Chat By The Pitch

Ian Babcock
  • 4.9 (7)
  • Soccer
  • Weekly

The youth soccer podcast for parents trying to make sense of their kid's game. Host Ian Babcock is a soccer dad, not a former player. He got into the game the same way most parents do: his kids started playing and nobody handed him a manual. Chat By The Pitch is the manual he wishes he'd had. Every episode is a real, unscripted conversation with the people who shape a young player's experience: club directors, coaches, former pros, sports psychologists, agents, college recruiters, and families who have been through it. The questions are the ones you are asking in the car on the way home. Is my kid on the right team? What does "development over winning" actually look like? How much is too much? When should we worry, and when should we just let them play? Guests include academy coaches from England, a FIFA agent, futsal and academy founders, sports psychologists, and families who have walked the road from rec soccer to the pro game. What you will not hear: hot takes, highlight packages, or a host pretending to know more than he does. Ian asks the questions a parent would ask, and lets the guest answer. Rooted in North Texas, heard around the world. More than 190 conversations in the catalog covering player development, coaching philosophy, club culture, the college pathway, mental health, and the business of youth soccer. If you care about your kid's soccer beyond the scoreboard, this is your podcast.

  1. 6d ago

    Player Pathways: David Ortiz on FC Dallas, Spain, Colombia, and the Futsal National Team

    In the fall of 2020, David Ortiz was pushing carts at Walmart. A year later, he was wearing the crest at a FIFA Futsal World Cup. David came up through FC Dallas from U8 to U17, trained with the first team at 16, and then chased a professional career across two continents — a year and a half in Spain's Segunda B with CD Guijuelo, then a contract with Envigado in Colombia that COVID wiped out before he ever debuted. In Part 1, he walks through every stop on that player pathway and what each one gave him: FC Dallas built the foundation, Spain built the tactical brain, and Colombia built the toughness he says he was missing all along. Ian and David get into why Dallas is one of the best youth soccer markets in the country, what it felt like to warm up four games in a row and never get on the field, and the 200-kid tryout at Millonarios that came down to the last four. Then the homecoming — the Dallas Sidekicks, Pablo da Silva, a last-chance national team camp, and the small-sided career that's now taken him to Italy, Germany, Dubai, and a new contract in the MASL. David also explains why a futsal player can play outdoor but not every outdoor player can play futsal, and what he'd tell any kid asking what to do this winter. For soccer parents, youth coaches, and players who want to know what the road abroad actually looks like — and why hunger beats talent. Part 2 covers DFO Trainings and David's advice for parents at every age. Key Talking PointsSpotted in a Plano rec game at seven by Mark Snell and brought to FC Dallas — every age group from U8 to U17, plus a stint at Andromeda to follow Josema BazánHow FC Dallas has shifted from development-minded to money-minded in David's eyes, and why a scholarship is the only reason he had access to the best coachesDallas as one of the best youth soccer markets in the US: fighting for an 18-man roster every single weekRaised Spanish-only at home, English at school — and how Colombian and Venezuelan roots made adapting abroad easierEight months training with the FC Dallas first team at 16: a brutal first week, then becoming a sponge around the Open Cup-winning squadGetafe, then CD Guijuelo in Spain's Segunda B: three international spots, a move from center mid to right back, and learning to wait for your four or five chances instead of forcing twentyWarming up four games in a row and never going in, a new club president, and knowing it was time to look elsewhereColombia: cut in the final four at Millonarios, a text from former FC Dallas fitness coach Felipe Merino, a two-year deal at Envigado with Jhon Durán and Yaser Asprilla — and COVID canceling all of itSpain made him tactical, Colombia made him tough: a psychologist, a nutritionist, fifteen pounds of muscle, and the warrior mindset he now instills in every DFO coachFrom a month pushing carts at Walmart to the Dallas Sidekicks, a last-chance camp with Pablo da Silva, the 2021 Futsal World Cup roster, Kings League, and a 7v7 World Cup qualifier won in Italy Quotes from David Ortiz"Back then it was really development mindset first. Nowadays, I feel like it's a little bit more money-minded than development-minded." "Just to get on the 18-man roster for FC Dallas was really tough week in and week out. Every day was a competition." "The first week was probably my hardest week. I was like, why am I even here? But afterwards I was like, I just gotta be a sponge." "At FC Dallas I was a little bit more free-flowing. At Guijuelo it was, this is it. This is where you show." "In Spain they taught me patience. You might not get 20, 30, 40 chances to create something. You might get four or five." "It's not your time. Everything's on God's time, and you can't understand that until way later." "USA, they're still learning and developing. Spain is a lot more serious, a lot more tactical. Colombia, either you make it or you die." "Looking back, I was really good. Really good, but I was soft. Colombia was that missing puzzle piece to make me complete." "For a month I worked at Walmart as a cart pusher, and a year later I'm playing a Futsal World Cup. You just can't give up." "A futsal player can play outdoor, but not all outdoor players can play futsal." Connect with David Ortiz🌐 Website: dfotraining.org 📸 Instagram: @dfo31 | @dfotraining 🎵 TikTok: @dfo31 | @dfotraining Follow Chat By The Pitch🌐 Website: chatbythepitch.com 🎥 YouTube: Chat By The Pitch 📸 Instagram: @ChatByThePitch 🎵 TikTok: Chat.By.The.Pitch ✖️ X / Twitter: @ChatByThePitch 📘 Facebook: Chat By The Pitch 🎧 Spotify: Chat By The Pitch 🍎 Apple Podcasts: Chat By The Pitch 🎧 Subscribe & Review: Your support helps us keep bringing conversations with players, coaches, and leaders that matter. #ChatByThePitch #YouthSoccer #PlayerDevelopment #PlayerPathways #PlayingAbroad #FCDallas #Futsal #MASL #DallasSidekicks #NorthTexasSoccer #DFWSoccer #SoccerParents #YouthSoccerCoach #DevelopmentOverWinning #NeverGiveUp #SpainSoccer #ColombiaSoccer #SmallSidedSoccer #SoccerPodcast #DFOTrainings

