Latest / I Hate Soccer with Jason Collinsworth / I Hate Soccer #106 - Paul Ritchie, MLSNext Director at City SC

Transcript

I Hate Soccer #106 - Paul Ritchie, MLSNext Director at City SC · I Hate Soccer with Jason Collinsworth

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: Paul Ritchie is the MLS Next Academy Director at CDSC in Carlsbad, California.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_01: He had a long playing career in obviously in Europe, in Scotland primarily.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_01: He played with Hart's Hartham Midlothian football club.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_01: He played for Bolton Wanderers, Rangers, Man City for three years.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: He has a great perspective on player development and really coaching development because when he first started coaching, he went right into coaching pro and then and then he went into college and then he went into the youth game.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_01: Whereas most coaches, we go, we start at the youth, then maybe we get a college chance, and then we make a leap to pro.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_01: How many times in this during this podcast have we talked about self-awareness and coaches having self-awareness of where they think that they best fit with players and uh within a club structure?
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: We talk about how we could try to close the gap in the United States, uh, what's holding us back, what's why are we behind, and how we can close that gap.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_01: Please like, subscribe, share this episode everywhere you can.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_01: Uh this is uh this is another one of those where it's a it's a real coaching education.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and you know, I say it at the end, but selfishly, I get so much out of talking to some of these coaches, just myself learning, and I hope that you learn as much as I do.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_01: Enjoy.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: I hate soccer.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, we can start at the very beginning, but first, how have you been with the MLS Next, the entire iteration of MLS Next?
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we have.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: We were we were very fortunate to be one of the founding members uh at City SC.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um so we've been here from the beginning uh and watch it grow to the level where it is now.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: So it's been it was always a fantastic platform right to the beginning.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh but now, as you said, the the events, the the level of competition, the standards, it's it's everything that these kids need uh in order to try and get to the levels that they they want to get to.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: And how were you guys part of the DA prior?
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, we were.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_01: Were you guys an original member of that?
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: No, no.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: We we our club in Carlsbad became early galaxy San Diego.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I think back then that was our when I first arrived here, that was our opportunity to be brought into the the DA.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: So we were into the DA as a U-12 team.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so then we built a foundation from there every year where we're given an extra team, and then obviously the DA is sort of folded and everybody went their separate ways.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: Is that how MLS Next brings in new teams?
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: In the beginning they did.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I think it was one of those ones where they they started the platform at the younger age groups uh to give these clubs opportunities to build what they have.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I think certain clubs, certain uh organizations were given the full pathway.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, if MLS believed that they have the ability to field strong teams and and continue to strengthen every age group, but at the beginning, yes, it was apart from the founding members, we were given the full pathway uh from 13s through to 90s, which was was great for our club.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_01: How okay, now you can start from the beginning.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_01: Like tell me everything.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, brought up and raised in Scotland, uh as I said, we had the had the pleasure and the uh as I said, the the great luck to play professionally.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um so I was watching these kids now and what they are what they've are given here and the platforms they're provided is is night and day from where I was when I was younger.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so back in Scotland it was grassroots, uh and as I said, not players you play.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: It's it was I said it was the best young kids would be given the opportunity to go and be part of the professional environment.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: So Heart of Midlothian, Glasgow Celtic, Glasgow Rangers, uh they would all send scouts out to the youngest games.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: But what happened back in the day was these kids were a set.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you were if you were good enough, you were given the opportunity to sign schoolboy forums, which would be signing with a professional club but still having the ability to play with your youth club.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: So basically, when I was 12, 13 years old, uh I would sign for Hearts, uh Heart of Midlothian, and I used to practice with these guys twice a week, uh sort of travel through to Edinburgh, but also was able to try and pla practice and play with my youth club as well.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: So I was big I'm given sort of multiple opportunities to practice and get better.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and it wasn't until I was sort of 15, 16, leaving high school, uh I signed a professional contract at Heart of Midlothian, and that was my journey beginning there as a as a pro pro athlete.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: How is it now back home compared to what this is?
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: Very different.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: I think what MLS have done here is to try and integrate the MLS clubs with the elite academies.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: So that doesn't happen back home.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, obviously, you've got in England and Scotland, you've got your tier one, tier two, tier three.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: So all these professional clubs have their own academies, and depending on the level of facilities, teams would determine on the tier of the academy would be.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: But these guys are only playing against pro clubs.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: So the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, they only play against each other, which back in the UK is far more achievable than here in the States because of the size of the country.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: And the size of the country, it's just it's astronomical, and people, I don't think people realize it until they get here.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: 100%.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's the the the traveling, as having been part of the MLS with Vancouver White Caps, uh, when I said started my my coaching career, the traveling that we used to do with the first team was incredible.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and at that level, to ask kids to do that, it's it's it's impossible.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I mean, okay, so I've spent the last 11 years in Buffalo, New York, right?
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: And I I went there to go and coach in the NWSL uh as a goalkeeper, second assistant, whatnot.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: Their youth team has a has a team in their conference from Tennessee.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's 11 hours.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: It's an 11-hour drive.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_01: If you could, what what country would you be in if in an 11-hour drive from where you grew up?
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, 11-hour drive would probably take me to probably Belgium, Netherlands, somebody like that.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like that.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_01: Somebody, I forget who I was talking to.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_01: Somebody compared, it's gonna get windy.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: Somebody compared the United States to more like Europe.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_01: Correct.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's exactly.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_01: And they think about and melting pot or whatever.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's so many different styles and cultures, and based on that, it's impossible to have one single plan.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's what MLS is trying to do.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: I believe that.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: I think what MLS are trying to achieve is is is something that's it's not been achieved before.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: I think being here for now, coming on 20 years, and you see how things are done, especially at a youth level, the play as you play model, it has to be better.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: As I said, there's so many kids who probably don't get the opportunity to showcase their skills because of demographics from where they are or or or being unable to uh afford to play at this level.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and I think MLS are crushing these barriers, that they're they're doing everything they possibly can to make sure that every kid has an opportunity to participate in events like this and also trying to get on that pool pathway.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: Because as I said, it's you look at the size of the United States and you look at the quality of the kids that are here.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: There is no reason why the United States should not be a powerhouse in world soccer.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and for me, it was one of the reasons that I I came here uh as a as a young coach, uh to try and end my career, just that the the opportunities that are here for coaches and and players are incredible.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: But it's for some reason it just never they've never got to the levels that I think they can get to.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_01: Do you think do you think that we can get there?
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, MLS Next is still geez.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_01: MLS Next is still five years old.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: Can we what how long is it gonna take?
