Chasing the Game - Youth Soccer in America

Bad First Touch or Bad Read? How Kids Learn to Read the Game

Your kid looks sharp in training. Then the game starts, and you wonder if they are learning to read the game at all.

Miguelangel Grande Jr., founder of Grande Sports, says the problem often starts before the first touch. Pressure changes the picture. Players have to recognize space, understand what their coach wants, and make decisions while the ball is somewhere else.

Liron and Matt ask what parents can actually watch for from the sideline, when fewer minutes at a stronger club may still make sense, and what he tells families who cannot afford private training. Miguelangel also points families toward simple time with the ball and full games on TV.

In this episode:

• Why a strong training session may not translate into a match
• What a player might be feeling before a poor first touch
• How off-ball runs can matter even when the pass never comes
• Why a bad pass and a bad decision are different problems
• When a top academy environment may justify fewer minutes
• When playing more elsewhere may be the better choice
• What he tells families who cannot afford private training
• Why free play and full matches help a child learn the game

Chasing the Game: Youth Soccer in America is a weekly youth soccer development podcast for parents navigating the U.S. youth soccer pathway. Hosted by Liron Unreich and Matt Tartaglia.

• (00:00) - Why Training Looks Different on Game Day
• (06:11) - Before Calling It a Bad First Touch
• (11:08) - The Badge or the Minutes?
• (14:30) - What Full Matches Teach
• (17:17) - The Runs Parents Miss
• (20:51) - When to Settle Into a Position
• (23:03) - Does a Young Player Need Social Media?
• (24:45) - Learning the Phases of Play
• (28:54) - When Private Training Costs Too Much
• (33:02) - What Kids Can Do at Home
• (35:31) - Discipline and the Path Ahead
• (41:18) - A Parent’s Takeaway

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Are We Asking Too Much of Young Goalkeepers?

Your young goalkeeper lets in a goal. Before you decide what went wrong, what was it reasonable to expect them to do?

Sebastiano Mana, Met Oval's head of goalkeeping, wants young keepers to attempt things they haven't mastered yet. He explains why mistakes belong in training, how he reviews what a child could have done differently, and why some expectations from the sideline don't match the player's stage of development.

Liron and Matt ask what this means when parents choose a team. Sebastiano's answer comes with ages: up to U15 or U16, he says, consistent goalkeeper coaching matters more than minutes, and splitting playing time is fine. From U17, when colleges start looking, the minutes matter and it may be time to move. He also talks about size in scouting and the basics he finds some experienced young keepers were never taught.

Then he speaks as a dad: his smaller midfielder son playing a year down with a younger birth year, a frustrating college search, and the backup plan his family had before a late opportunity.

In this episode:

• What Sebastiano looks for in a young goalkeeper beyond saves
• Why technical details still matter after years of playing
• How size influences scouting without telling the whole story
• Why he puts coaching over minutes up to U15 or U16, and minutes first from U17
• Why he encourages mistakes while teaching better decisions
• How video review separates responsibility from unrealistic expectations
• His family's experience with bio-banding and a late college opportunity
• Why his family kept a backup plan during recruiting

Chasing the Game is a weekly show for parents trying to navigate youth soccer in America: the money, the leagues, the pressure, and what actually develops a player.

• (00:00) - Intro: One Mistake and Everyone Sees It
• (02:14) - From Turin to Coaching in New York
• (03:50) - Fundamentals Without Losing the Fun
• (07:44) - The Commitment He Found in New York
• (09:56) - What Shows Goalkeeper Potential
• (12:37) - Size and the Longer Development Path
• (18:27) - Training Quality or Playing Time
• (21:15) - Bringing Goalkeeper Coaching Closer to Home
• (23:07) - Learning Through Mistakes
• (25:28) - What Can Your Child Reasonably Do
• (27:56) - A Smaller Player Finds His Pace
• (31:34) - College Recruiting and a Backup Plan
• (37:39) - Other Sports and Goalkeeper Development
• (39:55) - Outro: Before You Blame the Keeper

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Soccer vs. School: Why Should Kids Have to Choose?

Soccer and school should support the same kid. Why does pursuing one sometimes make the other harder?

At YSC Academy, an independent school partnered with the Philadelphia Union, Mark Franek teaches students whose school day is built around soccer. Elsewhere, parents are trying to make training, travel and a regular school schedule work together. Mark, an English teacher and author of American Soccer Nation, explains what he values about the Philadelphia Union environment. Liron and Matt press him on the families who don't have that option.

Mark makes the case for in-person teaching while acknowledging the difficult choices families face. He also refuses to treat college as a failed professional dream. His perspective comes from inside this environment, as both a teacher and a soccer dad.