    Player Pathways: David Ortiz on FC Dallas, Spain, Colombia, and the Futsal National Team

  2. Oct 22

    Bridging the Gap Between Rec and Club Soccer: Josh Meadows on Good Sport Initiative

    Rec soccer in Denton has more than a thousand kids. Club soccer is waiting on the other side. And in between, Josh Meadows kept finding the same thing — kids on wait lists, kids on the bench, kids quietly drifting to another sport. Josh is the founder of Good Sport Initiative (GSI), a community youth soccer development program in Denton, Texas, built to bridge the gap between rec and club soccer. It started with free sessions at a neighborhood playground. Today it's an umbrella for local development teams, a home for 50 to 75 kids a season, and a launchpad — some of those playground kids went on to Paris Saint-Germain's new program in Denton. Ian and Josh get into how a former wrestler and undersized linebacker fell for soccer at 22, why he walked away from a steady job at UPS, and how coaching his daughter's rec team became the one bright spot in the hardest stretch of his life. Josh explains why he tells his players "y'all don't work for me," why he refuses to play gatekeeper, and what happened when two GSI teams that scrimmaged all summer finally met in a competitive match. They also tackle what parents should look for beyond the badge, why coaches need to be transparent about what "development" really means, and what a community can do when it decides to take youth sports back. For soccer parents, youth coaches, and club leaders who believe every kid deserves a place to grow — not just the ones who can pay or play right now. Key Talking PointsWhat Good Sport Initiative is: a community-based youth soccer development program in Denton, Texas, bridging the gap between rec and club soccerA mom who still plays in over-40 and over-50 leagues, and how Josh fell for soccer at 22 on a community college field across the streetLeaving UPS, a five-year leap of faith, and how coaching his daughter's rec team became the light during a hard stretch at homeFrom free playground sessions to 50–75 kids a season — with Josh running sessions seven days a week"Y'all don't work for me": coaching as a team, and setting kids up for success next week and years down the roadGSI as an umbrella — partner teams like Pirates FC, North Texas United, and local development leagues at Crossbar — and why Josh won't play gatekeeperCelebration of competition: two GSI teams that scrimmaged all summer meeting on a competitive field, and respecting the opponent who shares your dreamsBadge vs. development: why time on the ball matters more than the club name, and why coaches need to be transparent about what "development" meansCost, access, and community: training at the park, renting city fields, fundraising, and taking youth sports back from the middlemenAdvice to his younger self: trust the people who love you, answer the call, and "do it for big Susie" Quotes from Josh Meadows"Y'all don't work for me. The way I like to see it is we're a team." "If we're only putting effort towards the kids who can pay or the ones that can play now, we're missing a whole population of kids that just needed that time." "If you're promising development, you can't demand results that you haven't invested that time and effort into that child." "It's okay to be new. It's okay to not have it all right now." "It's not about the name. It's about time on the ball. It's about experience." "I'm not here trying to safeguard kids or play gatekeeper at all. We're just here to provide opportunities." "I feel like that's what's missing in youth sports, not just soccer — celebration of competition." "You need to go hug your mom. You did it, man. You played soccer for the first time." "I tell my parents all the time, 'We are the product.'" "Give them time, because it's not gonna last very much longer. They reach the age of 10 very fast, and next thing you know, they're 20." Connect with Josh Meadows🌐 Website: NTX United – Denton 📸 Instagram: @NTXsoccercoach 👍 Facebook: Good Sport Initiative Follow Chat By The Pitch🌐 Website: chatbythepitch.com 🎥 YouTube: Chat By The Pitch 📸 Instagram: @ChatByThePitch 🎵 TikTok: Chat.By.The.Pitch ✖️ X / Twitter: @ChatByThePitch 📘 Facebook: Chat By The Pitch 🎧 Spotify: Chat By The Pitch 🍎 Apple Podcasts: Chat By The Pitch 🎧 Subscribe & Review: Your support helps us keep bringing conversations with players, coaches, and leaders that matter. #ChatByThePitch #YouthSoccer #PlayerDevelopment #RecVsClub #CommunitySoccer #GrassrootsSoccer #DentonTexas #NorthTexasSoccer #DFWSoccer #SoccerParents #YouthSoccerCoach #DevelopmentOverWinning #ProtectTheJoy #GoodSportInitiative #ClubSoccer #AccessToSport #CharacterDevelopment #LoveOfTheGame #YouthSports #SoccerPodcast

