Inside College Soccer

Episode 124 of the Inside College Soccer Podcast is a major one. Don Williams sits down with Sasho Cirovski, Head Men’s Soccer Coach at the University of Maryland, to talk about the two-semester model for Division I men’s soccer and why he has spent 13 years working to get it passed.

The timing matters. On 7th October 2026, the NCAA Division I Cabinet affirmed Proposal 2026-27, a year-round men’s soccer season with competition in the fall and spring and the championship in the spring. The Cabinet vote fell short of 75 percent, so the proposal entered a 30-day rescission period. It takes effect for the 2027-28 academic year unless at least 241 Division I schools vote to rescind it. As of 2nd November, 183 rescind votes had been confirmed. Voting closes on Friday 6th November 2026.

In this conversation, Don and Sasho discuss where the proposal came from, why he has pushed for it for so long and what it could mean for players, programmes and the future of college soccer.

If you are a player, parent, coach or anyone invested in the future of the college game, this is an episode you will want to hear before the vote closes.

Presented by SRUSA - the world’s leading college soccer placement agency.
 www.srusasoccer.com

College soccer is changing, and the financial realities behind it are raising serious questions about the future of the game.

Part 2 of this special two-part episode is here! After the huge response to Part 1, Don Williams sits down again with Andre Luciano - SRUSA Senior Soccer Consultant and College Placement Expert with 30 years of experience across NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, USL and youth soccer - to look at the money shaping college soccer.

With NIL and revenue-sharing money changing the landscape, are we creating an even bigger gap between the college soccer haves and have-nots? How do schools with limited resources compete with the wealthiest programmes?

Don and Andre also discuss the proposed two-semester model for Division I men’s soccer. They cover why the proposal has merit, the potential benefits of the change and the possible drawbacks, including how it could negatively affect some Division I men’s programmes.

The conversation doesn’t stop at the problems. They also share their thoughts on possible solutions, particularly around funding and protecting non-revenue sports. How do you create a sustainable model for college athletics without sacrificing opportunities for student-athletes? And what could it all mean for the future of college soccer?

With three decades of coaching and recruiting experience, Andre brings practical, honest insight to a conversation that goes well beyond the headlines.

Whether you are a player, parent, coach or anyone invested in the future of college soccer - this is an episode worth your time.

Connect with Andre Luciano:
X: https://x.com/LVHoosierGK
Email: [email protected]

Presented by SRUSA - the world’s leading college soccer placement agency.
www.srusasoccer.com

The transfer portal has changed college soccer - and knowing when and how to use it can make a significant difference in where a player ends up.

In Part 1 of this special two-part episode, Don Williams sits down with Andre Luciano - SRUSA Senior Soccer Consultant and College Placement Expert with 30 years of experience across NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, USL and youth soccer - to break down the transfer process from start to finish.

When is the right time to enter the portal? Is the fall or spring window the better option? How should a player approach the conversation with their current coach - and with potential new coaches? What should players understand before making the decision to transfer at all?

Don and Andre also discuss graduate students and the transfer portal, including how the new 5-in-5 eligibility model affects graduate players who are considering their next move.

With three decades of coaching and recruiting experience, Andre brings practical, honest insight into the decisions players face and the mistakes they need to avoid.

Whether you are a current college player considering a transfer, a graduate student exploring your options or a parent trying to understand the process - this is an episode worth your time.

Connect with Andre Luciano:
X: https://x.com/LVHoosierGK
Email: [email protected]

Presented by SRUSA - the world’s leading college soccer placement agency.
www.srusasoccer.com

On this episode of the Inside College Soccer Podcast, Don Williams is joined by Eric Belcher - assistant coach with the Grambling State University women’s soccer programme and a coach with 17 years of experience across the college game.

Eric has seen firsthand how dramatically recruiting and the college soccer landscape have changed across his career. Don and Eric discuss what those changes look like from a coach’s perspective, how the various levels of college soccer differ and what coaches are actually evaluating when they look at a recruit.

One of the most interesting parts of the conversation is the impact of social media on recruiting. From how players present themselves online to how coaches use social platforms when evaluating recruits, the recruiting environment looks very different today from the one Eric entered 17 years ago.

A practical and honest conversation for any player, parent or family trying to better understand the modern college soccer recruiting process.

