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Coach Dominc Casciato- Union Omaha Soccer · Caught on the Mike...

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_01: Hey friends, before we start the episode, here is a word from one of our partners.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: Union Omahawks Doctor is back at Warner Park.
• 0:12
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• 0:20
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• 0:24
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• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: And don't forget to stay to the music.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: You don't just watch the actions, you are the actions.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: And we can't wait to see one city for it.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: I gotta tell you something, something you might not know.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: Omaha has professional soccer.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: I cannot wait to have this conversation with my friend Dominic Casciato.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_01: He's the head coach of Union Omaha Soccer Club.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: How the heck are you?
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: I'm doing well, thanks, Mike.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_01: How are you?
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I'm fantastic.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for doing the show.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_01: It's very much appreciated, my friend.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_01: No, thanks for having me.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: Pleasure.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, so a lot of people don't expect this type of football in the Midwest, especially in Corn Husker country.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_01: But uh let's talk a little bit about your origin story and what kind of brought you here to Omaha.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, um, in terms of my origin, I'm from London, uh born to an Italian family there.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_02: Came over to the States to play college soccer, um, went back to the UK uh to try and play and and didn't quite make it.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, ended up starting coaching uh back in 2010 at St.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_02: John's University in Queens in New York, um, helping the men's program there that were very good at the time, great coaching staff, learned a lot there, kind of worked my up through my way up through the coaching ranks, um went to El Paso Locomotive after you know a few clubs in New York and spending a couple years in Spain.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and after two years of an assistant in El Paso, uh the job became open here in Omaha, and I was fortunate enough to be selected for the role.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and we've had uh two really good years so far, and I hope we've through a third now.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, your first season, you had 14 victories in a row.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it was actually 10, Mike.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_02: It was 10 in a row.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_02: Then we tired one and then we won another four or five in a row.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: Ah, okay, okay, okay.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_01: Sorry, buddy.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_01: Hopefully we're 14 in a row this year, yeah.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes the legend is better.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_01: We should have just left it at that.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_01: I I can edit that out.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_01: No, I'm just kidding.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, coaching um so many different players from so many different backgrounds, you know, world traveler yourself, how do you go about building chemistry in an organization in the Midwest that might not be as familiar with the sport as somebody like on an East Coast or a West Coast here in the United States?
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think that's a good question.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_02: I think, look, uh the three years before I I came, the club had had good success then as well, under Jay Mims, who did an incredible job of getting the club up and running from a technical standpoint.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so there was a history here of of winning and putting a good product on the field, which you know we've been fortunate enough to continue.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_02: Um to me, uh I think no matter where you are, right?
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_02: Um before you coach the player, you coach the person.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I think if you can connect with people, your technical staff, the front office staff, probably most importantly your players, also the owners.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I think once you connect, it's easy to coach, right?
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_02: And it's easy to build a culture then.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_02: If you're not able to connect with people, then I think it becomes very difficult.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_02: So I think we've done a decent job of that so far in terms of connecting uh with everybody and making everybody feel part of what we're doing.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and that's that's allowed us to have some pretty good success so far.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, you use the term culture, and that's something that I use a lot.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I don't talk about what my day job is on the show very often, but I'm I'm a leader myself, and I am very hardened in the idea that if you want people to become engaged in something, you have to build a culture around it.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: So walk me through what your coaching philosophy is and how you develop that co culture with some of your players.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, if I was to say kind of an overarching philosophy is kind of underpinned by two things.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um, the first one is that it's fun, right?
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_02: Because I think everybody starts playing the game because they love it and they enjoy it, and you know, they just want to enjoy themselves.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_02: So we try and make sure that everything we do is as fun and enjoyable as possible.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_02: Now, that doesn't mean we're just laughing and joking all day and the work is not serious, it's definitely serious work.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I and I think that goes hand in hand with learning, right?
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_02: So for us, um, if we have young players, we're trying to help them learn as quickly as possible so that they can be assets for our first team and can help us perform and win games.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it's also teaching the group collectively about our playing style, you know.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_02: That's what we go through in pre-season.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_02: And once we get into the season, it's about learning about the upcoming opponent, right?
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_02: How we're gonna play against that opponent, what our game plan is going into that game, who their best players are, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and and how we um account for those things going into each and every game, and and it happens through the week, building into a game, obviously.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_02: So I think for us it's it's fun and it's learning, and I think the fun is probably more important than the learning, to be honest with you, making sure that the guys are enjoying their work, um, because it shouldn't feel like work, right?
