Breaking the Line: The ECNL Podcast

Let us know the topics of interest to you!Breaking the Line is back with ECNL President Christian Lavers and ECNL Vice President Doug Bracken and the team hits two topics this week that every soccer parents should be paying attention to. In Episode 119, Breaking the Line first sets out to break some myths about the odds of becoming a pro soccer player. Three out of every four parent believes their child has the skills to turn pro in whatever sport they play. The reality is, only 1% of all youth athletes turn pro. In soccer, academy players earning first team minutes vary by club; some it's as high as 50%, others it's as low as 1%. And if a kid signs on to an academy at the U13-U14 level, it's nearly impossible to make an academy. So how can clubs and parents be realistic about an individual's talent level without crushing their dreams?That discussion leads to another one, where wins and losses are replaced by a "quality of play" algorithm to determine who is the better team; both on the pitch that specific day and over the course of a season. How does this help a player develop? Does this teach kids the wrong things about soccer? What role does analytics have within the game? It's a great discussion, one that has strong opinions on both sides. As always, thank you for tuning into the podcast. Make sure to subscribe to Breaking the Line on YouTube, follow the ECNL on all social channels, and if you have any questions or podcast topic suggestions for the Breaking the Line podcast, send them to us at https://ecnl.info/BTL-Questions. 

Let us know the topics of interest to you!In a Part 2 of an incredible discussion surrounding coaching within youth soccer, Breaking the Line welcomes ECNL Coaching Methodology Advisor Doug Lemov for an incredible discussion on coaching philosophy, how to develop coaches, how to effectively use training sessions and more. ECNL President Christian Lavers and ECNL Vice President Doug Bracken dive into all of these topics, diving deeper into topics from Breaking the Line Episode 117, and expanding the conversation to give advice for current coaches, current athletes, and current parents. If you're a fan of soccer, of coaching, or just of sport in general, you're not going to want to miss this episode. As always, if you have any questions or podcast topic suggestions for the Breaking the Line podcast, send them to us at https://ecnl.info/BTL-Questions. And please, follow the ECNL on all social channels, subscribe to Breaking the Line, and don't miss all the exciting content being published on the ECNL's YouTube page! 

Let us know the topics of interest to you!The ECNL's Breaking the Line team is back another episode, expanding on a topic introduced when discussing the ECNL Pyramid. ECNL President Christian Lavers and ECNL Vice President Doug Bracken discuss what it is like being a youth soccer coach in American today. The pair touch on a variety of topics in the episode: the sacrifices coaches make in their personal lives, how much influence do coaches really have on results, the differences in coaching younger age groups to older, and is there a true coaching career path in the youth realm today? It's a fascinating peek behind the curtain from two coaches who have spent decades on the sidelines of soccer pitches across the country. Plus, a Bracken Brain Buster that wraps up the episode perfectly. As always, if you have any questions or podcast topic suggestions for the Breaking the Line podcast, send them to us at https://ecnl.info/BTL-Questions. And please, follow the ECNL on all social channels, subscribe to Breaking the Line, and don't miss all the exciting content being published on the ECNL's YouTube page!

Let us know the topics of interest to you!The ECNL's leadership team emerges from the incredibly hectic spring for the latest episode of Breaking the Line, where ECNL Regional League Commissioner Chris Leahey joins ECNL President Christian Lavers and ECNL Vice President Doug Bracken to discuss all of the major changes within the ECNL platform and what it means for players, parents, coaches and clubs. Building off of Breaking the Line Episode 114, the ECNL has let the dust settle from the club chaos, promoting 24 teams into ECNL and welcoming more than 190 teams into the ECNL Regional League across both boys and girls. The team discusses how clubs may move from the ECNL Regional League into ECNL, and also the mindset of what clubs can join the ECNL Regional League from other platforms. They also converse about the overall youth soccer structure, about what clubs need from their leagues, how club-based league structures have evolved since the beginning of the Development Academy days, and more. As always, if you have any questions or podcast topic suggestions for the Breaking the Line podcast, send them to us at https://ecnl.info/BTL-Questions. And please, follow the ECNL on all social channels, subscribe to Breaking the Line, and don't miss all the exciting content being published on the ECNL's YouTube page!

