Hi I’m Scot Cooper and welcome to the Tales From the Trail podcast by MatchPlay. In this episode Justin Chezem of Christopher Newport University men’s soccer and I welcome Brett Teach, head coach of Mount St. Mary’s University men’s soccer, Michael Callahan, men’s soccer assistant coach at George Mason University , and Lucas Paulini, assistant at Virginia Commonwealth University men’s soccer . They were kind enough to all come on the podcast together to share their thoughts on recruiting, colleg...
Jan 25, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 88
Hi I’m Scot Cooper and welcome to the Tales from the Trail podcast by MatchPlay. In this episode I welcome Rafael de la Vega, founder of SALT, which is solving the smelly cleat problem. Their innovative cleat bag prevents odors from permeating into your bag, car, home, and anywhere else you keep your cleats. Rafael’s entrepreneurial story is inspirational, it was great to meet him and discuss his origin story, his products, and where he is taking SALT in the future. Summary Rafael de la Vega, co...
Jan 23, 2024•44 min•Season 1Ep. 87
Hi I’m Scot Cooper and welcome to the Tales From the Trail Podcast. In this episode I’m joined by Chris Norris, head coach of men’s soccer at the College of William and Mary. We welcome one of his former youth players, Mason McKnight. Mason discusses his recruiting story and how he arrived at the decision to attend Lycoming College. His first semester and season at Lycoming left him wanting a different college experience. As a result, Mason chose to transfer to Randolph-Macon College. This is an...
Jan 23, 2024•55 min•Season 1Ep. 86
Eric Manuel of Expert Mindset coaching continues the discussion on Mental Toughness
Jan 22, 2024•9 min•Season 1Ep. 85
In this episode I’m joined by three fantastic guests. Chris Norris is the head coach of William & Mary men’s soccer and with him are 2 of his former players, Josh West and Chris Albiston. Josh West is an assistant coach of men’s soccer at Villanova University and brings great insight to the current college soccer landscape. Chris Albiston graduated from William and Mary and went on to law school and is currently a practicing attorney. What is relevant to this podcast is that he is also a pro...
Jan 18, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 84
In this episode, Justin Chezem, head coach of Christopher Newport University men’s soccer and I welcome Kelvin Jones. Kelvin is the UPSL Head Coach, Crew 2 Assistant Coach, and Assistant Director of Player Development for the Columbus Crew. Additionally, he was the assistant coach for the US Men’s National Team U17 side that played in the recent U17 World Cup in Indonesia. We discussed the recruiting process, finding the right fit, player development, and his experience at the U17 World Cup. It ...
Jan 18, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 83
In this episode I welcome Matt Lawrey, the academy director of Atlanta United and Chris Norris, the head coach of men’s soccer at the College of William & Mary. This is a wide ranging conversation that explores the MLS Academy process, the development of a professional mindset whether headed to the pros or to play for a college program. All of the aspects discussed are the same at the MLS academy level onto any aspiring athlete. Summary The conversation explores the role of an Academy Direct...
Jan 16, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 82
In this episode, Justin Chezem and I welcome back Michael Meese, student-athlete at Trinity University and Augie Cooper, student-athlete at the College of William & Mary. We discuss some of the successes and challenges they faced during the season and what they have coming up in the next year. I’m sure a lot of what they have to say will resonate with most student-athletes. Thank you to Cheese, Michael, and Augie for the great conversation. Summary The conversation covers topics such as best...
Jan 16, 2024•58 min•Season 1Ep. 81
In this episode of Mindset Monday Eric discusses the ins and outs of developing mental toughness. Summary In this conversation, Scot Cooper and Eric Manuel discuss the concept of mental toughness. Eric explains that mental toughness is an umbrella term that encompasses various aspects such as resilience, coping with stressors, and bouncing back after losses. He introduces the Four Cs model of mental toughness, which includes confidence, commitment, challenge, and control. Each C is important and...