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: I think that that's that's the hard question.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know how long it's gonna take.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: I definitely think they can.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I think Luis, what with the initiatives they're trying to bring through MLS, I said it that should be tied in with US soccer.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I think the biggest problem we've got here is there is too many platforms, there's too many organizations, there's too many entities looking for their own benefits rather than the development of the kids.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: They're not in it for the all the same thing.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like this is an environment that puts players first, and there's a player first initiative that is ran by other organizations, and I'm like, you don't put players first, not in my personal opinion, and maybe that's my bias, but I don't have a bias.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: I haven't been involved in a club in 12 years.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: I haven't I've gotten I got out of the club game, and prior to that, I was part of a club that was part of the DA and the ECNO.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_01: So so you can't tell me that like I'm or attack me for being biased against one platform over the other.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_01: And it's just it we are the only country that has competing governing bodies at the youth level, I think.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I agree.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: And it's wrong.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it's it's and until that's addressed, I think we're always going to be swimming against the tide.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: I think, as I said, we we all talk about wanting the same thing.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: So, in order for that to do, I think US soccer have to be heavily involved in grassroots, youth development, so everybody's singing from the same page, as I said, because we know there's so many good teams in ECNL who would be phenomenally additions to MLS next, but for political reasons they're not here.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and I think until you've got the best players playing against the best players on a weekly basis, we're not going to get to the level where I think they can get to.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I think MLS are slowly doing that because the level of competition here is phenomenal.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and I think there's, as I say, especially for the MLS clubs, I think when you look at some of the games out there, the the 17s and 19s age group, that the the standard's there.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: The standard is really high.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: But when you look at the younger age groups, there are still so many teams out with MLS next that could definitely enhance the league, but for one reason or another, pol politics don't allow it.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: I think I think one of the Luis's like major goals is that towards the end of the DA, or even maybe 2015, I kind of felt like MLS Academy should just go and do their own thing and everybody else.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_01: Because it was just not as competitive or anyway, that's not the right word to or right description to put on it.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_01: But and I feel like he is doing the complete opposite here.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_01: He is making any non-MOS Academy feel like hey, we could go to toe-to-toe with whoever with Galaxy.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's great.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: I think it and I think the way I think is it's difficult the younger age groups because I think when you look at the the top MLS clubs at the 13s and 14s age group, when they're playing against age pure players at elite academies, the gulf's too big.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_00: I think now what they've done with putting the 15s MLS academies against 16 elite academies is fantastic because now it really tests these MLS academies because they're playing against kids a year older and it's the speed of the game's quicker, the physicality of the game is much more intense than it is of their own age game.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: And I think you've seen that this year when you look at the U15 or the U16 bracket, the number of MLS academies with Didn't make it was clearly see that the gap, the gap is it was too much.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: Like I said, that one year gap was too much for these MLS academies, which will do great things in the long run if we stick with that initiative.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's something that Luis is, as I said, I really feel strongly about because these kids that are playing with Galaxy, L E F C SDFC, they are the top of the top, but they have to be challenged on a weekly basis.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_00: And by playing against kids older, it's definitely going to help them in the long run.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I think it's a good thing, and maybe there's some people that think differently, but this episode is brought to you by the North American Soccer Expo.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_01: If you remember last year when I had Alexi Lawless on, so many of you were blown away and kept on messaging me, how did you get Alexi Lawless to talk to you?
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: And to be honest with you, it was the North American Soccer Expo.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_01: The Expo has workshops and seminars and field presentations from top coaches and industry experts.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_01: I will be there this year.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_01: 100%.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_01: I'll be set up on podcast remote.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_01: In addition to the podcasts that I'm going to be filming there, I'm also going to have an open hour where any coach at the expo or anybody at the expo can come sit down at the chair and have a one-on-one, 15-minute chat with me, and you guys can just come and chat and talk about whatever you want.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_01: North American Soccer Expo, July 30th to August 1st, Nova, Michigan.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_01: I'll see you there.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_01: It's a good thing that not all the MLS Academies are here.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_01: Correct.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: I think it shows that that the gaps get smaller, and I think that the player pool's getting bigger, which overall is going to help everybody in the long run.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: Because for me, the more kids that these MLS academies have got the opportunity to pick from, the stronger the the rosters are going to be, which then helps the national team, which then, as I said, somewhere down the line, as we spoke about earlier, that this country won't become an a a nation to be reckoned with in a few years.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_01: I mean and you said it uh back home, you don't get to play against like Liverpool or uh Man City U13, U15.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_01: No.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_01: Unless you're one of those clubs.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_01: And do you think okay?
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_01: So with the establishment of MLS Next 2 or the Academy division, a lot of people are like, well, it's all just about making money, and it's just about you know uh and it's depleting and diluting the system.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_01: I disagree.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's opening up the system and allowing a pathway.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, think about your own club.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_01: How many uh how many in your own club have had opportunities to move on to MLS Academies?
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we've got a few now.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: As I said, over the last since I've been involved, we've managed to move 12, 15 players into MLS academies through through the last 10 years, which is which is great for us.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: As I said, and this year especially, you've got a really successful U-15 team who have are now quite likely so gaining a lot of a lot of eyes.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: And hopefully from their perspective, after this event finishes, there'll be opportunities for a handful of these kids to go to that next level because that's what we do our job for, especially at these elite academies.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's yeah, it's great for these events and being part of something in trying to get to an MLS Cup final, MLS Next Cup final.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: But all in all, my role within the club is to make sure that we provide an environment uh that can get help these kids grow and then make that next step to a galaxy or to a real Salt Lake or to a Kansas City.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: That's our job is elite academy coaches.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: And we should never get away from that.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's about player development.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, we want to be part of a successful team and club, but at the end of the day, if we can give these kids the platform to showcase their skills and help their development at a younger age, then we're we're we've done our job if we do.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: If we don't, then obviously the next pathway is the college pathway.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_00: So we've got we've got something, as I said, our club does a very, very good job of providing that that six-year uh development plan for for these kids who start high school, start 11 via 11.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_00: And then for us, it's our our main role at the end of that sort of six years is education should be paid for by soccer.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_00: And if we've done that, we've done our job.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's a great way to look at it.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_01: How many how many teams are here for you guys right now?
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we've got two teams, U15s and U13s.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so the U13s start tomorrow.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: And the U15s are now in the the last four tomorrow uh of the homegrown and bracket.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: So we play IFA.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: So it'll be a big game tomorrow.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_00: So yesterday was good.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: We beat FC Delco yesterday on penalties, so it was a great experience for these kids.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: And as I said, an extra few days in Utah for them.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: Some of them, some of them had to fly home yesterday.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: Uh unfortunately to do their uh they had finals today.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_00: So they flew back to California well yesterday after the game, done their finals today, and they're flying back tonight.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, unbelievable.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_00: Unbelievable.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_00: I'm glad it's so close to be honest.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_00: How how did you guys qualify for this?
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it was qualified through flex, but also through the league.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so we had a very we've had a very good season this year, 15s.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um is uh the qualified through flex.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the one that we also finished in the top three in the league, so flex for this year.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_01: So either way.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_01: How is flex?
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_01: Flex is just a round robin, right?
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's just like the first, you know, the first round of the of the World Cup.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: And then you, if you win your group, you're here.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and once again, it's a phenomenal incentive, I think, to have two meaningful ways to qualify for a a major event at the end of the season, it allows you to focus for a full season.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_00: The flex event, as I said, it gives the top six, seven teams in in your conference the opportunity to go to flex.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: So, as I said, even though you lose one or two games, the season's not over.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, when you talk about a regular season in some of these conferences where the top three or four teams are extremely strong, your season can be over within three or four weeks on the old traditional way.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: But the way MLS have done it with the the flex event and qualifying through the league, I think it gives it an extra opportunity for the kids to be able to come to events like this.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_01: So if uh did an extra team get in because you won Flex from your conference?
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_00: Well, yeah, so that's basically from the seven conference, we had seven, I think six teams qualified through Flex, which meant Oh my god.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and those six teams from Flex were all the probably the top six teams within the league.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_00: So then seven and eight qualified through the league play, which, as I said, is I think is a real positive showing once again because it shows that our conference is, as I say, one of the strongest in the league.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_00: That gives these teams who on in a normal season would have missed out, but now they said they they they they would have they had the ability to come here and participate.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_01: How's the travel for your conference?
