Modern Soccer Coach Podcast
Gary Curneen
Our goal is to bring in-depth content to coaches with a combination of interviews, chats, and personal thoughts on the topics that really matter in the beautiful game and elite-level sport. Enjoy and thanks for listening! - Gary
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 24, 2022 • 11min
Reaction to Man City's Title Win and Pep vs. Klopp
In a new MSC Podcast feature, Gary looks at Manchester City's Premier League win and how Pep Guardiola versus Jurgen Klopp should be looked at by coaches:
- Can we appreciate both teams?
- Is outcome bias holding back the coaching community?
- How does this relate to youth coaching?
If you would like a topic discussed in these short podcasts, please contact Gary at gary@modernsoccercoach.com
You can support the work at MSC below:
https://www.modernsoccercoach.com/shop

May 18, 2022 • 47min
Different Leagues, Different Styles.... How Does This Impact Coaching? - Oliver Hopkins
Gary is joined by Oliver Hopkins, a writer for The Analyst, to discuss a recent article he has written on tactical trends of different leagues.
Gary has tons of questions like: If the Premier League is more slower and intricate than lower leagues, how does it have more goals per game?
The article is below:
https://theanalyst.com/eu/2022/04/how-does-the-style-of-football-change-as-you-journey-down-the-english-football-league/
Watch on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq9hfoF8yi4
If you enjoy the work, please support MSC and check out our coaching books and webinars here:
https://www.modernsoccercoach.com/shop

Apr 28, 2022 • 55min
Khano Smith: The Art of an Assistant Coach
Gary is joined by Khano Smith, who is currently an assistant coach for USL Championship club Birmingham Legion and has also worked as an assistant coach in the NWSL for the Orlando Pride. He's also a former professional player at New England Revolution, Lincoln City, and has represented the Bermuda national team 33 times.
We talk about the art of being an assistant coach:
- Creating the relationship with head coach
- Facilitating positive and negative news to your head coach
- Balancing the support role with the players
- Lessons from the late great Paul Mariner
- And much more!
Please check out Modern Soccer Coach new book: Detail – if you enjoy the podcast, we breakdown a ton of interviews relating to game models, data, development, psychology, leadership and staffing….. and look at how they all work together. Get your copy now on the link below:
https://www.modernsoccercoach.com/product-page/modern-soccer-coach-detail

Mar 29, 2022 • 60min
Damon Shaw: Journey of a Professional Futsal Coach
Gary is joined by Damon Shaw, a professional futsal coach who has worked at the professional level in England, Malta, Spain and Malaysia. He has also worked as an analyst for Solomon Island recent Futsal World Cup.
In this interview he discusses his fascinating journey in the game, the ups and downs of working at the professional level, and a brilliant insight to some specific futsal topics…
Also, Modern Soccer Coach book Detail is now available to ship to US, Europe and Australia… if you enjoy the podcast and you want to read more and support the work we do, please order now below:
https://www.modernsoccercoach.com/product-page/modern-soccer-coach-detail

Mar 14, 2022 • 51min
Talent Identification for MLS Youth Academies - Abdul Faisal Chibsah
Gary is joined by Abdul Faisal Chibsah, who recently started a new role as High Performance Specialist at FIFA.
He was recently Head of Academy Recruitment at Charlotte FC (MLS) and also worked as Regional Academy Scout at Philadelphia Union (MLS).
He talks about identifying talent at youth level, the importance of environment, projecting talent in ten years, and what it's like working alongside Arsene Wenger in his new role!!
NEW MODERN SOCCER COACH BOOK: DETAIL IS OUT NOW!!!!
Find out more and get your copy below:
https://www.modernsoccercoach.com/product-page/modern-soccer-coach-detail

Feb 26, 2022 • 1h 1min
Marlon LeBlanc: Differences in Coaching Pro versus College
Gary is joined by head coach of Philadelphia Union II, Marlon LeBlanc, to discuss the differences between college and pro environments in the US. Having spent fourteen successful seasons at West Virginia University, few better understand the dynamics of player development better than Marlon.
NEW MODERN SOCCER COACH BOOK: DETAIL IS OUT NOW!!!!
Find out more and get your copy below:
https://www.modernsoccercoach.com/product-page/modern-soccer-coach-detail

Feb 21, 2022 • 1h 4min
Nate Weiss: Individual Development at VfB Stuttgart
Gary is joined by Nate Weiss, Individual Development Coach at VfB Stuttgart in Germany's Bundesliga. He shares his journey from playing college soccer in US with NC State, to playing professionally in Europe, and then transitioning to the individual development side of the game.
NEW MODERN SOCCER COACH BOOK: DETAIL IS OUT NOW!!!!
Find out more and get your copy below:
https://www.modernsoccercoach.com/post/new-msc-book-out-now-detail

Feb 10, 2022 • 1h 3min
Candice Fabry: Work-Life Balance - Can Coaches Really Achieve it?
Gary is joined by Candice Fabry, Founder and Mentor at Fearless & Capable – a female led mentorship program for women working in sport.
She also has extensive experience as a coach and in the coach education world as well.
Candice talks about life – balance and coaching:
- Is it possible or just a myth?
- How can we manage the hectic world of coaching and family life?
- How important is happiness in your work?
All this and more in this conversation..
Please subscribe on YouTube for more FREE MSC content:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU_n6cNknf6JlgnoVWEyTWw
Also check out Candice's work at Fearless and Capable:
https://www.fearlessandcapable.com/site/about

Jan 31, 2022 • 50min
Adam David - Life of a Champions League Analyst
Gary is joined by Head of Performance Analysis at Maccabi Haifa FC, Adam David. He has also worked in analysis and scouting for Hapoel Tel Aviv FC and Performance Analyst in Chelsea academy.
Adam shares his insight into the role of video analysis at professional level, and the journey in terms of what it takes to get there including:
- Ways to connect with players on video analysis
- Communicating with coaching staff
- Linking video analysis to data and scouting
- Getting a job at a professional club
- Building frameworks and structures around analysis
This podcast is brought to you by Spiideo. Spiideo is a complete video solution with automated capture, used for analyzing and live streaming soccer. It's always live and ready to go, an unparalleled tool,easy to use, so you can focus on what matters - coaching your team.
Please check Spiideo out on the link below....
https://hubs.ly/Q0132JyK0

Jan 23, 2022 • 41min
David Charlton - What REALLY is Mental Toughness?
Gary is joined by David Charlton to discuss 'Demystifying Mental Toughness'. David is the Owner of Inspiring Sporting Excellence
and is a HCPC Sports and Exercise Psychologist. You can check out his work at https://www.sport-excellence.co.uk/
This is part two of the interview… part one is David interviewing Gary on a coaches viewpoint on the mental side of the game. The interview is available below:
https://www.sport-excellence.co.uk/demystifying-mental-toughness-podcast/
Huge thank you to all the coaches who attended our recent MSC Virtual HS Coaches Conference on January 8 – 12 presenters throughout the day. If you missed it, you can get on-demand access and all the replays at: https://www.modernsoccercoach.com/product-page/virtual-high-school-coaches-conference