The conversation stretches beyond school: the car ride home, what kids hear when parents dismiss MLS, and the American soccer communities Mark writes about.

In this episode:

• Why Mark left law when he was missing his son's games
• How he describes a school day built around Philadelphia Union training
• His approach to the car ride home, and why he says parents must know their own kid
• Why he treats college and professional soccer as worthwhile paths
• What he thinks a strong coach alone cannot provide
• His concerns about online schooling, and the limited choices some families face
• Why he wants club owners to invest in education alongside soccer
• What the early American Soccer League and its communities mean to the players he teaches

Chasing the Game is a weekly show for parents trying to navigate youth soccer in America: the money, the leagues, the pressure, and what actually develops a player.

• (00:00) - Intro: Culture, School and a Book
• (01:54) - Missing His Son's Games
• (05:17) - School Inside the Philadelphia Union
• (09:09) - Soccer at Home and the Car Ride Home
• (14:39) - Why Mark Wrote American Soccer Nation
• (19:14) - What Kids Hear When Parents Dismiss MLS
• (22:19) - College Is Not a Failed Pro Dream
• (24:43) - The Rise and Fall of the Early ASL
• (28:38) - Communities and Total Immersion
• (32:34) - When School and Soccer Collide
• (37:26) - Mark's Vision for American Soccer
• (41:32) - Outro: Before You Change Schools

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Too Much Soccer Training, Not Enough Free Play?

Before you book another soccer training session, when did your kid last just play?

The pitch is familiar. More sessions, a stronger team, more travel, a better chance. Families spend thousands, give up weekends, and still feel it is not enough. Ted Kroeten built that system himself, running a big club in Minnesota on assessments, progress reports and the 10,000 hours. In his words: kids hated it, parents loved it.

So he co-founded Joy of the People, a play-based program in a St. Paul rec center. Ted describes 16 years of watching what kids learn through play when adults step back. His frame is overloading and underloading. Overload is the explicit work: drills, reps, structure. Underload is play, where kids build a language of movement and learn to read the player in front of them. Ted thinks even top academy players need more chances to play freely. He also says that can happen within an academy session when players let go of performance pressure and coaches help create the right environment.

When Liron asks why a kid's moves disappear between training and games, Ted points to fluency: learning to read and respond to another player. Liron and Matt own up to their own overloading too, including a pickup game where three parents showed up with Veo cameras. Ted's last piece of advice sounds simple and isn't: play with your kids.

In this episode:

• Why Ted walked away from the deliberate practice system he built at a big Minnesota club
• Overloading vs. underloading, explained with push-ups and learning a second language
• Why a move that works against a cone disappears against a real defender
• Matt's first reaction to a 30/30/30 session plan: "what are we paying for?"
• Where play can fit when the week is already school, four practices, travel and homework
• Why parent-organized "free play" keeps turning into another tournament
• What Ted's son told a newspaper about his dad, and why it stuck with Ted
• What Ted says parents should actually do at home

Chasing the Game is a weekly show for parents trying to navigate youth soccer in America: the money, the leagues, the pressure, and what actually develops a player.

• (00:00) - When Did Your Kid Last Just Play?
• (01:47) - Ted Built the Machine. Kids Hated It.
• (04:29) - Are the Best Kids Playing Enough?
• (07:08) - Overloading vs. Underloading
• (10:51) - Inside Joy of the People
• (14:41) - Great in Training, Gone in Games
• (17:12) - When Training Scripts Every Move
• (22:39) - Where Does Play Fit in a Packed Week?
• (25:34) - When Parents Ruined Pickup
• (28:35) - My Dad Was Never Disappointed
• (31:41) - Play With Your Kids
• (35:46) - What We Took Away

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Is Moving Up in MLS NEXT Worth Risking Playing Time?

MLS NEXT Homegrown or Academy: would you move your child up if his place on the field became less certain?

The offer sounds like progress. But your child already plays regularly, likes his coach, and enjoys his team. A longer drive and a higher division might bring opportunity. They also leave parents with a hard question: what are we giving up?

Luis Robles, General Manager, Sporting, MLS NEXT, returns to work through that choice with Liron and Matt. He recalls a mother whose son was happy, playing, and loved his coach. For that player, in that setting, he thought the environment was right. Age and local options mattered to his answer.

The conversation also gets into what happens beyond the division name: how clubs are evaluated, why travel costs matter, and what Luis saw as a dad that helped shape his thinking about U13 playing time. He also questions the pressure to fill every free afternoon with organized training.

