Chasing the Game - Youth Soccer in America

Liron Unreich, Matt Tartaglia
  • 5.0 (33)
  • Soccer
  • Updated Weekly

Chasing the Game: Youth Soccer in America is a weekly podcast for soccer parents, coaches, and players who want to understand how youth soccer development really works in the United States. Hosted by two dads, filmmaker Liron Unreich and investor Matt Tartaglia, the show covers everything from grassroots soccer to elite pathways like MLS NEXT and ECNL. Combining data, real experience, and expert insights from academy directors, college coaches, and former pros, each episode explains what families truly need to know. Weekly episodes focus on the core aspects of youth soccer: player development, coaching culture, college recruiting, tryouts, travel costs, and the challenges of parenting in youth sports in today’s competitive environment. For families navigating youth soccer’s complex system, Chasing the Game offers practical advice, credible voices, and relatable stories from two dads working to make sense of American player development, one episode at a time.

  1. 6d ago

    Is Moving Up in MLS NEXT Worth Risking Playing Time?

    Is Moving Up in MLS NEXT Worth Risking Playing Time? MLS NEXT Homegrown or Academy: would you move your child up if his place on the field became less certain? The offer sounds like progress. But your child already plays regularly, likes his coach, and enjoys his team. A longer drive and a higher division might bring opportunity. They also leave parents with a hard question: what are we giving up? Luis Robles, General Manager, Sporting, MLS NEXT, returns to work through that choice with Liron and Matt. He recalls a mother whose son was happy, playing, and loved his coach. For that player, in that setting, he thought the environment was right. Age and local options mattered to his answer. The conversation also gets into what happens beyond the division name: how clubs are evaluated, why travel costs matter, and what Luis saw as a dad that helped shape his thinking about U13 playing time. He also questions the pressure to fill every free afternoon with organized training. In this episode: Weighing a Homegrown offer against an Academy team where your child already playsWhy a player's age and local options change that decisionWhat watching U13 players sit out made Luis want to changeWhy Luis sees tied Flex matches as a chance to experience penalty pressureHow he watches game video with his son without making mistakes the whole storyWhat he says MLS NEXT looks at when evaluating clubsThe connection between fewer overnight trips and a family's soccer costsWhy he says children do not need structured training all the timeHigh school eligibility note: Luis mentions the waiver in this conversation. The published 2026-27 Homegrown rules require an approved waiver, with eligibility conditions and application windows, and describe returning to matches after the high school season ends. Playing high school without approval can prevent Homegrown participation until the following fall. Before making plans, check the current rules and confirm your child's eligibility with your club and MLS NEXT. Rules and waiver: mlssoccer.com/mlsnext/resources Chasing the Game is a weekly show for parents trying to navigate youth soccer in America: the money, the leagues, the pressure, and what actually develops a player. (00:00) - Why Luis Came Back (06:10) - Making Games More Competitive (08:49) - Penalties, Pressure, and Playing Time (14:02) - Quality of Play and Learning From Video (17:55) - Why MLS NEXT Added the Academy Division (21:19) - Homegrown or Academy for Your Child (23:52) - Who Checks Your Club (25:56) - Less Travel and Time to Just Play (29:34) - High School Soccer and Eligibility (34:56) - Scholarships, Player Lists, and Grants (43:22) - What Luis Sees as a Soccer Dad (46:35) - What Parents Can Ask Next View full transcript

    Is Moving Up in MLS NEXT Worth Risking Playing Time?

