Latest / I Hate Soccer with Jason Collinsworth / I Hate Soccer #96 - Luke Ruff, Aquinas Mens Soccer coach and MLSNext Director at Midwest United

Transcript

I Hate Soccer #96 - Luke Ruff, Aquinas Mens Soccer coach and MLSNext Director at Midwest United · I Hate Soccer with Jason Collinsworth

0:00
SPEAKER_00: I hate soccer.
0:01
SPEAKER_00: What year was COVID?
0:03
SPEAKER_02: 20.
0:03
SPEAKER_02: 2020.
0:04
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, probably 18, 19.
0:06
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
0:07
SPEAKER_02: And then where uh where are you coming from?
0:10
SPEAKER_00: Uh so I was a uh national soccer club for six, seven years.
0:15
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
0:16
SPEAKER_00: Um ran some of their satellite clubs.
0:18
SPEAKER_00: Got it.
0:18
SPEAKER_00: Um at the same time I was the assistant coach at Northwood University for three years.
0:24
SPEAKER_02: Did you play at Northwood or did you play at Saginaw Back?
0:26
SPEAKER_00: I played at Northwood.
0:27
SPEAKER_02: You played at Northwood, got it.
0:29
SPEAKER_02: And then you coached.
0:30
SPEAKER_02: Did you coach at Saginaw?
0:32
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I did three years at Northwood.
0:34
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
0:35
SPEAKER_00: Uh Andy Wagstaff took the Saginaw job.
0:37
SPEAKER_00: Yep.
0:38
SPEAKER_00: Um, and I decided to relocate.
0:41
SPEAKER_00: Uh my wife at the time was working in Detroit, so I took the assistant job with Wags, and we had a couple of really good years there.
0:50
SPEAKER_00: So a lot of people looked at me funny when I jumped from Northwood to Saginaw from the playing days, but it was honestly just looking for getting more experience around another good head coach and being around a legend.
1:04
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, exactly.
1:04
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
1:05
SPEAKER_02: I mean, because Wags is one of the best.
1:09
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
1:09
SPEAKER_02: Kale Wasserburn, he was on the men's side.
1:12
SPEAKER_02: No, wait, was Andy on the men's side or the women's side?
1:14
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so Kale went to Michigan or Michigan State.
1:18
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, state.
1:20
SPEAKER_00: And then Andy took the job the year after him.
1:22
SPEAKER_00: So when I was a player, Cale was a head coach of Saginaw.
1:25
SPEAKER_02: Got it.
1:26
SPEAKER_00: So we had some battles there as well.
1:28
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
1:28
SPEAKER_02: Where are you from originally?
1:30
SPEAKER_00: Uh Bradford, England.
1:31
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
1:32
SPEAKER_02: Got it.
1:33
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
1:33
SPEAKER_02: And then, I mean.
1:35
SPEAKER_00: Been here now 18 years.
1:37
SPEAKER_00: Wow.
1:38
SPEAKER_02: So 2019, 2020, and you are were you was Midwest part of the development academy before 2020?
1:48
SPEAKER_00: Uh not on the boys' side, on the girl side.
1:51
SPEAKER_00: That was in India.
1:53
SPEAKER_00: Um so the year I came here, I actually came to take a college job at Aquinas College.
1:58
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
1:59
SPEAKER_00: And obviously I was Lewis was the women's coach at Aquinas.
2:02
SPEAKER_00: He was like, hey, obviously, you're you're a director at Nationals.
2:05
SPEAKER_00: Um we'd love to have you come do some of our older boys teams.
2:09
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, perfect connection for recruiting for Aquinas, and Josh Sheldon at the time, who ran Midwest United, was like, Yeah, well, can you take a couple of our older boys teams?
2:20
SPEAKER_00: I was like, perfect, let's do it.
2:22
SPEAKER_00: Um and it actually worked out well for Aquinas.
2:25
SPEAKER_00: We managed to pick up some good players from those groups, and then obviously soccer evolved, and I took a bigger role as some things changed within the club.
2:35
SPEAKER_00: We ended up getting MLS Next, then Girls Academy, we moved from ECNL to Girls Academy, right?
2:40
SPEAKER_00: And then we we added satellite clubs when I first got to Midwest, they didn't have any satellite clubs.
2:46
SPEAKER_00: Um, and now obviously uh from chatting with Lewis he's told you that we've added many sites.
2:52
SPEAKER_02: How important do you think satellites are?
2:55
SPEAKER_02: I mean, when you were part of nationals, uh how important was your satellite to nationals as a whole?
3:01
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think that they're really important for player pools.
3:04
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
3:05
SPEAKER_00: I think that it naturally makes your top teams better.
3:07
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
3:08
SPEAKER_00: You have a bigger impact on the market, it allows us to connect with those coaches much easier.
3:13
SPEAKER_00: Um, and ultimately all those players funnel into the academy teams, whether it be male or female.
3:19
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
3:20
SPEAKER_00: Um and it allows us to get around the coaches to help develop players how we see a player should should look.
3:26
SPEAKER_00: So honestly, I think they they're really important if you want to be in an elite club.
3:32
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
3:32
SPEAKER_00: Um at the same time, you get to help some markets that haven't necessarily had a connection to a bigger club.
3:40
SPEAKER_00: Right.
3:40
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I think ultimately it just helps grow soccer in those communities.
3:44
SPEAKER_02: Is it the one that you guys have in Bitaski or Traverse City?
3:47
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I was just I was just there last month.
3:49
SPEAKER_00: I ran some sessions for those guys.
3:51
SPEAKER_02: So it's coaching education, but it's also giving a chance to maybe one or two of those girls that you know what, you or boys that you can come down here, play games with us, but you can stay and train up there.
4:05
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
4:05
SPEAKER_02: Uh just come down here once a week or twice a week and stuff like that.
4:08
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, honestly, we have on our 2012 boys, five boys from Potaski right now, or that area that drive down two or three times a week, sometimes five times a week if we have two games, or they're driving to a Cincinnati or wherever it may be for an away day.
4:26
SPEAKER_00: So what those families commit is incredible because I did the drive and I was like, when you actually do it and it's four hours there, four hours back, uh me and the other coach were like wow, they're doing it five days a week, and they're 14-year-old.
4:42
SPEAKER_00: Um but uh all of them are very good players.
4:46
SPEAKER_00: The nice thing for us is if the weather's bad, they get to train in their own environment.
4:51
SPEAKER_00: Uh, Jeff, who's a director of coaching, does an amazing job with communication, um, and it ultimately it just gives their top players the opportunity to come train in the platform or play in the platform, right?
5:05
SPEAKER_00: And then it allows up us to bring the staff up there.
5:08
SPEAKER_00: I took another MLS Next coach with me, and it gave the kids some exposure to something different.
5:14
SPEAKER_00: Right.
5:15
SPEAKER_00: So that's what's been and it probably jumped up the level just to get it.
5:18
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's great.
5:20
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I think their teams have naturally got better over the last two years.
5:24
SPEAKER_00: Um, it allows them to come and play some games at our facilities if if they don't have access to facilities.
5:30
SPEAKER_00: Uh they actually do have really nice facilities, but it gives them games against different teams, different levels of teams.
5:38
SPEAKER_00: We actually moved some of their girls' players in uh our Aspire program this year.
5:43
SPEAKER_00: Yep.
5:43
SPEAKER_00: Um but we allowed them to train in the in the fall to kind of see what that drive looked like, what the commitment looked like, and then they get to make that decision rather than just jumping in it with with both feet right away.
5:56
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
5:57
SPEAKER_02: Um what branch of nationals were you with?
6:00
SPEAKER_00: Uh so I ran the Saginaw branch, Lansing branch, and Genesee branch.
6:05
SPEAKER_02: Oh wow.
6:06
SPEAKER_02: Oh, the Genesee branch too.
6:08
SPEAKER_00: That was a that's a big location.
6:09
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
6:10
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
6:10
SPEAKER_02: Because yeah, I mean that whole it was it used to be like Genesee Soccer Club or whatever, and then and then it was Genesee Cock Genesee, yeah, it's some nationals.
6:21
SPEAKER_00: Got it.
6:22
SPEAKER_00: Um I think there's some other clubs in that area now as well.
6:25
SPEAKER_00: I primarily coach the teams out of Saginaw because I was I was working there as an assistant coach for for WAGs, but um kind of helped main role was to help grow the player pools.
6:37
SPEAKER_02: When did you get the Aquinas job?
