Goulet Scouts For Academy Prospects

It really wasn’t a tryout. More of an evaluation. But call it a training session. It was actually all of those. It took place on March 20 at Lipscomb University.
Attending were 29 of the best teenage boys soccer players in Tennessee, in the birth years from 1999-2000, all recommended by their Olympic Development Coaches.
“USSF and Tennessee State Soccer Association teammed up and hosted a U.S. Training event,” said TSSA Director of Coaching Lee Smith. “It was a very cold day as snow flurries came out, but the players were resilient and participated in the event.”
Lee helped organize the event, and Brent Goulet, a national scout for US Soccer was also working the day’s activities.
Lee has been actively involved with the TSSA ODP program, and has worked to provide Tennessee players with opportunities to be seen and evaluated by coaches and scouts at the next levels of the game.
Goulet is an American, who was a college scoring sensation at Warner Pacific College in Portland, OR, and later a forward with the U.S. Men’s National Teams.[show_disconnected][show_to accesslevel=’Subscriber’] He had 108 goals in four years of college soccer. He made eight appearances for the U.S. MNT senior team.
A severe broken leg, while playing professionally in Germany, ended his playing career, and began his career as a soccer coach. He had been good as a player. Actually better than just good.
As a coach he became a good coach, remaining in Germany and taking advantage of the educational opportunities available to him there, and also learning from a series of German coaches.
When he suffered the broken leg he was playhing at SV Elversberg. He became an assistant with that club. In 2004, he was promoted to head coach. The first American to be named head coach of a German professional team. That lasted for four years.
When he returned to the U.S., he brought home a different perspective of the game. The bar had been set high for how he would evaluate American players and that has carried over to his scouting for U.S. Soccer.
“The first thing we tested for was for speed,” said Goulet, when asked how the March event had been structured. “That is the #1 criteria for selection to the national team. Even the players you might think are not that fast, really are. Then we evaluated the basics.”
The basics included dribbling, passing, getting out of tight space, shooting, football knowledge, etc.
How well do they understand the game.
It was not surprising to learn that only a couple of players from the group came close to the high standard Goulet brought to the event.
“For the most part, what we find missing in the way a player plays is not the fault of the player,” said Goulet. “It is more about the coaches and what they have taught the player.” Or not taught the player.
“For example, in short sided games where space is restricted, can a player dribble out of tight spaces,” cited Goulet.
And what is missing compared to the young players he saw while coaching in Germany?
“In Germany they teach the details,” said Goulet, who now lives in Nashville. He coached the USL Premier Development League Nashville Metros last summer.
“They teach them how to play and there is a demand for the details. For instance, here some players who dribble a lot are criticized because they lose the ball.
” Actually, the problem may not be the player dribbling, but a lack of meaningful runs to support the dribble and give that player good passing options.”
While not overly impressed with the quality, Goulet expressed appreciation for the effort the young players gave during the event. Sometimes they tried to do more than they were capable of doing. Unforced errors created sloppy play.
Goulet would like to address the deficiencies he sees in player development with coaches, and has several coaching sessions planned. He wants to share what he learned in Germany with the Tennessee club coaches. He wants to talk about details.
“It is important to address what mechanics are being taught,” said Goulet. “Coaching first touch is most important. We are not looking for a good first touch. We’re looking for a 100% perfection rate.”
There are no US Development Academy programs in Tennessee at the present time. Several clubs have expressed interest in sponsoring Academy programs.
In order to qualify, it is advantagous for club administrators to be aware of what is needed to develop a player to a national level. Afterall, that is the primary mission of the Academies and US Soccer scouts like Goulet.