Podcasts about iowa soccer

On today’s program, we’re speaking with University of Iowa soccer player, Josie Durr, about a Toys for Tots event she attended at the Riverside Casino and Golf Resort, as well as here Hawkeye career.

It's a two-part episode of the Hawk Off The Press podcast with The Gazette's John Steppe this week, centered on two big games in Iowa City this weekend.First up, Pat Lanni of NJ Advance Media joins to preview Saturday's Rutgers-Iowa football game.Then, Iowa soccer coach Dave DiIanni talks about his team's Big Ten tournament championship run and the Hawkeyes' home game Friday against Bucknell in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

On this episode, we are joined by Drake University Men's Head Soccer Coach Pat Flinn to discuss the Bulldog's season thus far and recap their 1-0 win over SIUE. 

The Iowa soccer team travels to 13th-ranked UCLA on Thursday night. Next week, the Iowa field hockey team takes on Wake Forest and North Carolina. Those difficult schedules aim to prepare these teams for successful fall seasons. On this episode of Hawk Off The Press, The Gazette's John Steppe interviews Iowa soccer coach Dave DiIanni and Iowa field hockey coach Lisa Cellucci about what to expect. » https://subscribepage.com/hawks (Subscribe to the Hawk Off The Press newsletter)

Watch and listen as we recap the 2022 Iowa State Tournament!

In conjunction with the Iowa Soccer Symposium, the Cornfed Coaching team was able to sit down with two powerhouse coaches. Eloisa and Maren both tell us their phenomenal playing backgrounds and how those experiences shaped who they are today. We dive into some all too common issues within professional soccer coaching. They go through the challenges of being a female in a typically male dominated industry. It's an important conversation and we were very appreciative that they got so candid with us.

What a guest! The Cornfed team was able to sit down with Hasney Aljofree during the Iowa Soccer Symposium. Hasney's background is unbelievable. He was a player in Manchester United's youth system, then joined several organization through his professional career. Since hanging up the boots as a player, he joined Man U's coaching staff on the youth side for 10 years, and now is part of the PFA's coaching education system. Phenomenal conversation, and an even better educator.

Jack and Jon are BACK with another special edition in partnership with Iowa Soccer hosting the podcast at the Iowa Soccer Symposium. Bright and Barker offered reflection on their session and talked shop about development and soccer in the Covid era. Great catching up with two previous guests!

We love soccer - hopefully that much is clear - and as a result, we love other people that also love soccer. Charlie Bales authentically exemplifies this all day, every day. From his humble beginnings being coached by his mother in the YMCA leagues of hardscrabble Cedar Rapids in the early 90s to leading the Des Moines Menace to their second championship of all-time, Charlie's main intent in life seems to be having fun, bringing people together and spreading his love of the game of soccer. A man of many nicknames (Chuck, ChookBells, Hay, Charles, Lil' Chucklehead, Gamba, etc.) and the ultimate locker room guy, we enjoyed a chat with Charlie - a Saint at Xavier High School, a Leatherneck in Macomb and an absolute Menace in Des Moines!

As we've come into the new year, changes abound in the Iowa soccer community. In particular, a true legend has retired from the head coaching position at NAIA powerhouse, Grand View University. If there were a godfather of Iowa soccer, Blair Reid would undoubtedly be a part of the conversation. We had an opportunity to sit down with Blair and reminisce about his career and have a great laugh. A character on and off the field, Coach Reid's impact on the game is indisputable, so please, enjoy this episode. 

The Cornfed team is back! In this return episode, the Cornfed team was honored to be joined by Nick Garcia. Nick is a former professional player in the MLS and is now working for the league through media, and serves as the Executive Director of Sporting Brookside. He takes us through is unique journey growing up in Texas and playing for the USYNT throughout the years. Great discussion on giving back to the game and insight into the professional life and what it takes to get there.