  2. Sep 23

    Chris Mueller on What the Soccer Dream Demands

    Chris Mueller on What the Soccer Dream Demands Chris Mueller was never the best kid on the field. He was on the B team at his Chicago club until he was 14, he was 4 feet 11 until high school, and he did not start a game or score a goal as a freshman at Wisconsin. He left Wisconsin as the first two-time All-American in the program's history, went sixth overall in the 2018 MLS draft, and played for Orlando City, Hibernian in Scotland and the Chicago Fire, with two caps for the U.S. Men's National Team. None of it was bought. He never had a technical trainer as a kid. What changed, he says, was lining up what he said he wanted with what he actually did every day, and that is the part no parent can pay for. Mueller retired from professional soccer in September at 30. He told Liron and Matt on the record, two days before it was public, and then spent most of the conversation talking about other people's kids: how to test whether a player means what he says, what he thinks families overpay for, what college coaches check once your kid has their attention, and why taking ownership is the part that transfers whether or not the soccer works out. The honest part is that there are no guarantees. He did the work, he made it, and it still ended earlier than he expected. He still calls the ending his choice. In this episode: The test he gives a player: hand them the steps, watch what they do with them over a week or a month, and treat the result as insight rather than a verdictWhy a kid who does not take the steps may be missing structure and guidance rather than desireWhy claiming a college goal and not backing it up costs a player confidence on the fieldWhat he thinks families overpay for: he says technical training is good and uses a trainer himself, but three sessions a week against two team trainings is the wrong balanceWhat he did instead as a kid, in a hockey rink outside Chicago with a Facebook group called Football in the BurgWhat college coaches check once your kid's ability has their attention: warmups, handshakes, calls to school counselors and club coaches, sessions they turn up to unannouncedWhy he says the college route is the more realistic one in the long term, and what he remembers about the homegrown players on his Chicago rosterWhat his parents said when he called from Wisconsin ready to transfer, and why he calls retiring at 30 a choiceChasing the Game is a weekly show for parents trying to navigate youth soccer in America: the money, the leagues, the pressure, and what actually develops a player. (00:00) - When the Path Changes (01:25) - From the B Team to the MLS Draft (03:24) - Build a Self Worth Believing In (08:11) - Does Your Kid Really Want It? (11:25) - The Transfer His Parents Would Not Fix (15:55) - Showcases, Trainers, and Letting Kids Play (19:57) - Risk, Luck, and the College Route (24:00) - Ownership Beyond Soccer (26:32) - What Parents Model Under Pressure (31:43) - Retiring at 30, by Choice (37:59) - What College Coaches Check (41:52) - What the Path Teaches Parents View full transcript

    Chris Mueller on What the Soccer Dream Demands

  3. Sep 16

    A Pro Soccer Offer at 15. A Family Decision.

    A Pro Soccer Offer at 15. A Family Decision. If your child received a professional soccer offer at 15, would your family say yes straight away? Jonny Shore's family took months. College was still on the table. The NYCFC midfielder tells Liron and Matt how they made that decision, what changed after he signed, and how his parents supported him when playing well did not bring the next opportunity. For parents wondering how kids become professional soccer players, this is one family's answer, with the parts that do not make the announcement: online school from 10th grade, two seasons on the second team playing against adults, a season where he played well and got "pretty much no looks" from the first team, a debut at 17 that came faster than he expected, and a back injury that took most of the next preseason. Jonny says he has no regrets, and he still tells every kid to have a plan B. He also understands why another player might choose college. Liron and Matt also ask him what coachability means and what coaches owe young players in return, and what he would tell a nine-year-old who is scared to make a mistake. For parents, this is a player's account of when support helped and when pressure got in the way: parents who let him play, friendships that made the academy years special, the moments he needed clearer feedback from coaches, and why, even in the first team, he keeps coming back to enjoying the game. In this episode: Joining an MLS academy at 10 and adjusting to the competition, travel, and training scheduleWhy young players need room to make mistakes, and how his parents supported thatWhat coachability means, and why coaches also owe young players clear feedbackWeighing a pro contract against college, and why Jonny still recommends a plan BSwitching to online school and missing birthdays and weekends with friendsWhy playing against adults made the academy-to-second-team jump so difficultThe season with no first-team looks, and working back after injuryKeeping friendships and interests outside soccer, without measuring progress against social mediaChasing the Game is a weekly show for parents navigating youth soccer in America: the money, the leagues, the pressure, and what actually develops a player. (00:00) - Opening (01:55) - Upper West Side to Manhattan Kickers (07:22) - The Academy Shock (11:37) - Play Your Own Game (13:52) - Coachability and What Coaches Owe Kids (16:10) - What Families Give Up for Soccer (18:30) - Plan B and the College Question (21:58) - A Pro Offer at 15: The Family Decision (28:28) - From Waiting to an MLS Debut (33:43) - Injury, Setbacks and Earning Your Place (39:13) - Enjoy the Game and Stop Comparing (43:41) - Closing: Keep the Dream and a Plan B View full transcript

    A Pro Soccer Offer at 15. A Family Decision.

