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Chasing the Game: Youth Soccer in America is a weekly podcast for soccer parents, coaches, and players who want to understand how youth soccer development really works in the United States.
Hosted by two dads, filmmaker Liron Unreich and investor Matt Tartaglia, the show covers everything from grassroots soccer to elite pathways like MLS NEXT and ECNL. Combining data, real experience, and expert insights from academy directors, college coaches, and former pros, each episode explains what families truly need to know.
Weekly episodes focus on the core aspects of youth soccer: player development, coaching culture, college recruiting, tryouts, travel costs, and the challenges of parenting in youth sports in today’s competitive environment.
For families navigating youth soccer’s complex system, Chasing the Game offers practical advice, credible voices, and relatable stories from two dads working to make sense of American player development, one episode at a time.
Hey parents, who told you winning is not important?
Well, I've got news for you.
And I got news for Lee, yeah.
That that that guy next to me, too.
It is important.
And a great club has been built with that in mind.
Not winning at all costs, not screaming from the sideline, but the version of winning we
sometimes get afraid to say out loud.
It's called competition.
Do you hear that, Lee?
You want the spot?
You want to be uncomfortable?
Mm-hmm.
Well.
If you're not if you don't want those things, the game's gonna go by without you.
Bad news.
Because every club can say pathway, every club can say development.
But Cedar Stars is in a market where MLS Academies and College Scouts are always part of
the conversation.
So the question gets sharper.
Why Cedar Stars?
And how do you keep your best players and what kind of players survived in that room?
Yeah, and today we're talking to uh Juan Santamaria, sporting director and vice president
at Cedar Stars Academy.
He gets into players who have to chase their own college process, the harder question of
how you motivate a kid who already has everything.
And he's very direct about things like a lot of parents need to hear.
You know, do not be afraid of competition.
Do not let anyone tell you winning is not part the path for growth.
Sometimes the wrong environment is not where your kid struggles, it's where your kid gets
too comfortable.
Hey Lee, you know what the name of the show is?
Chasing the Game, Youth Soccer in America.
You know what we're gonna try to do, Lee, you and I?
We're gonna try to win.
Liron: Juan, welcome to
Chasing the Game, my friend.
I wanna start with your connection to
the area, and this is for parents who are
listening to this who don't really know.
what a sporting director does.
A sporting director at
Cedar Star is a big thing.
Um, I wanna talk about your path
into the game, um, your soccer
landscape, the player you were.
Juan: Y- yeah.
So I grew up in the area.
I grew up in Newark, New Jersey.
So, obviously
been in,
in New Jersey,
basically my whole life.
I, I was fortunate
enough to go to St. Benedict's Prep
in Newark, obviously a national
powerhouse i- in terms of football.
was able to
go there, and then from there went on
to play in
college
at, Rider
University, small mid-major
in, Lawrenceville, New Jersey.
and then
from there,
I just, stay- stayed with the football,
right?
I knew that,
the next level probably wasn't
the best choice for me
at the time
and, I really wanted to
get into football 'cause I
love the sport.
but at
that time, and this we're talking, we're
talking early around 2008 or so, it
was still-- Football was still growing
in New Jersey in the metropolitan area.
It's not what it was,
what it is obviously has
become now.
and
really went back to actually teaching.
So I went back
to actually
the alma mater and started teaching.
And while I was teaching is when
I started, coaching part-time.
so I, I
started coaching part-time.
I
was at PDA for many years.
and again,
at the time I was doing,
three jobs actually.
I was teaching, I was coaching
at PDA, but I was also assistant
Division I coach at
St. Peter's University.
So I was doing, I was young, I was
hungry.
I
just wanted to be
around the game
and
I was learning it from
some great football minds and
some g- very well-connected people
in the area.
uh, that's how I started.
So 13 years still, still here and, uh,
you know, happy that, we've been, you
know, we've been
doing so well.
Liron: well.
bravo for that
Lee: wow.
wow.
So, um, Juan, as you look back from
being a player to being a coach to now
being an academy leader, what do you see?
it differently
Juan: as
a coach, you
know, we built the club
and as we, we coached, our
main focus was
to build the
club, and our main focus
was, our relationship
with families.
football in the youth, youth market
in the United States is very much
a customer
service industry.
So you have to make sure
you're available to families,
especially
in the, in the
pay-to-play model
world
that we
live in and many clubs are.
as
you guys know very well,
is that
it's a very, it's become very, you know,
you know, cutthroat and, and
competitive within teams in in the area.
So
how do we keep players from leaving?
How do we attract players
for coming?
know,
the goal as a, as a coach was really
to have a good, uh, understanding
of the market and good relationship
with families that, you know, hey,
listen, s- telling them, "This
is, this is
gonna grow.
This is gonna grow.
Development is massively important.
the training, has to
be competitive,
has to be intense.
and again, it's word of
mouth as well.
if you're doing a good job, results start
coming.
families
know each other, and it's everything
six degrees of separation really.
and they start speaking and,
unhappy families, maybe in other
sides that wanna try
something new
and, and they wanna
come over.
So from a coaching side,
it was a lot of that.
And now as
a director side, it's really
supporting the staff with all this,
and
just really being an earpiece
for them to really have, okay,
what are you looking for?
Oh, we, we're losing all these players
this year, to Red Bull and NYCFC.
How do we rebuild?
Well,
we
need to do
different
types of identification, sessions.
Do we know any of our
current players that have,
former
players that they were in
other clubs that have, that are
potentially looking to leave?
Do we have any relations with,
with,
other coaches from maybe, not MLS
Next clubs that are really
wi- willing
to push their players, on to
play at the MLS NEXT level?
So it's really
a bit of a change from coaching to
director.
The only thing is that you're not on
the field on a day-to-day,
but you're still
very much
involved with, with helping, the staff
grow their team and grow themselves
as coaches.
Liron: So because of your path and y-
your experience, and 13 years at the
same place I'm sure you've seen also the
needs of the parents and the kids change
as the landscape started to change.
Do you, because you came from such
a varied background, do you have an
understanding of what families in our
market feel as they see things change?
Juan: I think we're fortunate w-
in the area that we're in, right?
It's such a, it's such a hotbed of talent.
So, you know, where maybe some
players, you know, don't fit into
the, the MLS teams of a NYCFC or, or
a Philly Union or a Red Bull, they're
still going to compete with us and
they're still very good players.
But for us, they'll be very good.
And listen, all the teams around
our area, as you guys know, I mean,
between us, Gotchee, MetOval, New
York Soccer Club, it's so competitive.
There's so many good teams, coaches
are great, the players are good, and
it's, and the level is fantastic.
So it's always gives us
good competitive games.
I, I think the parent education
part is really important.
I think what we're doing now, and I, and
I think in my role, what I feel we've
done well in the past couple years, is
as we've gained the full pathway and, and
we've been able to have successful teams,
we've also been able to, send guys to
really good collegiate programs, right?
So I think that when families see that,
I think it gives them a little bit of
a, an understanding and an idea that,
"Hey, we're here to really promote
and help, help your child, you know,
go to the next level," whether that's
professional, whether that's collegiate.
