Episode 48: The MLS Academy Difference; a chat w/ Steve Covino

Welcome to the 48th episode of the In The 11 Podcast! Today we are joined by Steve Covino, one of the coaches selected for the 2-year coaching course hosted by the French Football Federation. Steve shares his journey to becoming a coach and how things have changed in the field of Soccer over the years. Steve shares the hardships that are necessary for an aspiring coach to go through to make sure that they are as seasoned as a person as they would want their students to be. Taking both inspiration and lessons from the people that have been a part of his continuous path in coaching, Steve perseveres and shares more about his insights on Soccer as a coach.

How the career started:

Early mornings, late nights, and 24 hours of passion for the sport made Steve want to coach the youth and help them not only improve but to be able to build a career out of the sport. Being inspired by his father and previous coaches from Siena College, he experienced different hardships just so he could realize his goal of wanting to guide children into becoming great athletes.

The changes in the playing field: Stepping out of college years ago, was a difficult start for Steve because the sport, popular as it is back then, is not as properly promoted in the US as it is now. Not only that but as one does when pursuing a career out of passion, albeit, Steve believes that the US is a sleeping giant in global terms as national team players continuously compete with other countries in different leagues and the numbers are steadily rising in both players and promotions. 

About Steve Covino:

A native of Bristol, Conn., Covino was named to the NSCAA/Performance Subaru All-North Atlantic Region Team and to the All-MAAC Second Team as a senior midfielder for the Saints in 2010. That season he posted career highs with eight goals and 20 points. Covino played in 71 games over his career with the Saints, making 69 starts. He was also named to the All-MAAC Second Team following his sophomore season. 

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Outline of the Episode: 

• [02:28] How Steve Covino started in the field
• [05:58] What inspired Steve to become a coach
• [08:11] What happened next after Siena College
• [10:49] How professional Soccer changed over the years
• [16:38] How Steve decided to coach rather than play
• [23:31] How the professional field grew
• [24:58] What Steve does to progress his career further
• [26:44] The ups and downs of the journey
• [33:28] How did Steve maximize his opportunities
• [42:36] The intricacies of the sport and coaching
• [45:33] The experience with the French Football Federation
• [49:18] Impact of the experience with learning from other cultures
• [52:26] What’s it like for Steve to see his players develop
• [56:43] How Steve sees the US in the professional field

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