6:38
SPEAKER_02: 2019?
6:39
SPEAKER_02: 2019, yeah.
6:40
SPEAKER_02: 2019.
6:41
SPEAKER_02: What was the jump from or was it equal in terms of do you think the player pool of what was that Saginaw Valley to Aquinas?
6:53
SPEAKER_02: N AIA, or was it a little lower?
6:56
SPEAKER_00: At the time, I think we got to an Elite A Saginaw in 2018.
7:02
SPEAKER_00: Oh, it was that year.
7:03
SPEAKER_02: Oh yeah, okay.
7:04
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and Aquinas in 2018 went 1 and 17, so they finished bottom of the whack.
7:10
SPEAKER_00: Didn't you just win it?
7:12
SPEAKER_00: We won it two years ago.
7:13
SPEAKER_00: We won it two years ago.
7:14
SPEAKER_00: So honestly, I think for me, I'd had the opportunity to work with Andy.
7:18
SPEAKER_00: Saginaw was in a very strong position.
7:21
SPEAKER_00: Um, I wanted to relocate with family, and that job just stood out because really good facilities, great locations.
7:29
SPEAKER_00: Locations, insane.
7:30
SPEAKER_00: Um they, from chatting with left leg director, wanted international players and then the top domestic players.
7:37
SPEAKER_00: I think what they'd got a lot of was lower-level domestic players.
7:41
SPEAKER_00: I think he wanted to be really aggressive with the program, right?
7:44
SPEAKER_00: Um, and that's what we were the past six years, and we managed to obviously win the WAC in 2022 or 23, went to the national tournament.
7:55
SPEAKER_00: Um, we've been in the we were in four of the last six WAC finals.
7:59
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
7:59
SPEAKER_00: Um, so we've had some success, which has been nice.
8:02
SPEAKER_00: We've managed to move some players into the Division I world for those players that have strived for that.
8:08
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I think we're in a rebuild phase right now.
8:12
SPEAKER_00: If some things changed after COVID with scholarship model and just whole higher education changed a lot, um, but we've got a really good young domestic team which I think we can build in the next four years.
8:28
SPEAKER_02: Where do you recruit most of your domestic?
8:31
SPEAKER_00: Uh honestly, mainly Grand Rapids.
8:33
SPEAKER_00: Really?
8:33
SPEAKER_00: Mainly Grand Rapids.
8:34
SPEAKER_00: We we we'll go out to the east side and recruit some players, but I would generally say Midwest United, obviously.
8:41
SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
8:41
SPEAKER_00: I'm heavily involved involved with all the boys' teams, so I would say that with a lot of the combines that we put on in the camps, a lot of players from other clubs in West Michigan come.
8:52
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
8:53
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I think that generally I would say West Michigan right now.
8:58
SPEAKER_02: Do you Okay, so Southeast Michigan, hotbed, right?
9:03
SPEAKER_02: Do you think Grand Rapids is kind of a hotbed too?
9:06
SPEAKER_02: Or can it be?
9:07
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I think so.
9:08
SPEAKER_00: I think the the problem the problem I've had in the last two years is I think the soccer in West Michigan's got too good.
9:16
SPEAKER_00: So like now our where I was getting some players from our top MLS team, let's use Nudwas for an example, a lot of most of them have gone division one.
9:26
SPEAKER_00: Or they're getting big big packages from Division II teams.
9:30
SPEAKER_00: So all 18 of our U19 players are going to play college soccer on scholarship.
9:35
SPEAKER_00: Um and 12 of them are going division one.
9:37
SPEAKER_00: All 18?
9:38
SPEAKER_00: All 18 are playing college soccer this year, yeah.
9:41
SPEAKER_02: See, that's a knock.
9:42
SPEAKER_02: That's a okay, so okay, I get frustrated when when everybody talks about you know the men's college landscape and all these MLS Next teams aren't aren't putting kids in college anywhere.
9:56
SPEAKER_02: It's like, dude, that's a generalization about whatever you're seeing in your area.
10:04
SPEAKER_02: Don't put a definition on every single club in the country within within the MLS Next.
10:11
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for sure.
10:12
SPEAKER_00: And I think that obviously MLS Next helps them get there, but I would say that we do a lot of stuff through the day with them.
10:19
SPEAKER_00: The staff work hard creating connections.
10:22
SPEAKER_00: We we try and put a lot of different combines on or events on where we bring the coaches in.
10:27
SPEAKER_00: We put a team camp on that allows those coaches to come see them in their own environment.
10:32
SPEAKER_00: Um, and then ultimately the players have to play well.
10:35
SPEAKER_00: And uh they've they've had a good couple of years, that group.
10:38
SPEAKER_00: We had two that are not playing college soccer but are trying to go the professional route.
10:43
SPEAKER_00: So whether that works out for them or not, obviously we'll we'll see over time.
10:48
SPEAKER_00: But everybody that wanted to play in college soccer are playing, which is obviously ultimately why why we do it.
10:54
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, how okay.
10:57
SPEAKER_02: How long have you been the you're the MLS next director?
11:00
SPEAKER_00: Yep, correct.
11:02
SPEAKER_02: How long have you been in that role?
11:04
SPEAKER_02: Since 2020?
11:05
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, probably the last four years.
11:08
SPEAKER_00: Last four years.
11:09
SPEAKER_00: I think we've been on the platform six.
11:10
SPEAKER_00: James Gilpin was the director for the first two.
11:13
SPEAKER_00: He's now the GRCC head coach and runs a recruitment agency, and then the last four has been been me.
11:20
SPEAKER_02: Do you have homegrown and academy?
11:22
SPEAKER_02: Correct, yeah.
11:23
SPEAKER_02: How do you feel about the homegrown staying birth year or academy changing to like do you think do you wish that both of them happened?
11:33
SPEAKER_02: Because everybody says something different.
11:34
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, honestly, um I'm not sure.
11:38
SPEAKER_00: I think we'll see how this year goes from uh a player movement standpoint.
11:44
SPEAKER_00: I think because you can do tryouts whenever and we evaluate players all year round.
11:48
SPEAKER_00: I think we have a good connection between homegrown and and academy.
11:52
SPEAKER_00: I definitely think it benefited some players, or it would have benefited some players if it would have changed, especially in Homegrown.
12:01
SPEAKER_00: Um I think it made our academy teams much stronger on on paper right now.
12:06
SPEAKER_00: Um obviously MLS now a very strict no high school participation for homegrown.
12:12
SPEAKER_02: For homegrown, but academy you can you're allowing it?
12:15
SPEAKER_00: Academy you can.
12:16
SPEAKER_00: Okay, got it.
12:17
SPEAKER_00: So I think that's made some of our top players are gonna play high school and then come back and play play Academy.
12:25
SPEAKER_00: Um so I would say logistically, definitely gives you some challenges, but ultimately it's allowed us to keep those homegrown groups together for another year, and I think we've worked hard with those groups.
12:38
SPEAKER_00: So I think that down the line, if they eventually change it, I think at least we'll have had a couple of years with it with like our U10 to U12.
12:48
SPEAKER_00: So at least those groups have had some experience being coached together, working on things together.
12:54
SPEAKER_00: Um, but I think like for the 19s next year, I think it's nice because they get to finish out together.
13:00
SPEAKER_00: Um it would have been interesting for us to mix that up.
13:03
SPEAKER_00: I think what's the point, yeah.
13:05
SPEAKER_00: Like the 17s and 19s get to stay together now.
13:08
SPEAKER_00: Um, I think for the youngers, probably wouldn't have changed that much, but I think for those groups it'd have made a lot harder decisions for us.
13:16
SPEAKER_00: And then also they've been in that it's a big investment to be in homegrown.
13:21
SPEAKER_00: I mean, the travel, the expense, the commitment that those players give to us, the sacrifices that they make with high school, and not just soccer in high school, like prom and all the other stuff that a lot of them miss out on would have been would have been pretty harsh and hard for us to navigate.
13:38
SPEAKER_02: How are you on the field with any of the teams for MLS Next?
13:43
SPEAKER_02: Or are you just doing the USL and no?
13:45
SPEAKER_00: So I do I coach a U15 boys right now, 2011 boys in MLS Next as well.
13:51
SPEAKER_02: Got it.
13:51
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
13:52
SPEAKER_02: How do you organize your staff?
13:53
SPEAKER_02: I was just talking to Rudy, and he was saying how they kind of do two-year age groups.