Obviously for us, the majority of
the time it's collegiate, right?
for those select few that go the
professional route, you know, we're here
to support, whether there's relationships
that we have fostered with, with pro
clubs, domestically and internationally.
I think our relationships with various
universities around the country
has grown stronger, and that's, uh,
obviously a massive credit to the
staff, but also because the players
that we're getting are good, right?
Lee: you mentioned losing
players to NYCFC and Red Bulls.
Would you say that they've graduated
to that program instead of saying
you've l- you've lost them?
Juan: I think it's a
little bit of both, right?
I mean, listen, you never
like to see players go.
And listen, we have a relationship
with both Red Bull and with NYCFC,
and we speak to them frequently,
and they reach out about players.
I think there always needs to
be a, an understanding, right?
We try to really be honest with
our players, and our families.
if you want to leave us to go to Red
Bull or NYCFC, we're in a position
where we can say… if you're not a
pro right now, and if you you're gonna
be a collegiate player, that's my
understanding, you should stick around
another year and see what happens.
because if you're good, if they want
you right now, you're only gonna get
better, you're good enough later on.
we try to really work with the clubs
with this, with, with NYC and Red
Bull, and, and not just them, other,
other, you know, other teams as well
that we've been working on r- recently.
And a lot of the times, the, the staff
in those MLS clubs take, take our
advice when we go, "Listen, we see
these guys day in and day out. I know
you've seen them once or twice and
you think they look good, but trust
me, I don't think they're ready yet."
Uh, and then a lot of the times
they go, "Yeah, you know what?
We'll, we'll take, we'll take your
advice. We'll keep watching, and then
we'll see what happens next year."
Liron: But what's, what makes me curious
speaking to you, and what's unique
about this interview, is that you have
been in the same area for, again, I'm
gonna go back to this idea of 13 years.
So you've seen this
landscape change immensely.
The, the… What Lee was asking about
didn't really exist 10 years ago.
I mean, it, it wasn't what it is today.
So can you, can you talk a little bit
about that so people will just, some,
some people understand this kind of
progress or change in American youth
soccer that has happened in the last
10 years in, in our area specifically?
Juan: listen, it's,
it's changed massively.
Obviously, the, from the DA days and
now to the MLS NEXT, like, look at
all the teams that are gaining, are
getting MLS NEXT, franchises, right?
So now we can say that it's a positive,
but we can also say that it could very
well be diluting the product a little bit
So then, you know, what we're
seeing right now is a lot of guys that
maybe are 14, 15, 16 on our roster, let's
say at a U19 level, will leave and go
to a new club that's formed, maybe, you
know, 45 minutes away, and they'll go
because they're new, and they'll start
right away not knowing that, from a
recruiting standpoint, you're passing
up on being on Cedar Stars, which is
every year sending guys to pretty good
schools, and it has a lot of eyes on them
from collegiate scouts to a brand new
team that's still trying to get going.
So, so it's that it's changed completely.
I mean, soccer's grown so
much for the past 10 years.
it's absurd how much it's grown.
it is very different.
I do… I mean, it is very different
from what it was 10 years ago.
Lee: Now, would you say that being that
you're from Bergen County, that because
of the dense location of where you are,
that you have a vast amount of talent
that you can pull from, that your talent
pool is really vast versus, say, someone
who lives in the Midwest, so to speak?
Juan: Yeah, 100%.
Like I said, I think
we're fortunate, right?
Where we're located in, the Bergen County.
There's so many good
players in Jersey, New York.
I mean, we get kids from, from the
Bronx and Brooklyn that take the buses
to come in to, to play, to play for
us, and it's, you know, it's like
a 45-minute bus ride, and they get
there, we are very fortunate.
We're in a melting pot, right?
Where we have such a wide array
of, of people and backgrounds.
the demographic's huge, so we're really
lucky that we're able to get all,
all these different types of talent.
So, I mean, you're 100% right.
Liron: So I, you know, we had academy
directors here, we had coaches, we
didn't have a sporting director.
can you define that for us as families and
parents so we'll know who to complain to
when, when after we, we understand that?
Juan: So for us, because a-as much
as we've grown with the different
locations, our club right now
is around 2,500 players, right?
in terms of all the Cedar Stars locations.
right now Cedar Stars Bergen
is having great success with
great players and great teams.
but we have, the Hudson Valley, we
have Monmouth, we have Staten Island.
the North also involves Newark as well.
and then, we have Ocean and
now we have, we have Atlantic.
it's a lot.
So as we continue to grow, one of
the things that, that falls under my,
responsibilities is really just like, all
right, what are we doing for these players
maybe that other clubs don't have in place
in terms of are we setting up, the proper
player pathway to attract players to come
to us as opposed to maybe s-somebody else?
So obviously focusing on the MLS NEXT,
for instance, most of the guys know, "Hey,
listen, you come here, there's this player
pathway." We have a relationship with the
college, with… We have college nights.
We have invite college
coaches to come and speak.
We have, we have, um, we work
with, sports recruits where all our
players have this access to this.
we do everything we can i-in
terms of, brochures and QR
codes for all our players.
and then obviously as we've grown
and we have obviously relationships
with different pro clubs, right?
So speaking to different pro
clubs about players, whether
it's here or internationally.
So a lot of that stuff falls to me,
and I do speak to parents, in terms
of, not-- can't speak to all the
parents, it's impossible, right?
But to a few parents that, need help,
we set up time to, to discuss the,
the next steps of your child's career
,
Liron: How do you choose who are the
few parents that need help to talk to?
'Cause they all need help.
Do you shake like a bowl with numbers
and, uh, which was, was, was my idea
Juan: it's, it's really, you know,
it, it's funny, we really always,
we always have a college night.
when we, do the college night, we always
speak about, obviously a lot of the
recruiting part and stuff going on is
really player-driven nowadays, right?
The college coaches really wanna
see the players driving this.
They wanna see that the players
are, are doing their job,
they're doing their research.
I'm here to, to guide them, to guide
them and to guide the families.
we spend a lot of time, especially
my- with the top-end guys.
we have to be realistic where we, where
we put our time and efforts, right?
There's so many players, everybody finds
a home, but we put our time into the top
guys because, we're trying to send guys
to these ACC, Big Ten, Big East schools,
and we've been fortunate the past three
years, we have been sending them there.
But, their first look isn't Cedar
Stars, or wasn't three years ago.
Now the landscape's changed a little
bit, and we've had success with our
older teams, where now guys are going,
"Okay, wow, we gotta keep looking at
these guys." Where before it would
really be like, "Well, we're just gonna
look at, Red Bull, NYCFC, Philly Union,
and then we'll pick off those guys."
Now it's been, "Hey, there's been
success in the club." players have,
have, have come from us and have
done well, and then have gone to
college for one year or two years
and, are now playing, gotten drafted.
we've had five draft picks in
the past three years, so you
know, it's first-rounders.
