In this insightful episode, Gary Kleiban and Benny Rogers tackle the intricacies of pro player development in the United States. Starting with a listener question on coaching U9 girls using the 3four3 methodology, they emphasize treating young players with the same foundational principles as older groups focusing on possession, structure, and adaptation across formats like 7v7 or 9v9. The conversation shifts to the pro pipeline: what it takes to become a professional, from early athleticism and technique honed outside team environments to mentality and discipline in adolescence.

Gary shares real-world examples from their academy days, highlighting how players like Efrain Alvarez stood out due to innate skills developed through pickup play and family influence. They debunk myths about “letting kids play” without structure and stress the need for competition, humility, and paranoia about being displaced to achieve career longevity drawing parallels to legends like Messi and testimonials from pros like Oscar Ruggeri.

The episode critiques the recreational nature of much of American soccer, even in top leagues like MLS Next and ECNL, and explores external factors like training compensation, MLS ownership, and pathways via USL or overseas moves. With success stories of coaches winning state championships using 3four3 frameworks and a teaser on a “Drake Equation” for pro odds, this is essential listening for coaches at 343coaching.com and parents at 343masterclass.com aiming to build dominant, pro-ready players.

00:00 Intro

03:06 Question from a Longtime Member on Methodology

05:30 Adapting the Framework for Different Formats

07:42 Sub: When to Do More Advanced Things?

08:24 Starting from Ground Zero with New Teams

11:02 Success Stories and Testimonials

14:04 Methodology at the Pro Level

14:43 Sub: Discerning Quality Coaches at the Professional Level

20:01 Youth Coaches Should Post More Videos of Their Teams

23:12 Signs of a Top Practitioner

25:10 The Use of AI

28:15 The True Pathway to Becoming a Pro Player

29:48 Sub: How Much Athelticism in Needed?

32:03 Sub: How Much Technique and By When?

36:48 Sub: Efrain Alvarez and Working Outside the Team

38:55 Sub: How Much Mentality and Discipline at Youth Level?

41:04 Sub: Mentality Development of Youth Overseas

43:42 How Important is Competition?

44:56 Recreational vs. Competitive Soccer

48:10 What if Brian Had a Different Group of Players?

49:54 The Drake Equation

53:04 Once You Become a Pro, Now What Happens?

55:30 Sub: Oscar Ruggeri Testimonial

01:02:33 External Factors – An MLS Example

01:04:47 Sub: Overseas vs USL vs MLS

01:06:42 When Does MLS “Own You”?

Premium Education for either Coaches or Parents

If you are a coach or a parent of a player, we’ve also codified and made available the remarkable work of a coach who trained and shepherded many, many players from the age of 9 all the way to graduating them to being professionals.

The products that show you how this was done, is what sponsors this episode.

Get aboard a proven path, a legitimately proven path, not something copied or synthesized from elsewhere, or worse. No, but rather a first hand account and curriculum directly from the source, from the practitioners themselves, whose work is unprecedented in the American soccer environment.

For Coaches

Learn the methodology at 343coaching.com.

If you’re coaching 7v7, we’ve got you covered at 7v7coaching.com.

For Parents

You don’t have to be lost and confused.

Learn to properly guide and develop your kid through the maze and pitfalls that is American soccer (from the folks who have actually done it).

Gain access at 343masterclass.com.

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