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_02: They should come to work every day and and just have a great time and and make great relationships.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so that's kind of what a lot of my time is focused on, and and getting the tactical piece and the technical piece right as well is obviously important, but I think the spirit and the energy within the group is always more important.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, yes, and it's it's crazy because I have in my notes here.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_01: I kid you not.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_01: I was gonna ask this exact question was tactical discipline is key, but also letting players express themselves.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: And it kind of it sounds like you just sum that up in a nutshell in not so many words, right?
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I I think it's definitely along those lines, right?
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_02: I think we're definitely on the same page there.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I think probably most coaches like when you're younger in your career, you maybe get caught up on the tactical bits, and you know, that's the bit that is really stimulating for coaches, I think.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_02: But I think the more I've been in it, the more I've realized that relationships and how people feel uh is really what determines performance and results.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_01: What do you think are some of the biggest challenges that young American players face today, either making it professionally or competing internationally?
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_02: Just uh I I think everybody is is a tough industry, right?
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_02: I think everybody um players, coaches, I think it's it's a very, very difficult industry, one to establish yourself in and then two to uh stay in, right?
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_02: Once you do establish yourself.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_02: Um so I think for young American players, uh obviously the distance is involved sometimes in terms of being able to play and compete and train at a high level can be pretty challenging, you know.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_02: I think for families that maybe from somewhere like Omaha, right, where there's not a USL Academy, there's not an MLS Academy, we have some really good clubs, right?
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_02: Sporting Nebraska and Gretna, these guys do a great job, um, but there's no direct link to a professional team there, right?
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_02: Unless one of those coaches picks up the phone and says, Hey Dom, you know, we have a player you should take a look at.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um so I think that's some of the challenges, right?
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_02: We have such a big country, the game is still relatively young here in terms of infrastructure of academies, uh, you know, taking development seriously.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_02: And I think tremendous progress has happened over the last 15-20 years.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I think it's going to continue to happen, and now it's about how can you make the game accessible to everybody, uh, especially those players that that may come from kind of undersurfed communities or from more isolated areas.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that's probably the next step in the evolution of the game in this country in terms of player development, is this is concerned.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I think for American players over the seas, I think you're seeing more and more American players go overseas, and now it's about can we get American players on a top Champions League team being one of the top players on those Champions League teams, right?
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_02: Like you see it with with Pulisic with AC Milan, but there's not a ton of others that are doing it week in, week out, uh, at Champions League level that are in you know semi-finals, that are playing in finals.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, because I think if you're gonna be successful with your national team, your players need to understand what it means to win at the very highest level.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_02: Uh we probably haven't had enough of those guys doing that so far.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: Is it something that's kind of I don't know want to say like blown your mind to an extent how fast the sport is growing stateside, particularly over the last 10 years.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's incredible, right?
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_02: I think if you look at the USL, there's a new team popping up every week, it seems, right?
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_02: So um I think it's good for the game, it's good for people like myself that uh, you know, work in in soccer, and I'm sure it's good for people like you that follow it so avidly.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I think with the World Cup coming next year as well, I think it's just gonna take off even more.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_02: So I think you're gonna see even more growth, even more investment, and even more clubs pop up, which hopefully, you know, maybe answers the uh the challenge we have to my previous statement where those guys in undersurfed communities or smaller towns, smaller cities, more desolate areas get access to the game and get a pathway into first team football.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_01: Do you feel, and this is kind of an off-the-wall question, but do you feel that maybe pop culture has had an influence in that with things like, you know, Wrexham or the show Ted Lasso or something along those lines, to where Americans are getting a little bit more conscientious about the sport?
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think they're definitely more exposed to it now, right?
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_02: I think, you know, when I first came to the US in 2006 to watch games from Europe, um, whether it be Champions League or like a Premier League game, uh, you'd have to watch on Fox Soccer channel.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_02: Um and then maybe one or two other games a week on on a more mainstream channel.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, but now it's it's everywhere, right?
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_02: And you can watch more games in the US on a streaming platform than you can watch um at any given weekend back in Europe.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that's really good that now there's more exposure to the game.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_02: I think social media obviously helps that.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_02: I think people like David Beckon coming over back in whenever it was, 2006, 2007, uh certainly helps.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_02: I think you know, Messi coming now, I think definitely attracts attention and publicity to the fact that soccer is here and it is here to stay.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um so I think these are these are all really good signs, and and now, you know, it will continue to evolve when the World Cup comes, and I think it's just a really good sign to be involved in the game in this country.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_01: I agree, I agree.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_01: I was sitting at a sports bar last night, to your point, and my wife, you know, we're surrounded by TVs, and I kid you not, there's probably two different TVs covering the sport, which was completely unheard of 10, 15 years ago, and it's like ESPN, like ESPN Prime covering the sport.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, wow, this is fantastic.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_01: This really shows how the culture around the sport has changed.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, especially in Nebraska, right?
