On Friday at Noon, we will find out the groups for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The drawing will take place at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Here are the countries in each Pot according FIFA’s website: For pot 1, Canada, Mexico and the USA will be identified by different colored balls, and when drawn will be assigned to position A1 for Mexico, B1 for Canada and D1 for the USA. The four highest-ranked teams in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s Rankings will be out on separate pathways so they will not meet before the Final. Those four teams are Spain, Argentina, France and England. No group will have more than one team from the same confederation drawn into it, except UEFA as they are represented by 16 teams. The six final World Cup spots will be determined via playoff matches in March of 2026.

Welcome to your Friday soccer briefing. ⚽ - NCAA Tournament Action DI Women's College Cup Semifinals: Friday, Dec. 5 The final four teams in Division I women's soccer are ready to battle for a spot in the championship. The evening is packed with high-stakes matchups, all airing on ESPNU. - 6:00 p.m. ET: No. 2 TCU vs. No. 3 Florida State - 8:45 p.m. ET: No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 2 Duke 2025 NCAA DI men's soccer tournament schedule - Quarterfinals: - Friday, Dec. 5 - 6 p.m. | No. 7 Georgetown vs. No. 15 NC State10 p.m. | No. 8 Portland vs. No. 16 Furman - Saturday, Dec. 6 - 1 p.m. | No. 14 Akron vs. Saint Louis - 1 p.m. | No. 4 Maryland vs. Washington ⚽ - ACL Prevention Program Insights ACL injuries are a serious concern in girls' soccer. Erica Mulholland, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist known as @fitsoccerqueen on X, shared that many factors in reducing these injuries are within a player's control. Here are a multitude of controllables to reduce ACL injuries in girls soccer players, such as: 1. Proper nutrition 2. Recovery 3. Soccer Load Management 4. Speed, Agility, and Neuromuscular/Strength training Read Erica's full article here - https://ericasuter.com/acl-injury-prevention-for-girls-soccer-players-is-a-program-not-a-few-exercises/ ⚽ - 4 Things to Know About MLS Next Fest MLS Next Fest kicked off yesterday, it is more than just a tournament; it's a major showcase that has a new look this year. The event, running from December 4-15 in Arizona, is a critical stop on the youth soccer calendar. Here are four key takeaways about the 2025 event. 1. A Bigger, Different Feel: Returning to Arizona, this year's Fest in Mesa is nearly double the size of previous events. With the inclusion of the new second-tier Academy Division, clubs like Ginga FC and New England Surf SC are making their debuts. The U-13 and U-14 age groups are also back for the first time since 2022, creating a massive presence for clubs from across the nation. 2. Prime Recruiting Time: With over 500 college, professional, and national team coaches expected to attend, MLS Next Fest is a hotbed for recruiting. Game results don't count toward standings, so the focus is entirely on player exposure. For uncommitted U-19 players, it's a final chance to make an impression before graduation. For U-17 players, it serves as a major launch point for their recruiting journey, allowing direct connections with coaches. 3. All-Star Games: A major draw for scouts is the All-Star matches, which feature the top uncommitted players in the country. The U-17 All-Star game is scheduled for Sunday, while four "Uncommitted Matches" for U-19 players will take place on Saturday. These games put top talent on a national stage. 4. Generation adidas Cup Qualifiers: The event also hosts qualifiers for the prestigious 2026 Generation adidas Cup. U-15 and U-16 teams compete in a single-elimination format, with the winner securing an automatic spot in the international tournament. This adds another layer of high-stakes competition to the showcase.

Good morning! Hope you’re having a fantastic start to your Thursday. Here’s your Morning Motivation to kick off the day: ⚽ Do You Strength Train? Strength training is crucial for high school players preparing for the physical demands of college soccer. Building strength not only improves performance on the field but also helps prevent injuries and ensures you’re ready to compete at the next level. As the D1 Soccer Strength Coach at Mississippi State says:“Female athletes MUST strength train BEFORE college.” Check out this insightful video:Strength Training for Female Athletes via @YouTube While this video focuses on female athletes, it 100% applies to male players as well. I’m sure Coach @Diego M Lopez has some great insights on this topic too! ⚽ Words of Wisdom From @d1scholarship on X: “One mistake many parents/athletes make in their emails to college coaches:They forget a Call to Action (CTA). This is a question or directive for the college coach to act on and respond to. Most families just spew facts at coaches with no intention of starting a conversation.” Take note—always include a CTA to keep the dialogue going!" ⚽ Reminder "It’s not how good you are, but who knows you’re good!" Take action today: - Email those college coaches. - Share your athlete’s story. - Make it happen! Good luck, Steve

The key question is simple yet immense:How do we ensure that, in moments of maximum pressure, the body is not betrayed by the mind? Why has this orientation become dominant in high-performance sport?Because it dismantles one of the biggest myths about athletes: the belief that they are naturally mentally invincible. They aren’t. They train to become that way. It’s not always about “fixing” something that is broken, but about optimizing something that already works.The difference between repairing a regular car and fine-tuning a Formula 1 engine.The ultimate goal is to create an optimal performance state, what some refer to as flow. To achieve it, athletes train three fundamental pillars: 1. Self-regulation of internal processes: confidence, focus, and attention. 2. Emotional and physiological regulation: managing what you feel without letting it control you. 3. Effective behavior under pressure: executing what you’ve trained without interference; in other words, transferring training into competition. Facts vs. Beliefs In sport, you cannot avoid making mistakes; that is a fact.What you can train is your mind’s ability not to create a negative interpretation that sabotages your performance. The Three-Stage Process 1. Education and Personalized Assessment This is the “detective phase.”First, the athlete learns how their performance mind works.Then, a precise map of their current state is built: - What mental skills do they already possess? - Is their confidence stable, or does it collapse after the first mistake? - How do emotional dips affect their performance? - Which behaviors limit their game, and which can be changed? The aim is to obtain clarity, identifying strengths and weaknesses. 2. Skill Acquisition Here, the athlete develops tools to manage thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.All training follows a progressive structure, gradually increasing pressure using the model of conscious/unconscious (in)competence. Athletes often arrive with thoughts such as:

I hope this email finds you well! As we prepare to support you, we kindly ask that you send us your schedule as soon as possible. To make things easier, please include both a screenshot of your schedule and the schedule link. If you’d like us to create images for your schedule, please give us at least one week’s notice so we can produce them for you. If you already have your own images, feel free to share those instead! Hopefully, within the next two weeks, once we get our new platform up and running, this process will get much easier. But for now, please continue to send your schedules to Stevecoxoncsn@gmail.com. Reminder: If you haven’t signed up for the new community yet, please do so! This is where we’ll post most of our client updates going forward. You can join here:https://www.skool.com/steve-coxon-soccer-network-4997/about?ref=8d2ef4838d464a4d920f4adaa08f3e22 Let us know if you have any questions or need assistance—we’re here to help. Best, Steve @Brandon Butcher @Jill Ciminero @Mia Butcher @Mia Butcher @Liza Borches @Garrett Hofer @Amy Greaser @Denise Hanas @Gaetana Deiso