    Bridging the Gap Between Rec and Club Soccer: Josh Meadows on Good Sport Initiative

  3. Oct 15

    Soccer Parenting Decisions: FIFA Agent Mario Iveljic on Making the Smart Move

    A professional club sends Mario Iveljic a request: a number six who wins the ball, covers ground, plays long diagonals, and connects. Not a good player. A profile. In Part 2, the licensed FIFA agent and author of Make the Smart Move turns to the soccer parenting decisions that shape a player's path — starting with why early success is a poor predictor of where a kid ends up. Ian and Mario talk late bloomers and puberty, the pressure that pushes kids out of the game around 13, and the car-ride conversations Mario admits he's had with his own kids and now tries not to. Then Mario pulls back the curtain on the pro side: why MLS was built with a salary cap after the NASL collapsed, how the Beckham rule opened the door, and why "go to Europe" is never the whole answer. He walks through how his agency weighs an offer — league, team, position, role, minutes, then salary — and why staying home to play was the right call for Chicago Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady. Plus: chasing the badge, why college recruiting comes down to filling a need, why young players should learn every position, and one simple question that protects the joy. Mario closes with the show's signature question, naming his greatest influences as a player and in his career. For soccer parents, youth coaches, and players who want to make the smart move at every step. Key Talking PointsEarly success is a poor predictor: why rankings at 12 reward early puberty, and how to keep late bloomers in love with the gamePressure, structure, and an identity tied to results — why kids walk away when it stops being fun, and the car rides Mario tries not to have anymoreCut from the high school team: why one "no" doesn't have to end a playing career, and what the next decision looks likeThe business parents don't see — training compensation, solidarity payments, transfer fees, agent fees — and a college landscape that keeps shifting with NILWhy MLS has a salary cap: the NASL collapse, a single-entity league, and the Beckham rule that opened the door for designated playersChris Brady's path: why staying home, playing, and making mistakes with the Fire beat an early move to EuropeMinutes are currency from youth soccer to a pro contract — and the questions behind every European offer: league, team, position, role, minutes, salaryHonest advice over easy answers: when parents see dollar signs, and why a first contract is about getting a foot in the doorMake the Smart Move: chasing the badge as the biggest mistake families make, and why recruiting at every level comes down to filling a profileForward, center mid, left back: why young players should learn multiple positions, what to look for in a coach, and "Did you have fun?" as the way to protect the joy Quotes from Mario Iveljic"Early success is a poor predictor." "A lot of what's being rewarded at those ages is physical development." "Let the kid just finish the game, get home, and not critique what happened." "Minutes are currency... You can train all you want, but if you don't play, you don't really have a career in the game." "Okay, it's Europe, but league, team, position, role, minutes. Then here's the salary part of it." "If you're 20 years old and making some mistakes in Europe, you don't get a second chance." "I'd rather be honest with a parent or a player and they disagree than just say yes." "The best club may not be the best club for your kid at your particular time." "It's not as simple as, I'm a good player, I can play there. You have to understand that they're looking to fill holes." "Ask them, 'Did you have fun? What do you think?' And then if they want advice, ask them if they want you to help them." Connect with Mario Iveljic📖 Book: Make the Smart Move: The playbook for better sports decisions 🌐 Website: magmilesport.com 🎥 YouTube: @MarioIveljic 📸 Instagram: @magmilesport ✖️ X / Twitter: @MagMileSport Follow Chat By The Pitch🌐 Website: chatbythepitch.com 🎥 YouTube: Chat By The Pitch 📸 Instagram: @ChatByThePitch 🎵 TikTok: Chat.By.The.Pitch ✖️ X / Twitter: @ChatByThePitch 📘 Facebook: Chat By The Pitch 🎧 Spotify: Chat By The Pitch 🍎 Apple Podcasts: Chat By The Pitch 🎧 Subscribe & Review: Your support helps us keep bringing conversations with players, coaches, and leaders that matter. #ChatByThePitch #YouthSoccer #SoccerParents #MakeTheSmartMove #FIFAAgent #LateBloomers #PlayerDevelopment #ProtectTheJoy #DevelopmentOverWinning #SoccerAgent #MLS #ChrisBrady #ChicagoFire #CollegeSoccer #SoccerRecruiting #ClubSoccer #YouthSoccerCoach #LoveOfTheGame #NorthTexasSoccer #SoccerPodcast

