Join the Cannon Crue in our very first and exciting special episode of the Cannon Crue podcast, we talk with Chris Whalley who is the head coach of Lionsbridge FC of the USL League Two and Chowan University men's soccer team. He is the former head coach of Lees-McRae College and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Not only was he Ryan's coach for his collegiate career, he is well known for his insightful strategies and dedication to developing young talent. Coach Whalley shares his expertise on the league's dynamics and what it really takes for young athletes to stand out in the competitive world of soccer.
We want chicken!!
www.lionsbridgefc.com
[00:00:00] Hey y'all, this is Grant. What you're about right here is an interview with Coach Whaley,
[00:00:05] who's the head coach of the Lions Bridge FC. It's a fantastic interview conducted by Ronan
[00:00:11] and Patrick. It's kind of insightful. I'm now looking forward to what the USL can offer
[00:00:17] to the rest of the United States and just also player development. Dr. Yonah Wissman,
[00:00:22] I'm the lead coach, Sydney. Welcome to Cannon Crue, a weekly podcast discussing the Charleston
[00:00:43] Battery. Your host, Granite, will be joined by other defenders of the fleet from the Black
[00:00:49] and Yellow supporters section. And together they will help fortify and conquer their other
[00:00:54] Cannon Crue. Welcome to the Cannon Crue podcast everyone. This is Patrick. I am
[00:01:03] joined by Ryan. Ryan, what's up?
[00:01:06] What's going on?
[00:01:08] Not much. It's a little bit of a special podcast here. We have a guest with us this time, which
[00:01:16] is a Cannon Crue first. So I'm going to kick it over to Ryan. He's got a little history
[00:01:20] here and let him introduce him.
[00:01:22] Thank you, Pat. So today we have on the podcast Chris Wally from his young days
[00:01:27] as a Nottingham Forest supporter and as a young footballer in England to his male
[00:01:31] team. He has been a coach for the United States and has been a coach for the United States.
[00:01:37] He's also coached the U.S. division two side Lionsbridge. Wally has over 20 years of coaching
[00:01:43] experience, including stops at Lees McCrae University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Appalachian
[00:01:48] State and Chowan. Last year at Lionsbridge he led the team to the U.S. division two
[00:01:54] final, national final. Personally Chris was a coach of mine at Chowan where he
[00:01:59] led the team to the main I am today. Now he is the Lees McCrae Hall of Famer and Lionsbridge
[00:02:04] head coach Chris Wally.
[00:02:06] What an introduction, Ryan. Thank you for that.
[00:02:08] That's why I feel like a pioneer. I'll be honest. I think I came to America 22 years
[00:02:14] ago and the internet wasn't great back then. They didn't have cell phones with pictures
[00:02:18] and stuff like that. And podcasts and things like that were a distant memory
[00:02:23] and a distant future belief. So this is awesome. All the things you're doing are great.
[00:02:27] I've done a bit of research. I want you guys to do anything that's awesome.
[00:02:31] That's cool.
[00:02:33] Great to hear.
[00:02:35] So let's get to it. I have a question for you, Ralph, the gate.
[00:02:39] And I wanted to talk about your time at Lees McCrae.
[00:02:43] And so I just wanted to know how did you enjoy your time at Lees McCrae and what was
[00:02:49] the biggest challenge that you had to face when turning the team into as successful as it was?
[00:02:54] Yeah, look. I'll give you a bit of backstory on how I got there and that'll probably
[00:02:59] help answer your question. And it's a great question.
[00:03:03] So I was playing in the pro league back in the day.
[00:03:10] It was a ready-in-rage. Charleston had a team at that league at one point.
[00:03:14] It was a USISL or something like that.
[00:03:17] It was the equivalent of the USL League 1 on championship right now.
[00:03:22] And the team folded overnight.
[00:03:25] I said, okay, we're not going to be a pro team anymore.
[00:03:28] I was like, okay, what am I going to do? Because I don't want to go back to England.
[00:03:31] So I applied for a job at Lees McCrae. I got the assistant job.
[00:03:34] I think I was 23 years old.
[00:03:38] And within 18 months I was the head coach.
[00:03:42] So I think I was 24, 24, 25 years old.
[00:03:46] I think I was one of the youngest head coaches in the country.
[00:03:49] And I took over a program that at that time the school was struggling a little bit.
[00:03:55] I was taught I was going Division 3 and that's why my boss and the old men sort of time age and blew it and moved on.
[00:04:02] And anyway, long story short we didn't move to Division 3 but I inherited a team with about 10 players.
[00:04:09] Which is a bit of a challenge.
[00:04:12] And then obviously from there my first year I took over.
[00:04:16] I recruited about 20 guys. I got a team of about 30 and of those 10 guys coming back only a couple really played a lot.
[00:04:25] It was a pretty fast turnaround. We signed some really good players.
[00:04:29] Within three years we were in number one in the country, we've been five, we've been to a national final.
[00:04:35] I made a ton of mistakes.
[00:04:37] A ton of mistakes but you do when you're 25 years old.
[00:04:41] I'm sure you feel like, yeah right I don't know how old are you right?
[00:04:45] Just turned 25.
[00:04:48] I'm talking about.
[00:04:50] But it was crazy.
[00:04:52] I had guys on the team that were older than me which was pretty nuts and challenging.
[00:04:57] But it was a unique environment, special place spent seven years of my life there,
[00:05:03] forwards Wisconsin then came back and basically stayed in the same area when I was an Appalachian.
[00:05:08] And I've had property up there for a long period of time.
[00:05:11] Some of my best friends in the world are there.
[00:05:13] So just special place and a beautiful place.
[00:05:16] And also I've had some fantastic memories there.
[00:05:19] So, interesting.
[00:05:22] So diving a little bit deeper into what you just had mentioned a few times with bringing the players in
[00:05:30] and you had mentioned you only had 10 players when you and impaired the team.
[00:05:33] So how were you able to draw these players into Lees McCray and create that championship predigree team within that short time span?
[00:05:40] It was, I've got to say we replicated what we did at Lees McCray at Siouan.
[00:05:45] Which is obviously down the road sometime.
[00:05:47] What it was, I looked at it and it was the A-cup uphooks.
[00:05:51] It, Banarale's a unique place.
[00:05:55] It's so cold in the winter, so beautiful.
[00:05:59] I went and recruited a heck of a lot of student athletes from Florida
[00:06:03] because those boys were looking to get out of the heat.
[00:06:06] Because obviously it's so hot in Florida.
[00:06:08] And it's probably the first place where it actually gets seasonal temperature, if that makes sense.
[00:06:14] And it's a beautiful place as well.
[00:06:16] So we recruited those sorts of guys and we recruited junior college guys and we went international.
[00:06:20] And I fell back on my roots.
[00:06:22] And every year I've been a college coach.
[00:06:25] I've had a ton of international guys.
[00:06:27] And a lot of that is just because I can trust people who recommend them.
[00:06:31] Because guys who I've maybe played with in the UK growing up were then youth team coaches
[00:06:36] or professional coaches in the UK.
[00:06:39] And I got recommended some good players.
[00:06:41] And look, we turned it around really, really fast within, I say within three years.
[00:06:45] I think my first year, I don't like that could work.
[00:06:48] Eight seven and three, eight seven and two, then we went 21, two and one.
[00:06:53] And yeah, I think I'm a half decent coach.
[00:06:56] But when it's all said and done, he's all about the players.
[00:06:58] And I honestly think that's what college soccer is about.
[00:07:01] I read soccer is about it worldwide all around.
[00:07:04] I mean, I love the quote of Mourinho made.
[00:07:06] And you guys all remember the one where he used to say about his best ever job he did was at Man United
[00:07:11] when they came second in the league.
[00:07:12] Do you remember that one?
[00:07:13] And everyone's like, this guy's an idiot.
[00:07:15] Talk about now you look back on anything.
[00:07:17] It was probably right because that group was terrible.
[00:07:20] So it's one of those where I honestly think of having we just somehow we recruited and sold good players on what we were trying to do.
[00:07:28] And I sort of want a dream that, you know, come over to this country and be successful and that's really international.
[00:07:35] See where can take your life.
[00:07:37] And so many of those guys have now stayed in the States and made lives.
[00:07:41] And, you know, I played golf last week with a guy who was my first ever captain.
[00:07:46] And he's now running the homicide division in Orlando.
[00:07:50] And he's doing really, really well.
[00:07:52] It should be successful and play golf with him a couple of times.
[00:07:55] He floored last week when I was down there two weeks ago.
[00:07:58] And yeah, he's my first ever captain.
[00:08:00] So it's really, really cool when you get to go back 15 years on and still friends with those guys.
[00:08:07] So I'll beat him at golf.
[00:08:09] Let me just throw that one out there as well.
[00:08:11] I know you got a big goal for a ride, obviously.
[00:08:14] So, but no, that's what pulled about memories.
[00:08:18] And then, yeah, obviously we reminisced a lot while I was down there.
[00:08:23] Coach, I like to ask just referencing that.
[00:08:26] Did it help being a young guy yourself international?