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_02: And uh I'll I'll share a chill story with you.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_02: So when I first came up to Omaha from um from El Paso, I drove through Benson on Maple Street to uh the house that we were living in, and first time on that street, and on one side of the street you had a Liverpool bar, right?
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_02: And on the other side of the street, in St.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_02: Andrews, you had a Tottenham bar, right, with a big Spurs crest in the window.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_02: And I was like, Oh wow, this is pretty cool, like soccer's everywhere now, you know?
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_02: Which I'm sure 20 years ago you you never had those type of things.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_01: Not at all, not at all.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_01: Well, let's take a dive into you a little bit more personally.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_01: Was there a specific moment in your coaching career, maybe a game, a decision, or even a mistake that really reshaped how you approach the job?
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know if there was one specific moment.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_02: I would say something I haven't really shared with many people before I took this job in Omaha, I wasn't sure I wanted to be a head coach.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_02: I kind of like to work as an assistant without the pressure and the decisions that come with being a head coach.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_02: And I wasn't sure what to do, whether to take the job or not.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_02: And my wife and I were volunteering at a church on the border in El Paso, and you hear about the migrant crisis at the border, and we were giving out blankets and food and stuff like that to these poor people that are sleeping uh on the street there in front of this church, and when we're giving out the blankets and stuff, um this this group of uh Venezuelan guys we got talking to, and they explained to me that they'd walked from Caracas through the jungle, been chased by jaguars, they'd got to Mexico with showing me videos riding on a high high-speed train when they're like on top of um the train and in between carriages and things like that.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_02: Then they get to Juarez and like the cartel's waiting for them, right?
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_02: And they've been through all these steps um just to try and have a little bit of a better life.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_02: And I heard that story and I was just like, Why am I uh second guessing just going and being a head coach?
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_02: I should just go for it.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_02: Um so I guess that was one kind of defining moment to me that said, look, go for it.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_02: If it doesn't work out, you can always go back to being an assistant.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_02: And thankfully it's worked out pretty well so far.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think a lot of us that step into leadership roles, we have like this catalyst, whether it be a mentor or a specific life event that kind of nudge us in that direction.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_01: Because I I know myself very similar to you.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, I was content with where I was in life.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't want to like breach those comfort zones, but sometimes that is the best decision you can ever make, is just to take the unsafe one, right?
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and I've I've learned a ton.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_02: Uh you know, maybe one day I'll go back to being an assistant, but I've learned a ton in this role, and it's definitely helped me grow and challenge me in in ways.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um I expected, some that I didn't, and uh, I think it's really led to you know some some wonderful years here in Omaha.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_01: So we we've been really fortunate and really blessed.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_01: Something I like talking about a lot on this show is mentorship and leadership, and leadership obviously being such a big part of any team.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_01: How do you identify leaders within your squad?
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, a very good question.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_02: Um I think one you see how they play, right?
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_02: Do they play for themselves, do they play for the team?
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_02: I think that's a very, very important piece.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_02: Two, are they a talker?
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_02: Are they somebody that's gonna rally the troops, that's gonna organise, it's gonna communicate in in a way that's helpful to everybody else?
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_02: Um and then three, you know, do they have the personality to step in when the team needs them, right?
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_02: Because all teams uh at different points in the season, maybe in one specific game, maybe over a string of games, they're gonna go through difficult moments, and in those moments you need leaders to step up.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, and I think when you when you watch the course of somebody's career, you'll see different times when they've either stepped into that or shied away from it.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so I I think it's a really important piece in a team, and I think it's something that that we're always looking at here in terms of our team and our makeup and and who can step up and give us a little bit more from a leadership perspective.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_01: Do you find that sometimes as the years pass it's getting a little bit harder to identify peer mentors and peer leaders within a team that you're coaching?
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that every generation says yes.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_02: Every generation has this saying, right, that kids are different these days.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_02: But I don't think kids are different these days.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_02: I think the adults that are shaping the kids are different, and that's why the kids end up being different, right?
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_02: So what are we doing to make the kids um you know different?