Hey gang, it's been awhile, but we needed a little break to replenish our positive disruption fuel! A few weeks of international soccer (Euros/Gold Cup), lots of Menace Soccer (USL 2 Champs, what?!) and some time on the home front was exactly what the doctor ordered. So we're back, re-energized, and ready to take on the rest of 2021. And what better way to get back into the swing of things than to have a great conversation with an Iowa Soccer Legend?! This week we welcome Iowa native and professional soccer player, Lance Rozeboom, to the studio. Currently of Miami FC, which plays in the USL Championship, Lance was originally drafted by D.C. United in 2012 after playing locally for the infamous CRSA '89 squad, the Des Moines Menace and the University of New Mexico Lobos. Since then, his professional career has taken him all over the United States and Canada, playing for the Rochester Rhinos, Austin Aztex, Ottawa Fury and Tampa Bay Rowdies prior to his time with Miami FC. We were fortunate enough to find out that Lance was back in town to spend some time with family. Naturally, we invited him on the podcast and he graciously accepted. We talk about all the soccer things plus how he fell in love with the game, who is on his all-Iowa five-a-side squad and his dreams of staying fit long enough to play for the USL Pro Iowa squad. --- To learn more about Kick It Forward and our passion for making soccer more accessible, check out our

Intro (0:27) Mental Pressure of Committing D1 (1:15)  Mental Pressure of Starting as a Freshman (3:06) Freedom of Playing for Yourself and for Fun (6:02) Mindset of Being too Afraid to Make Mistakes (7:19) Iowa Soccer's 2021 'Miracle Season' (11:29) Sam's Personal Growth as a Teammate (21:07) Appreciating the Little Moments in Athletics (28:34) TW: Sexual Assault - Skip to (38:29) Sam's Personal Mental Health Journey (31:03) Sam's Accomplishments at Iowa (38:29) Final Words/Outro - (42:36)

The Cornfed team was happy to get back together and take and get back to our roots with a local coach doing big things! Mark McKeever wastes no time diving into how he got to America and started his coaching journey from Scotland. Mark is currently the head coach for Young Harris as well as the Des Moines Menace for the past two seasons. Mark talks about the different challenges coaching college and in the USL II. He gives great insight into the player's process as well as what it takes behind the scenes to actually produce an expansive playing style.

The Cornfed team welcomed back Paul Bright of The Coaching Manual in conjunction with the Iowa Soccer Symposium. Paul has been instrumental in the progression of The Coaching Manual, which is an online platform to help further coaching education with sessions and ideas for coaches to dive into. He joined the team today to talk about a hot topic in the soccer community, Periodization. Great chat!

The Cornfed team welcomes back Ian Barker, Director of Coaching for United Soccer Coaches, to the pod. This episode was in conjunction with the Iowa Soccer Symposium. Ian leads coaches all across the country to become better educators and talks with us about rondos and the implementation of how they can facilitate multiple avenues of learning. Great talk as always.

The Cornfed team was delighted to chat with Josh McAllister, a performance coach and Iowa-native! The Cornfed team consisted of Damien Corrieri and Rich Bywater as a guest hosts alongside Big Jack. Josh has worked with Drake University,  Sporting Kansas City and Portland Timbers in the area of performance. He talks about how to maximize athlete performacne and how he started his own program independent organization now. Great chat on a topic that is coming more and more to the focal point of soccer. 

From 0-6-1 to Big Ten tournament champions, it's been a remarkable turnaround season for the Iowa women's soccer team. Ahead of the Hawkeyes' NCAA tournament first-round match next week against Campbell, goalkeeper Macy Enneking and forward Jenny Cape join The Gazette's Leah Vann on the On Iowa Podcast to talk about how they recovered from a slow start, their Big Ten tournament run and what they're working on this week ahead of the NCAAs.

The transformation of the Iowa Soccer League is now fully underway - the Club Development League has formed and several top clubs have left the Iowa Soccer Association. What comes of this change has yet to be determined, but for now, ISA is tasked with retaining their current membership and trying to create a league structure that not only encourages player development, but probably most importantly, provides players with a great experience. As many organizations do in times of turmoil, ISA has sought the guidance of an outsider - a consulting firm called The Collective based in Nashville, TN. Together, ISA and The Collective will effectively tear down the current system and re-build it from the ground up. Today we try to provide some clarity around what has happened and about the process moving forward. 