So, and that's, that's a testament
to the club a- and to the hard work,
so the hard work that the club does.
So we need to focus on those guys and
have those conversations with coaches
and families when families call and say,
"Hey, listen, I really think I can do
this." And then you have to have those
honest conversations that no parent
wants to have when they call you, "Hey,
I think my son can play at Wake Forest."
And I go, "Well, I don't think
he can." and I, and it's kind of
diverting them and educating them that,
listen, this is might not be for him.
don't go crazy going, trying to
throw all your eggs in your basket
to go here when there's plenty of
other options that you can have.
Here's what you should look at.
And then it's kinda just guiding
them that way in terms of, in
terms of where you should go, where
is the next steps of your lives.
So it's just having those open, honest
conversations with the families.
Liron: That sounds like so much fun.
Juan: Yeah.
Some, some, some, some, conversations
are, are a lot more fun than
others, I'll just put it that way.
I try to be very honest, 'cause I don't
wanna beat around the bush with the,
with the families and tell them, "Yeah,"
you know, when a lot of them come in.
But, you know, uh, to be honest with you,
past, past couple years, families that,
you know, we have these college nights
and we bring in college coaches and, and
I'm very open and, and honest with them.
I think they see, "Okay, well, this
guy's pretty serious about this. I'm
not gonna call him to, to waste…"
He kinda puts it the way it is.
Like, "Do not call me if you, you
know, if you have a-- if you're not
playing on a U19 team right now,
you're, uh, like number 60 on the
roster and you're asking me that,
'Hey, I really wanna play at Clemson.'"
You know, it's like I… And I really
try to, paint that picture early on for
them so that they don't, they're, "Okay,
I'm not gonna call this guy a thousand
times and, and and try to waste his time,"
'cause that's doesn't work, you know?
Liron: parents, I've learned that it's
not just about the kids at this point.
Parents have to educate themselves
as well, and it's if you're putting
your kid, especially at the level
that Cedar is and in our area, these
clubs demand, parents can't just be
bystanders, uh, and on the other hand,
can't just make random demi- uh, demands.
They really have to educate
themselves in that process, So
Juan: Yeah.
Correct
Lee: So, uh, director, I wanna go
back to part where you s- mentioned
about, you know, choosing your top
players and the players that you've
decided that are gonna go pro.
Is there a metric that you guys are
using to separate the cream of the crop?
Like, how do you as a director go about
dec- deciding this player or these five
players are gonna be the ones that we're
gonna push and prolong their career?
Juan: I mean, listen, like,
like I always say, our reason
that we have the preliminary
meetings during preseason, right?
And August comes in when guy-- w-
when players are getting signed or
we know players that are leaving.
we kind of have an idea of which
guys are our top end guys, right?
We know these guys are gonna
be top collegiate prospects
and we map it out, right?
And we have these-- we have
weekly meetings, right?
We have a weekly meeting where we talk
about, "Hey, which player is playing here?
Which player needs to play up?
Which player needs to train up?" So
all those conversations we have, and
then we know and which guys, "Hey,
listen, this guy's…" and we go, "Okay,
this guy is a solid college player.
This kid's a top collegiate player,
a Power Five player, and this guy's
on the pro track right now." So
we know which guys are which, and
majority aren't on that, right?
we have to focus on those guys that
are gonna help us, help-- keep helping
the club, putting the club on the
map, but also they're gonna continue
to grow and go to the next level.
Uh, and, and obviously
we've been fortunate, right?
the past two years with the
relationships that we've, we've made
in, in Africa to be able to bring
the boys and, uh, and St. Benedict's
Prep does an amazing job with that,
you know, with getting the boys over.
We've been lucky, with Senegal and Ghana,
and we've had these top players that have
come over, uh, and have done very well
for, for both St. last year, you know,
Junior Diou from Senegal is now playing
at Bever- after one year in college.
those are the players that we need
to take care of because ultimately
it's really important for the club.
Money in the pocket for the club as well
keeps creating very good relationships,
not just domestically, internationally.
So that's a massive focus for
us as well, Players from the
outside as well has been huge.
Liron: Cedar Stars has grown immensely
and, and it's been incredibly successful.
And, and I almost find that
baffling, and I'll tell you why.
Because on the, on one side, you have
parents looking at the team and saying,
"Oh, maybe this team is a springboard
to MLS clubs," because you're an hour
away from two major clubs and two
hours away from the third major club.
But for Cedar Stars, as you mentioned,
looking for that raw talent, all of a
sudden you look at a kid that's a U11
or U12, U13 and go, "You know, why even
waste time here? In two years, that kid's
gonna go to NYCFC or Red Bulls." Do you
wanna build an alternate universe where
it's worth sticking at Cedar Stars?
Juan: Yeah.
It, it-- and it's tough, right?
I think we never wanna hold anybody
back because it's not right, Because
then people are unhappy, parents
are unhappy, kids are unhappy.
So we can only give advice and suggestions
to families if they decide, "Hey, listen,
we really wanna go. We really wanna make
the jump." we can only support them.
A-and it happens all the time where, you
know, when I was coaching, I can give
you examples of times where I've had
very polite conversations with parents,
and they go, "Listen, he really wants
to go." I said, "Listen, no problem.
Go.
The door is open.
I'm gonna tell you right now,
he most likely will be back."
And a lot of the times they end up
coming back, And it's just a very
respectful thing because even if
they do come back to us, they still
help us as a club, and we still care.
but the door is always open.
We don't-- If they leave,
we don't get angry.
we don't get, "You're done with us.
You're done.
You're cut." Like no, we understand
that sometimes families wanna
take that jump and all that.
But As you guys well know, it's
very difficult to make it even in
NYCFC to jump into that first team.
it's, Red Bull the same thing.
It is very difficult.
It's, it's very competitive.
so we always keep the, ex- keep that
olive branch there for the families.
in a, in an alternate universe, to
answer the question, would love to
keep the guys, to show them that,
listen, hey, look what we have.
We've sent guys to, to, to European clubs.
we've sent guys to other
professional clubs.
We're sending guys to go one year,
two years at the university with
the plan of that, hey, you're
most likely gonna get drafted.
Just take that one year and then you're
gonna be fine, and it's worked out.
So we've had those conversations and
families have listened, You know what?
let's stick it out, and
I think, it'll work.
and we put a lot of… We try to put a
lot of effort and emphasis into that to
make sure that we do our part as well.
Like I said, we don't
wanna hold anybody back.
We don't want it to come back to
us and, and, bite us in the ass a
little bit because we kept somebody
back and then it didn't work out.
W- we don't wanna do that.
but we would love to keep everybody
because then the club will just be
continue to grow as it's growing and be
as competitive as it's ever been if we're
able to keep everybody, but again, that's
why we have to, you know, we lose guys and
then once we get to 17 and 19 is when we
really have to load up with, with these,
with these foreign players because we lose
a lot of the guys, you Always rebuilding.
We're looking at te- even now, I can
tell you we're losing tons of players.