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: Uh relatively good.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so we've got South California, Arizona and Vegas.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: And Vegas.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_00: Vegas.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_00: So we've got as I say, we'll have a double header to Vegas.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_00: So we've got two teams in Vegas, and we've got three older teams in Arizona um and for three younger teams.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: So the Arizona trips are double headers.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_01: How many flights is that?
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um one one California flight, California to Vegas, California, yeah.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_00: And then the drive into LA obviously takes something longer than it does flight in uh Vegas or Arizona.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_00: But it's how many how many flights is that for the Vegas team?
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, they're tough and Arizona.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_00: So they they said it's a lot on these guys coming west.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: As I say, when you look at Vegas and Phoenix Rise in Barca, these guys have got to come to California in the league and Flex because we're there part of the Flex event.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: So they've as I said they've got to have to come to California, I think, 10 times a year.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_00: So it's a it's a lot for them coming the other way.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and that's something, as you said, and I know the the league are looking at it, but as I said, these guys' budgets and and what they're asking their parents to do is significantly more than what the California parents have to do.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_00: As I say, we go to Vegas once, we go to Arizona twice, these guys have got to do it 10, 10, 11 times a season.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_01: And there's a reason I was talking to a Barca parent the other day, and there's a reason why it costs so much money, is because you're you guys are on 10 flights a year just for your regular season games.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_01: But I mean, if you want to play at the highest level, that's what it takes, sadly.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I think that's something is especially for elite academies, I think we've got to do a better job.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: I think what we need to try and do is is is get sponsorships that can help these families again.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_00: Because once again, it's like we try our best with it with regards to the pay-you-play model.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: But as I said, we know it's it's it's a business.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_00: I've got directors to answer to.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_00: And as I said, we as I said, we do a we do a good job trying to help kids fund the programme.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: But if we could, but we said our job now moving forward is to try and find major sponsorship to to allow us to then that no kid misses out.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_00: Because some kids miss out traveling just because of the expenditure of if what costs a family to even drive to Vegas or drive to Arizona in two nights of accommodation, and as I said, it it does it does top up.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: So said if we can we can overcome that in some capacity to help these kids and families was something to be actively do.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_00: How do you guys travel?
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_01: How do you guys set up your travel?
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_01: Do um so RNYFC out of Rochester, New York, what they do and how they're set up is all of their travel is included in their club fees.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, and so if they're ever on a flight or a bus, just the team travels, yep, they're in control of all the food and everything, and then they go back.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_01: And the parents can come if they want, but they stay at a different hotel.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm at um a hotel with one of the clubs that has four age groups here, it is one of the few clubs that has that.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's a non-MOS uh academy, I forget who it is.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but how do you guys travel?
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_01: And how did you guys travel here?
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_00: A bit of both.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: So, well, we we've done both before.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_00: We've done where we we take them as a team.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_00: So we did that the flex event.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_00: We took our U17s and our U19s as a club.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_00: So we took them as coaches.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_00: As you said, we we organized the travel, we looked after them, buses to and from the the event, hotels, food.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_00: So we looked after that.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_00: Parents paid us, and then you we basically chaperoned and looked after them.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: the most part we'll especially for the younger teams we encourage parents and guardians to to take the kids by themselves because I think at 13s and 14s even 15s very very young to have them stay in a hotel without parenting yeah we've done it before uh we've tried it before very difficult as I said because then the amount of people staffing me to go with you they said it's a big responsibility I think with the older teams 16s to 19s we have done it in the past and we'll do it again and but it is a it's a difficult four or five days when you are coming in an event like this to keep them occupied keep them keep them amused yeah keep them out of trouble and but as I said it's something that we've we've flip-flopped in the past and we've done both times how many uh staff members did you guys bring well you guys got two teams here right two teams yeah so myself and my assistant and okay yeah so myself and my assistant Aidan's here uh and then when a boys director flew in yesterday because obviously tomorrow we've got multiple games at the same time not at the same time but it's got to be very close.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yes U13s play at 12 o'clock and then the U15s play at two so we've got to have to have obviously go in playing our a director will be here and I'll I'll finish off the 13s game while Aiden and I travel up to the the the the stadium for the the semi-final and all the semi-finals are at the stadium.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yes I forgot about that and the finals yes how what oh so you're on the field yes you're a coaching yes and overseas so I'm the director of the programme and I coach three but I was coaching three teams this year okay back to two so I usually take the 13s and the 14s the intake group from 9v9 to 11v11 to build the foundations this year I took the 15s because I'd hug them for so long and it was the sort of final year with with with this with that group so it worked out well with we passing this group on after this this event so it's uh it's been a good it's been a good four years with us kids.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_01: Was it what is it hard and obviously it's a pretty special group how how hard is it it's gonna be tough it's gonna be very tough.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_00: As I said we have been with them for as I said four years last year in 9v9 and first three years at 11v11 and that majority of that roster's stayed stayed together.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_00: We've lost one or two kids to to the next level uh but all in all that rosters grew up together and they've been a big big part of my life and as I said tomorrow or Saturday whenever it ends it's going to be it's gonna be a tough day.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_00: Where are you guys located?
