"the association's storied player development and identification programs" ?????

Wow. I don't even know what to say to that.

On other fronts, wasn't part of the sticking point in hiring Klinnsman, his desire to control aspects of the youth system? I thought I heard that somewhere. So Ellinger is the answer? Weird.

Honestly, I don't know much about Ellinger, so I can't say whether this move sucks or not.

But I think it's safe to say that I'm skeptical (at the very least) of US Soccer's decision making.

Wow. This is just the latest example of how soccer coaches in this country are nothing more than a good old boys' network.

Anyone who drafted Nik Besagno first overall should be barred from the industry for life.

That he and Andrulis are still working in soccer is just laughable...

Drafting Nik Besagno is no worse than drafting Jason Moore.

Ellinger was good at the youth level, crap at the pro level. It's good that he's going back to hospital, er, the youth ranks.

"Honestly, I don't know much about Ellinger, so I can't say whether this move sucks or not."

Oh, don't worry, I'm sure that there are plenty in your position that will offer us their opinions! I, like you, have no idea.

US Youth Soccer is not a part US Soccer Federation.

When there were rumors about Sunil interviewing Houllier about overseeing technical development of youth, it's not the same thing as USYS.

edit: i didn't mean they're not "part of USSF", because they are a member, but it's a different organization.

OUCH.

This sets youth development back another decade. What next? Replace Bob Bradley with Thomas Rongen and then put Sigi Schmid in charge of the U-20s?

Musical chairs.

Just when you thought US soccer was ready to go in a new direction...

I just hope that if I screw up as badly in my line of work that I can get a new gig as easily as those who previously made a hash of things: Clavijo, Ellinger, Rongen, Andrulis come to mind off the top of my head. What happened to Dave Dir not to get another major coaching gig? If those guys could, he should as well.

Is it just me, or does that job description sound like it came out of the Dilbert "Job Description Generator"?

Do coaches make good technical directors? Isn't the purpose of a technical director to take care of the administrative and structural side of the organization allowing the coach to coach. Are technical directors usually ex-coaches? I am thinking of people like Charlie Casserly or Dave Kasper who did/do a good job managing the organization and allowing the coach to focus on the team.

Elligner was a good youth coach and a poor professional coach. From my outside view it seemed like one of his main problems at RSL was the administrative and structural side of being a professional coach. I could be wrong but this does not seem like a good decision at all on the part of the USSF.

Can we start developing new, fresh minds here? This is like when NBA teams used to trot out retreads like Gene Shue.

Wasn't Sunil looking for a USSF technical director, and wasn't he interviewing non-US talent for this position?

So my pet theory is that the good-ol-boy soccer network is scrambling like mad to fill all of the positions that this new technical director might try to influence with those who are of the old school...Ellinger, Hackworth...

If they cared about the women's game, Ryan would probably have been named their technical director.

Anyway, that's the theory.

Sounds like a job for.... Pepper Rodgers!

*sigh*

At least it's not Steve Sampson and the attack-minded 3-6-1.

Has anyone looked into Pat's comments? I think he's right, and we're getting all worked up over a fairly small issue.

i'd like to add this to our headlines, but its musical chairs in us soccer like the poster above said.... sad

Has anyone looked into Pat's comments? I think he's right, and we're getting all worked up over a fairly small issue.

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He's right, as far as USYS being different than USSF, but US Youth Soccer is the largest youth soccer organization in the country and the largest member of the USSF and there is a lot of overlap there.

Maybe, but it seems like all the breathless comments about setting development back a decade seem pretty over the top, considering Ellinger is not running US Soccer's development programs. It doesn't look to me like he's got control of the U-17s (where he was at least visibly better than Hackworth, damning with faint praise though that may be), the Development Academy, or maybe even the ODP they're hoping goes the way of the dodo.

(Besides, this is a classic cognitive failure anyway. People are knee-jerk-quick to toss around the accusations about a coaching merry-go-'round mostly because they retch at any coach whose name they've heard before.)

"3 million youth players and 300,000 youth coaches"

He'll be running clinics and creating powerpoints. This has absolutely nothing to do with the US National Team or the future of US Soccer.

The problem with the position from my point of view isn't so much the effect of Ellinger, as the signal that those in charge of USYS (and holding a lot of influence at USSF) still don't get it in regard to the failure of the good old boy network and the need for new ideas and new blood in setting policy and priorities at the top of the food chain.

Now I'm also someone who believes that the state of the game in the US has very little to do with USSF direction, but the state of the national teams, especially the youth national teams, and the degree to which kids outside of the suburban club system feel a part of US soccer (and how they'll support it in the coming years), well in that that they have a great deal of influence.

Anyone else get the D.C. United Stadium Survey email today?

While I live in Loudoun, I listed the District as my preferred sites. Please do the same.

Goff, how about that game tonight? I'm sitting here useless at working checking for updates every 10 minutes...yeah, slow day 'round these parts.

This is probably a good appointment. Here's my thinking.

1. The position (as I understand it) calls for efforts to upgrade and make instructional philosophy consistent. Now I was never that impressed by Ellinger's tactics at the U17 level. But this is a guy who played a key role in a major USSF program (Bradenton residency) that he was there from the git-go (so did a lot organizationally). He's also familiar with USSF's efforts to have consistent approaches in licensing and the feeder programs for the NT. He's a former pro assistant (Columbus), coach (RSL) and USSF coach (U20 assistant and U17 NT). He's also a former grade school teacher.

None of that means he'll be brilliant. But this job calls for someone who has both instructional background, soccer background (as a coach or player) and good organizational or system skills (b/c it's about not only running clinics but getting hundreds of other coaches to implement particular approaches). Being a tactical wizard or a gifted hands-on teacher is probably less important in this role than being organized, working with details, being able to delegate. My sense is that Ellinger isn't bad at those things and is probably good at them.

2. He's not a good pro coach. Tactically he's weak. But you can conclude that Andrulis isn't good enough to be a good pro coach and yet still agree he's a positive addition to GMU (where at the college level he's fine). Sampson may do a terrible job at man management or fitting tactics to players but he did a good job drafting Uhemelu and Ngwenya. Just cuz a guy isn't cut out to be a head coach doesn't mean he can't contribute at a lower level or in some other way.

Typically, USSF has discarded guys who failed at the WC level. Gansler, Perez were regarded as failures and wandered in the wilderness for long periods with others in US soccer treating them as persona non grata. What a waste. You can conclude you don't like Gansler's approach to soccer tactically or he's not a great NT coach yet also agree he learned some lessons that we can tap into. I think the same of Ellinger.

did freddy score another goal for benfica yesterday?

abusamra: Yes.

Where is the gameday update!?!?!!?!

The same security that enforces this week's closed practices must've nabbed Goff and stuck him in an empty Gatorade cooler so as to prevent further updates....

Let's not get our knickers in a bunch over this appointment.

US Youth Soccer is a largest youth soccer (sports for that matter) organization in the US (maybe world) and this appointment is an attempt to do two things...keep USYS position in the top spot while telling the federales that their creation of a new youth development program isn't going to occur without a response. Hiring the guy who ran the U17 academy and arguably had the most success of those who led the program is probably designed to send a loud message.

This won't solve or make worse any of the current youth problems. What will is Sunil and company deciding to talk to those who work at the grassroots level (state assoc. personnel and quality club coaches) who work with kids and volunteer coaches on a daily basis.

Now as for tonight's game...DC takes it by a couple!

We're doomed.