The Spectrum Way: Making a Difference, One Player at a Time
You won’t find a better person in the game of soccer than Roman Hubach, Director of Soccer at Spectrum Soccer School in Parma, Ohio. Through 35 years of coaching and teaching the beautiful game, Hubach has quietly made a name for himself in a highly competitive Northeast Ohio soccer market.
His “no pressure” approach to youth soccer and a focus on development stands out from a “win at any cost” attitude that is so prevalent in youth sports today. Because of this philosophy, Spectrum Soccer School has become an exemplary program that serves as a model for others.
Hubach emphasizes tactics and technique as well as ball possession and fast decision-making on the pitch.
“I’m a big fan of Barcelona,” Hubach admitted. He also favors an indirect style of play with lots of slick passing and skillful play. In the early ages, basic skills are the focus. Those skills form the building blocks for development in the later years, where competition becomes more important.
Spectrum has earned a fantastic reputation for developing local talent, especially at an early age. It was established in 1984 as an individualized training program for soccer players and was featured on local television as the first such soccer school in the entire country.
Brazilian international Sebastian Dos Santos partnered with Hubach to provide cutting-edge instruction for local players before becoming part of the famed East-West program that produced U.S. Men’s National Team and Tottenham goalkeeper Brad Friedel. In 1999, Spectrum reinvented itself as a team-oriented program that would play at the highest levels of Ohio youth soccer.
Despite its growth over the years, Spectrum and its coaches haven’t been tainted by dollar signs. It’s certainly tempting to see all the potential money to be made and focus on winning, forgetting about skills and becoming better players. While many have sold themselves to the Almighty Dollar, Hubach turns his attention to helping his players improve on and off the field.
Hubach is convinced that money is holding the American game back as those “who can afford it, do it.” He believes universal access to free soccer will be “the turning point” in America’s growth as a soccer nation. Soccer in the States still has the reputation of being a game of the middle class, a sport that can cost families thousands a year. Spectrum understands this and became a non-profit organization with the hopes of minimizing costs for their players.
“A lot of our parents don’t pay a penny,” Hubach commented.
The one word that best describe both Hubach and Spectrum would be dedication. Spectrum has dedicated coaches who care about the development of each and every player, creating a family-like atmosphere for parents, coaches, and players. Many of the ideas contained in Claudio Reyna’s well-known coaching curriculum have been in practice for years thanks to Hubach, but he is not the only person of note in the program.
Hubach was quick to compliment the work of Coach Kenneth Russo and Club Secretary Margaret Balodis.
“Kenny is my right hand,” Hubach continued. “He is very dedicated, organized, and runs fantastic training sessions.”
There have been many great coaches associated with Spectrum over the years; one even made it to the coaching ranks of the English Premier League with Norwich City before landing a coaching position with the English FA.
Hubach, who also serves as the head boys’ soccer coach at Padua Franciscan High School, knows the Cleveland soccer market better than anyone. He is concerned that the quality of players has diminished because of the dreaded obsession with winning.
“Some coaches push kids to win instead of thinking about skills and development,” Hubach concluded. This is a slippery slope when we see American players competing in a truly global sport.
Hubach sees a need for settling on a unified philosophy of play for American players. Developing an American style of play is a hot topic, something mentioned numerous times by Jurgen Klinsmann. Hubach stresses that this should include training coaches and the enforcement of a coaching curriculum.
One thing is for sure, Roman Hubach and Spectrum Soccer School have left their footprint on the beautiful game in a big, powerful, and positive way.
The Samurai Sportswear Soccer Spotlight is a monthly feature that showcases the best of the best in the world of youth and high school soccer. This year-round coverage is made possible by the partnership between Samurai Sportswear USA and International Soccer Network, LLC.
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