13:58
SPEAKER_02: Do you guys do anything like that?
14:00
SPEAKER_00: Uh honestly, we're a little bit different.
14:02
SPEAKER_00: We do the two youngest together, so the 13s, 14s, then I do the 15s.
14:08
SPEAKER_00: Um, then we have a coach do the 16s, a coach to the 19s, and then one coach, standalone coach Alex does our 17s.
14:18
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
14:18
SPEAKER_00: And then he also does our U11 and U12 pre-academy teams.
14:22
SPEAKER_00: Got it.
14:22
SPEAKER_00: Just to give it we want them to be connected to the program.
14:26
SPEAKER_00: And I think ultimately the only way for them to be connected if a coach that's in the program actually works for those players.
14:32
SPEAKER_00: And honestly, I think he's brought those groups on a long, long way.
14:36
SPEAKER_00: He makes sure the standards are set to where we want them to be set.
14:40
SPEAKER_00: He allows to bring some stuff from our meetings into that environment.
14:44
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I think it's it's been good for us having somebody on those teams that's at the events, gets to really educate the parents on what those events look like, what we're doing in the platform.
14:56
SPEAKER_00: I think if you have a coach that's not in the platform, it's hard for them to really give you honest feedback on what it looks like.
15:03
SPEAKER_00: He lives it day to day with us.
15:04
SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
15:05
SPEAKER_02: You have to live it.
15:06
SPEAKER_02: You have to be there.
15:08
SPEAKER_02: And I obviously I've seen some MLS academies and MLS next academies, but then when I got to FEST this past December, that's was really my wake-up call of like, oh, this is this is a little bit different, you know, and and I'm looking at the pro pathway to fields, and then I'm looking at the uh homegrown, and then I'm looking at the academy, and I'm trying to figure out like what is the drop-off or whatever.
15:35
SPEAKER_02: And people, it's I don't know.
15:38
SPEAKER_02: I'm always in arguments about you know the level and how it's bad, or you know, and it's like guys, you just don't know, and that's within your own club you're talking about.
15:50
SPEAKER_02: It was like you gotta make sure that the the coaches with the with the 11s and 12s have seen it as well.
15:59
SPEAKER_02: Because I mean there's not I bet you there's a lot of clubs that don't do that.
16:03
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for honestly, this was this must have been the second year that we've done it, and like I said, it's it was nothing wrong with the coach previously, he did a good job as well.
16:12
SPEAKER_00: It was more just like you said, he lives it every day and he gets to bring stuff back to them.
16:17
SPEAKER_00: He wanted to like we took them to the NAL event, the U11s and 12s down in Florida in February, and I'm not sure that if he hadn't seen one of those events before, I'm not sure whether he would have actually took them.
16:29
SPEAKER_00: But they got to go experience that event and play against other MLS next teams that are outside of Michigan, so then they got that experience of seeing on Orlando City's one of their satellite clubs and actually seeing what soccer looks like outside of our bubble in Michigan.
16:47
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
16:47
SPEAKER_00: He got the parents got to see our other parents uh with soccer outside, they got to play on really nice grass fields, which is pretty hard to come by.
16:56
SPEAKER_00: It's hard to come by in Michigan, yeah.
16:58
SPEAKER_00: Um, and then they also got to really feel what the social aspect and team aspects look like because when you travel to Florida with your team, he did they the parents did a great job of making the kids socialise, feel like a team, and I think when they get that little taste of it, it it ultimately makes that decision easier for them.
17:18
SPEAKER_02: How much of a role do you play in your coaching or uh college placement with with the players?
17:26
SPEAKER_00: I I would say uh Cam Baker this year had a much bigger role because he coached the U19 team.
17:32
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, okay.
17:33
SPEAKER_00: Um I would say day to day, what whatever he needs support with, whether that's connecting him with coaches.
17:40
SPEAKER_00: I run the team camp and we brought in 45 different coaches last year, which I think's big for us to get that group.
17:47
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we had 1200 kids on camp.
17:50
SPEAKER_00: Um, so it was a it was a it was a very busy week.
17:53
SPEAKER_00: But I think they got to see them training their own environment.
17:56
SPEAKER_00: Um, but I would say Cam's taken a really big lead on it.
17:59
SPEAKER_00: Um, he also works in USL2 with us.
18:03
SPEAKER_00: Uh he's been able to try and place some of those guys last year in USL2 uh homes.
18:10
SPEAKER_00: So Chase Miller, for example, he's our captain on the academy team, he was a U-17 last year.
18:16
SPEAKER_00: We sent him to Lansing, so he played for James DeCosmo, USL2 Lansing.
18:21
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, he didn't play against us because the timing didn't work out right when we sent him there, but he got to play at the Bucks, right?
18:28
SPEAKER_00: You know, he got that experience as a 17-year-old, and I think then he can send that video to the college coaches and me watching Chase play against the Bucks versus Midwest United, sir exactly for a different world, you know, he's playing against men and top college players.
18:46
SPEAKER_00: Um so this year we've got a couple of uh we've got one of our 2027s playing for Northern Indiana, another one playing for Kalamazoo.
18:56
SPEAKER_00: I think we've got two playing for Lanting, so just trying to get them that top level college exposures.
19:03
SPEAKER_02: That experience of of for sure.
19:06
SPEAKER_02: That experience of playing against men.
19:07
SPEAKER_02: Because you you as a college coach, you want men.
19:10
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, definitely.
19:11
SPEAKER_02: And how I mean when you're only playing seven U17 versus U17, you can't show what you're truly capable of.
19:21
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
19:22
SPEAKER_02: And how hard is that when you're recruiting?
19:25
SPEAKER_00: It's tough.
19:26
SPEAKER_00: I think it's tough.
19:26
SPEAKER_00: That's what we try and educate the parents on and the players on while we're going through the process.
19:30
SPEAKER_00: Like, there's so many elements that are not in their control.
19:34
SPEAKER_00: Like, it's hard for them as a it's hard for a college coach to really evaluate that player against another academy level player because ultimately those top programs, which is obviously why the transfer polls are so important for those programs, they want ready college players or players that have had 45 games in college because ultimately it's gonna make them win, and that's what you want to do at the collegiate level.
20:00
SPEAKER_00: You want to win.
20:01
SPEAKER_02: How many how many players that come to Aquinas want to use Aquinas as a stepping stone?
20:10
SPEAKER_00: I'd say four or five a year.
20:12
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
20:13
SPEAKER_00: I would say we generally recruit anywhere, we have a first team, second team.
20:17
SPEAKER_00: So we bring in probably 17 to 25 players each class.
20:20
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
20:21
SPEAKER_00: Um, and I would say it depends on depends on the class.
20:25
SPEAKER_00: If we're bringing in somebody that we think can play right away, um, then generally that's bigger numbers.
20:31
SPEAKER_00: Right.
20:32
SPEAKER_00: We our centre back transferred to Western um this past spring.
20:36
SPEAKER_00: So again, he had a he had a really good, a really good year for us.
20:40
SPEAKER_00: Right.
20:40
SPEAKER_00: Um, and then Chad came in and took him.
20:43
SPEAKER_00: And then two years ago we had a player that transferred to Lynn in Florida.
20:49
SPEAKER_00: So again, another very, very good program.
20:52
SPEAKER_00: So I think that honestly it all depends on the player.
20:54
SPEAKER_00: I would say generally it's international players that that look to do it, um, but some of the top domestic guys now I think see it as a pathway to Division I.
21:06
SPEAKER_02: Do you know Chad well?
21:07
SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah.
21:08
SPEAKER_02: I'm talking to Chad tomorrow.
21:10
SPEAKER_00: Nice.
21:10
SPEAKER_00: That's gonna be a fun conversation.
21:13
SPEAKER_02: So I've and it's like you uh I haven't met him, you know, so it's yeah, it's gonna be interesting, but yeah, we we we love bringing his players into USL too.
21:22
SPEAKER_00: I mean they are um I think ready for the environment.
21:26
SPEAKER_00: Um we got to experience Weston this year.
21:30
SPEAKER_00: We did uh we played Wolves, so our six MLS teams played Wolves, six MLS teams at Weston's facility.
21:37
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
21:37
SPEAKER_00: So we used a game field and practice field, amazing facilities.
21:41
SPEAKER_00: Um, and I think that the players just had a a great a great experience seeing what what a college level facility looks like.
21:48
SPEAKER_02: Is this your first year doing the USL?
