There should be no reason why the USA isn't the best in the world. We have the culture. We have the people. We have the diversity... so why aren't we? 

Today I sat down with a pro playing at altitude in Bolivia and two coaches who walked away from the money machine to build something different. We talked about what nobody in American youth soccer wants to say out loud.

Today we sit down with three people who've lived American youth soccer from every angle... Julian and Alex, two coaches who walked away from the pay-to-play machine to build a club the right way in Daytona Beach, and Darwin, a pro striker calling in live from Bolivia after signing with The Strongest.

This one gets honest. Why does a "travel season" cost some families a fortune? Why do kids chase shirts and status instead of minutes? Why isn't the USA the best in the world yet... and who's actually trying to fix it?

We talk tough-love coaching, street soccer, the coaches who changed our lives, and the knowledge of the game nobody's teaching here.

If you're a soccer parent, a player, or a coach, this is your conversation.

Join the movement at https://www.thefootball.show

Connect with Darwin: https://www.instagram.com/darwinlom14/
Connect with Julian & Alex: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julian-botella-3486b487/

Chapters: 
00:00  New format, who we are
01:16  Meet Julian, Alex & Darwin
01:41  Julian's road: NY to Colombia to UNF
02:58  Alex's road: Palm Coast, Colombia, the ACL
05:54  Darwin live from Bolivia (altitude is hectic)
07:03  Darwin's story: started playing at 15
14:19  The 2% problem
16:27  How the club idea was born
18:51  Coaching the person, not just the player
26:18  Telling parents the truth
30:18  The coaches who changed our lives
31:50  Everybody needs a Nestor
37:24  "Kids are soft now"
38:37  A system built to make money
40:15  Luca and the Goku moment
42:41  D1 isn't everything
44:14  Chasing status vs. just playing
49:42  The world is bigger than MLS
52:24  What the system gets wrong
60:56  Two fixes: culture and investment
62:22  The missing piece: knowledge of the game
67:07  Street soccer makes players
69:32  How they really built the club
76:26  Why grades matter
79:33  A seed: pros sponsoring kids
81:32  Wrap

The Football Show is part of Break FC - Global Club & Community

Come join the Global Club Break FC (@offricialbreakfc).

This is a project from a place of love to the sport, would love your feedback!

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