Something You May Not Know about Peter Vermes

It's well known that Peter Vermes, manager and technical director of Sporting Kansas City in MLS, will be inducted into the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame Oct. 11.

Vermes was defender of the year in MLS for the then-Kansas City Wizards in 2000, the same year he and his teammates won MLS Cup.

Vermes made the transition from forward to defender during his career and broke new ground by playing for several European teams at a time -- 1989,

'90, 1991-95 -- when most American players were playing indoor soccer or in lower pro leagues at home.

That all ended in 1996 when MLS started.

Seven years before that, Vermes received a call from Coach John Kowalski to play in the first Futsal World Cup (then called the FIFA World Indoor championships) in Holland for the U.S. National Team.

The U.S. won a bronze medal and the game made an impression on Vermes, who was playing professionally in Hungary at the time.

"That was a great experience for me," said Vermes, who had the distinction of also playing outdoors for the U.S. at the 1990 World Cup in Italy. "You learn so much technically from the game. I think it's a great, great game."

So when Vermes's playing career ended, he helped found what is now United States Youth Futsal. He is still involved to an extent and has his Sporting Academy teams playing futsal every winter.

Vermes is also well acquainted with U.S. Futsal National Team Coach Keith Tozer, who recently agreed to serve as USYF's technical director (see story elsewhere in this newsletter).

The move is a benefit for Tozer, who will get to draw on USYF leagues for the national program, and for USYF, which will profit from his technical expertise and organizational ties.

"I think having been an indoor coach and a coach of the national team, he has the perspective from both and can be a big help in the development of the player," Vermes said. "First and foremost, the close connection Keith has with U.S. Soccer, it gives him a chance to touch all the players, and the pretty good ones can benefit from his expertise."

Vermes will be inducted into the Soccer Hall of Fame during a public ceremony at 2 p.m. Oct. 11 outside Sporting Park in Kansas City. Joe-Max Moore, a New England Revolution and U.S. National Team standout, also will be inducted.

Editor's View: What the Tozer-USYF Partnership Really Means

By David Knopf
Futsal World Editor

It's about a week now since United States Youth Futsal announced that Keith

Tozer, the national team and Milwaukee Wave coach, had agreed to become USYF's first technical advisor.

Rivers will continue to flow in the same direction and Miley Cyrus's latest indiscretion will lead my Yahoo news feed, but it's hard to imagine better news.

Let's begin with what's been discussed most -- what it will mean for the national team program. For now, the answer lies no further than Tozer's newest, most promising USFNT player, Luke Stauffer. 

Stauffer used his own initiative and father's support to attend the first Futsal I.D. Camp Tozer held in California. But it's also true that in addition to being a gifted outdoor player for the U.S. Soccer Development Academy team at Stattuck-St. Mary's, Luke played futsal for his father at an early age and benefited from the USYF experience.

Since that camp, Stauffer played in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament (at age 16), but more importantly scored two decisive goals for the U.S. in its championship win over Poland at the Four Nations Futsal Tournament in England.

And he's just the start. Thanks to his new post as USYF technical director and the division of the U.S. into regions with designated USYF regional directors (more on that later), Tozer will have an almost unlimited, organized pool from which to draw talented players with futsal experience.

These regions will pull players with high aspirations and talent from 59 USYF leagues in almost 30 states, with more being added regularly. Tozer has already conducted a USYF-affiliated Futsal I.D. Camp in Kansas City and has one scheduled Sept. 27-29 in the Akron/Cleveland area and another Oct. 18-20 in Boston. 

The camps are all linked to successful USYF leagues -- KC Futsal in Kansas City, Otto Orf's leagues in the Cleveland area and Jason Miller/Soorena Farboodmanesh's in Massachusetts.

These camps may identify another player or two who, like Luke Stauffer, have the ability to transition immediately to national team consideration, but the long-term vision is to identify talent in six age groups (three boys, three girls) and have them form regional teams. Once the teams are formed and learn the basics of Tozer's system, they'll begin to compete against each other, as well as regional age- and gender-specific teams from the other regions -- Dallas, San Diego and Kansas City.

