Roadmap to College Soccer : Temple Athlete Advisory Group

Erik Temple
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  • Soccer

Talking the soccer recruiting landscape with Erik Temple. Temple a current college soccer coach will lead conversations with fellow college coaches, club coaches and current players to talk everything regarding the recruitment process!

  1. 4d ago

    Roadmap To College Soccer Episode 029 - Gap Years in College Soccer: The Truth Nobody Tells You

    The Five-for-Five eligibility rule changed the landscape. And now more families than ever are asking the same question — should my athlete take a gap year? In Episode 29 Grant and Erik give you the most honest take on gap years you are going to hear anywhere. Not the version the prep school program sells you. Not the version the club coach suggests when they want to keep your kid on the roster for another year. The actual version. They cover what is actually driving this conversation right now, what the Five-for-Five eligibility clock means for families considering a gap year and why getting this wrong can cost your athlete eligibility rather than preserve it, the specific circumstances where a gap year genuinely makes sense versus where it is almost always a reactive emotional decision, what coaches actually think when a recruit tells them they are taking a gap year, the bridges that get burned in that moment and how hard they are to rebuild, and the pro and con framework every family should run through before making this call. They also announce a new school directory inside the Roadmap to College Soccer community with all college coach contacts and a best fit filter built in. New episodes every Friday.

  2. Sep 25

    Roadmap To College Soccer Episode 028 - Inside October: What Coaches Are Really Doing

    Five weeks left in the college soccer season. In episode 28 Grant and Erik pull back the curtain on what is actually happening inside programs right now and what it means for families navigating the recruiting process this fall. They get into how the schedule works and why it matters for recruiting, what coaches are evaluating about their rosters as the season winds down, how the decision to bring someone back for a fifth year gets made and when those conversations actually happen, and why the Five-for-Five eligibility rule has created genuine chaos for coaches who are trying to build their classes without knowing the rules that will govern them. They also share a real client story about resetting not restarting when a commitment falls through and what that actually looks like in practice. And they close with the most actionable advice of the season for families who still have time to move the needle before November. New episodes every Friday. Book a free strategy call with TAAG: https://templeathlete.com/strategy?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=october-fifth-year-chaos&utm_content=ep28-description

  3. Sep 18

    Roadmap To College Soccer Episode 027 - The Mental Side Nobody Talks About

    In Episode 27 Grant and Erik sit down with Lauren Ruhl, Licensed Professional Counselor and Sport Psychology Clinician at Greenepsych in Haverford Pennsylvania. Lauren is the Director of the Injury Recovery Program and has worked with athletes from middle school through professional levels on the mental and emotional side of sport, injury, and performance. She has also lived it. Three ACL tears of her own. A college career at Lebanon Valley College interrupted by injury. A career path that changed entirely because of what she experienced and what she saw was missing for athletes going through the same thing. This episode covers everything the physical side of recruiting does not. What prolonged uncertainty and pressure actually do to a young athlete's mental state. What mind chatter is and how it shows up in the worst possible moments. The difference between real confidence and performed confidence. What happens to an athlete's identity when a serious injury hits during the recruiting process. How fear of reinjury actually shows up when an athlete returns to play. And what parents do that helps versus what they do that makes it worse even when it comes from a place of love. One of the most important episodes we have recorded. New episodes every Friday.

  4. Sep 11

    Roadmap To College Soccer Episode 026-Inside the Season, Campus Visits, We Just Launched Our Portal

    Three weeks into the college soccer season and Erik is in the thick of it. In Episode 26 he and Grant pull back the curtain on what the first few weeks of the season actually look like inside a program — how a freshman recruiting class gets evaluated in real time, what culture looks like when the pressure is on, and why the first three weeks tell a coach more about a player than twelve months of recruiting ever could. They also get into campus visits. Fall is the best window to get on a college campus and watch a program play live — and most families are not doing it. Erik breaks down exactly what a recruit should be observing, what parents should understand about their role on a visit, and why there is no substitute for actually being in the building when the game is happening at full speed. And they announce something new — the Roadmap to College Soccer Community is live. For families who want the insider knowledge without the one-on-one advisory, it is all in there. Tools, resources, live office hours, and a direct path through the process without the noise. New Episodes every Friday! Hit that Subscribe button. Book a free strategy call with TAAG: https://templeathlete.com/strategy?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep26-visits-community&utm_content=description

  5. Sep 4

    TITLE: Roadmap To College Soccer Episode 025 - Zach Bittner Joins the Show to Talk College Soccer

