National Team Takeover: Keith Tozer

U.S. Men's National Futsal Team
Head Coach Keith Tozer (l) and
Assistant Coach Vava Marques

My futsal journey started in 1986 when I had the honor of representing the United States in Budapest, Hungary with the U.S. Men's National FutsalTeam in one of the first international futsal tournaments. Since then I have been the head coach of the U.S. for 17 years coaching in five CONCACAF Championships, two World Cups and the 2007 Pan American games. In addition to my coaching duties I am also very proud to be the Technical Director of U.S. Youth Futsal as well as serving as a FIFA Futsal Instructor.

This past summer has been nothing but amazing for so many reasons regarding U.S. Men's National Futsal Team matches, U.S. Youth Futsal Youth National Teams, U.S. Soccer Futsal coaching education, player identification and so much more.

After playing five matches in Argentina, the national team has played a total of 10 matches in the past three months! This has been such a great opportunity to identify players, gain valuable game experience and tactical analysis as well as building team chemistry. In the past, we sometimes didn't play 10 games in three years! U.S. Soccer is now very much committed toward qualifying in the 2016 CONCACAF Championships.

We had great U.S. Youth Futsal I.D. camps this past year throughout our original five regions, culminating with the National I.D. Camp in Kansas City where we had all regions represented and subsequently selected the first-ever U.S. Youth Futsal National Teams. The talent level was fantastic -- in fact we selected John Leisman from to the full men's national team for our trip to Argentina and John did quite well scoring his first goal at the senior level! The U.S. Youth Futsal coaching staff has been created with some of the best former national team players like Sean Bowers, Jon Parry and Otto Orf. The future looks bright for our youth players direct path to the full men's national team. I firmly believe that we are not far away from creating a full women's national futsal team to create the same path for girls.



We have conducted two U.S. Youth Futsal coaching courses last year in Boston and Dallas. Just recently I presented a futsal module for the first time in U.S. soccer history during the outdoor "B" license course and now we will offer U.S. Youth Futsal Coaching Certification courses in all the regions starting in Boston in October.

Last Sunday in Brasilia, Brazil, the Argentina and Brazil Men's National Futsal Teams contested the first-ever international futsal match played in a outdoor stadium and drew more than 55,000 spectators. Brazil won 4-1 but most importantly it showed how much the game of futsal has grown world wide in just the past 10 years.

As you can see there has been so much growth within the game of futsal regarding coaching education, player development and identification, creating youth national teams, regional coaching staffs, national coaching certification courses that the   future is very bright for the game of futsal! VIVA LA FUTSAL! 

National Team Takeover: Brian Harris

H

Brian Harris

ello from Argentina! My name is Brian Harris and I'm a fixo for the U.S. Men's National Futsal team. I play for the Missouri Comets in the MASL (Major Arena Soccer League) and I'm a defender.

Our final full day started with breakfast and afterward we had a great walk through for our game that night. Danny Waltman challenged me to a whipping childhood cancer challenge which consisted of taking a pie to the face. In Argentina they have a different kind of cream. The video is coming.

That night we played a local pro team that was a quality side. After he game we were invited to the Governor's house for a nice dinner. 

The overall trip was an amazing experience. We played four games against the fifth-ranked team in the world and there was vast improvement for each individual and most importantly, the team. I look forward to the day that we are able to train and play futsal on a regular basis -- especially given how fast we picked up on things and improved.

Also, that says so much for the coaching staff as they do an awesome job preparing us for each training and each game. It has been a great journey and was nice to end with a win.

National Team Takeover: Nick Romansky

After more than 22 years of traveling on domestic and international trips as a team doctor with both the men's and women's U.S. National Soccer Teams, yet again this trip to Argentina provided me with additional life and professional experiences to take home.

LIFE is a collection of experiences. Coach Tozer has sacrificed his personal life and dedicated his 17+ years of his professional life to the futsal movement. Coach VaVa Marques and coach Mark Litton consistently teach and explain futsal to young and experienced players in the United States.

Nick Romansky, Team Doctor

The coaches have been an international liaison and represent the USA as a country and as the U.S. Futsal Men's National Team on personal and professional levels interacting with The Federation of Argentina Futbol, politicians, coaches, citizens and fans of Argentina.

