About IFP Soccer
Individualized Tactical Coaching for Smarter Play
Alan Riches
When I was coaching at the college level, I kept running into the same problem. Players who were technically solid, genuinely talented, and working hard, but struggling to make decisions under pressure, read the game, or understand what their position actually required of them in real situations.
The issue wasn't ability. It was that nobody had ever taught them what to look for.
As a college coach I had the same limitation every coach has: too many players, not enough staff, too many responsibilities, and never enough time to sit down with one player and break down the game for their specific position. Team tactics, match preparation, recruiting, administration. Individual tactical development always got pushed to the back.
And it's not just college soccer. Club teams, high school programs, professional academies; at nearly every level, individual positional coaching is the first thing that gets cut when time runs short. Which means most players move through their entire career reacting to situations they were never taught to read in advance.
My coaching foundation was built in Brazil, where I apprenticed under Oscar Bernardi, captain of the 1982 Brazilian national team, and earned my coaching license through the Brazilian ABTF in 2005. I later served as an apprentice coach at Clube Atletico Mineiro before returning to the US to coach women's soccer at McMurry University — where I took a program that hadn't won in four years to its first winning season over five seasons.
I stepped away from full-time coaching in 2015 and have been based in the mountains of southern New Mexico ever since. PositionIQ is how I stay connected to the game — and how I work with players who deserve the kind of individual attention most coaching environments can't provide.
If you're serious about improving your tactical awareness, let's get to work!