Welcome to the "Best of the GP Soccer Podcast!" (S11 E1)

                     Welcome to the Best of the GP Soccer Podcast!

While the show takes its seasonal hiatus, you can still enjoy some of the best episodes of the GP Soccer Podcast! Host Giovanni Pacini has dug deep into the show archives to bring his worldwide audience some great interviews, coaching tips, and opinions. The GP Soccer Podcast is proud to be a member of the Sports History Network, and the show has earned some outstanding accolades such as-

* #1 on Top Podcast's "independently produced soccer podcasts".

* #2 on Feedspot Media's list of "Best Soccer Coaching Podcasts".

* #5 on Feedspot Media's list "Top 20 Soccer Podcasts" that are a "must listen".

* #6 on Skill Shark's "Top 10 Soccer Coaching Podcasts".

* Million Podcast's "Top 30 Soccer Coaching Podcasts"

* Million Podcast's "Top 10 Goalkeeper Podcasts".

* Noted as one of the "Best Soccer Coaching Podcasts of 2025" on Player FM.

The GP Soccer Podcast will return for Season 15 on September 9th with new shows airing every Wednesday. Those interested in advertising on the show can contact host Giovanni Pacini at gp4soccer@yahoo.com. Every episode of the show from Season 1 to 14 can be found wherever you tune into your podcasts!

Enoy this "Best of the GP Soccer Podcast" episode!  

Be sure to pick up Giovanni Pacini's new book- "The Importance of Unstructured Free Play: Coaching with a Street Soccer Mentality" available now on Amazon!

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

This is the GP Soccer Podcast with your host, Giovanni Piccini. Well, hey there, everyone. This is Giovanni Picetti, your host of the GP Soccer Podcast, Season 11. Season 11. It's even weird for me to kind of say that, season 11. It's just great to be back behind the microphone offering up a brand new show each and every week. If you're a regular listener of my show, you know that I take a hiatus twice a year, you know, uh six or eight weeks uh off in the w in the summertime and the same thing in the wintertime. Um but my goodness, it's always neat to come down the stairs of my house and get in here into my studio and uh and broadcast uh some some fresh content. It's it's wonderful to be with you once again. For those of you who might be new to the show, I I won't I don't want to bore you to tears, but a little bit of history. Uh you know, way back when, when I was a kid, um my career intent, my original career intent was radio and TV broadcasting, particularly radio. I just love the fact that there was stuff coming out of this little box known as a radio. Now I'm going to show my age. Some of you won't know what the heck I'm talking about, but I had transistor radios back in the day, and then you could slowly turn the dial, and lo and behold, you could find uh, you know, uh radio stations from here in the Boston area where I live. And but sometimes, particularly at night, the reception was good, I could get in New York. Or even up in Montreal, I could get some, I could get some broadcasts. And I thought that was the coolest thing in the world. Well, you know what? Like a lot of things in life, folks, uh things changed. I discovered uh as a senior in high school uh that I could teach uh health and physical education, I could coach soccer, and I went, whoa, then that's a pretty good gig. And uh, you know, I I spent 24 wonderful years as a health and PE teacher in my hometown of Weymouth, Massachusetts, and embarked on my soccer career as well. But then this thing called podcasting reared its head, and I had already had a studio set up because I'm a voiceover artist uh on the side, successful one, if I do say so myself. So the infrastructure was already in place for me to uh create this thing called the GP Soccer Podcast, which allowed me to, you know, kind of uh, you know, revisit, if you will, my passion, my excitement, my interest in all things radio, and I still kind of call this radio, uh, and my background in the sport of soccer. And lo and behold, here we are, 11 seasons in. So that's the brief history, uh, if you will, of the GP Soccer Podcast. Well, you know, uh now that we're up and running and we have uh fresh content, uh every epis every Wednesday we have a new episode. Um and as always, uh after you listen to the new episode that comes up every Wednesday morning, uh every single episode of the GP Soccer Podcast from season one to season 11 is always available to you, my wonderful listening audience, uh wherever you tune into your podcasting. Now, you know, as I noted, I do take a break twice a year, and it's not, you know, not a time where I, you know, go sit on the beach or, you know, in the winter my winter break, I'm always on the slope skiing. No, this there's a lot of work that goes into the show uh during the hiatus. Uh sometimes a lot a lot more work than I sometimes even I can imagine. You know, what we've done over the the this past hiatus, and and I'll share it with you because it's kind of exciting and I like talking about it. Um there's some new commercials that have been cut. I've tweaked the show structure a little bit uh in particular. The uh conversation with the coach has been extended. Uh people like that, that portion of the show. So if the audience likes it, I I am there to change it, um, you know, to meet to meet that need and interest. Uh there's booking of guests. You know, you've got to chase people down and uh you know book time to uh to interview people, and I and I do quite a bit of that. Um so that's always exciting. I I think you're gonna be you'll really be pleased with some of the folks I'll be interested uh interviewing on the uh Conversation with the Coach uh segment. Um I noted um, you know, the the hiatus that um typically in the past, from season one to season ten, when I've gone on hiatus, I haven't done anything. I've just let people kind of uh you know search for past episodes of the GP Soccer Podcast on their own. And that's been fine. That's been A-OK. But for the first time this past hiatus, uh I formally put out what I refer to as the best of the GP Soccer Podcast, and I dug deep uh into the vault of of all the past shows, which is almost 180 shows now. I can't believe that. And I I picked up some some of the, I think, the best episodes. And my goodness, uh, that was very successful. The amount of people who tuned in and wanted to listen to some of the best of episodes was terrific. And I so appreciate uh all of you that that took the time to um you know to listen some to some of the past shows. Uh and that's something I will be doing from now on, you know, during the summer hiatus and then in the uh winter hiatus as well. So lots of stuff that I do here uh, you know, when I'm not uh formally taping the show like I'm I'm doing uh this this morning. Uh some changes in the show. The great, the terrific Rob Ellis has departed the show. As you all know, he did a great job uh with the European uh soccer report. And Rob is a dear friend. Um but you know what? Life gets pretty full for people sometimes. And Rob's soccer plate was just getting uh more and more filled, if you will, and just uh didn't have the time to do uh his segments, which was fine. Uh I I so appreciated the work he did put in uh for the shows, for the seasons that he was a part of it. And it was it was kind of heartbreaking for both of us, but heck, I understand how professional lives work. You know, our lives change, our our responsibilities change, and sometimes you can't do the all the things you want to do, so some things have to give. Um But you'll you'll hear you know about Rob, because I will still be playing his uh his commercial, promoting his terrific book, The Soccer Coach's Toolbook. Uh so you know you will uh you know you'll be uh you'll be able to hear his voice. A little side story about Rob Ellis, and I think you're gonna enjoy this little side story. Now, Rob was a guest on my show a number of seasons ago, a few years back. Uh he came on the recommendation of his publisher about his new book, The Soccer Coach's Toolbook. So I had him on the show as an interview guest, and you know what? You know, like a lot of people that you meet in life, we just hit it off. And I'm not just talking about from a soccer standpoint, we just hit it off as just two people that got along really well, had a lot of things in common, and we just chatted up a storm. And that was before I even hit the record button. Well, from there, uh when I added the European Soccer Report, uh, I couldn't think of a better person than Rob Ellis to do it. And he so graciously uh accepted, and I had him on the show. Um, and we joked uh back and forth uh that maybe someday we'll meet because Rob lives in London. I live in Boston. And we would joke that maybe one day we might be able to share a pint together. And uh one time uh uh via Zoom we did share a pint together and joked about it. Well, this past summer, uh my wife and I made the trek across the pond to London, and lo and behold, I got to meet uh finally face to face with my good friend Rob Ellis. Uh and I'm gonna I'm gonna tell you folks, it was a little emotional. Uh it was meeting a uh not a long-lost friend per se, but um, you know, I got to see him face to face, and we were able to embrace and we uh we went to his local pub uh in the Chiswick area of London, and uh, you know, we we we had something to eat and we talked, you know, you might think all things soccer or football, but again, we we just hit it off and we had a wonderful conversation, which probably could have gone uh long into the evening and many more pints, but we made it a point to uh to ensure that uh either I go across the pond to London and we meet up again, or he comes here to the United States and we chat as well. Um I'm I'm so grateful that uh this one-time guest has now become a beloved friend of mine, and he will be certainly missed. Now, you may be asking, well, is the segment going away? Well, no, it's not going away, certainly. I've got a terrific new host, someone I've known for many, many, many years, and that's Ralph Farinho. And Ralph is a longtime soccer coach here in the Boston area. As a matter of fact, Ralph and I used to compete against each other when we were uh collegiate head coaches. And uh he does a podcast, he's got a newsletter, and on his own, he's been covering all things European soccer already, and I couldn't think of a better person. So we will debut today, uh season 11, episode one, uh Ralph Rigno uh and his European soccer report. You are absolutely going to enjoy uh his submissions as well. Um, you know, I did note the we're going to expand the conversation with the coach. I did add some uh coach's corner segment. Um so we've um we've added some of those as well. Again, my goodness, busy, busy, busy. What a summer of soccer. I don't have to go through all the things that went that took place. You're soccer fans, your soccer people, you know what took place this summer. My goodness, the Euros, Spain, arguably the best team, hands down, the best team in Europe, if not one of the best, one of the best national sides in the world. Uh, two to one winners over England in that final. The first time I saw them play in the competition, I just boldly said they are going to win this competition. They are playing a magnificent brand of football uh from the offensive side to the defensive side. Um they were a joy to watch, uh, an absolute joy to watch. The Olympic soccer, uh, which we'll get into a little bit more with the with the women, uh, but Olympic soccer was was great to watch. The ConkerCow U-20s was on on board, and then Copa America. Uh my goodness, uh, so much. Uh I have a uh I have a story uh with Copa America. I went to the final. I went to the Copa America final down in down in Miami. And uh I'm not I'm not gonna share too much because in the soccer news and analysis portion of the show, of which I I oversee, you're gonna hear some of the recordings that I made while down there in Miami. Now, I think you all know by now what transpired, not just in the match per se, but everything leading up to the match, certainly uh in the stadium. I I guess the only word I can really use is the chaos that took place in the stadium. But uh I'm you're gonna hear literally uh firsthand audio of me being in the mix of all that. And the only thing I'll say, because again, I don't want to give too much away, is I started out, my goodness, I just thought it was an extraordinary, exciting uh thing to be a part of as I as I made my way with my friend and colleague toward the stadium. But my goodness, my goodness, things changed. Uh so I'm gonna, that's a little bit of a teaser. You're gonna have to hear the the account of that in the news and analysis portion. Uh our U.S. women's national team had a great summer, won the gold medal. Emma Hayes, 10 games, 10 games into her uh, you know, overseeing the uh U.S. women's national team uh brought home gold medal uh to the United States of America with a with a thrilling match uh over Brazil. And uh heck, it wasn't easy. It wasn't easy uh getting there. And if it wasn't for Alyssa Nair uh making some spectacular saves, it might have gone other ways, but uh good for the U.S. women's national team. And there was a discernible change in style of play, a discernible change in energy, a discernible change in attitude, which uh coupled with their experience and and and uh you know quality of play, you know, led them to the to to the uh to the gold medal. Um we'll see what happens uh after that. On the men's side, uh not so good. Uh not so good. Uh in fact, it was lousy. Uh it led obviously, as you all know, with the ousting of Greg Burhalter. And uh, you know, it inspired me, it inspired me to now be more vocal on what is taking place in terms of player development in this country on the men's side and the women's side for that matter. Just because women want to grow, you know, gold a gold medal thinks everything is hunky-dory in terms of player development on the women's side versus the men's side. Uh-uh. So you're going to be hearing in the final block of the show this new segment called The American Soccer Revolution, where yours truly is going to be a little bit more bold in his commentary as to what needs to take place to change what is happening with player development and coach development in this country because it's lousy. It's lousy, and we're due for a change. We are due for an American soccer revolution. Uh I will be sharing with you uh quotes and audio from from uh other soccer professionals because I'm not the only one that feels this way. There are people with far higher profiles than little old Giovanni Piccini here that are sharing the very same sentiments that I'm sharing with you now about how things are just not good, particularly in youth soccer. Uh if you're a regular listener of my show, you know that I have I have ranted and raved about virtually every aspect of youth soccer, club soccer in this country, pay-to-play, which has got to go. Um, but I'm going to be a little bit more vociferous in my commentary, a little bit more bold in what I believe what changes need to take place uh here in the United States of America relative to how we develop players, how we develop uh you know our coaches. Um significant changes need to take place. So that'll be uh each and every broadcast on the final block of the GP Soccer Podcast. My goodness gracious me, um a lot to digest here, but a lot has taken place since the last time you and I got together. Uh so sit back, relax, and enjoy the season 11 kickoff of the GP Soccer Podcast. We're gonna break for a commercial message. You know how all of that works, and then we're gonna come back with our very first season 11, episode one, conversation with the coach. Don't you dare go anywhere. Because if you do, you know what happens, I will track you down. Giovanni Picini here, host of the GP Soccer Podcast. Say, are you an author of a soccer book? Maybe it's a book filled with training sessions. Maybe it has to do with the history of the game or one particular historical topic. It could even be a fascinating soccer novel with mysterious twists and turns. Well, no matter what type of soccer book you have authored, it's no good if folks don't know it's out there to enjoy. Well, here's a great opportunity to get the word out. It's the GP Soccer Podcast authors $99 special. Yep, you heard that right. $99. Don't miss out, as this is a limited offer. To learn more, email me at gp4soccer at yahoo.com.