I would say upwards to 10 to, you
know, you know, 10 to 15 guys, you
know, that are getting interest from,
from MLS teams, you know, that…
And that's to rebuild that is a lot.
No excuses.
We go out, we keep developing, we bring
these guys in." We have to recruit, we
have to do what we have to do, but we
have to remain competitive in this market.
It's extremely important.
Liron: Yeah, I, you know,
'Cause you've grown so much,
is there a Cedar Star player?
Is there a philosophy behind
the club, especially considering
the multiple splintering of
the club now as a bigger brand?
We had the CEO of Albion here, and
I've asked him that exact question,
Juan: Yeah … the biggest, I think
the biggest thing that we've always
said since day one has been mentality.
I think the mentality of the
player is massively important.
if you've ever watched a Cedar Stars team
play, they are absolutely, relentless.
maybe not some of the best players
on the field, but they work hard.
Liron: Oh, I hate playing you
guys.
Uh, no, this is, this is for
the, this is on the record.
Juan: and we're proud, when teams
say, "We hate playing because that's
means that we're doing our job.
Because we wanna be… We know when we
play MLS teams or when we play top-end
teams, well, maybe on the talent
perspective, we're not gonna, we're not
gonna be able to compete toe-to-toe.
But from a mentality, and desire,
and work rate, we're going
to do whatever we can to win.
So that is a massive non-negotiable
is that, is immediately the mentality
to get these guys ready to go.
And, and again, that's a
credit to the coaching staff.
When we have these discussions
in terms of how do we wanna play?
What's our style?
What's our brand?
We have our philosophy.
We have our, our methodology.
everybody knows what they have to do.
All our teams play the same.
They all have the same formation.
And the player attributes, yeah,
of course, you get a maybe a player
that's very talented that doesn't wanna
do certain things, but happens.
But the majority of the players have
to stick to the club principles.
You need to be relentless.
You need to work.
It's just a, it's just how,
how we've competed, you know?
And then of course, you have
special talent that, does other
things that you support, right?
but again, the majority of the players,
it's just a massive willingness to
compete, to do whatever it takes to win.
it's just how, it's just
how it's been for us.
and again, it's, uh, it's really
the coaches pushing that onto
the players and then, and then…
and again, not every, not every player
comes to us like that, but it's, it's
a matter of having them buy in to the
culture that we've created in the club
and say, "Listen, to come in here and
to compete right away, this is what
you have to do." And that comes in
with new player, that comes in right,
right in the beginning when you start
training, in the training sessions.
You start seeing, "Wow, I need to
compete if I'm gonna step on the
field with these guys," 'cause the
training sessions are intense, and the
coaches design them to be that way.
To basically, sit there and go, "Okay,
well, this guy's gonna be able to do
it against Red Bull this week, and
this guy's not gonna be able to do it.
We're gonna do whatever we can
to do, to compete and beat them.
These are the guys that are gonna do it."
So it's, uh, that is really how, if we
talk about player profile, it's mentality.
Absolute mentality.
You have to be a monster.
Liron: Uh, Guess what, Lee?
Guess what?
winning is important.
Winning is important.
Lee: saying that I don't have
Liron: You heard it
here for the first time
Lee: I don't have to be 6'5", 180 pounds
with lightning-fast speed?
All right.
No problem.
No problem.
So
Liron: wanna win.
Yeah
Lee: I'm, sitting here and I'm taking
all these notes 'cause, director,
you're dropping all these nuggets.
You know, I thought I was smart before.
I'm definitely not smart at all
Juan: I'm
not re-inventing the wheel.
This is all stuff I'm sure
you've heard before, guys.
This is just maybe coming
from a different voice
Liron: Love that
Lee: So I live in Bergen County or in
Southern New York, Northern Jersey.
Why should I choose City Stars
over NYCFC, Red Bulls, PDA,
MetOval, Gotchee, you name it
Juan: why I would say Cedar Stars, I
think there's a lot of care that we
give to the players outside, you know?
our coaches spend a lot of time,
a-and I can speak for myself
personally from a coaching standpoint.
Uh, I used to coach the U19s.
Uh, it's not just the coaching on, on the
field, especially when you get to older.
It's, like, really speaking
with, with the players and,
and our coaches do a great job.
I mean, there's a lot of
open dialogue communication.
It's not just we put something
on TeamSnap, come to the
training pitch, here you go.
No, it's, "Hey, how is it going?" finding
out how the guys are doing in school.
17, 19-year-olds, you know, dealing
with issues, girlfriend stuff, or they
don't wanna train, or they do, you know.
It's all that, and it's, it's part of
being a coach isn't just what you do
on the field in the training session.
It's the, the, the mental
state of the player.
Every, every player is
different, you know?
Every player's, every player is
going through different things.
And in our area, and in our teams, we have
play- we have kids that are coming from,
inner cities, where they don't have the
same thing as guys that are coming from,
more of a, of a privileged upbringing.
And you see our teams,
they're very different.
It's a very different, you know.
You have, you have Latinos,
African Americans, White, Asian.
I mean, it's an eclectic
group of individuals.
So how do you get all those
guys to compete and work
hard and, and bond together?
And I think it comes down to communication
But I think what we do that's, that has
set us apart in the past couple years
and why players really tend to play hard
and work hard is because our coaches
do a really good job of getting to know
the player, getting inside the mind of
the player and, and knowing it's not
just, it's not just about the X's and
O's and the tactical preparation for
games and game film and that stuff.
it's really important to know, to
know those kids, especially 17, 19.
even once you hit, I think, your
sophomore, junior, senior year,
as a coach, your dialogue should
be specifically to the player.
The father and the mother
are, should be outside.
You know, they just get
relayed information.
But- It should be a direct
communication with, with the player.
That's how you create that bond,
that trust, and I think that's
what keeps players instead of
going, "Hey, you know what?
I don't wanna just leave to
go to maybe Red Bull NYCFC.
I have this bond with, with
this coach and these guys.
I don't wanna leave this 'cause
they know who I am." So I think,
I think that's something that our
coaches do a really good job of here
Lee: So given that Cedar Stars
has grown so fast, what's the one
thing that breaks when a club grows
as fast as you guys are growing?
Is it standard?
Is it communication?
Is it player placement, culture?
What's the one thing that
is gonna break growing so
Juan: I think, I mean,
that's a good question.
I think we see this every year.
As you grow fast, you need
to bring in more staff.
and when you bring in more staff, not
every staff comes in and is ready to
do all the stuff that we demand, right?
and it's like buying into the
methodology, buying into the club,
core values, the culture, everything
that we do in the, in the beginning
when we meet all the coaches in August.
so when you grow so fast, you have
to bring in, you have to bring in
young coaches or other coaches that
come in and maybe have their own
ideas or are very new to the game.
and it's kind of educating them.
And it's not-- doesn't always work.
A- and this happens a lot.
A lot of, unfortunately, I feel
like a lot of young coaches nowadays
wanna be given top teams and wanna
be given everything right away.
and it doesn't work that way.
You gotta put your time in,
You gotta put your time in.