21:51
SPEAKER_02: Or is this second?
21:52
SPEAKER_00: I've done it all four all four years?
21:55
SPEAKER_00: Yep.
21:56
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
21:56
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
21:57
SPEAKER_02: How okay, uh everybody in our Division is Michigan.
22:02
SPEAKER_00: Yep.
22:02
SPEAKER_00: Right.
22:03
SPEAKER_00: This year, yeah.
22:03
SPEAKER_00: Last year Northern Indiana was in there.
22:05
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
22:06
SPEAKER_02: And how good how is that league?
22:09
SPEAKER_00: Uh honestly very strong.
22:12
SPEAKER_02: It's all D it's all D1, D2.
22:14
SPEAKER_00: Very, very strongly.
22:15
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
22:15
SPEAKER_00: I mean, we are probably in the league for very different reasons for all of the other clubs.
22:22
SPEAKER_00: I mean, we do it for a platform to make our academy players better, the top ones, and give them something over the summer and prepare them for college, yeah, so they get that experience.
22:34
SPEAKER_00: Um, also, we want to give our college players something local so they can come back and be with families and be around the club.
22:41
SPEAKER_00: Um, and then ultimately we want something for the younger players to come and watch.
22:46
SPEAKER_00: So tonight the women play at 8 pm, all sessions finish at 8 pm, so they get to leave the field and actually watch soccer, which is obviously the biggest thing for a kid to what actually watch the game.
22:58
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and and see that level and see what that looks like because it's hard for a parent that's 13 of a 13, 14-year-old to know what they're doing.
23:09
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, definitely where they're headed.
23:11
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, I agree.
23:12
SPEAKER_00: So no, it's been a good journey.
23:14
SPEAKER_00: I think we we started bottom.
23:15
SPEAKER_00: We went with a really young team.
23:17
SPEAKER_00: I think we won one game year one, just stayed with the reasons behind why we wanted to be in the league, and I think we started to win games, and then obviously our players from four years ago that were in college, like you Jonathan Stout, your Nick Cassidy, is those guys started to get better and started to get older and started to bring things back to our environment.
23:41
SPEAKER_00: And now Stout's our captain.
23:42
SPEAKER_00: I think he played for Midwest since he was 10 years old, just finished up at Western Michigan.
23:47
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, uh, Nick Cassidy is on trial right now of the USL championship team.
23:51
SPEAKER_00: Um, and then we select college players, probably a little different uh to others.
23:56
SPEAKER_00: Like we like we look at culture first, we look at what they are like as a person because ultimately we play the academy players as well.
24:05
SPEAKER_00: So when we open up with a men on Saturday, I'm gonna play four Academy players, or they're gonna be in the squad.
24:11
SPEAKER_00: So sometimes us players miss out, not necessarily just because of playing ability, it's because we want to give our own Midwest United players the experience, so it's them understanding that and us being up front about that, but them also coming back to the training environment and making it better for everybody.
24:28
SPEAKER_00: So it's it's tough, but I think we were very clear on why we do it.
24:32
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, last year we made the playoffs, we've lost the last two years in the playoffs, um, and maybe it was just one step too far for our players at that time.
24:41
SPEAKER_00: But now I think they've had another year.
24:43
SPEAKER_00: We managed to beat the Bucs twice last year, which is no easy feat.
24:47
SPEAKER_00: Um, but I think that we got a another young group this year because a lot of those players graduated out because it was like it's like a four-year cycle for us, similar to a college programme, right?
24:58
SPEAKER_00: Um, but we we added some nice pieces, and then I I love the way our U-19s play right now.
25:04
SPEAKER_00: So I think some of those players watching them the last two days in training, I'm like that they're ready.
25:09
SPEAKER_02: How many are of the U19s are you using?
25:12
SPEAKER_02: Four or five?
25:12
SPEAKER_00: Four or five, and I think two or three of them will play big minutes.
25:16
SPEAKER_02: How do I mean when it's part of the club, do you get any pushback from any of the other parents?
25:25
SPEAKER_02: Like, why why are those?
25:27
SPEAKER_02: It's like it's not like that, right?
25:29
SPEAKER_00: No, I think the good thing about it is that obviously we try and help the ones that aren't involved in the environment by if they live in Indiana, we try and get them with northern Indiana with with Tiago.
25:41
SPEAKER_00: If the Kalamazoo boys are in Kalamazoo, I think that it just makes sense for them to play that.
25:47
SPEAKER_00: And then we also have a U23 team, so the rest of the nine teams just go into that group.
25:53
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
25:53
SPEAKER_00: Um so and then they play in the M M MPSL.
25:56
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
25:56
SPEAKER_00: Um so I think that they get that experience.
25:59
SPEAKER_00: And we got the USL staff got all those games and watch.
26:03
SPEAKER_00: And again, I think if a player was doing well, we wouldn't not try and bring them into our environment.
26:09
SPEAKER_02: How many games are is your uh USL?
26:12
SPEAKER_00: We play 12 games.
26:14
SPEAKER_02: 12 years and then is it is it home and home with everybody, or is it just hit or miss?
26:22
SPEAKER_00: This year it's home and aware.
26:23
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
26:24
SPEAKER_00: Um last year you played some teams home and aware, and then some teams once.
26:29
SPEAKER_02: Just once, and it might be away, and it might be home.
26:31
SPEAKER_00: And we played the Bucks twice and Arbour twice, which was fun.
26:35
SPEAKER_00: So I don't know how they put that together, but just is what it is.
26:39
SPEAKER_00: You know, which is nice.
26:40
SPEAKER_00: I think the only way you can really judge the league is by everybody playing each of her twice.
26:46
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
26:47
SPEAKER_00: You know, uh not nothing against the lower teams.
26:49
SPEAKER_00: We were there at one point, but ultimately just the the travel or what what that group looks like on that night.
26:56
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, every every USL2 team's different.
26:59
SPEAKER_00: Some house a lot of players or all players, some don't house any.
27:04
SPEAKER_00: So again, every it's it's hard to really scout them and look at what they're actually doing game to game because everybody's team changes quite a bit.
27:14
SPEAKER_02: I spent the last like 11 years in Buffalo, and so FC Buffalo was really the only game in town.
27:21
SPEAKER_02: And on the on the boys' side, Western New York struggles on the men's side.
27:28
SPEAKER_02: Um because I why I have no idea.
27:32
SPEAKER_02: It's the same demographic kind of of Grand Rapids, okay, and they have the talent here, and we have the girls' talent in Buffalo, but we don't have the men's talent, and so it is all it's all they have to house everybody, and they there might be two kids from all of Western New York that are on FC Buffalo.
27:51
SPEAKER_02: How important is it that you try to stay Midwest centric and like Grand Rapids centric?
27:58
SPEAKER_00: Or do you think that's I don't I don't I honestly I don't think we'd do it if it didn't benefit the youth players.
28:03
SPEAKER_00: I think ultimately that's that's why we're doing it, because if we're doing a good enough job of developing players throughout the academy system, then they have to help the first team.
28:13
SPEAKER_00: They're going to be able to help the first team.
28:15
SPEAKER_00: If we do a good enough job of putting them in the right environment for college or sending players to your Western Michigans and your Princetons and your Michigans, if we do our job and send them there, they're gonna want to come back and play for us.
28:29
SPEAKER_00: Very rare, maybe one conversation I've had where we haven't had a Midwest player come back and at least want to play for us.
28:35
SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
28:36
SPEAKER_00: So I think ultimately we we do house some players, not a lot, but some.
28:42
SPEAKER_00: I just think that brings another element to the group that ultimately does help us win.
28:47
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
28:48
SPEAKER_00: Um but at the same time, having the local Grand Records players is our West Michigan players are is really important to us.
28:55
SPEAKER_02: How okay, another thing about FC Buffalo, they they struggle financially.
28:59
SPEAKER_02: They struggle financially because they don't have the youth club supporting it, and uh it's expensive.
29:08
SPEAKER_02: You know, the the the with all the rentals, the coaching that you have to pay for, if you're housing players, and obviously the travel.
29:15
SPEAKER_02: What's nice about Michigan is that uh all your games are in state, right?
29:19
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's huge.
29:20
SPEAKER_02: Whereas Buffalo, they have to go down to Pittsburgh, they have to go to Cleveland, they have to go uh a little east, and it's it can be expensive.
29:28
SPEAKER_02: Who how are you guys funded?
