Modern Soccer Coach Podcast

Gary is joined by Lead Academy Scout at Preston North End FC, Darren Rhodes to discuss building an elite level scouting report. Darren is also a current UCFB Student studying Talent Development and talks about: - Where do you start when building a report? - How do you manage subjective and objective information? - How much information is too much? - Where do you start with talent identification at...

Gary is joined by an officially FIFA recognized 'street footballer', Daniel Cappellaro. Having travelled the world as a professional futsal player, Daniel has specialized in 1v1 creativity and discusses how we can bring that back to the game from a youth development standpoint. - Can street football exist in a youth environment? - Is individual coaching transferrable to the game? - Who is doing 1v...

We were recently joined on the MSC Podcast by JP Nerbun. He is a bestselling author, leadership coach, and founder of TOC Culture Consulting, a leading global sports-consulting and leadership coaching business. His mission is to support leaders and their teams to achieve their full potential through 1:1 coaching, consulting, and community. Check out JP's new book on Sports Parenting Solutions here...

We were recently joined on the Modern Soccer Coach Podcast by Oly Town FC head coach, Liviu Bird, to discuss the implementation of Game Models. The focus of the discussion is around the complexity of a model and how best to implement it when a season is condensed, like perhaps a summer development league or a college season. In the interview, Liviu gave his insights on the following areas: - What...

Gary is joined by Michael Quinn, a former professional goalkeeper and lead author from Dublin City University, who has proven for the first time that goalkeepers perceive the world very differently from both outfield players and individuals with no football experience. Their groundbreaking study - which has just been published in the international journal Current Biology - is just the start of the...

Gary is joined by football coach and writer, Jamie Hamilton, to discuss a topic which he has written extensively about in recent months.... and has had a huge effect on the coaching community. Is Fernando Diniz system at Fluminense exactly what football fans and coaches need at the moment? What are the differences between positionism and relationism? Is positional play a more restrictive and contr...

Gary is joined by Ted Suihkonen, Director of Player Development of ice hockey side EVZ in Switzerland, to discuss the differences in player development and decision making between soccer and hockey. With a unique approach to player development and extensive experience at the professional and youth ranks in Russia, USA and Sweden, Ted discusses the following: - Technique versus Skill - 'Skeleton' m...

Gary is again joined by Ally Bain, an academy coach who has also recently moved onto the analysis side and scouting side with Insight Analysis (see info below). This week we discuss a popular coaching challenge: How do coaches deal with the pressure of youth soccer? Please check out Ally's Insight Analysis work below: insightanalysis.net/ Check out new MSC 30 High Tempo Passing Exercises below: ht...

Gary is joined by Ally Bain, an academy coach who has also recently moved onto the analysis side and scouting side with Insight Analysis (see info below). This week we discuss a popular coaching challenge: How to deal with different ability levels in a team? We are excited to team up with SportsLab360 for this episode. As a coach, it feels like you always need more time to teach your players all t...

Gary is joined by Jack Cassidy to discuss ways that coaches can add a little more detail and relevance to the preparation on their training sessions. Jack's current role is as Senior Professional Development Phase Coach (U21) & Pathways Manager at Cambridge United FC and he recently created a document where he researched all the goals scored in the Premier League. You can access Jack's document be...

Gary is joined by highly acclaimed sport psychologist Dan Abrahams, to discuss something that is often overlooked in coaching: How should you manage game day messaging? Dan discusses ways that coaches can optimize their time with their time prior to the game itself and shares techniques that coaches can use with their players on match day. Please check out Modern Soccer Coach website for more FREE...

Gary is joined by Ivan Militar, Academy Director at El Paso Locomotive, a professional club in the USL. With his experience at the prestigious Barca Residency Academy in Casa Grande, Ivan discusses the process of building and implementing a similar playing philosophy in a different culture. He also talks about... - 'Personifying' Values as a Leader - Having a mindset of adaption - Connecting a com...

Gary is joined by current Borussia Dortmund Talent Coach, Otto Addo, to discuss the pathway at the club and the processes that go into developing a first team player at the club. A former player with Dortmund, Mainz and Ghana, Otto, was also on the sideline as head coach for Ghana in the recent World Cup in Qatar. In the interview he discusses: - Role of Video at Dortmund Academy - Haaland working...

