CFSC “Player Pathway” & Preparation for the future

Preparation can be defined as the process someone undertakes to achieve proper results. We want hard-working, responsible, and humble boys and girls passionate to play at their "next level." 

Preparation can be of many types ranging from preparing for exams or sports to preparing for a trip or even marriage. Preparation is essential for success as preparing beforehand can save time and make someone ready for anything that comes their way. 

The fall and winter are preparation for the spring. Spring and every season, we want families to know their role during the development process (U6 - U19). As parents, the primary role in sports development is to provide support, encouragement, and guidance. For example, roster and position placement are opportunities to prepare for the future. Rosters are used to provide playing time to help players prepare. Our objective is to have players play. In some situations during the development process, a parent feels they have to protect their son/daughter from feelings about roster placement or playing time. The cases listed and most others are opportunities to provide support, encouragement, and guidance. Not placing blame on teammates, coaches, the Club, or referees. 

"Preparation is the key to leadership success. The more prepared you are the less your struggle..."- Israelmore Ayivor.

This spring, we look forward to seeing supportive and encouraging behavior from the parents' sidelines. We hope support, encouragement, and constructive guidance occur on the drive home or the drive to the games. Spring season is our most competitive time, where players are learning how to "win" and what it means to be a part of a team (CHIRP). The process of "learning to win" is learning to accept your role on your roster without prejudice or arrogance (Humility). When there are feelings of concern about playing time or their position, this is an opportunity to support, encourage, and guide the player to communicate with the coach. The conversation with the coach can help the player learn their role and learn the value of coach/player communication. Families need to keep in mind that the Club wants to be successful. All coaches go to games wanting to "win" because we see it as part of the development process. The challenge comes with developing all the players within the pool/team, knowing that not every player is in the same spot. The Club accepts the responsibility of developing players for their future and asks for your support during the process. 

"A winning effort begins with preparation." - Joe Gibbs.

Spring is where we learn the character of our players/families. If a player is happy and getting what "they think they deserve/need," things are good. If they do not get what "they think they deserve/need," they start to look for other options, so they don't face the challenge but look for a comfortable space. For Cleveland Force, this is a part of the process to measure the commitment, humility, integrity, respect, and perseverance of the player/family. We have learned that the loyal and committed players to their process benefit from the Club's training and player pathway. Those that choose to not take on the challenges/competition usually select a safe place on a roster that makes them feel good but does not prepare them for the future. We encourage our families/players to see all challenges in our Club as an opportunity to teach about growth mindset, developing a winning mentality, and other intangibles. We are blessed to have great players/families, and we are excited to be a part of the process to prepare the players for future success on and off the field! We wish all the teams growth and success this spring season!



"Long-range planning does not deal with future decisions, but with the future of present decisions."— Peter F. Drucker.

A massive part of what we do here at Cleveland Force Soccer Club with our High-Performance U15 - U19 players is to maximize their exposure to top college coaches and USYNT scouts.  We need to develop a competitive schedule that allows us to accomplish these objectives and fit within our league schedules and commitments.  The Jefferson Cup in Richmond, Virginia, enables us to play in front of the top universities in the country and multiple USYNT coaches throughout one weekend.  We have been taking teams to Richmond for years as we feel that it provides our players with the very best playing platform to accomplish their goals. 

March 25 - 27 weekend, CFSC took 7 of our ECNL and ECNL-R teams down to Richmond, the most of any of the clubs in NE Ohio.  Three of our ECNL teams were honored to be selected to compete in the top “Championship” bracket of the showcase.  Throughout the event, we had the chance to showcase our players and an opportunity to play against some of the best competition from around the country.  The Jefferson Cup brings together the top clubs from the ECNL, GA, and USY NL.  This will help our teams immensely prepare for their upcoming league games.

As we’ve returned home from the event, the focus will be on reaching back out to selected colleges and thanking them for attending our games and getting on calls to get direct feedback.  We will continue to build on this positive momentum and get ready for our upcoming spring games on the field.  Best of luck to all of the teams over the next couple of weeks!!

2005 ECNL Girls @ Jefferson Cup - Richmond, VA

2006 ECNL Girls League Game in Columbus, OH

After a long Winter, the ECNL-R and GLA Girls are pleased to have the Spring season underway. All teams are seeing some early success after working hard through the indoor months. 

• Most recently, the 07 ECNL-R finished as finalists at Jefferson Cup after going to pk's. 
  
• The 06 ECNL-R team remains undefeated in ECNL-R league play with an 8-0 record and have only given up 4 goals. 
  
• The 05 ECNL-R team finished in first place at Ohio Elite and added two more wins to their season total in league play. 
  
• The 03/04 ECNL-R team finished in second place at Ohio Elite and picked up another league win while in Tennessee. 

Coming up in April, all ECNL-R teams will be headed to the Crossroads Showcase in Westfield, Indiana. Teams will also be traveling to Louisville, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Buffalo for additional ECNL-R league games. 

The 08 and 09 ECNL-R teams head to Nike Cup in April, in Columbus. They too began their league play in March and are excited about traveling and competing again. 

