Last year at this time a group of USA Futsal's Top 12 parents spied Neymar zipping out of La Masia. Normally composed adults were suddenly texting and tweeting with the dexterity of teenagers. A hundred yards away, I had my "Neymar" moment inside the FCB gym where I met the coaching staff. The first minute distilled everything;... Continue Reading →

Last year at La Masia the lob flick was everywhere. Balls rose and fell in the gentlest of arcs. You half expected the Barça players to be hiding badminton rackets. In the tight spaces of a futsal court, the lob flick is often employed to rise above the outstretched legs of defenders stabbing for a piece of... Continue Reading →

Common in Spanish and Brazilian futsal, the kick-in shot is mostly unknown in the U.S. Kick-ins within an opponent's half are a golden opportunity to blast on goal. The kick-in essentially turns into an indirect free kick provided the referee allows proper spacing. And there's the rub; more often than not referees do not enforce... Continue Reading →

Not too long ago the thinking was that infants learning two languages simultaneously would have trouble fully developing the primary one. Kids would be mediocre in two languages instead of proficient in one. In reality the brain becomes more agile when exposed to multiple languages. When more cognitive demands are placed on your noggin, the more... Continue Reading →

Ballistic United USDA director, Andrew Ziemer, made it official: "Starting this Spring u12 USDA will train at futsal 1x per week year round." Ballistic will be the first USDA program in the nation to adopt futsal as a year round training tool. A number of the players entering the u12 program in the Spring have trained at futsal... Continue Reading →

 (scroll down for English translation) GERAÇÃO CALIFÓRNIA: CONHEÇA A HISTÓRIA DE LUKE BELL Uma história de inspiração para dar aquela empurradinha e levar você a realizar o seu “California dream” LOS ANGELES, CA (BDCi) — O sonho de chegar na Califórnia e ter sucesso imediato em sua carreira profissional é a meta de todo imigrante.... Continue Reading →

For the development of the sport, USYF should stop with the full court throw by the keepers. Especially on smaller courts it turns the game into a farce. At this weekend's Northern California Regional it was a constant aerial battle as keepers heaved the ball into the opposing team's penalty area. For a sport that... Continue Reading →

In the Bay Area the 2-2 took root years ago as the father of local futsal, Mario Gonzalez established MACSA of San Jose and later Legends. They were the gold standard and most clubs followed their lead including ours. I also picked the brain of Joey Almeida of Futsal 415. To this day, I've never... Continue Reading →

From Romario to Maradona, the toe poke has provided glorious goal after glorious goal for many a South American player over the decades. Yet here in the States the toe poke is often derided as the poorest of finishing forms. Players are often punished with push ups in training scrimmages by non approving coaches. Great intentions... Continue Reading →

How futsal is changing the face of American soccer...