For me, this exposure and experience to Argentina makes me a better treating clinician to my private patients and other amateur / professional athletes of other sports I take care of.

The "Gold Rush" of Futsal is coming of age in the USA. JOIN IT. WATCH IT GROW.

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Nick Romansky is the team doctor. He is from Pennsylvania.

National Team Takeover: Nic Jaimes

Nic Jaimes

Hello! My name is Nic Jaimes and I am 17 years old from Overland Park, Kansas. Like my teammate John Leisman, I also play for the Sporting Kansas City Academy, but as a forward or defender. In futsal, my position is ala.

This past weekend the team took a bus ride from Buenos Aires to Mar del Plata. The bus ride was about six hours long but felt shorter than usual due to everyone playing cards, chatting, and blasting music. The hotel we stayed at in Mar del Plata was on the beach giving the team an amazing view and something to do with our time off. The days started with a team breakfast at around 9 am. After that we had a few hours of time off until lunch at 1 pm, so most of the team decided to take a walk on the boardwalk. After lunch we would go over game film for an hour, rest for an hour or so, then take off for our match.

We had two matches against Argentina while in Mar del Plata. We lost both but played our hearts out and improved greatly since our first game with the use of game film and team training sessions. Also, hanging out with the team on our time off has made our team chemistry skyrocket.

Being invited to Argentina to play has been a great honor and a huge improvement to my game. These games have taught me to make quick one- or two-touch passes, turn and face up with the ball as fast as possible, and take people on when the chance presents itself. We, as a team, are up against some of the best futsal players in the world and being able to contend with them and give them a strong battle in every match is something to be proud of. Tomorrow is our last game and I am hoping we can come out with a win!


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Nic Jaimes is on his first trip with the U.S. Men's National Futsal Team.

National Team Takeover: Mark Litton

Mark Litton

My name is Mark Litton and I am the goalkeeper coach for the U.S. Men's National Futsal Team. I have the honor and priviledge of working with two of the best futsal goalkeepers our program has ever produced -- Danny Waltman and Jeff Richey.

After a quiet day off yesterday, today was a very long day as we traveled this morning from Buenos Aires to Mar del Plata to play Argentina for our 3rd and 4th games.  The 6-hour bus ride was a wonderful bonding experience for the players and staff as they played cards, sang songs, and just enjoyed each others' company.

This is my first trip to Argentina, so it was nice to experience the landscape and sites along the way.  I am from Wisconsin, and the landscape is very similar, including the miles and miles of cows everywhere!  We arrived in Mar del Plata around 5pm local time, which gave us enough time to check into our hotel rooms, grab a quick pre-game meal, and then load up the bus to head to the arena 20 minutes away.  The arena in Mar del Plata is very nice.  Much larger than the Villa La Nata Sporting Club arena in Buenos Aires that we played our first two games in.

We came out with the same fire and intensity to start the game that we have become known for.   Each of our games against Argentina has given us the opportunity to learn more about our opponents, and learn more about ourselves, and the areas that we need to continue improving.

Today's game saw several areas of improvement over the last two games, but we are still falling short against one of the best teams in the world.  Tonight's contest ended with a 5-1 loss to Argentina.  They are so organized and experienced, and every player executes.  Even though we have lost our first three games, this has been invaluable experience for our futsal program and players, as we are preparing for the 2016 CONCACAF qualifying tournament and hopefully -- if we qualify -- the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup that will be held in Bogata, Columbia.

Tomorrow we play Argentina in our fourth and final game.  In preparation, we will have a light morning training session with the team, then the coaching staff will watch game film tomorrow afternoon.  But for now, our long day is finally winding down.  The players are off to bed, and the coaching staff is soon to follow.  Thank you to everyone following this blog and supporting our U.S. National Futsal Team!  Go USA!

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Mark Litton is the goalkeeper coach of the U.S. Men's National Futsal Team.

National Team Takeover: Pat Healey

It was team bonding day.

Healey is third row right,
shown here on the team bus.

