Keep The Game Beautiful

Sue Vodicka has coached soccer for over thirty years at the youth and collegiate levels. We talk about her journey as a coach and some of the things she learned along the way. We discuss her early days as her mother worked to create opportunity for female athletes to play soccer. We talked briefly about work ethic and how she empowers her athletes as a coach at Shattuck St. Mary today.

This episode I talk with Jed Eichorn of Little Sports Torts. Jed knew that he wanted to be a coach as he saw the impact that positive role models had on his life. After working in Parks & Recreation he took his skills and started a business working with day care providers to bring sports to the kids they care for. He is currently finishing his second book "Little Sports Torts Fundamentals: Learn To Play Soccer" via Kickstarter. You can learn more about his Kickstarter at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/littlesportstorts/little-sports-torts-fundamentals-learn-to-play-soccer

Geoff VanDeusen who will become the CEO of United Soccer Coaches on January 1st returns to Keep The Game Beautiful to talk about the upcoming United Soccer Coaches REUNITED 2022 Convention in Kansas City. This year the event will be extra special as it has been a while since we've all been together. In addition this convention introduces a new Referee Summit priced at only $99!

Manya Puppione is the head coach at George Mason University. As a player she won multiple youth and high school awards and was a member of the US Women’s National Teams for the U-19, U-21, and U-23 ages. She played at Arizona State University before starting her professional career which included playing in the WPS, NWSL, Iceland, and Finland where she still holds the league record for goals scored. Manya and I spend time talking about her style of coaching, how she helps players in tough times, and her own struggles with injuries, including concussions.

Trip Neil is a board member and past president of USA Deaf Soccer Association and is involved with Powersense in Dallas, Texas. Trip is the captain of the US Deaf National Team and played at Johns Hopkins University where he first learned about deaf soccer. We talk not only about the challenges that deaf and hard of hearing athletes might face but about other great things happening in other adaptive and inclusive soccer programs.

Aidan Reagh began using analytics in the sport of lacrosse as a youth, he began coaching, and then brought his skills to soccer. He continued to develop ways that data could be used to improve performance. Even when using this information he remains committed to remembering the importance of people first.

Coach Matt Ream of Des Moines Soccer Club is someone I've known for a few years now since we first met at a United Soccer Coaches Open Training Week session. He has coached adult amateur, college, club soccer, and at Roosevelt High School. He shares some of the moments where he had to fall in love with the game again and a bit of what drives his passion as a coach.

Dave DiIanni is the Women's Soccer Coach at University of Iowa. In this last season his team faced many challenges in adjusting to COVID and after a rough start had an amazing finish which included winning their first Big Ten Championship.

Jordan McMahon (Jordan Bishop) grew up playing in Texas before playing at Iowa State. As an athlete she had the opportunity to continue playing for the Des Moines Menace and with the Boston Breakers. She returned to Iowa and began coaching even developing into a Director of Coaching role and mentoring others. Today she is a coach for Vision Soccer Academy (VSA) with academy aged players.

Sarah Lowdon recently joined the staff of Penn State Women's Soccer. Prior to her current role she was with the Florida Gators Soccer program and wrote the book A Desk And A Chair highlighting some of the things she learned from Becky Burleigh. We talk about leadership, confidence, and more in this episode.