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_00: Carlos Bad California Carrosbad how and what are the clubs that you lose kids to um yeah galaxy we've got a kid at galaxy just now we've got one in one or two in RSL uh we've had a lot of interest from uh Austin Kansas City for our current new 15 group um SDFC our younger kids yeah moving to that so now they've started their their academy at different age groups we've got a number of kids down there younger ones um so it's good that that as I said they've they've managed to find a a home somewhere for for the majority of them being here have you always lived in California no first I moved here to North Carolina uh I was part of the Carolina Railhawks so I've had my coaching sorry my coaching careers went back to front I I coached at the professional level uh and then collegiate level with my my my wife and then now back to the youth level so I'd as I said for me being here and doing what I'm doing I know that I'm in it for the right reason.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_00: I feel a lot of youth coaches are using youth soccer to get to their next exactly so I feel that because I've done it the opposite way and because I've played uh at a professional level I think it this environment as I said really really appeals to me.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_00: I've got no ambition to go and coach at a professional level now because I've done it.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm really there fully invested in everything that MLS are trying to do for these kids what our club tries to do for our kids and as I said that hopefully the parents and and the players understand that everything I do is for them.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_01: I truly hope that young coaches are listening to that because they try okay and I don't want to rip on young coaches but I do have messages about from youth coaches that are just starting out right they're 20 21 and they'll literally say I only want to coach you 13 and up I don't want to I don't want to deal with the fundamentals and stuff like that I'm like well you're always working with on the fundamentals Messi works on the fundamentals and he's 37 I I do think I was a chaser personally I wanted to I always wanted the next level I wanted when the DA started I was coaching ODP and I was working with somebody that worked at Michigan Wolves and he was going on and on about the the DA and how great it was and I'm like I want to coach at a DA club someday and then I did I coach at Vardar in Michigan and and it was good but then I was like I know what I want to coach college so I coached D1 I was assistant at D1 college it was all right okay I want to coach pro.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_01: I go to the Western New York Flash in the NWSL it was okay then I started my own technical training company and that was my self-awareness of like this is where I need to be I'm not affiliated with any club and I'm just in it just to work with the kid and hopefully make them a little bit better.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_01: And it's the self-awareness that being at all those levels you really get to know like where where you're good at and I think that's how clubs clubs need to help staffs do that because I I just had somebody on as well that has basically a new coach for every two years.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like you know what that makes sense and then and then I asked them how do you set up and they go well that they all have self-awareness the all these coaches know that hey I'm best with the 10 to 13 year olds I'm best with the 14s and 15 year olds and then eight 17s and 18s how is how do you help the guys at your club do that and how is your club set up because you said you usually just go two age groups yes so that that's that's what we do.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_00: As I said we usually have three coaches uh for MLS homegrown specifically uh and each each coach takes two teams um but now with the level of information the level of work that entails for an MLS next team it becomes a little bit much as I say and I think two teams if you're doing your job properly with match analysis now and four times a week in the practice and really focusing on these kids it becomes a lot of work and it becomes a full-time job and it is a full-time job so we're very very similar to to the platinum that you just spoke about we would have myself specifically would do a lot 13s and 14s because I think is being a pro-licensed coach and having the ability to lay the foundations I think is really important for these kids to to have that in there first.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_00: So as I say for me at our club we try and put our more experienced coaches at the younger age groups and the ones where they know that they're in it for the right reason.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_00: As I said we spoke about earlier a lot of coaches see a 13 or the 14s age group as a stepping stone to get to 50s and 60s and then to 17s and 80s and as you say to college or to MLS next to so we've tried and staff our club the way where our coaches are happy with their self-awareness at the levels of coach.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_00: So that's what we've done.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_00: We've got this year slightly different where we brought in two younger coaches we've got to coach a team each uh and myself and another coach will coach two teams so now we're trying to promote within our club uh and we've got a fantastic young coach coming from Utah just now who's moving back into California who only wants to coach one team because he's also coaching the junior college so I think the balance we've got this year for next year's programme is going to be very good.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_01: Something different something is not tied to four but I think you need more coaches coaching to this level and I think by bringing four head coaches on this year is definitely going to help each other get better and help the teams what are you uh what's your thought on like mentors and you're uh like I feel so in my training company I brought in a uh a few staff members and my favorite thing was almost not no longer developing the players I was helping develop some coaches underneath and I think that if we're able to develop coaches we can make an even larger impact because those coaches are going to go and coach kids that I never get to coach.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_00: And is you guys just we are we say we've got we've got one or two younger assistants who have got a fantastic knowledge and love of the game who are setting out in their in their in their first steps so they don't they're not at a level maybe just now or want to be a a head coach they want to learn and they said so we've got two or three young assistants in where I can help mentor them and they can be part of it and when they feel comfortable they can start delivering sessions with these kids and just see how the levels are the different age groups and feel what's a good fit for them because as you you rightly said self-awareness will will determine on where these these coaches feel comfortable coaching and because I think you've got to understand that when you have relationships with these kids it's about the relationship first and I think it's about having these kids trust you knowing that you've got their best interests at heart and I think you've we've done a good job at our club we do do a lot of coach education uh but we are a big club uh we have got a lot of teams at different age groups different levels uh and we've got a lot of staff who are younger uh older uh looking for different things in the game so what we're trying to do as you rightly said is to try and educate these kids mentor these these coaches to become fully invested in what they're trying to do you going from the reverse are you able to reverse engineer player development uh did that way it's a good question it's tough it's tough and as I say I think it's one of those ones I think as a coach I think we all we can do is as you said create an environment and uh and a and a relationship with the players because they develop themselves and I think the the a player has to listen they have to learn they have to take in the information and they have to process and execute we can do for that for them as coaches.
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_00: All we can do is provide an environment challenge them put them in circumstances and uh and environments where they're uncomfortable because I feel that once they're uncomfortable they get better.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_00: But it has to be done in the right way it has to be done in a safe and a controlled environment where you can then push these kids to be the best version of themselves.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_01: And I think we do a very good job of that club I I got so happy that you said that about at the end of the day players develop themselves coaches get upset when people say that and it's it's not a diss on what your coaching ability or helping a player along but when you talk to the best of the best players they and you were and you ask them you say how many coaches have made a positive impact on your career they'll say nine they'll rattle off seven coaches they're not gonna say this one coach developed me it's a it's a perfect it takes a village you know air quotes but right but it it it's true and it it it is it's do you feel okay think about going back home at the end and and I actually tweeted this out not too long ago it's just dumb at the end of the day yes the players develop themselves have you have we ever thought that maybe American players aren't good at developing themselves because think about like going back home there's pickup soccer there's street soccer there's you know what I I went to the park and they wouldn't allow me to play because I'm too young so I'm gonna go home and work and I'm gonna kick a ball against the wall a thousand times or I'm gonna work on this shot or I'm gonna work on my fitness so that next time I get picked do we not have that here?
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah we don't I think everything's too structured there's not enough opportunities for kids to be themselves.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_00: I think everything they do is either individual programs or small group or structured training sessions like what we try and do at our club is we give these kids the company practice we give them a ball we put them in the arena and then we just sit back and let them do it.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_00: They're in charge of what they want to do.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_00: So they've they do this once a week and it's their it's their rules it's their hour uh we're there to oversee that there's no injuries but it's they don't have enough of that because I know from myself growing up it was football football football.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_00: I'd get up in the morning I would play World Cup Willy with my friends which was just a knockout one goal late and in between two trees one v1 v1 v1 and then we go to school we'd have a break for 20 minutes and it would be three v3s in the in the in the in the clay park lunchtime same come home from school back out in the street play and it was completely different from what the kids kids have got so many different things brought in and this is a positive for the estates especially where we are it's the the opportunities that the kids have got and is way out supersedes what we did when we were younger of course and from there they're not fully invested in soccer and and I think they're good at what they do but do they really want to put in the extra work that it takes to become what they want to become and I don't think they do.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_00: And that that's where we find ourselves I think falling behind every other country in the world.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_00: How do you educate your parents and the players of like guys you can't just rely on the six hours of training that we get and the game on Saturday and Sunday you have to you have to be a 24 hour soccer player a 24 hour athlete that's difficult and that and that's difficult as I say I don't think we it's especially as the players you play model and I think it's one of those ones that we encourage our kids to to watch soccer as a student not a supporter and the amount of kids that we've got in our program playing an MLS next level a lot of these kids are good at soccer but they don't love the game.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_00: You don't they don't they have no emotional attachment to the game we're trying to change that we're trying to encourage these kids to give them homework pick pick a team that are that's not on the television every week.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_00: Find a player within that team who you can roll your be a role model for you.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_00: Make clips of that player so then it encourages them to start watching potentially different leagues because at this moment in time everybody watches EPL everybody watches Bundesliga.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_00: We've challenged our kids to find players that nobody knows about that they go and watch championship or something correct gold yeah something different expand your knowledge of the game and just have an emotional attachment to the game and that but they are getting better the younger age groups we have got now kids who are supporting Brighton and Hove Albion or Ipswich Town and they'll they come in with their their little clips and their videos or the players that they they like so we're trying to make a a small shift and we get the parents involved but it's difficult.
