This past week in São Paulo, I had the privilege of visiting the storied futsal programs of São Paulo FC, Santos FC, and SE Palmeiras. At each club, futsal is trained at the younger ages instead of soccer. It's widely accepted among the top clubs in Brazil that futsal promotes development better than soccer. Based... Continue Reading →

The Urban Dictionary describes the word sick as crazy, cool, insane, awesome, hot, fabulous, great. And by that definition, Santos FC's futsal program located at Vila Belmiro on Rua Princesa Isabel in the coastal city of Santos, may be the sickest place on the planet. The Black Plague, the Influenza Epidemic of 1918, and Woody... Continue Reading →

United Futsal's annual Top 12 tour unites aspiring international players with coaches from FC Barcelona's youth program each Spring in Catalonia. Led by Xavi Closas, head coach of Barça Lassa B, the camp also allows visiting coaches to directly access the philosophy and ideas of the famous academy. Most of these ideas are taught through... Continue Reading →

In the US, the question, "Does futsal really improve soccer abilities?" is still asked by many if not most coaches. For those in the futsal community the query is right up there with "Do you need ice cream to make a milkshake?" Replying with evidence of Neymar youth videos, Pelé quotes, and five World Cup trophies, convinces... Continue Reading →

This summer my sons accompanied City Futsal on their highly regarded annual trip to Santos to train with the famed Santos FC program. Recent Santos alumi include Neymar, Gabriel Barbosa, and Rodrygo. Jose Barata generously provided his thoughts on futsal's influence on Brazilian football. He also spoke to the differences between Brazilian and American futsal. BULLDOGS: Barata,... Continue Reading →

Over the years, I've heard numerous coaches say some version of "If you want to dribble like Pelé, you need to practice more on your own." Ronaldinho and Neymar find their way into that sentence as well. Coaches and players in the US have been fascinated by Brazilians' ability to manipulate the ball for decades... Continue Reading →

In the 1980's Bill Walsh famously devised the West Coast offense. Through short, high percentage passes, the 49ers maintained possession, marched down the field, and ate time off the clock. In true copycat form within a decade most NFL teams employed a similar style. More recently the Golden State Warriors' motion offense with its reliance... Continue Reading →

With the knowledge a coach picks up over the years, it's easy to become possessive and not want to share. Competitive sports by their nature involve winning, so why not keep one's "secrets" to oneself? But for most of us, there's a profound desire to see quality futsal played throughout the US. And if you... Continue Reading →

Our original u8 group of Bulldogs "pups" included a talented, younger player that raised eyebrows even as a 6-year-old. His ability to manipulate the ball in tight spaces and come up with creative solutions was evident from the start. Predicting the future of a player this young seemed absurd, but the thought was there: this... Continue Reading →