Keep The Game Beautiful

JP Dellacamera is known as a professional play-by-play sportscaster who specializes in soccer and hockey. He can regularly be heard covering MLS games on Fox Soccer. His experiences have taken him around the world, but he loves to stay true to his American roots by relying on the terminology that we use to connect with the game. Although this was a quick episode at the United Soccer Coaches 2023 Convention in Philadelphia (#PHL23) there is a lot of really good information in it. I’m excited to share with you a bit of what I learned, including some of his prep and what got him into broadcasting in the first place.

Sam Martinez is a FIFA Referee who is currently living in Southern California. She joins Keep The Game Beautiful in this episode recorded at the United Soccer Convention in Philadelphia (#PHL23). In addition to talking about her journey we talk about ways to gain confidence, the importance of seeing females in the sport as officials, and in developing and creating opportunities for those around us. After a long break this is a great episode to bring the Podcast back for a special Episode #100!

Kim Crabbe is well known as the first African American player on the US Women's National Team. Before joining the team she played in her youth in Virginia and would attend George Mason University where her team won the NCAA Championship. She is a well respected youth coach who has won numerous honors for her work. She is dedicated to bringing the game to the grassroots level and creates programs that reach youth who may not have had access to soccer otherwise.

Bayonle Arashi immigrated to the United States from Nigeria in 2015. He brought with him a lifetime passion for soccer and quickly connected with the game as a soccer official when he settled in the US. He combined his love of the game and his background in broadcasting to laucnh Midas Football Academy and ScoutBallers, LLC. He strives to help players understand pathways that exist and the hard work that it takes for players to pursue their dreams of living and playing the beautiful game.

Esse Baharmast as a young boy in Iran dreamed of playing soccer in the Olympics. He did make it to the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996, not as a player but as a referee. He would have an extensive career serving in multiple Olympic and FIFA World Cup competitions as a referee, an assessor, mentor, instructor, and more. He has served FIFA, Concacaf, US Soccer, and continues to work today in his home state association of Colorado. Esse Baharmast received the Walt Chyzowych Lifetime Achievement Award from United Soccer Coaches and has been elected to the US Soccer Hall of Fame.

Kick It Forward is an Iowa based non-profit organization that strives to be positive disruptors to the soccer community. In this episode I learn from long time volunteers of the organization Ben Brackett and Blake Siberz exactly what this means. Learn about how Kick It Forward is bringing soccer to more players without consideration of ability to pay, creating safe spaces to play with hard surface mini pitch courts, and raising awareness of high school soccer.

Mandy Green is the founder of Busy Coach. As a collegiate coach she found herself managing multiple things at once, while starting to raise her family. She started to collect these tools and techniques and launched her own business, Busy Coach, to help other coaches. In addition she also helps prospective student athletes and colleges to connect. We talk about purpose, why, and so much more in this episode. Be sure to check Busy Coach out at http://busy.coach and at @MandyGreenCPS on social media.

Amy Griffin is a former US Women’s National Team goalkeeper from the 1991 World Cup Championship team. She played at the University of Central Florida and served in a variety of coaching roles at both the youth and collegiate level. Today she coaches for OL Reign’s Youth Academy, is President of the Girls Academy, and is the Head Coach for the USA Deaf Soccer Women’s National Team.

Coach Ozzie White has been connected to the game his entire life. Growing up as a son of a high level coach he set his aspirations early. Ozzie has coached at many levels of the game yet he remains passionate about grassroots soccer and connecting new players into the sport.

Kevin Sims is the Past President of United Soccer Coaches and first started to volunteer with the association in the 1980's. Kevin has coached for forty five years, with much of that time being at the high school level. He has coached college, club, and ODP earning many recognitions along the way. He grew up as the son of a coach and knew that teaching and coaching would be a big part of his life. He is an alumni of the University of Virginia where he played soccer for four years.

Sue Vodicka has coached soccer for over thirty years at the youth and collegiate levels. We talk about her journey as a coach and some of the things she learned along the way. We discuss her early days as her mother worked to create opportunity for female athletes to play soccer. We talked briefly about work ethic and how she empowers her athletes as a coach at Shattuck St. Mary today.

This episode I talk with Jed Eichorn of Little Sports Torts. Jed knew that he wanted to be a coach as he saw the impact that positive role models had on his life. After working in Parks & Recreation he took his skills and started a business working with day care providers to bring sports to the kids they care for. He is currently finishing his second book "Little Sports Torts Fundamentals: Learn To Play Soccer" via Kickstarter. You can learn more about his Kickstarter at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/littlesportstorts/little-sports-torts-fundamentals-learn-to-play-soccer

Geoff VanDeusen who will become the CEO of United Soccer Coaches on January 1st returns to Keep The Game Beautiful to talk about the upcoming United Soccer Coaches REUNITED 2022 Convention in Kansas City. This year the event will be extra special as it has been a while since we've all been together. In addition this convention introduces a new Referee Summit priced at only $99!

Manya Puppione is the head coach at George Mason University. As a player she won multiple youth and high school awards and was a member of the US Women’s National Teams for the U-19, U-21, and U-23 ages. She played at Arizona State University before starting her professional career which included playing in the WPS, NWSL, Iceland, and Finland where she still holds the league record for goals scored. Manya and I spend time talking about her style of coaching, how she helps players in tough times, and her own struggles with injuries, including concussions.

Trip Neil is a board member and past president of USA Deaf Soccer Association and is involved with Powersense in Dallas, Texas. Trip is the captain of the US Deaf National Team and played at Johns Hopkins University where he first learned about deaf soccer. We talk not only about the challenges that deaf and hard of hearing athletes might face but about other great things happening in other adaptive and inclusive soccer programs.

Aidan Reagh began using analytics in the sport of lacrosse as a youth, he began coaching, and then brought his skills to soccer. He continued to develop ways that data could be used to improve performance. Even when using this information he remains committed to remembering the importance of people first.

Coach Matt Ream of Des Moines Soccer Club is someone I've known for a few years now since we first met at a United Soccer Coaches Open Training Week session. He has coached adult amateur, college, club soccer, and at Roosevelt High School. He shares some of the moments where he had to fall in love with the game again and a bit of what drives his passion as a coach.

Dave DiIanni is the Women's Soccer Coach at University of Iowa. In this last season his team faced many challenges in adjusting to COVID and after a rough start had an amazing finish which included winning their first Big Ten Championship.

Jordan McMahon (Jordan Bishop) grew up playing in Texas before playing at Iowa State. As an athlete she had the opportunity to continue playing for the Des Moines Menace and with the Boston Breakers. She returned to Iowa and began coaching even developing into a Director of Coaching role and mentoring others. Today she is a coach for Vision Soccer Academy (VSA) with academy aged players.

Sarah Lowdon recently joined the staff of Penn State Women's Soccer. Prior to her current role she was with the Florida Gators Soccer program and wrote the book A Desk And A Chair highlighting some of the things she learned from Becky Burleigh. We talk about leadership, confidence, and more in this episode.