In this episode:

• Weighing a Homegrown offer against an Academy team where your child already plays
• Why a player's age and local options change that decision
• What watching U13 players sit out made Luis want to change
• Why Luis sees tied Flex matches as a chance to experience penalty pressure
• How he watches game video with his son without making mistakes the whole story
• What he says MLS NEXT looks at when evaluating clubs
• The connection between fewer overnight trips and a family's soccer costs
• Why he says children do not need structured training all the time

High school eligibility note: Luis mentions the waiver in this conversation. The published 2026-27 Homegrown rules require an approved waiver, with eligibility conditions and application windows, and describe returning to matches after the high school season ends. Playing high school without approval can prevent Homegrown participation until the following fall. Before making plans, check the current rules and confirm your child's eligibility with your club and MLS NEXT. Rules and waiver: https://www.mlssoccer.com/mlsnext/resources/

Chasing the Game is a weekly show for parents trying to navigate youth soccer in America: the money, the leagues, the pressure, and what actually develops a player.

• (00:00) - Why Luis Came Back
• (06:10) - Making Games More Competitive
• (08:49) - Penalties, Pressure, and Playing Time
• (14:02) - Quality of Play and Learning From Video
• (17:55) - Why MLS NEXT Added the Academy Division
• (21:19) - Homegrown or Academy for Your Child
• (23:52) - Who Checks Your Club
• (25:56) - Less Travel and Time to Just Play
• (29:34) - High School Soccer and Eligibility
• (34:56) - Scholarships, Player Lists, and Grants
• (43:22) - What Luis Sees as a Soccer Dad
• (46:35) - What Parents Can Ask Next

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Chris Mueller on What the Soccer Dream Demands

Chris Mueller was never the best kid on the field. He was on the B team at his Chicago club until he was 14, he was 4 feet 11 until high school, and he did not start a game or score a goal as a freshman at Wisconsin. He left Wisconsin as the first two-time All-American in the program's history, went sixth overall in the 2018 MLS draft, and played for Orlando City, Hibernian in Scotland and the Chicago Fire, with two caps for the U.S. Men's National Team.

None of it was bought. He never had a technical trainer as a kid. What changed, he says, was lining up what he said he wanted with what he actually did every day, and that is the part no parent can pay for.

Mueller retired from professional soccer in September at 30. He told Liron and Matt on the record, two days before it was public, and then spent most of the conversation talking about other people's kids: how to test whether a player means what he says, what he thinks families overpay for, what college coaches check once your kid has their attention, and why taking ownership is the part that transfers whether or not the soccer works out.

The honest part is that there are no guarantees. He did the work, he made it, and it still ended earlier than he expected. He still calls the ending his choice.

In this episode:

• The test he gives a player: hand them the steps, watch what they do with them over a week or a month, and treat the result as insight rather than a verdict
• Why a kid who does not take the steps may be missing structure and guidance rather than desire
• Why claiming a college goal and not backing it up costs a player confidence on the field
• What he thinks families overpay for: he says technical training is good and uses a trainer himself, but three sessions a week against two team trainings is the wrong balance
• What he did instead as a kid, in a hockey rink outside Chicago with a Facebook group called Football in the Burg
• What college coaches check once your kid's ability has their attention: warmups, handshakes, calls to school counselors and club coaches, sessions they turn up to unannounced
• Why he says the college route is the more realistic one in the long term, and what he remembers about the homegrown players on his Chicago roster
• What his parents said when he called from Wisconsin ready to transfer, and why he calls retiring at 30 a choice

Chasing the Game is a weekly show for parents trying to navigate youth soccer in America: the money, the leagues, the pressure, and what actually develops a player.

• (00:00) - When the Path Changes
• (01:25) - From the B Team to the MLS Draft
• (03:24) - Build a Self Worth Believing In
• (08:11) - Does Your Kid Really Want It?
• (11:25) - The Transfer His Parents Would Not Fix
• (15:55) - Showcases, Trainers, and Letting Kids Play
• (19:57) - Risk, Luck, and the College Route
• (24:00) - Ownership Beyond Soccer
• (26:32) - What Parents Model Under Pressure
• (31:43) - Retiring at 30, by Choice
• (37:59) - What College Coaches Check
• (41:52) - What the Path Teaches Parents

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A Pro Soccer Offer at 15. A Family Decision.

If your child received a professional soccer offer at 15, would your family say yes straight away? Jonny Shore's family took months. College was still on the table.

