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2020 has obviously been a tough year. COVID-19 created an unprecedented situation that had the world on lockdown for months. In the midst of preparing for our 2nd season in the NPSL, tryouts were postponed and the season ultimately canceled. Yet, on June 8th, the City of Pittsburgh finally received the green light to begin…
Read MoreThe road to soccer in the U.S. is straight — and very narrow. Even some of the most passionate and skilled players follow the same journey. They begin with youth clubs, enter into high school, and immediately try out for a college team. However, the long-standing question for athletes and their parents remains: Is moving…
Read MoreWe talk a lot about longterm player development and a set style of play. But, what does that actually look like when put into a true game of soccer? To achieve this style, we focus on 6 Team Targets. This is for all phases and players within the Hotspurs Program. And allows coaches to structure…
Read MoreWe’ve moved! Come check out if Steel City FC is the fit! The youth soccer industry can be a tough one to navigate. Unlike anywhere else in the world, there are comparably less ‘top-level’ organizations despite the country boasting more registered youth soccer players than many of the world’s leading soccer nations. There are multiple…
Read MoreWith the start of the 2020/21 season, the Hotspurs North site has put the pieces in place to support a full girls program. The site, lead by Troy Mohney, has named Blair Gantz as the leader of the girl’s program. Gantz comes to the program with over 20 years of combined coaching experience between college,…
Read MoreLet’s be honest, whenever anyone talks about “models” in soccer, rarely are the goalkeepers mentioned. No doubt, goalkeepers are part of the team process and approach and need to be included in all aspects of the team. But the role is unique and requires its own attention. At Hotspurs we have a plan along with…
Read MoreIn the Youth Development Phase (YDP), we see kids who are going through the biggest period of ‘change’ that they will experience. Physical, cognitive, and emotional maturity plays a huge part in terms of soccer development. It’s our role in the YDP to help players navigate this. In a soccer sense, players at U13 move…
Read MoreIn the College Prep Phase (CPP) we look to challenge our players individually and as a group. With long term player development at the front of everything we do as a club, in the Foundation Phase (FP) we were teaching the players in a fun yet challenging way to ‘train to love the game.’ In…
Read MoreAt the front of what we do, we are trying to help build a love and passion for the sport we all love so much. This is especially true in the Foundation Phase as we focus on ‘training to love the game.’ As a club and individual coaches, we strongly promote training our players in…
Read MoreThroughout a majority of soccer clubs, the unspoken balancing act to determine who a coach is for a team is based on how long a coach can keep the parents happy. If the parents are happy, then everything is OK. Right? We don’t believe so. This approach leaves out the most important pieces of the…
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