While the Dynamo earned a crucial 2-0 home win over Columbus last Saturday, there were a few extra eyes watching the players' every move.
More than 30 coaches on hand for the first ever Dynamo Coaches Clinic, presented by StatoilHydro, were analyzing different portions of the match as part of their homework for the weekend symposium. For the Saturday night game, attending coaches were broken down into six small groups, each named after a Dynamo player, and assigned to analyze one aspect of the game, such as the way the Dynamo forwards' interacted, and report back to the group the next morning.
Not only did the coaches get to discuss the game amongst themselves; Dynamo assistant coach John Spencer joined the group on Sunday to talk about the game, and he shared some serious insight.
"Having one of the first-team coaches was a massive highlight of the weekend," Dynamo Academy coach John DeWitt said. "He was very candid, and he made the guys laugh a lot. He talked as if he was one of the coaches, not as if he were there having to do a lecture."
Spencer's visit with the group was just part of an entire weekend geared toward teaching coaches what the Dynamo organization - both at the academy level and the first-team level - is about. Dynamo Director of Youth Development James Clarkson said he expects to hold another coaches clinic next year and hopes to improve on the success of the first clinic.
"We had our first coaches clinic on the weekend, and it was a huge success," Clarkson said. "John Spencer's help reviewing the Columbus game was invaluable, and we had several field sessions and lectures. Dynamo Academy players came out for the field sessions, and it all went really well. We look forward to hosting even more coaches next year."
Coaches came from several locations throughout the area and the country, and several coaches used the clinic to earn two U.S. Soccer Continuing Education Units.
"We had more than 30 coaches there, and we spent more than 20 hours on classroom and fieldwork in addition to the first-team game," DeWitt said. "The coaches varied in backgrounds from those with 'A' licenses to those coaching younger-age youth teams."
In addition to Sunday's visit from Spencer, DeWitt said Dynamo Chief Operating Officer Chris Canetti opened some eyes with his Saturday talk, outlining the specifics of the 28 available roster slots and much more.
"He made it very clear that it's not a simple matter of just getting a bunch of players on your team and saying, 'Let's go,'" DeWitt said of Canetti. "He spoke about the designated player rule and how it fits into finances. He spoke about the MLS single-entity structure versus other leagues, which have franchises. I think the coaches really appreciated understanding there's more to running a pro soccer team than just getting players."
Aside from the guest speakers, attending coaches saw presentations and first-hand examples of drills and techniques used by the Dynamo Academy.
"Most of the clinic was about how we do things with the Academy," DeWitt said. "We said, 'Here's what we do with our team,' and the coaches really liked that approach. We gave them real, concrete examples."
The clinic itself is a concrete example of the Dynamo Academy's continued expansion. The youth development program began with a pair of academy teams but has grown into a system that includes a satellite academy in South Texas, a junior academy, an extensive network of camps, and the upcoming Centers of Excellence.
