Bøger af Beau Dure

Soccer is a fun, healthy activity for children. It's also a battleground for adults who want to take the sport several different directions.Is youth soccer a breeding ground to grow the USA's talent pool for future World Cup wins? If so, should we be herding talented players into elite groups away from their friends at early ages? And can soccer clubs meet the "elite" needs while also serving the community?Beau Dure, author of Long Range Goals: The Success Story of Major League Soccer and Enduring Spirit: Restoring Professional Women's Soccer to Washington, first encountered these issues as a journalist covering U.S. Soccer's efforts to revamp youth development. Then he got a different perspective, coaching his two young sons. He saw a disconnect between what soccer organizations say and what they do, and he saw idealized development models that don't make much sense to the flustered parent-coach responsible for introducing the game to kindergartners.In our efforts to make superstars, we often make sports less fun and more harmful. Players end up quitting in vast numbers, a crucial problem in a country that struggles with health and obesity.This book examines those issues along with less serious topics, such as whether burping in unison is a good bonding activity. Dure spoke with leading youth soccer organization directors and with past and present professional players to get their insight.For the parent, this book is a guide, blending serious research and funny anecdotes to navigate through the alphabet soup of organizations, leagues and clubs competing for players and dollars.For the coach, this book is a look at what works, what doesn't, and what should never be done again.For administrators who run everything from a local club to U.S. Soccer, this book is a plea for sanity and a simple request to focus on one goal: Give every player the opportunity to play at a level that best suits his or her interests and aptitude.

All sports require resilience and perseverance. Women's soccer requires more than most. Two U.S. leagues have disappeared in the past decade. Players have put in countless hours of work for limited opportunities. For this book, veteran women's soccer writer Beau Dure tracked the Washington Spirit through its debut season, from the first league draft to chilly early-season practices and the frustrations of a long winless streak. He watched a young team react to a coaching change, injuries, bus rides that were longer than they should have been, hundreds of autograph-seekers at every game, the occasional stray dog on the practice field, and the challenges of playing at a professional level. He watched as fans grew attached to the players, mourned the losses and eventually cheered the Spirit's success at the end of the season. Featuring interviews with everyone who played for the Spirit, plus coaches and several people outside the club, the book goes behind the scenes to show the team on the practice field, on the bus and in a team-building exercise. Players talk about their love of the game and what they've done to pursue their dreams -- the travels to isolated spots overseas, the second jobs, and the endless quest for self-improvement. The Spirit didn't win the league title or make the playoffs. But the team inspired thousands of fans through its first year, and players and fans finished the season already looking forward to the next one. The team restored professional women's soccer to Washington, laying a foundation to make sure the Spirit will endure.

In this book, soccer journalist and historian Beau Dure traces the many issues holding back the U.S. men's soccer team, from failed leagues to the unique American sports culture. Yet, Dure argues that with the right long-term changes, the U.S. can build a soccer environment that spawns quality players and strong results on the international stage.

All over the world, soccer is known as "the Beautiful Game" and is the most popular sport. But in the United States, professional soccer still has a hard time catching on. It has had some successes here.