[00:08:30] Like helping sell you sell these guys on committing because they see it in you and it's kind of worked for you so far.
[00:08:40] Yeah, I think that one little talk about you won't let all talk again about it.
[00:08:45] But yeah, I think I saw myself.
[00:08:48] I think I said, you know, selling these guys, look, I've been through this process.
[00:08:52] I was fortunate in the UK.
[00:08:53] I played at a pretty good level, but I never made it as a top throw in the UK.
[00:08:58] But I was with Forest and I played Reserv team football, Brentford,
[00:09:02] and I played non-league football in the UK.
[00:09:05] I really wanted to get back into the everyday soccer.
[00:09:09] And that's why coming to the station was brilliant for me.
[00:09:11] I really loved it.
[00:09:13] And I improved dramatically in the two years that I did it.
[00:09:17] I did it and then they got a pro contract.
[00:09:19] And so I was selling out to these guys, not just to the international guys, but domestic guys as well.
[00:09:25] Come on have a great experience and then let's use our network and our tools to get you to the next level.
[00:09:33] And I'm a big guy.
[00:09:34] I never promised people I could get a pro contract.
[00:09:36] I'd be naive.
[00:09:37] I think through my contacts, I can promise guys it will get them trials and get them a couple of weeks somewhere.
[00:09:45] Toby, who played with Ryan, was all set up, come down and have a two week trial at Charleston a few years ago
[00:09:54] and then the Riverhounds snapped him up before we even got him there.
[00:09:57] That's how we do it.
[00:09:59] And for me that's great.
[00:10:01] And yeah, you're totally right.
[00:10:03] I think it's probably easier because they can connect to you or relate to you.
[00:10:07] Does that make sense?
[00:10:08] Totally.
[00:10:10] Yeah, it's kind of hard to trust or at least believe someone who's older and is trying to tell you what they were going through as opposed to say someone who just got out of that situation can immediately relate to a player who's going through kind of similar struggles or like just the choice of where to play.
[00:10:30] Yeah, the struggle of decision right now.
[00:10:33] So fortunately in my career when I become a head coach, some of my best assistants have been former players of mine that have gone on and played at the next level and then come back into the coach.
[00:10:44] Statsy.
[00:10:46] Yeah, Statsy said.
[00:10:48] Statsy and then they...
[00:10:50] Well, so you're two of my co-assist and then Lee Williams who was over the top player.
[00:10:55] I'm thinking the guys have all played at a good level.
[00:10:57] The day then for me now I am that older guy.
[00:11:00] They're now that conduit between myself and those guys.
[00:11:03] It's great for you, mate.
[00:11:04] Yes.
[00:11:05] I think for your last lease it's probably difficult to look at old fat lad like me and say, Oh, was he good back in a day?
[00:11:14] I was just going to mention you talked about playing at kind of these levels at Nottingham and was it Brentford or Bournemouth?
[00:11:21] Was the other team?
[00:11:23] Brent, I was...
[00:11:25] I got leg up by Foster 16 and I played in the reserve team football a little while for Brentford.
[00:11:30] I never signed a contract there.
[00:11:32] And then I played non-league football in the UK which for a team called Harrogate, I'll see, and Self B, you know, Harrogate's now in the football league and they played that sort of level.
[00:11:43] It kind of almost paved my way through college in the UK by, you know, that was kind of how it was.
[00:11:49] And then came to the States.
[00:11:51] I was supposed to... I was recruited by Penn State and Barry Gorman was our coach at the time.
[00:11:55] But because I'd been paid or played reserve team games in the UK, I wasn't able to go to a Division I school.
[00:12:02] But at the time I went to Mercyhurst and we had sort of really, really good players, sort of back professionals and it was good.
[00:12:11] It was a really good standard.
[00:12:13] We played two seasons there.
[00:12:15] My first year we lost in the last 16 in the country.
[00:12:18] I think that was our only game we lost all season and a year after, we lost in the final four.
[00:12:23] Somebody got sent off. I can't remember who that was though in the final four.
[00:12:32] He did score 3-16 though, he must have been a decent player.
[00:12:35] Yeah, you mean too bad?
[00:12:37] That's it.
[00:12:39] I was curious...
[00:12:41] I don't know what makes you go to Mercyhurst, but that definitely clears it up.
[00:12:45] So were there any kind of standout things you took from UK play to the United States?
[00:12:53] More so in your coaching career that you applied here or something that is maybe a big glaring difference
[00:13:00] with some of the coaches kind of neglect over in our system?
[00:13:04] No, I mean, good question.
[00:13:07] Look, football has come so far in this country since I've been here.
[00:13:12] I remember it was during the Fox Soccer, when it was on Fox Soccer.
[00:13:17] It was like one game on Saturday morning, you do all that sighting and stuff.
[00:13:21] Like one game and so where we are now...
[00:13:24] I think the coverage in America is better than it is in the UK.
[00:13:27] They have the blackout games in the UK.
[00:13:29] So I think that says a little bit how far it's come, but I think my big thing I've always noticed
[00:13:35] is I thought I was quite fit and athletic, I was in England.
[00:13:40] And that's not both pretty fit where I came here, but you guys as a nation are bigger, stronger, faster, more powerful.
[00:13:48] So athletic as a wise, you guys, I think have that angle on us.
[00:13:55] I think the maybe, and I'm not saying it's to be distrapped with soccer IQ piece.
[00:14:00] I think the international guys get that because I don't think they have as many sports that they play growing up.
[00:14:07] I'll ask you two guys here after I speak with what sports did you guys play growing up?
[00:14:12] I basically played three or four.
[00:14:13] Now I've played a few different sports, but it was always football.
[00:14:16] And I think that sometimes my over the years, practically US soccer.
[00:14:24] Now I think you guys are getting there.
[00:14:26] And I think look, I think soccer is going to be the biggest sport in this country at the time.
[00:14:32] In time, I really do.
[00:14:33] And I've made statements while I think you guys have got as good a chance of winning a World Cup than England has in time
[00:14:40] because you've got such a massive pool of players and it's got such a great,
[00:14:45] let's say, data pipeline, just such a great pool of athletes to pick from.
[00:14:50] But I think my big thing is it's just a soccer IQ stuff.
[00:14:53] But are you guys getting there?
[00:14:55] But it's going to take time.
[00:14:56] Football has been going on in England for what 200 years?
[00:15:00] How big is the MLS?
[00:15:01] How many years has the MLS been here? 25 maybe now?
[00:15:04] Clips in over 20.
[00:15:06] Yeah, but I think Americans as a culture are probably quite impatient with stuff.
[00:15:12] I want to win anyway, which is possibly why you guys are so successful though as well.
[00:15:17] You don't just accept that.
[00:15:19] I think that's like it's almost like one of your biggest strengths might be a weakness.
[00:15:23] Like, it's just going to take time.
[00:15:25] It's just going to take time.
[00:15:27] But you've got some good players as well.
[00:15:30] What did you guys play?
[00:15:32] Right, I know, I know, I know that.
[00:15:34] I'm a little not here.
[00:15:36] I was golfed from a young age just because my uncle played and it was fun to go out there
[00:15:42] and kind of learn that game.
[00:15:44] And then it was soccer for me from age six on.
[00:15:48] And that was it.
[00:15:49] It was club level.
[00:15:51] I have a unique perspective on it because I was almost just raised through the club ranks of
[00:15:58] pay to play on a club team, travel team.
[00:16:01] You still have to be good to travel play, but kind of the accuracy that I know you as a coach
[00:16:07] are probably dealing with a little bit now with days with players and parents just wondering why their kids play immediately.
[00:16:15] And that was kind of coaches leaving in and out of the system and not wanting to deal with parents berating them
[00:16:22] or being on their back a little more often than not, which more so in American, I guess, trait for when it comes to athletics.
[00:16:29] Kids, it seems like.
[00:16:31] Yeah, I totally agree with you all guys.
[00:16:35] I say, it's a capitalist country, isn't it?
[00:16:41] So, you know, it's kind of what I was where in the UK.
[00:16:46] I remember playing.
[00:16:48] I played for a guy, his name was David Pickett, he was a lovely guy and he coached me for probably some from the age 10 to 15 or 16.
[00:16:56] But don't think he made one pound out of it.
[00:16:59] He didn't make any money off it at all.
[00:17:02] And he coached a team because he wanted to help kids out.
[00:17:05] And we had a good team that guys went on and got going on to play professional football and had good soccer careers and all that.
[00:17:11] Didn't make a penny out of it.
[00:17:13] So which is admirable.
[00:17:16] But then in the same respect, that's just the way it is in the UK, you know, those where you could make, you know, I know if I got out of college soccer,
[00:17:25] I could make a lot more money being a director of a club.
[00:17:28] But I don't want to do that.
[00:17:30] And that's not a life I want to live.
[00:17:32] So it's nice to be able to do a podcast at eight o'clock at night.
[00:17:36] So it's been time up.
[00:17:38] It's a you'd be a club soccer coach who on the road and you do his stuff every evening and asked often they, you know,
[00:17:44] and look, college soccer is hard, but I think club soccer is a really hard gig.