You gotta, get-- The licenses are
important, You gotta make sure
that you're getting your coaching
education, you're doing-- you're
taking the right steps to, to grow.
Your professional development's important.
Are you doing extra, um, are
you coming into the office?
Are you going to watch other games
to see how other teams are doing?
and I think as we've grown, it, it's,
it becomes more and more challenging
to bring in top, top-end staff.
It's e- everyone, it's, I think it's
a problem for every club, when you're
talking about the growth and as we've
been growing is, okay, we need more staff.
it's getting the right people to come
in and join and be part of the club,
be part of the culture and the process.
Liron: Yeah, so I wanna kind of, focus
a little bit about pathway as, as
we're talking about the obvious one,
which was NYCFC and Red Bulls or Union.
You said that, college,
recruiting has changed.
It's become a lot about the player, the
initiative that's coming from the player.
You're in it.
You're in the weeds all the time.
You help family out.
Can you elaborate on that a little
bit, and how does Cedar Stars as
a club help families, if at all,
guide them through this process?
Juan: Yeah, so we, we give every
support we can in terms of, with a
website that we've designed that's very
good on our platform that breaks down
everything from the college recruiting
tools, from the company that we use,
with everybody has exposure to it, w-
access to it, with sports recruits,
college night, where we bring college
coaches, in to speak to the families.
it's Q&As as well, so they hear it
directly from the horse's mouth.
They don't just hear me speak.
They hear, "Hey, come," and we tell
them, "Come with questions prepared, both
players and families, and ask them." So
we'll bring Division I coaches, we'll
bring Division III coaches, we'll bring a
variety of coaches to come in and speak.
That way, they can answer
all their questions.
and then, it's, it's-- And every
coach says it, and I've seen
it, it's very player-driven.
listen, unless you're a top-end
player, right, where again, they sell
themselves, and they go, and they're--
We call them the, the June 15th kids,
right, where it's your sophomore year of
June 15th, and that's when it's legal.
When you're one of those guys, then when
you're getting all those phone calls
as a sophomore, June 15, you don't need
anybody's help because you're good.
That's you're not getting those phone
calls on your junior, senior year,
you need to put yourself out there.
You need to work hard.
you need to send emails.
You need to talk to, you
need to talk to the coaches.
You need to really go out there.
And, He said-- And I'll be
very honest with the coach.
"He's not good enough for you guys."
I'll tell him not to waste your time.
Or I'll say, "Listen, you need to
spend-- You need to pay special
close attention to this kid.
He's good." Or if I see a coach
on the sideline watching a
game, and I go, "Listen, this
is a kid you should look at."
And I'll give my advice to the coach
if I have a good relationship with him.
and I have this conversation a lot,
Division I, Division I. But, I'm
looking at them and going, "Well, why
would you pass up a degree from a top
Division III school like, Amherst or
Tufts or Middlebury just to go play
Division I to say you played Division
I when you're not gonna be a, you're
most likely not gonna be a pro?"
and I've had those conversations.
Some families have listened to
it, some families don't, And, I
try to push guys towards that and
go, "Listen, go to these schools.
You're gonna graduate
with six-figure salary.
Why would you wanna go over here to just
say, 'I played Division I at a mid-major'?
There's n- there's-- These guys want you.
You're gonna play all four years there,
and you should do that, and you're
gonna be set for life," So it's, I
think that's the big, the big thing is
that, right? Is just the having those
conversations, and that's what we try
to do at Cedar Stars, from the college
nights to the supporting the recruiting
tools. "Is this kid good enough?
Am I wasting my time?
Is he wasting my time?" And then,
and to be fair, our guys do a very
good job, and we put it on them to
go make sure you're doing your job.
If you're not, if you're not sending
emails to coaches and you're not doing
your part, don't come to me and say, "Can
you do this for me?" It's not happening.
you need to do your part first, and then
we'll go, and then it goes from there
Liron: I mean, I know my, my son
doesn't play for You guys, but,
uh, now that you've been on the
pod, maybe you can throw in a good
word with, uh, a couple people.
I
Juan: You got worries, worries.
No worries.
I'll, I'll do my best.
Liron: That's fine.
Lee: how difficult is it to be
honest with parents and say, "Hey,
your son is just not good enough"?
Liron: We beg for… By the way, Lee
and I talk about that a lot as well.
We beg for that honesty all the time.
We, we, we want report from teams
Juan: when I approach parents or they
approach me, to ask, "What do you think?"
And I'm, I'm honest with
them, they're very open to it.
You know, they have their own ideas.
They're very open to it,
just like what they ask me.
But what happens if he goes to the,
one of the camps and clinics and I go,
"If you're gonna wanna go to a clinic
with 200 kids and think you're gonna
stand out, by all means, that's on you.
I don't think he needs to do
that because I don't think that's
gonna be the place for him.
But if you wanna go and throw money
out the window, that's on you.
You know, it's, it's on you.
It's, you make your own decision.
I can only help you so far." But a lot of
the, a lot of the, a lot of families have
been, have been receptive to me saying…
And I try to be, you know, as
honest as possible with them.
I don't wanna waste their time and tell,
"Yeah, no problem. You're, you're gonna
be fine, you know, and you're good,
you're good. You're gonna play at UNC
and Duke." no, it's, you know, I, I try
to tell them right away how difficult
it is to make it there, how difficult
it is to go to these type of schools.
I mean, you're competing with…
I mean, look at the market now.
You're competing with
internationals, number one.
with grown men that are playing
professionally in Europe.
and you're competing now
with the transfer portal.
I, I mean, college coaches would
rather bring a guy in who's played
two years of, of, um, Division One
soccer rather than bringing in an
18-year-old who's only played, you
know, who's, who's only played MLS Next.
it's-- And we want the coun- We want
the game to grow in this country.
we need to-- The college game needs to
be there for our young American boys
to come through, to be able to play.
and then when You're not getting recruited
and you're waiting and waiting because
college coaches are, waiting for the
21-year-old French player to come over.
it's hard.
it's hard.
and I understand where
a coach is coming from.
You need to win.
And who's gonna help you win more?
And the college coaching, I- college
soccer's not about development,
it's about winning.
It's about get me wins, do this, and,
it's are you gonna put your trust in on a
18-year-old kid who's playing MLS NEXT or
a 21-year-old guy who's gotten a few games
in the, in the third division in France?
Liron: Now let's talk a little
bit about the pro path from Cedar,
which you mentioned as well.
How is that established, and
what's your experience with that?
Juan: if you're playing for
obviously a Red Bull or NYCFC
or Philly Union Academy, right?
Where there's a direct
path to a pro team, right?
But we've,
we have good relationships with
clubs, in, in Europe that now
with guys like, like Junior Diouf
going to, to Beveren in Belgium.
and obviously some of our special
talents being, getting taken a look
at, from European clubs that are, that
are, have seen some of our boys play.
now they go, "Okay, well, there's a direct
pathway there. there's a direct path that
you can go to Europe." A-and again, it's
obviously much more difficult, to do that.