Let us know the topics of interest to you!The Breaking the Line team returns with Dr. Drew Watson, a friend of the podcast and the ECNL's Chief Medical Officer.  In March, the ECNL launched the Center for Athlete Health a Performance, a research and education hub designed to identify, develop and share best practices in long-term youth athlete health, development and performance, and spearheaded by Dr. Watson. Dr. Watson joined Breaking the Line this week to discuss the founding of this Center along with the first two published pieces of research: the ECNL Injury Risk Reduction Program and the relationship between sleep and injuries in elite athletes. The Breaking the Line crew dives into these topics, discussing the vision for the Center and why it was founded in the first place, the relationship between the ECNL and Dr. Watson's Human Performance Lab, tips for athletes to be at the top of their game and more. If you have any questions for the Breaking the Line crew, make sure to submit them at https://ecnl.info/BTL-Questions. And as always, make sure to follow the ECNL on all social channels, and don't forget to watch this podcast in video on YouTube! And if you want to learn more about the ECNL's Center for Athlete Health and Performance, visit theecnl.com/CAHP. 

Let us know the topics of interest to you!The Breaking the Line team is back from Las Vegas and a lot has changed since early February.  In Episode 114, Christian Lavers and Doug Bracken sit down to discuss the changing youth soccer landscape. Clubs are in peak tryout season, and with that comes plenty of questions about club visions and player pathways. As a player and parent, how do you know which club is right for you? What about a club is important, and what is just white noise?That conversations leads to a much bigger discussion; club movement across leagues. More than 20 clubs will join either ECNL Boys or ECNL Girls for the 2025-26 season through new entry or promotion, and an additional 15 clubs will join the ECNL Regional League ranks in either Boys or Girls. With this movement, ECNL Boys will introduce the Far West Conference, and the ECNL Regional League will launch the Regional League - Gulf Coast, Regional League - Greater Michigan Alliance and a revamped Regional League - NorCal and Regional League - Golden State in ECNL Regional League Boys, and Regional League - Greater Michigan Alliance in ECNL Regional League Girls. That's an incredible amount of movement from year to year, and the Breaking the Line team discusses what has caused this movement, why it's important, and what does it mean for the ECNL as a whole. It's a great discussion into where we have been, where we currently are, and where we want to go. If you have any questions about player or club movement, make sure to submit them at https://ecnl.info/BTL-Questions. And as always, make sure to follow the ECNL on all social channels, and don't forget to watch this podcast in video on YouTube! 

Let us know the topics of interest to you!Breaking The Line, the ECNL Podcast, went live and in-person at the ECNL Coaching Symposium at the Circa Resort in Las Vegas, NV for a historic podcast featuring executives from US Soccer. ECNL President Christian Lavers and ECNL Vice President Doug Bracken sat down with Emily Cosler, US Soccer Senior Director of Strategy, and Matt Crocker, US Soccer Sporting Director. Together, the four conducted an incredible discussion surrounding US Soccer: what does the future hold for the sport within the United States, US Soccer's approach to the 2026 FIFA World Cup beyond, how the organization fits into the overall soccer structure within the country, and more. Ultimately, there was one theme throughout the entire podcast: collaboration. Tune in for a riveting roundtable about soccer in the United States, and read more about the panel guests below. Emily Cosler: Senior Director of Strategy, US SoccerEmily joined U.S. Soccer’s strategy department in October of 2022. As the Senior Director of Strategy, Emily’s work has primarily focused on strategic projects including the U.S. Way Sporting Strategy, the Safe Soccer Clearance program, 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup bids, and partnerships with key landscape stakeholders such as National Member Organizations and Professional Leagues. She has also helped to support the implementation of U.S. Soccer’s new strategic vision, including matured business planning processes. Prior to joining the team at U.S. Soccer, Emily worked in management consulting at Bain & Company.Matt Crocker: Sporting Director, US SoccerMatt became U.S. Soccer’s Sporting Director in August of 2023, overseeing the entire Sporting Department and focusing on the Men’s and Women’s National Team programs, Youth National Teams, and the Extended National Teams. Crocker is responsible for setting U.S. Soccer’s sporting vision, overseeing the performance of all national teams, implementing the technical development plan, developing sporting culture, philosophy, ensuring greater communication, and sharing of best practices. Matt is formerly the English Football Association Head of Development Teams and Southampton Director of Football Operations - he brings more than 25 years of experience in player development and coaching with proven success at the club, youth, and senior international levels. A native of Wales, he holds a UEFA Pro License, the FA Technical Directors License, the FA Academy Manager’s license and has an Honors Bachelor of Science in Sport Pedagogy.

