Chat By The Pitch

Rec soccer in Denton has more than a thousand kids. Club soccer is waiting on the other side. And in between, Josh Meadows kept finding the same thing — kids on wait lists, kids on the bench, kids quietly drifting to another sport.

Josh is the founder of Good Sport Initiative (GSI), a community youth soccer development program in Denton, Texas, built to bridge the gap between rec and club soccer. It started with free sessions at a neighborhood playground. Today it's an umbrella for local development teams, a home for 50 to 75 kids a season, and a...

A professional club sends Mario Iveljic a request: a number six who wins the ball, covers ground, plays long diagonals, and connects. Not a good player. A profile.

In Part 2, the licensed FIFA agent and author of Make the Smart Move turns to the soccer parenting decisions that shape a player's path — starting with why early success is a poor predictor of where a kid ends up. Ian and Mario talk late bloomers and puberty, the pressure that pushes kids out of the game around 13, and the car-ride conversations Mario admits he's had with his own kids an...

Mario Iveljic grew up playing with a number 10 so smooth he'd just stop and watch. That kid may not have finished four years of college. Mario, by his own admission not the most talented guy, went further.

That gap is why Mario — a licensed FIFA agent at Chicago's Mag Mile Sport, an attorney, and the son of a former European pro — believes talent gets you seen, but decisions get you signed. In Part 1, Ian and Mario map out youth soccer player pathways in America: MLS academies, MLS NEXT, ECNL, high school, college, and kids heading to Europe at 1...

In 1993, Scott Martin was driving to a Nike camp with new Ray-Bans and the music turned up — still playing, coaching a nationally ranked college program, with everything in front of him. A month later, he woke up from a coma without his hands.

Scott, author of the memoir Play From Your Heart, shares the story behind his youth soccer coaching philosophy and the illness that nearly ended everything. Group A strep and necrotizing fasciitis cost him both hands and parts of both feet. What followed was decades of grief, a lost malpractice trial, an unpaid coaching job on...

Zero college offers in his U18 year. A first-round MLS SuperDraft pick a few years later. Released after one pro season — and still chasing it. Roman Torres has lived nearly every turn of the youth soccer player pathway, and he’s only 24.

Roman grew up in Dallas, starting on a rec team at the Y before coming up through FC Dallas, Classic League, and the club’s ECNL team. From there his road ran through Germany’s fifth division at 19, junior college at Iowa Western, a breakout season at Creighton, a first-round pick by Minnesota United, a loan to...

Chris Rich has passed on talented recruits because of what he saw from their parents on the sideline. The UNC Greensboro head coach explains what else he's watching.

In this episode of Chat By The Pitch, Chris opens up the college soccer recruiting process from the coach's side of the table. He took over UNCG men's soccer ten days before the 2019 season, used the COVID pause to rebuild the culture, and turned a program ranked in the 100s into a 2022 Elite Eight team that beat Stanford in PKs on the road.

Ian and Chris get...

A parent pulled a second-place medal out of a trash can and brought it to Preston Pomykal, disgusted that his son had thrown it away. Preston asked her three questions about how the boy behaved on the field — then told her he had no problem with the trash can.

Part 2 of the conversation moves from coaching to letting go. Preston walks through what youth soccer player development looks like once a dad hands his sons to somebody else: staying useful without hovering, reading effort honestly when a kid's body has an off day, and knowing which battles ar...

A Hall of Fame ballplayer was asked about his favorite little league memory. His answer was about his mom, and an ice cream cone. His worst memory was the car ride home with his dad.

That story changed how Preston Pomykal parented — and it's the one he says every soccer parent needs to hear. In Part 1 of this conversation, Preston walks through youth soccer player development from the inside: he grew up playing in Dallas, coached his own three boys until age ten, never took a paycheck to do it, and watched all three come up through th...

Andy Cook took a left back, put her at number nine, and she scored 22 goals and won a league. That’s not a hunch — that’s a coaching philosophy.

In Part 2, Andy Cook gets into the part of youth soccer player development that doesn’t fit on a session plan: culture, trust, and reading the player in front of you. He took over a Nottingham Forest side sitting one place above relegation and, four years later, won the league and the cup with several of the same players who’d been there on day one. The thing he changed...

Andy Cook coached Beth Mead at 14 and Leah Williamson at 15. He wasn’t looking for tactics or trophies — here’s what he was actually watching for.

