Soccer Talk presented by Kick It Forward

As soccer-less life continues, we're still finding ways to talk soccer. Our good friend and stud soccer player, Sam Holmes, joins us today to discuss his  soccer journey, what its like to be coached by your father and of course, his Paralympic National Team exploits. Sam's soccer travels have taken him all over the country, not to mention the world, but he'll also touch on playing for the Roosevel...

Strange times in the world today, but never fear, more Soccer Talk is here!  Today we have a conversation with a good friend of the pod and all-around soccer renaissance woman, Anna Tuuri. Sadly, we couldn't have her in to the studio, due to social distancing guidelines, but we had a nice video chat. Not only does Anna play (goalkeeper) and referee, but she's also a budding coach...oh yeah! and sh...

Before the season was suspended due to coronavirus/COVID-19, we sat down with a group of the following high school coaches to discuss the upcoming season: Carlos Acebey - Waukee  Derek Lounsberry - DM East  Jimmy Frizzell - Urbandale  Matt Ream - DM Roosevelt  Heath Weeks - Johnston  Hidajet Tica - Southeast Polk  There was a lot of interesting conversation and not only could you tell that we had...

We took the pod on the road to see Nashville SC's inaugural MLS game against Atlanta United at Nissan Stadium, just off Broadway in downtown Nashville. Needless to say, it was a blast. But even better, we had a chance to speak to our most frequent guest live and in the flesh! Enjoy a quick chat with Jeff Larentowicz about a couple of days in the life of a pro.

FINALLY! We are back!! We've got under-the-radar legend, Aaron Wylie, in the studio. This guy has some stories! Growing up in Des Moines, pursuing his passion and playing soccer for a living. Good talk!

Shame on you for not thinking we were coming back in 2020! We've been busy tightening up our production and getting things "just right" for the studio. Plus, who doesn't need a chance to recharge the batteries a little bit? This episode is a short one - a quick update and preview and we'll be back before you know it!

It's been awhile and with the holidays rapidly approaching, we were thinking of our beloved listenership. As such, it only seemed right to give you one more episode before we begin the next decade. Bill Scott, one of our biggest supporters and a true Iowa Soccer Legend, joined us in the studio to talk about growing up locally in the soccer scene, how things have and haven't changed, plus how socce...

Frequent contributor Jeff Larentowicz is back on-air. We discuss the free agency process, coaching your own child, our FREE u7 clinics and his status for the 2020 MLS season. 

We are bringing you a marathon episode - six standout high school players from Central Iowa that have recently made college commitments via National Signing Day. Then we'll discuss our personal experiences and how they compare to the common threads of our guests. This is a long episode, and while we would love you to listen to the entire thing, here is the interview order: 1. Taryn Reitsma (Waukee...

Our producer dropped the proverbial ball on the timely publishing of this pod, but better late than never. We have MLS veteran, Jeff Larentowicz, back to recap the MLS Cup Final, as well as briefly preview the USMNT's Nation's League games.

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.

Our frequent contributor is becoming a mainstay as we delve deep into the MLS playoffs with five-striper, Jeff Larentowicz. We recap the most recent round of the playoffs, preview LAFC-Seattle Sounders and Atlanta United-Toronto FC, plus we touch on MLS referees, VAR and more.

We hopped on and off I-235 to check out the return leg of a big Missouri Valley Conference matchup between the Drake Bulldogs and the Valparaiso Crusaders. The Titan Tactician then joined us in the studio the day after your co-hosts ventured into the brisk chill of autumn to ensure our loyal followers got their weather report and some candid coach interviews at halftime.

Our favorite frequent contributor and MLS veteran, Jeff Larentowicz, joins us again to discuss the MLS playoffs, best players he's played with and against, plus we go on a great tangent about long breaks in the season.

As Blake will say, we "sort of kill a few birds with one stone" on our trip down down Highway 69 in the KIF bus to Indianola. Not only were we able to take in two great games of college soccer, but we were also able to enjoy a nice event that really highlighted the soccer community. We have the Titan Tactician in the studio as well, and he took great notes. Our listenership can be sure the analysi...

Despite being down a man, we hopped in the Kick It Forward van and took a drive down Highway 163 to see the Central Dutch host the Loras Duhawks. It was an instant classic - muddy pitch, two top teams with contrasting styles and lots of goals - plus we had the Titan Tactician taking notes.

Regular guest and MLS stalwart, Jeff Larentowicz joins us to discuss the MLS playoffs, his favorite places to play and his experiences with "the pink jersey."

The Titan Tactician rejoins us in the studio after his summer hiatus to breakdown the big Wartburg-Simpson game over this past weekend. We discuss lots of standout players, the mentality of teams at this point in the season and of course, we dig deep on the tactics employed by both squads.

We extend our Local College Soccer segment to bring closeted Iowa Soccer Legend, Rick Isaacson, to the studio. We discuss his playing background, the Simpson Storm and their local flavor, plus we touch on the basic Iowa youth player and the difference between development and playing to win.

Evergreen Jeff Larentowicz joins us for his second time ever on a podcast. We discuss Des Moines' new USL Championship announcement, but also travel in Major League Soccer and of course, a great travel-related story from Jeff.

What a big time episode! Not only do we have a (potential) future Iowa Soccer Legend in the studio, but Charlie Bales joins us to discuss the ins and outs of the big USL Pro announcement made by Kyle Krause. Our exclusive coverage will provide a little more insight than you've been able to read in other publications, plus you'll get to hear genuine excitement from three guys who have grown up in t...

The legendary Ventsi Stoimirov joins us in the studio to not only discuss the Grand View University women's program, but we also learn about his super interesting origin story and his perspective of the history of Des Moines Soccer.

We welcome Drake coach, Gareth Smith, to the studio to review the first quarter of their season and of course, preview the remaining games as they strive to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. We also have a chance to tap into Smith's unique perspective as Director of Coaching for the state association and speak about development of the Iowa player and some of the challenges they face as the national...

Returning to the studio, Blair Reid chats with us about the upcoming season for his Vikings as they look to get back to the national tournament for the first time since 2016. We cover preseason, settling into school and their early run in against several nationally ranked opponents.

We circle back to the Game of the Week and kick things off with a contest between the women's teams from Drake and Baylor. But first, we have a chat with Baylor coach Paul Jobson about his coaching journey, working with his wife and what it's like at a program like Baylor.