Anson Dorrance, the legendary former UNC Head Women's Soccer Coach, shares the secrets of building winning teams alongside Peter Kenyon, ex-CEO of Manchester United and Chelsea FC. High-performance psychologist Eric Potterat offers insights into resilience and leadership. Performance coach Jeremy Boone discusses the balance of talent and character in athletics. The group dives into whether leadership can be taught and the cultural changes needed in sports, all while weaving in personal anecdotes that highlight the unpredictability of life.

Let us know the topics of interest to you!The Breaking the Line crew is back with their newest episode, this time with a topic that came straight from a listener question. A parent from Richmond, Va., asked Breaking the Line: "Is there an ideal blueprint for an ECNL club?" The question specifically cited the success of local club Richmond United, and to tackle this discussion, we went straight to the source. In Episode 111, Jay Howell, Executive Director of Richmond United, joined Breaking the Line to discuss his origins in the youth soccer space and spearheading Richmond United since 2014 and how throughout the years, Richmond United has become a leader within the youth soccer space, culminating with a complete club rebrand launching at this podcast's release. Howell and Breaking the Line discuss how clubs can build a structure that puts the players first, and how navigating a club structure can be difficult with multiple coaching philosophies and personalities, especially with multiple youth clubs joining forces. They also discuss how to build and maintain relationships with professional organizations, and how youth clubs and pro clubs can work together to ensure all parties can see success on and off the field. Finally, the crew works through what is a player pathway, how respective age groups and leagues fit into that pathway, and how putting the players first can lead to great moments across the club. While there is no one right way to build a successful youth club, there are many factors that clubs can emulate and glean from this incredibly insightful discussion with one of the ECNL's top clubs. Thank you to our fan who submitted Episode 111's topic, and as always, please submit questions to Breaking the Line here: https://ecnl.info/BTL-Questions. 

Let us know the topics of interest to you!The first Breaking the Line episode of 2025 features special guest Mike Cullina, CEO of US Club Soccer. Cullina and the Breaking the Line crew open the episode with a topic on the forefront of everyone's minds: birth year regulations. The three provide an update to the discussion about what comes next for clubs and leagues regarding roster cutoff dates for birth year, why that decision was made, what does it mean for players and clubs and when will those changes be made. That discussion evolves into a discussion into where US Club Soccer fits as a whole within the US soccer ecosystem, and why the American soccer ecosystem differs from other countries. The Breaking the Line team goes into how the US Soccer Federation was founded more than 100 years ago and how the organization operated in the past has led us to the decisions and conversations we're having today. Finally, the group closes out the podcast recognizing the 20 ECNL alumni from 18 different clubs who were selected in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft on their incredible achievements. Congrats! As always, if there you have any questions or topics of discussion for Breaking the Line, submit your questions here: ecnl.info/BTL-Questions.