{"podcast":{"title":"Chasing the Game - Youth Soccer in America","slug":"chasing-the-game-youth-soccer-in-america-7528250","podcast_index_feed_id":7528250,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/chasing-the-game","website_url":"https://www.chasingthegame.us","image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/4Xne-FSh01iD2s8m_-NH8nbG0PHW7JxI0AKsxID8Mvc/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9kZWVh/ODMyNzJlMTg1NDQ3/NWZmZjlhOTAwOWEy/ZGJmYy5wbmc.jpg","author":"Liron Unreich","episode_count":30,"summary":"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 youth sports parenting 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.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/chasing-the-game-youth-soccer-in-america-7528250"},"episode":{"title":"Small Roster Youth Soccer: Why Selective Clubs Develop Better Players | Manhattan Kickers FC","slug":"small-roster-youth-soccer-why-selective-clubs-develop-better-players-manhattan-kickers-fc","published_at":"2026-02-18T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/chasing-the-game-youth-soccer-in-america-7528250/small-roster-youth-soccer-why-selective-clubs-develop-better-players-manhattan-kickers-fc","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/chasing-the-game-youth-soccer-in-america-7528250","url":"https://share.transistor.fm/s/53b1662f","audio_url":"https://media.transistor.fm/53b1662f/a1bd0d80.mp3","summary":"Why do so many U.S. players struggle when they enter a true football culture? In this episode of Chasing the Game: Youth Soccer in America, Liron Unreich and Matt Tartaglia speak with Dutch coach and academy educator Ditmer de Jong about the invisible cultural gap between U.S. youth soccer and Dutch youth soccer. They discuss self-regulation, autonomy, question-based coaching, everyday football culture, risk-taking, and why players develop differently when coaches foster ownership rather than dependence. This episode is for soccer parents and coaches who want a clearer understanding of culture, coaching philosophy, and what American families can learn from Dutch player development. https://chasingthegame.us (00:00) - Cold Open (00:32) - Why This Club Stays Small (04:15) - One Team Per Age Group (09:42) - Spotting Motivation at Age 6 (16:08) - What Changes by U10 (23:10) - The “Special Sauce” Coaching Model (31:20) - Scholarships & Access (38:44) - The Handoff to Bigger Clubs (46:30) - Scaling vs Standards (54:05) - What Parents Get Wrong (59:10) - Final Takeaways Click here to view the episode transcript.","meta_description":"Why do so many U.S. players struggle when they enter a true football culture? In this episode of Chasing the Game: Youth Soccer in America, Liron Unreich…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3629,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/chasing-the-game-youth-soccer-in-america-7528250/episodes/small-roster-youth-soccer-why-selective-clubs-develop-better-players-manhattan-kickers-fc/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/chasing-the-game-youth-soccer-in-america-7528250/small-roster-youth-soccer-why-selective-clubs-develop-better-players-manhattan-kickers-fc.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}