The NYCFC midfielder tells Liron and Matt how they made that decision, what changed after he signed, and how his parents supported him when playing well did not bring the next opportunity. For parents wondering how kids become professional soccer players, this is one family's answer, with the parts that do not make the announcement: online school from 10th grade, two seasons on the second team playing against adults, a season where he played well and got "pretty much no looks" from the first team, a debut at 17 that came faster than he expected, and a back injury that took most of the next preseason.

Jonny says he has no regrets, and he still tells every kid to have a plan B. He also understands why another player might choose college. Liron and Matt also ask him what coachability means and what coaches owe young players in return, and what he would tell a nine-year-old who is scared to make a mistake.

For parents, this is a player's account of when support helped and when pressure got in the way: parents who let him play, friendships that made the academy years special, the moments he needed clearer feedback from coaches, and why, even in the first team, he keeps coming back to enjoying the game.

In this episode:

• Joining an MLS academy at 10 and adjusting to the competition, travel, and training schedule
• Why young players need room to make mistakes, and how his parents supported that
• What coachability means, and why coaches also owe young players clear feedback
• Weighing a pro contract against college, and why Jonny still recommends a plan B
• Switching to online school and missing birthdays and weekends with friends
• Why playing against adults made the academy-to-second-team jump so difficult
• The season with no first-team looks, and working back after injury
• Keeping friendships and interests outside soccer, without measuring progress against social media

Chasing the Game is a weekly show for parents navigating youth soccer in America: the money, the leagues, the pressure, and what actually develops a player.

• (00:00) - Opening
• (01:55) - Upper West Side to Manhattan Kickers
• (07:22) - The Academy Shock
• (11:37) - Play Your Own Game
• (13:52) - Coachability and What Coaches Owe Kids
• (16:10) - What Families Give Up for Soccer
• (18:30) - Plan B and the College Question
• (21:58) - A Pro Offer at 15: The Family Decision
• (28:28) - From Waiting to an MLS Debut
• (33:43) - Injury, Setbacks and Earning Your Place
• (39:13) - Enjoy the Game and Stop Comparing
• (43:41) - Closing: Keep the Dream and a Plan B

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What U.S. Soccer Says Must Change in Youth Soccer

How is U.S. Soccer trying to fix youth soccer? Its chief operating officer says the current system is "not acceptable," families are not appropriately served, and the federation owns improving and clarifying the pathway.

The World Cup filled stadiums and pulled in tens of millions of viewers. Then the run ended against Belgium, and the federation started saying two things at once: the event was a success, and the development system has to change. For a parent in the car on the way to practice, the second sentence is the one that matters.

Dan Helfrich, Chief Operating Officer of U.S. Soccer, describes what he wants a new system to look like: soccer in schools and parks for free, local competition that does not price families out in money or time, development centers where a kid can be seen without a tryout or a check, and a wider talent funnel that stays open past the early-teen years when kids are still growing. He agrees that most young players should be able to find good competition much closer to home, while acknowledging that lower-density communities need different answers. He says U.S. Soccer will not own and operate leagues. These are goals and early design principles, not announced policy.

Dan is also a soccer parent. He asks to return in 9 to 12 months so Liron and Matt can review what has changed and what has not. Parents should hold U.S. Soccer to that check-in.

In this episode:

• The "spider web" of governance and why Google Maps cannot navigate the pathway
• Soccer in schools and parks as the first step toward affordability
• Why an 11-year-old's future does not depend on one national tournament, and where travel can shrink
• Why U.S. Soccer does not want to own youth leagues, and what it wants to own instead
• Why scouting becomes self-fulfilling and how video and a wider affiliate network could change that
• Keeping the talent funnel open through adolescence, when dominant 11-year-olds stop dominating
• The cost of a good game, travel as an unforced error, and where new money could come from
• Coach and parent behavior: the U11 throw-in that says everything

Chasing the Game is a weekly show for parents trying to navigate youth soccer in America, the money, the leagues, the pressure, and what actually develops a player.

• (00:00) - Opening: The USYS News
• (03:03) - The Summer That Changed Belief
• (07:25) - The Spider Web
• (09:46) - US Soccer Owns This
• (11:37) - What A New System Looks Like
• (19:13) - Abolish Travel?
• (22:22) - Not Owning Leagues, Borrowing Ideas
• (26:20) - Who Gets Seen: A Wider Funnel
• (33:38) - The Cost Of A Good Game
• (38:22) - College Soccer
• (42:27) - Coaches And Parent Behavior
• (45:42) - Wrap-Up: The Parent To-Do List

Click here to view the episode transcript.