    Soccer Parenting Decisions: FIFA Agent Mario Iveljic on Making the Smart Move

  4. Oct 8

    Youth Soccer Player Pathways: FIFA Agent Mario Iveljic on Club, College, and Pro

    Mario Iveljic grew up playing with a number 10 so smooth he'd just stop and watch. That kid may not have finished four years of college. Mario, by his own admission not the most talented guy, went further. That gap is why Mario — a licensed FIFA agent at Chicago's Mag Mile Sport, an attorney, and the son of a former European pro — believes talent gets you seen, but decisions get you signed. In Part 1, Ian and Mario map out youth soccer player pathways in America: MLS academies, MLS NEXT, ECNL, high school, college, and kids heading to Europe at 16. Mario's take: these are competing systems, not stages of one, and nobody is coordinating them. Mario explains why the best club and the best club for your kid right now are two different questions, why meaningful minutes and a clear role beat the badge, and why switching clubs often means bringing the same problem to a new address. They dig into pay-to-play and whether FIFA-style training compensation could change what clubs sell, what the World Cup did and didn't fix about access, and the club culture Chicago's old ethnic clubs once had. Then an honest take on college soccer: if the goal is pro, eventually get to D1. If the goal is four great years, go where you fit. For soccer parents, youth coaches, and players weighing club, college, and pro — and asking whether club soccer is worth it. Part 2 continues the conversation. Key Talking PointsGrowing up Croatian-American in Chicago: a dad who played professionally in Europe, an ethnic club that just let players play, and a US Amateur Cup title in his final competitive seasonFree play vs. structured training — two hours of small-sided games, learning to fix your own mistakes, and why everything in America being a car ride away changes the equationTalent gets you seen, decisions get you signed: the number 10 who didn't go as far, and the slow realization behind Mario's bookThe engine: talent plus smart work, and controlling the controllables — your mindset and your fitnessCompeting systems, not one pipeline: MLS academies, MLS NEXT, ECNL, high school, college, and Europe at 16Don't chase the badge: meaningful minutes, a clear role, a commute you can sustain, and a coach you trust with your childAfter the World Cup: more attention, the same access problem — and why pay-to-play isn't only an American or a soccer issueTraining compensation and solidarity payments as a way to reward clubs for developing players instead of winning tournamentsAmerica's second-chance system for late bloomers — and the downside of so many options: families switching clubs and bringing the same problem alongCollege reality check: NIL and the House settlement, the transfer portal, and why the path to a pro contract eventually runs through D1 Quotes from Mario Iveljic"The talent gets you seen, but the decisions are the ones that really get you signed." "It was just by playing free. Learning on your own and learning how to correct mistakes on your own." "There are two things that you can control: your mentality, your mindset... and then your fitness." "Those are all competing systems, not just stages of one system." "The best club and the best club for your kid right now are two different questions." "Going to the best club, but then sitting on the bench for all but 10 minutes, you're not going to develop." "A World Cup doesn't lower the cost of playing here in America." "If you don't have that inner drive, that work ethic, you're just bringing the same problem to a different club." "In America we're good at giving second chances, and I think that's something that we should not do away with." "Sometimes those that haven't played the game ask better questions." Connect with Mario Iveljic📖 Book: Make the Smart Move: The playbook for better sports decisions 🌐 Website: magmilesport.com 🎥 YouTube: @MarioIveljic 📸 Instagram: @magmilesport ✖️ X / Twitter: @MagMileSport Follow Chat By The Pitch🌐 Website: chatbythepitch.com 🎥 YouTube: Chat By The Pitch 📸 Instagram: @ChatByThePitch 🎵 TikTok: Chat.By.The.Pitch ✖️ X / Twitter: @ChatByThePitch 📘 Facebook: Chat By The Pitch 🎧 Spotify: Chat By The Pitch 🍎 Apple Podcasts: Chat By The Pitch 🎧 Subscribe & Review: Your support helps us keep bringing conversations with players, coaches, and leaders that matter. #ChatByThePitch #YouthSoccer #PlayerPathways #SoccerParents #FIFAAgent #PlayerDevelopment #DevelopmentOverWinning #ClubSoccer #PayToPlay #CollegeSoccer #MLSNEXT #ECNL #SoccerAgent #MakeTheSmartMove #LateBloomers #FreePlay #YouthSoccerCoach #NorthTexasSoccer #GrassrootsSoccer #SoccerPodcast

