Soccer Talk presented by Kick It Forward

The pandemic has changed the way we do things - some for the better and others less so - but no doubt, it has pushed people to be more creative and a lot of the time, more inclusive as well. Such is the case with the Iowa Soccer Virtual Symposium, which is being offered uniquely over the the internet on February 27 and 28. By offering individual and organization passes, plus providing recordings of the sessions post-event, this year may prove to be the most influential yet in the symposium's brief history. The program, which has been carefully curated by the Iowa Soccer Association's Director of Member Services, Candice Fabry, is designed engage people involved in all levels of the game. The live-streamed event offers several different sessions run by some of the top coaches, referees, educators and innovators in the game. Tune in to hear all about this year's event, plus learn a little about Candice, her soccer journey and the experience of putting together an event like this (virtually no less).

If there's such a thing as an original in Iowa soccer, Courtney Crandell is one that comes to mind. Courtney is a pioneer for soccer-playing women of all ages, but in her time, was among the first Iowans to break through at the D1 and National Team level. After learning the game through her older brothers Chad and Josh, the Roosevelt graduate went on to play with boys competitive teams including (arguably one of the best club teams in Iowa history) Urbandale Freedom. A prolific goal scorer, rare in any fashion when discussing Iowa players, Courtney began her collegiate career at UNC-Charlotte where she set an all-time school record with 51 points in her freshman season (21 goals, 9 assists) and was named 1st team All-American. Courtney transferred after her sophomore season to Auburn University to finish her playing career and went on to coach at the club level throughout the southeast. Now with FC Boulder, she remains involved in the game while she embraces family life and motherhood.

Today we welcome good friend, fellow Iowan and Scuffed Soccer Podcast co-host, Greg Velasquez, to the pod. Scuffed is an excellent soccer podcast born of our men's national team's tragic inability to qualify for World Cup 2018. Accordingly, we'll embark on a first (Soccer Talk listeners know we love firsts), focusing in on the U.S. Men's National Team as their infamous January Camp comes to a close with a friendly on Sunday (1/31/21) against Trinidad & Tobago. Naturally, we could think of no better person to educate us than Greg himself and being the gentleman that he is, he was more than happy to oblige. Our discussion ranges from his initial love of the game through playing and coaching and then of course, the evolution of the podcast. Not only will we get in-depth analysis on the players, but also the process - 2021 could prove to be a pivotal year for our men's program with Olympic qualifying this spring and hopefully the Olympics this summer, plus the CONCACAF Nations Cup and Gold Cup and in the fall, World Cup Qualifying for 2022 in Qatar.

In the depths of winter, with less soccer to see in person, there's still plenty of soccer to talk about. This past summer of 2020, in a relatively new pandemic era, a contingent of youth soccer clubs in Iowa proposed a new league with the Iowa Soccer Association called the Club Development League (CDL). This podcast tries to provide a neutral overview of of the differences between the CDL and the previously all-encompassing Iowa Soccer League (ISL), which is now, effectively, the second tier of youth soccer in Iowa. We'll break down what we can with our basic research skills and hopefully, we'll have a chance in the coming weeks to gain some perspective from some of the individuals that are closer to it on a daily basis.

Pods come and pods go, but we feel like this is a timeless classic, much like our guest, Aaron Leventhal. Aaron loves fitness, a love that started with his dad, who as Aaron explains it was the least-skilled basketball player at the Jewish Community Center in Des Moines and taught him by example that anyone can love sports. Aaron, in this case, fell in love with soccer, something that was also fueled by his father, Jerry, the legendary administrator for the Iowa Soccer Association. His hereditary legend-status is not without much toil. After earning a spot with the Drake Bulldogs in the early '90s, Leventhal concurrently trained with the Minnesota Thunder and Des Moines Menace, eventually turning professional in 1996. While having a successful career with the Thunder, Leventhal also put his college degree to use and pursued a career in health and fitness. He now owns his own gym in Minneapolis and in addition to working with NFL, NHL and US Olympic Ski Teamers, "Levy" had the opportunity to work with Minnesota United FC in their first years of Major League Soccer.

Happy New Year, folks. The year known as 2020 has been strangely long and it seems everyone has been challenged in one way or the other. So let's start 2021 on the front foot and talk about something uplifting...

How about an Iowa guy working to climb the professional soccer ladder achieving some deserved success? Brandon Fricke, of Dallas Center-Grimes, has always been driven and put his focus on hard work and application over all else. After a successful youth career saw him have the opportunity to play in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy with Sporting Kansas City, he caught on at Butler University in Indianapolis where he truly established himself as a potential professional prospect. Injury setbacks with impeccably poor timing have sent Fricke on a bit of a globe-trotting adventure. After being drafted 83rd by the Colorado Rapids in 2015, he has featured as a commanding defender in Sweden, North Carolina, Michigan and now finally in South Carolina, all the while finding time to feature for his hometown team, the Des Moines Menace. Now, in his inaugural USL League One season he helped Greenville Triumph SC to the league championship, simultaneously earning plaudits in the league's best eleven and top defender of 2020. We talk about his journey and all the good stuff in between, like playing left back!

We have a special holiday delivery today! We hop on the ol' Zoom to chat with Bill Koeppen, who currently coaches for Sporting Omaha in Nebraska, but we mostly have a broad discussion about Koeppen's life and of course, soccer. A self-described truth seeker, Cruyffian and music aficionado, Koeppen is the type of coach that can change your life. He's demanding, intense and principled and he strives to push his players to the next level. This has to do with his background first as a player at Davis & Elkins College in West Virginia, but probably more to do with his 25-plus years of coaching experience, including assistant coaching stints at Creighton University and Drake University, plus running both the men's and women's program for MacMurray College in Illinois. During his time in Iowa, he also coached for several local clubs including the West Des Moines Soccer Club, Iowa United, Vision Soccer Academy and the Des Moines Menace. In talking about his experiences, Koeppen is reflective and thoughtful - and naturally, a little controversial.