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Hey Huffy -- U.S. U17 MNT parts ways with coach Wilmer Cabrera?

Chris Harmon

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Aug 15, 2002
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Huffy, what is the significance of this? I don't know anything about Cabrera, but I was under the impression that our U-17 teams have been really good.

The report on USsoccer.com says they mutually agreed to part ways.
 
I'll make some phone calls if it is important to you. My initial impression is this:

1. Klinsmann is just rounding out his staff and the U17 cycle is coming to a close next month iirc, so it makes sense to let him go now.

2. Cabrera is a Colombian and a player on their national team in his day. His background is in youth development in Hispanic neighborhoods. Back during the period when MLS didnt have academy requirements, he was kinda the head scout of Hispanic youth talent for MLS. Later, he did marketing for MLS in the Hispanic community iirc, before going to work for US Soccer/Bunker Bob. Im not sure that's the direction the team is going and if it is, whether his efforts are still needed.

3. The USA will be better off. True, the U17s had some success, but in some ways it was an illusion. Cabrera didnt always play against the most talented teams and the most talented teams didnt always have players from the huge club's academies when they did play the USA.

Cabrera emphasized the superior athletic training of youth in the USA and his tactics were built around exploiting that. Guys like Jozy looked all world from ages 15 to 19, because they had the speed and muscle to create space and the method of advancing the ball was designed to exploit that into counterattack chances or 1 v 1 breakway situations. Indeed, Jozy's best moments in South Africa were exactly those situations. However, once the other world players matured, they had gained technical ability, creativity, and other intangibles that the US players werent getting at the high school and college levels, nor was Cabrera doing anything to augment that deficit or select players that did possess those qualities. Indeed, the USA has maybe 3 or 4 players of international quality that can possess the ball, face a defender, break him down, and move the ball into space or pass forward. That's just unacceptable and Cabrera wasnt doing anything to help.

4. Similarly, his offensive system was completely different from the 4-3-3 of Rongen and the Bunker Ball of the senior team. His players won games, but when it came time to make the U23 or senior roster, most of those guys faded away because they didnt have the skill set. Klinsmann wants all the teams to play the same system, which makes sense especially for Americans, where high school throwball coaches in places like Oklahoma and Texas install their offenses on Pop Warner teams all the time now.

Candidly, I was never a fan. I was a much bigger fan of Rongen who I thought taught them some tactics and wasnt afraid to press forward on the attack.

I tend to look at the midfield and think the game is won or lost there because that's where I played and where most of the possession (and change thereof) takes place. Cabrera consistently had guys that would misplay passes and/or receive passes in such a way that their strength on the ball, their vision, and/or their outlet options were dramatically diminished. Either he was teaching them wrong or he wasnt correcting the errors, but they were basic mistakes that a decent U16 coach in Oklahoma in 1985 could identify. I know because I was coached against the same mistakes. I would think someone at the top flight these days could see them too. But for whatever reason, the problems continued. Subtle problems to fans, but obvious things to players. Learning to get comfortable taking the ball on the instep, rather than the outside of the foot. His players were taking passes consistently on the outside of their foot, which resulted in the players head down and options limited, rather than upright and facing forward up field which is natural if you use your instep. The split second necessary to recover and possess the ball with balance after using the outside of your foot is all top flight players need to contest possession and force a turnover or take the ball and streak to the pipes. (Bornstein was guilt of this a lot too, btw) Learning to volley and one touch off the side of the foot and heel in traffic. Not trapping your best leg when trying to crossover -- and that's just basics for offensive possession. Im not talking about all the misalignments, lack of recognition, and other issues on defense in the midfield. Some of it can be blamed on the lack of time to train together, but there were too many individual mistakes to blame lack of training.

The good news is that we are LOADED with talent and it is only going to get better as the USA moves away from community based youth development with short stints in national camps in Bradenton/residency program to a more regimented academy system with experienced coaching from overseas along with the usual cadre of Europe based youth players. Get ready. The 2018 and 2022 teams are gonna shock the world - 2002 style and without the German sons of US Armed Services personnel. 2014. Meh, prolly not so much. Not a lot of hope there, as I see it now unless Donovan retires and there are wholesale changes in personnel and tactics. The US is rebuilding and the Klinsmann experiment may just prove to be just that.
This post was edited on 1/3 3:13 PM by HuffyCane
 
Incredible stuff, Huffy! You brought back so many memories...some of that stuff came instinctively, but I remember learning much of that stuff in classic, premier and high school.

You have a ridiculous knowledge of the US MNT program...awesome! Thanks for the detailed response.
 
Huffy, did you coach here in Oklahoma and if so where did you coach and during what time?
 
Left TU in the early 90s. Coached U18 girls in Tulsa and Bartlesville for a few seasons in the mid 90s. Volunteered with some U16 state cup boys teams in FL but never gave any serious thought to it. Some people are born to coach and that's not me. Manage, yes. Coach? No. I was too scrappy as a player. As a coach I expected my players to either do what I said or bust their butt to make up for their short comings like I did. When I didnt see either it sent me into a quiet rage. So I gave that up quickly. I was fortunate to have great youth coaches. Guys that played for Sunderland and in Norway. In early 80s America that's almost absurd. Id like to be able to give back to the young players like that, but it just wasn't me. I still stay in contact with friends and former colleagues that coach, worked for ussf/MLS, etc. I have made respect for them and anybody that coaches college sports. Can you imagine having your own kids in college and you making your house payment depending on some 18 year old you've known a few months doing what you told him to do. Jeez. Talk about stress.
This post was edited on 1/4 3:24 PM by HuffyCane
 
Sorry for the delay. I've been off the boards for a few days -- my niece was killed by a drunk driver.

You've got mail now.
 
OMG i am soo sorry to hear that..... i just sent yoiu an email back. no worries about responding quickly.
 
Cabrera is named an assistant with the Colorado Rapids. Thats only interesting because he played on the Colombian national team with Colorado's head coach and gave him a job as an assistant on the U-17 squad for a year.

Always treat your employees well. Bottom rung may be on top of the ladder in the morning.
 
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