Gary is joined team facilitator, Molly Grisham, to discuss an aspect of the leadership that is so critical, but often overlooked: conflict. Molly presented some ideas and ways that coaches can improve their ability to embrace these difficult moments, facilitate solutions, and guide individuals through personal development at the same time. In her work with Coach Ready, Molly helps guide coaches th...

Gary recently hosted a live webinar discussion to cover one of the greatest challenges for coaches at all levels: how to get everyone aligned to the collective goals of the team, both on and off the pitch. We were joined by John O'Sullivan (Founder of Changing the Game Project) and Jerry Lynch (Founder of Way of Champions), who shared insights and ideas for coaches looking to strengthen relationsh...

Gary was recently joined by Stevie Grieve on the tactical webinar alongside Association of Professional Soccer Analysts (APFA). This was the Q&A interview after the presentation. Stevie has experience at the professional level and is currently working at SJK Akatemia (Ykkonen) in Finland, Stevie shared insights around how coaches can integrate match analysis with their game models and provide idea...

Having a game plan to manage yourself in the online world could be one of the most under-rated skills that a coach needs to develop in 2023. Communicating, connecting, and engaging with others can help grow coaching careers and improve your staffing. We are joined in this interview by Football Careers director, Piero Carrino, to discuss some of the ways that coaches can manage and maximize their o...

Gary was recently joined by former Italy and Juventus analyst and assistant coach, Antonio Gagliardi. Antonio was on Roberto Mancini's Euro 2020 winning staff with Italy and discussed match preparation and scouting in tournament competitions, as well as his experiences in data and connecting coaching to analysis. In this interview he discusses how Italy communicated their game model with their pla...

As part of our Friday webinars with APFA, we were recently joined by Alessandro Davite, an analyst who has worked with some of the best coaches in the world in Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Luciano Spalletti. Prior to Roma, where he was a first-team match analyst, Alessandro was based in Milan where he studied at the University of Milan while also working with the AC Milan academy teams as an a...

Gary was recently joined by author and FA tutor, Peter Prickett, who has a decade of experience coaching with various organizations and was was one of the first coaches in England to obtain the UEFA B Futsal qualification. Peter has written extensively on the 3v3 methodology fits at youth level and is currently studying for a Masters in Performance Football Coaching. The topic of discussion for th...

Gary is joined by Lee Picton, current International Academy Director of South Shields International Academy, based in the north east of England. Lee is a UEFA 'A' licensed coach, who also worked at Newcastle United Academy for five years. Lee discusses ways to facilitate academic growth alongside football and shares his exciting new project - new professional international academy programme launch...

Gary is joined by former Glasgow Rangers, Wolves, Derby, Celtic and Scotland center forward, Kenny Miller. With over 200 goals at the highest level, Kenny talks about how he views the forward position in the game today and ways that coaches can improve both teams and individuals. Fresh from his UEFA PRO License and experience at Huddersfield, Kenny also gives his insights and perspectives into his...

Gary is joined by one of the leading practitioners in scanning and decision making in Kevin McGreskin. With experience at the youth and senior professional levels, Kevin has developed a specific methodology to increase scanning and improve game awareness, to provide players with the tools to make better decisions. In the webinar, Kevin shared the details of his eyeQ philosophy and practices that u...

Gary was recently joined by Sammy Lander to discuss the role of the Substitution Coach, empowering those players, improving awareness of roles, and ways that coaches can perhaps get more energy from the bench. In the 2019/20 season, Sammy became the first game’s first specialist substitute coach with AFC Wimbledon and shared his experiences and insights during this live interview. This was an even...

We were recently joined by assistant boys director at Louisville City FC Academy, Guillermo Sanchez, to discuss his thoughts and philosophies around session design. Guillermo holds a USSF A License and has a phenomenal ranged of experiences within the game. After his playing career, he has coached at the pro level in Venezuela, India, Paraguay, Bolivia, and in the MLS with Orlando City. He also ho...