Soccer Talk presented by Kick It Forward

Today was a fun one in the studio. If you've been around the game much in Iowa, you probably know Matt Kennedy, who has coached locally on and off for almost 30 years. He's coached high school (Hoover, Roosevelt and Waukee) and club soccer (Iowa United, Des Moines Menace and Vision Soccer Academy), plus provided goalkeeper training to nearly every decent 'keeper that has come through Iowa whether...

Today we welcome Justin Vorster, aka boettie, to the studio to talk soccer. Vorster, the nomad, has lived all over the world and has experienced the game in an unique way - growing up and being introduced to the game in Malawi and then living and playing in South Africa (during and post-apartheid) throughout his 20s. Once his playing career came to a close due to injury, Vorster found his way stat...

We know our listeners have been anxiously awaiting this collaboration, so naturally, we decided to give the people what they want for a special edition of Beers on the Table.  Cornfed Coaching is the brainchild of Jon Choda and Jack Andrews and originally began as a soccer podcast talking to influential people in Iowa and the Midwest from coaches to parents to players. They've continued to evolve...

It's still November, which means National Signing Day is upon us. Last year, Soccer Talk spoke to several student athletes going through the process. Their perspective was invaluable, but this year, we thought we would change vantage points and connect with some former college coaches that have taken on the business of helping student athletes navigate the recruiting process.  Today, extremely goo...

It's November again, which means National Signing Day is upon us. Last year, Soccer Talk spoke to several student athletes going through the process. Their perspective was invaluable, but this year, we thought we would change vantage points and connect with some former college coaches that have taken on the business of helping student athletes navigate the recruiting process. So today, we have Dan...

Things that Soccer Talk loves: firsts, a Game of the Week, road trips, catching up with old friends and watching good soccer. If you love these things too, then you'll love that we headed to Omaha last weekend to take in the Nebraska State Cup Final for the U15 Boys. The match featured a Sporting Omaha team coached by former Drake men's assistant, Bill Koeppen, and a Gretna squad under the guidanc...

Soccer Talk loves a Game of the Week, so we decided to take another trip out to Cownie Soccer Complex for the final weekend of the Iowa State Championship Series (10/25/20). We took in the big U16 Girls Final showcasing Sporting Iowa Central against the Iowa Rush. It was a chilly day in Des Moines, but both teams were experienced and ready for the big game. And of course, the Titan Tactician joins...

It's Game of the Week time again! Without a full college season this fall, Soccer Talk has taken a trip to watch the high school-aged club State Cup at Cownie Soccer Complex. And if that doesn't get you excited, it's a double GOTW! An historic match-up was our first game, as we took in the U16 Boys Play-In Game, which saw the United Futbol Academy (UFA) face off against the Genesis Youth Foundatio...

Today, we welcome the New England Revolution's Scott Caldwell to the pod. Scott grew up south of Boston and grew up supporting the Revs while constantly playing soccer with his older siblings. All of his time with the ball paid off, winning a NCAA Championship with Akron before being signed by his hometown squad in the Revs. He has since become a mainstay in the squad and ranks among the team's al...

Kick It Forward's mini-pitch initiative has now gone national! We welcome D.C. United's Julian Gressel to the pod. Gressel, a top playmaker in the MLS loves to hand out assists and is known throughout the league for his versatility. Gressel came to the United States as a college player, striving to put together an experience that would help him grow as a person and student, as well as an athlete....

Kick It Forward's mini-pitch initiative has now gone national! Frequent contributor to the pod, the evergreen Jeff Larentowicz, joins us on the pod to discuss a mini-pitch project in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Jeff, a Brown University grad and former New England Revolution standout, plus his former teammate and Kick It Forward's own Ben Brackett, volunteered for an awesome non-profit, Project GO...

The Iowa State women's soccer team recorded their first win of the season after dropping two games to ranked opponents. The victory, over a strong Baylor University program, is not only the first win of the season and first under the guidance of Matt Fannon, but it was also Iowa State's first Big 12 win since October 25, 2018 vs. Kansas State, and it was the program's first win over Baylor since 2...

We love firsts on Soccer Talk and this episode ticks that box. Today, we welcome Seth Modersohn as the first guest to be related to a previous guest after his younger brother, Mark, joined us last week. An ever present theme through both episodes is competition - whether it was at home or on the field - and it clearly shaped both of them as they grew from standout athletes to fathers with families...

The Grand View University Women's Soccer team opened up their season last week, hosting the Graceland University Yellowjackets in a big Heart of America Athletic Conference battle. While GVU was opening their season, so too was the Game of the Week Squad (GOTWS), as this was the first time we had been able to take in a live match during the pandemic era. So, before we got into the studio to record...

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 g...

We've had some pretty accomplished guests in our podcast tenure, but only a few professional players, so needless to say, this is an exciting episode. Katie Naughton of the Houston Dash joins us to discuss a wide breadth of topics, including her recent time spent in Des Moines. More importantly though, we'll hear about the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, living in the bubble and of course, the big celebr...

It doesn't seem that the pandemic plans to subside anytime soon, and neither will our Quarantine Interview Series, but our interview with Casey Mann of the Nebraska State Soccer Association rounds out our "executive director series" within the series. Not only do we run Casey through the gamut of youth soccer questions, but we also have a chance to talk about his journey through the ranks as a pla...

In addition to his influence on Blake Siberz, Joe Burger's coaching journey has taken him all over the midwest and, in circuitous fashion, he now finds himself back where it all started in Kansas. As the newly appointed Executive Director of the Kansas Soccer Association, Joe has found himself at an interesting juncture of youth soccer and a global pandemic. Not only do we discuss his role as a st...

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 le...

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 fo...

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...

After his squad bowed out of the playoffs, frequent contributor, Jeff Larentowicz, was gracious enough to relive the pain of their loss to Toronto FC. We also discuss the other side of the bracket, which saw Seattle beat the regular season's best team, LAFC. We then preview the final, but naturally, we touch on a host of other topics as well.

We take a slight detour from our traditional programming and visit one of our new sponsors, the Purple Poppy Boutique in Johnston. During their Sips and Shopping event, we chatted with employees and customers, but also special guests Lindsey Arnold (DWTS) and Jensen Arnold (SYTYCD). And naturally, despite our guests' focus on fashion and dancing, we still found a way to sneak in a little Soccer Ta...

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 Urbanda...

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, som...