u/Last_Commission6982

This season was full of great performances by some great players. I recently made a post about Ballon d'or favorites for this season, and while I think it should go to Harry Kane, I wouldn't be surprised if they gave it to a Spanish player (likley Yamal or Rodri), but there's still time, so we'll see.

However, I wanted to make a post centered around early predictions for next season. With it being a World Cup year this last season, there is a lot more that goes into the winner this year, but next season is back to club football only. I do think Real Madrid or PSG will be the standout teams of the season and thus will likely have a Ballon d'or winner from one of those two clubs. My personal prediction is Mbappe winning his first Ballon d'or and being the standout player of 2027.

What are your opinions ? Who do you think might be the best player next season ? Who's even a dark horse for you that you think has a chance ? Would love to hear your opinion below.

I think it's pretty difficult to argue against the Premier League being the best league in the world, but I do think there's a ton of room for discussion when it comes to the second best league. I definitely think La Liga has the strongest case for being the second best, but I wanted to open up a discussion to other opinions too. Also, let's say your answer is La Liga, you can also give your opinion for the third best league as I believe that's where it really starts to open up to different opinions.

What do you think is the second best league in the world, and why ? If your answer is La Liga, I'd love to hear your opinion on the third best league in the world too. Feel free to share your opinions in the comments below.

I made a post earlier talking about Real Madrid's strong transfer window and gave my own opinion on them having the best transfer window so far, but I'm curious what others think. I wanted to open this post up to a discussion surrounding the European clubs who have excelled so far in this market and why they've done so well.

Who do you think has had the best transfer window so far, and why ? Also, do you still see any big signings happening ? and who (plus where do you think they'll go) ? Feel free to share your opinions below !

Throughout my time playing, there were certain periods where I made the biggest jumps / improvements. These periods all had one thing in common... consistent, focused time with a private trainer who was invested in my success.

When you train on your own, with other teammates, or even with your team, you are going to 100% make huge improvements. You will get tons of reps, you will learn how to fill your role on a team, and you will improve. However, when you work with a private trainer, they're able to help diagnose issues with things like technique, how you're approaching certain aspects of the game, how you could standout more on the pitch, and so much more. These are things that you just can't get from your academy or club coach, or even your other teammates.

It's through this focused time that you're able to learn how to approach situations with a focus on quality above all else. What I'm trying to say here is that it's not about necessarily getting 100 reps in of a certain movement or technique, it's about learning how to effectively conduct that movement or technique in a much smaller rep range. 10 reps of the right technique will always outshine 100 lazy reps or just 100 reps in general which aren't producing the right technique. Private trainers are able to spend this extra, focused time with you so that you can actually see where you're struggling and take actionable steps to fix those issues.

It doesn't even necessarily have to be private sports trainers, it can also be weightlifting trainers, health coaches, running coaches, etc... the point is that this extra coaching will give you a much stronger chance at diagnosing the real issues you're likely facing with actionable goals and steps to fix them. That's the role of an effective private trainer. They're able to figure out where you're struggling, why you're struggling, and give you genuine guidance to manage and solve these problems.

I do understand that private trainers can be expensive and it is a luxury service for sure, but there is so much value in the right trainer if you can find them. I always recommend working with one, if possible.

I wanted to write a post talking about how important your teammates are in your own success while also touching on the greater theme that your environment determines so much of who you are and who you become.

When it comes to the teams you're on, especially at a younger age, your teammates are a big part of your soccer development. Yes, there are so many other things that go into your development such as your coaching, the team you're on, the city you're in and how big soccer is in the area, and even your parents. There are so many factors that go into it, but I want this point to touch specifically on your teammates as I think it's one of the most important factors in your success as you develop at a young age. To be honest, this also translates to when you're a teen and when you're an adult. Who you hang around is a large determinant of your success in whatever your industry is, soccer included.

The example I always give for my own journey through soccer conveniently started in my first ever game. It's where I met a player who is still my best friend today and someone I played thousands of hours of soccer with. I attribute so much of my success and my development to this person and he is the teammate I've also played the most with throughout my life. I have had several other teammates throughout my career who also pushed me to become a better player, and on the flip side teammates who just wanted to have fun and pushed me down a path towards the opposite side of things, but the point is that your teammates really determine so much of your development.

If you hang around teammates who live and breathe the sport, you will get better and you will likely find significantly more opportunities. If you hang around teammates who don't really invest too much into the sport and would rather do other things, you will likely follow the same suit. I can't emphasize enough just how important it is to be around other players who want big things out of the sport and have large goals and ambitions, especially in a country like the US where you really do need to go the extra mile to get high quality opportunities.

I want this post to be an opportunity for those who are a bit older to give advice to their younger self (which in itself is advice for the younger generations). With everything you know now, what advice would you give to your younger self ?