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_00: Very difficult how did you just say that student or supporter is that what you said no so I guess so become a student of the game rather than a supporter because for me it's all very well watching Man City watching they watch these games they watch the highlights but they don't actually watch Tinders they don't watch gay they don't what they just watch the game as a supporter as as we do as adults so 94 World Cup changed my life I went to the USA versus Switzerland game I was in like the nosebleeds I was nine years old I didn't really like even remember the game all I do remember is Eric Winalda's free kick.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_01: But it was the next week I watched on TV USA beat Columbia and at that time I was not a goalkeeper but I watched Tony Miola be the hero of that game and I recorded that game and I watched it over and over and I had a notebook and I like learned about positioning and and angles of support and angles of just you know just your ball line and everything like that.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I you are a hundred percent right I don't think these kids are students of a game my college coach recruited well one of the reasons why he recruited me was that he one of the questions that he asked us is do you want to coach someday and I was like yes I want but by that time luckily I did want to coach I got a red card in my when I was in high school and it ended up working out where I coached the game for my coach on the sideline the game that I was suspended the coach just sat down and allowed me to coach is like you know what I'm just gonna let him coach because he's saying everything that I would say and I'm like where's coach you know I mean and and you're so right about being a student of the game and how do we it how do we do you have to assign homework?
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah yeah and that's what you're doing that's what we have we we we challenge them and it's we don't as I said we can't mandate them doing it we just encourage them to do it because the ones who want to do it are the ones who have a genuine interest of getting better as I said they all talk about wanting a division one athlete or they want to be a an international player or they want to be a pro athlete yeah it's that talk's cheap but are you well are you willing to do do the what to help you or give yourself a better chance of getting there and some of them do a lot most of them do as they say we've got the they do journals and we've got them doing self-evaluations at 30 years old watch their games so it's a starting point because I think for them it's they're they're constantly on their phones they're constantly on Instagram but you ask them to watch themselves make mistakes no I don't like did I didn't make a mistake it wasn't me it's his fault but yeah so we've we're we're we're trying to change the flow a little bit and encourage these kids to take a a lot a lot more ownership of their own development because as I say we spoke about before they're in charge of their own their own pathway we're only there to guide them help them encourage them challenge them but it's at the end of the day it's up to these kids to to get out of life soccer whatever they put into it you said talk it's cheap do you think that some of our players our youth are just too far removed from what it takes to be a pro million percent they watch they see the Instagram that they had social media they see everything at the end and this is the biggest thing for me is is asking a kid why they want to go pro or what what what would you think would be the benefits and most of them say money fast cars big house no no it's that it said they've that the the their whole mindset is is wrong and it's up to us as I said once again as leaders as coaches as as mentors is to to change that mindset as I said it must it must mean much more than that and that and that and I think my biggest as I say from my personal like involvement in the game because I've played I was never a great soccer player never a great football player but I played for my country played in the premiership won Scottish Cup I know why I wanted to play the game was to first of all was to play from a boyhood hero club that I supported as a kid I used to go and watch Hart and Midlothian from four years old to to still watch them now I was I was very fortunate enough to play for Hearts I was very fortunate enough to play in a Scottish Cup final and win a Scottish Cup for Hart and Midlothian against Rangers.
• 40:50
  SPEAKER_00: I was fortunate enough to play for my country and score for my country.
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_00: So for me having been through all that as a as a player and a person I think now I can change these kids' mindset a little bit and tell them that as I said what it takes to get there is more than they're willing to give right now and until they do that and until they change their mindset and what why they want to get there it's never going to happen.
• 41:14
  SPEAKER_00: But as I said slowly but surely every year the younger kids listen more take in the information a little bit better and now we're starting to see the the benefits where our U15s and our U16s who are now kids who are bought into what we tried to achieve back in the day four three four years ago and now these kids are at a level now where they are getting noticed by MLS clubs they and potentially going to that next level you say boyhood clubs and I get so frustrated when when everybody disparages the MLS it's like how are we supposed to grow as a country if all you do is talk shit about the MLS like we need to develop fans of the game and Luis uh Luis talked about that of not maybe fans but find a team that you can cling on to from young age I'm I was born in Kansas City my family's fan my family's fandom is of Kansas City Chiefs I have bit I've watched every single Chiefs game since I was nine years old probably even maybe even younger that that I can remember we don't have that culture yet and when you just talk bad about the league that we do have now is it the Premier League no it's not it's not the Bundesliga but it is what we have and people just get so mad about the system or it's a closed system or it's franchises and there's no promotion and relegation and then whole argument and it's like how and people forget that MLS is still only what four 30 years old 35 yeah 30 it's exactly 30 years.
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_01: It's 1996.
• 43:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yep 30 years old so why again we're trying to microwave the process or we're thinking that it's gonna happen overnight and instant gratification and it's just oh my gosh it just gets so upset.
• 43:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah and I think and be honest SDFC do a fantastic job with regards to creating an environment where kids can hold on to something so I think down in where they are just now sitting in San Diego that like the the the culture there has definitely changed.
• 43:27
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's been a real positive that club and and how they run that that organization's coming to the MLS because as I say now you've got young kids running about in soccer tops that was never a never a thing in the past.
• 43:38
  SPEAKER_00: It was like now like San Diego all these young kids want to go to San Diego FC game uh and the crowds that they get are are fantastic the way they play the way they they they they they try and play the game is great so these kids now have I've got something to look forward to they go last year was a great year for them this year's not so good but they still get a great turn now the kids still want to go every week uh so I think teams can make a difference.
• 43:59
  SPEAKER_00: I I think by doing things properly, and I think it's yeah, it is always difficult when a lot of people give the league a lot of shit.
• 44:06
  SPEAKER_00: But as I said, it's is somewhere where these kids can go and watch a game on a regular basis, learn, have a hero who's on your doorstep rather than someone that's ten thousand miles away that you can never have an opportunity to watch.
• 44:17
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and I think as I said it is changing.
• 44:19
  SPEAKER_00: Slowly but surely it will get better.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_00: But we'll have to have the right people on the right seats, on the right bus, going in the right direction to make it happen.
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that this environment kind of will create that because think about okay, let's say the kids that don't make it don't make it to that uh the the MLS level, but they're playing against kids that will, yeah, and they'll be like, hey, I played against that guy, yeah.
• 44:41
  SPEAKER_01: A good national team player, you know.
• 44:43
  SPEAKER_01: One of my one of my former teammates played against Freddie Adoo, and he said that Freddie Adoo ran by him with a ball as if he was standing still and he was on a full sprint.
• 44:52
  SPEAKER_01: You know, one of my former players um that went to a DA academy played against uh Josh uh Sgt.
• 45:00
  SPEAKER_01: And he kind of said the exact same thing.
• 45:02
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, I how I played against that guy.
• 45:04
  SPEAKER_01: It's like this environment allows you to play against guys like that, and I think hopefully that builds some like a culture of yeah, yeah, you know what?
• 45:14
  SPEAKER_01: I'm rooting for that guy because I played against that kid and I know how good he is, and I know what he was at 16, and I knew how he was at 15 and everything.
• 45:23
  SPEAKER_00: You said you coach a college.
• 45:25
  SPEAKER_00: Where did you coach?
• 45:25
  SPEAKER_00: My wife was a head coach at uh University St.
• 45:28
  SPEAKER_00: Catharines, it was an NAI school in uh San Marcos, California.
• 45:31
  SPEAKER_00: NAI so yeah, it was a women's a women's programme.