[00:17:48] So you guys are also both involved in it.
[00:17:51] It's interesting as it going through that, you almost like grow to fall out of love with the sport by bringing a six day more so a chore.
[00:18:02] Like I remember having twice a week for two to three hours, because that's just what everyone was doing.
[00:18:09] So it wasn't required, but everyone was doing it. You were doing it.
[00:18:13] So I wonder if that kind of plays into it with our system here where kids just are kind of falling out of love with the sport a little bit
[00:18:22] by being so pushed into it at younger ages.
[00:18:26] I don't know.
[00:18:27] So is I think there's just here graphically, your country is so big.
[00:18:33] It's it's a continent.
[00:18:34] This country is a continent, isn't it?
[00:18:36] You know what I mean?
[00:18:37] So it's kind of like, you know, in the UK, I just use UK as such an example.
[00:18:44] I could ride my bike to train and we had a really good team.
[00:18:48] I mean, but it was possibly in Nottinghamshire, the county I came from, there's probably 100 teams in Nottinghamshire.
[00:18:55] So does that make sense?
[00:18:57] Like a county in this country will have how many teams?
[00:19:01] Yeah, a couple.
[00:19:03] Now it's kind of like that's what it's like.
[00:19:05] So geographically and logistically, mum and dad's on to drive kids.
[00:19:09] Like I hear about kids driving two hours each way to train and stuff like that.
[00:19:13] Oh my God.
[00:19:15] I'm dreading that when my boy starts playing at a high level.
[00:19:18] We just picked a team for him to play on.
[00:19:20] At least play for the team that's going to be five minutes from our house,
[00:19:24] which is ideal.
[00:19:26] I didn't push him into so I didn't want him to play early.
[00:19:29] I want to play.
[00:19:30] No, he's going to turn. He's going to be nine.
[00:19:32] He's going to be a 90 year old team.
[00:19:34] It's like, I totally agree with you guys.
[00:19:38] He's supposed to, it doesn't need to be a chore.
[00:19:40] They've got to want to go down and they've got to want to love it.
[00:19:42] And then you've got them.
[00:19:45] They've got to really love it.
[00:19:46] They're going to want to drive an hour each way or two hours each way.
[00:19:49] So I'm like, right, I know you play club soccer going on.
[00:19:51] I'm sure you drive it all around.
[00:19:53] Especially if you lived in DC.
[00:19:55] Yeah, we would drive the hour to Richmond or we would drive the hour and a half to DC
[00:19:59] or we would drive the two hours to Charlottesville for training.
[00:20:02] And that was two to three days a week.
[00:20:04] And that was hard on my parents especially.
[00:20:07] And then getting up for school at six AM the morning.
[00:20:11] Not ideal.
[00:20:13] Yeah.
[00:20:14] Yeah, exactly.
[00:20:16] Yeah.
[00:20:17] I do think one thing that you'll come to my country.
[00:20:20] I was, I live here in the 10th floor of my house in this country.
[00:20:23] And I spent in the UK but this facilities are so good though.
[00:20:28] Like the facilities in this country are so good.
[00:20:31] So we know we were so fortunate with that.
[00:20:35] And so you're playing on better pitches and you've got no support and infrastructure in the finances.
[00:20:40] So it will, it will come good.
[00:20:42] It's just going to take time.
[00:20:44] So just be patient.
[00:20:45] Be patient America.
[00:20:47] Do you see anything with like the youth?
[00:20:49] They can work on a little bit better in that retrospect or anything that can prove on for them currently?
[00:20:56] It's difficult.
[00:20:58] I'm not in that youth game anymore.
[00:21:00] I've been in it.
[00:21:01] I've been in it and I did it when I was in Wisconsin.
[00:21:03] I ran the club up there and what I ran the elite team there.
[00:21:07] I've got friends who do it.
[00:21:10] My big thing would just be make sure any kid that wants to play and is good enough to play should be playing.
[00:21:17] Because that makes sense.
[00:21:18] Like the best lads need to be playing on the best teams.
[00:21:21] It shouldn't come down to money.
[00:21:23] It shouldn't come down to mom and dad not being able to afford it.
[00:21:26] So that'd be my only thing.
[00:21:30] But I know the like, for example, with the Lions we should have.
[00:21:33] I know if you want to go pro or trying to go pro, they have to put stipulations in there where you have to have free play.
[00:21:43] So you're 14, 16 and 18 things like that.
[00:21:47] So the stipulations are there.
[00:21:50] He's getting there but he's just going to take time isn't it?
[00:21:53] Now, with going through the whole youth and the youth academies in America and going up through Club Soccer.
[00:22:02] How is it supposed to be?
[00:22:05] I guess an easy avenue for athletes.
[00:22:08] A lot of athletes come to me now and are trying to get scouted for colleges and are trying to look everywhere else.
[00:22:14] But they're having the dilemma right now of going through the website of NCSA and paying that money.
[00:22:21] But a lot of players who can't afford that, what are some advices you give those players trying to look for other avenues?
[00:22:29] I'm old school as you know.
[00:22:32] Right.
[00:22:34] If you know, ride to coach and riding properly would be my advice.
[00:22:40] I remember you wrote me properly.
[00:22:43] No, Willow connected with you because you got a thing.
[00:22:47] You had some sort of connection with you and Willow.
[00:22:51] But then you spoke with Willow. This is my oldest assistant.
[00:22:55] You spoke directly and the direct contact was the thing that we liked.
[00:23:01] So like, you know, you get these emails, hey coach, have you just send an email to a coach?
[00:23:08] At least spend five minutes to figure out what he's first and last name is and then spell it right.
[00:23:13] And things like that.
[00:23:15] You know what I mean?
[00:23:17] We have ID camps just for the time.
[00:23:20] Our ID camps we don't differ.
[00:23:22] We don't really small because we want to try and get the kids we really want.
[00:23:25] So let's say you're going and doing a camp at your one.
[00:23:30] At least know what our record was in a year prior.
[00:23:34] And you know what I mean?
[00:23:36] Know that, you know, we just graduated a goalkeeper.
[00:23:39] So Ryan, I see Ryan just graduated.
[00:23:41] Are you looking to add another goalkeeper flex?
[00:23:43] You know, those sorts of things, you know, and it's kind of one of those ways.
[00:23:47] You've got to do your homework.
[00:23:49] And I think it's just the old school do diligence piece.
[00:23:51] And maybe that's just you've probably got other coaches like the younger coaches are probably all about social media, Instagram and all like, I know.
[00:23:57] Proud.
[00:23:59] I'm more about like, let's put a face to a name and let's talk and, you know, come on campus.
[00:24:07] Speak to us in person.
[00:24:09] I remember your recruiting to Ryan, remember speaking with you and your dad and I'll shit and I met you when I came in.
[00:24:15] I remember visiting you.
[00:24:16] I thought about it a few weeks ago came and watched you play.
[00:24:20] I don't remember high school name, but it was in Fredericksburg.
[00:24:24] And he has had a running track around it is a big massive stand on the side.
[00:24:29] You and go are you kicking was unbelievable that day.
[00:24:32] You were like, fricking crushing the ball and you played really well.
[00:24:36] And then we went out.
[00:24:37] We had to be like Longhorn or out back or something.
[00:24:41] Yeah.
[00:24:42] And that's for me.
[00:24:44] That's what I remember those things.
[00:24:46] So that's what is important to me.
[00:24:48] So it's like, make this differentiate yourself from the crowd.
[00:24:51] I think you must have said your schedule said, Hey coach, I've got this game going on.
[00:24:54] I thought she couldn't see me play.
[00:24:56] So for me, that's what players have got to do.
[00:24:59] Don't just those NSA people and all that.
[00:25:02] I'm not trying to not read and I'm trying to make a job and a lively.
[00:25:06] But you can do that.
[00:25:07] You can email a coach, figure out what she calls you really want to go to.
[00:25:11] I just think there's so much old school value stuff, you know, if you've gone up,
[00:25:17] you're going on a visit, she'd coach the email.
[00:25:20] Thanks coach.
[00:25:21] So coming to you know, the coach came watch you play coach.
[00:25:24] Thanks for watching me play.
[00:25:25] You know, I've got him here and you'll see.
[00:25:28] I've gone.
[00:25:29] I've got no cards here.
[00:25:31] I'm writing people who came to our wheels have an award banquet right.
[00:25:34] And obviously for those for years, I'm still writing notes to people saying thanks for coming to our rewards banquet.
[00:25:40] I think that sort of stuff goes a long way.
[00:25:43] It's almost like the old school values are separating the people now from because they will protect everybody can email everybody can Instagram.
[00:25:51] How can you separate yourself?
[00:25:53] And you might not separate yourself a different way, but I think you can separate yourself about and spend loads and loads of money.
[00:25:58] I also think a good way to separate yourself is how people call on your behalf.
[00:26:03] So I know right if you call me and say, look, I've got a kid and he's a good player, but more so walls is a good person.
[00:26:10] And he'd be type of guy you want in your program.