SPEAKER_01 15:28

Hi, this is Thomas Ruman from CBS Sports and Be in Sports USA. Welcome to the GP Soccer Podcast with host Giuhanny Paji.

SPEAKER_03 16:10

And welcome to the GP Soccer Podcast, Conversation with the Coach. You know, ladies and gentlemen, when I reformatted the show a couple of seasons ago, you know, it was uncharted territory. Uh what I had going on prior in terms of the format was pretty successful. People liked it. Um but here we are, two or three seasons into this new format, which now includes conversation with the coach. Super happy uh that it has been very well received. And uh I've had the chance to really narrow down the focus of the show toward coaching and teaching of the game from youth to high school to club to college, even up to professional international level, and it's been very well received. And I'm excited to continue uh this format on the GP Soccer Podcast. Today, the focus will be on high school soccer and its place in the U.S. soccer landscape. Now, when I say U.S. soccer, not the federation, but the actual geographical landscape that is the United States of America and soccer. And our guest today is Mike O'Day. And Mike is the head boys soccer coach at Norwell High School, uh, which is a member of the South Shore League. And Mike is also the coach for the U-16, U-17 NAL Boston Bulls. Mike O'Day, welcome to the GP Soccer Podcast Conversation with the coach.

SPEAKER_05 17:32

Thanks for having me, Giovanni. This is uh incredible honor. I'm excited. Um, any chance I get to talk about the game and uh my place and roles in it, I I jump at it. So to be on here with you today is um is quite a quite an experience. I'm looking forward to it. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_03 17:49

My pleasure. We're gonna have some fun here, Bell. We'll have some fun. You know, as I as I look back on my own uh experiences as a coach, and it goes back a thousand years, like maybe two thousand years, uh, as indicated by the lack of hair in my head. Um, you know, I started as a youth coach in Weymouth, Massachusetts, and you're very familiar with Weymouth, and we'll get into that. Um but I was in college and I did it for fun and didn't think at the time that, you know, I I would be taking this soccer thing seriously. When I was one of the first coaches with Weymouth U Soccer, but it wasn't until I became a high school coach at Weymouth North High School where I really took the whole thing seriously and found uh a journey, a path that I I thoroughly enjoyed following, and as I say, the rest of history. Let's let's take a look at your story. Share with my audience, you know, the Michael Day story from you know when you were a kid, where you grew up, where you played, uh, all the way up to the point where you're now a a high school uh and a club coach.

