Chasing the Game - Youth Soccer in America

Parents in youth soccer are often forced to make big decisions with partial information, mixed signals, and a lot of anxiety. Andrew May, whose coaching background includes Chivas USA, LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, Real Monarchs, and LAFC, explains how families can better evaluate clubs, ask sharper questions, and support development without getting lost in badge-chasing, pressure, or noise. This is a practical episode about communication, trust, expectations, and how parents can make better choices for the child in front of them.

  • (00:00) - Start
  • (00:03) - Cold Open. What MLS Academies Actually Want
  • (01:01) - Jose Campos’s Journey to Orlando City
  • (05:04) - What Different Soccer Cultures Teach You
  • (11:36) - Building Orlando’s Player Profile and Culture
  • (20:08) - Performance vs Potential. Early and Late Developers
  • (24:59) - How Orlando Recruits and Builds Its Roster
  • (30:01) - What Live Scouting Reveals That Video Misses
  • (34:03) - America’s Diversity, Styles, and Player Profiles
  • (39:03) - Trial Advice for Players and Parents
  • (43:02) - Always Chase the Next Level
  • (46:01) - The U.S. System, Pay-to-Play, and the Business Reality

What is Chasing the Game - Youth Soccer in America?

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.