    Youth Soccer Player Pathways: FIFA Agent Mario Iveljic on Club, College, and Pro

  5. Oct 1

    Play From Your Heart: Scott Martin on Losing Everything and Coming Back to the Game

    In 1993, Scott Martin was driving to a Nike camp with new Ray-Bans and the music turned up — still playing, coaching a nationally ranked college program, with everything in front of him. A month later, he woke up from a coma without his hands. Scott, author of the memoir Play From Your Heart, shares the story behind his youth soccer coaching philosophy and the illness that nearly ended everything. Group A strep and necrotizing fasciitis cost him both hands and parts of both feet. What followed was decades of grief, a lost malpractice trial, an unpaid coaching job on food stamps, five adopted children, and twenty years away from the sideline. Then a club in Bellingham, Washington handed him its U13 C team. The approach he brought back — put players in a position to learn, ask more questions than you answer, and play the flow instead of the ball — turned a group of overlooked kids he calls his soccer rats into undefeated state league champions. Ian and Scott also get into free play and why every young player needs a worn ball of their own, why there's a dancer in every soccer player, bringing eggs and Motown to training, humor as a coaching tool, and what Scott believes is broken in American youth soccer. For soccer parents, youth coaches, and club leaders who believe development beats winning — and that the game is best played from the heart. Key Talking PointsGrowing up on Wide World of Sports and the NASL in the '70s — Pelé, Beckenbauer, Cruyff — and a backyard where any sport was fair gameA mother who raised six kids on three jobs, and where Scott says his work ethic really came fromJan, a Dutch director of coaching who went on to lead the Netherlands Olympic team, and a conversation over a pint about angles and percentages1993: the Nike camp, the fever that got sent home with Gatorade, and waking from a coma to group A strep and necrotizing fasciitisGrief, denial, and depression — why it took decades to let go of the player and the coach he used to beLearning discrimination from a new angle: an athletic director's hallway comment and the handshakes that pulled backStarting over at the bottom: an unpaid assistant role, food stamps, five adopted children, and twenty years studying Cruyff and Guardiola from a distanceThe U13 C team in Bellingham: a 7–0 loss to the A team, confidence before arrogance, and the two lost finals that made them hungry"My mission is not to teach you, but to put you in a position to learn" — questions over instructions, eggs at training, and music as a metronomeFree play and soccer rats: why kids need a worn ball and no coach, why over-structure is choking exploration, and why flag football should worry soccer Connect with Scott Martin🌐 Author Page: Library Tales Publishing 📚 Book: Play From Your Heart — Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Library Tales Publishing 📧 Email: scott.playfromyourheart@gmail.com 💼 LinkedIn: Scott Martin ✖️ X: @SoccerRatMartin 👍 Facebook: Scott Martin Follow Chat By The Pitch🌐 Website: chatbythepitch.com 🎥 YouTube: Chat By The Pitch 📸 Instagram: @ChatByThePitch 🎵 TikTok: Chat.By.The.Pitch ✖️ X / Twitter: @ChatByThePitch 📘 Facebook: Chat By The Pitch 🎧 Spotify: Chat By The Pitch 🍎 Apple Podcasts: Chat By The Pitch 🎧 Subscribe & Review: Your support helps us keep bringing conversations with players, coaches, and leaders that matter. #ChatByThePitch #YouthSoccer #PlayFromYourHeart #PlayerDevelopment #CoachingPhilosophy #FreePlay #SoccerParents #YouthSoccerCoach #DevelopmentOverWinning #Resilience #SoccerRats #TotalFootball #LoveOfTheGame #GrassrootsSoccer #ClubSoccer #SoccerCoaching #LimbDifference #BeautifulGame #SoccerPodcast #NorthTexasSoccer

