Soccer Talk presented by Kick It Forward

Today we hit you with a very 2020 podcast and explore what we've dubbed, The Lost Season. In particular, we are focused on the Abraham Lincoln High School Railsplitters boys' high school program today, with head coach Jack Simons joining us in the studio. Simons' passion for the game is palpable. The only thing that seems to usurp that passion is his dedication to his student athletes - his commitment to their well-being and success. So when he showed up on the southside in 2012, he had aspirations for the soccer program. He wanted to show them what they could be because they had serious talent! Fast forward to the present and not only have the Rails improved their results, they've regularly found themselves going deep into their sub-state bracket and have produced several college-bound players, including some D1 prospects. After a difficult 2019 season that saw a lot of personalities get in the way of their talent and success, Simons was extremely optimistic for the 2020 season. He had a special group of seniors that really knew what it meant to be a Railsplitter. And then it was cancelled. Listen in to hear a little more of their story.

Today was a fun one in the studio. If you've been around the game much in Iowa, you probably know Matt Kennedy, who has coached locally on and off for almost 30 years. He's coached high school (Hoover, Roosevelt and Waukee) and club soccer (Iowa United, Des Moines Menace and Vision Soccer Academy), plus provided goalkeeper training to nearly every decent 'keeper that has come through Iowa whether as a youth or an aspiring professional.

What people sometimes forget is that Kennedy, first and foremost, was a player. After falling in love with the game in his teenage years, he left college early to sign with the Philadelphia Fury of the North American Soccer League in 1979. Kennedy, a goalkeeper, went on to play throughout the country in the North American Soccer League, American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. Prior to retiring from the game due to injury, he began his coaching career, founding the Bangu Soccer Club in Minneapolis before being lured south to begin his work with Iowa United in the early 1990s.

Again, if you know Kennedy, his passion for the game is rarely rivaled and today's conversation is a great reminder of this fact.

Today we welcome Justin Vorster, aka boettie, to the studio to talk soccer. Vorster, the nomad, has lived all over the world and has experienced the game in an unique way - growing up and being introduced to the game in Malawi and then living and playing in South Africa (during and post-apartheid) throughout his 20s. Once his playing career came to a close due to injury, Vorster found his way stateside where he coached at various levels in youth programs, college and into the professional game, mostly within the state of Iowa. Justin holds his USSF 'A' License and currently coaches with the Vision Soccer Academy and FC United. He has previously been the Technical Director at Johnston-Urbandale Soccer Club and Assistant Technical Director at West Des Moines Soccer Club. Outside of the youth game, he has also served as an Assistant Coach at Drake University, Head Coach at AIB College, and Head Coach for the Des Moines Menace Women's Professional team. Ol' boet loves a good chat, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the stories!

We know our listeners have been anxiously awaiting this collaboration, so naturally, we decided to give the people what they want for a special edition of Beers on the Table.

Cornfed Coaching is the brainchild of Jon Choda and Jack Andrews and originally began as a soccer podcast talking to influential people in Iowa and the Midwest from coaches to parents to players. They've continued to evolve and have launched a tactical coaching podcast called "The Sesh", a soccer blog called "Breaking the Press", plus they are starting a Teqball League, which is the first in Iowa. In addition to coaching at Vision Soccer Academy, the guys are simply passionate about the game and willing to talk about it in an open way.

So enjoy the chat and look forward to our collaborations in the future!

It's still November, which means National Signing Day is upon us. Last year, Soccer Talk spoke to several student athletes going through the process. Their perspective was invaluable, but this year, we thought we would change vantage points and connect with some former college coaches that have taken on the business of helping student athletes navigate the recruiting process.

Today, extremely good friend of Soccer Talk, Steve Sawyer joins us on the pod. Sawyer co-founded Contact Coaches to make college recruiting resources available to everyone, allowing all young players the opportunity to fulfill their dreams of playing college soccer. He himself played college soccer at Brown University and went on to coach at Connecticut College (D-III) and Villanova University (D-I). Sawyer has over 10 years of experience guiding players through the college recruiting process, as a college coach, as a youth coach and club director, and as a recruiting consultant. He has helped players go on to play at such schools as UCLA, Penn, Northeastern, Lehigh, Denver, Haverford, and many more. Contact Coaches offers free resources (including a blog), a recruiting dashboard, consultations, and highlight video production.