The Long Game. How Do You Keep Kids Loving Soccer?
How do you keep kids loving soccer when the game keeps asking them to carry more?
This final episode of our Summer Best Of series steps back from rankings, pathways, costs, and development models to ask a bigger question. After a year of conversations, what actually matters when the final whistle blows on a child’s youth soccer journey?
Liron Unreich and Matt Tartaglia revisit some of the voices that shaped the first season, including Dr. Jonathan Jenkins, Don Farr, Tali Sommer, Ryan Farr, Andrew May, Peguy Luyindula, and David Rodriguez. Together they explore listening before solving, protecting enjoyment, giving late developers time, and remembering that the child has to stay more important than the sport.
The Long Game closes the series with optimism. Youth soccer is still worth believing in, but only if we never lose sight of why children started playing in the first place.
In this episode:

• Why listening should come before solving when a child wants to quit
• What parents often forget while chasing development
• Why freedom and enjoyment create better long-term players
• How Ryan Farr’s journey challenges early specialization
• Why growth goals matter more than outcome goals
• Why the child has to remain more important than the sport
• What the best guests from Season One taught us about long-term development
• Why the future of American youth soccer is still worth fighting for

• (00:00) - The Long Game
• (01:37) - Listen Before You Solve
• (05:13) - Why Parents Love Watching
• (08:27) - Playing Free
• (11:21) - Late Development Is Real
• (14:15) - Growth Over Goals
• (18:13) - The Child Before The Sport
• (20:37) - Why We Still Believe
• (21:51) - End of Season Reflections

Click here to view the episode transcript.

Parents hear the word development everywhere in youth soccer. Clubs say it. Coaches say it. Trainers say it. But if training does not transfer to the game, the word can hide more than it explains.

In this Best Of Part 3 episode, Liron and Matt revisit clips from Sean McCafferty, Juan Santamaria, Nil Congost, Christian Gonzalez, Evan Rosenthal, Matt Poland, Dr. Chris Platts, and Jose Campos.

The episode moves from winning and false progress to skill, recognition, specificity, sacrifice, late developers, and the coaching humility required to see the player in front of you.

In this episode:

• Why winning all the time can create false progress
• Why wanting to win is still part of development
• How environment challenges talent
• Why technique is not the same as game skill
• Why general practice creates general outcomes
• How parents get pulled toward training that looks good but may not transfer
• Why the simple action under pressure is often elite
• Why coaches and parents should be careful when predicting a player’s future

• (00:00) - What Is Development?
• (01:17) - False Progress
• (04:05) - Winning Matters
• (05:49) - The Barcelona Fantasy
• (08:37) - Technique Is Not Skill
• (12:13) - Specific Training
• (14:37) - Style Before Substance
• (18:10) - The Last 15 Percent
• (21:20) - Late Developers
• (26:45) - Coaching the Player
• (29:15) - What Parents Should Look For

Click here to view the episode transcript.

For parents, that question is not only about fees. It is about sacrifice, access, pressure, private training, travel, college hopes, and whether the money is actually helping the player.

In this Best Of episode, Liron and Matt revisit the cost conversation through clips from Peguy Luyindula, Danny Buttita, Evan Rosenthal, Dr. Chris Platz, Justin Phelps, Tom Bowen, Ryan Farr, Phil Gordon, and Alex Rando.

The episode moves past the easy complaint that youth soccer is expensive. It asks a better question: what are parents buying, what are they not buying, and does the spending match the child’s why?

Chasing the Game is a weekly show for parents trying to navigate youth soccer in America: the money, the leagues, the pressure, and what actually develops a player.

• (00:00) - The Cost Question
• (02:06) - Why Soccer Costs More Here
• (05:05) - Pay-to-Play and Access
• (08:06) - Scholarships Inside Clubs
• (10:20) - Start With Why
• (14:38) - When Sacrifice Becomes Pressure
• (17:08) - The Scholarship Reality
• (18:26) - Academics and the College Path
• (20:50) - College or Contract
• (23:12) - Ask Better Questions
• (25:10) - Never Spend Blindly

Click here to view the episode transcript.

Summer is here, and so is our first Best Of episode.

But this isn’t a greatest-hits collection.

Instead of replaying our biggest social clips, we went back through 35 episodes and chose the conversations that quietly shaped how we think about youth soccer.

We call this episode The Maze because that’s what the American youth soccer system often feels like. Every decision feels urgent. Every club promises opportunity. Every badge seems important.

Looking back, we realized these conversations were all answering the same question:

How do parents know they’re making the right decision?

Featuring insights from Sean McCafferty, Andrew May, Ditmer de Jong, Filippo Giovannoli, Jose Campos, Tom Bowen, and more, this episode explores club fit, player development, rankings, self-regulation, physical maturity, and why finding the right environment matters more than chasing the biggest badge.

