the inner team competition so vital for long term athletic development of our young athletes.

But I also believe strongly that the coach has set this team up so that just the opposite can happen. Players unexpectedly could rise up in what could be a one bracket only tournament for the U.S. squad. But it is my contention, just as we see in the World Series, The Super bowl, or even the Stanley Cup playoffs, is the rise of a certain individual who sparks a team’s success.

This individual did not suddenly get better. What he did get was a chance, once again proving our belief at Frozen Shorts, that  a coach, a team, an organization has to keep running players out on the field, court,  or rink, to find out who is going to be able to play their best when their time arrives. And they cannot do that if they have been sitting on the bench all year.

This belief in true competition, not another form of entitlement, is what has been missing in youth and high school sports for years, and I truly hope that Mr. Klinsmann and his squad bring it to the forefront whether on purpose or by accident for all to see.

Let the players have fun and teach them to play together and the resulting journey, and what is learned along that journey will enlighten and or surprise you.