29:30
SPEAKER_02: Are you guys funded by the Academy?
29:32
SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah, just uh overall club budget.
29:35
SPEAKER_00: I would say that I stay out of that, and that's a that's a Lewis thing.
29:38
SPEAKER_00: That's a Lewis thing.
29:39
SPEAKER_00: So but I think the big thing for us is I think we have our youth coaches, they want to coach it.
29:46
SPEAKER_00: So I think that a lot of those costs, like we do it because we want to do it.
29:50
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, we want to be around our players.
29:53
SPEAKER_00: It's probably a downtime, a downtime for actually coaching on the field with the youth players.
29:59
SPEAKER_00: MLS Next has just got wrapped up.
30:00
SPEAKER_00: We've got one more event to go to, but really we're on a downtime right now.
30:05
SPEAKER_00: Um you going to Cup?
30:06
SPEAKER_00: Uh two uh 13 and 14 to go into cup, yeah.
30:09
SPEAKER_02: Uh homegrown?
30:11
SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah.
30:11
SPEAKER_02: Oh, good.
30:12
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so they um they'll go there and then our older groups are not going to cup, they're going to uh the NEL event in New Jersey.
30:20
SPEAKER_02: Oh, okay.
30:21
SPEAKER_00: So it's the first year it's been on, so it'll be interesting to see what that looks like.
30:24
SPEAKER_02: Got it.
30:25
SPEAKER_00: So it's a downtime for them.
30:26
SPEAKER_00: I think you'll see a lot of the staffing, like the operations staff, the facility staff, game day staff, like video staff, but they're all Midwest United coaches, which again I think helps offset a lot of that cost.
30:40
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
30:40
SPEAKER_00: Um are the games right out here?
30:42
SPEAKER_00: Right out there, yep.
30:43
SPEAKER_00: And they're free.
30:44
SPEAKER_00: Yep, free, yep.
30:45
SPEAKER_02: They're free to come in and attend.
30:47
SPEAKER_02: And then how how do you try to build up a like a game day experience?
30:51
SPEAKER_00: Uh, I think like our social media team just do such a good job.
30:54
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
30:55
SPEAKER_00: Um, and it goes back to having local players play, I think it's huge.
31:00
SPEAKER_00: I mean, getting the schedule right.
31:02
SPEAKER_00: I think we do a lot of home games in May when youth soccer's still really going.
31:08
SPEAKER_00: So after training, all the kids can come out there and watch.
31:11
SPEAKER_00: Uh, Wednesday we've got a double header, so five o'clock is the men against An Arbour, eight o'clock is the women against An Arbour.
31:18
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
31:18
SPEAKER_00: Um, so we'll shut that field down that night, and the coaches will do like team activities before the pizza, and then bring the kids out to the game to give a ball boy tailgate with the families.
31:29
SPEAKER_00: I I think it just gives them an a soccer event that's hard to find in West Michigan with very talented soccer players, um, but also being connected to it, I think it I think it really helps and just benefits the area.
31:44
SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
31:46
SPEAKER_02: What's the what's the nearest team?
31:48
SPEAKER_02: Grand Rapids.
31:50
SPEAKER_00: USL2, uh USL2 nearest team is Lance.
31:54
SPEAKER_00: Um no, Kalamazoo.
31:55
SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah, Kalamazoo.
31:56
SPEAKER_00: Kalamazoo probably right.
31:58
SPEAKER_00: That's right.
31:58
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
31:59
SPEAKER_00: And that's a good rivalry game.
32:00
SPEAKER_00: They're always great games.
32:01
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
32:02
SPEAKER_00: Always good games.
32:03
SPEAKER_02: Um with your MLS next, boys.
32:06
SPEAKER_02: How many over the last four years have you sent on to MLS Academies?
32:13
SPEAKER_02: Twelve.
32:15
SPEAKER_02: Wow, I didn't realize it was that large.
32:18
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we had two years ago from our or three years ago now from our 2009 group, we sent five from one team.
32:25
SPEAKER_02: From one team?
32:26
SPEAKER_02: What did that do to that team?
32:28
SPEAKER_00: Made it weaker.
32:30
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
32:30
SPEAKER_00: Made it weaker.
32:32
SPEAKER_00: Where did they all go?
32:33
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so four went to Columbus Crew.
32:37
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, we have a very strong partnership with crew, and then one went to JJ went to Chicago Fire.
32:43
SPEAKER_02: Got it.
32:45
SPEAKER_02: Wow.
32:45
SPEAKER_00: The nice thing is this year, obviously they use 17s, they're still at Columbus Crew.
32:50
SPEAKER_00: They'll join the USL2 group on June 1 or when Cup's done.
32:55
SPEAKER_00: So that'll be a nice mid-season boost.
32:57
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
32:58
SPEAKER_00: Um, Jordan Rokos just came back.
33:00
SPEAKER_00: Um, he's not travelling to Cup with them, so he's out there training.
33:05
SPEAKER_00: So again, very, very good goalkeeper.
33:07
SPEAKER_00: He's only young, but he's still very, very good.
33:10
SPEAKER_03: Right.
33:10
SPEAKER_00: And then the other outfield players that that come back will rejoin the group, and um they're all very, very good.
33:17
SPEAKER_02: How did they how did they all get scouted, recruited by the MLS Academies?
33:23
SPEAKER_00: Um the events, I would say mainly just them being at the events.
33:28
SPEAKER_00: Honestly, I think video is so important.
33:30
SPEAKER_00: I mean, with Taca partnering with MLS.
33:33
SPEAKER_02: Taca's amazing.
33:34
SPEAKER_00: If you've ever used it, it's so easy to watch players.
33:36
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know.
33:38
SPEAKER_00: Um we did a pro combine this year at Western Michigan or partnered with Western Michigan.
33:42
SPEAKER_00: I think Cam got seven pro scouts out there, and that was for U11 to U14s.
33:49
SPEAKER_00: Really good event.
33:50
SPEAKER_00: I think he's had four goals for trials so far.
33:54
SPEAKER_00: So that was a a really good way to showcase players.
33:58
SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, video's huge now.
34:01
SPEAKER_00: Video is so important.
34:02
SPEAKER_02: But it's all about relationships too.
34:04
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, massive.
34:05
SPEAKER_02: Uh to be able to get those scouts out here to Grand Rapids and Wow.
34:12
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that was uh obviously I I didn't think it's the first year we've put it on.
34:16
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, Jags have put on a very similar event before with Pete, and Pete's obviously very connected with the MLS world.
34:23
SPEAKER_00: Um, but I think for us putting it on for West Michigan, I've I've since I've been here, that's that's the first one that I've um CB executed and using Weston's indoor facility just made the event even better.
34:38
SPEAKER_00: Chad actually coached all three of the sessions that night, uh, so they got to see at least somebody that's gonna really push and challenge the players because he was coaching U11, so that was fun to watch for sure.
34:51
SPEAKER_02: How how did those conversations go with the with the Mart Academy staff when you're when they're about to steal five of your players?
35:00
SPEAKER_00: Honestly, I think that's why we do it.
35:02
SPEAKER_00: And I think that's why You're trying to push the cards.
35:05
SPEAKER_00: We want them to move on.
35:06
SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
35:07
SPEAKER_00: Because ultimately I think majority come back because they're either not good enough or they're homesick or they've already committed to college.
35:15
SPEAKER_00: So I think if we're I think when clubs are stopping them from getting that opportunity, we just we're we're completely the other side.
35:23
SPEAKER_00: Like we think that sure our team got weaker at the 09 age group, which it definitely did.
35:28
SPEAKER_00: Um, but we added five players from either the academy group or from outside the club, and now they get the opportunity to showcase their talent, and ultimately now it's our job to make them better and place them in college.
35:41
SPEAKER_00: Right.
35:42
SPEAKER_00: Um, so and that's uh obviously a very unique situation.
35:46
SPEAKER_00: Um generally, so this year Felipe and Jack from our 2012 signed for Cincinnati, um, it's generally one or two.
35:54
SPEAKER_00: So Carlo thought of our 2010 players on trial all over the place right now.
36:00
SPEAKER_00: He's got like 36 goals in in in the platform, so I'm sure at some point somebody's gonna pick him up.
36:07
SPEAKER_00: Um but I think for us we just celebrate, and ultimately I think that's one of the factors what MLS Next judge you on.
36:16
SPEAKER_02: What is it?
36:17
SPEAKER_02: How can you explain your the success of the club?