SPEAKER_05 18:44

Sure. So um the connection, Weymouth connection is strong here. I grew up, uh born, raised, and currently still reside in Weymouth. Um I think my early days were just up at Central Field with the youth program, we soft soccer, um, and that was uh a great experience playing with friends, but the same friends you go to school with. They they used to divide the youth program into your school. So there's eight elementary schools, and um, you know, you kind of play with your classmates, and then at a certain point got into the the travel soccer world, um, which was highly competitive, a little bit different than today's landscape with the you know ever-present club soccer and and how many clubs there are in the area. Um I didn't get into club soccer until I was, you know, uh into high school, sophomore junior year, because I was so active in other sports. I I played basketball, I played baseball, um, but then, you know, sort of as you're seeing now today, you kind of had to make a decision and specialize. So I made a decision freshman year to stop playing basketball, sophomore to stop playing baseball, and focused solely on soccer. And that's when I got into the club game, playing for the um Selstury United Blazers with Nolan Napier, and um had a great experience playing with him, still played, um, you know, Waymouth Travel, um, and then obviously playing at the high school in Weymouth under Bill McGechrin, who I know um you're a a colleague of, and and I believe you coached. Is that correct?

SPEAKER_03 20:14

I did coach Billy when he uh when I was the coach at Weymouth North High School. Yeah, I did indeed.

SPEAKER_05 20:18

Yeah, so um, so played for Bill Um all throughout high school, had a wonderful experience there, and um, you know, my my playing career ended after high school. I had some some options to go play collegiately, and I I sort of was was just kind of taxed at that point in my life. I I sort of wanted to focus on my academics, focus on sort of just you know uh just kind of taking a step back. Um and whether I you know I definitely have some regret around that, you know, I I wish looking back on it that I would have pursued it more because I I love the game so much and that's why I'm back involved as a coach, but um, you know, it was a choice I made and and I uh I can live with that. So getting into the coaching realm, um I spent four years at Springfield College and when I graduated I got a job in the school systems in Weymouth, and I actually got a phone call from Coach McEkrin asking if I wanted to, you know, since my schedule was flexible as an educator, if I wanted to take on the freshman team at Weymouth. And I, you know, I had very limited experience coaching, but um what was nice is my first ever job when I was 14, I was working at the social baseball club in Hingham. And I was working with the Rookie League. These these you know athletes were you know five to seven years old, the youngest in the program. And um it was I just remember the days themselves, the camps I worked at were so challenging, you know, getting kids to be able to to throw, catch, hit, pay attention, uh, you know, it was a struggle. It was it was hard work. But at the end of the week on Friday, you know, when the kids were leaving and they were able to catch and throw and hit and do all those things and they were saying thank you. And the parents were saying thank you. I remember being like, Man, what a incredible feeling this is. You know, how can I take this feeling and make this a career? So that's where I, you know, got the idea to pursue education. And then, you know, sort of when Bill reached out about coaching, I figured, wow, what a another fantastic opportunity. Let me pursue this. And so I spent um five years on staff with him as the freshman coach, took a year at the JV level, and then um shortly thereafter, the head coach position in Norwell opened up. And, you know, you never really think that you are ready for that job for that task. And you know, and I didn't think I was, but you know, I would be remiss if I didn't throw my hat in the ring. So I um applied, interviewed, and some way you know, somehow got the job. And, you know, now we we are where we are. We're we're here in the present, and it's been, you know, it's been such an awesome experience. I've always, you know, I've enjoyed my time at the sub-varsity level, but you know, being in charge of the program and treating it as as one program and kind of, you know, being able to just sort of oversee and make it your own has been such a rewarding experience, um, and one that I'm still at the early stage of, but have enjoyed immensely in my, you know, now two full years entering the third current.

SPEAKER_03 23:35

You know, like it sounds like you've had an aha moment. Um, you know, it as you shared the story with with my audience. It sounds like, and correct me if wrong, you you know, you weren't, you know, navigating your life toward, I'm gonna be a soccer coach. You just you got that feeling at the at the at your baseball camp, and you got that the feeling we all get when you're a coach, and you get that wonderful feedback from parents and coaches that you know they they appreciate and they have gratitude toward what you're able to do for their child and for and for the athlete themselves. And then all of a sudden, there you are. There you are. Um so let's uh let's take a look at Norwell. So you're you're you're at Norwell. Share with my audience, because I have a I have a global audience and people here in Norwell, and what's a Norwell? Where's a Norwell? So give give my audience, share my my audience a little bit of uh, you know, uh where Norwell is and what kind of town it is, and then let's dovetail that with sharing it with my audience um, you know, uh your soccer program, um Norwell Youth Soccer, the support you get from from uh Norwell Youth Soccer or not, I don't know, but share the share that with my audience.

SPEAKER_05 24:37

Yeah, so um Norwell is a small town around 10,000 people. Um it's it's located on the South Shore. Um and it's a it's a fantastic community. Uh I have really enjoyed my time working with the families and the athletes in my time there. Uh we compete, we're uh, like I said, small. So the way the leagues and divisions are aligned is is based on enrollment. So we're we're in the division, third division, division three. Um we compete in the Social League, which is another small league. Um, but we've had some some success. So prior to me getting there, um actually that the year took over, they were coming off of their first ever state championship. Um and it was Coach Jack Brown. He was there for a number of years. He had been very successful in the past, so I felt an incredible um incredible burden to you know uphold that same level of success, that same standard. Um, you know, and something that I'm familiar with being from Weymouth, you know, um, you know, the the program, the soccer program, Weymouth, as a coach, as a player, has always been to uphold the tradition, to always, you know, I think they have the longest standing uh streak of of making the tournament. I think it's been unbroken for like 30 some odd years. So no stranger to to upholding that level of of excellence, but um, you know, never when it's been me at the forefront of it, right? I've always been a contributing partner as a sub-RCD coach or as a player. So to have this task was I felt an immense sense of pressure. Um I was taking on a really talented group. They had lost a lot of seniors, but they were returning plenty of talent. So my job was to come in and sort of assess uh you know what I had and what was what was going on. And we had a very successful uh season. We finished, I believe, that year we were 15, 15-1-2 or 15-something along those lines. We qualified for the tournament, won our first round game, and then got bounced. In the second round, the Newberry port for the eventual um Mentral State Champions that year. And then in my second year, um, I took a lot of those, I took a lot of time to reflect on my own coaching practice, my own, you know, the way I was kind of operating, and um just the overall experience that I was giving the players. And I felt that in that first year, I was way too focused on, you know, how do we get back to that level? How do we go win another state championship and repeat? And I and I focused less on you know the players in my care, and I focused less on sort of building those relationships and building sort of a culture of excellence. And so I I took a real big step back, did a lot of um learning in in my time off, and um just approached it from a very different angle where it was more process-driven rather than results driven. And uh, you know, somewhere through the midway through the point of the season, we were finding ourselves having tremendous success, but also just this great feeling, this buzz, you know, in practice where every day myself, the coaching staff, the players, everyone was invested, wanted to be there, felt, you know, part of something, you know, bigger than ourselves, which is why we we do this. We want to be a part of something bigger than just what we can do on our own. And uh we qualified for the tournament again, got the third seed, and um we had a tremendous run to the state final where we met Pembroke, and we were able to edge Pembroke five four in PKs for uh our second state title in three years. Um what was really neat was the girls did the same thing on the girls' side. They they played right after us and they repeated again, and um they too got their second in three years, and it is sort of it's really neat to see the the the culture in the the soccer culture in Norwell is so strong. Like you said, starting with the youth program, um we I've done in my two years, not as much as I'd like to, but a little bit where we've collaborated with the youth soccer programs we have at our games. This is directly back to my playing days as a kid, is being asked by you know Coach Schaft to be a ball boy on the sideline at the Weymouth games. And I remember being there just in awe, you know, of these what seemed like grown men, these, you know, gargantuan figures on the field, and just feeling it's it's so cool to be a part of it. And so one of my first, you know, sort of endeavors was to bring that to Norwell and and reach out to the youth programs, get those kids at our games, the ball boy to be a part of it. Um, you know, and then we we've done some clinics, you know, with the with the um high school team and the youth, the youth teams. And you know, it's it's been a small start, but it's something that I want to do more of in my, you know, in the coming years because, as I said, small town, small feeder program, but it's a strong feeder program. So I want to keep, you know, keep the connection strong and keep the kids in town because if they feel connected at a young age, they're less likely to want to, you know, go off to a BC, to a CM, um, because they they have a sense of I want to stay here, I want to, I want to play with my friends, I want to, you know, compete for my town. And it's a great school system. So there's a lot of things that are working in our favor. But um, you know, when you can kind of develop that same culture that you want to develop with the varsity team and that and the the whole program itself, if that can reach down into your youth program, then you've you've got a great thing going. And that's what I always remember about Weymouth was Wildcat Camp and just feeling that sense of connection and that sense of pride and that sense of this is gonna be me one day, and I can't wait to be there. Um, so that my my goal is definitely then to make it a community thing and to really um you know work through the whole program.