In Part 1, UEFA A licensed coach Andy Cook takes Ian Babcock through a youth soccer player development story that starts with a season ticket at Middlesbrough and ends up inside Arsenal’s women’s program. He got his first coaching badge at 16, in a country where full-time coaching jobs in the women’s game simply didn’t exist yet, and stacked qualification on qualification for a decade on nothing but what he calls blind...

Turning down MLS. Walking away from an SMU scholarship. A trial at Bayern. Jay and Carey Cappis share how Christian Cappis bet on development — and won.

In Part 2 of this conversation, the Cappis family walks Ian Babcock through Christian’s player pathway from club soccer in Houston to the professional game in Europe: captaining a national-champion FC Dallas Academy side, youth national team call-ups, an MLS rights battle between Houston and Dallas, and the decision to start at the bottom of the Danish Superliga instead — because development beats badges, free boots, and even bigger money.

Jay an...

What does it actually take to raise a professional soccer player — without pushing? Jay and Carey Cappis, parents of U.S. pro Christian Cappis, open up the family playbook.

In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Ian Babcock sits down with the Cappis family to talk soccer parenting and youth soccer player development from the very beginning: a toddler with a ball glued to his foot, a kid so competitive he challenged the neighborhood to a foot race in his sleep, and parents who made one rule non-negotiable — it’s his journey, not theirs.

Jay and Carey...

Is pay-to-play youth soccer actually developing players — or just monetizing false hope? Alex Lubyansky says it's the latter, and he's building the proof.

Alex is the General Manager and Head Coach of Detroit Metro FC, a completely free, senior-level football club run on the European model — on American soil. He's also an M&A attorney, an A-licensed coach, a former sporting director in Europe, a soccer parent, and an immigrant from Kyiv whose first ball came out of a trash can. In this conversation with host Ian Babcock, Alex breaks down why there's no real pyramid in Amer...

She didn't commit to soccer until the summer before her junior year — and still earned a Division I scholarship from a small club no college coach was watching.

Former NCAA Division I player Jada Davis joins Chat By The Pitch to break down youth soccer player development from both sides of the touchline. A multi-sport kid from the DFW Metroplex who bounced from karate to dance to basketball before soccer ever stuck, Jada shares how a competitive streak, ID camps, and pure hustle carried her from a small private club to Prairie View A&M — where she coll...

What if you could capture every second of your kid's game — and actually be present to watch it? That's the promise Gabriel Roxas brings to Chat By The Pitch.

Gabriel, PR manager for AI sports camera company XbotGo, joins Ian Babcock to talk about making game-day videography accessible to every soccer family — not just the ones who can afford a videographer. They dig into how autonomous, ball-tracking cameras let parents put the phone down and stay in the moment, why owning your footage with no subscription matters, and how tools like the Falcon and Chameleon are lowering the...

Hanna Barker turned a recovering ACL into a college career that ended with Freshman of the Year — then chased the pro game across four countries.

In Part 2, Hanna and Ian trace the player pathway from college to the pros and the long road of playing abroad. She breaks down roles over positions and the playmaker’s mindset, why soccer IQ comes from being allowed to make mistakes, and how a safe environment lets players “fail forward.” It’s a clear-eyed look at what the student-athlete years really teach: time management, accountability, and leadership.

Then the journey go...

Before she was a winger for Napoli Women in Serie A, Hanna Barker was just a kid in Farmers Branch, Texas, kicking a ball around at her dad’s games.

In Part 1, Hanna and Ian go back to the beginning — the youth soccer years that built everything that came later. She shares why she stayed at one club, Defeaters, for her entire youth career, how community and friendship kept her in love with the game, and why free play and multiple sports mattered more than private lessons and a packed schedule. It’s a real look at long-t...

What separates good players from great players?

In Part 2 of this conversation, Everton FC's John Keagan dives into the mindset, work ethic, and personal responsibility required to reach your full potential in soccer and in life. From early college commitments and the transfer portal to player development, recruiting, and parenting in youth sports, John shares lessons learned from his playing and coaching career.

The conversation explores why mentality often matters more than talent, how players earn opportunities, what coaches really look for when evaluating players, and why parents should focus on helping their children enjoy...

What happens when a professional club creates a pathway that combines elite soccer development with education?

In this episode, Ian sits down with John Keagan from Everton FC to discuss the club's Football College Program, how players transition from academy environments, and why education remains a critical piece of long-term player success. John shares how Everton has built opportunities for players to pursue professional football, university degrees, careers in sport, and scholarships around the world.

The conversation also dives into the differences between youth soccer in England and the United States, the realities of pay-to-play...

What does good soccer parenting actually look like?