[00:26:13] He's got the right integrity about how you use a blah, blah, blah, those sorts of things.
[00:26:18] So for those we go up a lot of recommendation stuff.
[00:26:21] And we I don't remember. I've gone back to you again.
[00:26:23] We were recruiting on you and I ended up golfing with Ron Hicks.
[00:26:27] I am that one.
[00:26:28] So I just went guy who go with Ryan's granddad was an alumni of Chihuahuan and he lived up in a frozen.
[00:26:38] So I called him.
[00:26:39] I said, you know, this family says, yeah, yeah, they're family really well good family.
[00:26:42] Blah, blah, blah, they'd go to your granddad didn't say.
[00:26:45] So there's one of those because we want to make sure we get the right people.
[00:26:49] Yeah, they were together for 20 plus years.
[00:26:51] He was Ron Hicks was the lawyer in Fredericksburg and my grandpa was the police captain of Fredericksburg.
[00:26:56] So then two words very closely.
[00:26:58] Yeah.
[00:26:59] So he's yeah, so small world stuff.
[00:27:02] I think you can people can use those resources and rather than just, you know, every kid's not got.
[00:27:09] I don't know how much it cost to do when I say or whatever it is.
[00:27:11] Or when she was like, well, is it a thousand dollars?
[00:27:14] Yeah.
[00:27:16] So I think there's the old school ways of just reaching out to people and now, yeah, does that take a bit of work?
[00:27:21] Does that take a bit of time and effort?
[00:27:23] Yeah, of course it does.
[00:27:24] Then what these kids have got to realize is you're going to get knocked back a lot of times.
[00:27:28] So you know what I mean?
[00:27:30] I'd love to work for money nights.
[00:27:33] I don't mean I'm going to get a job, does it?
[00:27:36] So it's like people have got to be realistic as well.
[00:27:39] Actually based off my knowledge right now, I've got a chance to spend.
[00:27:42] I think one of the things I took away from the ID camps that I never forgot was the biggest things was that how you and the other coaches, because at some of the ID camps, it wasn't just you guys.
[00:27:59] So I think at my ID camp, I went to a show on the Mount Olive coach was there.
[00:28:03] The assistant coach may have been there as well.
[00:28:06] And then with Mount Olive had theirs, they had about 10 other schools and then Snake was also there.
[00:28:13] The goalkeeper coach for Chow on at the time.
[00:28:16] And just listening to how all the college coaches would speak to the players about how, you know, even if we don't pick you up and you're still wanting to go play college soccer,
[00:28:26] we'll try and help you find the right fit for you.
[00:28:29] Even though our program may not be the right fit for you, we'll help you find the right fit.
[00:28:33] And I feel like that encouraged a lot of the players to actually step up and want to speak out and want more for themselves and not just be shy and, you know, regret not speaking up later.
[00:28:45] Yeah, I know I guess great.
[00:28:49] Well, you got to think giving scholarships, you've got what 400 programs in the country that gives scholarships Division one and Division two.
[00:28:57] And then there's Division three.
[00:28:59] That's very, very good reasons.
[00:29:00] Let's say there's two.
[00:29:01] You got 600 programs.
[00:29:03] If each program's got what?
[00:29:06] Two or three coaches.
[00:29:08] It's not that big a network of people across the country to speak people.
[00:29:13] Everyone's got contacts and everybody knows each other.
[00:29:15] So it's one of those where the recommendation piece and coach to coach that works and it could be a year where we don't need a goalkeeper,
[00:29:23] but our friends somewhere else might need to keep her or a striker or a winger or whatever.
[00:29:27] So yeah, I think it's what those were just do the right thing about people and people definitely help.
[00:29:31] That's great point you made there.
[00:29:32] I do remember that because yeah, we used to send out snake and our younger assistants would send them off on the road.
[00:29:38] We do research as well.
[00:29:40] We'd watch guys a lot of stuff we do.
[00:29:43] And I've kind of stole this for a point of my called Andy Livingston who's he's one of the he was Chief Scout for Preston North and he's now in Norwich.
[00:29:51] A lot of scouting that the pro teams doing UK doesn't even evolve around that one players want to play it.
[00:30:00] I'm talking about these guys scouting elite level planes.
[00:30:03] So he's that guy to me is like, don't watch them.
[00:30:06] Watch the game of course.
[00:30:08] Watch what they do in warm up.
[00:30:10] Watch what they do when they're subbed on.
[00:30:13] Watch what they do when it's supposed to be warming up.
[00:30:15] I know on the sidelines.
[00:30:17] Watch what they do when a subbed off.
[00:30:19] Watch what our player does where his team scores a goal and goes up.
[00:30:22] Watch what our player does when his team concedes a goal.
[00:30:25] Watch what that player does when, you know, I'm playing center back and I have a stinker.
[00:30:31] I kicked the ball over your head Ryan and that's going on goal.
[00:30:34] How's Ryan react towards me?
[00:30:36] So a lot of the period right now that we do, I'm not really looking at like, I think everybody my mom can tell it to me.
[00:30:46] She could probably say to me, look at message quite good into Chris.
[00:30:49] You know, I mean, I think we can all tell message pretty good.
[00:30:52] But we also want to see what people are like his characters because good players are going to help you win.
[00:30:57] But great characters are going to help your program be successful on and off the field.
[00:31:02] And you could probably remember, right?
[00:31:03] We had some great characters over the years when we had some that weren't great as well.
[00:31:07] The ones that weren't great didn't last very long.
[00:31:10] You know, they're going to make mistakes for people, but the good ones stick around.
[00:31:14] I think it's interesting.
[00:31:15] That's how the evolution of recruitings on there not even looking at,
[00:31:20] not even looking at some of the stuff they do on the field is how they, how they act towards a team makes.
[00:31:25] I saw one the other day.
[00:31:26] And who was it?
[00:31:28] Somebody came off.
[00:31:30] It was Darwin Nunes came off for Liverpool and he didn't hide five.
[00:31:35] What's the name coming on?
[00:31:36] Didn't hide five Portuguese like coming on and supposedly I read some stuff after that how cops hammered it behind the scenes because he's come off the field.
[00:31:46] And is it Jota?
[00:31:47] Yeah, Jota's come on.
[00:31:48] He didn't even hide five.
[00:31:49] Like what kind of guy is that?
[00:31:51] It doesn't high five his teammate who's going on the field.
[00:31:53] Yeah, you pissed off and he don't want me still come on, dude.
[00:31:56] So that's getting a lot of stuff we do now.
[00:32:00] That was obviously off off tangent.
[00:32:02] But anyway, that's a great point.
[00:32:03] Those kind of a question I had was more so what do you look for in your recruitment to Lionsbridge and players that you look to retain?
[00:32:13] And you obviously just went over that.
[00:32:16] But how do you retain these players?
[00:32:19] You send quite a few on to higher ranked leagues across the US and Europe.
[00:32:25] So what is that process or I guess more so some of the difficulties you face in keeping these guys with you?
[00:32:32] Or is this something where they know if you can develop them to a point and get them to move on, that's kind of what we're all working for.
[00:32:43] Yeah, I think we're both in the last four or five years.
[00:32:46] We've had four or five guys come from Chihuahua who've gone on and played and you know, our numbers for Lionsbridge is great in terms of our developing guys to the next level.
[00:32:55] My big thing is those guys is a similar sort of thing to come in and do well for us.
[00:33:00] We'll make sure your training environment environment when we do get your trials places, you'll be ready for that environment.
[00:33:07] It's going to be a tough environment.
[00:33:08] You're going to work hard.
[00:33:09] You're going to be challenged about what you talk about, right?
[00:33:11] I don't think he's going to be, you know, it's a business environment.
[00:33:15] It's one of those things where you've got to get people bought into your process because if they're not bought into your process and they're not bought into what you're trying to do, then they can be the best players in the world.
[00:33:30] But you know, even with some of these, for example, I think last year, why did we have such a good run in the season?
[00:33:37] It's what late on this season, it's because we kept most of our players.
[00:33:40] We had a 16, 17, 18 player core of guys that was with us all the way through the season.
[00:33:46] A lot of teams there, some of their best players might have had to report back to college camps and stuff like that.
[00:33:52] Blah, blah, blah.
[00:33:53] But if somebody is having a great experience, they're probably going to fight their college coach a little bit further and harder to say, hey coach, look, we're in the quarter finals.
[00:34:02] If we keep winning, can I stay?
[00:34:04] I think it's about, you know, enjoying the environment and enjoying the fact that it's OK to want to work hard and push yourself and challenge yourself.
[00:34:14] But also enjoy being around your friends as well.
[00:34:16] It's not all serious.
[00:34:17] It doesn't need to all be crazy serious.
[00:34:20] And I don't think you, I don't think each are the best players either.
[00:34:25] I think you see our best group of people.
[00:34:27] I do believe in that.
[00:34:29] And I think there's college programs and professional teams all over the years have proven that.
[00:34:34] You know, you look at why did Stanford win three national championships in a row?
