In the News
From Germany 1974 to Germany 2006
From Player to Coaching Advisor
From Player to Coaching Advisor
Having traveled to Europe several times for family vacation and to take teams to play soccer, I was very interested in meeting Coach LeRoy De Leon who had just returned from the 2006 World Cup in Germany. De Leon is a former professional player and member of the Trinidad and Tobago national team 1968-77.Mr. De Leon was touted on several occasions to return to Trinidad and Tobago to become the coach of the Trinidad and Tobago national team. Having grown up in Trinidad and Tobago and becoming a member of the national team at the young age of 15, he was invited to be a member of the official party of the Trinidad and Tobago soccer team on their first appearance at a world cup in Germany 2006.
Mr. De Leon graciously allowed us an interview. He is now living in the Valley of the Sun presently on the professional staff of the Pros Soccer Club. He is no stranger to coaching youth soccer in the Valley. He has coached on the staff of other clubs in the Valley with incredible success. He was the head coach of the Arizona Professional Indoor Team 1999-2000.
I sat with Coach De Leon as he was on the sidelines in Boise, Idaho observing the 89 Pros Soccer State Champions game vs. the Alaska State Champion.
If you ever meet Coach De Leon you will be taken aback by his mild, low-keyed, non self-promoting and humble attitude. As I began to chat with him, I wondered how he has been so successful yet so humble and mild mannered. As I got deeper into the conversation I realized that it was the in-depth knowledge of the game and his wealth of experience that earned him the respect he receives. He played against the great Pele, Beckenbauer, Rivolino, Bobby Moore, and other soccer founding fathers.
As I looked into the face of this talented coach and one time professional soccer player, I wondered (what?). By now the hair is all gone and it is hard to know if it is by design or Mother Nature.
I began by asking him about his experience as part of the (traveling party?) and his presence courtesy of the government of Trinidad and Tobago. He recalled the days when only one country was allowed to go to the World Cup from this region. He told me about the 1974 World Cup qualifier and how Trinidad and Tobago missed it through a catastrophe in the make or break game against Haiti. Apparently the team had four goals called back. Haiti eventually won the game, but FIFA suspended all of the referees for life. Nevertheless, Trinidad and Tobago was robbed the opportunity to go to Germany in 1974. You can see the tears and passion in his eyes as he lamented on this missed opportunity to represent Trinidad and Tobago in that World Cup. Thirty-two years later he went to Germany for the World Cup with Trinidad and Tobago not as a player, but as a coach.
I asked him about the differences in the game then and now. He thought the game was by far faster and more physical now. Nevertheless, he maintained that there is still a great need for skills at all facets of the game. He felt that players of his era were able to play almost any position, whereas players today are more position oriented. He believes that a forward position is now over glorified, in part due to the demands placed by parents. He thinks there is a need to underscore that soccer is a team game. He believes that kids leave the game early because they are often put in the wrong positions (yet uncomfortable) and with the pressure to do well they often quit. The player today is faster, stronger and plays more direct. Back then soccer players were chess masters. They gave a lot of thought about several plays ahead. When I asked him about Beckham all he said was, "I wonder what kind of player he would be considered if he did not have that free kick."
In Germany and across Europe, you can see kids playing with less emphasis on scoring. They seem to be having fun. I have heard people talk about street soccer in other countries and believe it was the reason for their great success. I believe we can have the same street soccer concept in the USA. However it will be on the field and not in the street.. How many of our players will play before practices or at times without a coach in attendance, he asked. Street soccer is kids organizing themselves and playing soccer without a coach or some adult dictating. Coach De Leon went on to tell me that they have started street soccer at the Pros Soccer Club. He told me that this is quite different from where kids only rely on practice days and the presence of a coach to play with the ball.
I could not resist asking Coach De Leon about his thoughts about Zedane and the head butt to the stomach. I wanted to know if things like this happened back then. He was quick to tell me that the game has always been full of trash talking—it happens in all sports. Nevertheless, players at all levels must learn to control their tempers. You used your head because no other weapons were available. What if there were other devices at his disposal-Would he have used them? I believe every coach in every sport should use that tape as a teaching moment for their players.
Coach De Leon told me that he will long remember the World Cup for the Paraguay versus Trinidad and Tobago and the Italy versus USA. As for the USA, he told me that they had removed from their style of fast play. He said they were satisfied to hold the ball instead of making things happen. He thought that Coach Bruce Arena had done an excellent job with USA soccer throughout the years. However, he was quick to point out that Coach Arena had enjoyed coaching longer than most national team head coaches.
After this lengthy discussion, I realized that Coach de Leon was getting tired as he was still recovering from the time zone changes from Europe to Idaho. However, I could not conclude my interview with this Trinidadian Icon without asking him to comment on the state of soccer in Trinidad of about one million people and a country smaller in size than Maricopa County, as compared to the United States of America. He explained to me that soccer is a religion in Trinidad. Players do it with a certain level of commitment and passion. The choices of basketball and American football are not options. He believes that if basketball, baseball, and football were not options to youths in the USA then the country would have already won a World Cup. He went on to predict that the USA will return to the World Cup sooner than Trinidad and Tobago would.
For his future he expects to continue to coach in the Pros Soccer Club teaching players how to be skilled and competitive while transferring those qualities to other parts of life.