• 45:34
  SPEAKER_00: So I was at the system for four years, so it was uh it was different, it was an unbelievable experience.
• 45:40
  SPEAKER_00: But just to be part of that side of the game uh and watch these young females play the game and prove as young human beings and get to a level to where they were from where they started to where we finished, it was just incredible to see how how much progress they made as as a team and as individuals.
• 45:58
  SPEAKER_01: Michigan is a big NAIA state, and I love the NAIA.
• 46:02
  SPEAKER_01: You know, my old college isn't NAIA school now.
• 46:06
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, uh, I mean, there's there is a pathway, right?
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, there's so much more than it was 20 years ago, 30 years ago.
• 46:16
  SPEAKER_00: 100%.
• 46:17
  SPEAKER_00: And that everything's moving in the right direction.
• 46:19
  SPEAKER_00: As you say, it's it's going to take time, it's not something that's just going to become a success overnight.
• 46:25
  SPEAKER_00: We've just got to be patient, uh, and as I say, continue to put the right people in the right place who do have a real, real energy and focus on player development and making sure that we're doing the things for the right reason.
• 46:36
  SPEAKER_00: When you look at this, it's just it's a phenomenal event.
• 46:39
  SPEAKER_00: As I say, the amount of colleges are here, the amount of parents, kids who are just so involved and just so happy to be gave it at a soccer event, and it's fantastic.
• 46:48
  SPEAKER_01: You talk about like honing in and finding out that you wanted to work with the youth of the maze.
• 46:55
  SPEAKER_01: What about what about that experience with coaching women versus men?
• 46:59
  SPEAKER_00: I loved it.
• 46:59
  SPEAKER_00: As I say, I think and when we're and we're it's just for just on that, we've we've got three females playing in our MLS next academy, one at U13s, U14s, and U15s.
• 47:08
  SPEAKER_00: So as you say, we've we offer these females who are at a level, so one at our U15 girl just now, Josephine Loki's in the national team, so she's in the U15s national team.
• 47:18
  SPEAKER_00: We've got a U14 Vadas Onfalia who's on the U14s, and then we've got a U13 uh Eve Broton.
• 47:24
  SPEAKER_00: So these girls can hang with the boys at the highest level.
• 47:27
  SPEAKER_00: So we do our best once again to provide the environment for these kids to develop to a level where they are going to be successful.
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_00: So it's the girls for me, it was the they listen more.
• 47:37
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's one of those ones that they don't have a they don't have the same egos as the boys.
• 47:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um I think they are, as I said, much easier to coach.
• 47:45
  SPEAKER_00: Uh as you say, they do not so much do as they're told, but they understand it.
• 47:49
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes I think the boys think they know it all.
• 47:51
  SPEAKER_00: I think the boy the boys believe they've already got the car, got the keys, got the driving license, and they're ready to go.
• 47:57
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and it's a little bit tougher sometimes with them, but as I say, the girls, the females are so grateful for the opportunities they get.
• 48:04
  SPEAKER_00: I think they're they they they appreciate the opportunities they're given.
• 48:08
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I think a boy sometimes think they're entitled to it, which is something that we've we've got to make sure that we these kids, once they get to a level, they deserve to be there, but they've got to understand that the hard work doesn't stop there.
• 48:20
  SPEAKER_00: As I said, they've got to get they've got so much more to put in and and before they get anything out of it.
• 48:25
  SPEAKER_00: So it's it was good, it was different, the game was slow.
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_00: As I said, the female get a college level, it was but they were still, they said it was an enjoyable four years.
• 48:34
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I get a lot of messages from parents of girls who currently have girls playing with boys, and one, I think that's the easiest pathway to become an elite girl.
• 48:48
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, me and him played with boys, and we have a girl from Michigan, Chloe Ricketts, who's young, but she played with the Michigan Tigers on the boys side, and they weren't MLS Nags or DA at that time, but they're MLS necks now.
• 49:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and what I usually say is play until they say no.
• 49:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_01: And and do how is it with those boys playing with those girls?
• 49:16
  SPEAKER_00: Is it does it take them a while to respect them?
• 49:19
  SPEAKER_00: No, I think the boys, I think the boys are great.
• 49:21
  SPEAKER_00: I think the hardest thing we've got to do is manage the parents.
• 49:24
  SPEAKER_00: I I think it's just and that's as I said, just to it's a difficult one.
• 49:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's one where I've I've got to be careful with what I say, but I think the boys really understand and appreciate the qualities that the girls have got.
• 49:37
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and the girls, as I said, understand the role they play within that group.
• 49:41
  SPEAKER_00: As I said, the three of them, as I said, belong there.
• 49:44
  SPEAKER_00: They don't look out of place.
• 49:45
  SPEAKER_00: The relationships they've got with the boys are great.
• 49:47
  SPEAKER_00: The parents become a little bit more difficult to manage at times just because it's not the normal uh and they see it as being different, and it and it's a hard one because it's it's for me, social media plays a massive part in all these kids' lives, but it's their social media.
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_00: If someone's successful and they want to post about it, let them post about it.
• 50:08
  SPEAKER_00: As I said, it's not for me to tell they they can't do it, it's not for anybody to say don't enjoy that moment.
• 50:14
  SPEAKER_00: But as I said, the relationship the players have with each other, as I said, is great, as you said, and they understand that these three females that we've got playing in the boys' programme are 100% deserve to be there because the qualities they possess help our team become better.
• 50:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I think the boys understand that and they they they buy into it and they appreciate it, and they're together, so which is it's great to see.
• 50:34
  SPEAKER_01: Do you think that's only happening in America, or do you think that's happening back home and over in Europe as well?
• 50:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um it's a funny one.
• 50:42
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think it does happen back home.
• 50:44
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I don't think it happened.
• 50:45
  SPEAKER_00: I think it'll happen at grassroots.
• 50:47
  SPEAKER_00: I do not at this level.
• 50:48
  SPEAKER_00: And this is this is where sometimes we've got to be careful because all in all, like our elite academies is still grassroots soccer.
• 50:56
  SPEAKER_00: What Luis is trying to do now is you is blend the two of them together.
• 50:59
  SPEAKER_00: So you talk about an MLS Academy, is an MLS Academy.
• 51:02
  SPEAKER_00: City SC San Diego was a grassroots football club.
• 51:05
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so back home, these grassroots football clubs play together, as we spoke about before.
• 51:10
  SPEAKER_00: There's no integration with premiership clubs, there's no integration with Scottish Premiership clubs.
• 51:14
  SPEAKER_00: Now, what Luis has done here, the integration between professional clubs and elite academies is now the next step for development.
• 51:21
  SPEAKER_00: So these girls now are, like I said, well, we played against the MLS Academies, and the girls have played against the top, top boys, and they don't look out the place.
• 51:28
  SPEAKER_00: So back home, I think at a grassroots level it does.
• 51:31
  SPEAKER_00: But I know for a fact that girls won't be part of any pro academies.
• 51:35
  SPEAKER_00: Same here.
• 51:36
  SPEAKER_00: As I said, I don't think Radha or Josephine would get to an early galaxy.
• 51:40
  SPEAKER_00: As I said, now the pathways there for the females are now starting to become more and more opportunities for them with the NWSL.
• 51:46
  SPEAKER_00: So now what we're trying to do is just help them accelerate their opportunities and platforms to get there.