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_02: Well what are we doing?
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_02: How are we conditioning them to be different?
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_02: And I think obviously technology these days and social media has a huge part to play in that.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_02: But I think once you strip away technology and social media and you allow players, coaching staff, you know, anyone in the club to really connect on a deep level, I think that's the beauty of life, right?
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_02: It's how you connect with other people.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_02: If you spend your life in isolation, it's gonna be a pretty sad and lonely life.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_02: Same as if you're in a team.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_02: If you come into a team and you're on the phone, as soon as you get into the locker room, as soon as you finish practice, all you're doing is on your phone, looking at social media.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_02: I think you're missing what it means to be part of a team, right?
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_02: I think what it means to be part of the team is is to share a common goal, share a common struggle, a common purpose.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_02: And if you just bury your head in your phone or on social media all the time, you you lose sight of what a team is all about.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_02: We talk about a team really just being trust established amongst the members.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I think the way you establish trust is is by connecting and working hard together.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_02: And I think as as leaders now, perhaps because people are more inclined to dive into their phones or dive into social media and other technologies that are out there, I think it's our job to be aware of those challenges and come up with activities to bring the group together and allow them to connect right in different ways.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_02: And sometimes that might be through technology, right?
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_02: You might have to use technology to connect.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_02: But I do think it's really important now that we don't just say, all right, kids are different, we can't find natural leaders.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I'm sure you can still identify some, right?
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_02: We've done that, but now can you bring cohesion, togetherness, and a feeling of belonging within the group uh with your management skills or your leadership skills?
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_01: I agree, I agree, and it just it warms my heart to hear somebody else say that.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, the biggest thing about social media, and I'm not trying to demonize it because very similar to what you said, it can be a powerful and an exceptional tool when used correctly.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_01: But the thing that it puts out there is that saying comparison is the thief of joy.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_01: And when people are constantly on social media and in that echo chamber, they're not paying attention to what's going on in that moment, those relevant things that are happening in the here and now.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and I think being present is something that we probably all need to work on.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_02: I know for me, someone asked me once, what do you think your biggest weakness is?
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_02: And I said it's sometimes just not being present, right?
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_02: Thinking about what comes next, and whether that's because I'm using my phone to text somebody or call somebody or trying to plan something, um, or just because you know I'm always thinking about what comes next, what's the next thing we have to plan for?
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_02: But I I think being present and in the moment uh is something everybody should work on, and it's certainly a work in progress myself.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, I really I really believe in that, Mike, as well.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, it it's and it's funny.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_01: Again, another commonplace here is I was just oddly on social media watching a video where Hugh Jackman and uh Ryan Reynolds were talking about Ryan Reynolds' lifelong issue with anxiety and how he's used that as a tool because he's always looking towards the future as to what's next.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_01: And where it used to be a hindrance, now it's actually helped him live in the here and now and improve his current state of being and how he approaches projects and how he approaches like movies and roles and something along those lines.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, you can apply that to the workforce, you can apply that to a sports team, um, and just to everyday life, right?
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_01: I think so.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_02: I think so.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_02: I think you can um you can take that approach into all your relationships, into all your interactions, and I think the more present you can be, I think the more joy you're gonna get out of life.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_02: And I really like that to say, and I just wrote it down actually that the comparison is the fee for joy.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_02: I think that's that's really very appropriate and and very fit in for um how I feel sometimes about you know not being present.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_02: So all the time.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_01: So with all of this kind of combining this and wrapping this thought process up, how do you keep players motivating, motivated, and improving, especially Especially those who might not be getting consistent minutes.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's always a challenge, especially for the guys that are kind of on the outside looking in because ultimately they all come here to play and they all want to play.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_02: But you can only put 11 players on the field at once, right?
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_02: So I think just again coming back to that message of everybody being responsible for the team's success, being part of a team is really a great honour, right?
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_02: To be part of a team and not everybody can do it.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_02: You know, we're lucky to do what we do and that we're focused on learning and getting better every single day.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_02: And I think if your focus is on that and not winning a trophy and not making the playoffs and not doing all these other things, right?
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_02: It's just on all right, today I need to be better than yesterday, and I need to then tailor into the following day, right?
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_02: And just continue to improve, um, then I I think that can create a really good and and healthy mindset within the group, um, where everyone's just trying to be the best version of themselves, and then if you do that, everybody ends up pushing each other and you end up with a really great team.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, yes.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's kind of like there's a book, I think his name is Shep Haiken, and he wrote a book called The Energy Bus.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_01: And it's all about you know surrounding yourself with the energy that you want to exude, like being the example, you know what I mean?