SPEAKER_03 30:29

You know, you mentioned Pembroke uh in your answer there, and another Weymouth alumni at Pembroke, uh Adam Scott, who's done uh very, very well. And um, you know, the folks listening out there, you keep hearing uh Mike and I talk about Weymouth, Weymouth, Weymouth, Weymouth. Well, what's a Weymouth? Where's a Weymouth? Uh, I'll just uh leave it, you know, uh very briefly, and Mike can attest to this. Uh, having grown up in Weymouth myself and taught and coached, uh, you know, it's uh one of the most the strongest soccer communities, certainly in Massachusetts, if not New England. And there are some legendary uh players that have come out of there, and then the level of success has been extraordinary. Um, you know, a lot of us Weymouth guys are sprinkled out, uh sprinkled about uh out there in the soccer landscape, uh, Mike and myself included. Mike, I want to start, I want to start broadening our conversation. You kind of touched upon my next point here already. Broadening our conversation about high school soccer in the in the U.S. soccer landscape. And that is the association between a high school program and its its in-town youth soccer program. Um let's be specific. I mean, do you have a good a good relationship with Norwell Youth Soccer? Uh, is are there things you do formally? Um, and what are the benefits? Again, going a little bit broader, what are the benefits of a quality relationship between a high school coach and the youth soccer organization that exists in that community?

SPEAKER_05 31:53

Sure. Um, so formally I I'm still working through sort of some some next level ways to connect and next level ways to kind of, you know, setting up camps in the summer, setting up, you know, some more long-standing traditions. But for now, it's been a lot of informal clinics that, you know, I I organize, but ultimately it's it's what the the players then sort of put on. And I think um, you know, the the best the best part about those connections, those relationships that I mentioned is is it it it really generates a sense of purpose, a sense of belonging, right? And I think that's what we're all after in life and through sport is a a sense of connection, a sense of belonging, a sense of community. And I think when you connect the next generation with the current generation, you know, the the captains and the seniors, the upper class, and connecting with those fifth and sixth grade players, it really, you know, it A kind of brings things full circle for the the players on the current roster where they get to say, like, wow, this is it's cool. Like, this is where it all started for me. This is where it all, this is where I got my my beginning, my roots, and it's great for them to sort of, you know, work with that next generation and and maybe even to see, hey, could this be something I want to pursue myself when my playing days are over? And I s I saw, you know, on numerous occasions so many of my athletes who were just naturals, who were so good, you know, just working with the kids, their ability to connect, their ability to deep to teach. Um, so to see that is really neat. I think that just gives it it it gives a great sense of purpose and a great reminder to the, you know, to the to the players. But I think like I said earlier, I think it just it gives the the next generation something to kind of aim towards, something to kind of, you know, a target point of this is this is what I need to do, this is how I need to kind of, you know, conduct myself. Um, and it just makes them feel more comfortable, more, you know, more just sort of connected to to that program. So when they feel connected from an early age, they're more likely to, you know, maybe when those MLS next offers come come calling or those private schools come calling, maybe they they think a little bit longer, a little bit harder, you know, at that decision because look, this is something that has, you know, benefited me. It's something that it's you know, I can take with me these memories, um, these relationships will will last far beyond what maybe these other opportunities allow me. Um, because you know, I think a lot of players these days can be sort of coerced and and sort of um baited into these Alphabet Soup, MLS next, NAL, ECNL, they can be sort of you know taken for a a ride when the destination for players is collegiate for for the vast majority, and how they get there, I think, um, is a lot more similar than they realize. So for me, I think those youth programs, um, while they may not be sort of at max capacity like they used to be, a lot of kids are playing club now because they see it as the preferred pathway, but they are still massively important to um sort of what we want to do in our our operation as a whole as a high school program because they are your direct feeder program. Um you'll always get some of my favorite players are those ones that don't play club. They're multi-sport athletes and they, you know, they play lacrosse, they play basketball in the winter, and they play soccer in the fall, and they don't they maybe not the most polished, but man, they are competitors, they're athletes, um, and they are they're ready to go. They're they're just out there. Um, like I said, maybe not the most polished, but they serve a tremendously important role within the high school game, which is a fast physical, it's a different style of game than the club game, um, but it's still, you know, that that role is needed. So the connection from youth to high school is, you know, tremendously important. And I I uh I look to I I very much look forward to kind of continuing to foster more, you know, more connection and uh more opportunities through what I do with the high school and what the youth program does as well.

SPEAKER_03 36:13

So you mentioned uh a little ways back in um your answer, your own personal journey, you you spoke about learning, and and and I think you might have used the word growing as well. Um share with my audience your your efforts toward professional development and the importance of professional development for high school coaches, specifically um obtaining the appropriate licensure and certifications to teach the game of soccer. Now, I use the word teach, and this should resonate with you. You're a you're a teacher in a public school setting. Um, you know, the importance of getting the appropriate licensure and certification, that type of thing, to teach the game of soccer. And the downside, because there is a downside, for those who are you know are teaching the game of soccer at the high school level who don't pursue appropriately or don't pursue at all the licensure or following licensure of following certification to to to uh make sure they're a good good teacher of the game.