Eventually, Tozer and National Director Jon Parry say, the regional youth teams will meet in their own national competition with the best players in each age groups being invited to play on youth national teams. Those teams, with the best identified talent from each region assembled in one place, would then become U.S. Soccer-affiliated national teams to compete here and overseas against other national youth teams.

U.S. Soccer will have to sign off on that, but with its inclusion of futsal in the Development Academy's U13/14 program it would seem they'd be interested.

Having youth national futsal teams is a bit down the road, but now that the blueprint's drawn and regional directors identified, things are likely to begin moving sooner rather than later. As Tozer said in an interview with Futsal World, the regional structure could well expand beyond the present five regions to accommodate new USYF leagues and the breadth of a very large country.

The fact that the U.S. is large and therefore more difficult to scout is ultimately good news rather than bad.

The other side of the coin -- one not mentioned quite as readily -- is what Tozer's affiliation means for USYF. For starters, the organization is already a U.S. Soccer affiliate, which ties it to FIFA and an international network of futsal rules, competitions and improvements. And the fact that Tozer is a FIFA Futsal Instructor, the first from the U.S., only strengthens his credentials and the organization's prestige.

Having him involved in player development and coaching education is clearly a huge benefit for USYF, placing what was already a progressive national network of leagues farther ahead of the competition. Ask yourself, if you had a league and wanted to consider affiliation -- even for something as pragmatic as the availability of player, coach and facility insurance -- wouldn't you choose the organization with the U.S. Futsal National Team coach on its staff?

One person who commented on Tozer's affiliation with USYF -- but asked not to be named because of his sensitive position -- put it very directly.

"I think it's a huge announcement for USYF because you've brought on the U.S. National Team coach," he said.

Were this outdoor soccer and Jürgen Klinsmann did something similar, imagine the instant boost it would provide to whatever organization he joined. Same here with Tozer, just on a futsal scale.

Daily newspapers might not immediately get it, but futsal-savvy media such as Soccer America, Futsal-on-Line, Futsal Focus and Futsal Planet immediately grasped the significance of the Tozer-USYF partnership. 

USYF's lucky to have the national team coach, just as Tozer's fortunate to have USYF. It's a good working relationship, and for people who care about the future of futsal in the U.S. -- not to mention the benefits for developing outdoor players --  it is a match made in futsal heaven.

Have a reaction to this story or others? Feel free to write and share your views at davidknopf48@gmail.com.

 

Spanish futsal coach Nacho Garrido shares his youth-development curriculum

     With Keith Tozer now serving as USYF's technical director and putting new emphasis on coaching education and licensing, what better time to share a player-development outline from Nacho Garrido, who lives in Murcia, Spain, and presently coaches in the first division in France.

     Nacho -- his full name is Ignacio Jose Garrido Gallego -- is 42, educated

Nacho Garrido has coached in his native Spain and in France.

as a lawyer and enjoyed a successful playing career with El Pozo Murcia and other professional futsal teams until retiring in 2006. 

     We've edited out the names Nacho uses for the various age groups since they might be confusing to American and Canadian coaches. If there are phrases or terms that are unfamiliar, we suggest you email Nacho and inquire. He is very responsive and will answer your questions.

     We appreciate Nacho's contribution to USYF and its growth as the nation's leading futsal organization, both in player development and coaching education. You can learn more at Nacho's blog (www.nachofutsalcoach.blogspot.com) and contact him by email at nachofutsalcoach@gmail.com.

-- David Knopf, Futsal World Editor, davidknopf48@gmail.com

     This article aims to provide guidance and tools to structure the programming of a futsal school in the various stages, showing in each of them the objectives of work that must be configured.

-- Nacho Garrido

6-7 years

     At this stage we need to focus on psychomotor coordination, using the game as a central driver in training sessions and using exercises where varied abilities and skills have an important role and where the quick movement  take special care on introducing individual technique based on familiarity with the ball, like oculus foot-ball exercises and oculus hand-ball ones, without neglecting cooperative group games and opposition and initiating certain physical practices to develop some specific conditional capacities.
 Learning Objectives
-    1. Improve overall coordination capacities based on the skills and abilities that the player already has.
-    2. Using games based on learning cooperation and opposition, races, jumps, receptions, balances, turns, shoots and combinations thereof.
-    3. Initiate basic coordination futsal skills
-    4. Use exercises based on foot-ball eye coordination, hand-ball oculus: pipes ball, passes, receptions, stops, checks and shots on goal.
-    5.  Compensated developing of every muscle group with exercises based on transport sets, cuadrupedias, fighting games and other age-appropriate systems for gamers and players.
-    6.  Start work at the speed of reaction and gesture with and without the ball.
-    7.  Start work based endurance laps and up to three minutes.
-    8. Maintain the level of flexibility based on joint mobility exercises. 