Follow Eric:
Instagram: @coach.belcher
X: @CoachEbelcher
Grambling State Women’s Soccer: https://gsutigers.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/coaches/eric-belcher/1075

Presented by SRUSA - the world’s leading college soccer placement agency (www.srusasoccer.com)

On this episode of Inside College Soccer, Don Williams sits down with soccer legend Dr. Joe Machnik - 2017 U.S. Soccer National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee and 2024 United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame inductee - for a fascinating conversation spanning more than seven decades of American soccer.

Joe’s career is unlike almost anyone else in the game. He has been a player, coach, goalkeeping coach, referee, soccer administrator, television analyst and educator. Don and Joe discuss his playing and coaching career, the goalkeepers and coaches who influenced him, his relationship with legendary goalkeeper coach Frans Hoek and the evolution of American soccer across seven decades.

The conversation also covers Joe’s extensive experience in refereeing, his work as a soccer rules analyst for FOX Sports and what it was like working with the television announcing crew at the World Cup.

Joe is also the founder of No. 1 Soccer Camps - one of the most recognised soccer camp programmes in the United States - and the author of his new book, From the Sandlots to the World Cup: INSIDE Seven Decades of American Soccer, which takes readers through his remarkable journey and the history of the game in America.

A truly fascinating conversation with one of the most experienced and knowledgeable figures in the history of American soccer.

Follow Dr. Joe Machnik: @DrJoeMachnik
Book: From the Sandlots to the World Cup: INSIDE Seven Decades of American Soccer - available on Amazon

Presented by SRUSA - the world’s leading college soccer placement agency (www.srusasoccer.com)

On this episode of the Inside College Soccer Podcast, Don Williams sits down with Tony Mohammed - player development expert and Impact Soccer - to talk about his years helping players develop through Black Rock FC, his new role with Impact Soccer and how Artificial Intelligence is beginning to change the way soccer players, coaches and scouts evaluate the game.

Tony brings extensive experience in player development, recruiting, college soccer and the academy environment. The conversation covers his work at Black Rock FC, the challenges players face finding the right pathway and what it takes to reach college and professional level.

Then the conversation moves into AI.

How can computer vision and machine learning analyse match footage in ways the human eye cannot? How can AI help coaches evaluate individual players, analyse teams and systems, identify tactical trends and understand what is happening both on and off the ball? And how can all of this actually help players improve?

Impact Soccer uses computer vision, machine learning and AI to analyse match footage and provide player and team performance information at a level of detail that would be time-consuming or impossible through traditional video analysis alone.

But this episode has a very direct connection to the SRUSA community. Sports Recruiting USA has partnered with Impact Soccer to incorporate AI and computer-vision-driven analytics into the scouting and player evaluation process - giving SRUSA another layer of objective information when evaluating players and helping them find the right college soccer fit.

This does not mean AI replaces the human evaluator. It means technology can give those people more information to work with.

For players and parents, this raises an important question: as soccer becomes more data-driven, what information will coaches and scouts be using to evaluate players in the future? Tony and Don explore exactly that.

Learn more about Impact Soccer: https://www.impactsoccer.ai/
Learn more about Sports Recruiting USA: https://www.sportsrecruitingusa.com/
Tony Mohammed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonymohammed
Instagram: @impactsoccer.ai
TikTok: @impact.soccer.media

Presented by SRUSA - the world's leading college soccer placement agency.
 www.srusasoccer.com

Presented by SRUSA - the world's leading college soccer placement agency (www.srusasoccer.com)

On this episode of Inside College Soccer, Don Williams sits down with former University of Wisconsin star and professional soccer player Chris Mueller for a powerful conversation about perseverance, confidence and what it really takes to believe in yourself when things are not going the way you hoped.

Chris made 75 appearances and scored 22 goals for the Wisconsin Badgers between 2014 and 2017 - but his first two years were far from straightforward. Rather than walking away, he stuck with it. By his senior season he had become one of the most productive players in college soccer history, finishing the 2017 season with 20 assists - setting the NCAA single-season assists record that still stands today.

The conversation then moves into his professional career - 200 appearances across Orlando City, Hibernian in Scotland and the Chicago Fire, as well as two caps and two goals for the United States Men's National Team. Chris talks openly about his lowest moments playing at Hibernian in Scotland, what those experiences taught him, and what it took to come back and put together a stellar run back in American soccer with the Chicago Fire.