SPEAKER_05 37:05

Sure, that's a that's a fantastic question. And something I'm very passionate about, you know, continuum education, whether it's from a formal sense or informal. Um, but I I've I'm now I've obtained my USSFC license. Um I did the I finished up that course right around this time last year. Um I have I have certain plans to to continue on and take my B. I've looked at um a lot of the United Soccer coach opportunities. Um, you know, there's so many, and there's such little time that is that I have between my full-time job teaching, between, you know, the the high school commitment, the club commitment, but it's you know, the opportunities are out there, and I think it's it's so important. And I've had I was just having a conversation the other day um with a colleague of mine, and we were reflecting on our experiences taking the C. He took his in Texas, I took mine in New York. Um, so even then, you know, just vast differences in not just the geography, but probably the way the course was, you know, sort of outlaid. Uh and his big sort of gripe was there was not a lot on the actual, you know, tactical, technical components of coaching. Um, he was kind of looking for a bit more on that. Whereas, yes, you know, I think as you take the D and the C, it's sort of lacks in that side, but where it really sort of is rich in is sort of the the leadership and how do you lead yourself, how do you lead the team, how do you lead the individual. And to me, I found that to be such a uh, you know, important part of my development as a coach is how I, you know, manage myself most importantly. You know, number one is how do I manage myself on game days, uh uh during practices, during training, you know, what is my role? You know, and I remember at a a very influential um professor back in college who always talked about, you know, beware of, you know, don't be the sage on the stage. Um, you know, meaning don't just be up there and be the purveyor of knowledge. You've got to kind of take a bit of a step back and sort of, you know, let the student grapple with the with the information and kind of make the meaning for their, you know, for their own. And I remember my my early years of coaching when I had little experience and I was just kind of thrust into it, I felt that, you know, I needed to be there sort of joysticking and kind of telling, telling the players where to be, when to be there, you know, and sort of took some of the autonomy out of it. And I think what has opened my eyes is US soccer is moving a lot towards more player autonomy, player-centered environments where the player is obviously the one up there making decisions. They're the ones who are, you know, experiencing the game. So who are we on the sideline to take that experience and take those decisions away from them, right? So it's I've really taken a bit of a step back where I used to be very vocal, very demonstrative on the sidelines, and now, you know, I'm much more reserved. I take notes. Um, I I make sure that my observations are short, succinct, you know, they're focused to what we did in training that week, that month, and I'm more a sort of curated experience for my players rather than being the one to um you know give them the answers because our game, our sport is unlike any other, where it's it's free-flowing, ever-changing, there's no, you know, unless you're coaching high school, no um opportunities for timeouts. So, you know, all the problems that have to be solved for, you know, are on the field up to the players, right? So to for me to be there, you know, trying to do it for them on those game days is me robbing them from the experience, me robbing them from their you know, ability to kind of learn the game and make the meaning of their own. So I I make my money in in training. You know, I I I do my job in training where we I put them through these situations with you know, certain problems will arise. We have conversations around how to solve those problems and sort of you know some principles that we want to put into play. Um, but out outside of that, you know, I and coming to this realization, it took me continued education. And I I cannot, you know, I cannot be more demonstrative when I say that that experience has made me into a better coach, not a finished product, not a polished product, but a better coach today than I was, you know, two, three, seven years ago. Um, so it's been immensely important to my overall development and the teams and the players that have been in my care.

SPEAKER_03 41:53

Well, as you know, I deliver coaching education uh courses through United Soccer coaches. I've done so for many, many years, I say proudly. And um, I don't think there's a course that goes by where or I don't share with the with the candidates the following. And that is um the players are students, the coach is a teacher, and the field is a classroom. And all of the things that make for a dynamic teaching learning environment in any school, in any subject, are the same things that have to manifest themselves out on the field. Um, and I really try to get that across to people that you're a teacher. That's why I'm always you know harping on the word teacher of the game, teaching, and getting the connection between what happens, I guess from an academic sense, for the lack of better words, and what happens in the athletic sense, for they are indeed the exact same thing. And um, I want to echo, you know, a couple of things you you shared there, you know, joysticking. Um there are times, and I do so gracefully and I do so professionally, um, you know, we'll tell a coach to shut up. Shut up. Uh just keep your eyes and your ears open and see what's happening before you in terms of what the players are doing. And then you can discern, you know, what what coaching point you might make. And when you do make a coaching point, don't spoon feed them. Use the synocratic method, question and answer. Have them sort it out on their heads because when they do that, they retain it more, they go out, um, and and and all the studies and research bear this out. They have a tendency to solve the problem on their own. You're just a facilitator, you're the you're the uh the person who's guiding them toward the ultimate answer, which they will they will get on their own through trial and error out in the out in uh in play. So, you know, I'm pontificating and I apologize, but you're spot on, my friend, in terms of uh you know, getting away from the joysticking and taking more of an approach for being player centric and not being coach centric. So that's that's my that's my uh sermon for today, dude. Mike, so I apologize. Um let's let's um you you wear two hats, and you're a great person to talk to here about this. The competition, if there is any, between kids. Playing high school versus playing playing uh club soccer, you know as well as I do. There was a time there where you know there was a mandate and you you know you you play club and you couldn't play high school and that type of thing, but that has since changed. What are your thoughts about the dynamics between kids who are playing high school and kids are playing club? Is there competition? Are you seeing, are you sensing, are you hearing that there's situations where a high school coach may, you know, may teach a kid or players one thing, and then all of a sudden their club coach is saying the opposite, or you're getting, well, my club coach says we shouldn't do that. Well, my high school coach says we shouldn't do that. What are your thoughts on the the landscape that includes high school soccer and club soccer?

SPEAKER_05 44:40

Yeah, that's a good question. Interesting landscape. Um having sort of you know being in both environments, um, I don't see a difference in the way I teach the game to my high school athletes, to my my club athletes, but I I do know um that there's this ever-growing idea that, you know, sort of high school soccer is more, you know, equated to old school Route 1, kick, chase, um, kind of a more brute style of play, and where you know, a lot of people then see the club game as the antithesis, where it's more, you know, get the ball down, play. We're we're we're teaching the game and we're you know building out of the back and we're high pressing, and and I think there that's a it can be there's some truth, but there's there's also some some real um there's some some just some misconceptions there too, where I think um I I I think there's just a misconception. I think there's a lot of really talented high school coaches out there. I think um, you know, ones who are great teachers in the classroom and therefore, you know, are great teachers of the game because they understand their role and you know how they are meant to um sort of relay the information to their athletes. What I think, you know, kind of the biggest difference in those two environments is how you train and how frequent you train. And I think the high school game is set up where it's you you don't have a lot of time on on the field to train in a more um sort of traditional sense. You have some some weeks, two games, three games a week, if you have any, you know, issues with buses, fields, weather, whatever you might be playing sometimes four, and then you have the mandated one day off. So, you know, with the current sort of uh the way the sports science kind of says is you need to be, you know, the the physical load, the cognitive load, all those things that the you know the the measures you're supposed to take, you simply had the high school schedule's not set up to to even remotely um adhere to those guidelines. So it's a really unique challenge um where a lot of what we do is, you know, a lot of what I've been starting to do in the high school game is is utilizing the film we have. And, you know, sort of saying, okay, after a uh we have a Tuesday, Thursday, so Wednesday we're gonna spend, you know, maybe half hour, an hour on the grass, you know, kind of maybe doing some recovery work, some small side stuff. And then we're gonna head up to the library and we're gonna watch, we're gonna review, I'm gonna pull some clips from the from you know, Tuesday's game. I'm gonna, you know, split the the kids into groups. I'm gonna, you know, then say, you know, I want you to identify which principle this clip um kind of adheres to in our game model, and then I want you to kind of look at the positives, things we did well, things we could have done better, and then s come up and present on it. And um, and I found that work has been really rewarding, really beneficial to you know, sort of the understanding of the game, and you know, sort of kind of meets us where we're lacking with time on the grass, we can do more in the classroom, where on the other side of it, with the the um club world, you don't necessarily have that home base. You know, you're trading maybe at two different fields throughout the week, you don't have access to a classroom, you don't have access to, you know, some of that technology, so you're you know, you're doing more because you know the players have, you know, the the the physical load is broken up more so you can do more, but you're not necessarily getting that whole group together and going through, you know, Saturday's game, Sunday's game, and kind of, you know, so I've set up some different things for the kids to do, more individualized, where it's just, you know, me and them kind of working, you know, they'll send me clips that identify some things they did well, some things they didn't do so well, and I'll give my feedback on that too. Um, but it it sort of is different and not as beneficial when you have the whole group together and you can kind of get them collaborating. So I think there's a a misconception, you know, a serious misconception that the club world and the the club soccer game is is better than the high school game. Because I've seen, you know, I've I've been to some national events where I see teams from around the country, um, from Iowa, from Texas, from California, who play the same Route 1 buffet, you know, to the to the big, tall, strong, fast striker and see what happens, you know. So I I I think really what it all depends is not high school versus club, more so, you know, are we are we getting opportunities for coaches to get in the classroom to you know continue their education, make it you know, make it feasible for them to um pursue more educational opportunities. And um, you know, I I don't know if we're quite doing that as a as a country, as a you know, as a federation at the moment. I think that's kind of where we lack in terms of the cohesion.