The transformation of the Iowa Soccer League is now fully underway - the Club Development League has formed and several top clubs have left the Iowa Soccer Association. What comes of this change has yet to be determined, but for now, ISA is tasked with retaining their current membership and trying to create a league structure that not only encourages player development, but probably most importantly, provides players with a great experience. As many organizations do in times of turmoil, ISA has sought the guidance of an outsider - a consulting firm called The Collective based in Nashville, TN. Together, ISA and The Collective will effectively tear down the current system and re-build it from the ground up. Today we try to provide some clarity around what has happened and about the process moving forward.

Tommy Wilson is the academy director for the Philadelphia Union. Tommy was a phenomenal player himself and has now transitioned into leading the Union and building out their player development campaign. He took over the organization and is now constantly trying to improve it along with his staff. What a treat for the Cornfed crew to sit down and chat with him. We talk about the staffing that is implemented at the highest levels of football, game models and universal language to expedite the traning process. Great listen!

In partnership with the Iowa Soccer Symposium, the Cornfed team was delighted to have the opportunity to chat with legendary referee, Esse Baharmast. Esse worked his way through refereeing to have one of the most famous calls in World Cup history. He has now transitioned to mentoring a new generation of referees to expand the beautiful game. A very detailed and educational episode into an often times overlooked aspect of the game. 

Perhaps the final piece to the puzzle in understanding this specific Youth Soccer Discussion is the competition/league structure itself. Craig Winger is the Iowa Soccer Association's Director of Competition and he's here to educate us. Craig is a native Iowan and growing up in the '80s playing at a community club in Dubuque, he's seen the evolution of Iowa soccer that hearkens back to the early days of State Cup in Muscatine. Receiving the ISL/IPSL torch from Iowa Soccer Legend, Ted Bzdega, Craig has overseen an unparalleled transition in Iowa soccer's history.   This past summer of 2020, in the 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). Here are the stories: Episode 85 of the podcast tried to provide a neutral overview of the differences between the CDL and the previously all-encompassing Iowa Soccer League (ISL). Episode 89 went in depth into the history of how this situation came about, and provided a good perspective from the leader of an ISL club. Episode 90 reviewed the standards of the different leagues and provided some solutions to potentially keep the ISL and CDL together under the ISA umbrella. Episode 91 was a wide-ranging conversation that provided a perspective that few have on the ISL, CDL and player development in the state of Iowa. We welcome the godfather himself, Iowa Soccer Association's Executive Director, Dan Cataldi to hear about the process to this point and hopefully, a way forward.

Perhaps the final piece to the puzzle in understanding this specific Youth Soccer Discussion is the competition/league structure itself. Craig Winger is the Iowa Soccer Association's Director of Competition and he's here to educate us. Craig is a native Iowan and growing up in the '80s playing at a community club in Dubuque, he's seen the evolution of Iowa soccer that hearkens back to the early days of State Cup in Muscatine. Receiving the ISL/IPSL torch from Iowa Soccer Legend, Ted Bzdega, Craig has overseen an unparalleled transition in Iowa soccer's history. This past summer of 2020, in the 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). Here are the stories: Episode 85 of the podcast tried to provide a neutral overview of the differences between the CDL and the previously all-encompassing Iowa Soccer League (ISL). Episode 89 went in depth into the history of how this situation came about, and provided a good perspective from the leader of an ISL club. Episode 90 reviewed the standards of the different leagues and provided some solutions to potentially keep the ISL and CDL together under the ISA umbrella. Episode 91 was a wide-ranging conversation that provided a perspective that few have on the ISL, CDL and player development in the state of Iowa. We welcome the godfather himself, Iowa Soccer Association's Executive Director, Dan Cataldi to hear about the process to this point and hopefully, a way forward.