In this episode

* Why fit beats prestige
* Why parent ego quietly shapes decisions
* How self-regulation separates long-term players
* Why rankings only tell part of the story
* How biology fools parents and coaches
* Why challenging yourself is essential for development

• (00:00) - The Maze
• (02:36) - Badge, Fit, and Timing
• (06:17) - The Ego Trap
• (10:10) - Self-Regulation
• (12:03) - Europe and Environment
• (14:37) - Rankings and Identity
• (17:24) - The Bigger Pond
• (20:52) - Biology Can Fool Us
• (23:46) - What We Learned

Click here to view the episode transcript.

Winning is part of development. Juan Santamaria, Sporting Director and Vice President at Cedar Stars Academy, joins Chasing the Game to talk about competition, mentality, playing time, college recruiting, MLS academies, and what parents misunderstand about the pathway.

This episode gets into the uncomfortable parts of serious youth soccer: losing players to MLS academies, helping families through the college process, the cost of showcases, why players need to drive their own recruiting, and when parents have to step back.

Juan also gives a clear answer on what a player needs by age 13, what parents should stop chasing, what they should ask clubs, and the warning sign that a player may be in the wrong environment.

More from Chasing the Game:
Chasing the Game - Youth Soccer in America
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• (00:00) - Winning Is Allowed
• (01:45) - Meet Juan Santamaria
• (05:52) - Losing Players to MLS Academies
• (11:06) - What a Sporting Director Actually Does
• (18:09) - Can Cedar Stars Keep Top Players?
• (24:11) - “You Have to Be a Monster”
• (29:03) - The College Recruiting Reality
• (35:00) - MLS, Europe, and the Pro Path
• (39:00) - The Cost of the Pathway
• (46:00) - When Parents Need to Step Back
• (49:00) - Winning Is Part of Development
• (51:40) - Quick Fire: Resilience, Pathway, Complacency

Click here to view the episode transcript.

Harris Faulkner Gets a World Cup Crash Course
A six-time Emmy-winning Fox News anchor is heading to France vs. Senegal with her daughters and needs soccer rules for parents before the World Cup.

Harris Faulkner knows pressure. Live television. Breaking news. Election nights. But soccer brings a different challenge: stoppage time, offside, VAR, red cards, chanting fans, and two teenage daughters watching every reaction.
So Liron and Matt give her the Chasing the Game version of a World Cup crash course. Not the expert version. The parent version. Enough to follow the match, understand the drama, and maybe say one smart thing at the perfect time.
In this episode:

• Why the World Cup is the easiest way into soccer
• What parents should know before sitting in a stadium
• Why does the clock count up and stoppage time feel strange
• How offside and VAR work without ruining the game
• What yellow cards, red cards, and substitutions mean
• Why France vs. Senegal carries real World Cup history
• Why Mbappé and Mané matter
• The soccer lines that might impress your kids once

• (00:00) - Parent in Need
• (01:13) - Harris Faulkner Joins
• (03:37) - Soccer or Football
• (06:12) - How to Be a Fan
• (08:17) - Why the World Cup Works
• (11:22) - France and Senegal History
• (12:21) - Kickoff and the Clock
• (16:10) - Offside and VAR
• (19:49) - Cards and Substitutions
• (23:39) - Mbappé and Mané
• (28:04) - Soccer Lines That Work
• (33:10) - The Coachable Parent

Click here to view the episode transcript.

Why does a youth soccer player look technical in training, then struggle when the game starts?

That question drives this conversation with Christian Silva, founder of Silva Academy and a former professional player. Christian pushes past the easy labels parents hear all the time: technical, confident, talented, improving. His point is sharper than that. A player can look great in a session, beat cones, win drills, and still not understand when or why to use the skill in a real game.

Liron and Matt talk with Christian about what technical ability actually means, why the skill is not just the move, why supplemental training has to connect back to the team environment, and why parents often misread confidence.

Christian also explains why yelling from the sideline can hijack a player’s decision-making, why watching full games still matters, why highlights can distort development, and why the best soccer parents may need to ask more questions before chasing another trainer, team, badge, or shortcut.

This episode is for every parent who has watched their kid look great in practice and then wondered why it did not show up on game day.