[00:34:39] Yeah, they had some top players, but their culture, men's soccer wise, Jeremy, a friend of mine, the culture was spot on there.
[00:34:46] That's why they won three national championships.
[00:34:49] Yeah, they had a bunch of guys that went MLS in this time.
[00:34:52] They were good.
[00:34:53] They had some guys who were just OK soccer players, but were great people.
[00:34:59] So I think it's about the people you recruit and if you recruit good people, they want to be around good people and they enjoy your environment.
[00:35:07] It makes sense.
[00:35:08] It's kind of like it's almost like I don't think the right word, but good people want to be around good people again.
[00:35:16] So you it's always like those guys that maybe all the people will face their way out.
[00:35:21] So you laugh about this one.
[00:35:25] People said, what were you doing last season in terms of training and getting ready for the National Final this time?
[00:35:30] We had one training session a week for the National Final or so for the semifinals.
[00:35:36] The guys are absolutely exhausted.
[00:35:38] They played all these games.
[00:35:40] They went to swim for one day.
[00:35:42] They came out to my community.
[00:35:43] We went to swim pool.
[00:35:44] The other day we went out and played golf.
[00:35:46] Then we gave them a day off.
[00:35:48] Then we trained and then we played in the National Semifinals.
[00:35:51] It's like that stage of the season, if you don't know what you're doing by the National Semifinals, you've won a final.
[00:35:59] So I haven't done my job up there.
[00:36:01] Does that make sense?
[00:36:02] That's why it's still flying up.
[00:36:04] So at that stage of the season, it's like these guys just need to relax and enjoy being around each other.
[00:36:09] So we did.
[00:36:11] So what are you guys at this swimming pool?
[00:36:13] We played golf one day.
[00:36:14] So that was ridiculous.
[00:36:16] It was okay.
[00:36:17] It worked to an extent.
[00:36:19] I think you're selling yourself on being the proper head coach here.
[00:36:23] Golf, swimming pools, a little relaxation.
[00:36:26] Well, that's the thing.
[00:36:28] People like that stuff though, don't they?
[00:36:30] But I'll be honest, we have to try and with the USL lads, it's difficult.
[00:36:35] I'm saying about these things and we're smiling about it.
[00:36:37] But what I can't do is I can't send our guys back to their college coach who's exhausted
[00:36:44] because they're making a lot more money scholarship wise and we're obviously not paying anybody.
[00:36:50] We're making a lot more scholarship money for their college programs
[00:36:53] and we're giving them nothing, you know what I mean?
[00:36:55] We're just giving them the honor to play for us in the summer.
[00:36:57] So all I'm making sure what they do is they're going back ready to go and rare and to go
[00:37:01] and full of confidence and shards.
[00:37:04] So it's one of those where our training schedule might ramp it up early in the season
[00:37:09] and then towards the end of the year we're going to take her off
[00:37:11] because obviously these guys got really, really big seasons coming up.
[00:37:15] And for me that's great when I see them go back and do really, really well
[00:37:18] because obviously that's exciting for me and it's a great, you know,
[00:37:22] great for me to see these guys have great seasons.
[00:37:25] Which is a lot of fun.
[00:37:29] I would say touched on that because obviously you recruit guys to Lionsbridge.
[00:37:35] You have a lot of turnover.
[00:37:38] Is there anyone in particular that you have coming in this year
[00:37:41] that we're kind of should keep an eye out on?
[00:37:44] Maybe a little highlight, a little excitement to build around?
[00:37:48] We've got three guys from Kentucky who are coming.
[00:37:57] Isaiah Chisholm's coming and a couple of these buddies are coming
[00:38:01] and they're going to be good players for us.
[00:38:04] Algonzales is one of them.
[00:38:06] We've got a good group coming in.
[00:38:08] We've got two guys from Davidson coming in.
[00:38:10] Dennis and Vincent are going to be good players.
[00:38:13] I think we've got a good, we've got 14 guys, no, 14 or 15 guys
[00:38:16] going back to play in the national finals.
[00:38:19] So for me that's pretty exciting.
[00:38:21] I think there's two or three guys, maybe two or three guys that aren't back.
[00:38:26] But we're goalkeeping wise.
[00:38:28] We've got an unbelievable staff goalkeeping wise.
[00:38:31] Obviously we're rhyming a keeper,
[00:38:33] but we've got our starter from last year, Tyler, who was the starter FIU.
[00:38:38] I thought he had a good, I'll be told honest.
[00:38:41] And we've got Cole McNally who was with the U18 national team,
[00:38:45] played at Wake Forest.
[00:38:47] He's now a graduate student at William & Mary.
[00:38:50] And then we've got VCU Virginia Commonwealth starting goalkeeper
[00:38:53] coming to play as well, Big George.
[00:38:56] So we've got three goalkeepers.
[00:38:58] I'm just like, I wish I could play all three.
[00:39:00] So I'll have to rotate till money's there.
[00:39:02] But now he has an exciting time.
[00:39:05] It's really, really cool.
[00:39:06] It's a lot easier to recruit when you've just been to a national final
[00:39:09] than it was when I was telling Lads on a team that never played a game.
[00:39:13] Seven years ago, never played a game, never had a crowd,
[00:39:17] never done anything.
[00:39:18] It was really kind of, that was an interesting one for sure.
[00:39:21] Seven years ago we, I remember being terrified
[00:39:24] speaking to this, the administrators.
[00:39:26] I was calling on a week prior to our first game.
[00:39:28] How many people think we're going to get?
[00:39:30] Would it be, do you think number two would win the game?
[00:39:32] Would it be 300?
[00:39:33] How many would it be?
[00:39:34] I think the first ever game we had about 2,000 people.
[00:39:37] I was like, oh, this thing's going to work.
[00:39:39] This thing is going to work.
[00:39:41] And he's been brilliant.
[00:39:42] Livesbridge has been brilliant.
[00:39:43] He's also been a great,
[00:39:46] I know you were talking to him,
[00:39:48] I don't want to take your question away,
[00:39:50] but it's been a great relationship
[00:39:52] between Shawan and Livesbridge as well.
[00:39:55] We've played games against each other in the spring.
[00:39:57] So trapping eyes for the upcoming season
[00:40:01] and off to Shawan games in the spring.
[00:40:04] I remember a penalty shootout with a goalkeeper flag.
[00:40:10] Didn't go the way that Shawan Hawks wanted that day.
[00:40:13] But it was a great game.
[00:40:14] We played at York High School, right?
[00:40:16] I bet it was what?
[00:40:17] I bet it was 1,500 people there for a spring game.
[00:40:20] Oh yeah.
[00:40:21] Probably the biggest spring attempt ever.
[00:40:22] That was definitely the biggest spring game
[00:40:24] I've ever played in like with so many,
[00:40:26] there's so many people there.
[00:40:28] Everyone was everywhere.
[00:40:30] Chick-fil-A was there.
[00:40:31] I think everyone was screaming about Chick-fil-A
[00:40:33] because there was moon bounces around too.
[00:40:35] All the kids were loving it.
[00:40:37] Yeah, well we scored out.
[00:40:38] People got shit free Chick-fil-A,
[00:40:40] but no, it's pretty cool.
[00:40:41] So yeah, there's been a lot of really good kind of
[00:40:43] things where we've worked together.
[00:40:45] And I think he's helped with my,
[00:40:47] he's helped much of one recruiter for sure
[00:40:49] because obviously we're working
[00:40:50] on top USL2 programs.
[00:40:51] But in his same spec,
[00:40:53] because I'm working on top USL2 programs
[00:40:55] I helped much of one guys.
[00:40:57] Because I'm now able to probably recommend them
[00:40:59] to top programs as well
[00:41:01] because I know there's coaches who are playing against.
[00:41:04] Which is obviously really beneficial too.
[00:41:06] Now to kind of talk about
[00:41:09] the, you know, Lyons Bridge
[00:41:11] and Chew on Together,
[00:41:13] what is,
[00:41:14] I know there's some stipulation
[00:41:16] where you can't,
[00:41:17] you're not allowed to be coached
[00:41:20] by your college coach during the summer.
[00:41:22] So like you can't have
[00:41:24] your current Chew on players
[00:41:26] at Lyons Bridge, correct?
[00:41:28] So you have to wait for them to graduate?
[00:41:30] Yeah, that's the kind of thing.
[00:41:34] Yeah, so obviously it'd be,
[00:41:35] I think it'd be one of those where
[00:41:37] if you did it,
[00:41:38] you'd probably have all your players on the team
[00:41:39] and you'd be getting to coach them
[00:41:40] another 20 games in the summer.
[00:41:42] Which would be great,
[00:41:43] but obviously it doesn't work.
[00:41:45] The max you can send is five
[00:41:47] to per team.
[00:41:48] So I will send five to Appalachian FC
[00:41:51] which is up in Boon North Carolina,
[00:41:53] obviously real closely.
[00:41:55] By the way,
[00:41:56] one of my former players, Dale Parker,
[00:41:58] he's the head coach at Lander University,
[00:42:00] division two in South Carolina.
