A NOTE FROM YOUR UNITED SOCCER COACHES PRESIDENT
A Coaching Resource
United Soccer Coaches is excited to share the 2026 Pre-Season Journal edition with you. As coaches prepare for their upcoming fall season, this offering of sessions and articles can be a useful resource in a“ coach’ s tool kit.” With the Men’ s FIFA World Cup 2026 being played in North America this summer, and with our men’ s and women’ s professional leagues in full swing, it’ s an exciting time to be a soccer coach and soccer fan. Enjoy the experience!
Following the successful Philadelphia 2026 Convention, preparations are in full swing for the January 2027 National Convention to be held in our home city of Kansas City, Missouri. Many of the sessions you see in this Pre-Season Journal have been showcased at our national conventions. We strive to offer our coaches the best in coaching education. Coaching is a community and we are an association of coaches working together to better the game.
As coaches, we are always looking for new ideas and ways to help our players and teams grow and develop. The pre-season edition provides resources to help you accomplish that. You’ ll find sessions— from top coaches at all levels of the game— that can assist you in preparing and training your team. You’ ll also find interviews and articles that provide information about rounding out your pre-season planning.
We encourage you to use these sessions and articles, implementing the strategies that will work best for your players and teams. Good coaches are adaptable and are always looking for ways to keep sessions fresh and new while challenging themselves to be better. The game itself is very simple, and we need to make the game simple to understand and execute for our players. Our Pre-Season Journal is designed with that in mind.
Wishing you the best on your coaching journey. n
Sincerely, Paul Payne
United Soccer Coaches’ 77th President
4