• (00:00) - Why training and games can look so different
• (02:24) - Christian Silva on the real development gap
• (05:55) - The stop moving lesson from Germany
• (08:30) - What technical actually means
• (10:30) - The skill is not the skill
• (12:30) - Supplemental training and game transfer
• (17:00) - How to judge progress in a match
• (20:10) - Benchmarks, foundations, and catching up
• (23:00) - Why training has to come alive in games
• (25:00) - How parents can hijack decision-making
• (28:20) - Pay-to-play, access, and open systems
• (32:30) - Too many programs, not enough clarity
• (35:00) - Knowing your own kid
• (38:00) - Tryouts, benchmarks, and control
• (40:30) - The reality of chasing pro soccer
• (42:40) - Confidence as controllables
• (45:20) - Why watching full games still matters
• (50:45) - Rapid fire: scanning, adversity, and questions
• (52:10) - Final takeaways for parents

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A post can open a door, but it can also distort what families think progress looks like.

In this episode, Liron and Matt talk with David Rodriguez, founder of Footy Access, about one of the most loaded words in youth soccer: exposure.

Parents want their kids seen. Players feel the pressure. Clubs understand the value. Platforms create visibility. But being posted is not the same thing as being developed, recruited, or ready.

David explains how Footy Access thinks about coverage, why families cannot pay to have a player featured, when social media can help, and why a young player still has to hold up when the camera is off.

In this episode:

• Why David started Footy Access after seeing a gap in youth soccer media
• Why views and followers can become misleading metrics
• How Footy Access sources stories, rankings, and player coverage
• What exposure actually means for players, clubs, and families
• Why social media is not a replacement for showcases, scouts, or development
• Why parents cannot pay to have a player featured
• When posting helps a player and when it becomes noise
• Why families need a clearer “North Star” before chasing visibility

• (00:00) - Social Media Pressure
• (02:30) - How Footy Access Started
• (05:45) - Views Are Not the Goal
• (07:15) - Sourcing the Story
• (08:55) - Highlights, Rankings, and Scouts
• (11:28) - Keeping Coverage Positive
• (15:31) - What Exposure Means
• (18:49) - The Business Model
• (21:18) - Not Pay-to-Play
• (25:32) - How Players Get Validated
• (28:56) - What Parents Misunderstand
• (32:21) - Pro Dreams and the North Star
• (40:01) - When Posting Becomes Too Much
• (52:02) - Final Takeaways

Click here to view the episode transcript.

What does a youth soccer coach do when parents are not watching?

This week on Chasing the Game, Liron is joined by Patrick Ouckama and Phil Gordon, whose coaching path has taken him from D.C. United to Nottingham Forest.

That journey gives Phil a rare view of two very different soccer environments: the American youth system and the English academy world. The conversation keeps returning to something most parents do not always see clearly.

Coaching is not just the session.

It is the planning before training.
The conversations after practice.
The hard roster decisions.
The scouting meetings.
The staffing behind the player.
The hours spent thinking about development long after the whistle blows.

Phil talks about the dedication required to coach well, what changes when you move into a Premier League academy environment, and why staffing and structure matter so much in player development.

For American soccer parents, this episode offers a useful look behind the curtain. Not because England has all the answers. Not because Nottingham Forest is a magic model. But seeing how another environment supports players and coaches can help us ask better questions about our own.

In this episode, we cover:

- What parents often miss about the work coaches do
- Why coaching is much more than running a training session
- How Phil’s path moved from D.C. United to Nottingham Forest
- What the UK academy environment feels like from the inside
- Why staffing, scouting, and support roles matter in development
- The difference between coaching in the U.S. and England
- How geography changes the academy experience in the UK
- What American players bring, and where they can still grow
- Why parent-coach relationships can shape the development experience
- How families should think about college, contracts, and long-term pathways

• (00:00) - What Coaches Really Do
• (03:00) - Phil Gordon’s Coaching Path
• (06:00) - Work Ethic From The U.S.
• (09:00) - What Parents Don’t See
• (12:00) - Rosters, Playing Time, Hard Choices
• (15:00) - Parents And Coaches Together
• (18:00) - What Changed In England
• (21:00) - Staffing, Scouts, And Infrastructure
• (25:00) - Geography And Academy Options
• (29:00) - American Athleticism, European Technique
• (33:00) - Watching The Game Differently
• (36:00) - College, Contracts, And Choices
• (42:00) - What Has To Give
• (45:00) - The Dedication Behind The Job

View full transcript

Most soccer families are told the same thing: specialize early, chase the biggest league, get seen, and don’t fall behind.

But Don Farr and his son Ryan tell a different story.

Ryan played multiple sports, stayed connected to high school soccer, took a post-grad year at Northwood, and then became a standout freshman at Stony Brook. His path was not clean. It was not obvious. And that is exactly why it matters.

This episode is about the decisions families make when there is no perfect answer. Academy or high school. D1 or D3. Exposure or fit. Scholarship or affordability. Dream big, but stay honest.

