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Silence On The Sidelines Lets Kids Learn And Coaches Coach

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Alexi Lalas (@AlexiLalas) was a defender on the US Men's World Cup team in 1994. He is also the first modern-era American soccer player to play in the Italian Serie A. After a career as a Major League Soccer player, Lalas has served as an executive for the San Jose Earthquakes, New York Red Bulls, and Los Angeles Galaxy. In 2006 he was elected into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. He currently works in sports media and first started as an analyst for ESPN and ABC Sports before transitioning to FOX Sports.

In his own sports parenting experience, Lalas stays silent on the sidelines and lets coaches coach and kids play. Primarily, Lalas stays out of the way out of respect for the coach who has volunteered their time to coach his kid. Lalas urges other parents to resist the urge to jump in and say something from the sidelines, even when you know you could help the coach correct a mistake. Instead, Lalas suggests that parents let kids AND coaches make mistakes, as they will learn more quickly that way. Often, we think about letting kids develop by making mistakes, but it is equally important to keep this in mind for coaches.