
Modern Soccer Coach Podcast
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
Latest episodes

Dec 9, 2020 • 53min
Brian Deane - Coaching Forwards and Goal Scorers
Gary is joined by the scorer of the first ever goal in the FA Premier League in 1992, Brian Deane. He also played in the Premier League for Leeds United and Middlesbrough as well as playing top-flight football in Portugal and Australia for Benfica and Perth Glory, as well as England. He was also the manager of the Norwegian side Sarpsborg 08 and club owner of Football Superleague of Kosovo side Ferizaj.
This podcast is sponsored by Wildkard. Wildkard is a social engagement platform for youth sports teams. From creating programs to managing schedules, Wildkard runs your team on autopilot.
If you are a youth coach who not only wants to communicate with players on scheduling, but also wants to engage with them on videos, feedback, conversations around the game, then I highly recommend GETTING YOUR FREE TRIAL HERE: https://bit.ly/3lWGN06

Dec 3, 2020 • 56min
Sean McCafferty - Comparing Barcelona and Red Bulls Youth Academies
Gary is joined by New York Red Bulls Academy Director, Sean McCafferty. He discusses his journey working as Director with FC Barcelona’s Barca Residency Academy in Casa Grande, Arizona, before moving to the Red Bulls and talks about the following:
- How Barcelona make the complex simple
- Coaching decision making and problem solving with US player
- Is our game too transitional in US and UK?
- What does he look for when hiring youth coaches for the academy?
And a lot more!!
Would you like to support and continue the free content at Modern Soccer Coach? The MSC Lockdown Webinar Series is now available to download!
For just over $1 per webinar, you can personally download all TWENTY FIVE webinar presentations. Each webinar is over one hour long and features a detailed presentation, followed by the live Q&A with the coaches in attendance. Our covered topics include youth and elite player development, sport science, tactical analysis, match preparation, goalkeeping, pressing, and other key specific areas. Click here to get your copy. - https://www.modernsoccercoach.com/product-page/msc-25-lockdown-webinar-series

Nov 23, 2020 • 56min
Coaching a Pressing System
Gary Curneen joins Vin Blaine to discuss pressing systems in the modern game. This is an exert from Vin's podcast 'On The Sideline' and they talk about the following:
- Understanding pressing 'triggers'
- How a culture off the field must compliment the work on it
- Creating player profiles
- How to get to the details in training sessions
You can order a copy of the Pressing book here: https://www.modernsoccercoach.com/product-page/modern-soccer-coach-pressing
The 2nd edition of the Miami Soccer Convention is coming on December 17th & 18th, 2020 completely online! Go to www.soccercovention.com or @soccercovention on instagram to get more information.
This week starts the unveiling of our top tier presenters that include former and current experienced coaches working in MLS, national teams, top South American clubs, former Copa Sudamericana Champions, and also a former player with Champions League and Italian National team experience from teams such as AC Milan & Juventus.
Go to www.soccercovention.com or @soccercovention on instagram to register!

Nov 17, 2020 • 1h 10min
Dean Austin - Maximizing the Relationship Between Head Coach & Assistant Coach
Gary is joined by former Tottenham Hotspurs defender and professional coach, Dean Austin, to discuss the relationship between head coach and assistant. Dean has worked in both roles in the professional game, as head coach at Northampton Town, and then as an assistant coach with Crystal Palace and most recently with Quique Flores at Watford.
Dean kicked off the interview from a head coach perspective. How does he hire an assistant coach? What does he look for? How does he build that relationship? He then looks at the perspective of an assistant coach in how they can deal with certain scenarios, as well as how young coaches can help put themselves in potential opportunities in the future.
This podcast is sponsored by SenseBall - www.senseball.com
SenseBall is the training soccer ball developed by CogiTraining, the revolutionary soccer training method implemented in soccer clubs and Federations around the world.
SenseBall is specifically aimed at young players between 6 and 20 years of age. Practiced individually or in groups, SenseBall improves a players touch and feel for the ball while helping them to become two-footed.
As a coach, encouraging your players to practice with the SenseBall in training or at home will bring them many benefits.
TRAIN LIKE A PRO. SenseBall is used by the youth teams of AC Milan, Sporting Kansas City, RSC Anderlecht, KRC Genk, FC Nantes, the Belgian Football Federation and many others.
ACQUIRE THE ESSENTIAL SKILLS OF MODERN SOCCER. Learn to control, guide and kick the ball perfectly thanks to repetition.
BECOME A TWO-FOOTED PLAYER. SenseBall is designed on the principle of bilateral activity. Thanks to the practice of SenseBall, they make an average of 500,000 touches of the ball in one season and use their left foot as many times as their right foot.
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There are special discounted prices for orders of 10 or more! Shipping is FREE.
Get SenseBall now by going to www.senseball.com and become a better soccer coach!