In this episode:

• Why all three Farr brothers ended up with different soccer outcomes
• What high school soccer still gives players in certain communities
• Why Ryan chose Northwood instead of jumping straight into college
• The shock of entering a more professional soccer environment
• The real value, and limits, of showcases
• Why ID camps are often misunderstood
• How families should think about scholarship money and actual college cost
• What Ryan learned from his freshman year at Stony Brook

• (00:00) - America, Land of Soccer Opportunity
• (02:20) - Meet Don and Ryan Farr
• (03:45) - Falling in Love With the Game
• (06:10) - Three Brothers, Three Soccer Paths
• (09:20) - High School Soccer Still Matters
• (12:05) - Choosing Northwood Over a D1 Offer
• (15:10) - Finding a Position and a Purpose
• (18:15) - The Post-Grad Year That Changed Everything
• (23:55) - Inside the Northwood Environment
• (27:20) - D1, D3, and What Parents Actually Feel
• (31:20) - Showcases, Exposure, and Being Seen
• (35:40) - What Coaches Notice Beyond the Ball
• (38:55) - The Money Side of College Soccer
• (42:10) - Ryan’s Freshman Breakthrough
• (45:00) - Keeping the Pro Dream Alive
• (48:05) - The Truth About ID Camps
• (51:00) - What Parents Should Take Away

Click here to view the episode transcript.

Youth soccer keeps changing. Most families are still searching for fixed answers.

In this episode, Filippo Giovagnoli challenges some of the deepest assumptions parents have about development, culture, tactics, pathways, and what actually creates players.

This is not a conversation about nostalgia or romantic ideas about European football. It is about adaptation.

The modern game moves faster. Players have less time. Duels matter more. Decision-making matters more. Grit matters more. And the players who survive are often the ones who keep evolving.

We talk about:

• Why winning duels is not just physical
• Why tactics too early can hurt development
• Why “soccer culture” alone solves nothing
• Why American soccer is improving faster than people think
• Why parents misunderstand data and pathways
• Why adaptability may matter more than raw talent
• Why intrinsic motivation changes everything
• Why Europe is not one simple blueprint

For parents, the real question becomes uncomfortable:

• (00:00) - Start
• (00:03) - Not About Nostalgia
• (01:38) - Filippo’s Football Path
• (05:01) - Seeing Talent in America
• (08:33) - Why Duels Matter
• (11:32) - U.S. Development Is Catching Up
• (13:59) - Pro Clubs and Local Academies
• (15:31) - Europe Is Not One Answer
• (19:00) - Why Parents Get Lost
• (21:30) - Culture Is Not Enough
• (24:31) - The Pro Dream and College Reality
• (27:28) - The Dangerous Educated Parent
• (32:27) - What the Numbers Miss
• (37:31) - Desire Has to Come From Inside
• (42:31) - Too Much Tactics Too Early
• (49:59) - Grit Is the New Talent

Are we helping our kids adapt to the modern game, or preparing them for a version that no longer exists?

Your First Contract Is Not a Career

A pro contract at 18 can look like the finish line. In this episode, Dr. Chris Platts explains why it is often just the start of the hardest stretch.

For soccer parents, the pressure is familiar. The badge. The academy. The scholarship. The contract. Each one can start to feel like proof that the path is working.

But Chris’ research with young players shows a more complicated reality. Families often make major decisions without first asking the simplest question: what are we actually trying to achieve?

This conversation is about the years after the first contract, the risk of staying in the wrong environment, why late developers get missed, and how parents can become the anchor without trying to control every step.

In this episode:

• Why “making it” needs a clearer definition
• What parents and players may not agree on
• Why the first pro contract is not the endpoint
• Why 18 to 23 can define a player’s career
• How academy systems can miss late developers
• Why bigger clubs are not always better environments
• When paying to play becomes a red flag
• How parents can ask better questions before big decisions

• (00:00) - What Does Making It Mean?
• (01:13) - Chris Platts’ Research Lens
• (04:10) - Define The Goal First
• (08:13) - Parents And Players Need Alignment
• (11:42) - The First Contract Problem
• (14:23) - Why Late Developers Get Missed
• (18:21) - The 18 To 23 Window
• (21:09) - Brand Attachment And Hard Choices
• (24:26) - What Good Environments Actually Do
• (27:06) - Short-Term Thinking In Academies
• (30:15) - Why It Is All Plan A
• (35:51) - Paying To Play Red Flags
• (38:56) - Is The Bigger Badge Better?
• (42:04) - Parents Need Better Information

Click here to view the episode transcript.