You have to be a special type of player.
it needs to work.
it needs to make sense.
but again, we try to have those
relationships with players that we
feel have that capacity, so that,
if players wanna think outside of,
MLS, we can support them with that.
And if they wanna do MLS, we can
support with them with that as well.
We, if we can help you leave us
with a contract at an MLS team,
great.
W-we're there to help.
We wanna do that, if it makes sense.
so it's a matter of having those
relationships I think is really
important, with other sporting
directors from, from European clubs and,
obviously scouts that, that have come.
And, we were lucky, for instance,
our Youth 15 team that just won the
national championship, obviously
they played in the GA Cup, right?
And they did quite well in the GA Cup.
They were one of the guys that got
invited because they qualified.
And I mean, there was so many European
scouts at that event, in GA Cup.
So a lot of eyes on some of those
players on those teams and people
took a lot of notice as well
as MLS teams obviously, right?
So, so it's, a little bit of everything.
So it's, that team, has done
phenomenally well, has been
together for quite a few years.
But obviously now looking into
next year, a lot of those players
are going to leave, are going to
go.
it's just normal.
It's just the way it works.
Liron: What would you say the percentage
is by, From let's say, between the U17 and
19 of the kids who end up going to where
they wanted to between pro and collegial
path from where you are playing the game?
Juan: From se- from our 17s and
19s, I would say our percentage is
pretty high, if I'm being honest,
Obvi- obviously, the majority, 95
to 97% are going college, right?
but then we have the select
few that are going pro.
Or a lot of the guys that are doing the
one year, and then they leave, right?
It happened this year, two of them, right?
From last year's U19 team.
Kwaku got drafted first round,
um, Sporting Kansas City, and
has been playing for Sporting
Kansas City on the first team.
went to, went for half a season, was at
Clemson for, until December, and then he
got his GA deal and went and got drafted.
And then Junior Diouf went to Grand
Canyon, didn't even declare for the draft.
Scored 18 goals, I think, his freshman
year, and then he went to Beveren.
So it was, And then you have Ransford, who
was also at Clemson, who got drafted by
NYCFC in the first round, but decided to
go back to school to, for his third year.
So that's, that's three guys in,
you know, one year to do that.
and we have other guys that are, from
that team that are coming through that
are, at some point, will break into
an MLS team on that U19 team last year
Lee: The pathway definitely is not clear,
but it seems like you guys have a system
that works for you and you guys are,
you h- you have the knowledge and you
have a structure where parents can feel
comfortable saying, "If I send my kid
to Cedar, I know that they'll be given
the right direction and information to
get to either college or pro pathway."
Juan: I think
so.
I, think so.
I think that's what-- I think a
big selling point for us is that.
I think we get a lot of families
and players to come to us because I
th- they see that there is traction.
all our guys are going to schools,
and some maybe don't end up in the
schools that they thought at first is
what they wanted, but then when they,
like I said, when they do their visits
and they speak to the coaches and they
get time to really think, it works out
for them and they go to a place and
they're playing, and now they're happy.
it's just, it's just a matter of
understanding and listening and taking
the time to get educated as well and
trusting the process a little bit, right?
Trusting the process and that it's
gonna-- it's going to work out at the end.
So we try to give them everything we can,
and I think we've been-- we've done a good
job at getting guys to, to the next level
Liron: I mean, you c- you can't really
talk about Cedar Star New York and
not talk about economic disparity and
what the variety we have in this area.
I know that, Cedar Star is
operating in some extraordinary
wealthy areas, but there's also
communities that don't have that.
How do you deal with this
disparity within the market, within
your own community and teams?
Or is that something you know,
this is how much it costs.
I know you give scholarships.
I know that personally from
people in your community.
But is this something that, that
you're aware of, or how-- and
how does the team deal with it?
Juan: Yeah, I mean, listen, like you
said, there's a disparity, right?
Where there's families that can pay the
tuition and they can pay for the flight.
I mean, it's not, it's not cheap.
It's very expensive.
The, and it's, unfortunately,
it's m- it's market driven, right?
It's what the market is offering.
This is what you pay the tuition.
It's not any higher or lower than
what other clubs are offering.
the flights are the same for all
of us when we go to showcases.
The hotels are the same.
Nothing's crazy.
The food costs is-- So everyone's
paying around the same.
it's expensive.
and again, we offer financially to our
families that can't afford it, right?
and we take care of a lot of guys.
So we, w- we know that we need to do that.
it's a service.
And that's, that comes to, that comes also
down to our, to pr- our president, right?
George Altirs is very big on the
community and making sure that
everybody has an opportunity.
we don't wanna turn, you don't
wanna turn players away, especially
top talented players, away because
they can't pay the tuition.
we, as a club, you have to
do your due diligence, right?
with making sure that, hey,
listen, what's-- Or can you pay?
Can you not pay?
What's going on?
Obviously, you wanna make sure
that everything's taken care of.
But we know that where our families,
some of our families come from, we
know that they can't pay the tuition.
We know that they can't, um, that
they can't af- afford all these trips.
And this year has been m-
massively expensive this year.
when you're talking about
going to Utah, to Dallas, it's,
and within a month's time.
It's not cheap.
it's, it is not cheap at all.
we need to help some of our, some of
our families that, that can't afford it
because when you go to these showcase
events, it's so important for them to be
seen for colleges and for the next steps.
You need to support these families.
Liron: uh, the director of Red Bulls was
on the pod, and he talked about the trips
that Red Bulls take to, uh, Brazil or
they, when they go abroad to, to places
that are not as affluent as where they
are, and he talks about, or the Brazilian
kids coming here, and he says the thing
that always kinda gives him an eye
twitch is the American kids coming out
of Range Rovers in those, uh, you know.
So I, I, I was thinking, do you
know, do you see in your experience
the relationship between less
money in a family and greater
hunger in players who succeed?
Juan: Yeah.
I mean, it's, I think it's
a global thing, right?
I think you just see it globally.
you just see the… it's always
one thing we always say, right, as
coaches, we look at-- And I think a
lot of it comes down to, the family
dynamic and how it is at home.
Because you can be, you can be wealthy
but still be very driven and hungry.
it comes Uh, and I think one of
the things that as a coach I used
to say, and it's something that we
speak with coaches with, how do you
motivate a player who has everything?
How do you motivate
someone who has everything?
It's hard.
It's hard.
It's hard to come up with ideas and
different ways of going, okay, how
do you motivate this individual,
like you say, who's coming out of a
Range Rover, who's, who comes from a
wealthy upbringing, wealthy family.
He doesn't have to worry about anything.
He's playing and maybe he's a good player.
but you could tell right off
the bat that's not gonna be
his future, is it, in football.
It's just his, it's just a, a stepping,
stepping stone to maybe potentially
playing in college, you know, and wherever
it is that How do you get to know the
player to know how, which buttons to
push to get that guy to be motivated?
Like the kid who's coming from the
Bronx, who's taking the bus, you know,
who, who doesn't have much to offer.
How-- He comes off-- He's
hungry 'cause he knows this is
his only way of, of making it.