[00:42:02] He was my captain,
[00:42:04] at least McCray,
[00:42:05] when he went to the national final.
[00:42:06] He's the head coach there.
[00:42:08] So every year I'll take,
[00:42:09] he takes five of my guys there
[00:42:11] with that some of his guys over the years.
[00:42:13] So it's kind of relationships you have
[00:42:15] with people and they get players.
[00:42:17] Yeah, like last couple of years,
[00:42:19] Luke Stats who was your assistant coach
[00:42:21] for a while played for us,
[00:42:23] right?
[00:42:24] Stats who was an ex pro,
[00:42:26] professionally in the Netherlands,
[00:42:28] really good player.
[00:42:29] And then Josh Baker had a pro career,
[00:42:31] was with us for two years at Chihuahua,
[00:42:33] moved on to High Point.
[00:42:35] Sam Hall, who was an All-American,
[00:42:37] played in the last 16th country for us,
[00:42:39] they had Chihuahua and then Harry Lover
[00:42:41] who was a two-time All-American.
[00:42:43] So, but yeah, we've got those guys
[00:42:45] all kind of coming through.
[00:42:47] And then Fernando Zaniga,
[00:42:48] our women's coach,
[00:42:49] has coached for us as well
[00:42:50] for the last since day one.
[00:42:52] And then Lee Waterma, our women's assistant,
[00:42:54] played for us for a couple of years as well.
[00:42:56] So he has a ton of ties.
[00:42:58] He's pretty cool that we can kind of work together.
[00:43:00] And it's now at a stage where
[00:43:02] the Lionsbridge supporters club,
[00:43:04] they've got their own supporters club called
[00:43:06] Dependers of the Bridge.
[00:43:07] They now come out and support Chihuahua.
[00:43:09] And they've had a crowd
[00:43:11] and they've come into our conference final last year
[00:43:13] and come out and watch them
[00:43:15] with our spring games.
[00:43:16] So it's pretty cool how the connections
[00:43:18] have all come together, you know?
[00:43:20] And then you have football, which is awesome, right?
[00:43:22] That's awesome.
[00:43:23] It's definitely amazing
[00:43:25] to bring the whole community together
[00:43:27] and then especially bridging from
[00:43:29] Lionsbridge fans, you know,
[00:43:31] having that 2000 to 3000 plus fans
[00:43:33] and trying to draw them over to Chihuahua
[00:43:35] to help support us in that way too.
[00:43:37] That's amazing.
[00:43:38] You know, and talk about your players coming back.
[00:43:40] One player I wanted to give a little shout out
[00:43:42] because he didn't mention him,
[00:43:44] Adam Kirkwood, is making a return.
[00:43:47] I...
[00:43:48] You want to speak about Adam?
[00:43:51] Yeah, I love Kirk.
[00:43:53] I absolutely love Kirk.
[00:43:55] Obviously he's been the women's
[00:43:57] graduate assistant at Citadel for the last few years.
[00:43:59] Obviously down there with you guys.
[00:44:01] And Charles, I think he's playing
[00:44:03] the old men's league team.
[00:44:04] He got me on his men's league team now.
[00:44:06] Yeah, no, he's a great guy.
[00:44:10] Adam was very unfortunate.
[00:44:12] He got sent off in a national final.
[00:44:14] One of the most dubious send-offs I've ever seen.
[00:44:17] I think if the final was played on the East Coast,
[00:44:20] he would have been playing the old game.
[00:44:22] But really good player,
[00:44:24] really good human being,
[00:44:26] just a mature...
[00:44:28] Well, he's a college...
[00:44:29] So it's nice when you have a couple of college coaches
[00:44:31] on the field.
[00:44:32] So for me, there's a calmness
[00:44:34] and a sensibleness
[00:44:36] and you know, he's made big plays at big times
[00:44:39] and really, really good player
[00:44:41] and a really good purse.
[00:44:42] Very popular and liked
[00:44:44] and you know,
[00:44:45] massive leadership potential.
[00:44:46] Obviously with him there.
[00:44:48] If we didn't have captain in steady place
[00:44:50] in Sam Hall, our...
[00:44:52] you know, former Chihuahua player,
[00:44:53] he was a captain and a leader.
[00:44:55] Just didn't wear an arm, but yeah, good player for sure.
[00:44:58] No, it's awesome.
[00:44:59] That's exactly how I felt, you know,
[00:45:00] getting to know him
[00:45:01] and now coaching alongside with him.
[00:45:03] He's definitely one of these people
[00:45:05] where I love playing on the field with him.
[00:45:07] He reminds me so much of Toby
[00:45:09] and just the passion, the fight
[00:45:11] and then the calmness too
[00:45:13] of being able to chirp at people
[00:45:15] and have that funny banterness with them
[00:45:17] and be calm but serious at the same time.
[00:45:20] It's a good quality to have.
[00:45:22] Yeah, I think him and Toby actually played together
[00:45:24] at Saab Kalana Bandtoms.
[00:45:26] The summer when Toby played there.
[00:45:28] So yeah, I know they did.
[00:45:31] They're still really good friends.
[00:45:32] But I keep talking about this Toby.
[00:45:34] Toby Sims played with Chihuahua
[00:45:36] and he'll go into the Hall of Fame at Chihuahua.
[00:45:39] He was a pro at Pittsburgh River House for a year
[00:45:42] and then went home and he's been playing pro
[00:45:44] for a guitar in the UK
[00:45:46] in league too for the last couple of years.
[00:45:48] He also played with Ryan at Chihuahua.
[00:45:51] Quite international, weren't we?
[00:45:53] With how the international
[00:45:57] to the Americans went
[00:45:59] and then the mix that we had at the senior year
[00:46:01] of just everybody was amazing.
[00:46:03] Yeah.
[00:46:06] I think that's one of my gripes
[00:46:10] about probably sucking a look
[00:46:11] at my international skills
[00:46:12] kind of like
[00:46:14] they're the pot calling the kettle black.
[00:46:16] But like, I think there's too many internationals
[00:46:19] in Coliseau.
[00:46:21] I think there needs to be some stipulations on stuff.
[00:46:24] And I see teams, it's almost everybody's international.
[00:46:27] I don't see how that is helped
[00:46:30] the American game grow.
[00:46:32] So this leads me into my next question.
[00:46:35] There's a club, I believe it's Athletico Bilbao
[00:46:38] in Spain where they only
[00:46:41] they're only allowed to pool their players
[00:46:44] for their top tier team from that region of Spain.
[00:46:47] And it's about two to three
[00:46:50] counties in Spain where they can pull from.
[00:46:53] Do you think the NCAA
[00:46:56] or the league should implement
[00:46:59] some sort of geographical region pool
[00:47:01] to help these colleges
[00:47:03] pull from their said areas?
[00:47:05] I don't think logistically.
[00:47:07] I don't think.
[00:47:09] Would the way this could, where this country is
[00:47:12] we live in right now.
[00:47:13] So I don't think
[00:47:15] Yeah, seriously, I don't think you'd be a
[00:47:17] I think just the lawmakers
[00:47:19] wouldn't allow that to happen.
[00:47:21] But I do like the idea of stipulations
[00:47:24] but having a USLT really large
[00:47:27] I think 12 internationals on the roster each day
[00:47:30] which is a lot, but
[00:47:32] there'll be some teams who everybody would be international.
[00:47:35] So that's a positive. Does that make sense?
[00:47:37] Like we never had a problem with
[00:47:39] the Tunnel of the American guys.
[00:47:41] But I think in college soccer, I think it'd be one of those where
[00:47:44] I think it had some stipulation
[00:47:47] on the amount of domestic guys and revolver.
[00:47:50] I think that would help the game grow in this
[00:47:52] country for sure.
[00:47:54] But look, is one of those as well.
[00:47:56] I found in the last couple of years there's been more
[00:47:59] more international guys
[00:48:02] going division one
[00:48:04] a lot more programs are recruit
[00:48:06] division one programs are recruited international guys
[00:48:09] rather than domestic guys.
[00:48:11] So we've gone we flipped it and we've recruited even more
[00:48:14] domestic guys.
[00:48:15] So it's kind of like, you know, just figure out
[00:48:18] which way was when I first started Lees were prey.
[00:48:21] It was one of those where the internationals
[00:48:24] were quite untouched if that makes sense.
[00:48:27] So that was around I went there.
[00:48:29] So it's always going to evolve and figure out, you know,
[00:48:32] which way you're going to skin the cat.
[00:48:34] It kind of makes sense.
[00:48:35] Are you saying you're kind of leading the charge and the change?
[00:48:38] Well, I'm not leading the charge.
[00:48:40] Don't and I don't scheme cats either.
[00:48:43] If anybody was that's just kind of zoomer kicks it right.
[00:48:47] Right.
[00:48:48] Well, so if the if you think the lawmakers, you know,
[00:48:52] which we can all agree with that's not going to really
[00:48:54] change anytime soon, you know, dealing with when it
[00:48:58] comes to the MLS and how, you know, they try to pull some
[00:49:03] stuff going into the U.S. Open this year.
