Every soccer parent has asked it. The kid next to yours has a trainer three days a week. Your group chat is full of highlight clips from 1-on-1 sessions. And now you're wondering if you're already behind. 😬
Coming up on Episode 8 of Stoppage Time, we get into the questions nobody gives you a straight answer on:
🔹 When should private training actually start?
🔹 How often is enough, and how much is too much?
🔹 What should you expect to pay?
🔹 Does it help your player's development, or is it just FOMO?
🔹 Does it matter to club coaches and college scouts?
And we're bringing in someone who works on this every day. @vedral_soccer runs an elite training company in the Dallas metroplex. He develops high-level players, sharpens athletes who are already established and builds confident leaders on and off the field.

What's your kid's club REALLY playing, and does it even matter for their development? Cable and I get into what's best for your player, and we've got some interesting takes you might not agree with.

PLUS: should your son or daughter have a soccer social media account? When's the right age, who should run it, and do college coaches actually look?

Your kid's coach can make or break their whole soccer experience — so how do you actually know if you picked the right one? 🎙️ ⚽️
This week on Stoppage Time, Colby & Cable break down what to look for in your club coach — the red flags, the green flags, and the questions every soccer parent should be asking before tryouts roll around again.

Your season's about to start, but your kid plays multiple sports... so now what? We get into the overlap, the burnout, and the tough calls nobody warns you about.

We had a blast getting fired up about this topic — this is one of our favorites so far.

MLS Next, ECNL, GA, ECRL, NPL, N1, PPIL, Pre-ECNL... it's a lot. Episode 4 breaks down what level is actually right for your kid, how to qualify, where and when games happen, and what it all costs.

Plus- some shoutouts to local DFW players that made all-ECNL teams!

So many choices — we walk through it all.

On Episode 3, we dig into the rec-to-club transition — what it actually looks like and what parents should know before making the jump. There's a lot to unpack here!

Also, we go over our "Top 10 Soccer Parent Pet Peeves" - which we have all been guilty of, so take note!

Would you like to hear from a member of the FIRST EVER team from Texas to make a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final...!? 👀🏆

Episode 2 of Stoppage Time

This week we're joined by Curtis Partain — a name that matters on two levels in Dallas soccer.

⚽ As a player, he was the first player signed by the Richardson Rockets, helped lead them on a run to the 1991 US Open Cup Final vs. the legendary Brooklyn Italians, and later played for the Dallas Sidekicks, racking up nearly 30 goals in the mid-90s.

🏆 As a builder, he's spent 25+ years developing some of the best players in North Texas — from Academy Director roles to coaching ECNL teams — helping shape the DFW youth soccer landscape we know today.

We also dig into the rec-to-club transition — what it actually looks like and what parents should know before making the jump.

🎧 New episode out now — link in bio

#StoppageTimePod #DFWSoccer #DallasSidekicks #USOpenCup #YouthSoccer #ClubSoccer #ECNL #DallasSoccer #TexasSoccer

Welcome to Stoppage Time — hosted by two guys (Cable and Colby Smith) who are, by their own admission, not soccer experts. Just two DFW dads (and cousins) who've spent over a decade on the sidelines, made plenty of questionable decisions along the way, and somehow ended up with five soccer playing kids between them.

In this first episode, Colby and Cable introduce themselves, explain why they finally started this podcast after years of talking about it, and walk through their own kids' soccer journeys — the good calls, the "what were we thinking" moments, and everything in between. If you've ever felt like you're figuring this whole club soccer thing out as you go, you're in good company.

New episodes on tryouts, picking the right club and coach, high school soccer, recruiting, and more — coming soon.

Follow us on stoppagetimepod.com and https://www.instagram.com/stoppagetimedfw/. Email us with any questions/comments/ideas to [email protected].