The Cornfed team was delighted to sit down the President of the ECNL, Christian Lavers. From the league's website, "From inception, the ECNL consistently developed in alignment with the needs of its member clubs, always seeking opportunities to lead and provide more, no matter the challenge or adversity. The four letters “ECNL” have become the embodiment of collaborative innovation, opportunity, respect, development, and excellence in youth soccer, as the once-radical idea of clubs having a voice to determine their future proved to produce results never before seen in youth soccer. Unrivaled numbers of female players, of constantly improving quality, began moving on to the collegiate, professional, and national team levels as the ECNL impact changed youth soccer." We dive into the league's inception, and the rapid rise into the boys game - especially the newly-founded Heartland division. Great chat and informational to all wanting to know more about the league and opportunities it provides!

Welcome to the GP Soccer Podcast with host Giovanni Pacini. The Season 4 theme- "The State of the Game" continues with an in-depth interview with Gareth Smith. Gareth is the Head Mens Soccer Coach at Drake University (NCAA DI) and serves as the Technical Director for Iowa Soccer. Support for the show is always appreciated and can be shown by sharing each broadcast among those in your social media network. If you are part of a youth soccer or club organization, please share the show among those within your group. Those wishing to advertise on the GP Soccer Podcast may do so by contacting Giovanni Pacini at gp4soccer@yahoo.com.Enjoy the show!

The Cornfed team is taken over by four Englishmen! Matt Lodge is our guest today and fellow Cornfed family member's Paul Cox and Jamie McQuillan are the co-hosts for the episode. Matt talks about running a Division 1 program, and how they navigated the COVID season switch amonst other things. Another great insight into what it takes to be at the top of the game in America from both a player and coach's perspective!

Back again? You know it. Naturally, the Youth Soccer Discussion continues and we have the top authority on the topic hanging out with us in the studio today. Dan Cataldi is the now two-year tenured Executive Director for the Iowa Soccer Association and he's here to help our listeners understand how the CDL conversation began and explain the process over the past 6-12 months.  This past summer of 2020, in the 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). Episode 85 of the podcast tried to provide a neutral overview of the differences between the CDL and the previously all-encompassing Iowa Soccer League (ISL). Episode 89 goes in depth into the history of how this situation came about, and provides a good perspective from the leader of an ISL club. Episode 90 reviews the standards of the different leagues and provides some solutions to potentially keep the ISL and CDL together under the ISA umbrella. Episode 91 is a wide-ranging conversation that provides a perspective that few have on the ISL, CDL and player development in the state of Iowa. And now here we are with the godfather himself, Iowa Soccer Association's Executive Director, Dan Cataldi to hear about the process to this point and hopefully, a way forward. 

Back again? You know it. Naturally, the Youth Soccer Discussion continues and we have the top authority on the topic hanging out with us in the studio today. Dan Cataldi is the now two-year tenured Executive Director for the Iowa Soccer Association and he's here to help our listeners understand how the CDL conversation began and explain the process over the past 6-12 months. This past summer of 2020, in the 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). Episode 85 of the podcast tried to provide a neutral overview of the differences between the CDL and the previously all-encompassing Iowa Soccer League (ISL). Episode 89 goes in depth into the history of how this situation came about, and provides a good perspective from the leader of an ISL club. Episode 90 reviews the standards of the different leagues and provides some solutions to potentially keep the ISL and CDL together under the ISA umbrella. Episode 91 is a wide-ranging conversation that provides a perspective that few have on the ISL, CDL and player development in the state of Iowa. And now here we are with the godfather himself, Iowa Soccer Association's Executive Director, Dan Cataldi to hear about the process to this point and hopefully, a way forward.