[00:49:06] And now they only have eight teams going in that kind of
[00:49:09] diminished the U.S.
[00:49:11] So a little bit and how they fell all left out and
[00:49:14] betrayed a little bit by the MLS by thinking, you know,
[00:49:17] you guys are not that much better than us.
[00:49:20] You guys are realistically only in your own league
[00:49:23] because you have billionaires who own you and are
[00:49:27] willing to put up the money for it.
[00:49:29] Do you think that there should or there will come a time
[00:49:33] where promotion and relegation is a possibility in
[00:49:35] America when it comes to the professional leagues?
[00:49:38] I hope so.
[00:49:40] I hope so.
[00:49:41] I just don't know a geographically because of the
[00:49:44] size of this country's except for the insubconsonance.
[00:49:47] I don't know a geographically that will ever be
[00:49:49] possible.
[00:49:50] And if I put myself in their shoes, if I'm the owner
[00:49:56] of, I don't know, Atlanta United.
[00:50:01] I've invested all this money into it.
[00:50:04] I've done this.
[00:50:05] Why do I don't want to run the risk of dropping down
[00:50:07] into a lower league?
[00:50:08] So I think it's, I can see it both ways.
[00:50:13] I just don't think it will happen for a long time,
[00:50:16] but I do think it would be a good thing.
[00:50:18] I think the bigger thing that needs to happen is
[00:50:21] every town needs to have a team.
[00:50:25] And I think that each state needs to have a team.
[00:50:29] I think that's how you make it happen.
[00:50:31] So Charleston have got Charleston battery.
[00:50:34] But what say small town outside of Charleston?
[00:50:38] Give me an example.
[00:50:40] Yeah, yeah.
[00:50:41] Columbia.
[00:50:43] And then, you know, obviously you've got,
[00:50:46] what's the name?
[00:50:48] Greenwood, well under it should have a team.
[00:50:51] And then every little town, Bartonburg, South Carolina
[00:50:55] should have a team.
[00:50:56] Greenville's got a team.
[00:50:57] Do you know what I mean?
[00:50:58] That's what, then if you start getting everyone gets a team
[00:51:02] and then they then play a state league,
[00:51:04] then you can, I think potentially be that it could
[00:51:07] then filter off.
[00:51:08] And that's, I think that would be to me,
[00:51:11] that's how it has worked all around the world elsewhere.
[00:51:14] But as the game grows, it'll probably happen
[00:51:16] because I think then logistically you travel
[00:51:19] would be possibly better.
[00:51:20] But, you know, I've gone to the consulate a lot
[00:51:23] as a kid in Europe.
[00:51:24] Every little town, France, every town
[00:51:28] and it's Mrs. Muse and Mrs. Plione.
[00:51:30] So it's kind of, I guess government
[00:51:32] or local government funding.
[00:51:34] They all have a football pitch.
[00:51:35] They all have a swimming pool.
[00:51:37] They all have tennis courts which are immaculate.
[00:51:39] They all have, you know,
[00:51:40] I mean all these facilities are immaculate.
[00:51:43] That's what I think you need.
[00:51:44] Because if you got those facilities for all sports
[00:51:47] and you'd have success.
[00:51:48] That's probably why France is one more wallcups
[00:51:51] in the last 15, 20 years and anybody else, you know?
[00:51:54] But yeah, it's difficult.
[00:51:57] Isn't it such a big country
[00:51:59] and we've got so many other things to compete with as well.
[00:52:02] Not just sports style.
[00:52:04] Yeah, that makes it in relation to facilities
[00:52:09] and really just even getting the people behind it
[00:52:12] to support it as well,
[00:52:14] which we obviously in this country see a huge support
[00:52:17] for NFL and youth camps in that development.
[00:52:20] So I think it's a great point.
[00:52:23] It's tricky, isn't it?
[00:52:24] I think by the end of the year, you see these,
[00:52:27] what was it like, USPSL and USPL and all these,
[00:52:31] it's like, I think Sean again goes down to,
[00:52:37] these leagues wanted to make money as well off it.
[00:52:40] So he's going to like,
[00:52:42] I don't think it should be about that.
[00:52:44] It should be about growing the game.
[00:52:46] If it's about growing the game,
[00:52:47] then the leagues that make money off it,
[00:52:49] the money should be reinvested back into coaching
[00:52:53] or the kids and all that kind of stuff, you know?
[00:52:55] But look, trust me when I say this,
[00:52:58] the FA get absolutely hammered in England
[00:53:01] because the Premier League teams are getting,
[00:53:03] you've got these lower league teams going out of business
[00:53:06] and you've got Premier League team.
[00:53:09] So I just because football is huge and you're okay
[00:53:12] and you know, every season you can all listen to it.
[00:53:14] So I don't think they're quite right either.
[00:53:16] Yeah, there's always going to be problems, isn't there?
[00:53:18] That's interesting.
[00:53:19] Yeah, I didn't realize that was a big thing over
[00:53:22] with the FA right now with the Prem and everything
[00:53:25] because you know, right now we're just focusing on
[00:53:28] like the little things like the MLS and stuff
[00:53:30] and when we focus on the Prem, we just think,
[00:53:32] oh my gosh, it's the Prem.
[00:53:34] That's the top league where we're all watching.
[00:53:36] And then you have like me, like I watched Wolves
[00:53:39] when we were in the second or in the league too in England.
[00:53:42] You know, that's when I started liking them
[00:53:44] and I can kind of see like where those,
[00:53:46] there's academies do struggle when they want to go
[00:53:49] when all these players want to go play for the top clubs
[00:53:52] or they get bought up real quickly at, you know,
[00:53:55] because a lot of them do move over
[00:53:57] when they're like 16 or so, right?
[00:53:59] Yeah, it comes out to money and stuff like that.
[00:54:02] I think that was where the guy played
[00:54:04] for his last summer called Matty Cornish,
[00:54:06] played for Palm Beach Atlantic,
[00:54:09] Beachers were in the sweet 16,
[00:54:11] came and played for me for Lions Beach last year, did great.
[00:54:14] Went home and played for, we had him on trial,
[00:54:16] a bit of a kicker's luck today,
[00:54:18] he went and played for a team called Maske in the UK.
[00:54:21] I think they were in the fifth tier or something like that.
[00:54:24] The team folded halfway through the season.
[00:54:26] They couldn't play.
[00:54:27] We're talking about the fifth tier,
[00:54:29] the sixth tier English football,
[00:54:31] just forward because they couldn't afford to play people anymore.
[00:54:33] Here they're transferring on to Darlington.
[00:54:36] Darlington were a football league team 10 years ago.
[00:54:40] They had to drop down from like four tiers,
[00:54:43] five tiers because they folded financially.
[00:54:46] Now he's played for them doing really well,
[00:54:48] but there's another kid who we're objecting to.
[00:54:50] Remember the team which he was playing for,
[00:54:52] but that team folded,
[00:54:53] so the team he was playing for folded.
[00:54:56] So you've got multi-million dollars with a Premier League
[00:54:58] and you've got teams five tiers late,
[00:55:00] late, late folded because they can't afford to play the players
[00:55:03] or they can't afford to pay their facilities
[00:55:05] and stuff like that.
[00:55:06] So that's where he's going to...
[00:55:08] There's got to be some sort of balance, right?
[00:55:11] With the funding.
[00:55:12] I guess he goes to say,
[00:55:13] well, that's as well though, doesn't it?
[00:55:15] Do you think that's what is really stopping them
[00:55:17] from trying to do a lot of these teams
[00:55:19] popping up in areas to potentially stop them
[00:55:22] from just popping up for the season or two
[00:55:24] and then potentially just folding
[00:55:26] due to not being able to simply pay their players
[00:55:28] or the facilities and stuff?
[00:55:30] Yeah, I think some of it's that.
[00:55:32] I think, look, I mean, the American soccer's come a long, long way,
[00:55:36] but I remember like I said to you guys,
[00:55:38] 20, I think I was played USL,
[00:55:41] it was 2003,
[00:55:44] and I hadn't ready rate with professional team
[00:55:48] and just one day overnight they said,
[00:55:50] okay, we're not a professional team,
[00:55:51] and I think that happened all the time.
[00:55:53] Like Charleston, Bach,
[00:55:55] Richmond kickers, I like,
[00:55:57] they are all out, the outliers aren't.
[00:55:59] They've been around for 20 years now,
[00:56:02] more than that.
[00:56:03] 1993.
[00:56:05] Yeah.
[00:56:07] Richmond, what along the way,
[00:56:09] they're a big team in the country,
[00:56:11] which is great and that's how it should be,
[00:56:14] but I can think of a several teams
[00:56:17] that have a pro team folded and disbanded.
[00:56:20] I can think of other teams that have a pro team
[00:56:22] Greenville, South Carolina had a pro team
[00:56:25] years ago and they disbanded.
[00:56:27] Greens, Grenoble, Carolina had the Carolina Dynabar
[00:56:29] fold and disbanded.
[00:56:31] Wilmington Hammerheads had a pro team.
[00:56:33] They were good, folded and disbanded.