Nov 9, 2020 • 58min
Wells Thompson & Dr. Brad Miller - Can You Coach Resilience?
Gary is joined by MLS veteran Wells Thompson and Dr. Brad Miller to discuss ways in which coaches can help players deal with setbacks in the game. Both have teamed up to develop Soccer Resilience Program to help youth, college and professional players’ build resilience to adversity and reach their potential on the field and in life.
They discuss the following:
- How the combination of Wells’ experiences of playing in MLS and Dr. Miller’s clinical knowledge, can help us understand the specific skills and tools needed to enable players to strengthen their mental toughness
- Ways in which coaches can challenge and support young players today
- Reaction to recent comments by Roy Keane and Jose Mourinho on the psyche required to compete at the highest levels
- Ideas for coaches in leadership roles to facilitate learning with younger coaches and peers
And much, much more!!
The 2nd edition of the Miami Soccer Convention is coming on December 17th & 18th, 2020 completely online! Go to www.soccercovention.com or @soccercovention on instagram to get more information.
This week starts the unveiling of our top tier presenters that include former and current experienced coaches working in MLS, national teams, top South American clubs, former Copa Sudamericana Champions, and also a former player with Champions League and Italian National team experience from teams such as AC Milan & Juventus.
Go to www.soccercovention.com or @soccercovention on instagram to register!

Nov 2, 2020 • 59min
Kevin George - Emotional Literacy at Youth Level
Gary is joined by author of 'Soccology' and former player, Kevin George, to talk about emotional literacy and the work he is doing on the mental side of the game with youth players in England. We've had Kevin on the podcast before but this was definitely new territory in terms of looking into a key topic and getting Kevin's insight into how it applies in football and how we can implement it with our teams.
The 2nd edition of the Miami Soccer Convention is coming on December 17th & 18th, 2020 completely online! Go to www.soccercovention.com or @soccercovention on instagram to get more information.
This week starts the unveiling of our top tier presenters that include former and current experienced coaches working in MLS, national teams, top South American clubs, former Copa Sudamericana Champions, and also a former player with Champions League and Italian National team experience from teams such as AC Milan & Juventus.
Go to www.soccercovention.com or @soccercovention on instagram to register!

Oct 26, 2020 • 47min
Bev Priestman - Dynamics of Tournament Coaching
Gary is joined by England assistant coach, Bev Priestman to discuss her role in the 2015 and 2019 World Cups with Canada and England respectively. Bev talks about...
- Different ways teams structured their training camps
- Achieving the balance of work and play around the hotel
- The dynamics of game management as a staff
- How match reviews and scouting departments work together
- The players of tomorrow and what they will require to excel in tournaments like the World Cup
Coaches: Our MSC Lockdown Series is now available to download. Twenty five webinar presentations will be yours to keep. Each webinar is over one hour long and features a detailed presentation, followed by the live Q&A with the coaches in attendance. Our covered topics include youth and elite player development, sport science, tactical analysis, match preparation, goalkeeping, pressing, and other key specific areas.
GET YOURS NOW:
https://www.modernsoccercoach.com/product-page/msc-25-lockdown-webinar-series

Oct 4, 2020 • 1h 2min
Drewe Broughton - The Fear Coach
Gary is joined by former professional player and current High Performance Coach, Drewe Broughton. He now works with players, athletes, and business professionals to "manage fear and fulfill potential" and discusses the following:
- How fear holds back players?
- Ways that coaches can help
- Why understanding vulnerability can help coaches
- Ideas that can help coaches through tough times
And much more!
FREE MSC COACH EDUCATION EVENT IN OCTOBER:
Gary Curneen will present a webinar on 'Video Analysis and Player Feedback' on Wednesday, October 14, at 6pm EST (11pm UK time) He will discuss a variety of ways that coaches can improve tactical understanding, deliver individual feedback to players, and engage players in the process of development. I'll also take questions from the coaches in attendance.
LIMITED SPACES AVAILABLE. Register below.
https://www.modernsoccercoach.com/post/free-online-event-for-coaches-in-october

Sep 27, 2020 • 56min
Jim Magilton - The Liverpool Education
Gary is joined by Irish Football Association elite performance director, Jim Magilton, to discuss his youth experience at Liverpool, and how it helped him continue his playing career in the Premier League, along with the management side of the game with Ipswich Town and Queens Park Rangers.
He talks about the following:
- Lessons from Liverpool as a youth player
- How Kenny Dalglish told him he was moving on
- The reaction of Liverpool staff when Jim beat them playing for Southampton
- What Graeme Souness was like as a manager
- How the game has changed in youth academies today
And much more!!
Please check out Gary's new blog on UNC and their Pressing system under Anson Dorrance, along with a link to a FREE MSC Webinar about Video Analysis:
https://www.modernsoccercoach.com/post/unc-master-the-pressing-basics-again

Sep 19, 2020 • 57min
Paul McVeigh - Do We REALLY Value Psychology in Our Coaching?
Gary is joined by former Tottenham Hotspur and Norwich City player, Paul McVeigh. After his career in the Premier League, Paul moved onto the psychology side of the game and earned a Master's in Sports Psychology. He also wrote 'The Stupid Footballer is Dead' which details his own experiences as a player and takes the reader into the future in terms of how demanding the game is now becoming on the mental side.
Paul questions if psychology has really progressed in the game as much as it should and challenges how coaches are (or maybe are not) implementing it in their environment.
If you enjoy the Podcast, please give us a shoutout on Twitter or Instagram: @GaryCurneen