Playing Formats in American Soccer: Smaller Sides = Bigger Gains | Ep. 130

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Breaking the Line returns to the airwaves for Episode 130 with a Thanksgiving flair.

ECNL President Christian Lavers and ECNL Vice President Doug Bracken tackle a hot topic within soccer circles, one that will be moving to the forefront ahead of the World Cup and beyond: playing formats and player development.

Bracken asks a simple question: how much does playing format dictate player development? The answer: a great deal.

The BTL crew dives into the topic, examining what the current playing formats are in US Soccer, and how that compares to countries such as England, Spain and Germany. They ask how the US can improve, and what they think is the right way to move forward. Lavers also brings to the table a study that examined this very issue, and how smaller sided games lead to more development across the board.

The episode closes out with a very special Bracken Brain Buster, where the whole team shares what they're thankful for this Thanksgiving season. And Breaking the Line would like to thank all of our loyal listeners, because without you, we wouldn't be able to do any of this!

As always, make sure to submit any questions to https://ecnl.info/BTL-Questions, to subscribe to Breaking the Line on YouTube, and to follow the ECNL on all social channels.