Jan 14, 2024•8 min•Season 1Ep. 80
Hi I’m Scot Cooper and welcome to the Tales From the Trail Podcast by MatchPlay. In this episode I welcome Jimmy Conrad. Among Jimmy’s many nicknames are Conradinho and Your Favorite US Men’s National Team ex-player. Jimmy’s shares his experiences growing up in an environment that created grit and resilience, fighting to live out his dream of playing for UCLA and winning a national championship. He went on to grind his way into the MLS and eventually on to the national team where he played in th...
Jan 11, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 79
Hi and welcome to the Tales From the Trail podcast by MatchPlay. In this episode I welcome Olympic Judo hopeful, David Terao. David was an All-American wrestler at American University with a foundation in competitive judo and jiu jitsu. He went on to compete as an adult in wrestling and jiu jitsu at the highest levels. He made the decision to go back to his roots in judo with the hopes of competing for the United States in the Paris Olympics in 2024. The attributes and habits David relies on to ...
Jan 09, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 78
Hi and welcome to the Tales From the Trail podcast by Matchplay. In this episode I welcome back former #1 pick in the MLS draft, Omar Salgado and his former teammate Jay DeMerit. As an experienced player and captain of the Vancouver Whitecaps, Jay helped a teenaged Omar adjust to life as a professional soccer player. They reflect on their experiences as professionals and together as teammates. Omar shares his appreciation for Jay and what he did for him. Please enjoy! Summary In this conversatio...
Jan 09, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 77
Eric Manuel of expertminsetcoaching.com discusses the intricacies of intrinsic motivation.
Jan 08, 2024•11 min•Season 1Ep. 76
Hi and welcome to the Tales From the Trail podcast by MatchPlay. In this episode I welcome the assistant coach of men’s soccer at Villanova University, Josh West and welcome back Chris Norris the long time men’s head soccer coach at the College of William and Mary. The guys remember Josh’s recruiting story and playing career for Coach Norris. They then move into recruiting in today’s youth soccer world.
Jan 04, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 75
Hi and welcome to the Tales From the Trail podcast by Matchplay. In this episode I welcome Dr. Brad Miller, a licensed clinical psychologist, who has spent over 20 years helping youth and adult athletes grow their ability to control their performance anxiety and stress, to persevere and improve their overall sports performance. Brad played soccer at Wake Forest University and shares how his experience lead to him pursuing his profession and desire to help others. There’s a lot to learn from Dr. ...
Jan 04, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 74
In this episode Justin Chezem, Head Coach, Christopher Newport University Men's Soccer and I welcome Eddie and Andrew Fiocca, standouts on the Virginia Tech Club Men's Soccer Team. This past season they made it to the Final of the Club Soccer National Championships. They discuss the club soccer experience and prioritizing academics.
Jan 02, 2024•53 min•Season 1Ep. 73
In this episode of Mindset Monday, Eric Manuel, discusses intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation and developing habits realistically. Perfect timing when considering your goals going into the New Year!
Jan 01, 2024•9 min•Season 1Ep. 72
In this episode I welcome back two of my favorite guests- newly inducted Indiana Hoosier hall of famer, Aleksey Korol who is the associate head coach at the University of Illinois Chicago and the Head Sports Performance Coach at UIC, David Marmon. This episode was recorded in-season and they discuss a wide range of topics based on their experiences as coaches of high performance athletes. Please enjoy! Summary The conversation explores the challenges faced in coaching teams and individuals, emph...
Dec 28, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 71
In this episode Justin Chezem, head coach of Christopher Newport University Men’s soccer, welcome one of his former player’s father, Jeff Hulett. Jeff tells the story of watching his son’s last soccer match and the feelings it brought. He goes on to talk about his company College which is helping high school students make structured decisions about their future and college. I encourage you to check out Jeff’s book Making Choices, Making Money which is also a course he teaches at James Madison Un...
Dec 26, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 70
In this episode, Eric Manuel, discusses finding and using motivation in the pursuit of high performance.