    Play From Your Heart: Scott Martin on Losing Everything and Coming Back to the Game

  6. Sep 24

    Player Pathways: Roman Torres on FC Dallas, JUCO, and the Road to Pro Soccer

    Zero college offers in his U18 year. A first-round MLS SuperDraft pick a few years later. Released after one pro season — and still chasing it. Roman Torres has lived nearly every turn of the youth soccer player pathway, and he’s only 24. Roman grew up in Dallas, starting on a rec team at the Y before coming up through FC Dallas, Classic League, and the club’s ECNL team. From there his road ran through Germany’s fifth division at 19, junior college at Iowa Western, a breakout season at Creighton, a first-round pick by Minnesota United, a loan to Birmingham Legion, and now Forward Madison FC in USL League One. Ian and Roman get into what that pathway really asks of a player and a family: raffle tickets and long drives to practice, choosing high school soccer and his friends over a move to the academy, why JUCO can be a smart route to the pros, and what it felt like to walk into an end-of-season meeting confident and walk out released. Roman also shares what he’d tell his 12-year-old self — touches, left foot, scan — why strength work at 10 misses the point, and why parents should care less about the league badge and more about the quality of every training session. For soccer parents, youth coaches, and players chasing the next level who want an honest look at development over winning — and the grit it takes to keep going. Connect with Roman Torres📸 Instagram: @Roman.btj Follow Chat By The Pitch🌐 Website: chatbythepitch.com 🎥 YouTube: Chat By The Pitch 📸 Instagram: @ChatByThePitch 🎵 TikTok: Chat.By.The.Pitch ✖️ X / Twitter: @ChatByThePitch 📘 Facebook: Chat By The Pitch 🎧 Spotify: Chat By The Pitch 🍎 Apple Podcasts: Chat By The Pitch 🎧 Subscribe & Review: Your support helps us keep bringing conversations with players, coaches, and leaders that matter. #ChatByThePitch #YouthSoccer #PlayerDevelopment #PlayerPathway #SoccerParents #DevelopmentOverWinning #NorthTexasSoccer #DFWSoccer #FCDallas #NorthTexasSC #JUCOSoccer #CollegeSoccer #MLSSuperDraft #ForwardMadisonFC #USLLeagueOne #RoadToPro #SoccerMindset #TouchesOnTheBall #YouthSoccerCoach #SoccerPodcast

