{"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":"USL and the Youth Soccer Pathway: What Parents Need to Know | FC Naples","slug":"usl-and-the-youth-soccer-pathway-what-parents-need-to-know-fc-naples","published_at":"2026-03-18T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/chasing-the-game-youth-soccer-in-america-7528250/usl-and-the-youth-soccer-pathway-what-parents-need-to-know-fc-naples","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/chasing-the-game-youth-soccer-in-america-7528250","url":"https://share.transistor.fm/s/863df143","audio_url":"https://media.transistor.fm/863df143/49b80b99.mp3","summary":"What if the youth soccer pathway is bigger than most families realize? In this episode of Chasing the Game: Youth Soccer in America , Liron Unreich and Matt Tartaglia speak with Matt Poland, Sporting Director and head coach at FC Naples, about where the USL fits into the American player-development system and why it may become a more important part of the pathway for young players. They discuss building a professional club from the ground up, the gap between academy soccer and a true first-team environment, how USL can help bridge youth development and the pro game, what clubs look for in young players, and why culture, veteran leadership, and real professional standards matter so much in player growth. This episode is for soccer parents, coaches, and players trying to better understand the full American pathway, including academy soccer, college soccer, USL, and the difficult transition into the professional game. (00:00) - Start (00:03) - MLS, D1, and the Question Nobody Asks: USL (01:38) - Introducing Matt Poland and the FC Naples Project (04:12) - Building a Professional Club From the Ground Up (07:26) - Where USL Fits in the American Soccer Pyramid (11:05) - The Professional Locker Room: What Young Players Experience (15:18) - The Speed of the Game at the Professional Level (19:42) - Why Young Players Sometimes Regress Before They Improve (24:31) - Development vs Winning in Youth Soccer (29:58) - What Clubs Actually Look for in Young Players (35:12) - The Importance of Culture Inside a Professional Club (40:27) - Pathways to the Pro Game: More Than One Route (46:03) - Advice for Soccer Parents Navigating the System (50:41) - The Future of USL and Opportunity for Young Players Click here to view the episode transcript.","meta_description":"What if the youth soccer pathway is bigger than most families realize? In this episode of Chasing the Game: Youth Soccer in America , Liron Unreich and Ma…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3064,"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/usl-and-the-youth-soccer-pathway-what-parents-need-to-know-fc-naples/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/usl-and-the-youth-soccer-pathway-what-parents-need-to-know-fc-naples.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}