To answer this question myself, I would emphasize the importance of your environment. You really don't realize it when you're younger because so much is going on and you're only really focused on yourself the majority of the time, but the environment you spend the most time in is largely responsible for who you become and how you navigate your path. In terms of soccer, I had the right priorities for a few years (15-19), but just as those priorities grew into real opportunities (19-21), I started to hang around people who weren't really concerned with going pro. I started to put off my sport to go out and pursue unfulfilling, cheap pleasures. I stopped putting in all the effort that opened those doors in the first place. If I could give advice to my younger self, I would emphasize just how important it is to stay around the people who wanted the same things as he did, and stay away from things he knew were negatively impacting his vision and his goals.

I could go into a lot more detail when it comes to the above, but I want to make this more of a conversational post down below. Feel free to share your own advice and thoughts. I'm curious what others think based on their own experiences.

I've been thinking about this question recently as one of my athletes is currently going through a tough time with his high school coaches. He's an MLS Next 2 player with great technical ability and amazing work ethic (He lives and breathes soccer and is the hardest working player I know), but his high school coaches don't seem to give him the opportunities he feels he deserves. He's about to send out an email to both the JV and Varsity coach essentially asking them what he needs to do to get more opportunities, why he isn't getting many opportunities, and what he needs to work on. He's going into his Sophomore year and our collective goal is to get him to D1. High school isn't an important part in the grand schemes of things when it comes to reaching that goal, but anyone who's played high school understands just how great it can be not just competitively, but also socially. He's a great player and I want to see him have a great high school experience.

He has also had several conversations with the coaches already (He had a few positive conversations with them in his freshmen year), so it seems like this is becoming an increasingly uphill battle for him. From what I've heard, the coaches also consistently give opportunities to players they know from local clubs who don't work super hard and don't perform at a high level. I can understand his frustration, but wanted to put this in the subreddit to see what others think. Also, I want to clarify that I do not know the full story or situation since I'm not a part of the high school and I don't watch or see the games / trainings. I am purely going off of what the player is telling me, but regardless the question still applies... how do you handle hard conversations with coaches ? You can answer this as a parent, as a player, or even a coach. I've given him my own advice and have had plenty of tough conversations with coaches over my own career, but I'm curious how others approach this. Feel free to give your own advice relative to the athlete as well as just general advice you follow yourself.

With the World Cup officially concluding with Spain's 1-0 win over Argentina, it's now time to look back and reflect on the tournament. I personally think there was some great football played and tons of high level, exciting matches, but I was disappointed with a lot of the refereeing and even the final itself. Spain were the deserved winners, but it was clear only 1 team really deserved to be in that final and the football showed that.

To give some of my own opinions, my favorite match of the tournament was England 3-2 Mexico. My player of the tournament was Rodri. I think the young player who also really made a name for himself was Gilbert Mora on Mexico... youngest World Cup player since Pele, and he put on some solid performances.

What were your thoughts on the final ? What were your thoughts on the tournament itself ? Who was your player of the tournament ? Who do you think was the young player who really made a name for himself ? etc.

I wanted to make a post about communication and how important it is in the success of your athletic career. Communication can mean so many things, but the point of this post is to address both on the field communication and off the field communication, and the importance of each.

When it comes to on the field communication, this is one of the most certain ways for you to standout out on the pitch. Yes, your ability needs to still be high, but there is something about players who are able to both play and communicate at a high level. How you communicate on the pitch often dictates how you lead off of it. If you set high standards for yourself and your teammates in high pressure environments, you are likely doing the same when you're not playing. When you're uplifting, organized, and efficient with your communication, any coach, trainer, or teammate is going to recognize the value that you bring to the squad, and potentially the value you can bring to their squad, if you're getting recruited.

When it comes to off the field communication, this is where you really are able to differentiate yourself from your competition. Off the field communication is how you spread your name and put yourself in rooms you may not even be ready for, but we rarely ever are so don't let that hold you back. Off the field communication involves things like networking, building out personalized outreach to club / college staff members, and essentially any form of contact to get yourself in front of the right people. Being able to find the right clubs / colleges, get yourself in front of the right people / staff members at these organizations, and get genuine trials and offers is a learned skillset, but one that is so essential in your growth as an athlete.

I'm going to build out 2 separate posts going into more detail for both of these, but the next post will break down off the field communication as I believe it is so important for your success. There are so many great players who never get noticed because they just don't know how to put themselves out there or what to do.

With the last 2 games before the final set to start tomorrow, what are your final predictions for the Semi's ?

I think England and France will make the final, but I expect 2 great games nonetheless. France - Spain will in my opinion be the standout Semi's game, but I still expect the England - Argentina game to be a great one.

My score predictions are:

France - Spain: 3-2

England - Argentina: 3-1

What are your thoughts ? Who do you think is going to make the final ? What are your own score predictions ?