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
Aug 23, 2019 • 56min
Ally Bain: Coaching Build-Up Play
Gary is joined by Discoveries academy manager, Ally Bain, who as a wealth of experience at both youth and senior levels in UK and the United States.
Ally takes the topic of build-up play and gives an in-depth perspective on the following:
- Philosophy in possession
- Session design
- Opposed or unopposed
- Dealing with mistakes from players
- Measuring a successful build
- Sources of inspiration for creativity
All of this and much, much more!!
Have you checked out the new Modern Soccer Coach Community Platform yet?
Launched this month, it is a new concept, specifically designed for all coaches to get access to in-depth work, share new and potentially diverse ideas, and have the option of discussing topics within the game that will change on a daily basis.
Coaches who register will have immediate access to over 200 training exercises, all animated and organized into set categories (perfect for preseason planning) but the goal of it is to be more than just a session sharing site so every day you will get fresh new content that will provide context, detail, creativity… some aspects that are missing in social media at the minute.
All coaches can register right away for a free two week trial period to check it out…
bit.ly/modernsoccercoach

Aug 7, 2019 • 52min
Gerard Jones: Improving the Individual within the Team
Gary catches up with Gerard Jones, author of 'Lets Talk Soccer', academy director and USSF instructor. As Gerard believes there is too much emphasis on coaching the collective, they discuss how to connect and develop individual players within the team environment. How do variables such as winning, playing time, trust, setbacks, impact the experience for each player and what can coaches do to improve the relationship with certain players.
Today we are launching the Modern Soccer Coach Community Platform - a new concept, specifically designed for all coaches to get access to in-depth work, share new and potentially diverse ideas, and have the option of discussing topics within the game that will change on a daily basis.
Have you joined the Modern Soccer Coach Community Platform yet?
Coaches who register will have immediate access to over 200 training exercises, all animated and organized into set categories (perfect for preseason planning) but the goal of it is to be more than just a session sharing site so every day you will get fresh new content that will provide context, detail, creativity… some aspects that are missing in social media at the minute.
All coaches can register right away for a free two week trial period to check it out…
bit.ly/modernsoccercoach

Jul 31, 2019 • 46min
Slawek Morawski: Coaching Game Intelligence
Gary is joined by Slawek Morawski, tactical analyst and coach, with experience in the professional game in Poland. He is passionate about combining analysis alongside training and cognitive methodology in the game at all levels. He discusses the intricacies of "Game Intelligence": Can it be coached? How exactly can we create an environment that facilitates decision making and the cognitive tools required at the highest level?
MODERN SOCCER COACH ANNOUNCEMENT!!
Today we are launching the Modern Soccer Coach Community Platform - a new concept, specifically designed for all coaches to get access to in-depth work, share new and potentially diverse ideas, and have the option of discussing topics within the game that will change on a daily basis.
Coaches who register will have immediate access to over 200 training exercises, all animated and organized into set categories (perfect for preseason planning) but the goal of it is to be more than just a session sharing site so every day you will get fresh new content that will provide context, detail, creativity… some aspects that are missing in social media at the minute.
All coaches can register right away for a free two week trial period to check it out…
http://bit.ly/modernsoccercoach

Jul 21, 2019 • 1h 2min
Randy Waldrum & Erwin van Bennekom: Taking Over a New Team
Gary is joined by two college head coaches, Randy Waldrum (University of Pittsburgh) and Erwin van Bennekom (Indiana University) who have both experienced success at the national level of US college soccer and are currently in new roles where they are looking at building their respective programs towards similar heights.
What is the first step in changing a culture? How long does it take to evaluate your players? How much do you risk in the recruitment process? How do you hire coaches? Is it possible to change a mentality of a team in the short-term who have not experienced success? All of this and more with these two coaches.

Jul 13, 2019 • 48min
David Garcia - Implementing a Possession System with a Youth Team
Gary is joined UEFA A licensed coach and U9-U12 Colorado Rapids Director of Coaching, David Garcia to discuss how youth coaches can coach a possession based and/or positional play system. How should training be structured? What is the role of opposed versus unopposed training? How can we teach players resilience alongside tactics and the game? David discusses all of this, along with his unique coaching journey that took him from New York to Spain to work in full time soccer and develop his philosophy.
If you are looking for some reading before your pre-season, please check out Modern Soccer Coach books on https://www.modernsoccercoach.com/shop

Jun 28, 2019 • 56min
Dr. Ceri Bowley: The Power of Observation
Gary talks with Dr. Ceri Bowley, who has worked as a Senior Lecturer at University of South Wales a mental performance coach with the Welsh FA and has recently taken a new position as Head of Coaching Support - with City Football Group.
He talks about how accurate observation informs the decision-making process and how what we actually see dictates how we act. Where does this hold coaches back? How can we improve on it? How does it carry forward towards session planning and team meetings? All of this and a lot more is covered in the podcast.
This podcast is brought to you by SportsLab360, a new and innovative online program focused on youth player development from a tactical and soccer IQ perspective. If you haven't come across their program yet, I'd highly recommend checking it out. Perfect for any coaches looking to go the extra mile to enhance the developmental experience for their players.

