Revolution need more technical players in the midfield

When I was a youth coach my primary goal was to develop all players as midfielders, knowing full well that most of them were going to end up in different positions more appropriate to their abilities. I felt strongly, however, that midfield training would help all immensely, because when any player at any position has the ball, even for an instant, s/he is the quarterback, or the decision-maker. What s/he decides to do, no matter where s/he is on the field, can in turn decide the outcome of a game. Because midfield instruction emphasizes technical expertise, tactical awareness (vision), and overall strategic savvy, I felt that this was the best way to develop players. (And it worked – on one nationally competitive girls’ club team I coached from the age of ten up, 9 of the players went off and got put at center midfield on their high school teams, though they might be fullbacks, centerbacks, or wings on our team). The more skillful and savvy decision-makers you have on your team the more good decisions they will make, thereby giving your team a better chance to win. Appropriate player technical development will also lend a team more variety in its approach to the game.

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