In Part 2, Kristie and Mark Brooks move beyond the Spain story and share the parenting lessons they learned while helping their son Easton chase soccer at a high level.

We talk about pressure, parent behavior, coach relationships, letting kids advocate for themselves, mistakes parents make in youth soccer, and why too many adults unintentionally hurt their child’s development by trying to control the journey.

If you’re a soccer parent trying to support your child without taking over, this conversation will challenge how you thin...

What does it really take for a teenager to move to Spain and chase a soccer dream?

In Part 1, Kristie and Mark Brooks share the real story behind helping their son Easton move overseas at 14 to pursue soccer in Spain. From visas, FIFA cards, training environments, and team culture to the emotional side of letting your child leave home, this conversation pulls back the curtain on a process most families never truly understand.

We also dig into the differences between American youth soccer and the Spanish system, how Easton earned trust through work ethic, and...

What does it really look like for a 14-year-old American player to move to Spain and chase the dream of professional soccer?

In this episode of Chat By The Pitch, Ian Babcock sits down with Easton Brooks to discuss his journey from local soccer in Texas to training and competing in Spain against academy-level opposition. Easton shares what it was like leaving home at 14, adapting to a completely different soccer culture, learning a new language, handling pressure without family nearby, and discovering how much the joy of the game matters.

Easton also opens up about...

In Part 2, Ray Power and Ian Babcock continue the conversation by diving into coaching methodology, player development systems, training environments, and the importance of continuing coach education.

Ray breaks down why static drills and long lines hurt player development, why game-like environments matter, and how the best coaches constantly evolve their understanding of the game.

The conversation also explores curriculum building inside clubs, balancing development with winning, and why coaches must continue learning if they truly want to help players grow long term.

Key Talking Points

In Part 1 of this conversation, Ray Power joins Chat By The Pitch to talk about youth soccer development, coaching philosophy, parent education, and why keeping kids in love with the game matters more than early results.

Ray shares his journey from teacher to professional coach educator, how writing Making the Ball Roll shaped his philosophy, and why modern coaching environments should focus on development, trust, communication, and long-term player growth.

This episode dives deep into what parents misunderstand about coaching, why match day behavior matters, and how coaches can create environments where players actually learn...

Part 2 is where everything connects.

After hearing the journey, Anja Koehler breaks down how leadership is actually built—not assumed. Through Captains University, she’s created a system around something most players are expected to figure out on their own.

Confidence. Communication. Decision-making.

This isn’t about naming captains—it’s about developing leaders at every level of the game.

Key Talking Points

This one starts with the story—but it’s not the clean version.

Anja Koehler walks through what it actually looked like to become a leader—being overlooked, losing confidence, earning it back, and figuring it out in real time. From youth soccer to becoming a Division I captain, this is the part most players never hear about.

Before Captains University became a framework, it was lived experience.

This is where it started.

Key Talking Points

Part 2 of this reissued conversation shifts into the details that matter when making a decision.

We break down pricing, how different systems are built, and where things like AI and analytics actually stand today.

There’s a lot of noise in this space — and this episode helps cut through it by focusing on what’s real, what’s not fully ready yet, and what families should actually expect.

If you’re evaluating a camera system or trying to understand the value behind it, this is the conversation you need.

Key Talking Points

This is a reissue of Part 1 of my conversation with Orhan from Reeplayer — brought back because the questions around camera systems are picking up again with the new season starting.

In this episode, we focus on the foundation — why youth soccer still struggles to consistently capture games, what families are dealing with, and how access to footage impacts development.

We also get into Orhan’s journey and what led to building Reeplayer, along with the bigger issue most people don’t realize exists.

If you’re a parent, coach, or club looking at camera sys...

In Part 2, the focus shifts to how players are actually developed with futsal.

Pablo Da Silva breaks down futsal—what it really is, why it matters, and how it translates directly to the outdoor game.

From faster decision-making to total field awareness, this is where development becomes real.

If you want to understand why some players just see the game differently, this episode explains it.

⚽ Key Talking Points

What does real player development actually look like?

In Part 1, Ian sits down with John Davis and Pablo Da Silva from Ulete Sports to break down what they’re building—and why it’s different.

This conversation dives into culture, community, and creating an environment where players can actually grow. Not just win games—but develop long-term.

From multi-sport training to setting boundaries with parents, this is a real look at what youth soccer should start becoming.

⚽ Key Talking Points

What does a full day in a soccer residency program actually look like—and how is it different from the traditional youth soccer model?