Jun 19, 2019 • 48min
John Pascarella: THAT Tweet, Social Media, and the State of the US Game
Gary is joined by Minnesota United (MLS) assistant coach, John Pascarella. He discusses a recent tweet he posted about the following coaching methods from different cultures, challenging coaches to think differently on social media, the current state of the game in the United States, and how coaches should be more demanding of themselves than they are of the federation.
This podcast is brought to you by SportsLab360, a new and innovative online program focused on youth player development from a tactical and soccer IQ perspective. If you haven't come across their program yet, I'd highly recommend checking it out. Perfect for any coaches looking to go the extra mile to enhance the developmental experience for their players.

Jun 12, 2019 • 50min
Paul Bright: Improving Your Communication On and Off the Pitch
Gary is joined by UEFA A License, USSF Coach Instructor,
Technical Director for The Coaching Manual (https://www.thecoachingmanual.com), and AYSO United National Technical Director, Paul Bright. He discusses how the role of communication, both on and off the pitch, and looks specifically at where its changed, how we can improve it and what we can do to expand it to beyond the training session.
This podcast is brought to you by Foundation Coach Education, who are looking to elevate the standards of coaching and coach education in both Texas and across the United States. They are delighted to be able to host the very first Soccer Coach Development Conference in Houston, TX this coming August 10-11.
The highly focused lecture and field presentations are going to be delivered by expert coaches and coach educators, Kieran Smith, Saul Isaksson-Hurst, David Garcia and Stevie Grieve.
The current England U19 Head Coach and the man who led the England U20s to World Cup victory in 2017, Paul Simpson, will also be presenting on the Long-Term Development of an England Player and the Story Behind the U20 World Cup Success.
We highly recommend coaches check out this event in Texas – foundationcoached.com

Jun 5, 2019 • 42min
Joao Nuno Fonseca: A Modern Coaching Approach with Focus on Tactical Analysis
Gary is joined by UEFA A Licensed Coach, Joao Nuno Fonseca. He was recently a first team assistant coach at Nantes in the top flight of French football and was also the Coaching Methodology Analyst for the City Football Group. Joao discusses how tactical analysis can be used to help players understand the game better, improve process of scouting and match preparation, how animations can help coaches present tactical information, and ways to build a consistent environment with training and game models.
The episode of the Modern Soccer Coach podcast is once again sponsored by Total Football Analysis Magazine, the digital magazine for all soccer fans, coaches, managers and analysts.
If you are looking for more detail than a match report but don’t want to get bogged down in numbers and stats that make no sense, this is the magazine for you.
May’s Total Football Analysis Magazine has just gone on sale and you can pick up 135 pages of pure football tactical analysis including;
- Endless attacking options of 3.4.2.1 system
- Gabriel Jesus Season Review (personal favorite this one)
- Pochettino’s continued tactical improvements
- MLS insight on LAFC
You can buy each magazine individually or take out a monthly or annual subscription which come with some added extras.
And you can get 10% off all annual subscriptions by entering the discount code MODERNSOCCERCOACH at checkout.
Head over to totalfootballanalysis.com/magazine to get yours today!

May 28, 2019 • 33min
Ricardo Alves: How to Use Tactical Analysis Effectively at Elite Level
Gary is joined by Ricardo Alves – a coach and football analyst, who has worked with Portuguese First Division side CD Tondela. He also has a degree in Sports Science and Physical Education at FCDEF-UC, a Master's Degree in Sports Training with a specialization in Football in Game Analysis at FCDEF-UC and currently doing a PhD in Sports Science, along with his UEFA B license.
Ricardo discusses the processes involved at an elite club with tactical analysis. What is the starting point? How is information delivered to the head coach and players? Where are individual development plans involved and what are the interactions with other departments in the club.
This podcast is brought to you by SportsLab360, a new and innovative online program focused on youth player development from a tactical and soccer IQ perspective. If you haven't come across their program yet, I'd highly recommend checking it out. Perfect for any coaches looking to go the extra mile to enhance the developmental experience for their players.