SPEAKER_03 50:26

Yeah, you're spot on. It's a great answer. Uh you it sounds like you're doing a wonderful job in terms of keeping the team together, but getting them in scenarios where, for example, being in the classroom where there's obviously no physical load taking place, it's a chance to recover physically, but still engaging them, you know, with with some video. And then I love the fact that you you put the kids together in groups and um have them figure out what what just transpired on a video clip. That is fantastic. Um and yeah, it's a challenge, Mike, you know, to find time to let them let them recover. Um and that's a problem across the board, not just not to uh specific to high school or to club or even college for that matter. There's just too many games being played and not enough time to recover uh and not enough time to to teach the next thing that that needs to be that needs to be addressed. Um and as far as uh you know the Route One approach, that's coach-centric. That's just all, hey, I'm just gonna loop it up upfield and we're gonna give it to Johnny or Janie because she's big or fast, he's big and fast, and we're gonna win, you know, one of two to nothing because we've got that kid. And that's and that should have been gone with the dinosaur days. I mean, when I first had a coaching, that was the norm. That was the norm. Uh there's not enough time on our show here today for me to share with you some stories uh of things that I witnessed uh back in those back in those days. But uh no, you're you're spot on, my friend, uh, in terms of how you handle it. And that's great advice to the folks um folks listening. So let's let's wrap this up with a with a broad question, and maybe I should have started this at the opening, but I we had a chance to chat now. Mike, what are the what are the strengths and what are the weaknesses, generally speaking, of high school soccer?

SPEAKER_05 52:06

Uh strengths, I think um clearest one for me is is the sense of, and I feel like I keep harping on this, but the sense of community.

SPEAKER_06 52:17

I think the I think it's just it just means more.

SPEAKER_05 52:23

You know, I where these are the these are the kids that you grew up playing with that you were, you know, friends with, sitting next to in class, you know, you're you're kind of you're with them on an everyday basis, every single day, right? And I think it's a short jam-packed season, but you know, sort of it's it really makes if you do it right, it makes for such a fun experience because it's such a tight-knit group. Um, it brings, you know, seniors, sophomores all the way through down to front. It g it brings them all together and it it you know connects them over this common sense of the game, the love of the game of soccer, but also, you know, representing your school, your town, your yourselves with pride, with you know, with passion. And I think that's missing in the in the club game at times, where um, you know, one of the weaknesses of club soccer is you're sort of if it's not done right and there's no sort of emphasis on team cohesion, and it's just it can be a bunch of mercenaries, you know, kind of you know, hired guns where they just show up on a Tuesday, Thursday, game on Saturday, don't really know who this guy is playing next to me, but you know, hey, we're it's it's it's good competition, and then we rinse repeat, do it next week, where I think the high school games it's it it breeds a bit more competitive nature, it breeds a bit more of a team, you know, kind of we over me mentality, which I think is there's obviously so much room for individual growth, individual development within the high school game, but um I I just truly think and feel that stronger development of the individual comes through a strong team, a strong team foundation identity, you know, and without that it's hard to flourish as an individual. So to me, one of the big strengths of high school soccer is just that that sense of pride, competition, um, and like you're you're you're playing for something that I feel is so tangible. Um, you know, everyone knows you're competing for a state title, you know, every year. You have that that fresh sense of of purpose, opportunity, um, and it's a great way to kind of showcase yourself and showcase your community. Um, I think off the back of that, one of the weaknesses that we've touched upon is is the schedule itself. There's pros and cons to it all. The the packed, jam-packed nature of the you know, fall season can certainly lend itself to um a lot of injuries, a lot of um, you know, a lot of maybe burnout where the the physical load and if you're not managing those demands, which I I certainly I can put my hand up and say in my first year I I definitely got it a bit wrong. And I had, you know, at the business end that the most important stretch of the season, I had some of of our real uh, you know, important players going down with injuries. And that is a reality. A he it's it's we can, you know, we can com complain, moan, whine all we want, but you know, until it changes, we have to kind of navigate the landscape, navigate the schedule as it is, and and put forth better plans to uh to safeguard the players their physical health, their mental health, their emotional well-being.

SPEAKER_06 55:50

So I think the the schedule itself is um is a real weakness of the the high school game. Um you know, I think another big strength would be oh boy. Um I think building off of the other strength is just those bonds that you build.

SPEAKER_05 56:18

You know, some of my best friends, some of my my really good friends are are guys that I played with. The the best man of my wedding is you know we played in the in the same back line together, you know, junior, senior year. And um, you know, that's a connection that I have, and I can really kind of point to the game of soccer playing high school together as a huge foundation of our friendship. So just, you know, you you forge those those bonds, those relationships, and those will last you a lifetime um if you obviously take care of them. So I think that is something that I think is a is a massive strength to um of the of the high school game.

SPEAKER_03 56:59

Our guest today has been Mike O'Day, who's the head boys soccer coach at Norwell High School, Norwell, Massachusetts, uh member of the South Shore League, also a coach for the Boston Bolts, U-16s, U-17s. Mike, uh thanks so much for uh for taking time out of your busy day to come on the GP Soccer Podcast conversation with the coach. I hope you uh will take some time to come back on at some point.

SPEAKER_05 57:19

I would love to. Thank you so much for uh for taking the time and giving me this opportunity. It's been great, great catching up and great uh talking about the game.

SPEAKER_03 57:26

Listen, us Weymouth kids, we can't get away from each other. We can't get away from each other. I'm Giovanni Pacini. This is the GP Soccer Podcast. You've just been listening to Conversation with the Coach. We're gonna break for a commercial message and then we'll re-engage on the other side. Don't you dare go anywhere because if you do, you know how this works. I will track you down. This is Giovanni Picini, host of the GP Soccer Podcast. For a number of years, I have been passionate about promoting a method of teaching the game of soccer with what I refer to as coaching with a street soccer mentality. I have published articles, presented at the United Soccer Coaches National Convention, and have spoken on the topic both formally and informally. My quest is to share this mindset amongst those who teach the game, and it has now motivated me to offer a unique and exciting opportunity for coaches. Coaching with a street soccer mentality is now a formal four-hour class and field session program. Coaches who attend will gain insights into the importance of unstructured free play, its impact on human development, and the direct correlation on how young players learn best. The focus is primarily for grassroots level players, but the same aspects can be utilized with advanced players as well. If your soccer organization would like to save time and money while experiencing a different way of teaching the game, then contact me, Giovanni Picini, at GP4Soccer, and that's the number four at Yahoo.com.

SPEAKER_01 59:02

This is Brad Felman, voice of the New England Revolution.

SPEAKER_03 59:05

You're listening to the GP Soccer Podcast with your host, Giovanni Pacini. And welcome to the GP Soccer Podcast, Coach's Corner, where you'll find great tips and advice on how to teach the great game of soccer. This is the GP Soccer Podcast, Coach's Corner. Today's guest coach is Paul Robinson, where he'll be talking about end-of-the-season tournaments.

