Is Your Kid Ready for What the Soccer Dream Demands? | Chris Mueller

Your kid says he wants to play college soccer. Is he ready for what it asks of him? Chris Mueller retired from professional soccer in September at 30. He was never the best kid on the field: B team at his Chicago club until he was 14, 4 feet 11 until high school, no starts and no goals as a freshman at Wisconsin. He left Wisconsin as the first two-time All-American in the program's history, went sixth overall in the 2018 MLS draft, played for Orlando City, Hibernian in Scotland and more than four years with the Chicago Fire, and won two caps with the U.S. Men's National Team. He now runs the player development platform BTB The Official. He told Liron and Matt about the retirement on the record, two days before it was public, and then spent most of the conversation talking about other people's kids. His argument is that none of his own path was bought. Hand a player the steps, watch what they do with them over a week or a month, and you learn more than the next showcase will tell you. What we cover: • The test: give a player the steps, see whether they take them, and treat the answer as insight rather than a verdict • Why a kid who does not take the steps may be missing structure and guidance rather than desire • What he thinks families overpay for: he says technical training is good and uses a trainer himself, but three sessions a week against two team trainings is the wrong balance • What college coaches check once your kid's ability has their attention: warmups, handshakes, calls to school counselors and club coaches, sessions they turn up to unannounced • Why ownership is the part that transfers: he says only 1% of kids will play D1, and 100% of them will face life Chapters: 0:00 When the Path Changes 1:25 From the B Team to the MLS Draft 3:24 Build a Self Worth Believing In 8:11 Does Your Kid Really Want It? 11:25 The Transfer His Parents Would Not Fix 15:55 Showcases, Trainers, and Letting Kids Play 19:57 Risk, Luck, and the College Route 24:00 Ownership Beyond Soccer 26:32 What Parents Model Under Pressure 31:43 Retiring at 30, by Choice 37:59 What College Coaches Check 41:52 What the Path Teaches Parents More from Chasing the Game: → Your Kid Gets a Pro Soccer Offer at 15. Do You Say Yes? | