DEF.PDX Podcast: The Journey Series

Welcome to the soccer journey of Krystyna Freda. On this podcast we talk about the unique soccer journey of Krystyna, who is a female professional player currently playing in Cyprus for Apollon Ladies, and how she went from a small college to playing pro. Krystyna tells us about some difficult times she went through and how she overcame them and looked to the future. We get to learn about what steps she took to prepare for being a professional and what is like transitioning from college to pro. She also talks about women’s soccer as a whole and what she is trying to do to help promote the women’s game in her time off of the field. Krystyna has a lot of advice for younger players that might help them deal with rejection, decisions about going abroad for playing opportunities, and some tips that might help them prepare for what is to come on the professional level. Throughout her career Krystyna has pushed the boundaries of what she thought was capable, and wants younger plays to know that they can too. We get a chance to hear first hand about what is like to be a female soccer player in a male dominated world. Krystyna also has a blog where she gives advice to younger and aspiring professionals, so you can check them out through her social media, as well as another website she built to help promote women’s soccer.

This is the soccer & life journey of Drew Boyd. During this episode, we will talk about his soccer journey and the impact it’s had on his life. He goes through the early days of his soccer career, how he came to be a D1 athlete, and the advice he’d give to aspiring players. Drew will y’all about some of his struggles, major successes, and ways soccer has impacted his life. After touching on his journey, we will discuss how mental health has played a big role in his life. Then we will of course have our always fun karaoke battle and finish it off with a couple fun topics.

On this podcast Jasmyne Spencer and I talked about her soccer journey from the youth levels to her getting drafted and giving our young female athletes some words of wisdom and advice on how they can make it to the pro level. Jasmyne Spencer currently plays in the (NWSL) for the Seattle OL Reigns. We covered her journey ,players advice, mental health, world news, conspiracy theories, karaoke, faith, the spot/ culture, and getting to know her.

Welcome to the soccer journey of Kyle Curinga. During the podcast we go through the professional career of Kyle and some of the ups and downs he’s had. Including moments like becoming the regular season champion of the USL, having a season ending injury, and playing in two different countries. We also touch on super relevant topics such as corona virus and mental health and how we attempt to deal with them. We have some fun doing karaoke, chatting about conspiracies, talking how God has impacted our lives, and much more. Tune into to learn more about Kyle Curinga and how his journey can help you to see more into the mind of a professional soccer player. Find Kyle on social media:

IG: @kylecuringa

Twitter: @kyle_curinga10

Welcome to the soccer journey of Tommy Case. On today’s podcast we talked about what various struggles took Case to where he is today. He discusses how his love for the game grew in Eugene, Oregon and led to his move to the Timbers Academy and then later to the Sounders Academy. He also talks about the transition from youth soccer to college soccer and what advise he has for people going through the same process. Instagram: tcasepelz

Welcome to the soccer journey of Kayla Klim. On today’s podcast we talked about the experiences that lead Kayla to playing in Sweden’s Elitettan. We discussed some of the differences of going to school in the States verse going to school in Canada and what that decision process looked like for Kayla. She shared about her burnout in university and how being a goalkeeper can sometimes feel lonely when joining a new team. If you want to follow Kayla’s journey or you have questions for her, you can find her as @coachkayla29 on Instagram.

Welcome to the soccer journey of Daniel Amo. On today’s podcast we talked about how Amo’s journey carried him to where he is today and what challenges he had to overcome. He discussed his childhood in Ghana through the Sporting Club Accra and Right to Dream program in Ghana. He also talked about his experience playing in youth tournaments in Europe with RTD. Amo also talked about his transition from Ghana to the Salisbury School in CT and UCSB. We also discussed his journey from college to European teams( Rayo Vallecano, Thisted FC and Getafe B). Amo talked about his nonprofit GoldenEd(www.goldened.org).

Finally, we discussed his goals for this Fall season.

All social media: @d_amo21 and @goldened_gh.

Welcome to the soccer journey of Alex Lara. On today’s podcast we talk about the many challenges that can arise in any players career. Alex shares his past struggles and how these struggles eventually were able to help him grow, as a player and individual. In addition we speak on the important issues of mental stability and how that played a role in his life. This also includes his transition from Mt. Sac (Junior college) to CSUN (Division one) and all the way up to USL championship. He was also able to give some insight into his personal life and the faith he has and how it’s helped him overcome obstacles. Lastly we touched on the short and long term goals he has for his rookie season and the advice he would give to anyone that was or is in a difficult time.

Welcome to the soccer journey of Johnny Rodriguez. On today’s podcast we talked how Johnny Rodriguez’s journey carried him to where he is today and what obstacles he had to overcome. How Johnny is preparing himself to sing his first professional contract. He discusses how he went from a JUCO to a Division 1 and the challenges that presented themselves. When some players should contact coaches. Also we talked about how mental health is a big thing in today’s society and how people shouldn’t keep silent about it. There was a lot of fun things throughout the podcast including some good karaoke from two good/talented singers so don’t miss it. Be sure to listen to the podcast to get to know Johnny and get to know him outside of soccer! Find Johnny Rodriguez on Social Media: Instagram: Johnnybgooodd_

Welcome to the soccer journey of Anthony Legendre. On this podcast we talk about the struggles Anthony had to go through in order to sign his first pro contract. He played in the USL championship with the Tulsa roughnecks and has many different years of experience over seas. He has travelled to 5 different countries in order to sign last year. We also talk about how persistant and driven he was in order to achieve his goals. His career was highly influenced by the people he surrounded himself with and God. It was great having Anthony as our guest on the podcast and here’s where you can find him. Instagram: legendre28, twitter: tony_legendre, YouTube: Anthony Legendrey, Tiktok: legendre28.