Courtesy: Daily San Diego Soccer News


Futsal Slowly Catching on in the U.S.

By Kathryn Snyder

Saturday, November 7, 2009

The benefits of Futsal are legendary and growing.

Highly touted as a great skills-developer because of its quick pace and guaranteed touches, Futsal is popular on an international level. Soccer powerhouses such as Brazil and Spain have a Futsal style of play -- short, quick passes -- that stems from their players playing Futsal at an early age. Soccer greats like Pele and Ronaldo have picked up their superb ball-handling skills through the indoor game.

Pele once said, “In Futsal, you need to think quick and play quick so it’s easier for you when you move to normal football,” while Ronaldo admitted, “Futsal will always be my first love.”

But Futsal in the United States isn’t as popular. Although it picked up in the 80's with the beginning of the FIFA Futsal World Cup, American kids don’t play Futsal with the same frequency as their European counterparts. Rarely do you hear an American player speak of Futsal as his or her first love.

Why is Futsal not a natural step in the development of young American soccer players? San Diego Futsal coach Mario Mrakovic believes young players need to be introduced to the sport at age 4 or 5 and that age 7 or 8 is too late because by that point, bad habits have to be corrected.

“Kids are learning skills too late in the current San Diego system,” he said. “Kids can learn skills early by watching and then executing. The things some of these 4- and 5-year-olds can do will drop your jaw.”

There are an increasing number of advocates for Futsal as a means by which American soccer can legitimately compete with other countries. Whether the United States reaches that level with or without Futsal remains to be seen.







Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com