Both the 05 and 06 GLA teams will be attending the Crossroads Showcase in Westfield, Indiana and have a jam packed month of league games coming up. 

The 05 GLA team has picked up some early wins to start their league play and seem poised for a very strong season. 

The 06 GLA team had a hard fought draw in wild weather conditions and have shown tremendous growth through the Winter. 

We're hoping to be able to report more success in the weeks to come as Spring is just beginning! 

13/14 MDL and 14 GLA have games and the Spring Challenge coming up soon. 13 MDL are 1st with 3 games coming up this weekend and next. Playing Club Ohio (2nd place) next weekend, could determine the winner of the division. 

Our style of play and unique formation has been appreciated by numerous clubs. Which is a compliment to the players hard work over the course of the winter months!

Hello U10 - U12 HP Boys & Girls Families, 

I hope this message finds everyone doing well! 

I would like to thank the coaches and parents in the program for their assistance in working with the players on and off the field. I have had the chance to work with the boys and girls U10 - U12 program more closely and enjoyed the experience. Moreover, I have enjoyed getting positive feedback from families about player improvements in the style and player decisions. 

Our staff has taken many steps forward, in my humble opinion, to continue to improve the soccer landscape. Many of our coaches are applying for coaching education classes to help improve themselves and the players. I feel blessed to have such a committed pool of coaches! Also, feel blessed to have most of our parents work to protect the club culture. This spring, we want to continue to build on the positives we have seen in the players, parents, and coaches. 

Having had the opportunity to study firsthand the sideline behavior at youth games, it's safe to say that most parents and youth coaches are reasonable, well-meaning, well-adjusted people. Most of us look forward to attending our children's soccer games, where we can spend a relaxing afternoon enjoying the outdoors in the company of like-minded adults who share a common interest. We know parents and coaches don't actually step out of their cars into the soccer complex with a pre-meditated plan to cause trouble to anyone. And yet, the facts tell a disturbing story. The majority of soccer players quit playing soccer somewhere in their teen years. Why do so many players quit? Some quit because they develop other interests, but many quit because playing soccer stops being fun.

What exactly are the adults doing on the sidelines? Many parents/coaches unknowingly send inappropriate messages to the players or the referees on the field without any malicious intent. Messages from the parent's side usually fall under one of the following categories: 

Sideline Coaching: A big no-no since the parent's instruction could contradict the team coach's instructions, not to mention that most parents are not qualified to coach. 

Sarcasm: Parents and coaches often aim sarcastic remarks at the referee. We have heard them all before, so there is no need to elaborate. These sarcastic remarks serve no useful purpose other than to sour the experience for the referee. If that's not bad enough, parents and coaches do not limit their sarcasm only to the referee. Players are also the target of sideline sarcasm. I heard a typical comment recently while watching a team struggle to get out of their half against better opponents; one of the struggling team's parents shouted, "come on, guys, the field has two halves!". These comments do not help the weak team solve the problem but deflate and irritate the players. 

Vocal Reaction and Body Language: Often, parents/coaches get emotionally involved in the game and cannot suppress the (according to psychologists) subconscious desire to kick every ball and tackle every tackle. The "oooohs!", "aaaahs!" and "oooyys!" that emanate from the parents' side seem harmless enough. Still, there is a fine line between disappointment and disapproval, and young players often cannot tell the difference. When an open goal is missed, the cry of dismay carries a certain level of 'culprit-player-let-parents-down' undertones. Young players are susceptible to feedback from the sidelines and tend to pick up on the negative comments. If you don't believe me, ask the players. 

Incurable Behavior: Unfortunately, a few isolated individuals cannot control themselves in a competitive environment such as a sports event and become mad "fanatics." These individuals must not be allowed to coach young players or even attend games. The onus is on the ecosystem to weed out such "fanatics" through a careful and methodical monitoring program using the club directors, coaches, and parents for game days. There is no room for shouters and whiners on the sidelines. What, you ask, is acceptable behavior by parents? This might sound revolutionary and unrealistic, but I firmly believe that parents can best serve their children by sitting quietly and remaining seated throughout the game, looking for "futbol moments." Parents can show their appreciation when they see moments of good futbol. For example, when we win the ball (transition Defense to Attack), we dribble to attract because we have space; pass the ball at just the right moment, leading to a chance on goal.

As we move forward and continue to evaluate for next season (22/23), we will continue to improve our coaching, parent behavior, and overall environment for the players. A part of this will be having consultants evaluate and provide valuable feedback to me, the Sporting/Technical Director, so we can continue to improve as coaches/club. We look forward to continued success and opportunity within the program and seeing everyone working together to make this the best club in North East Ohio and the region this spring! 

Starting next week, there are options to train in April and/or May with the Juniors Academy (ages 5-8) at 7 different locations including:

• Force Eastlake
• Force Richmond
• Lost Nations Sports Park East (May)
• Springside (Fairlawn)
• Force Rocky River
• T3 Performance (Avon)
• Lost Nations Sports Park West (April)