We original had plans to do some sightseeing in Buenos Aires today, but some things are out of our control, and we had to stay in the hotel all day. For most teams, this might be a little upsetting.  Players would just sit in their rooms all day and sleep the day away, but this team has what all teams look for: CHEMISTRY.

The team started out with an early breakfast to get the right nutrition in our body to prepare for the hard four games in five days.  After breakfast, guys either got treatment with the excellent medical staff or got an hour more of sleep. After an afternoon of lunch and a gym session on your own to get the lactic acid out, the team bonding continued.  Guys hung out and played FIFA, listened to music, or played a card game called 22.

The night ended with a great dinner and a film session of yesterday's game.  The 2-0 defeat showed improvement, but we want more out of the trip.  We want to get a win.  The film showed places where we can improve and learn ... and that is what this trip is about.  

I can't wait for tomorrow. It is another day to get better as an individual, as a group, and present our country.

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Pat Healey is the captain of the U.S. Men's National Futsal Team. He is a fixo from Bel Air, Maryland.

National Team Takeover: Philip Suprise

Today, we started the day off with a great training session. During this session we worked diligently on building from the back as a team. 

After our session, our whole team felt much more comfortable on the ball and maintaining possession in our own half. We had a great lunch and an extensive rest period where we were able to kick back, relax, and focus on the upcoming match.

 

Philip Suprise

We arrived at the match a little later than expected due to the extensive traffic in Buenos Aires. However, this didn’t take us out of our element because we played significantly better. Even though we lost 2-0, we were still able to maintain ball possession and get some great looks on goal. The Argentine goalkeeper came up pretty big on a couple of shots I had, along with plenty of other chances my teammates had!

This was a great improvement compared to our game on Tuesday [which we lost by a wider margin]. Tomorrow we are strictly confined to our hotel due to the strikes and protests going on in the city. But we will be ready to get back to work on Friday!

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Philip Suprise is a 23-year-old ala from Milwaukee.

National Team Takeover: Nelson Santana

Hello! My name is Nelson Santana and I'm a fixo for the U.S. Men's National Futsal team. I play for the Syracuse Silver Knights in the MASL (Major Arena Soccer League) and I'm a defender.

Nelson Santana

Here in Argentina, we just finished training at the AFA (Asociación del Futbol Argentino) camp grounds. We are preparing to face the Argentina Men's National Futsal team. I'm really excited -- as are my teammates -- to be playing against the 5th ranked futsal team in the world (as determined by FIFA).

Our team has been working hard to get to the next level of futsal and playing against Argentina will let us know where we are. I can't wait to face them! So far Argentina has been a great host; very friendly people and eager to talk to us ... knowing some of our players don't speak the language of Spanish.

I hope this trip will make our U.S Men's National Futsal team better and sharper. Thank you for your support. Go USA!!!!!!!

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Nelson Santana is from Santa Clara, Calif. and is posing above with staff members at the Holiday Inn Ezieza in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

National Team Takeover: John Leisman

Hello/¡Hola! from Buenos Aires! My name is John Leisman and this is the first post from the U.S. Men's National Futsal Team camp in Argentina. I am 16 years old and from Kansas City, Missouri.

In soccer I play any forward position -- whether it is central or on the wing -- for Sporting Kansas City Academy in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. In futsal, I play pivo.

John Leisman

This is my first trip with the national team and I am honored to do the first blog post covering our trip!

This morning, the team woke up for 8 o'clock breakfast. The food and services of our hotel have been great and the people are wonderful. After breakfast, guys went back to their respective rooms to catch a few more winks of sleep or get ready for the day before getting treatment (if needed). Around 9:40, the team loaded the bus for the first training session of the camp. 

Getting out on the court with the others was great for a rookie like me. It gave me a chance to get a feel for the style of the play and learn from my more experienced teammates. After training, we returned to the hotel for lunch and then rested for a little bit. After some time to recover, the next session began. The second session was more tactical-based and allowed the coaching staff to implement some ideas for the games ahead. Following the second training, the team returned to the hotel once again and ate dinner. 

Getting to know the guys has been easy. Along with some of the other new players, my singing and acting skills -- or lack thereof -- are being called upon. As the team continues to come together, I am excited to see what we can produce on the court!