Our Youth Soccer Discussion continues today with a very unique perspective from Curt Lewis, who currently coaches at Prairie Soccer Club, Cedar Rapids Prairie High School and for Iowa ODP. Curt grew up in West Des Moines playing for Valley High School and the West Des Moines Soccer Club, eventually going on to play at Mt. St. Claire in Clinton in addition to spending time with the Des Moines Menace and the Colorado Stampede of the USISL. So not only has Curt been a part of the Iowa soccer scene as a coach and player, but it has come full circle for him as his son Mateus is a talented player that has gone on to play in college.   This past summer of 2020, in the 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). Episode 85 of the podcast tried to provide a neutral overview of of the differences between the CDL and the previously all-encompassing Iowa Soccer League (ISL). Episode 89 goes in depth into the history of how this situation came about, and provides a good perspective from the leader of an ISL club. Episode 90 reviews the standards of the different leagues and provides some solutions to potentially keep the ISL and CDL together under the ISA umbrella. Today's episode is wide-ranging and provides a perspective that few have on the ISL, CDL and player development in the state of Iowa.

Our Youth Soccer Discussion continues today with a very unique perspective from Curt Lewis, who currently coaches at Prairie Soccer Club, Cedar Rapids Prairie High School and for Iowa ODP. Curt grew up in West Des Moines playing for Valley High School and the West Des Moines Soccer Club, eventually going on to play at Mt. St. Claire in Clinton in addition to spending time with the Des Moines Menace and the Colorado Stampede of the USISL. So not only has Curt been a part of the Iowa soccer scene as a coach and player, but it has come full circle for him as his son Mateus is a talented player that has gone on to play in college. This past summer of 2020, in the 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). Episode 85 of the podcast tried to provide a neutral overview of of the differences between the CDL and the previously all-encompassing Iowa Soccer League (ISL). Episode 89 goes in depth into the history of how this situation came about, and provides a good perspective from the leader of an ISL club. Episode 90 reviews the standards of the different leagues and provides some solutions to potentially keep the ISL and CDL together under the ISA umbrella. Today's episode is wide-ranging and provides a perspective that few have on the ISL, CDL and player development in the state of Iowa.

And again, we are back with the hot topic of Iowa youth soccer: the discussion surrounding the Iowa Soccer League vs. the Club Development League. We gather up our gear and head down to the conference room studio to chat with Matt Sahag, sometimes known as the Titan Tactician, but today appearing as a Youth Soccer Consultant. Matt, who played four years at Drake and captained the squad his senior year, has his USSF "B" License and in his nearly 20 years in the Des Moines area, he has coached for the Ankeny Soccer Club, Johnston Urbandale Soccer Club, Sporting Iowa and most recently with Vision Soccer Academy, albeit briefly. By day, Matt is a partner in the law firm Dickey, Campbell & Sahag and in his spare time, he founded Kick It Forward, with which he loves to positively disrupt the Iowa soccer community.   This past summer of 2020, in the 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). Episode 85 of the podcast tried to provide a neutral overview of the differences between the CDL and the previously all-encompassing Iowa Soccer League (ISL). Episode 89 goes in depth into the history of how this situation came about, and provides a good perspective from the leader of an ISL club. Today's episode reviews the standards of the different leagues and provides some solutions to potentially keep the ISL and CDL together under the ISA umbrella.

And again, we are back with the hot topic of Iowa youth soccer: the discussion surrounding the Iowa Soccer League vs. the Club Development League. We gather up our gear and head down to the conference room studio to chat with Matt Sahag, sometimes known as the Titan Tactician, but today appearing as a Youth Soccer Consultant. Matt, who played four years at Drake and captained the squad his senior year, has his USSF "B" License and in his nearly 20 years in the Des Moines area, he has coached for the Ankeny Soccer Club, Johnston Urbandale Soccer Club, Sporting Iowa and most recently with Vision Soccer Academy, albeit briefly. By day, Matt is a partner in the law firm Dickey, Campbell & Sahag and in his spare time, he founded Kick It Forward, with which he loves to positively disrupt the Iowa soccer community. This past summer of 2020, in the 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). Episode 85 of the podcast tried to provide a neutral overview of of the differences between the CDL and the previously all-encompassing Iowa Soccer League (ISL). Episode 89 goes in depth into the history of how this situation came about, and provides a good perspective from the leader of an ISL club. Today's episode reviews the standards of the different leagues and provides some solutions to potentially keep the ISL and CDL together under the ISA umbrella.