Conceptual

-      9.  Know the development of the game.
-    10.  Know  some basic rules of futsal
-    11.  Know some sporting habits.

Attitudinal

12.  Interpret the defeat and victory correctly.
13.  Evaluate, accept and promote respect for the opponent, the referee and the public.
14.  Evaluate, accept and promote the sporting habits willingly.
15.  Show a positive attitude and respect for your teammates, the coach and the training proposed.

8-9 years

-    Be familiar with the ball
-    Short pass proficiency
-    Begin to make the following technical performances: hit (skip and auction) for medium distance
-    Ball control and driving
-    Simple dribble
-    Tackles
-    Making sense of group
-    Learn to accept the referee decisions
-    Learn to train with own responsibility

10-11 years

-    General motor speed coordination through games of persecution, relay ...
-    Mastering the pass and control techniques
-    Driving to protect and keep the ball
-    Begin to make the following technical performances: dodge compound
-    Driving speed
-    Constant application of the exercises into the game, lose your marker and supports
-    Learning to share the tasks within the group or team.

12-13 years

-    Start with general resistance training through specific games, flexibility ... (teaching the right moves)
-    Properly perform striking of the ball with toe.
-    Right tactical movements: teaching game systems
-    Types of marking and defense (zonal, mixed, man)
-    Set plays or strategy actions
-    Right occupation of the pitch and creating spaces
-    Offensive and defensive team game
-    Lose the marker to help and to find the space (long)
-    Be aware of the game without the ball

 14-15 years

-   Use with more accuracy and speed all technical performances in game situation
-    Strengthen the specific technique of each position
-    Coordination among the players between the attack and defense
-    Organize team tactics in attack and defense
-    Improve the game without the ball
-    Knowledge of the set plays
-    Big domain of the body in individual disputes
-    Learn to support the rivalry

16-18 years

-    Get the player ready to enter senior-age futsal competition
-    Refinement stage
-    Dominate the defensive aspects of the game for the team (go back, marking, tackle, interception .. etc.) regarding  to the counter-offensive opposition (game system ...)
-    Dominate the 3 phases of the offensive game: beginning, progression and ending in relation to the defensive tactic of the opponent team (type marking, type of withdrawal ....)

USYF Massachusetts Organizer Comments on Summit's Productivity

To the Editor:

The US Youth Futsal summit was not only a terrific opportunity to observe national team exercises and to bond with other futsal leaders, but the meetings and conversations seem to have been incredibly productive.
 
The groundwork laid in Milwaukee will undoubtedly have an enormous impact on the continued growth and success of the sport we are all so passionate about. We are grateful for the leadership of National Director Jon Parry and Technical Director Keith Tozer.
 
The Futsal ID camps scheduled to take place in five cities each year (Kansas City, Cleveland, Boston, Dallas and San Diego) and the subsequent formation of the regional teams to compete at the annual US Youth Futsal Festivals, plus the coaching education program are groundbreaking steps toward advanced player and coach development.
 
We couldn't be more excited to be part of US Youth Futsal, whose focus is uniquely aimed at the growth of the sport.
 
-- Jason Miller
Director, Massachusetts Futsal Association
Director, Eastern Premier Futsal

Editor's note: Jason Miller, back row, left, is pictured with other coaches and league owners attending the USYF Futsal Summit. Also pictured, back, second from left: Otto Orf, Sean Bower, Jon Parry; Front, Soorena Farboodmanesh, Coach Keith Tozer, U.S. Futsal National Goalkeeping Coach Mark Litton.

College Promotes U.S. Futsal National Team Goalkeeping Coach

After two seasons as the volunteer goalkeeper coach for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer team, Mark Litton now has a full-time role on

Mark LItton

coach Kris Kelderman's coaching staff, the university announced in early August.

