Interview With Experienced Youth & Professional Coach Steve Myles
“Keep it simple” is the advice from Steve Myles, a professional coach who knows that often Americans try fancy tricks to help them succeed on the field and get further down the proverbial yellow brick road to soccer stardom.
Steve Myles, Director of Soccer Operations at Murrieta Surf SC, is a veteran coach who has worked at every level from youth to professional. Following a playing career in England that saw him with Sheffield United FC, Chesterfield FC and Frickley Athletic FC, Myles moved into coaching with the Sheffield United U14-U16 teams. That eventually led him first to an assistant caretaker coach position with the first team before he made the jump across the Atlantic to America.
In 2001, Myles took on the Director of Coaching position at Tulsa Thunder SC; then in 2003 he was named an assistant coach with the San Jose CyberRays of the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA). After that league folded, Myles joined the Santa Anita Soccer Club as Director of Coaching and then became Assistant Director of Coaching at the David Beckham Academy in Los Angeles in 2005. Myles then joined the LA Galaxy as head coach of the U20 team and then U16/U18 head coach with the LA Galaxy Academy. Myles’ final stop before taking over at Murrieta Surf SC was a two-year stint as assistant coach of the Major League Soccer (MLS) New England Revolution, under head coach Steve Nicol from 2010 to 2012.
Recently SoccerToday editor Diane Scavuzzo caught up with Myles to get his insight on coaching and player development, as well as thoughts about the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
Diane Scavuzzo: Is it different training youth soccer players than the professional players in the MLS?
Steve Myles: Going from the MLS to helping shape youth players, the information is exactly the same, but most parents do not realize this.
The reason these guys are playing at the top level is they have mastered the simple things. Watching the pros practice, youth players and parents would not see anything that is different. The biggest emphasis for kids is to do the simple things better than anyone else.
If you watch the pros training, you will see those players doing the same exercises as you see here at the youth level – they just work on their technical abilities more than anyone else. David Beckham was first on the field and last off the field.
Learning to pass and receive and improving your first touch are the biggest things that you can learn. If you can do those things better than anyone else, then you can probably play at a good level, but it is the simple things that matter.
They highlight the fancy stuff on TV because you do not see it all that often, but you need to do the simple things in the game better than anyone else to be successful. That means you have to do have repetition.
Diane Scavuzzo: What is really important?
Steve Myles: The quality of a five-yard pass, the importance of the first touch. Connecting a ten-yard pass is crucial for success on the field, and it is these simple things that are often overlooked by Americans seeking success.
Diane Scavuzzo: How has the Murrieta Surf club progressed?
Steve Myles: It was once more of a recreational club, but now we have teams that are highly competitive and doing well on the state and national levels.
Diane Scavuzzo: What changes have you implemented that have achieved this success?
Steve Myles: I think it is important that you know every player who is in the club by name. I know every kid’s name – all the players from U8 to U18.
Diane Scavuzzo: Has the club grown?
Steve Myles: We have recruited players, and we have six new competitive youth soccer teams.
I am more interested in quality than quantity, though, and we are mostly adding new teams to the club at the younger ages. We have a big focus on the younger ages for recruiting players and have been very successful at accomplishing this.
Diane Scavuzzo: What is your coaching philosophy?
Steve Myles: You are only as good as the coaches you have, and we have some great coaches. We have added a few new coaches this year as well.
Diane Scavuzzo: Can you share your thoughts on players participating in the Olympic Development Program (ODP)?
Steve Myles: We are totally committed to pushing our players on to help them achieve their dreams, whether it is going to play on an ODP level or at an MLS club or in college. True player development demands that we have no interest in stifling their growth or opportunities.
Diane Scavuzzo: How important is it for youth players to watch professional soccer on TV, and do you want your players to watch the World Cup?
Steve Myles: It is absolutely important to watch soccer on TV. We don’t have the NFL in England, so all the kids in Europe grow up watching soccer on TV, and it is instrumental in their learning of the game. Watching soccer on TV is a great tool.
Now with so much soccer on TV in the USA, it is possible to watch six games or more during the weekend, while in England you might only be able to watch only one or two live games.
I want all my players to watch the World Cup. It is the pinnacle of soccer in the world, and to have it in Brazil is unbelievable.
Diane Scavuzzo: What is your first memory of the World Cup?
Steve Myles: The most memorable was the 1966 World Cup when I was only 5; it was the World Cup when England won. But my first real World Cup memories were from the 1970 games, and it was all about Pele. Seeing the yellow and green shirts that the Brazilians wore, it was like a fantasy to watch these kids. Pele was playing for Santos at the time, and they came and played Sheffield Wednesday. They actually shut down the schools, and people went to watch the game.
