Cougar FC

Soccer coach
My philosophy principles - Respect, Trust, & Honor.

I place the player at the center of development meeting her/him needs/expectations and raising their level within four main pillars - Technical; Tactical; Social & Psychological.

05/31/2026

How did we arrive here…? Lots of work, discipline, organization, and yes “box drills” over and over and over again…

Plenty of good actions today, they have learned to create spaces, manage the width of the field well, press high and relentlessly during transitions.

We have one more game to finish our year… what an incredible journey, year, experience. So happy for them, proud of their efforts and growth!!!

“I got you… you got me… we got us…”
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05/22/2026

Youth soccer coach problem: - Stopping and dealing with blame shifting.

A very common, and uncomfortable conversation to have, especially when dealing with youth players entering a growth phase where social and emotional characteristics begin to take a major role in their development as people and yes as soccer players.

After some research, looking for better ways to have this type of conversation which has started to show a bit more lately, I have broken it down in a three step conversation you can have with the player. A problem solving pyramid for when things go wrong and players start blame shifting.

1. Focus on what you can control rather than excuses. This is your foundation so make sure you recognize the action (problem) and act quick. The “WE” should be important. One cannot point a finger to another without looking for solutions beforehand. Finger pointing is an excuse, and on the field problems get solved with solutions that are inclusive of the team.

2. Ownership first and above all. The core of the conversation that helps balance your structure. Take responsibility for your own actions, teach them commitment and accountability. We can’t HELP solve problems if we are not willing to look at our own actions first. SOLUTIONS in a team environment should be INCLUSIVE.

3. The best part - have the team reset their mind and get back to work. What is the next play, can WE do better. Always reward the effort, noticed and praise the common goal actions, and DEMAND to work together.

My goal is to find how I can improve at being a better coach today compared to yesterday, and better yet how I can do/be better tomorrow as opposed to today. I will make (I have) mistakes, but my players, the respect I have for them forces me to try and be better, is that simple!

05/11/2026

Weekend update -

We battled this weekend between injuries, weather, and long distance travels; the team started on good form, but could not keep up. We were outmatched on second half. We look for answers now, self reflect on how I coached, what was missing, and how I can help the team moving forward. Based on what we saw we will work on reinforcing our ideas, game model, and identity.

We felt it, I saw it in their expressions - the frustration, the need to be upset, BUT that showed me they are champions, they are winners and possess an incredible competitive spirit. When I asked what/where we do/go from here the answers were unanimous “we move on, we learn from what happened and fix it, we work harder, better on the field communication, more and better passes, switches…” the list of positives went on.

This is where the true growth happens, winning is amazing but moments like this are needed to balance us out, and to force us to grow and improve.

Tears were present, but so was determination. A hard moment for me as their coach, but also one of the proudest ones because I know I coach the best team, I am coaching strong will young ladies that will continue to work hard as they continue their journey.

I GOT YOU.. YOU GOT ME.. WE GOT US…. (this is always)
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05/04/2026

Updates—
AFC Roma girls (2014 team) worked hard over the last two weeks to fix moments within the game I wanted to see more often. Concepts such switch of play, attacking through the wings/wide channels, and crosses into the box to find chances to score were reviewed and trained.

Game was tight and we could not unlock it during first half; we adjusted and started findings ways to get into positive spaces. Ball movement, switch of play, and crosses from the wings were present. What we set out to accomplish we did! The result was just an extra ✅…

In my opinion, the moments we wanted to achieved were present, not as much as I would want to so we will continue to work to get better at it.

Coaching this group has been an incredible journey, we work hard, hold each other accountable, set high standards together, and we have an incredible time along with some laughs…

I got you, you got me, we got us…
⚒️

05/02/2026

Follow up post - match report

I believe that having a clear message, a positive mentality, honest intentions to provide support, learn, and get better at what you do are important traits when/if you choose to coach athletes.

It was a test this morning to get in front of players you know nothing about, names as a starting point, talk about getting a system in place to remember names quick 😳… the next test is your persuasion, voice tone, and eye contact, always eye contact when you talk to them.

Overall I think we all had a good experience, the win was the extra reward, the aim was to help/teach them how to manage situations that will provide the best outcome/solution; a positive experience for all of us to learn something new. Now onto the next one…

Always great to use products to keep my ideas, thoughts, and reflections organized. I hope I can help the coaching community by sharing my ideas, journey, and thoughts…

05/01/2026

Crazy weekend ahead… three games, three different age groups this weekend.

One of the best part of my current soccer journey/environment is the opportunities to guest coach and help out my fellow coaches.

Aside from my two games this weekend with my 2015 girls and my 2014 Roma girls, I get a chance at guest coach one of our U15 boys team.

It’s been a long time since I coached a boys team, yes intimidating a little but excited for this challenge. I don’t know these boys, so it is very important to prepared, have a plan, and communicate it to them in a clear manner. The main objective is to be able to provide a good experience; I aim to provide support, guide and help them find success.

Embrace the challenges, the opportunities to learn, to get better at what you are doing, and be humbled for the chances you receive to help one another in this life! What an opportunity to give back!!
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04/28/2026

Wide channels and overlapping runs.

That’s the focus for the next two weeks. We still need more work in these aspects in order to take advantage of all the space we create when we switch the play, which we have gotten good at, and now we just need to tie in this concept of creating separations between attacking wingers and defenders in the final third.

The idea is to prepare them for next fall season when my young team moves to the big 11 v 11 format and field/space. It’s always improvements, work At development and getting the players ready.

04/24/2026

My process…

I have adopted a pregame ritual this spring season. I found this notebook from that helps me prepare a game plan and topics I want to discuss prior a game. My talking is really no more than 1-2 minutes, it’s quick reminders and commands I feel could help my players stay focused and engaged during the main four moments of game.

This weekend’s game will be different since we did not have training session this week, so I had to really dig and get a few ideas on paper, of course come Sunday’s pregame talk this will be much simplified. The idea is to prepare yourself, and make sure you are at your best version of yourself for gameday; energy is contagious and you, as the leader (coach), transmit it towards your players. If you are ready and calm, they will be as well. If you are full of trust, they will be as well.

Truth is I give everything and more for them, always had and always will because I love doing this coaching thing. This journey is incredible if you accept the challenges it brings.

I got you… you got me, we got us…

04/20/2026

Late weekly post since the day job got in the way… 🤦🏻‍♂️

Last weekend we played our fourth game of spring league. Many things were not organized starting with me. Self assessment was done, studied game film and got to work on reinforcing our team identity, our discipline and organization even when things and events don’t go the way we planned.

Coaching, leading a group of youth soccer players is constant work, after our training sessions we talked about who we are as a team and what needs to continue working if we want to maintain a certain level. These girls get it, they held me accountable when I need to be, and I appreciate their effort, their critiques, and their willingness to continue working hard.

As a coach, humility should be a key element for me, also clarity with your message, your work, and your requests.
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Address

Drums, PA

Telephone

+15705781392

Website

http://www.cougarfc.org/

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