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John Leisman was selected for the Men's National Team after participating in the U.S. Youth Futsal I.D. program. 

Men's National Team Takes Over Blog

The U.S. Men's National Futsal Team left for Buenos Aires, Argentina on Saturday, where it will train and play friendlies against the hosts country.

While taking over the futsal courts of Argentina, they will also be taking over this blog! Head Coach Keith Tozer and members of the team will be sharing their experiences with you in this very space!

As our first blogger will illustrate, participants in the U.S. Youth Futsal I.D. program might start out in a local gym ... and a few months later be playing against one of the top senior national teams in the world!

We encourage you to follow @USYouthFutsal on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and to check this space regularly.

United States Youth Futsal Leadership summit

United State Youth Futsal will host a Summit meeting, Thursday June 12th – Saturday June, 14 in Milwaukee WI. 

U.S. Youth Futsal is opening the meeting to non – USYF league owners and others who are contemplating opening Futsal operations in the coming year.

“USYF has become the recognized brand for Futsal events and player development.  With our reputation, support tools and visionary league owners, we decided to open the meeting to all non-USYF Futsal league owners and event organizers to share our ideas.  What better way to advance the game?” said John Sciore, National Director of Development.

The daily Summit schedule hours are

Thursday June 12th – start at 1 pm, adjourn at 5 pm

Friday June 13  – start day at 9 am, adjourn at 5 pm

Saturday June 14 start day at 9 am, end Summit at 3 pm

The anchor activity of the Summit is the U.S. Futsal Mens team preparing for the next FIFA Futsal World Cup. 

Date and times of the National team is below

U.S. Futsal Mens Team activities

Thursday 7 pm International friendly vs. France

Saturday 7 pm International friendly vs. France

Summit Agenda

State of U.S. Youth Futsal address

Where we started from, where are we now, vision for the future

Marketing, Advertising and Team Retention

How to increase the number of teams in your league’s events.  Presented will be best-practice ideas from a panel of League Owners, including an expert guest speaker on how to use Social media to make your league stand out.

Coaching Education

U.S. Futsal Mens Head Coach Keith Tozer hosts the topic.  Learn how the U.S. Youth Futsal Coaching Education program can help you and your league.

Futsal Academy

How to organize and run a futsal academy for player development.  Best-practice ideas from a panel of League Owners who operate the largest Futsal academies in the country.

Referees

One of the most significant advantages U.S. Youth Futsal has over competition is the referees who officiate our events.  Find out what U.S. Soccer, your state association and your locally assembled staff can do to differentiate your league. 

HTG Sports

Presenting tools to help you manage your administration.  Learn to use tools in the system and find out what improvements are in the works and make suggestions.

Futsal ID program updates

What is the purpose of the Futsal ID program and where is it headed?  Find out why your league should be involved in identifying players to get them to the “next level” of Futsal.

USSSA

Reviewing the advantages of USSSA membership and discuss the insurance and risk-management tools available to U.S. Youth Futsal

U.S. Youth Futsal Regional / National Tournaments

The when, who, how and why your league should be sending teams

Owning your own facility

Find out what  league owners know about the advantages and challenges of owning your own facility.

Do not miss the informal benefits of socializing with passionate, like-minded futsal people after hours and in between sessions.  U.S. Youth Futsal has the 6 largest leagues in the country, all of them with over 200 teams. 

Special Guest Presenters

Keith Tozer  – Head Coach US Futsal National Team and Technical Director of USYF will discuss the Coaching Education program and the Futsal ID program

Ed Marco – FIFA Futsal Referee Instructor – USA Soccer referee instructor.  Will discuss the future of Futsal officiating.  Also discussed are practice management techniques employed by local leagues to present a superior officiating corp.

Gerry High – President of HTGSports, the official USYF provider for Futsal event registration and administrative management.

Craig Scriven – USSSA, Director of Soccer and Futsal,

Max Schroeder – Social Media specialist

United States Youth Futsal is an affiliated league of US Soccer.  With 72 leagues, 7 Regional tournaments and the largest National Futsal tournament in the country, USYF is the largest and fastest growing Futsal organization in the US.