• 51:53
  SPEAKER_01: How what is your role in terms of college education or college uh recruiting process?
• 52:03
  SPEAKER_01: So college recruiting education.
• 52:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so we've got we've got a college director and who, as I said, we we start that you 15 age group and just to give them a starting foot in the door and a foot in the process because it's it's hard.
• 52:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's always changing.
• 52:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's changing.
• 52:20
  SPEAKER_00: And they say, especially for the boys, I think our boys, our programme, as I said, we we've we've had some really good schools that our kids have gone to, but some of their kids still think they're going to go to a powerful school.
• 52:31
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so they've got this parents have got this idea or they've got this thought process that they're going to go to Stanford and they're going to go to Dupe or they're going to go to a Clemson or they're going to go to a Power 4 school.
• 52:42
  SPEAKER_00: We've what we've got what we've done now and what we're trying to educate the kids is that any school, any opportunity that you have, if you're grateful to be given that opportunity by the time you graduate high school, if soccer pays for your education, then that's been a success.
• 52:55
  SPEAKER_00: So what we encourage our kids to do is like, yeah, have your top six schools.
• 52:59
  SPEAKER_00: But from there, it's got to be very difficult for a kid that's playing in the elite academy at U19s to get to the University of Portland.
• 53:05
  SPEAKER_00: And they said, I know that system manager there, uh assistant head coach.
• 53:08
  SPEAKER_00: He used to be at our club.
• 53:10
  SPEAKER_00: I know who, what level he's recruiting at now.
• 53:12
  SPEAKER_00: So he's at every MLS academy game.
• 53:15
  SPEAKER_00: He'll come and put his eyes in for elite academies because you'll always find a diamond in the rough there or something.
• 53:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 53:20
  SPEAKER_00: But it's much more difficult to get to those types of schools from an elite academy.
• 53:23
  SPEAKER_00: So we've got to educate the parents and the kids that say, Yeah, it's all very well having these top six schools that if everything falls into place, then yeah, you have an opportunity to go there.
• 53:32
  SPEAKER_00: Then it's a more realistic list of a hundred schools in in state, out of state.
• 53:36
  SPEAKER_00: So we do do a lot of education with the parents.
• 53:38
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it's in one year, out the other year.
• 53:40
  SPEAKER_00: And as I said, we're big advocates for the that the academic side.
• 53:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um we've got high academics within a lot of our uh a lot of our teams, which is definitely going to help the process as they get older.
• 53:51
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and we what we ask them to be is be mindful and just be realistic of what you're trying to do and where you're trying to achieve and where you're trying to go.
• 53:59
  SPEAKER_00: And we said, we get with a good recruiting class this year, next year should be even better.
• 54:04
  SPEAKER_00: So as I said, our main role is to try and get these kids into a college.
• 54:08
  SPEAKER_00: As I said, junior college for us, especially in California, is an excellent way to step stepping stone in.
• 54:14
  SPEAKER_00: You get for free in California, so for two years there to go and play a junior college, and then you could transfer anywhere after two years.
• 54:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, they don't see that as being as glamorous as going to Clemson Northern.
• 54:25
  SPEAKER_00: So it's it's hard.
• 54:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's hard, it's hard.
• 54:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's hard, but once again, it's managing expectations, being realistic of what these guys can actually get to, um, but not crushing their dreams.
• 54:35
  SPEAKER_00: They said we'll always give them, as I said, help them in any way we can.
• 54:38
  SPEAKER_00: But sometimes conversations have to be had that if it's not D1 and bust, he can't think like that.
• 54:44
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what we've had in the past.
• 54:45
  SPEAKER_00: If they don't get to these one or two or three top schools, then you stop playing.
• 54:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, guys, it's got to be, you've got to be, it's better, it's more than that.
• 54:53
  SPEAKER_00: As I said, I think there's over, I think now it's 400, 350 men's programs in America that all offer soccer programs.
• 55:01
  SPEAKER_00: So if you do your homework right and you do your like your due geladin, due due diligence right, you'll there'll be a school there for some more, and it's just it's finding the right blend for them.
• 55:11
  SPEAKER_00: And the type of third they are is now.
• 55:13
  SPEAKER_01: Do you guys have hammering?
• 55:14
  SPEAKER_01: Uh but whoa.
• 55:15
  SPEAKER_01: Do you guys have uh academy as well?
• 55:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, we do.
• 55:17
  SPEAKER_01: How is the drop-off between homegrown in California and academies in California?
• 55:24
  SPEAKER_01: Because I feel like so I lived in Buffalo for 11 years, but I'm really I I cut my teeth in Michigan and I'm moving back to Michigan to focus on the podcast really because there's more people to talk to.
• 55:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I always kind of ripped on Buffalo because there's not a lot of options, so there's not a lot of competition.
• 55:42
  SPEAKER_01: That means all the town goes to like one club.
• 55:45
  SPEAKER_01: Whereas in Michigan, if you don't make the Michigan Wolves, you can go to Vardar.
• 55:50
  SPEAKER_01: If you don't make Vardar, you can go to Jags.
• 55:51
  SPEAKER_01: And and then so how is it in California when there's so many options?
• 55:57
  SPEAKER_01: How is your academy level, or is there that much quality that all your homegrown are good and all your academies are good too?
• 56:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, certainly as groups, I I think that the the thing with the academies is I think the good thing is there's a number of clubs that have got academy programs who don't have MLS Next Homegrown.
• 56:16
  SPEAKER_00: So there's certain organizations, certain clubs who have got their top, top teams playing against MLS Next Homegrown's second-level teams.
• 56:25
  SPEAKER_00: So it's once again, so once again, it's similar to what we talk about here with with the younger MLS academies playing against the older elite academies.
• 56:33
  SPEAKER_00: The challenge is there because there's a lot of clubs out there who don't have MLS Next homegrown who have got very, very good teams.
• 56:39
  SPEAKER_00: And it's so the challenge there is competing with these guys.
• 56:43
  SPEAKER_00: MLS Next Academies, when you look at California, you look at North County San Diego, we have we've got Albion San Diego, we've got City SC San Diego, we've got Chula Vista, who are all playing MLS Next, you've got San Diego Surf, who's a top ECNL club, you've got SDSC Surf, who's ECNL, you've got Rebels who play ECNL, and then you've got Legends who play ECNL.
• 57:02
  SPEAKER_00: So you've got seven platforms who all compete at the top level of their own environment.
• 57:08
  SPEAKER_00: So you've got seven seven age groups, seven teams, and then you've got the second level.
• 57:14
  SPEAKER_00: So the the product's diluted.
• 57:16
  SPEAKER_00: So when it gets to MLS next academy, the the difference between homegrown and academy at certain age groups is big, is massive.
• 57:22
  SPEAKER_00: In certain age groups, it's not.
• 57:23
  SPEAKER_00: So there's certain age groups that we have particular, our age groups are so much closer.
• 57:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and this is where we don't we don't utilize the academy to what I would like to see it be personally, because for me, I would like to see much more movement between both one and two.
• 57:39
  SPEAKER_01: Academy and home grown, yeah.
• 57:41
  SPEAKER_00: And that's and that was hope.
• 57:43
  SPEAKER_00: And when when we first discussed that and and way back when when that was coming about and the rebranding, I thought there would have been much more ability to move.
• 57:50
  SPEAKER_00: Because for me, if a kid only plays 40 minutes on a Saturday for the homegrown, he should be entitled to play 60 minutes for the academy on a Sunday.