36:21
SPEAKER_02: Is it is it what you guys are doing from a very young age?
36:26
SPEAKER_02: Is it is it the area and it's just uh it's a kind of like an iron sharpened iron thing?
36:33
SPEAKER_02: Like what is it?
36:34
SPEAKER_02: What is it about it's always kind of been this way because because back when it was the crew, Grand Rapids Crew Juniors, no, those teams were insane.
36:45
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I honestly I think obviously we're very fortunate with facilities.
36:49
SPEAKER_00: We've got um an indoor, two nice turf fields, we use a lot of the college spaces, and ultimately we have access to spaces that other people don't.
37:00
SPEAKER_00: Um obviously we're in top platforms, which allows us to give players access to that.
37:07
SPEAKER_00: Um, but I think for us just being willing to evolve and change with with the times, and we've added some very, very strong coaches again this year.
37:17
SPEAKER_00: Um pushing the coaches through licensing, trying to create the culture of trying to make play it being about the players and making them better and getting them to academy players or moving an NEL kid to an MLS2 roster.
37:32
SPEAKER_00: Um honestly, I just think it comes down to us being committed to the individual and trying to give them opportunities at whatever level that looks like for that individual.
37:44
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
37:45
SPEAKER_02: How I mean parents have to see that okay, they've sent 12 to MLS academies and they gotta be able to it's such a cliche, but just trust the process kind of of even if you're eleven or twelve, you uh everybody is worried about the college scholarship or for sure, you know, maybe getting those MLS academies.
38:11
SPEAKER_02: Me personally, I I think that if you're gonna be if you're gonna be a top boy in this country, uh you gotta be able to play for MLS Academy.
38:22
SPEAKER_02: How do you do do you guys do coach or parent education of telling them that that's kind of the pathway?
38:32
SPEAKER_02: Because like some kids just want to play college soccer.
38:35
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
38:36
SPEAKER_02: Some kids might not want to play college soccer, but then some kids want to be pros.
38:39
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
38:40
SPEAKER_02: Do you what's your parent education like in terms of what this is and what the system is?
38:46
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I would say we generally do that at the start of the year and just give them honest feedback about what the process looks like.
38:52
SPEAKER_00: Um, and then Cam does all the individual meetings, so he's like our player pathway to pro.
39:00
SPEAKER_00: Um, so anybody that wants that meeting can have that meeting, and obviously anybody that's in the system or being actively recruited, um, he meets with them and just helps them with the process.
39:11
SPEAKER_00: I think the biggest thing that we can do for that player is just have clean, clear communication.
39:17
SPEAKER_00: Um, if somebody reaches out to us, respond, actually respond, and actually have clean, clear, clean communication with them.
39:24
SPEAKER_00: Right.
39:24
SPEAKER_00: Um, because a lot of clubs don't, and to me it's crazy, but I think us losing our best player ultimately impacts the team, but not that much.
39:34
SPEAKER_00: You know, I think that there's also a lot of other good players in the group that gives them different opportunities.
39:42
SPEAKER_02: It's a it's some for some kids it might be a positive you know, it's like, hey, we just lost our goal scorer, we just gotta replace 30 goals.
39:50
SPEAKER_00: Yep, definitely, definitely.
39:52
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we lost every time we've lost players.
39:54
SPEAKER_00: I think obviously I would say Cam's unique because he is very connected in that world, so he he really celebrates it and just moves on to the next guy, alright.
40:05
SPEAKER_00: But but still has good relationships with those players that have left, which is ultimately why they come they're gonna come back and make our USL2 team top.
40:14
SPEAKER_02: Do you have the eye for let's say a player's 12, 13?
40:21
SPEAKER_02: Do you have the eye of like that guy, that kid's gonna be with the MLS Academy?
40:28
SPEAKER_02: Or is it hit or missed, late?
40:30
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I think I think the early developers generally catch the eye the most.
40:37
SPEAKER_00: The most athletic player generally dominates on on the on the younger age groups.
40:42
SPEAKER_00: Um I think what we've tried to get to is understand what the pro clubs are looking for.
40:47
SPEAKER_00: So like Columbus crew is definitely looking for a different profile of player to New York Rebels.
40:54
SPEAKER_00: Um very, very different profile.
40:56
SPEAKER_00: So I think that's why I've challenged our staff and Cam is like, okay, I think that we can say this big strong fast kid is the best, but he's not the best for Columbus crew, you know.
41:06
SPEAKER_00: Columbus crew are not gonna look at that early, early developer normally.
41:11
SPEAKER_00: Maybe there's an outlier, but generally they want very strong technical players that can play in a number of positions, they move a lot of central midfielders to centre back because they want to dominate the ball, they play a 3-4-3 throughout all their age groups into the first team.
41:28
SPEAKER_00: So, like making sure the coaches that are involved in the platform understand that and actually watch MLS games when we go to the events, watch some of those pro academies and then build those strong relationships with those scouts.
41:44
SPEAKER_00: I think that's that helps you identify players.
41:48
SPEAKER_02: Do you wish there were like more solidarity payments and training compensation?
41:53
SPEAKER_02: Sure.
41:54
SPEAKER_02: Because you guys would have 12.
41:56
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I know.
41:57
SPEAKER_02: Think about that.
41:58
SPEAKER_02: Yep, yeah.
41:58
SPEAKER_02: If you were back home, yeah, yeah.
42:01
SPEAKER_00: I mean it's hard for us though, because I think that uh obviously that would that would come back into the club and make us be even better and stronger, which which is amazing, but I think ultimately it's out of our control.
42:14
SPEAKER_00: So of course that's why I think we focus on what what we need to get those players there, and I think now they they do have a system in place that clubs are getting some kind of kickback when they get uh a pro contract.
42:28
SPEAKER_00: Um but as we know it's so rare that that player signs a pro.
42:33
SPEAKER_00: They usually go to college, usually go to college for sure, yeah.
42:36
SPEAKER_00: And ultimately, I think what we look at is college is still a path to pro.
42:42
SPEAKER_00: I mean, how many college players go into the pro game when they're done?
42:47
SPEAKER_02: You know.
42:48
SPEAKER_02: Can you expand on that?
42:49
SPEAKER_02: Because a lot of people knock on college soccer too, as they go, if you're not a pro by 18, you're never gonna make it.
42:55
SPEAKER_02: Well, that's not true.
42:56
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, you see so many players evolve in college.
43:00
SPEAKER_00: I mean, obviously it's a very different world of soccer.
43:04
SPEAKER_00: I mean, college soccer looks different to pro soccer, but all a lot of the tools that they learn in college, especially physically, um, or just being in an environment day-to-day where which not everybody is in the in the club world.
43:18
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, changes players dramatically.
43:21
SPEAKER_00: Um I I I I generally think going to college is a huge positive, and then it's still they still have a a very good chance to the top ones to to move on, or the doors still open, it's definitely not closed.
43:35
SPEAKER_00: I mean so many college players are still signing pro contracts, generally lower down the leagues, but they're still then that's another pathway to to get to the top league.
43:44
SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
43:45
SPEAKER_02: Do you feel like NAIA is a good pathway right now?
43:49
SPEAKER_00: Or is it like a pathway into NCAA, Division One, and then Yeah, I would definitely from the experiences I've had and seen, I would say that's The pathway to Division I, potentially a top division two programme.
44:04
SPEAKER_00: Yep.
44:04
SPEAKER_00: Um, and then with how often players transfer now, ultimately they got could go any I a division two, division one, play USL two, and still get get the exposure to to play in the the pro ranks.
44:20
SPEAKER_02: Right.
44:21
SPEAKER_02: Do you so I've had uh a bunch of college coaches on and some sometimes there's a stigma around local schools where oh well if I go to OU it's a failure because OU is looked at as a small program.
44:42
SPEAKER_02: University of Buffalo is looked at like that from the girls' standpoint.
44:46
SPEAKER_02: Do you feel that at all at Aquinas?
44:49
SPEAKER_00: Um honestly I would say for us, um players are very comfortable at Aquinas.
44:58
SPEAKER_00: I think like they're closer downtown, they always have a good experience, they're in smaller classrooms.
45:04
SPEAKER_02: The area is amazing.
45:05
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's a great campus.
45:07
SPEAKER_00: So I would say uh depends where the player's comfortable because if they're not comfortable and not enjoying the environment, they're not gonna be successful anywhere.
45:16
SPEAKER_00: Right.