SPEAKER_04 59:32

This is Paul Robinson. I'm a former girls regional talent club coach with under 10s to under 14s and former boys Category 1 Academy coach with under 10s in England. Also, I'm the author of The Soccer Sessions Book, available on Amazon and through large book retailers such as Barnes Noble and Waterstones. It's my pleasure to be on the GP Soccer Podcast Coach's Corner. Today I'd like to talk about how to use end-of-season tournaments. End of season tournaments are a great opportunity to develop your squad. Feasie fence offer a unique chance to test your team skills against unfamiliar opponents, with teams travelling from various locations for a day filled with spirited competition. Your players get to challenge themselves playing against different opponents and adapt to various game situations. By playing a broader spectrum of opponents, your players gain a wealth of experience, uncovering valuable insights into their own skills and areas for improvement. It's a chance to grow, learn, and develop. I'll go through four strategic ways that you can leverage the power of these end-of-season tournaments to elevate your team's performance and foster a sense of unity that will last long after the final whistle. During end-of-season tournaments, game durations are typically shorter. This presents a perfect chance to experiment with your tactics. Take advantage of the limited time to score by trying out new attacking strategies or test your ability to defend a lead or point against a relentless opponent. It's the ideal time to get creative and see what works best for your team under pressure. Be sure to try out different formations. With shorter game durations, you can quickly assess the effectiveness of new formations and make adjustments as needed. This experimentation will give you key insights into your team's strengths and weaknesses, helping you to refine your tactics for upcoming matches. While you may not need a change of formation for the tournament, knowing which formations serve specific purposes can be a game changer down the line. Welcome new players to your team. There can be some player turnover at the end of the season. Embrace this exciting chance to integrate fresh faces into the lineup and provide them with crucial playing experience. This makes them feel welcomed and valued, and allows your team to build chemistry and cohesion with the new teammates on the field. It's a perfect opportunity to foster sense of unity in the squad. End-of-season tournaments are not just about the games, they're a chance for your team to bond and have fun together. With a variety of activities like food, fairground games and rides, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Take advantage of this perfect opportunity to strengthen team bonds by organising a meal and encouraging your players to spend time together off the field. Building these connections enhances team spirit and creates lasting memories for your players. End of season tournaments offer you a valuable opportunity to enhance your team's performance in various ways. By experimenting with tactics and formations, you can fine-tune your strategies and adapt to different game scenarios. Introducing new players during these tournaments allows the team to grow and develop while fostering a sense of unity amongst your players. Use the day to help strengthen team bonds and friendship away from a game. Embracing these strategies sets the stage for future achievement. Leveraging the unique setting of end-of-season tournaments, you can inspire your team to reach new heights and achieve their full potential.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:49

So as I I kind of teased at the opening uh of the show, uh I did indeed attend the Copa America final in Miami, Florida this past summer. Um and I I took some audio um while while while down there for for the total uh intent of of sharing here on the show, uh, you know, when it opened up uh you know the for for season 11 here. Uh what I didn't know going toward the stadium and being in the stadium and uh what what transpired. So I'm going to share with you um three segments of audio that I took while I was down at Copra America and then offer up some some uh some comments on on the other side. So uh here's my first recording um of my experience at Copa America. Yeah. I had every intention of maybe connecting with you while I was still uh in the stadium or getting out of the stadium, but uh circumstances change in the respect that uh my friend and colleague and I who attended the game, we just felt compelled that it was uh really important that we get not only out of the stadium but out of the area. Um and I and I wanted to share with you kind of firsthand what I personally witnessed, um to certainly kind of give you some chronology from when I reported to you um uh uh the the last uh recording that I had made. Um you know, before I kind of hit the record button here in my hotel room, I I went online to get any more information regarding what has transpired. And I did indeed share with you that part of the uh heightened presence of of uh homeland security and obvious uh use of some serious firearms that had to do um, you know, with with the presence of of high-level dignitaries uh at the Copramica uh subsequently, you know, the the need of uh heightened security. Um but I've also come to realize that there was there was an odd slot of people uh crashing through the gates, climbing the walls, climbing through air ducts. Uh I I read in a couple of posts uh in my short time here in the hotel room trying to get into the stadium, therefore uh local officials did indeed close the stadium down, uh, which is what I reported to my last connection. Uh when the gates did open, uh I was amongst the masses and uh had no choice but to be pushed shut uh into the stadium, um and you couldn't stop. If you stopped, you were trampled, and people were trampled. Uh I had to go up to an upper level. I was on an escalator, uh, at the top of which um I was pressed against a wall. It was not stampled, uh trampled upon, but pinned against a wall and couldn't move off the wall, and was able to eventually make myself to the end of the wall. Uh not until my right arm came uh lastly and got a little beat up because of the amount of humanity trying to do the same thing. I made it up there with some bumps and bruises, but okay. My friend and colleague did make it up um unscathed. We made it to our seats. Uh fortunately, there was no one sitting in our seats because that was indeed an issue that you all know by now. Um and we were able to enjoy the game. We were able to sit in the game. But prior to that happening, my my we we looked at each other and basically said, what the heck just transpired? And we both came to the very quick realization that no one checked our tickets when we get in. It was a it was literally impossible. There was a stampede. There were no metal detectors, so there was no security uh relative to the thousands of people that made their way into the stadium. And that was a moment for us of a bit of horror uh because of those two factors put together, and any number of things could have happened. Fortunately, uh it did not, at least from our own perspective. Um getting out was no easy task. Um trying to find our way to get an Uber was no easy task. But very long story short, we did indeed get a get a driver and get back to the hotel, and again, we're we're approaching, you know, like say about three o'clock in the morning. Um an amazing event. I've been to uh soccer matches literally around the world. Never have have I experienced something such as this uh from my my my first literally steps going toward the stadium, which you heard in my first report with such exuberance. I was just it was an amazing uh situation to my second recording where things had changed, uh the the the whole atmosphere had changed to now back in my hotel room to give you a a final uh report, a final perspective. Uh it ran the gamut. It ran the gamut. Um the cutting ball, cock a calf, the the uh you know, the the partners, if you will, that have put together this tournament. Uh I'm gonna take a hard look at uh why these things took place, wasn't it why there wasn't uh sufficient enough security to have kept uh things in order, that remains to be seen. That remains to be seen. And when uh that all happens, you know what will happen. You'll hear it here in the GP Soccer Podcast. So, ladies and gentlemen, back in here I'm here, back in my hotel room, safe and sound. Um I'm gonna take a shower and I'm gonna jump into bed and get some much needed rest. Giovanni Piccini here, GP Soccer Podcast. So there you have it, folks. Uh a literal firsthand account of what transpired at Copra America this past summer down in Miami, Florida. Uh and as I noted, what what started out to be uh a what appeared to be a joyous, exuberant uh crowd, um it changed dramatically the closer we got to the stadium and changed even more dramatically as uh tensions flared because of the gates being closed, and then once they once the gates were open, it was literally a f a you know a flood of humanity uh crashing its way uh through people, over people, around people to get into the stadium. Uh fortunately we got into our seats. It was a wonderful game, an absolutely wonderful game. Uh which was, you know, which is always always nice, uh certainly. And then uh again made our way back to the hotel room. So um I hope you found that interesting. Uh again, as I noted in that last um sh uh segment, um I've been to games aro literally around the world, around the world. And I have to say this was the first time I I I really felt like my my physical wellness, if you will, was was being threatened a little bit. Uh obviously everything turned out fine. Um But again, putting a cap on this, uh, you know, with the 2026 World Cup coming up, uh a lot a lot of things need to be kind of sorted out, I guess, and I'm sure I'm sure they will. So, anyways, Giovanni Pacini at GP Soccer Podcast. Next up, the year report with Ralph Rigno, our new uh contributing uh uh host for the European Soccer Report. Don't you dare go anywhere.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:31