Dec 25, 2023•10 min•Season 1Ep. 69
Hi and welcome to the Tales From the Trail Podcast by MatchPlay. In this episode, Greg Proctor discusses his commitment to York College of Pennsylvania and the process leading up to it. He talks about transitioning to Maryland United and the college search process. Greg shares his experiences with official visits and receiving offers. He explains why he chose York College and discusses his interactions with the coach. Finally, Greg discusses his preparations for college soccer. Takeaways Committ...
Dec 21, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 68
In this episode we recorded a question and answer session at the Discovery ID Camp where the student athletes were given the forum to ask 5 college coaches their questions about the recruiting process and college soccer. Christopher Newport University, the College of William and Mary, Old Dominion University, Virginia Wesleyan University, and Hampden-Sydney College were in attendance. This is a highly valuable session and will help the listener better understand how to navigate becoming a colleg...
Dec 21, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 67
In this episode I was live at the Virginia Development Academy College ID Camp. Thank you to VDA and Matt Rowe. There were 16 college soccer coaches there answering questions from the student athletes. The schools represented were: Stevenson University University of Virginia Virginia Commonwealth University Hampden-Sydney College Mount Saint Mary’s University of the District of Columbia George Mason University Eastern Mennonite University Shenandoah University Wilson College Bridgewater College ...
Dec 19, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 66
Welcome to Mindset Monday! In these less than ten minute episodes, Eric Manuel, of Expert Mindset Coaching and I will address a different facet of mindset which apply to sport and life. To learn more about Eric’s practice, visit his website at www.expertmindsetcoaching.com
Dec 18, 2023•9 min•Season 1Ep. 65
In this episode I welcome Tory Key, the founder of Pitch Invaders. Born from his passion for soccer, Tory is working to engage youth soccer clubs and all of those that love the game to grow the sense of community through great apparel and products. Listen to how he came to create Pitch Invaders and where he wants to take it. Visit pitchinvadersusa.com to check out their great offerings!
Dec 14, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 64
In this episode I’m joined by Nate Winkel, President of Playermaker, North America. Nate discusses his youth, collegiate and pro career and playing overseas. He also talked about the company Playermaker playermakerusa.com whose product is a wearable player development system that is used to track and improve performance. This is an incredible device and Nate has provided one for us to give away to a lucky listener. Please visit matchplay_recruit and follow us on instagram to enter. A winner will...
Dec 14, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 63
In this episode I was onsite at the Virginia Revolution Sportsplex in Leesburg, Virginia for the Future Tribe ID Clinic. I recorded the three question and answer sessions with the prospects and coaches. In the first portion, Marsha Lycan, the associate head coach at the College of William and Mary. In the second section, Shenandoah University head women’s soccer coach, Elizabeth Pike fields questions, and in the final part, William and Mary head coach Julie Shackford talks with the prospects. Th...
Dec 14, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 62
In this episode I welcome the Chief Marketing Officer of Student Athlete NIL, Chris Brown. NIL, Name Image, & Likeness, has come to prominence in the collegiate athletics landscape over the last few years and if you will become or are a student-athlete, it’s in your best interest to understand what it is and how it can potentially benefit you and your collegiate experience. Chris does a great job walking through what it is, how it works, and where it’s going. Additionally, he shares his expe...
Dec 12, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Season 1Ep. 60
In this episode I welcome the co-founders of a new venture called SoccerHead. Gilda Doria Gilda Doria is a 2x Captain of Duke University’s Women’s Soccer Team where she was a 2011 NCAA D1 National Finalist. She is also a 2016 Boston Breakers Reserves National Champion. Her Co-Founder is Scott Baker, who is the head coach of Rowan University men’s soccer. They met when Gilda was a youth player and through the years came to the conclusion that the most common differentiator they saw in successful ...
Dec 12, 2023•44 min•Season 1Ep. 61
Welcome to Mindset Monday! In these less than ten minute episodes, Eric Manuel, of Expert Mindset Coaching and I will address a different facet of mindset which apply to sport and life. To learn more about Eric’s practice, visit his website at www.expertmindsetcoaching.com
Dec 11, 2023•7 min•Season 1Ep. 59