The Cornfed team (Jack and Damien) chatted with the Iowa Women's Soccer coaches David and Katelyn about the Hawkeye program. It's a great chance with fantastic insight into the highest level of the collegiate women's game. They share content on the college approach to COVID, Big 10 soccer and developing players within the program. If you are aspiring to coach or play at a high level, then it's a great episode to find value!

And we are back with the hot topic of Iowa youth soccer: the discussion surrounding the Iowa Soccer League (ISL) vs. the Club Development League (CDL). Today we welcome Matt Carver to the studio as a representative of the Iowa Soccer League. Carver founded and runs the Iowa United FC in Urbandale, which was formerly the J-Hawk Soccer Club. Iowa United FC was created to provide a low-cost, volunteer led and volunteer coached soccer experience to youth in the community, where players learn the importance of citizenship, teamwork, positive attitude, effort, fundamentals, and sportsmanship, in a safe and welcoming environment.     This past summer of 2020, in the relatively new pandemic era, a contingent of youth soccer clubs in Iowa proposed a new league with the Iowa Soccer Association called the CDL. Episode 85 of the podcast tried to provide a neutral overview of the differences between the CDL and the previously all-encompassing ISL. This week's episode goes in depth into the history of how this situation came about, and provides a good perspective from the leader of an ISL club.

And we are back with the hot topic of Iowa youth soccer: the discussion surrounding the Iowa Soccer League vs. the Club Development League. Today we welcome Matt Carver to the studio as a representative of the Iowa Soccer League. Carver founded and runs the Iowa United FC in Urbandale, which was formerly the J-Hawk Soccer Club. Iowa United FC was created to provide a low-cost, volunteer led and volunteer coached soccer experience to youth in the community, where players learn the importance of citizenship, teamwork, positive attitude, effort, fundamentals, and sportsmanship, in a safe and welcoming environment. This past summer of 2020, in the relatively new pandemic era, a contingent of youth soccer clubs in Iowa proposed a new league with the Iowa Soccer Association called the Competitive Development League (CDL). Episode 85 of the podcast tried to provide a neutral overview of of the differences between the CDL and the previously all-encompassing Iowa Soccer League (ISL). This week's episode goes in depth into the history of how this situation came about, and provides a good perspective from the leader of an ISL club.

What an episode! Jack and Jon were joined by friend of the pod Paul Cox to connect with Southampton FC Football Development Manager, Andy Martino. Andy gives amazing insight to a tier 1 academy club in England and all the detail that goes into creating professional footballers. Paul and Andy connected at the USC convention a couple years ago and we dive into their international brand alongside how they operate the home academy in England. Southampton have developed players over the years including Gareth Bale, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott and many more. If you want insight to what the absolute top looks like, listen up!

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). 

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).

The Cornfed team was delighted to sit down with Candice Fabry and announce that we will again be sponsoring the Iowa Soccer Symposium. Register at IowaSoccer.org and find out the details for the virtual event this year in the episode!

The Cornfed Coaching team, guest hosted by Jamie McQuillan, was excited to sit down with James Baker who leads the MiMentor online coaching education. The boys talked with James about the benetfits of using the platform to further your coaching. It was a great discussion about progressing yourself and how to maximize your potential by setting goals and getting your identity as a coach set in stone.

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.   

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.

One of the best parts of our Iowa Soccer Legends's Series is bridging the gap between the past and present. In a sense, it's almost like a history lesson. Today's guest, Mark Modersohn, is one that many people may not remember, but his collegiate playing career may be unrivaled by any Iowa soccer player ever. Among the Southwest Missouri State graduate's accomplishments: school career records in games (81), saves (290), shutouts (26), goals against average (0.88), goalkeeper wins (51) and minutes in goal (7,730). He was a four-year all-Missouri Valley Conference selection, the 1997 MVC Newcomer of the Year, 1999 MVC Defensive Player of the Year,  a three-time all-region selection from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, and one of 30 players picked to the MVC all-centennial team in 2007. Interestingly, he hung up his gloves/boots after graduating and quickly transitioned into life in the business world. We discuss what stokes his fire and what it was like growing up in a competitive household. Of course, now it comes full circle for Modersohn the father, who now has his own competitive household with children in sports. Lots of fun stories - Roosevelt Roughriders, Des Moines Menace and Southwest Missouri State!

