Patrick Swierczynski, Lukas Markusich and William Suedois at a speed/agility session

 

“After just 2 months you can already see a big difference in the performance of the players, who are participating in this program. Each of the players is stronger, in much better overall shape, and especially the attitude to professional soccer improved a lot. Finally we were able to create a professional environment where young players can grow into serious professionals”, states Dr. Schulz, Head Coach of the Schulz Academy.

“We should have started this type of Residency Program already much earlier, and I am sure, many great talents of the last years would have been already much further in their career than they are right now”, continues Dr. Schulz.

 

Alex Trujillo and Lukas Markusich at a jumping drill

 

“It’s amazing how quick players improve when they are in a professional surrounding. Including the weekend game the players train around 17 hours per week, but because the training sessions are so versatile and we take care that the players have enough quality recuperation time in between the training sessions, they stay always explosive”, says Stephan von Lattorff, manager of the Schulz Academy.

William Suedois (17), who just returned from Europe, where he trained with a professional club for 8 months, at an individual finishing drill

“We are focusing on individual development of each player, and they players enjoy the special attention. We had 5 players in the last years in the U17 National Team Residency Program in Bradenton and none of them really improved as an individual. And it is almost understandable. The number one goal for the U17 National Team is to qualify for the U17 World Cup and win some games at the World Cup. The problem with this is, that the players, who are chosen to join the U17 National Team are 14 or 15 years old and still need more individual development than to fit in a successful team. Main focus for the U17 National Team coach is to find a team, and improve as a team, which from his standpoint is understandable, because he gets paid for this. The problem is that because of this focus point, the players in the age of 14-16 are falling short of getting better as individual players and at the end you have a team, which qualifies (out of a very weak group though) for the World Cup but the players themselves did not develop the same than players in other countries with a different approach. Every time when I watched a practice of the U17 National Team or asked our players there it was always the same: 80% of the practice was ball possession. I can say this from my own experience. We had 5 players in the last years in the Residency Program of the U17 National Team and none of them in the 2 years developed as they should have. Even Josmer Altidore, whom I trained for more than 6 years from the age of 8, lost a lot of his individual quality while training with the 17 National Team. He always was a top goal scorer with extraordinary individual 1v1 skills and in this he was world class, and now instead of taking on defenders he passes the ball to the next player, which is not what he is all about. It now became already such a bad habit that he not even tries to use his skills. 1 hour or more ball possession in a practice session doesn’t help a player like him. He needs hundreds of crosses and 1v1 situations every day in practice. I am sure they will or already have changed the approach for improving the players of the U17 National Team, but unfortunately for the players who where there the last years it’s too late, and you can see that in the outcome of the last 6 years. I still think that the Federation does a big effort to improve the sport in the country, they do a lot of good things, and have the best intentions, but some of the efforts are just not executed with the qualified personnel with the necessary vision”, analyzes Dr. Schulz some of the programs out there.

 

Lukas Markusich has his eyes on the ball in another finishing exercise

 

                                          

               Manuel Gonzalez                                                                                    Patrick Swierczynski

                                          

                  Jaro Kasprisin                                                                                         Gian DiBoscio

 

Although the training sessions are intense there is always time for a laugh

 

 

It sounds like a cliché, but for the Schulz Academy players “the sky is the limit”

All photos courtesy of Sam Robles.