Pitch to Pro
Pitch to Pro is the official podcast of Ozark United FC. This will be our platform to tell our story about the club and the special place that we call home, Northwest Arkansas. This is a journey. We want to bring you along for the ride. We'll share what's going on behind the curtain, help educate the community at large about soccer, Our league, and give updates on the progress of the club along the way.
Together, we'll explore and unpack our journey to professional soccer, the magic that is NWA, our community, and talk all things soccer from on the pitch to behind the scenes, telling the story of our club.
Pitch to Pro
Stoppage Time Special: The Tactical Evolution of American Soccer
Our latest Stoppage Time edition of the Pitch to Pro podcast features an illuminating conversation with a seasoned player and coach who has witnessed the remarkable growth of soccer in the United States. Ever wondered how the game transitioned from traditional formations like 4-4-2 to the intricate tactics we see today? Our guest dives into the shifts influenced by legendary coaches like Bobby Howe and Brian Harvey, and discusses the transformative impact of events like the 1994 World Cup and the rise of Major League Soccer. With personal anecdotes and a rich background in the sport, this episode offers a rare glimpse into the evolving landscape of American soccer from someone who's been in the thick of it.
As we explore the strategic evolution of the game, our guest shares invaluable insights on the modern technicality of soccer, inspired by tactical maestros like Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp. They emphasize the critical importance of continuous education for coaches to keep pace with ever-evolving tactics and strategies. Our conversation also highlights our club's dedication to fostering the next generation of players and coaches, underscoring the role of education in cultivating passion and skill within the sport. This episode is a treasure trove of wisdom for anyone passionate about soccer and eager to understand its dynamic progression in the U.S.
Welcome to the Stoppage Time edition of the Pitch to Pro podcast. This is a highlight reel of some of the best moments from the show so far, and every other week we will be bringing you a special five to seven minute segment featuring the best stories, tales and moments of the podcast.
Speaker 2:First one to speak English to my family, and so my uncle was my influence, my late uncle and he played in some bigtime clubs back in the day, and so I was guided in that direction and then, through it, I just had some really good coaches, really good coaches the late Bobby Howe, roy Rees, ralph Perez, brian Harvey that was my coach in college. You know he's unbelievable. Actually, colin Harvey is his older brother from Everton, the legend there. That was the manager and player you know. So, yeah, I was very, very fortunate, very, very fortunate and blessed to be under some of the best coaches that the country could bring to us. So, and then playing with those players. So yeah, when you play with really good players, it makes you a better player. That's just a fact, you know.
Speaker 3:Iron, sharpens iron. That's exactly right, right, yeah, well, talk a little. I mean you got to grow up and play in the late 70s, 80s, 90s. Talk a little bit about you know the game has changed quite a bit in the country, I mean globally, but especially in the United States. Once we had the hosting of the 94 World Cup and then the boon of and launch of Major League Soccer, and then you know, usl now coming into the mix in a big way and kind of that 2009, 2010 and the growth trajectory that it's been on the end of USL and the iterations there.
Speaker 3:I mean there's so much that we can talk about cell and the iterations there. I mean there's so much that we can talk about. But from your perspective especially as a player, I mean, and just someone that's been player coach for a long time how have you seen the game evolve? What are the some of the biggest things that you, when you look back and say this is just so different than when I was playing and we didn't have these opportunities, or whatever it is I don't know if it's a playing style or different opportunities how has the game changed from your lens in the United States from when you were a player to now in your role with comments.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a great question. Obviously, the game was much different back then. You know four, four, two. You know you play with, yeah, with the flat four in the middle and then it would fall to the 4-4-2 diamond which is used today. But I think the biggest improvement of the game is just the possession-based and I'm a big fan of that. That's what I try to teach. So what I try to teach my players and educate them.
Speaker 2:I try to mimic what someone like a Pep Guardiola and a Mourinho back in the day, when he was such a players' manager with Chelsea, and just how the modern game has changed. You got Klopp when he was at Liverpool with the Gagan press and and all that. So the high press, you know, building out of the back. You know, back in the day we played with a sweeper and, yeah, it doesn't even exist anymore. You know what I mean which has been been a great transition in the game. So so just just those little um wrinkles in the game of breaking lines, switching the point of attack. You know playing in those little tight pockets and you know how much the players have gotten so much technical over the years. You know, and just the knowledge and the iq of it. Um, it's just incredible. And so the game keeps evolving every single day. So, as coaches, we got to keep getting educated. You know, know, we're going to fall, we're going to fall off. So that's a big piece right there.
Speaker 3:I think that's such a huge piece and, you know, something that we, as in the club, hope to help bring to the area and to the country right and, you know, do our part in helping to not just educate the next, you know, crop of players, but also coaches, because that makes such a huge impact on a player's experience and then whether they choose to stick with the sport. It's a massive, massive driver in participation is the environment and the experience that you have, and so I know we'll talk a little bit about that later on and something that you're very passionate about. But yeah, I mean, from the game side standpoint, that's, it's wild to you know, it used to be kind of the kick and run and you know a lot more headers back in the day, A little more uber direct.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:That's right, and you know a little more target, target number nines and those kinds of players than maybe what it is today. I mean, you can still find that I think it's all about. I mean, I'm not the coach, you're the coach a little bit more about who your opponent is and what's going to work, right.
Speaker 2:Oh, 100%. You don't want to take away those options, right? I mean, I think the one manager that probably plays that way and will play that way to the day he dies is Pep Guardiola. He's going to use the tiki-taka possession and try to break you down with having a vast majority of the ball. You know what I mean. He's going to try to wear you out, but then you've got someone like Klopp that came in and he's going to give you the ball and let you have it, but then he's going to counterattack. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:And so it's pretty interesting the different styles of play, and as a coach, you have to understand where your strengths, where your weaknesses, right. So that's why, when you're coaching kids, you want them to give that kind of knowledge of how, hey, we got to change our style, and so the more you know, the better off you are. Sometimes you got to send it a little block, like Mourinho did back in the day, right? You know what I'm saying Park the bus, park the bus and counterattack with that quick player up top. But I think, overall, from a standpoint for player development, for me personally, and I think at the youth level, especially at the younger ages. I think it needs to be a possession style, because then you don't skip out on a player, you don't bypass anybody, where, if you're just looking to win the game which obviously winning is important, but it's not everything you don't want to give up player development for winning at a young age, and so you know, obviously, getting the goalkeeper involved as an extension, building out of the back, you know, trying to share the ball. Everyone's touching the ball, everyone's included in it, and so they're all developing where you know you still see those young teams that are just have a loaded forward with tremendous speed and they're going to bypass their back line and their midfield and they're just going to hit it over the top.
Speaker 2:And you know you're going to win now, but wait until you get on the big field, or it gets real competitive. And you're going to win now, but wait till you get on the big field, or or it gets real competitive, yeah, and then you get the college coaches watching. So at that point it's, it's one of those things where can he check to the bar? Can she check to the ball? You know, can she link up? You know what I mean. So so I think that's important for the youth game. Is that we really got to focus on? On?
Speaker 1:possession at a young age. Thank you for joining us for this stoppage time special of the Pitch to Pro podcast. If you've enjoyed the conversation, you can click watch the full episode here. Be sure to tune in next Thursday for a new episode of the Pitch to Pro podcast. The official podcast of Ozark United FC. No-transcript.