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.

Keep The Game Beautiful

236 - Manya Puppione, George Mason University

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.

236 - Trip Neal, USA Deaf Soccer

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.

235 - Aidan Reagh, Sports Analytics

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.

234 - Matt Ream, Des Moines Soccer Club & Roosevelt HS (IA)

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.

233 - Dave DiIanni, University of Iowa Women's Soccer

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.

232 - Jordan McMahon - Vision Soccer Academy

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.

231 - Sarah Lowdon, Penn State & Author, A Desk And A Chair

Lisa Cole has a strong established reputation as a soccer coach. She has helped to develop and lead efforts for United Soccer Coaches related to Goal Keeper Instruction while leading Antigua and Barbuda Women's football. She strives for equity and to create a welcoming environment where all are welcome. She is a former college coach and was part of the Boston Breakers at a time when the Women's league was first growing in the US.

230 - Lisa Cole, Antigua and Barbuda Womens' Football

Pete Nowakowski joins me from Australia. He is an advocate and coach for adaptive and inclusive soccer serving both blind and deaf athletes. He also is a big fan of Women's football and has done media work to grow recognition of the game. 

229 - Pete Nowakowski, Australian Soccer Coach

Emma Morris is the head coach at Bethany Lutheran College (D3 Minnesota). Today on the podcast we talk about how an ACL injury when she was 14 led her to start officiating, some of the development milestones that she participated in as a referee in England, and about how she came into coaching in the United States. 

228 - Emma Morris, Bethany Lutheran College HC & English Referee

Staci Wilson is a club soccer coach and strength and conditioning coach. She has frequently led sessions at United Soccer Coaches conventions and continues to give back to the game. She not only won three National Championships as part of the University of North Carolina soccer program but she also earned co-National Player of the Year. She would go on to compete with the US Womens National Team and was part of the 1996 Olympic Gold team.

227 - Staci Wilson, Coach & Former UNC / USWNT Player

Tanner Krause started working at the family business Kum & Go when he was nine years old, today he is the CEO. Kum & Go is very active with human rights projects and supporting programming related to Black Lives Matter, and Gay and Trans rights. Tanner still plays soccer today and hopes to return to coaching soon. He grew up enjoying the sport and played through his college years at Loyola University. I enjoyed learning about how soccer helped to prepare him for his role today.

226 - Tanner Krause, Kum & Go CEO

Abbie Metz is the head coach of the new Women's Soccer program at Black Hawk College in Illinois, part of the Quad Cities. She attended Black Hawk College as a student before going on to Saint Ambrose University where she also played as an athlete. She has coached for Sporting Iowa East. We talk about what it's like to start a program in a pandemic and some of the things that keeper her grounded as a coach including faith and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

225 - Abbie Metz, Black Hawk College W Soccer

Sarah Dwyer-Shick has coached AYSO recreational soccer through ODP and beyond. As a coach she has built a strong network and had opportunities to go around the world. On one trip she learned about the importance first hand of female athletes not having access to Sports Bras and other basic necessities. Today the organization she founded, Sports Bra Project raises awareness and collects sports bras for those in need in the US and beyond.

224 - Sarah Dwyer-Shick

Charlie Ochoa is the head coach of the new Black Hawk College program as well as the head coach of Davenport West. Before coaching in the NJCAA he was a goal keeper at Scott Community College and played one year at St. Ambrose University. We talk about what it is like to start a program during a pandemic, about goalkeepers, and of the recruitment process.

223 - Charlie Ochoa, Black Hawk College Head Coach

Each week we cover coaches, referees, and players making a difference by inspiring, advocating, and serving soccer, The Beautiful Game. #KeepTheGameBeautiful Hosted by Anna Tuuri.