• 57:58
  SPEAKER_00: So then he gets his full 90 minutes over the weekend, but the movement of that doesn't allow it to happen.
• 58:03
  SPEAKER_00: So there's it's still basically two separate teams.
• 58:06
  SPEAKER_00: So you can play a certain amount of games for both before you make that permanent move from academy to homegrown.
• 58:13
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's announced seven games, but I would have still liked to have seen a lot more fluidity between the two rosters because kids develop at different stages, right?
• 58:21
  SPEAKER_00: And then I think it challenges the kids in the homegrown.
• 58:23
  SPEAKER_00: Because once you're given that opportunity to play for a homegrown team, especially as a pay-you-play model, we've got 16, 18 kids who are locked in for a year.
• 58:30
  SPEAKER_00: Very rarely do we drop them because they've not developed at a level where we were.
• 58:33
  SPEAKER_00: But if you challenge them and push them down to the second team for a week or two, it's real life.
• 58:37
  SPEAKER_00: It's back to that sort of real competitive edge of having 20, 30 players competing for one roster on a Saturday, one roster on a Sunday.
• 58:47
  SPEAKER_00: If you've not turned up to practice and you're part of the homegrown roster, then you don't deserve to be on that team on a Saturday.
• 58:53
  SPEAKER_00: You should play in the second team.
• 58:54
  SPEAKER_00: So just the same things in that.
• 58:56
  SPEAKER_00: I've not been given that sort of, I would have liked to have seen that been done differently, a lot more fluidity between both groups.
• 59:02
  SPEAKER_00: Because I think that would create a much better environment in each and individual club, a real level of competition for a kid who's who really wants it, but it's only the second team just now.
• 59:12
  SPEAKER_00: If he's putting the work in on a weekly basis, then one Saturday goes in place for the first team.
• 59:17
  SPEAKER_00: Because that's what it basically is, it's a first and the second team at each age group at a youth level.
• 59:20
  SPEAKER_00: I know I don't like putting it that way, but that's how they've got to put it.
• 59:23
  SPEAKER_00: As you said, everybody wants to play in a homegrown, but once again, if you're not putting the work in for one reason or another, then just because it's club play as you play model, you shouldn't play.
• 59:32
  SPEAKER_00: So it's and I think that's where the MLS Academies have got the bigger rosters, and they have the ability to oversee that.
• 59:38
  SPEAKER_00: If you're not if you're not putting it in, or you've got a behavioral issue, they can sit in them.
• 59:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's very hard to do that as a pay as you play model.
• 59:45
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 59:46
  SPEAKER_00: You can't sit them on the sidelines.
• 59:48
  SPEAKER_01: And it's gonna happen even less that that ability to move because of the age change, because of it, what the the academy did, and there's I found out that there's a lot of clubs that have the academy and that they're not changing.
• 1:00:03
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I think we are the I think we are the same.
• 1:00:05
  SPEAKER_00: We spoke about it.
• 1:00:06
  SPEAKER_00: We're definitely doing it at the younger age groups where that we're we're keeping it age pure.
• 1:00:09
  SPEAKER_00: So like the U 11s and 12s, they'll play age pure.
• 1:00:12
  SPEAKER_01: Uh just because age pure meaning birth year, birth year, yeah.
• 1:00:16
  SPEAKER_00: So they will play against kids who are potentially six months older, which I think, as I said, if they're if they're good enough, they should be able to handle that environment.
• 1:00:23
  SPEAKER_00: But then it does allow once they come into the MLS in the next environment, it did the transitions easy.
• 1:00:28
  SPEAKER_01: And it makes sense to do it at that age because then you're trying, what are you trying to do?
• 1:00:31
  SPEAKER_01: You're trying to develop homegrown players.
• 1:00:34
  SPEAKER_01: And if you do that at the younger ages, it makes so much sense to do that at 12 and 13.
• 1:00:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, wow, I like that.
• 1:00:41
  SPEAKER_01: And there's a there's a small club that's not in the MLS platform, uh, and they're not an ECNL platform either, and they're staying as well, yeah, because they want to be able to to maybe get in the MLS someday.
• 1:00:53
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it's smart to stay there because you're trying, what are we doing?
• 1:00:58
  SPEAKER_01: What are we in this for?
• 1:00:59
  SPEAKER_01: We're trying to develop the best players that we can, yeah.
• 1:01:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and then once again, I it's that one where I don't understand why they needed to change it.
• 1:01:07
  SPEAKER_00: I don't understand why the the the the governed body allowed individual organizations to make that decision.
• 1:01:14
  SPEAKER_00: You guys decide and it's like can we have a little leadership at the top?
• 1:01:18
  SPEAKER_00: Just a little bit.
• 1:01:19
  SPEAKER_00: It would be great if it could have.
• 1:01:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I and I think it's it's back to the fight that we've got on our hands just now.
• 1:01:24
  SPEAKER_00: Not everybody's singing from the same page.
• 1:01:26
  SPEAKER_01: And it's and it's like, uh do they not like confrontation?
• 1:01:30
  SPEAKER_01: Because because one of the biggest excuses of changing is um the trapped player for college coaches.
• 1:01:38
  SPEAKER_01: They don't want to go to a field and be interested in a player that's only a sophomore, only a freshman, when they're hoping that they can contact them.
• 1:01:47
  SPEAKER_01: This is on the girl side, and I think that is a big player in all of this.
• 1:01:51
  SPEAKER_01: Could be right.
• 1:01:52
  SPEAKER_01: That's tough.
• 1:01:54
  SPEAKER_01: Crazy.
• 1:01:55
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for doing this.
• 1:01:56
  SPEAKER_01: Fantastic.
• 1:01:57
  SPEAKER_01: Pleasure, pleasure.
• 1:01:59
  SPEAKER_01: And uh thank you so much.
• 1:02:01
  SPEAKER_01: And I mean, anything else you want to share?
• 1:02:07
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely, and learn and reinforce a lot of times, a lot of times it's about learning, but then it's also reinforcement.
• 1:02:16
  SPEAKER_01: Like, okay, me personally, I'm selfish, and sure, this is about the audience and whoever's listening to this, but it's also I'm selfish and I want to learn as much as possible.
• 1:02:28
  SPEAKER_01: But then sometimes there's somebody that comes along and that they it's an affirmation of like, you know what?
• 1:02:32
  SPEAKER_01: I did it right.
• 1:02:33
  SPEAKER_01: I I think I did it right, and I have no regrets of like my coaching career of trying to chase it, but then realize that I just care about the individual player and their technical ability and just development and making sure that they enjoy the game and that there are students of the game, and and and and then when use of the players develop themselves, it's just like it's like music to my ears.
• 1:02:56
  SPEAKER_01: Seriously, because I don't think a lot of people look at it like that, they look like they developed up, and that's one thing that turns me off about soccer coaches the most at times is like I developed this player, he's playing here, she's playing here.
• 1:03:10
  SPEAKER_01: It's because of me.
• 1:03:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's like dude, yeah, that girl had nine coaches.
• 1:03:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, drives me nuts.
• 1:03:17
  SPEAKER_01: But thank you so much.
• 1:03:18
  SPEAKER_01: So pleasure.
• 1:03:19
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 1:03:20
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 1:03:20
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, and now you're you I hate soccer.