    Player Pathways: Roman Torres on FC Dallas, JUCO, and the Road to Pro Soccer

  7. Sep 17

    Obsessed With the Process: Chris Rich on Building an Elite Eight Program

    Chris Rich has passed on talented recruits because of what he saw from their parents on the sideline. The UNC Greensboro head coach explains what else he's watching. In this episode of Chat By The Pitch, Chris opens up the college soccer recruiting process from the coach's side of the table. He took over UNCG men's soccer ten days before the 2019 season, used the COVID pause to rebuild the culture, and turned a program ranked in the 100s into a 2022 Elite Eight team that beat Stanford in PKs on the road. Ian and Chris get into the questions soccer parents actually ask: Is my kid good enough to play in college? How do players get seen when they aren't on the biggest showcase teams? How much does playing time really spread across a 28-man roster? Chris walks through how his staff evaluates recruits on the field, over FaceTime, and on visits, why his team's GPA climbed from a 2.7 to a 3.4, and why the word he leans on most is obsessive — obsessed with the process of development, not just the trophy. He's also honest about the hard parts: a 2023 season that came crashing down after losing eight pros, a transfer portal that's squeezing young players, and 9.9 scholarships stretched across a full roster. For soccer players, parents, and youth coaches mapping out the pathway from club soccer to college — and anyone who wants to know what a college coach is really looking for. Key Talking Points• From Tampa youth soccer and Barry University to assistant roles at FIU, Virginia Tech, UNC, and Duke — and learning as much from peers as from bosses • Hired ten days before the 2019 season: leading with culture, standards, and non-negotiables before a game model • How the COVID pause became a silver lining for recruiting, training, and building the program block by block • Transparency, accountability, and "I will always have your back" — the promise Chris makes to every recruit • Why "obsessive" is the most important word in the program, and how an elite mindset lifted the team GPA from 2.7 to 3.4 • Staff-selected captains, a leadership committee from every class, and players policing the locker room • College soccer playing time explained: six substitution moments, 15 to 16 players per game, and the role of the closer off the bench • College soccer recruiting: why UNCG targets North Carolina, Texas, and Florida, plus the transfer portal and international players • What coaches watch beyond talent — reactions to mistakes and referees, the parents on the sideline, and the FaceTime call • Taking ownership of your pathway: ID camps, gap years, JUCO, and staying patient in the transfer portal era Quotes from Chris Rich• "I was just a sponge. I was learning from everybody that I worked with." • "You can't just throw your game model on players that don't fit that." • "We're always gonna adapt, and we're always gonna try to thrive in the new situation. I'm never gonna be a complainer." • "The one thing I will always guarantee and always promise our players in the recruiting process, I will always have their back." • "Probably the most important word that I use all the time is obsessive." • "Everybody wants to lift the trophy. Everybody wants to win, but what is the process that gets us to that point?" • "I'm not gonna say, 'I'm gonna be a terrible father today, but I'm gonna be a good coach.' You're either gonna strive for greatness or you're not." • "There's been many good players I've identified that we didn't take because of mom and dad." • "Take ownership of your process. Instead of waiting on somebody to do something for you, go to the environment where coaches are." • "Sometimes you gotta take a gap year. Sometimes you gotta go to a JUCO for a year. And that's okay." Connect with Chris Rich📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachchrisrich ✖️ X: https://x.com/coachchrisrich UNCG Men's Soccer📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncgsoccer ✖️ X: https://x.com/uncgsoccer 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncgsoccer Follow Chat By The Pitch🌐 Website: https://chatbythepitch.com/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatbythepitch 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatbythepitch 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chat.by.the.pitch ✖️ X / Twitter: https://x.com/ChatByThePitch 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChatByThePitch 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Hb9hDzZQxkH6n8OR9BHJZ 🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chat-by-the-pitch/id1657223398 🎧 Subscribe & Review: Your support helps us keep bringing conversations with players, coaches, and leaders that matter. #ChatByThePitch #YouthSoccer #CollegeSoccer #CollegeRecruiting #SoccerRecruiting #UNCG #UNCGSpartans #NCAASoccer #D1Soccer #PlayerDevelopment #SoccerParents #YouthSoccerCoach #NorthTexasSoccer #DFWSoccer #SoccerCoaching #TeamCulture #PlayerPathways #TransferPortal #StudentAthlete #SoccerPodcast

