Hey everyone, welcome back to another edition of Inside Scoop! I’m your host, Neil Crawford, founder of Anytime Soccer Training. If you’re new here, this podcast is all about helping parents understand the different soccer pathways available to their kids—whether they live in the U.S. or anywhere else in the world.

In this episode, I’m tackling something personal—parental bias and the irony of assessing our own kids. A friend called me out on a contradiction: how can I tell parents they might misjudge their child’s ability while also saying my son is technical? Fair point, and I want to address it.

I’ll dive into how I approach my kids’ development, the importance of staying open-minded, and why I try (emphasis on try) not to let my own opinions influence their training too much. Plus, I’ll share a key strategy I use each season to help them improve without overwhelming them.

If you’ve ever struggled with balancing support and objectivity as a soccer parent, this one’s for you!

And don’t forget—this show is brought to you by Anytime Soccer Training, the only program with over 5,000 training videos covering all the major skills your child needs to succeed. Check out Anytime-Soccer.com to learn more. Now, let’s get into it!