Maybe he's not a pro.
Most, most of them aren't.
But it's his ticket to the collegiate
game, Why, what people always say
the U.S. hasn't grown like in other
countries like Brazil or Argentina,
you know, and stuff like…
Is, is why?
Because there is no fallback
plan in those countries.
You either play to make
it, that's how you do it.
There's no college here
for some of these guys.
these guys are hungry because
there is no fallback plan.
This is their life.
Lee: So I should take away, I
should take away my kids' college
fund and say, "Listen, this is it."
Liron: Oh, you should never know.
Lee: This is it.
There's no college for you.
You, you either make it or you're done.
Oh, man I agree that, you know, when
there is a fallback plan, it's really,
really, really hard f- to be motivated.
What are, what are some of the
tools and techniques that you guys
are using to motivate these kids?
Juan: Yeah.
I mean, listen, every individual
is a little different, right?
But I think you just get to know
some of the players and what it is
that they're trying to do, right?
Some kids just wanna go and,
play in, in college, and they
wanna go to Ivy League schools.
but if you wanna go to an
Ivy League school, you're not
thinking of the professional game.
You're thinking about your
future as a individual.
You're focusing on the
academic component, right?
this is gonna set me up for life,
which is a fantastic way of thinking.
So I think it's knowing which individual
to motivate on the field to say, "Hey,
listen, you wanna aspire for that?
This is what you have to do, still do,"
because guess what? Princeton and these
guys are still getting guys from, that
are playing MLS NEXT Pro. there's kids
that are, you know, there's kids that are
playing MLS NEXT Pro right now, uh, for
NYCFC Red Bull, for Philly Union, that are
gonna sit there and say, "You know what?
I wanna go to college.
I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go
play for, for Princeton,"
Liron: Yeah, It's another big issue.
Yes, yes
Juan: I mean, Julian Latcher
is going to Princeton.
So, uh, you know, and, and he's a
top, top, top player, and he's like,
"Yeah, I'm gonna go to Princeton."
Uh, you know, he's an example.
But, I completely understand where,
where these guys are going from, where
you know, NYCFC 2 team, Red Bull's
2 team, Philadelphia Union's 2 team.
It Doesn't matter.
It's like, okay, you're playing,
but these Ivy League school are
now recruiting these guys and go,
"Well, why would I keep playing here?
I might not never get to the first team.
Uh, it's really hard.
I might as well use this as a way to
get, get an Ivy League education and
then go from there." And then you
have other guys that, wanna play at,
those ACC schools, Big Ten schools.
How do you motivate those guys?
Well, sh- you gotta be
the best on the field.
Uh, you wanna be seen, you know,
'cause you are now fighting against
the world when you're talking
about, those type of schools
'cause they're recruiting globally.
So it's, it's finding those buttons
for these guys that, "Hey, listen, this
is your chance to make it," you know?
you gotta do the business to
make it to these places now.
Liron: For us as parents, Lee and
I are involved, but I gotta say
we've, we're s- we've weaned off in
the last year or so from our kids.
But, you know, you drive, you email,
you ask the questions, you book
the trainers, you make the video.
You, I mean, it is a nonstop kind of
commitment, but at some point have
to start weaning off from the kid.
When do you think you see that shift
Juan: so I would say, I mean, listen,
I think, kind of talking to like
the point I had before in terms of
that coach and player relationship,
I think, once the player hits the
high school age groups, right?
I think it's more like, okay, if you know
your son's at a good environment at a good
club, and he's playing well, and he's in
the right place with the right coach, and
you feel comfortable with that, then I
think, once you get into that freshman,
sophomore year, then I think it's time
where, families can sit there and go,
"Okay, listen, let him continue to mature,
as a, not just on the field, but off the
field, and have that relationship with
the coach and have that conversation."
If he's not getting the playing
time, it shouldn't come from you.
It should come from him.
Hey, and if you, if they come to you
and say, "Dad, coach isn't playing me
so much." And the response should be,
"Go speak to the coach and ask him why
you're not playing." Because at the end
of the day, coach wants to win games,
so you gotta speak to him to see what it
is that you can do to get on the field.
but again, once they hit that, the high
school age-ages, I think it's time where
it should becomes less involvement,
unless it's something more severe or
something that is different, like when
we talk about the college stuff, where
it's a little bit more like you need
to know what's going on, obviously.
but when it comes to other things
like playing and, obviously tactical
or anything like that, that should
just come from the player right to the
coach, and they have that conversation.
Liron: So in your expectation is if a
kid, a U13, U14 is not getting the minutes
that kid thinks they deserve, their path
should be to their coaches or to you, not
Juan: Yeah, go to the coach.
Yeah, g- I think to go to the coaches.
it's important to have that.
I just-- Also as a coach,
you wanna see that, right?
you wanna see that.
I know as a coach, y- you, when you're
coaching the game and you're not just
develop- trying to develop the players
and you're trying to make them better,
you're also trying to compete and win,
you wanna see players that are hungry
and get upset that they're not playing.
it's competitive.
It's supposed to be.
If a kid's okay with
not playing, then yeah.
If a ki- if a kid's okay with not
playing, then what's the point?
everybody should be unhappy when
they don't… I mean, you should be.
what the hell's going on?
you should have the conversations.
Maybe, "Hey, listen, coach, you know,
I, I haven't started the last two games.
How do I, you know, I'm, I'm…
What can I do to, to start?
What can I do?
What do you think I can change?"
Have that conversation. It doesn't
mean that the next game you're gonna
start, but having that conversation.
"Hey, man, what, what do you th- Hey,
listen, this is what you need to do.
This guy's ahead of you right now.
you gotta understand this is how
it is, and then you gotta work
for it." And it-- Listen, and in
this game, so many things happen.
Kids get injured.
things happen.
You know, changing.
Some guys are missing.
You have to move pieces around.
And then all of a sudden you
step in, you do a good job, then
it becomes yours to lose again.
Lee: for the last couple, couple
of years, I've been telling my
son Lee to go talk to the coach.
So you, you said go to the coach, and
I literally took notes and I wrote
with some stars, I also wrote a note
with some asterisk next to it, winning
matters, 'cause I think twice in
this pod you've said winning matters.
Coaches wanna win, and everyone
that says that, nobody cares about
winning, clearly you just debunked that
theory that winning doesn't matter.
Liron: And winning is also your-- the
kid getting independence and demanding,
what you just said, demanding their play.
That's a win too.
I mean, so, so the winning is a,
it's not just a black and white.
You go-- it's winning
your place on the field.
It's winning the extra 10 minutes.
Juan: It's just as you develop, you, and
you get older, you look at the sidelines.
as kids are younger, and we always say
this, which kid is okay at 9, 10, 11
when you start looking, is okay if you
lose a game by three or four goals?
If you start seeing a kid that's angry
and he's like this and he's frustrated,
it's like, that's what I wanna see.
If you see the kid like,
it's because that's part-- of
Wanting to win is part of life.
it's part of life.