With all the of the challenges of the pandemic, soccer in Iowa has basically ground to a halt. Tasked with guiding us through it? Dan Cataldi, the Executive Director of the Iowa Soccer Association. We'll discuss how Iowa Soccer Association has handled this difficult situation, but as we tend to do, we'll also touch on several other topics. Naturally, we learn about his soccer journey - one that led him down the path as a player, then as a referee and ultimately, into the administration and business side of the game. We touch on everything from Iowa's soccer calendar to large-scale indoor facilities, from referee development to expanding access to the game, plus we'll find out who the loudest player he's ever refereed (hint: it's not Matt Nickell).

While the term legend can imply age, it more so implies experience, and that's where Elvir Ibisevic enters the picture. State cup championships and high school honors were only the beginning as Ibisevic left home to train with the U.S. U17 National Team Program in Bradenton, FL. This led to a flurry of soccer adventures and ultimately, stoked his fire to pursue it as a career. Initially playing for University of Nebraska-Omaha and the Des Moines Menace, his efforts landed him a call up and cap with the full Bosnian National Team, Ibisevic signed for NK Celje in the Slovenian first division and then for BSG Chemie Leipzig in Germany. Now, back in the states and playing for Union Omaha of the USL League One, he's ready to make a name for himself. We discuss the challenges of leaving home and what its like to do something you love professionally, plus his dream to someday win the Golden Boot at the KIF Winter Reunion Tournament.   

Brian Zwaschka, also known as Big Z, is a bonafide Iowa Soccer Legend. Big Z was a local youth player in the days of the original Dowling club team, coached by fellow legend, Blair Reed in the late '80s.  He and Reed teamed up again at Grand View University, where he was an All-American in the early '90s. His soccer travels took him all over the world as a pro player - Scotland, England and France - but we remember him as a dominating midfield presence for the Des Moines Menace when the team was in its first years of existence. His excellent playing career set the stage for a successful coaching career - a journey that's taken him from Iowa United, Dowling and Grand View all the way to Texas Tech and Cal in assistant roles and eventually to his current position as the head coach of the Fresno State women's program. A true student of the game, Zwaschka gives us some insight into how his experiences have informed his coaching style and naturally, we cover all sorts of other topics as well. 

Armin Mujdzic is one of the most prolific goalscorers to ever grace the pitch in Central Iowa. After relocating to Ankeny from Bosnia in the late 90's, Armin exploded onto the local high school soccer scene, scoring a boatload of goals for the Ankeny Hawks before open-enrolling to play with the Urbandale Jayhawks, whose squad was jam-packed with talent that mostly played club soccer at the Urbandale Soccer Club (Storm, Freedom, Legend, Revolution, etc.). Lots of championships and individual accolades led to nationwide attention and a short stint at University of Alabama-Birmingham, but ultimately, being close to family was most important to him. After a successful career at Grand View and with the Des Moines Menace, Armin still bangs in goals in the local Sunday league and rumor on the street is that he has at least one child who has inherited his nose for goal. 

Without soccer (or anything for that matter) happening, we've gone back to our roots and loaded up the Legends' Series. Today, Norwalk native and Drake alum, Luke Frieberg, joins us on the pod to talk about his family as pioneers of the soccer scene in Norwalk, the different coaches that have influenced him over the years and how all of it comes together in his career as an entrepreneur. Plus, some great anecdotes from his time with the Urbandale Revolution and Drake Bulldogs, not to mention helping put the one and only star on the Des Moines Menace badge.