Chasing the Game - Youth Soccer in America
Episodes
Harris Faulkner Gets a World Cup Crash Course
17 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Harris Faulkner Gets a World Cup Crash CourseA six-time Emmy-winning Fox News anchor is heading to France vs. Senegal with her daughters and needs soc...
Why Your Kid Looks Better in Training Than Games
10 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Why does a youth soccer player look technical in training, then struggle when the game starts?That question drives this conversation with Christian Si...
Youth Soccer Exposure: What Parents Misunderstand
03 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A post can open a door, but it can also distort what families think progress looks like.In this episode, Liron and Matt talk with David Rodriguez, fou...
From D.C. United to Nottingham Forest: What Youth Soccer Coaches Really Do
27 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What does a youth soccer coach do when parents are not watching?This week on Chasing the Game, Liron is joined by Patrick Ouckama and Phil Gordon, who...
Not Every Soccer Path Has to Be Perfect
20 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Most soccer families are told the same thing: specialize early, chase the biggest league, get seen, and don’t fall behind.But Don Farr and his son R...
Youth Soccer Keeps Changing. Can Your Player Keep Up?
13 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Youth soccer keeps changing. Most families are still searching for fixed answers.In this episode, Filippo Giovagnoli challenges some of the deepest as...
First Pro Contract at 18: Why It’s Not a Career | Chris Platts
06 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Your First Contract Is Not a CareerA pro contract at 18 can look like the finish line. In this episode, Dr. Chris Platts explains why it is often just...
Too Much Noise in Youth Soccer: What Actually Builds Players
29 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Too Much Noise in Youth Soccer:What Actually Builds PlayersThere has never been more around youth soccer players. More training. More clubs. More priv...
Youth Soccer Development: Why Clarity Matters | Christian Gonzalez
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Youth Soccer Development: Why Clarity Matters | Christian GonzalezWhat does a club really mean when it says it develops players?In this episode, Chris...
What Builds a Pro Player? Talia Sommer on Parents, Pressure, and Playing With Boys
15 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What actually shapes a player. Talent, training, mentality, environment, or the people around them?In this episode of Chasing the Game, we talk with G...
Can Your Kid Really Train in Barcelona?
08 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Barcelona is the dream for a lot of soccer families. But what does that environment actually demand from a player, and what are parents really chasing...
Youth Soccer Parents: The Right Questions to Ask
01 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Parents in youth soccer are often forced to make big decisions with partial information, mixed signals, and a lot of anxiety. Andrew May, whose coachi...
What MLS Academies Really Look For. Jose Campos of Orlando City
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What do MLS academies actually look for in a player?In this episode of Chasing the Game: Youth Soccer in America, Liron Unreich and Matt Tartaglia sit...
USL and the Youth Soccer Pathway: What Parents Need to Know | FC Naples
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What if the youth soccer pathway is bigger than most families realize?In this episode of Chasing the Game: Youth Soccer in America, Liron Unreich and ...
Youth Soccer Pathway in America: MLS NEXT, College, and What Parents Misunderstand
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The youth soccer scene in America is full of noise: MLS NEXT, recruiting, rankings, showcases, private training, and constant talk about “the next l...
Orlando City Academy MLS NEXT. A Dad’s Sacrifice with Justin Phelps
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
MLS NEXT Academy. How far should a parent go for elite youth soccer?Justin Phelps made a decision most soccer families talk about but rarely make. He ...
Youth Soccer Pay to Play Is Broken | Danny Buttitta’s Sponsor Model to Find Every Player
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Pay-to-play is not just expensive. It is the filter.For many soccer dads, the hardest part is not writing the check. It is the uncertainty that comes ...
Manhattan Kickers NYC: The Club Your Kid Isn’t In
18 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What makes a youth soccer club truly developmental in New York City?In Episode 16 of Chasing the Game: Youth Soccer in America, we sit down with Evan ...
Dutch vs U.S Youth Soccer, The Gap Parents Don’t See
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What if the biggest difference between Dutch and U.S. youth soccer isn’t talent, facilities, or even training volume, but culture.In this episode of...
Betting on Yourself: Alex Rando on the Hard Decisions Behind a Soccer Career
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The parent nightmare scenario. When the dream gets real.Your kid gets the dream offer. The dream school. The dream path.And then they tell you they mi...
Mental Health. The Hidden Cost of Elite Youth Soccer Academy Pressure
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In elite youth soccer, kids are under constant evaluation. That pressure changes how they play, how they learn, and how they feel about the game.In th...
From Street Football to Spotlight. Maintaining the Hunger
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 12. From Street Football to Spotlight. Maintaining the HungerPeguy Luyindula joins Chasing the Game for a rare, real comparison between a foot...
What Does an MLS Academy Director Actually Do? Inside Youth Soccer Development with Sean McCafferty (NY Red Bulls)
14 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What does an academy director actually do at a professional club — and why do MLS academies sometimes lose games on purpose?In this episode of Chasi...
What We Learned? Are We Building an American Brand of Soccer?
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 10 is our season recap: what we learned after nine weeks of interviews with people inside the U.S. youth soccer system. We went in thinking it...
Youth Soccer Development: Winning, and the Staircase Analogy
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Youth soccer focuses on development, but our systems still prioritize results.In this episode of Chasing the Game – Youth Soccer in America, we sit ...
U.S. Youth Soccer: The Next Generation Starts Here
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The next chapter of American youth soccer is being built by a new generation. Not administrators. Not executives. Players. Young adults. People who li...
Noah Gins: From Chaos to Structure in American Youth Soccer
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Chasing the Game, we sit down with one of the most influential figures in American youth soccer: Noah Gins, Founder and CEO of Albion.We ...
Ben Olsen: How Pressure, Culture, and Development Really Work in U.S. Youth Soccer
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ben Olsen provides one of the most honest breakdowns of youth soccer development in the U.S., covering how kids handle pressure, the ...
Patrick Ouckama: Inside the Academy (Part 2) – Pressure, Pathways & Progress
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In Part 2, Patrick Ouckama expands on how MLS academies balance opportunity, pressure, and player well-being. We explore what “success” really mea...
Patrick Ouckama: Inside the Academy (Part 1) – Pathways & Culture
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this first part of our conversation with Patrick Ouckama, Technical Director at the New England Revolution Academy, we go deep into the culture of ...
Luis Robles on Building the Next Generation (Part 2)
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In Part 2 of our conversation, Luis Robles (MLS NEXT Technical Director and former New York Red Bulls goalkeeper) shifts from his own story to the sys...
Luis Robles on Building the Next Generation (Part 1)
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In Part 1 of our conversation, Luis Robles, MLS NEXT Technical Director and former New York Red Bulls goalkeeper, shares his inspiring journey from un...
Navigating the Maze: Introducing Chasing the Game
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the debut episode of Chasing the Game, co-hosts Liron Unreich and Matt Tartaglia set the stage for the series. They share their personal journeys a...
Trailer: Chasing the Game – Youth Soccer in America
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Soccer. Everywhere else, it’s four cones and a ball. In America, it’s spreadsheets, flights, and hotel bills.Chasing the Game is a new podcast fro...