  4. Sep 9

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

    What U.S. Soccer Says Must Change in Youth Soccer How is U.S. Soccer trying to fix youth soccer? Its chief operating officer says the current system is "not acceptable," families are not appropriately served, and the federation owns improving and clarifying the pathway. The World Cup filled stadiums and pulled in tens of millions of viewers. Then the run ended against Belgium, and the federation started saying two things at once: the event was a success, and the development system has to change. For a parent in the car on the way to practice, the second sentence is the one that matters. Dan Helfrich, Chief Operating Officer of U.S. Soccer, describes what he wants a new system to look like: soccer in schools and parks for free, local competition that does not price families out in money or time, development centers where a kid can be seen without a tryout or a check, and a wider talent funnel that stays open past the early-teen years when kids are still growing. He agrees that most young players should be able to find good competition much closer to home, while acknowledging that lower-density communities need different answers. He says U.S. Soccer will not own and operate leagues. These are goals and early design principles, not announced policy. Dan is also a soccer parent. He asks to return in 9 to 12 months so Liron and Matt can review what has changed and what has not. Parents should hold U.S. Soccer to that check-in. In this episode: The "spider web" of governance and why Google Maps cannot navigate the pathwaySoccer in schools and parks as the first step toward affordabilityWhy an 11-year-old's future does not depend on one national tournament, and where travel can shrinkWhy U.S. Soccer does not want to own youth leagues, and what it wants to own insteadWhy scouting becomes self-fulfilling and how video and a wider affiliate network could change thatKeeping the talent funnel open through adolescence, when dominant 11-year-olds stop dominatingThe cost of a good game, travel as an unforced error, and where new money could come fromCoach and parent behavior: the U11 throw-in that says everythingChasing the Game is a weekly show for parents trying to navigate youth soccer in America, the money, the leagues, the pressure, and what actually develops a player. (00:00) - Opening: The USYS News (03:03) - The Summer That Changed Belief (07:25) - The Spider Web (09:46) - US Soccer Owns This (11:37) - What A New System Looks Like (19:13) - Abolish Travel? (22:22) - Not Owning Leagues, Borrowing Ideas (26:20) - Who Gets Seen: A Wider Funnel (33:38) - The Cost Of A Good Game (38:22) - College Soccer (42:27) - Coaches And Parent Behavior (45:42) - Wrap-Up: The Parent To-Do List Click here to view the episode transcript.

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

  5. Jul 22

    The Long Game. How Do You Keep Kids Loving Soccer?

    The Long Game. How Do You Keep Kids Loving Soccer?How do you keep kids loving soccer when the game keeps asking them to carry more?This final episode of our Summer Best Of series steps back from rankings, pathways, costs, and development models to ask a bigger question. After a year of conversations, what actually matters when the final whistle blows on a child’s youth soccer journey?Liron Unreich and Matt Tartaglia revisit some of the voices that shaped the first season, including Dr. Jonathan Jenkins, Don Farr, Tali Sommer, Ryan Farr, Andrew May, Peguy Luyindula, and David Rodriguez. Together they explore listening before solving, protecting enjoyment, giving late developers time, and remembering that the child has to stay more important than the sport.The Long Game closes the series with optimism. Youth soccer is still worth believing in, but only if we never lose sight of why children started playing in the first place.In this episode: • Why listening should come before solving when a child wants to quit • What parents often forget while chasing development • Why freedom and enjoyment create better long-term players • How Ryan Farr’s journey challenges early specialization • Why growth goals matter more than outcome goals • Why the child has to remain more important than the sport • What the best guests from Season One taught us about long-term development • Why the future of American youth soccer is still worth fighting for (00:00) - The Long Game (01:37) - Listen Before You Solve (05:13) - Why Parents Love Watching (08:27) - Playing Free (11:21) - Late Development Is Real (14:15) - Growth Over Goals (18:13) - The Child Before The Sport (20:37) - Why We Still Believe (21:51) - End of Season Reflections Click here to view the episode transcript.

    The Long Game. How Do You Keep Kids Loving Soccer?

  6. Jul 15

    What Does Player Development Actually Mean?