I mean, you're gonna go to job
interviews later on in your life and
you're competing, so you have to start
early on and trying to be the best.
it's just how it works.
you have to wanna win at
everything that you do.
You wanna try to be the best.
You wanna compete.
I don't think, I don't think it's
right to sit there and say, "Oh,
well, we wanna make 25 passes before
we score a goal." Okay, that's great.
But at the end of the day,
are you teaching them to win?
Are you-- 'Cause winning
is part of development.
'Cause if you don't win, if you
progress and you don't win on
the first team, you're gone.
It's just the way it is.
you have to be in a winning
culture and a winning mentality.
I, I'm not saying win
by all means necessary.
Don't get me wrong.
You still, if you have your methodology
of how you wanna play and how you wanna
do things, then you have to stick by it.
Of course you do.
But, you can't just sit there and
say, and be okay with not winning.
Well, how do you solve that problem?
'Cause you need to-- 'Cause ultimately
the players have to have that desire
to want to win as well and compete.
it's just so important.
So important.
Liron: I- I'm pumped.
I'm ready to go tomorrow and win.
I mean, we were talking about it
before the interview, which was one
of the questions we asked before.
It's like, really, what is this idea
of what is the club's philosophy?
you said a word that is almost like
a, a word That's unspoken in the
last 30 episodes that we've done.
This is.
it's, it's not, "Don't be ashamed to
win." And, and I, I, I think that's,
uh, it's, "Don't be ashamed to fight for
it I, I think it's a, it's a big one.
Lee: Oh, a very big one.
I'm, I'm out of notepaper.
I've had to get my reserve
Liron: uh, Lee, why don't
we go to quick fire?
Let's put, uh, Juan on
the, on the spitfire
Lee: quick fire.
Liron: Yeah
Lee: Ah, ready.
One thing every serious
youth player needs by age 13
every serious youth player needs by age 13
Juan: Man, this is tough for quick fire.
That's a good question.
By age 13, resilience
Liron: Again with this.
Lee: Wow.
Wow.
Not technique,
Liron: Nah, nah, I was gonna do a
step o- another step over thing.
I just have
to undo last week's.
I have to do undo last week's damage.
Lee: Yeah.
Liron: my God
Juan: Don't give me, I don't--
Don't give me the step overs,
scissors, and soul rolls.
At the end of the day, if a kid's
resilient, he's gonna go, he's gonna
take that ball away from that kid anyway.
So that's not it's another one, you know?
Liron: Oh, God.
There's another one.
Geez.
All right.
Um, one, one thing parents
should stop chasing
Juan: Stop living through your kids.
Let them live their own lives.
Liron: Yeah.
Yeah, I'm not gonna put that in The,
podcast, so you c- could just go ahead.
Yeah, that's, that's not happening.
Sorry, man.
I told you, uh, what off-
what's off the air stays off the
air.
Lee: one thing parents
should start asking clubs
Juan: I would say
Pathway.
Pathway is
most important thing is not just
about, because at the end of the day,
we're trying to create, we're trying
to create not just good footballers,
good people, And it's the pathway.
Everything's so-- Everything's
intertwined in this game.
It can't just be one thing or the other.
Both.
It should be both.
Just the pathway.
What could, what can you do to help my
son or daughter get to be-- go to the next
level, but become a good person as well?
Liron: No, it c- it came up
a- again today multiple times.
That's excellent.
Um, one sign that a player
is in the wrong environment
Juan: Complacency, I think.
when they're just so comfortable.
when you start seeing that they're
too comfortable, and we have a big
thing that says, be comfortable
with being uncomfortable, right?
I think that's the big thing and, when
you start seeing that people are--
players are comfortable and they go
through motions, then you know they're
not in the right environment because then
they're just not-- they're not all in.
you need to be all in
Lee: Okay.
All right.
I'll do the opposite.
One sign a player is in
the right environment
Juan: that's when you
see the mentality, right?
I think we talked about for tenacity.
they approach every game and
every game, every session that
they do, they approach it.
When they cross those white lines,
they're focused, they're into it.
you
know, that, the mentality
is massively important.
They're all good players.
we can all see that.
It's just the mentality and the desire,
I think, that's massively important
Liron: Well, this is where we,
gotta learn how to lose too,
and we're gonna lose this guest.
I mean, Juan, this was totally
worth waiting for, my friend.
Wow with a win.
Not with a tie, Lee.
Wow with a win.
What Juan did in this episode was put the word winning back in the parent conversation
without making you feel guilty.
He said winning is a part of development and as well.
It is a reminder that the game is supposed to ask something of a player.
Desire matters, urgency matters, and caring when you are not on the field matters.
You know, when things get too real for me, it gets uncomfortable.
And Juan said, if a kid's okay with not playing, then what's the point?
The line is directed at us, you and I, parents.
It doesn't mean panic after two games.
I keep telling you that.
I don't know why you keep panicking after two games, but it means watch for the response.
The player should ask the coach what has changed, what has to change, and
remind the coach they want the spot back and then keep competing.
And that connects to see the stars.
When Juan described their player profile, he did not make it soft.
He said you have to be a monster.
Not because every kid has to be huge or fast, because in that environment, mentality is
the filter.
They are trying to keep players, compete with MS Academies around them, and still build a
pathway that feels real.
Yeah, that's good, Lee.
And the pathway part matters.
Uh Juan talked about the June this I've never heard the June fifteenth kids, the ones
getting the call early, right?
That's kind of the dream.
But for everyone else, the message was clear.
Send the emails, talk to the coaches, ask better questions, listen to podcast, do your
part.
And when he said pathway is important, it didn't sound like a slogan, sounded like a
responsibility.
And maybe the clearest warning came at the end.
One sign a player is in the wrong environment.
Juan said complacency.
Too comfortable.
Going through the motions, not all in.
Parents, that is a question to sit with after this one.
Is your kid being challenged or just protected from discomfort?
Massive, really.
But Lee, I wanna thank you, brother.
I've waited a long time for this.
And everyone who's known me and has known you
We talked about you in an early episode with Justin, who said that you've got not me and
Justin together.
We called you Coach Lee for a reason.
We brought you in here to help preach the good word, help push the boundaries and ask the
right questions.
And I really appreciate you, brother.
And I appreciate the time our sons have spent together.
Uh it's been a pleasure to be a part of this great uh pioneer journey of the podcast of
revolutionizing soccer in America.
All the other idiot parents out there where in the middle of November, it's cold at some
crappy tournament, and you're like, Wow!
It's like, I never met you before.
Is that your son?
I was like, Yeah.
And you're like, Man, our kids are gonna take us places.
And look at us, here we are now.
We went to Florida, we've been to Europe, and now we're on a podcast.
And as Matt and as Matt said, we're I I we're in a basement.
I'm in a basement.
Look, uh parents, you gotta share this one with any other soccer parent or team.
Uh team chat if you think it's useful.
I know you think it's useful.
Don't be complacent, parents.
Fight for your spot, help chasing the game.
We're helping youth soccer in America.
And what are we doing, Lee?