45:16
SPEAKER_00: So I think if somebody go into play for Auckland University because it's right next to the house, and them seeing the family a lot means that they're gonna play, train better, then great, it's gonna give them the best chance, and I think that's what the player needs to get to, knowing really why they're going to that school and what do they need from that to be successful on the field.
45:36
SPEAKER_02: Right.
45:37
SPEAKER_00: Um academics are important, making sure the program's correct, they're not in a program that they have no interest in because ultimately they can only play if that piece is buttoned up.
45:48
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
45:49
SPEAKER_00: Um, so no, I just think that then being comfortable in the environment is the most important thing.
45:54
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
45:56
SPEAKER_02: What are you guys offering uh for the MLS next?
46:00
SPEAKER_02: How many days are you guys in?
46:03
SPEAKER_02: Three days, four days?
46:04
SPEAKER_00: So we'll do three days on the field.
46:06
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
46:07
SPEAKER_00: And then one day video analysis.
46:09
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
46:10
SPEAKER_00: Um, and then in the winter we'll do the same, but we we try and do Friday night classes, we call them, where we bring in different college coaches to work with the seniors and juniors.
46:21
SPEAKER_00: We do five of them a winter, we try to bring in ten coaches.
46:25
SPEAKER_00: So again, it just gives them the opp I want that coach to work in our environment as much as possible.
46:32
SPEAKER_00: I think ID camps and all the camps are are great and uh there for different reasons.
46:36
SPEAKER_00: Right.
46:37
SPEAKER_00: But I think getting a coach into our environment where I think our players show the best, because ultimately our centre back knows where to pass the ball to our centre mid, knows what foot to pass the ball to, right?
46:50
SPEAKER_00: Knows whether he's going to defend well, like knows pretty much everything about him or her.
46:56
SPEAKER_00: Um so them seeing them around players that understand them the most, I think it makes our player look the best.
47:03
SPEAKER_00: Got it.
47:05
SPEAKER_02: And then how do you guys structure well you guys don't do the structuring?
47:12
SPEAKER_02: MLS Next does the structure of all your travel.
47:15
SPEAKER_02: Correct, right?
47:16
SPEAKER_02: So it's always two games.
47:18
SPEAKER_02: Well, in the in state, that's just a day trip, right?
47:21
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, like Jags come back, the wolves come back, Vardar come back, right?
47:26
SPEAKER_02: But then Chicago, do you guys just play FC United and then depends up depends on the year.
47:33
SPEAKER_00: So this year we did soccer as a one-off and came back.
47:38
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
47:39
SPEAKER_00: And then we did FC United as a one-off and came back.
47:44
SPEAKER_00: But then when we went to Wisconsin, we did Wave and Bavs together.
47:49
SPEAKER_00: Do you guys do the scheduling?
47:50
SPEAKER_02: Do you is it like how it used to be in like the state leagues where it's like everybody's in a room and they schedule, or does MLS Nets do the schedule?
47:58
SPEAKER_00: Uh they do the schedule.
48:00
SPEAKER_00: There's some freedom there.
48:01
SPEAKER_00: There's definitely flexibility with local games that don't impact whoever I I wouldn't say we necessarily have travel partners.
48:09
SPEAKER_00: Right.
48:10
SPEAKER_00: Um, but if we change a game, it might impact somebody else's game.
48:13
SPEAKER_00: So I would say that when they give us that schedule, it's 95% done.
48:17
SPEAKER_01: Got it.
48:18
SPEAKER_00: Now we have to put the game times and we work with the other clubs on, okay, do you want an early game and stay on the night time?
48:24
SPEAKER_00: Like when we play uh in the Indy 11 this past weekend, we did uh 11.30, uh 1.30, and a 3.30, so parents could travel down the day off.
48:35
SPEAKER_00: Like we travel down the day off.
48:37
SPEAKER_00: That's nice, um, which is obviously really nice, cuts out some expense because there's some travel involved for sure.
48:43
SPEAKER_02: It's crazy.
48:44
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but I think how they've regionalized the league a little bit more, like we didn't go to St.
48:49
SPEAKER_00: Louis this year at all, which is a big trip.
48:52
SPEAKER_00: That is nice.
48:53
SPEAKER_00: We did a preseason event there, uh, but that obviously that's our choice at that point, right?
48:58
SPEAKER_00: Um it wasn't the league saying we had to go there.
49:01
SPEAKER_02: Was that at Scott Gallagher or was that at the school?
49:04
SPEAKER_00: Um we did the Rondo event, which was at LaFoos.
49:07
SPEAKER_00: Okay, it was good.
49:09
SPEAKER_00: Got it.
49:10
SPEAKER_00: Um, so that's nice.
49:11
SPEAKER_00: So we'll play in our division, Teams Home and Aware, and then we'll play the St.
49:16
SPEAKER_00: Louis division, either home or aware.
49:19
SPEAKER_00: So next year it'll flip and we'll have to go to St.
49:22
SPEAKER_00: Louis.
49:22
SPEAKER_00: But we won't have to go to Bavs and wave, if that makes sense.
49:26
SPEAKER_02: Do you wish that MLS Next had more uh showcases or more events, kind of like Fest, but more?
49:34
SPEAKER_02: Because you didn't Did you guys qualify for Flex?
49:37
SPEAKER_02: No, and you have to qualify for Flex, right?
49:39
SPEAKER_02: And then you have to qualify for playoffs, and there's really only one event, and then sometimes that's a knock of like, well, if you want to go to college, blah blah blah.
49:47
SPEAKER_02: But like what do you think?
49:50
SPEAKER_00: I think that there's a good balance right now.
49:53
SPEAKER_00: I think that doing so they have a decor the December event, yeah, they have the April event, and then if you qualify, they have the the June event, yeah, the playoffs.
50:03
SPEAKER_00: Um we go to the IMG event, which is pretty much MLS next teams.
50:08
SPEAKER_00: So the NEL event, the National Academy Championships, we go to that in February.
50:12
SPEAKER_00: So no matter what we're doing, that event, and playing six MLS teams, and it's very heavily attended by college coaches, and then ultimately it's on us if we attack if we qualify for flex, so that's an area we need to get better at.
50:25
SPEAKER_00: So ultimately, that should be an event.
50:27
SPEAKER_00: And then this was the first year that they took the showcase away for Cup.
50:32
SPEAKER_00: Um I think it's because of the World Cup.
50:34
SPEAKER_00: Maybe because of the World Cup.
50:36
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I don't they have to be.
50:36
SPEAKER_01: I think that's what Luis Robles said.
50:38
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's like because it's the World Cup.
50:41
SPEAKER_00: They'll bring some form of showcase back, yeah, I presume.
50:44
SPEAKER_00: Um, but I think that's a good balance for us to be able to go to the Jags events, and I think I think we have some good local stuff that we can attend as well.
50:52
SPEAKER_02: I mean, in the Jags event, it's on three fields a coach can hit.
50:56
SPEAKER_02: Right.
50:57
SPEAKER_02: I mean, do you did you do any recruiting there?
50:59
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
51:00
SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
51:00
SPEAKER_00: Go to my team and then I go watch.
51:02
SPEAKER_02: How nice is it for a college coach to go to an event like that versus you're at the Arizona complex and there's 30 fields, and it's like it's tough.
51:11
SPEAKER_02: It's it is tough to be able to see all the players, especially if you're in a smaller budget or a smaller school and you can't send three coaches, you're sending one coach.
51:19
SPEAKER_02: It's like, how am I supposed to watch all these games?
51:21
SPEAKER_02: Difficult, yeah.
51:23
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but yeah, Jags was the Jags event's great.
51:26
SPEAKER_00: We're doing an event with soccer's this preseason.
51:29
SPEAKER_00: Soccer's does one too.
51:30
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, soccer's does one, so we'll go to their event, and that's uh obviously going to Chicago's close enough, and it's again a nice area for the teams to get together early to do some team bonding stuff.
51:42
SPEAKER_00: We host uh Hoosier and Indie 11 here for two preseason games.
51:48
SPEAKER_00: So I think as long as you you can make your schedule whatever you want it to be.
51:53
SPEAKER_02: Where did Hoosier come from?
51:54
SPEAKER_02: How long have they been around?
51:56
SPEAKER_00: Uh two clubs combined in the Indie Premier and Hoosier, so they're called Hoosier Premier.
52:02
SPEAKER_00: Got it.
52:03
SPEAKER_00: I was like, Hoosier premiere.
