Wilmer Cabrera

By Jonathan Castner

A former midfielder with Colombia and the Long Island Roughriders, among others, Wilmer Cabrera took charge of the U17 program in Bradenton. This issue GP chats with Cabrera about coaching, Major League Soccer’s Latin zeal, and whiz kid Charles Renken.

What are your goals for this program? Tell me about your philosophy. We have a responsibility to qualify for the U17 World Cup and do well. We have the time to do it. These players are pretty young. They’re going to need to develop. We’re working as a group and we also spend a lot of time individually with the players, working on technique, tactics, and skills. We also teach them the ‘soccer life’ the everyday life, like how to live with being injured, how to handle sitting on the bench. They have to learn how to keep a low-profile.

Charles Renken and Carlos Martinez have been attracting interest from scouts in America and across the pond. Are they handling the pressure well? We can’t think that way. They have some good qualities, but all of our players have potential. Charles has been injured so he hasn’t been able to contribute as much as we would like.

That’s a good point.You spent some time in the Major League Soccer fan development office. Tell me about your stint there. Well, I brought in some ideas about approaching the Hispanic community in a different way. The Latin mentality is a bit different.

	"We have a responsibility to qualify for the U17 World Cup and do well."

How so? Well, Hispanic fans want to see more possession, they want to see goals and skill, but they want teams to hold onto the ball a bit more.

I think we all want to see that Wilmer. Is the approach working? The league is about being the best in the world, long-term. They have a lot of enthusiasm and they are very serious about doing things right.

But the David Beckham move doesn’t seem like a decision which will help in the long term? It is. You need that spark to get people talking and interested. As long as the league doesn’t neglect other areas, such as player development, than it’s a good move.

In addition, you manage BW Gottschee of Queens. How do you get the time? I don’t know. That’s a good question. I enjoy being busy though. I love football and I have a lot of fun. If I don’t have fun, I don’t do it.

What does the typical U17 training routine consist of? From 8:30 to 10:55 the kids train. They shower, go to their rooms for a bit, then have lunch. They have school in the afternoon. Then they can go to study hall or play a little more on their own. They can also play different sports in the gym. Then we have dinner. Afterwards, we watch game tapes and have a mental conditioning session. Then they have their free time.

3/17/2008