It's November again, which means National Signing Day is upon us. Last year, Soccer Talk spoke to several student athletes going through the process. Their perspective was invaluable, but this year, we thought we would change vantage points and connect with some former college coaches that have taken on the business of helping student athletes navigate the recruiting process. So today, we have Dan Rothert, founder of Top Student Athlete Recruiting and program director for Key City Soccer Club, on to talk college recruitment! Before retiring from college coaching in 2020, Dan Rothert, was one of the most successful college soccer coaches in NCAA history at any level. One of the few coaches with over 500 collegiate wins, Rothert's 613 wins at Loras College in Dubuque between the men's and women's programs puts him in rarified company. Along with all of the winning, Rothert's teams were extremely successful in postseason play as well, making deep runs into the tournament commonplace. So what better place to get some college soccer advice? We discuss Rothert's experience and how it has shaped his approach to the recruiting process, but also how his views of the game inform his coaching style. Enjoy!

Things that Soccer Talk loves: firsts, a Game of the Week, road trips, catching up with old friends and watching good soccer. If you love these things too, then you'll love that we headed to Omaha last weekend to take in the Nebraska State Cup Final for the U15 Boys. The match featured a Sporting Omaha team coached by former Drake men's assistant, Bill Koeppen, and a Gretna squad under the guidance of Alex Vasquez. Both coaches are well-known for their demanding and competitive styles, but more so, for preparing their players to play at the next level. Speaking of the next level, Nebraska State Soccer has worked a deal with Creighton University to play State Cup matches at Morrison Stadium in downtown Omaha, which is one of the best soccer-specific venues in the Midwest, if not nationwide. Further, they stream the games on their YouTube channel and invited us over to provide coverage of the game. So in addition to having the Titan Tactician in the studio to help break down the action, please enjoy today's multi-media-style approach by following along on social media for interviews with the coaches and checking out some live footage on KIF's YouTube Channel.

Soccer Talk loves a Game of the Week, so we decided to take another trip out to Cownie Soccer Complex for the final weekend of the Iowa State Championship Series (10/25/20). We took in the big U16 Girls Final showcasing Sporting Iowa Central against the Iowa Rush. It was a chilly day in Des Moines, but both teams were experienced and ready for the big game. And of course, the Titan Tactician joins us in the studio to warm you up with all of his hot takes. Enjoy!

It's Game of the Week time again! Without a full college season this fall, Soccer Talk has taken a trip to watch the high school-aged club State Cup at Cownie Soccer Complex. And if that doesn't get you excited, it's a double GOTW! An historic match-up was our first game, as we took in the U16 Boys Play-In Game, which saw the United Futbol Academy (UFA) face off against the Genesis Youth Foundation. Both squads are new to the Iowa Soccer Association and the teams were playing in some of their clubs' first ever State Cup matches. The atmosphere was great and while the scoreline was a little lopsided, it was certainly exciting to see how much it meant to the players and their families. Then, after a pandemic-related rescheduling, UFA had the tall task of squaring off with top-ranked Sporting Iowa Central. Eventually, Sporting Iowa's quality showed through and their experience at the club level and in state cup led them to victory, but not after a hard fought battle with the up-and-coming UFA squad.

Today, we welcome the New England Revolution's Scott Caldwell to the pod. Scott grew up south of Boston and grew up supporting the Revs while constantly playing soccer with his older siblings. All of his time with the ball paid off, winning a NCAA Championship with Akron before being signed by his hometown squad in the Revs. He has since become a mainstay in the squad and ranks among the team's all-time leaders in appearances. As the youngest of four, Scott was rarely without a practice or person to play with, so when we talked to him about his involvement with Project GOAL and the mini-pitch project, he was all in. As you know by now, participation in Project GOAL is the common theme of this project, as other mentors of the program include Jeff Larentowicz, currently of Atlanta United and formerly of the New England Revolution and Brown University, Providence College star Julian Gressel, currently of D.C. United, Rhode Island native and former New England Revolution stud, Michael Parkhurst, plus other current New England Revolution mainstay, Scott Caldwell and newcomer, Damian Rivera. As we connect with each of these players over the coming weeks, you'll see that it really brings a project like this full circle and we are SUPER pumped about it.