    Parents hear the word development everywhere in youth soccer. Clubs say it. Coaches say it. Trainers say it. But if training does not transfer to the game, the word can hide more than it explains. In this Best Of Part 3 episode, Liron and Matt revisit clips from Sean McCafferty, Juan Santamaria, Nil Congost, Christian Gonzalez, Evan Rosenthal, Matt Poland, Dr. Chris Platts, and Jose Campos. The episode moves from winning and false progress to skill, recognition, specificity, sacrifice, late developers, and the coaching humility required to see the player in front of you. In this episode: Why winning all the time can create false progressWhy wanting to win is still part of developmentHow environment challenges talentWhy technique is not the same as game skillWhy general practice creates general outcomesHow parents get pulled toward training that looks good but may not transferWhy the simple action under pressure is often eliteWhy coaches and parents should be careful when predicting a player’s future (00:00) - What Is Development? (01:17) - False Progress (04:05) - Winning Matters (05:49) - The Barcelona Fantasy (08:37) - Technique Is Not Skill (12:13) - Specific Training (14:37) - Style Before Substance (18:10) - The Last 15 Percent (21:20) - Late Developers (26:45) - Coaching the Player (29:15) - What Parents Should Look For Click here to view the episode transcript.

    What Does Player Development Actually Mean?

  7. Jul 8

    Is Youth Club Soccer Worth the Cost?

    For parents, that question is not only about fees. It is about sacrifice, access, pressure, private training, travel, college hopes, and whether the money is actually helping the player. In this Best Of episode, Liron and Matt revisit the cost conversation through clips from Peguy Luyindula, Danny Buttita, Evan Rosenthal, Dr. Chris Platz, Justin Phelps, Tom Bowen, Ryan Farr, Phil Gordon, and Alex Rando. The episode moves past the easy complaint that youth soccer is expensive. It asks a better question: what are parents buying, what are they not buying, and does the spending match the child’s why? Chasing the Game is a weekly show for parents trying to navigate youth soccer in America: the money, the leagues, the pressure, and what actually develops a player. (00:00) - The Cost Question (02:06) - Why Soccer Costs More Here (05:05) - Pay-to-Play and Access (08:06) - Scholarships Inside Clubs (10:20) - Start With Why (14:38) - When Sacrifice Becomes Pressure (17:08) - The Scholarship Reality (18:26) - Academics and the College Path (20:50) - College or Contract (23:12) - Ask Better Questions (25:10) - Never Spend Blindly Click here to view the episode transcript.

    Is Youth Club Soccer Worth the Cost?

  8. Jul 1

    The Youth Soccer Maze: Finding the Right Path

    Summer is here, and so is our first Best Of episode. But this isn’t a greatest-hits collection. Instead of replaying our biggest social clips, we went back through 35 episodes and chose the conversations that quietly shaped how we think about youth soccer. We call this episode The Maze because that’s what the American youth soccer system often feels like. Every decision feels urgent. Every club promises opportunity. Every badge seems important. Looking back, we realized these conversations were all answering the same question: How do parents know they’re making the right decision? Featuring insights from Sean McCafferty, Andrew May, Ditmer de Jong, Filippo Giovannoli, Jose Campos, Tom Bowen, and more, this episode explores club fit, player development, rankings, self-regulation, physical maturity, and why finding the right environment matters more than chasing the biggest badge. In this episode * Why fit beats prestige* Why parent ego quietly shapes decisions* How self-regulation separates long-term players* Why rankings only tell part of the story* How biology fools parents and coaches* Why challenging yourself is essential for development (00:00) - The Maze (02:36) - Badge, Fit, and Timing (06:17) - The Ego Trap (10:10) - Self-Regulation (12:03) - Europe and Environment (14:37) - Rankings and Identity (17:24) - The Bigger Pond (20:52) - Biology Can Fool Us (23:46) - What We Learned Click here to view the episode transcript.

    The Youth Soccer Maze: Finding the Right Path
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Chasing the Game: Youth Soccer in America is a weekly podcast for soccer parents, coaches, and players who want to understand how youth soccer development really works in the United States. Hosted by two dads, filmmaker Liron Unreich and investor Matt Tartaglia, the show covers everything from grassroots soccer to elite pathways like MLS NEXT and ECNL. Combining data, real experience, and expert insights from academy directors, college coaches, and former pros, each episode explains what families truly need to know. Weekly episodes focus on the core aspects of youth soccer: player development, coaching culture, college recruiting, tryouts, travel costs, and the challenges of parenting in youth sports in today’s competitive environment. For families navigating youth soccer’s complex system, Chasing the Game offers practical advice, credible voices, and relatable stories from two dads working to make sense of American player development, one episode at a time.

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