A major theme throughout is confidence - where it comes from, how athletes can develop it and what happens when performance and belief fall apart at the same time. Chris is also the author of Bet Yourself: Unshakeable Confidence for When It Matters Most, and shares lessons from the book throughout the conversation.

This episode goes well beyond soccer. Chris's story is a reminder that development is not always linear, that early struggles do not define your future, and that sometimes the decision to simply stick with it can change everything.

Learn more: btbtheofficial.com
Book: Bet Yourself: Unshakeable Confidence for When It Matters Most
Instagram: @btbtheofficial | @cmueller1662

Presented by SRUSA - the world's leading college soccer placement agency.
www.srusasoccer.com

On this episode of Inside College Soccer, Don Williams sits down with TJ Perez - Head Coach of Chapman University Women's Soccer - for a wide-ranging conversation about his journey from player to Division III head coach.

TJ talks about his playing days at Cal State LA before making the decision to transfer to Sonoma State, where he played under legendary coach Marcus Ziemer, scored 10 goals across two seasons and was part of two NCAA Tournament appearances. That decision became a defining moment in his life - and immediately after finishing his playing career, TJ joined Ziemer's coaching staff and began building the coaching philosophy that would shape everything that followed.

The conversation covers the profound influence Marcus Ziemer had on TJ as both a coach and a mentor, his five seasons at Minot State where he served as both assistant and head coach, compiled a 26-15-18 record and led the Beavers to the NSIC Tournament Championship Game twice - and his return to California to become the fifth head coach in Chapman University's Division III women's soccer history.

One of the most compelling parts of the conversation is TJ's perspective on the differences between Division II and Division III soccer - what makes the D3 model unique, why he believes there is something particularly pure about the Division III experience and what it looks like to build a programme around the complete college experience rather than athletics alone.

TJ also shares what he looks for in players, what makes someone a genuine fit for a Division III programme and why the relationship between academics and athletics sits at the heart of everything he does.

A great episode for players, families and coaches interested in understanding the college soccer landscape from someone who has experienced it at multiple levels.

Presented by SRUSA - the world's leading college soccer placement agency.
www.srusasoccer.com

On this episode of Inside College Soccer, Don Williams sits down with Henrik Teisbaek - CEO and Co-Founder of VEO - for a fascinating conversation about the evolution of sports video, artificial intelligence and the future of performance analysis.

Henrik takes us back to the beginning of VEO and explains how the company set out to make high-quality sports video and analysis more accessible to teams, coaches and players across youth, college and professional sports.

The conversation covers how VEO has developed its AI-powered technology and how artificial intelligence is changing the way coaches and players capture, analyse and understand performance - turning raw game footage into meaningful data and actionable insights.

Don and Henrik discuss how coaches can use performance data to identify trends, analyse team and individual performance and make better-informed coaching decisions. For players, the technology opens new opportunities to understand their own game more objectively and identify areas for development alongside traditional coaching methods.

They also explore the potential impact of AI and video technology on player development, scouting and recruiting - and how these tools could fundamentally change the way players are evaluated at every level of the game, from grassroots to professional.

Whether you are a coach looking to get more from your analysis, a player wanting to understand your performance data, or someone interested in where sports technology is headed, this is a conversation worth listening to.

Presented by SRUSA - the world's leading college soccer placement agency.
www.srusasoccer.com

On this episode of Inside College Soccer, Don Williams sits down with Ben Waldrum - Head Coach of Pitt Women's Soccer and son of coaching legend Randy Waldrum, who joined us on Episode 110.

Ben shares his coaching journey from Notre Dame to FC Dallas to seven seasons as Pitt's associate head coach before being elevated to head coach in May 2025. He gives a unique behind-the-scenes perspective on what it was like holding down the fort at Pitt while his father was coaching the Nigerian Women's National Team at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

The conversation covers what it takes to lead a Power Four program, the transition from associate head coach to head coach, and the expectations that come with running one of college soccer's most respected programmes.

Don and Ben also tackle some of the biggest issues facing college soccer today - the 5-in-5 eligibility model, the proposed two-semester college soccer season, and what those changes could mean for coaches, players and recruiting at every level.

Ben also shares his honest thoughts on youth player development in the United States and whether today's development environment is doing enough to prepare players for the demands of the college game.

A fascinating conversation about coaching, family, leadership, player development and the future of college soccer - from someone who has grown up inside the game at the very highest level.

Presented by SRUSA - the world's leading college soccer placement agency.
www.srusasoccer.com