52:05
SPEAKER_00: Their facilities are like here to our tour field right there.
52:08
SPEAKER_00: That's how close they are together.
52:10
SPEAKER_00: Um it's a good club.
52:12
SPEAKER_00: They they had a really good first year on the platform.
52:15
SPEAKER_00: So this was their second year, they had a really good first year.
52:17
SPEAKER_02: When is that?
52:18
SPEAKER_02: When are you guys hosting them?
52:19
SPEAKER_00: Uh we bring them in for preseason.
52:21
SPEAKER_02: So I'll be August.
52:23
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
52:23
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, because I mean we don't have indoor fields here.
52:27
SPEAKER_02: We don't have 11v11 stuff.
52:29
SPEAKER_02: Isn't that wild?
52:30
SPEAKER_02: I know.
52:31
SPEAKER_00: We'll we'll stay outside until December, and then we hope that the weather cooperates cooperates with us so we can get some other games in.
52:40
SPEAKER_00: But honestly, the that NEL event is six games.
52:44
SPEAKER_00: So they do the 60-minute format.
52:46
SPEAKER_00: You play three games in your group, and then you play a quarter final, a semi-final, and a final.
52:51
SPEAKER_00: If you don't qualify, you play three consolation games, so that's six games right there.
52:56
SPEAKER_00: You we do the Jags event right before it, which is three games.
53:00
SPEAKER_00: Um, so you've got nine games in the space of six, seven weeks, yeah, and then MLS started this year, February 26.
53:08
SPEAKER_00: So we were right back, we didn't really stop other than the little break after the December event.
53:14
SPEAKER_02: Right.
53:15
SPEAKER_02: How do you do it all?
53:16
SPEAKER_02: How do you do it all?
53:17
SPEAKER_02: How do you do the USL?
53:19
SPEAKER_02: You're the ML's next director, you have the U15 the 15s, and then Aquinas.
53:25
SPEAKER_02: Yep, it's tough.
53:27
SPEAKER_00: It's tough.
53:28
SPEAKER_00: Not much time's there.
53:29
SPEAKER_00: It's good though.
53:30
SPEAKER_00: I think they all they all intertangle a little bit.
53:34
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, I think that I get to cut some corners with recruiting because I'm on the field every night.
53:40
SPEAKER_00: I think if I want at Midwest, it would be a little bit harder for me for Aquinas because I think I I wouldn't be a recruit.
53:47
SPEAKER_00: Aquinas is a big supporter of Midwest.
53:50
SPEAKER_00: We use their outdoor field four nights a week, and our all of our Academy program boys train there, so it's nice to bring them on the campus.
53:59
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
53:59
SPEAKER_00: So I get those little perks.
54:01
SPEAKER_00: Um, and then obviously the summer.
54:04
SPEAKER_00: I love doing USL too.
54:05
SPEAKER_00: I think that's uh that's uh it's fun.
54:08
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's fun.
54:08
SPEAKER_00: It's fun.
54:09
SPEAKER_02: It's it's it's just you get to work with players that maybe you don't otherwise even know because they're not from Midwest or they're not from Aquinas.
54:18
SPEAKER_02: You can't coach Aquinas players.
54:21
SPEAKER_00: I can't.
54:21
SPEAKER_02: Is it f is there a limit?
54:23
SPEAKER_00: There's no limit.
54:23
SPEAKER_00: I only I only have two that play for me in the summer, but there's no limit uh for NAIA.
54:28
SPEAKER_02: Oh, oh, for NAIA.
54:30
SPEAKER_02: Correct.
54:30
SPEAKER_02: There is if it would be N CAA, is that the rule?
54:33
SPEAKER_02: Five.
54:33
SPEAKER_02: Five.
54:34
SPEAKER_00: Got it.
54:35
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
54:36
SPEAKER_02: I mean, when is your first game for USO?
54:38
SPEAKER_00: So we play home opener uh Saturday, 6 p.m.
54:42
SPEAKER_00: Lansing.
54:43
SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
54:44
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, I'm gonna try to make this air tomorrow so that it's out there and then all the clubs, and then we'll do this again.
54:53
SPEAKER_02: I'd like to go to Aquinas.
54:54
SPEAKER_00: Um is the women's coach?
54:58
SPEAKER_02: They work here too, right?
54:59
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, Mario just got it.
55:00
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, Mario just got it.
55:02
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, and he's doing he'll do a very good job.
55:04
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, good job.
55:06
SPEAKER_02: And it's nice that it's it's do you think that as a college coach you have to coach club?
55:13
SPEAKER_02: You just said it was you just said that it would be very difficult without the midway.
55:19
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think if I had four full-time coaches in college and I could send them everywhere to recruit and didn't have to be as hands-on with recruitment, I think it would be much easier.
55:30
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, I think a lot of what an NCAA coach does, I'm not sure that from being in that world, an NIA coach does.
55:39
SPEAKER_00: I think like compliance and other the other side of soccer in college is a little bit less, which allows me to do it.
55:47
SPEAKER_00: I think generally most of the coaches I know in NIA generally coach club as well.
55:52
SPEAKER_03: Right.
55:53
SPEAKER_00: Um so I think I'd want to do it, just uh I I enjoy being around different environments and different coaches and go into the events.
56:04
SPEAKER_00: I mean it's nice going to the event and actually coaching.
56:07
SPEAKER_00: You know, I just I'm I'm not sure I could just sit there and watch for ten hours.
56:12
SPEAKER_00: I think it's nice to coach for three or four and then go watch for three or four hours, you know.
56:18
SPEAKER_02: Um could you be a director that just is off the field?
56:23
SPEAKER_02: No.
56:23
SPEAKER_00: No, no chance.
56:25
SPEAKER_00: No, no, it'd be too tough.
56:27
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
56:28
SPEAKER_00: I think it allows me to also be connected with college coaches to help our kids at least make a phone call.
56:35
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
56:35
SPEAKER_00: You know, I think that definitely is an advantage.
56:38
SPEAKER_00: I think right now at Midwest we have both acquiring us college coaches, one Daddenport coach, Cornerstone's women coach, Hope College's men's coach, Dave Blanco, obviously Lewis is the head women's coach at Western.
56:55
SPEAKER_00: Chad is running our satellite in Kalamazoo.
56:58
SPEAKER_02: He is?
56:58
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
56:59
SPEAKER_02: Oh, I didn't even know that.
57:00
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
57:01
SPEAKER_00: So it just allows us to call Chad and say, hey, come look at this kid.
57:08
SPEAKER_00: And generally he comes and looks, you know.
57:11
SPEAKER_02: I think if you're building a club, you have to have that.
57:14
SPEAKER_02: And you aspire to be a you know send kids to college.
57:19
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
57:20
SPEAKER_02: You have to have a college staff.
57:22
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, or put college coaches on your staff.
57:25
SPEAKER_00: I think the parents understand.
57:26
SPEAKER_00: Like, sometimes there is conflicts for me.
57:28
SPEAKER_00: Like it's rare, but I might have a U-15 game at the same time as a college game, and I go to the college game.
57:34
SPEAKER_00: But I think ultimately they know.
57:36
SPEAKER_00: They know.
57:37
SPEAKER_02: They know the clients.
57:38
SPEAKER_00: They know.
57:39
SPEAKER_00: And I think they know there's a a another reason behind why we have the staff in college.
57:46
SPEAKER_02: And your guys' staff as a whole is very um tight.
57:51
SPEAKER_02: It's it just seems like it's a it's a it's a tight group.
57:53
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's a part of that.
57:55
SPEAKER_02: Part of that is I think is because you have an office, you have you have a facility that where you guys all are here.
58:00
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, yesterday there was 50 coaches in here.
58:03
SPEAKER_00: So it's it was definitely a different environment yesterday.
58:05
SPEAKER_00: But just being around them and again being able to have a little banter and joke, but then also just talk soccer, put put the games on.
58:14
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
58:15
SPEAKER_00: If Champions League's on or playoffs are on.
58:18
SPEAKER_00: Um, we'll all go out tonight and watch the women's game and maybe grab a beer after.
58:24
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
58:24
SPEAKER_00: You know, so I think that's kind of why we do it.
58:28
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
58:28
SPEAKER_02: So it's nice to meet you, man.
58:30
SPEAKER_00: You too, appreciate it.
58:31
SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
58:32
SPEAKER_02: Great, thanks, brother.
58:33
SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
58:33
SPEAKER_00: I hate soccer.