In Part 2 of this conversation, Ian Babcock and Erin Medina go deeper into Alpha Forms Residency, breaking down the daily schedule, training structure, and how education is integrated into player development.

They cover everything from strength and conditioning, recovery, and individualized learning, to how families should evaluate if this type of environment is the right fit for their child.

This episode is about understanding the details—what really happens behi...

What does real player development actually look like—and why are so many systems missing it?

In this episode of Chat By The Pitch, Ian Babcock sits down with Erin Medina, COO of Forms Residency and Forms Academy, to break down a completely different approach to youth soccer development.

From her journey through the Canadian national team to building one of the largest youth clubs in the country, Erin shares what she’s learned about development, structure, and what kids actually need to succeed.

They dive into the reality of today’s youth soccer...

With the Dallas Cup just weeks away, this episode hits a little different.

This is a tribute to Gordon Jago—a true pioneer of the game and one of the key figures behind what the Dallas Cup has become today.

From his journey as a player and coach to helping build one of the most respected youth tournaments in the world, Gordon shares what the game is really about—community, standards, and bringing people together.

If you’ve ever been part of Dallas Cup—or you’re about to experience it—this conversation gives you a...

In Part 2 of Soccer for Success, we go deeper.

This conversation moves beyond curriculum and into implementation — how Dallas ISD built a no-cost, district-wide pathway from elementary Spark programs to middle school leagues and high school UIL competition.

We break down how Spark works (grades 2–6), how competitive soccer is introduced the right way, and how over 50 elementary schools are now participating in structured play.

If you’re a parent wondering how to advocate for better sports access…

If you’re a school leader looking for a scalable youth development model…

If you car...

Soccer for Success is reshaping how youth soccer development happens inside school systems.

In this episode, leaders from Dallas ISD and the US Soccer Foundation break down how a 10-lesson, standards-aligned curriculum is equipping PE teachers, training coaches, and reaching nearly 50,000 students across Dallas.

We talk about why small-sided games matter, how physical activity impacts academic performance, and how this partnership is extending beyond the classroom into after-school programs, recess, and even World Cup-themed initiatives.

If you’re a parent, coach, or school leader wondering how to build real development environments inside education sy...

In this episode of Chat By The Pitch, I sit down with Gregg Megaw, founder of Ballers ID, to talk about investing in the full player — not the hype.

We break down individual development, 1v1 training, decision-making, culture, confidence, and why true growth takes time. Gregg explains why small group training often beats early private sessions, why standards matter more than shortcuts, and how parents should think about development as a long-term investment.

If you’re a soccer parent navigating the noise, a coach building culture, or a player serious about improving — this conversation will reset...

Seeing the Next Level Changes Everything

In Part 2 of this conversation, Ian and Jonathan dig deeper into exposure, access, and perspective in youth sports.

Jonathan explains why seeing the next level in person — middle school, college, or professional — can motivate kids without pressure, while also giving parents a clearer understanding of what elite performance actually looks like. They unpack the financial realities of club sports, travel, and training, and why “free” programs still come with hidden costs that many families can’t afford.

The episode closes with powerful reflections on the coaches and mentors wh...

In Part 1 of this conversation, Ian sits down with Jonathan Corone, creator of Healthy Sports Parents, to unpack the emotional, cultural, and behavioral challenges parents face in youth sports.

Jonathan shares how his own daughter’s experience — and a moment on the sidelines watching a parent lose control — sparked a platform focused on helping parents do better without shame or blame. Together, they explore why parents react the way they do, how outcome obsession sneaks in early, and why most kids don’t need more pressure — they need perspective.

This episode is for parents, coaches, and anyone...

In this solo episode of Chat By The Pitch, Ian Babcock reflects on years of learning as a soccer parent, coach, and constant student of the game. This episode challenges the obsession with early results and reframes success around development, environment, communication, and joy.

Ian explores what youth soccer is getting right, where it’s falling short, and what parents, coaches, and clubs can do—starting today—to create healthier, more sustainable experiences for young athletes. This conversation is for families who care about long-term growth, not just the scoreboard.

Key Talking Points

1. Why de...

In Part 2 of this conversation, John O’Sullivan dives deeper into the realities of pressure, anxiety, early specialization, and the myths that continue to shape youth sports in unhealthy ways.

We unpack why the so-called 10,000-hour rule doesn’t hold up, why development is never linear, and why mentality, enjoyment, and resilience matter more than chasing outcomes at young ages. John also shares powerful insights for parents on how to support their kids without adding pressure — and why nervousness isn’t a problem, but a sign that kids care.

This episode challenges parents, coaches, and organiza...