In the coming weeks, I'm planning to provide you all with weekly updates on the sport that we all love. The beautiful game as the great Pelle once labeled it. In some parts of the world it's called football, in this country it's called soccer. But whatever you want to call it, there's always going to be a lot to discuss, and I hope you will join me every week as we go through different aspects of the game. As you can hear from my accent, I am not a native Bostonian. Originally, I grew up in Liverpool, England, one of the great soccer hotbeds in the world. The city boasts two very historic and famous football clubs. The Reds of Liverpool and the Blues of Everton. As I grew up, it was very hard to ignore this rivalry and the passion that existed within the city for the two teams and the game. I fell in love with football and that motivated me greatly to come over and coach in this country back in the 70s. Yes, 46 years. It only seems like yesterday though that I started. What I've done is I pointed out ten signposts. What they are are years significant to my coaching career in this country, and then parallel them with how the game of soccer was in America at that particular time. Number one, 1978. That summer I worked on just a regular summer camp down towards the Cape and was charged with trying to start a soccer program. The kids at the camp came from various towns throughout the Greater Boston area. Some towns had youth programs for soccer and some didn't. And that was reflected in the kids that I worked with. Some had an idea and some had never even seen a soccer ball before. That's where the game was for young kids at that particular time. Professionally, Pelle had just retired. About a year earlier, he had finished playing with the New York Cosmos, and there was still a little bit of a Halo effect, and there was some sport. Some NASL games were shown on television. Number two, 1982. For the following years, I started to work on soccer camps. Now this was different because obviously the children going to these camps were playing soccer, whether it was youth soccer or high school soccer. And what I saw from 79 through to 82 was just the growth within the soccer camp industry. And in 1982, I was working on the West Coast at Santa Barbara University, and the camp was massive. And it was particularly memorable because it coincided with the 1982 World Cup. And this was the first time that I started to see American kids get excited about the professional game. Number three. In 1983, I did move over to this country as a master's degree candidate down in Westchester, Pennsylvania. I was a grad assistant with the with the men's and women's soccer team while I was taking my degree. And here I experienced for the first time just how popular the sport was becoming within the college environment. College soccer was definitely growing. And was becoming an important part of the American soccer scene. Sadly, however, it coincided with the death of the NASL in 1985, just before I graduated. So on the one hand it's growing, on the other hand, it had died. Number four. In 1986, I moved up to New Hampshire with a part-time assistant coaching job at Dartmouth College. I was working with the legendary Scottish coach Bobby Clark, and obviously this certainly enhanced my college coaching experience after Westchester. However, what was very significant was because we only coached during the fall, we started to look for opportunities to coach winter and spring. Consequently, we worked with a lot of the youth soccer associations which were in the Upper Valley area of Dartmouth College, forming a soccer club, a local soccer league, and also a Memorial Day tournament. We started off the first year with maybe like 50 to 60 kids, but by the time that I left Dartmouth four or five years later, we had over a thousand, and this reflected just the massive growth in interest at the youth level towards the sport. Number five. In 1986, I became involved with the Olympic Development Programme. The OGP program was a way to develop teams to compete in the Olympic Games. And in this particular era, with the women's side of the game especially, it was critical in developing players for the national teams. Over times perhaps it's changed, but OGP was a very important part of my development as a coach and also in the growth of competitive soccer in this country. And I stayed with the program for 20 years, 86 to 2006. So it was something that I very much enjoyed. And along the way, I coached several players that played for national teams, both men and women, including Jeff Cameron, who played for many years in the English Premier League. Number six. Again, I was very involved with soccer outside of the university as we only coached in the fall. And one thing that cropped up along the way was we we became very involved with the Women's World Cup of 91, hosting a game between the national teams of the USA and Norway only months before they would meet again in the World Cup final. It was attended by 4,000 fans, which at the time was a record attendance for a women's international game for the USA. Of course, that's laughable when you think about how the game has developed since then, but that's how it was at that particular time. Number seven. Boston was one of the host places for the World Cup. The World Cup was a great success in terms of attendance and brought a visibility to the sport that it previously lacked. Obviously, we were going to the games down in Foxborough, and amongst them were the final games of the great Diego Maradona for Argentina. Number eight. The sum total of all these different things that were happening was in 1995, Major League Soccer was formed. American players were able to play there and were becoming good enough to go and play in Europe, South America, and beyond. I mentioned Jeff Cameron before, and he was just one of many who ventured away from these shores and had success playing abroad. Number nine, club soccer has now risen to massive levels of participation. There are so many clubs, so many teams, professionally run, and I think it's a matter for future discussion in one of these, whether the pay-to-play soccer works in terms of producing players, but in terms of visibility, it's been massive for the growth of the game. Number 10 is the future. Everything has grown, the visibility of the sport, there's so much soccer on television now because of the popularity, and there are two World Cups on the horizon. A Club World Cup next year, next summer, and in 2026, the next men's World Cup. Soccer is here to stay and has grown tremendously from the early days of 1978 when I first coached in this country. I look forward to talking to you all next week. This is Ralph signing off.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:38

Many thanks to Ralph Riggell for his debut here at the GP Soccer Podcast. He will be now hosting the European uh soccer report, and I know you're gonna look forward to and enjoy uh future segments coming from Ralph. So as I noted to you in the opening part of the show, uh a new uh element, aspect, uh segment, if you will, of the show will be the American Soccer Revolution. We are in need of an American soccer revolution, uh, in particular in the area of both coach and but in particular uh you know player development. I want to share with you um a little piece here um uh from uh Landon Dunovan, who was on Alexi Lawless's recent State of the Union podcast, and he was asked about a variety of things, not the least of which is you know the upcoming uh appointment of Mauricio Poquetino uh as the uh next uh uh coach of the U.S. men's national team. And he he talks um briefly here about there's no guarantee that a a player, uh a coach, if you will, of his stature has any real guarantee of of things changing. Uh he was asked as well if he he had interest in coaching a national team, and he was very emphatic in saying, sure, I'd love to. Uh but the but the problem with coaching at the professional level and certainly at the international level is as he says, quote, the challenge with coaching is you're hired to be fired, and you have to move every year, uh, two years, three years, four years sometimes. And as he says, right now in my life, I don't want to do that to my family, and I and I can't say I I blame him at all. Uh the the the single biggest thing that uh he he talks about here uh is is player development uh and and how how much of a an absolute disaster. Um as he notes here, quote, the big picture issue with U.S. soccer on the men's side is with youth development, quote, how many players from our squad would have gotten onto France or England or Spain, the Netherlands squads in the Euros? And if I was being completely honest, not a ton. All those squads left really good players at home, and we don't have that, quote unquote, that problem yet. Uh Donovan then reflected on his direct experience inside the environment of youth soccer in the United States as a parent, saying it's an absolute disaster. Quote, my kids are in youth soccer, and I see the youth soccer environment, well, it's a disaster. It's an absolute disaster. The kids are developing because they're spending time with the ball and doing things, but not nearly at the rate that it could be. It's wasteful. It's really wasteful. He goes on to say it's a cultural problem in the United States. One thing that is amazing about America is that we want to win and be the best at everything. The problem is that it trickles down to six-year-old soccer games. But the emphasis for a six-year-old should not on should should be on getting better, not winning soccer games. This coaches that I hear say, this coach we're coaching against next week is our arch nemesis, and we have to win this game. And and he's coaching seven-year-olds. I'm thinking, what the hell is wrong with you? So, you know, again, it's not just yours truly, Giovanni Pacini, uh, who has had issues with youth development in this in this country. It's a major problem, and it's been going on way too long. And um it's there's no easy fix. And you know, it's like trying to change the direction of a of a of a massive cruise ship. You just can't say, okay, we're gonna turn right, and it just spins to the right. It is arduous, it is slow as you move something of of that size to one direction or the other. First thing it's gotta go is pay to play. And don't tell me, don't tell me it can't be done. It can be done. Pay to play can be done away with, and we can still create environments where where kids can go and play without parents have to doling out heck, thousands of dollars. It can't happen. The issue that we have to confront in the United States of America, this is the land of capitalism, where you can come here and start a business, you can do anything you want for that matter, and make a buck at it. Okay? Not a bad thing, not a bad thing. But if we're talking in 10 in terms of the of the more purist approach, a more sincere approach, a more uh focused approach on developing great international players, it's got to go. It's got to go. So at the end of the GP Soccer podcast, there's gonna be an American revolution from yours truly, as well as for the voices of other people. Today was Landon Donovan about the need to address the serious disaster, as quoted by Lannon Donovan, that is player development. So there you have it, folks. My goodness, season 11, episode one is in the books. That's our show for today. If you like what you hear, and goodness knows, I hope you did, please tell everyone. Remember, you can follow the GP Soccer Podcast all over social media, and new episodes are available every Wednesday morning. Now, don't listen, don't forget to check out my website at GPSoccerPodcast.com. And if you're interested in advertising on the show, then email me at GP4Soccer. That's the number four at Yahoo.com. This is your host, out of breath, Giovanni Pacini, and I will catch you later.