    In Episode 25, Grant and Erik sit down with Zach Bittner — a current college goalkeeper, former Sporting Delaware standout, and someone Erik coached and advocated for through the entire recruiting process firsthand. Zach has trialed with DC United at 14, Cincinnati at 17, Atlanta United, and most recently LAFC this past summer. He started at Hofstra, transferred to Queens College, and is still actively pursuing professional soccer while finishing his degree. His path is anything but linear — and that is exactly why this episode is worth your time. He talks about splitting minutes with a good friend on one of the best club teams in the country and how they both got recruited anyway, what it actually looks like to transfer from D1 to D2 and why it was the right move, how a day in the life of a college athlete actually goes, what the goalkeeper position demands that no other position does, and what he would tell his 16 year old self knowing everything he knows now. He also talks about what having someone advocate for him with college coaches actually changed in his process. That part alone is worth the listen. New episodes every Friday. Chapters 00:00 Journey from Club to College03:29 Trials at MLS Academies12:31 Transition from D1 to D2 College Soccer19:49 College Recruiting Process23:27 Role of a College Pathway Director26:21 Daily Life of a College Athlete Book a free strategy call with TAAG: https://templeathlete.com/strategy?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=zach-bittner-goalkeeper&utm_content=ep25-description

  6. Aug 28

    Roadmap To College Soccer Episode 024 - Inside Preseason and The Commitment Conversation

    Erik just finished his first ten days of preseason. In episode 24 he and Grant pull back the curtain on what that actually looks like inside a college program — the scrimmages, the roster decisions, the eighteen hour days, and why coaches go silent the moment August hits. Then they get into the conversation most families are not having until it is too late — the commitment. What a verbal commitment actually means and what it does not. What should happen before a family says yes to any program. The cost of committing too early. The cost of waiting too long. What happens inside a coaching staff the moment a recruit commits. And what nobody tells you about the period right after you commit. They also share real stories from current clients who are going through this process right now. Chapters 00:00 Preseason Grind02:58 Scheduling and Conference Changes10:09 Preseason Challenges and Mindset22:58 Recruiting and Commitments24:34 College Soccer Recruiting Timelines25:32 Understanding Early Decision and Early Action28:20 Transparency and Communication in Recruiting29:10 Evaluating Offers and Commitment Process39:15 Navigating the Final Decision46:41 The Game Beyond Competition Book a free strategy call: https://templeathlete.com/call-booking-page?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=preseason-commitment&utm_content=ep24-description

  7. Aug 21

    Roadmap To College Soccer Episode 023 - Soccer Dave & Dillon Vedral on What Gets You Recruited

    In episode 23, Grant and Erik sit down with two of the most recognizable names in the Dallas soccer world — Dillon Vedral, founder of Vedral Soccer Academy and head coach of West Ham United at The Soccer Tournament, and David Balyeat, better known as Soccer Dave, with 257,000 Instagram followers and a playing career that took him from Mississippi College to Bolivia to Spain. They talk about what they actually see from the kids they train every day, why playing at the highest club level does not automatically mean the recruiting will come, what social media does and does not do for a recruit, how to make yourself more recruitable off the field, and why the mindset you carry into this process matters more than most families realize. They also get into the question nobody wants to answer honestly — what percentage of kids actually make it and what does that mean for the 99 percent who do not. One of the most honest conversations we have had on this show. Chapters 00:00 Unique Pathways to College Soccer08:47 The Importance of Finding the Best Fit24:31 The Impact of Social Media on Recruiting31:54 Navigating the College Recruiting Process34:09 The Reality of Pursuing Professional Soccer37:19 The Importance of Personal Development and Mindset39:16 The Role of Parents and Coaches in Player Development48:05 The Grind of College Soccer59:40 Insights and Advice for Aspiring College Soccer Players

  8. Aug 14

    Roadmap To College Soccer Episode 022 - Parent Episode: What Helps, What Hurts, and What Coaches See

    Twenty two episodes in and we have never made this the main topic. Until now. In Episode 22, Grant and Erik get into the one factor in college soccer recruiting that nobody talks about directly — the parent. What the best soccer parents actually do. What the ones who are hurting their kid's process look like without realizing it. What college coaches are clocking on the sideline during the recruiting process. What happens inside a program when a parent crosses the line. And why the sunk cost of ten years and a hundred thousand dollars in club fees can lead families to force decisions that cost their kid everything. This one is not a knock on parents. It is a guide for them. Every college coach who has been on this show has touched on this topic. Today it gets its own episode. No guests. No filter. New episodes every Friday! Chapters 00:00 Exciting Upcoming Guests01:14 The Role of Parents in College Soccer03:18 The Impact of Parents on College Recruiting04:06 Qualities of Supportive Soccer Parents05:58 Negative Impact of Overbearing Parents08:29 Guiding from the Back09:27 Strategic Parental Involvement13:53 Observing Parental Behavior17:29 Consequences of Parental Behavior21:39 Parental Dominance in Recruiting25:00 Balancing Parental Involvement27:54 Parental Perspective31:22 Coaching and Parenting Parallels35:09 Communication and Boundaries36:16 Sunk Cost Fallacy41:22 Financial Pressure and Decision Making43:47 Financial Impact on Recruiting45:30 Reframing Financial Perspectives46:30 Impact of Financial Pressure Book a free strategy call with TAAG: https://templeathlete.com/strategy?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=parent-episode&utm_content=ep22-description

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Talking the soccer recruiting landscape with Erik Temple. Temple a current college soccer coach will lead conversations with fellow college coaches, club coaches and current players to talk everything regarding the recruitment process!

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