Litton also is the keeper coach for the Major Indoor Soccer League's Milwaukee Wave and the U.S. Futsal National Team, and also spent eight seasons in the same role for the University of Wisconsin-Parkside men's program.

Litton is a graduate of nearby Racine St. Catherine's High School and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

He joins Kyle Zenoni (Hartland Arrowhead/UW-Milwaukee) as Kelderman's assistants.

"I am excited that Mark is able to work with us on a full-time basis," Kelderman said in a university news release. "Mark was here on a part-time basis the past couple of seasons, so I think this will be great for him to be there every day and every game. It's an exciting opportunity for our team and our goalkeepers."

Litton was an NAIA All-American goalkeeper for Parkside as a senior in 1988 and was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010, and also played for the Wave from 1989 to '94.

"I feel that joining Kris' staff on a full-time basis can only help us become more successful than last season, as it relates to how our goalkeepers will perform," said Litton, who has a U.S. Soccer Federation national "B" coaching license, a USSF national goalkeeping coaching license and an NSCAA goalkeeping Level III coaching diploma.

"I was approached by Kris last year to take on a larger role with our goalkeepers, but unfortunately the timing wasn't right. But this year, the timing is much better, and my goal will be to work full-time with our goalkeepers. The impact will be so much more well received by the team and the individual keepers." 

-- Edited version. Originally reported by Eric Anderson

City Futsal Leader Reflects on Value of USYF Summit

To the Editor:

Manuel Mariel

The 2013 USYF summit was an honor to be a part of and an opportunity for City Futsal to help promote the beautiful game of futsal. 

All the big futsal organizations were there from across the USA, in one place at the same time, trying to figure the best direction and mission to take futsal. 

It is time to take futsal to the next level in the development of youth soccer here in the United States. The summit has given us a better collective direction in terms of everyone being on the same page within each of our organizations.

We think it is important that we as a group have the same ending goal and

that we are able to create a network of futsal organizations across the

country, this will enable us to share ideas, create a U.S. Youth Futsal curriculum

and expose players within a different format where skill and creativity rule

the game.

It was comforting to see that every organization had similar

success stories and even similar problems, so that we could share and help

each organization, making us all stronger together.

Estaban Mariel

Now it is time to roll up our sleeves and get to work, because the next chapter will bring more success stories and more problems for us to solve as team. We consider ourselves pioneers setting the path up for the new generation of US soccer players and hopefully US Futsalers. 

-- Manuel Mariel, manuel@cityfutsal.com

Editor's note: Manuel (top photo) and his twin brother Estaban founded City Futsal in

Dallas in 2011. It is one of the largest of the USYF affiliates with more than 200 teams. The brothers attended the 2013 Futsal Summit and will serve as directors of a region in the newly formed USYF national program under technical director Keith Tozer.

Six Pack of Video Picks

Beautiful long chipped assist by Falcao, the elder statesman of the incredible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzq6XDP8ISk

You like well-produced, dramatic highlights? UEFA satisfies that yearning with musical crescendos, multiple camera angles and splicing that must’ve kept the production unit occupied for two sleepless days. This manages to compress the European futsal championship into a two-minute, 50-second package. Olé.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dfeTfcZOy5k

An important part of futsal is maneuvering in tight spaces and, when boxed in, beating a defender 1v1. That’s where a useful trick comes in handy. Try this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndCKzSw5HOc&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PL2WDT5eTbbEaZP_7K6ToD1N2LsLPhl44e

Thanks to USYF videographer John Hassis for finding this gem. A goalie in the Spanish futsal league scores a nice goal after juking an opponent (with the ball still in his hands in the penalty area), exploiting an advantage in numbers and opening up to beat the opposing keeper from distance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WtvjPopBYQQ

Highlights from the 2013 Intercontinental Futsal Cup finals match between Dinamo (Russia) and Carlos Barbosa of Brazil. The tournament was held in the United States for the first time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxD6jvwzcGc

 

An excellent introduction to the game produced by UEFA. Interviews from European players and a coach packaged with game footage … a good link to forward to those who are unfamiliar with futsal – outdoor coaches, administrators, newspaper reporters etc.

http://www.uefa.com/trainingground/spotlight/video/videoid=1954761.html?autoplay=true#latest