[00:56:35] There was a lot of players for them,
[00:56:37] Glen's, I can't think of his name, Glen's somebody,
[00:56:39] and they played for Crystal Palace, played for that,
[00:56:41] played for Crystal Palace in Premier League,
[00:56:43] played for Wilmington Hammerheads
[00:56:45] and they end up folding.
[00:56:47] It's like ridiculous.
[00:56:49] Glen Murray, Glen Murray and all.
[00:56:51] Played for Brighton, played for the Wilmington Hammerheads
[00:56:54] and in two years later they folded
[00:56:56] and have a professional football team in the world.
[00:56:58] It's like how ridiculous is that?
[00:57:00] I remember playing for,
[00:57:02] Summer I played for Charlottesville Alliance.
[00:57:04] We had Daryl Dyke,
[00:57:06] who he now plays for West Brom in the Prem
[00:57:09] and Henry Kessler,
[00:57:11] who's now the center back for New England Revolution
[00:57:13] in the MLS
[00:57:15] and that Charlottesville Alliance no longer
[00:57:17] exists anymore.
[00:57:19] They have just started up and now like Charlottesville FC
[00:57:21] they've actually joined the league with Lions.
[00:57:23] But again, folding is kind of like
[00:57:25] it's got to be,
[00:57:27] he shouldn't be like that, should it?
[00:57:29] We shouldn't be,
[00:57:31] it's great that the battering,
[00:57:33] it's great that Richmond have lasted so long,
[00:57:35] but that shouldn't be, we shouldn't be lording them
[00:57:37] for lasting so long.
[00:57:39] Everybody should be, does that make sense?
[00:57:41] So I'm not undermining what they're doing,
[00:57:43] I think he's brilliant.
[00:57:45] So I think what you guys do is great.
[00:57:47] You obviously got great support, Bexus.
[00:57:49] But I think that, for example,
[00:57:51] Lions which is shown,
[00:57:53] you find the right market
[00:57:55] it's become, Lions is just about a soccer,
[00:57:57] it's about a community.
[00:57:59] And if you find the right community and the community gets behind it,
[00:58:01] I'm sure it's the same at Charlottesville.
[00:58:03] I know Richmond is racing.
[00:58:05] It becomes a community event
[00:58:07] and everybody wants to be there
[00:58:09] and you don't want to miss out because of what's going on.
[00:58:11] So what you know about it is cool, isn't it?
[00:58:13] That's the amazing part too,
[00:58:15] is that that is the focal point of town.
[00:58:17] That's what everyone's talking about.
[00:58:19] That's where everyone's going to, it's the center point.
[00:58:21] And to make it into a big show
[00:58:23] and have vendors there
[00:58:25] and everyone's family
[00:58:27] is being able to attend it and to enjoy a game
[00:58:29] is a good time to have
[00:58:31] an amazing atmosphere
[00:58:33] to have created for your community as well.
[00:58:35] Yeah, exactly.
[00:58:37] That's what I think sports are really, really special on.
[00:58:39] They do bring people together.
[00:58:41] I say this about soccer all the time.
[00:58:43] People say whatever they like about soccer,
[00:58:45] they don't discriminate.
[00:58:47] You can be black, white, pink, green, blue,
[00:58:51] you know, male, female.
[00:58:53] You can identify as whatever you want to identify as.
[00:58:55] You can come from Mars
[00:58:57] when it's all said and done, you can play football, can't you?
[00:58:59] And that's what's pretty cool
[00:59:01] about football, soccer, whatever you want to call it.
[00:59:03] It's called different things all around the world.
[00:59:05] But it doesn't matter.
[00:59:07] Big guys, little guys, fat guys, thin guys.
[00:59:09] You know what I mean?
[00:59:11] The best player in the world is friggin' tiny, isn't he?
[00:59:13] You know what I mean?
[00:59:15] And then you've got giants who play as well.
[00:59:17] So how cool is that?
[00:59:19] So it's just, it's a pretty neat thing, isn't it?
[00:59:21] Most certainly.
[00:59:23] To go into the Lionsbridge this season,
[00:59:25] your guys' season is right around the corner
[00:59:27] starting on May 11th against Virginia Beach FC.
[00:59:29] So with that new game,
[00:59:31] with that game starting off your season,
[00:59:33] do you have any additions
[00:59:35] made to the stadium
[00:59:37] or to the stadium or to the stadium?
[00:59:39] I think it's a great question.
[00:59:41] Made to the stadium
[00:59:43] or like any kits
[00:59:45] that you guys are excited about
[00:59:47] for this upcoming season.
[00:59:49] I think the jerseys have already been
[00:59:51] designed, so they do a pretty cool thing.
[00:59:53] They designed the jerseys
[00:59:55] with the three or four jerseys
[00:59:57] out there that they put there
[00:59:59] and they let the fans vote on the jerseys.
[01:00:01] So which jerseys, yeah,
[01:00:03] which is pretty neat.
[01:00:05] And the jerseys, and I know they do some like
[01:00:07] the St. Charles as well,
[01:00:09] are the season tickets.
[01:00:11] So this year, this is obviously 24,
[01:00:13] we won't have a number 24 this year.
[01:00:15] Last year we didn't have a number 23
[01:00:17] which obviously everyone was upset about because of Jordan's.
[01:00:19] But one of those,
[01:00:21] well every year that's your season ticket.
[01:00:23] So you can buy a season ticket and get a wristband
[01:00:25] or you can buy the jersey
[01:00:27] and that is your jersey.
[01:00:29] That's an interesting concept.
[01:00:31] I love that. See your jersey is your ticket.
[01:00:33] Pretty cool.
[01:00:35] The jersey is your ticket
[01:00:37] so they put a vote in it
[01:00:39] and then they also vote on your way jerseys as well.
[01:00:41] So
[01:00:43] at the end of the season
[01:00:45] they do think about the auction of jerseys off
[01:00:47] and you know,
[01:00:49] obviously you've got your favourite players
[01:00:51] and all that stuff and people are clambering over them.
[01:00:53] It's strange nobody's trying to bid in on my
[01:00:55] my coaching colo
[01:00:57] but it's whatever, you know.
[01:00:59] They're disappointed. I'm going to have to put it out.
[01:01:01] No, that's a pretty cool concept.
[01:01:03] In fairness our owners
[01:01:05] are actually Mike Vest. He's really
[01:01:07] clued in and
[01:01:09] we're really involved in the community
[01:01:11] and do a lot of things with the community which is pretty cool, you know.
[01:01:13] We haven't got to mention to you
[01:01:15] if anybody school, if any of our players
[01:01:17] score a header in the game
[01:01:19] everybody gets a free chick-fil-a sandwich
[01:01:21] after the game. Pretty awesome.
[01:01:23] So if anyone scores a header
[01:01:25] for Lines Bridge FC at home
[01:01:27] everyone in the stadium gets a free
[01:01:29] chick-fil-a sandwich.
[01:01:31] I want to see some flying headers this season.
[01:01:33] I'm going to be having me and Percy's on that field coming team.
[01:01:35] Exactly, yeah.
[01:01:37] So, four, we have a very small
[01:01:39] field, very narrow
[01:01:41] and we generally have someone with a long throw.
[01:01:43] Obviously Harry Lugler, new signing
[01:01:45] long throw.
[01:01:47] We had another kid last year, Colman Jennings,
[01:01:49] long throw, he's just like the UAP
[01:01:51] and then Harry Rowe had a long throw as well so
[01:01:53] narrow pitch, long throw, good on set pieces.
[01:01:55] Yeah, we have people happy.
[01:01:57] They say we want chicken,
[01:01:59] we want chicken.
[01:02:01] Yeah, that's a pretty cool.
[01:02:03] Love that.
[01:02:05] Well, Coach, really appreciate
[01:02:07] your time with us.
[01:02:09] I look forward to the season. I'm going to be cheering for you.
[01:02:11] Let's get some chicken on this end.
[01:02:13] I don't think we could do it but
[01:02:15] we'll have to hold each other accountable, Ryan.
[01:02:17] Yes, we would. Maybe we can do a little back and forth on
[01:02:19] them.
[01:02:21] Yeah, I appreciate having you on.
[01:02:23] Really awesome picking your brain and getting your
[01:02:25] thoughts on numerous things.
[01:02:27] Something that just
[01:02:29] I think any soccer fan can tune in
[01:02:31] and take something from any age group.
[01:02:33] So really appreciate it
[01:02:35] and thank you for that.
[01:02:37] Ryan, you're welcome.
[01:02:39] Thanks so much for having me and thanks for doing this.
[01:02:41] Thanks for doing what you're doing.
[01:02:43] This is like you said, hopefully
[01:02:45] if the conversations we have help
[01:02:47] someone young soccer player out there
[01:02:49] and his process in trying to find
[01:02:51] a college, trying to find a team
[01:02:53] then that's great but no, it's pretty cool obviously.
[01:02:55] Great to see Ryan.
[01:02:57] Well, I appreciate you guys. Thanks so much for having me.
[01:02:59] Have a great evening.