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_01: And I I I think sometimes people can easily be discouraged if they are not the uh main character of the story in that minute or that that specific portion of time.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_01: So making feel people feel valued and understand that they're a part of a bigger picture is so important.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_01: So important.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_01: And it's kind of what correlates to good teams and making sure that good teams, again, whether it be in the workforce or in the um sporting world, um are constantly, you know, functioning together in that cog as a constantly a part of that process, right?
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and it's always evolving, right?
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_02: A team is a living organism that goes through ebbs and flows, and you've got to manage both of those things well, and you've got to have your finger on the pulse to know you know when it's about to ebb and when it's about to flow.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_02: So I couldn't agree more.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_01: So looking ahead, five to ten years from now, where do you see uh Union Omaha and US soccer in the bigger picture uh going?
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_01: And what's your ideal role in that future?
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I uh I always say if you show God your plans, it's one mate to wake him laugh, right?
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_02: So in terms of myself, I just want to be around good people doing good work and feeling fulfilled, you know, to provide for my family, obviously, but uh you know, being in a position where I feel like I'm having an impact and um that I feel satisfied and and challenged by the work that I'm doing.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_02: In terms of the club, I think it's a really exciting time to be at Union Omaha.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_02: The club is obviously growing, there's big plans for the future in terms of a new stadium coming in, being more downtown in the uh I would say like the greater Omaha community rather than out here in the suburbs.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um so I think it's a really, really exciting time for Union Omaha.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_02: I think it's an exciting time for the greater Omaha community to be part of that growth.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_02: And then I think in in terms of the the game in this country, I've kind of already alluded to it that the game is is growing at a pretty rapid rate, and I think it's grown so quickly, Mike, that I wouldn't be able to tell you where it's gonna go in in five to ten years.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_02: Obviously, it looks like emotional relegation are coming in in a few years' time for the USL, which I think is really exciting, and is going to see you know more investment, more interest, um, a lot more spotlight.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, and and I'm excited to see where that takes everybody involved in the game now.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_01: So, what's Dom's pitch to get somebody that maybe hasn't experienced the sport before, interested and invested in the sport itself?
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_01: Come and watch one of our games.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_02: If you want to have you, we'll give you the money back.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_01: Short and simple.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_01: Oh man, you don't don't throw that.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_01: We'll give you our money back thing out there.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_01: We probably want to be very happy with that.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_01: You might have a conversation with the front office over that.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_01: Man, I I have I tell you what, I have really enjoyed this conversation, and this is kind of my wrap-up question for everybody that does my show.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_01: What is your advice for making the world a better place tomorrow than what it is today, based on your experience?
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_02: Wow, good question.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_02: I think just try and be a good person, try and be honest, do the best you can.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_02: Try and be kind to others and not to be selfish.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_02: And I think if everybody had that mindset every day, then I think we'd probably end up with a much better world and a lot more peace.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_02: But um obviously not always possible and not always in everyone's best interest to do that, but it's something I try and live by.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, try and be good to people, and eventually they'll be good to you, and the world will repay you.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I love it.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I tell you what, to my listeners, to my viewers, anybody that's engaging with this, support Union Omaha Soccer as soon as you can.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_01: Good people surrounding the organization.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_01: I personally am going to be at the match on June 12th uh for 311 night.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_01: I'm excited about that.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_01: I know there's a lot of excitement around that.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_01: So I hope I get to run into you in person, my friend.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'll look out for you.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_01: Come and find me after the game.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_01: That sounds great.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_01: Dominic Cachado, the world is a much better place with you in it.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for doing the show, my friend.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_01: That's really nice of you, Mike.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_01: And by the way, if you don't like the game, you're not getting your money back, right?
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_01: The front office will be much happier with you now.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for doing the show, Dom.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_01: Once again, I want to thank my friend Coach Dominic Cosciato for joining me on the podcast today.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_01: You heard him.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_01: He corrected me.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_01: It wasn't 14 wins in a row.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_01: It was 10 wins, a tie, and then like four or five other wins after that.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, the legend is sometimes better than the truth.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_01: If the legend is better than the truth, print the legend.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_01: That's what they say.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_01: Make sure you follow Union O1 Social Media Accounts.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_01: I hope to see all of you out to June 1223119.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_01: And while you're being generous with the followers, make sure you're following Clark on the mic.cotonTheMic.com.com.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_01: So that's this.