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The Inside Scoop with Anytime Soccer Training - Discussing Youth Soccer from Around the World podcast artwork
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The Inside Scoop with Anytime Soccer Training - Discussing Youth Soccer from Around the World

by Neil Crawford
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Latest episodes

  • Can a Great Youth Coach Have a Team That Can’t Connect Passes?

    October 9, 2026 · 25 min

    Every coach will tell you the answer “depends.” I’m not buying it. In this episode of The Inside Scoop, I ask a question that makes a lot of people uncomfortable: if a team can’t string passes together, what is that telling you about the…

  • Give Kids Fewer Choices and Watch Them Learn Faster

    October 2, 2026 · 25 min

    I'll admit it: my approach goes against common youth coaching practice. When I started coaching, I believed kids could grasp tactical concepts much earlier than we give them credit for. So instead of giving young players endless options, I…

  • The Magic Wand Exercise: Day One of Building a Vision

    October 2, 2026 · 9 min

    I wish someone had shared this with me when I was 16. In this short episode, I sit down with my son Adam, who's at an MLS academy, and give him his first task in our mental skills series. I introduce the "magic wand" method: imagine your…

  • Performance Isn't Enough: My 30-Day Mental Toughness Challenge

    October 2, 2026 · 18 min

    I've spent years focused on technical training. My 16-year-old son has reached the advanced academy level, and he's learning something I didn't prepare him for: performance alone is not enough. In this short episode, I announce a 30-day…

  • What If We Broke the Rules of the Real Game?

    October 2, 2026 · 25 min

    Last weekend, a parent on the sideline criticized my son's team for not keeping the ball after scoring. That got me thinking: what if the game itself were designed to demand it? What if neither team could win by more than one goal? Coaches…

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  • Being Paid Doesn't Make a Player or a Program Professional

    September 30, 2026 · 23 min

    In this episode, I respond to a comment from the Anytime Soccer Training Facebook group about whether being paid is what makes a player or a program professional. The commenter's point is that unpaid means amateur and paid means…

  • Standards, Reform, and Why Change in Youth Soccer Is So Hard

    September 29, 2026 · 19 min

    A rec program can have high standards and an elite one can have low ones. I explain how standards can fall short at the regional, national, or international level, why reform gets pushback, and why any fix, like pro-rel, has to consider…

  • Is All US Youth Soccer Rec Why Standards Matter More Than Labels

    September 29, 2026 · 37 min

    Most parents can skip this debate, but the "everything is rec" argument keeps coming up. I break down what recreational really means and why the real conversation is about standards and organizational discipline.

  • Is All US Youth Soccer Really "Rec"? The Question Nobody's Asking

    September 28, 2026 · 37 min

    Everyone's arguing about whether all US youth soccer is "just rec." But what if that's the wrong question? In this episode of The Inside Scoop, I break down why the loudest voices in youth soccer content keep missing the point, and why…

  • Dribbling vs. Tactics Why Both Matter Early

    September 25, 2026 · 16 min

    I take on the debate over whether young players should focus on dribbling or tactical awareness first. My take: you can sharpen technical skills later, but tactical understanding gets much harder to teach past 14. I break down how…

  • Why Sending Drills Home Isn't Enough

    September 25, 2026 · 15 min

    I dig into why just telling players to practice a skill — like passing with their weak foot — rarely leads anywhere. Sending home a drill or a video isn't the same as creating real behavior change. That takes documented expectations…

  • Is Running Laps a Waste of Time? I'm Not So Sure Anymore

    September 14, 2026 · 8 min

    I watched a game this weekend that changed how I think about fitness in practice. Two teams, similar talent, wildly different outcome — and it came down to something most coaches don't want to talk about. I'm breaking down what I saw…

Full episode archive on Apple Podcasts →

About the show

The Inside Scoop Youth Soccer podcast is a place where parents and coaches from around the world get together to discuss how youth soccer works in their city. Go to www.anytime-soccer.com to learn more.