The 2024 Missouri Boys High School Coach of the Year… Ryan Butchart. The Lafayette mens and women’s head coach joined Zach and I to chop up all things Lancer. The Lafayette grad had dreams of never leaving the school all the way back as a player. He’s entering his 7th year at the helm and is already establishing a recognizable culture that happens to be producing a lot of wins at the same time. In spite of his Liverpool loyalty, we had a brilliant conversation. Let’s go...

One of the unintentional benefits of doing this show has been capturing the voice, the stories, and memories from legends of the game that are no longer with us in person, but indelibly by spirit. Pat McBride was, and will always be, a legend.

A SLUH high Billiken,

Two time ALL American & National Champion at SLU University

First American born player drafted by the St Louis Stars

5 time USMNT cap recipient

A St. Louis, A Missouri, and US Soccer Hall of Fame.

All incredible accolades…

Not until doing this show and speaking to so many of the most impactful individuals in the history of the game, not just here in St. Louis, but across the country, did I really put two and two together when it came to who the true godfathers were. There are names that when spoken in any corner of our town, in any parish or pub, they immediately concur images of leadership, inspiration, and success… Kehoe, Sorber, Trost, Howe, Clark, and so many more, to name a few. But… there is only one McBride.

Thank you Pat for joining us. Thank you for opening up. And on behalf of THE soccer capital of America… thank you for everything you have done for tens of thousands of young players for generations.

Preceding the episode you will hear from three of his players from those beloved days in the Barn.

Carl Rose, Don Ebert, and Steve Pecher.

Please be sure to subscribe to the show so we can continue to capture these stories and save them for all to hear in perpetuity.

Let’s go…

Today’s episode is a highlight episode. Kinda like those end of year top 10’s you see all over tv, Spotify, etc. With close to 190 episodes out the door we had plenty to choose from. So to keep this special episode a little bit on the rails, I decided to go back and pull some sound bites from a few of our favorites who either did “It”, coached “It”, or both. All 6 are true St. Louis hammers. All 6 know more about the game than most people on socials claiming to know everything about the game.

And all 6 were willing to sit down with us jokers…

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#mlsnext #theitfactor #usmnt #mlsallstars #academycoaching #nextlevel #soccer #collegesoccer

The Jr. Bills are Champs again. Coach Bobby O’Connell and 3 members of his Class 4 Soccer Champs joined us to talk about the run, the chemistry, the rivalry, and what’s next. With an all STL sweep in state championships this year, we also got to talk about the differences between the eastern part of the state and the west when it comes to soccer dominance. Thanks for supporting the show, and AMDG… Let’s Roll!

The Ladue Rams are your Missouri Class 3 High School Soccer State Champs. Having won 10 of their last 12 District tournaments, and reaching the semis in 3 of the last 4 years, this year they got over the hump with a 3-0 win over perennial power Vianney. Coach Aronberg joined me to talk about the journey, the weekend, and the culture surrounding this group of champs. We also talk about the uptick in High School soccer in an area that far from lacks in the talent category. Let’s go…

On this episode of Soccer Mom Sunday, host Jen Siess talked with Soccer Mom of kids AND club, Corey Stephens Donigan. Corey has experienced The Beautiful Game from St. Louis, to New Jersey, and back to the Lou again. Now, mom of two boys and wife of former All American and SLU Soccer Coach, Dan Donigan - this crew arguably has ANOTHER member of the family - their St. Louis Development Academy youth soccer club. Listen in for Corey’s story of finding herself ALL IN with Soccer from parenting, to running their club, and sitting on the board of the Missouri Youth Soccer Association. Lots of soccer parent talk in this totally relatable episode with Corey’s wisdom about making sure that our kids take active ownership in their soccer journeys.

#soccermom #parenting #clubdirector #minorleaguebaseball #southcounty #stlouis

Jason Glover joined me for a one on one following the 2nd leg of US vs Jamaica at Energizer Park. We talked about which players impressed, our take on Poch, and other subjects ranging from youth coaching tips to the transfer portal. Jason also gave a little update and opinion on one of his son’s best friends and teammates, Mykhi Joyner, fresh off their recent trip to Florida with the US U19’s! Let’s go…

Since the early 80’s Mike Woitalla has been writing articles for all of our favorite soccer magazine… Soccer America. Before 24/7 coverage of the EPL, of LaLiga, of MLS, and 30 college games a night on everywhere, there was a magazine that brought most of us our soccer fix until the rare US Men’s National Team game was occasionally broadcast. Mike talks about the publications path and provides a level of insight second to none thanks to his front row seat to US soccer, polished by his keyboard!

#socceramerica #magazine #stlmade #collegesoccer #usmnt #tabramos

Pete Sorber, to put it bluntly, is a legend. This southside fireman, who later travelled north to Flo Valley, has had an impact on the game and our community that compares to the likes of Harry Kehoe, Pat McBride, and other Mt. Rushmore figures of the STL Soccer landscape. Pete joined us with his hall-of-fame son Mike, and talked about the early days, the secret sauce, and his famous Monday night pickup games. It was our honor to be joined by Coach Sorber, and we hope you enjoy it as well. Let’s go