    Obsessed With the Process: Chris Rich on Building an Elite Eight Program

  8. Sep 10

    The Medal in the Trash: Preston Pomykal on Winning, Losing, and Respect

    A parent pulled a second-place medal out of a trash can and brought it to Preston Pomykal, disgusted that his son had thrown it away. Preston asked her three questions about how the boy behaved on the field — then told her he had no problem with the trash can. Part 2 of the conversation moves from coaching to letting go. Preston walks through what youth soccer player development looks like once a dad hands his sons to somebody else: staying useful without hovering, reading effort honestly when a kid's body has an off day, and knowing which battles are worth a word in the car. He tells the story that put Paxton on a different track — a Manchester United staff coach who quietly swapped groups for two days just to watch a 10-year-old, and the four a.m. conversation in a Vegas bar that ended with twenty-something North Texas families pulling their kids into a charter school so they could train from noon to four every day for two years. Then the part every soccer parent eventually faces. Preston on why "we raised them all the same" isn't true, why his three boys pushed each other harder than he ever did, and what it felt like to walk through the gates at Columbia and know his oldest was going there — four hours away by plane, out of reach for the first time. He closes with the show's signature question: the greatest influences on him as a player, and separately as a coach. For soccer parents, youth coaches, and club leaders learning when to step in and when to step back. Key Talking PointsBe a parent, be a coach, be a parent — where the line sits when you're both, and why the car ride is where most parents cross itHard work is relative: why an 80-minute effort one weekend and 60 the next may be the body, not the attitudeThe second-place medal in the trash — respect for the opponent on the field, and what a kid does with his own disappointment afterThe FC Dallas coach who took Paxton in at U15 — a talented kid dealing with size doubts and a hard stretch at his former club — and watched him come out of his shellWhy "we raised them all the same" isn't true — parents change between kids, and children read every bit of itSibling pressure as the motivator parents can't manufacture, from the "Border" report card to two brothers who became Paxton's biggest fansHanding his boys to new staff and staying useful — moving cones, filling in, staying close without hoveringThe Manchester United staff coach who switched groups for two days to watch a 10-year-old, and the trip to Carrington that changed what Paxton wantedThe four a.m. Vegas conversation behind a daily training program: 20-plus families, a charter school until noon, and two years of afternoon sessionsLetting go — trips he didn't take, the walk through the gates at Columbia, and the goodbye at Evansville that was easy Quotes from Preston Pomykal"Go up and down your sideline and listen to the parents, and then ask yourself what you think they're saying when they get in the car." "You're paying for a coach. You don't need to be their coach. Be a parent, be a coach, be a parent." "Hard work is relative. He goes 80 minutes hard, and the next weekend 60 — it could just be a different day for his body." "The part of the game I care about is the respect for the other team. He lost, and he respected them." "It's a very fluid, dynamic game with a gazillion opportunities to change it." "We laugh because we say we raised them all the same, which we tried to, but when you really think about it, we didn't." "Sibling respect for each other is a massive influencer on kids as they're coming through, not just parents." "You have to let go. It's just not feasible to only spend time with one aspect of your life when you have a wife and two other children." "I walked inside the gates and I got tears in my eyes. My wife said, what's wrong with you? I'm like, he's going here." "It's a brutally sad day. But if you've raised them in a manner where they want to come home, they want to be with their family." Follow Chat By The Pitch🌐 Website: chatbythepitch.com 🎥 YouTube: Chat By The Pitch 📸 Instagram: @ChatByThePitch 🎵 TikTok: Chat.By.The.Pitch ✖️ X / Twitter: @ChatByThePitch 📘 Facebook: Chat By The Pitch 🎧 Spotify: Chat By The Pitch 🍎 Apple Podcasts: Chat By The Pitch 🎧 Subscribe & Review: Your support helps us keep bringing conversations with players, coaches, and leaders that matter. #ChatByThePitch #YouthSoccer #PlayerDevelopment #SoccerParents #SoccerDad #DevelopmentOverWinning #YouthSoccerCoach #NorthTexasSoccer #DFWSoccer #GrassrootsSoccer #ClubSoccer #FCDallas #PaxtonPomykal #ManchesterUnited #SoccerFamily #LettingGo #CollegeSoccer #YouthSports #LoveOfTheGame #SoccerPodcast

    The Medal in the Trash: Preston Pomykal on Winning, Losing, and Respect
See All (198)

Trailer

4.9
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

The youth soccer podcast for parents trying to make sense of their kid's game. Host Ian Babcock is a soccer dad, not a former player. He got into the game the same way most parents do: his kids started playing and nobody handed him a manual. Chat By The Pitch is the manual he wishes he'd had. Every episode is a real, unscripted conversation with the people who shape a young player's experience: club directors, coaches, former pros, sports psychologists, agents, college recruiters, and families who have been through it. The questions are the ones you are asking in the car on the way home. Is my kid on the right team? What does "development over winning" actually look like? How much is too much? When should we worry, and when should we just let them play? Guests include academy coaches from England, a FIFA agent, futsal and academy founders, sports psychologists, and families who have walked the road from rec soccer to the pro game. What you will not hear: hot takes, highlight packages, or a host pretending to know more than he does. Ian asks the questions a parent would ask, and lets the guest answer. Rooted in North Texas, heard around the world. More than 190 conversations in the catalog covering player development, coaching philosophy, club culture, the college pathway, mental health, and the business of youth soccer. If you care about your kid's soccer beyond the scoreboard, this is your podcast.

Information

  • Creator
    Ian Babcock
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    198
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Ian Babcock
  • Show Website
    Chat By The Pitch

You Might Also Like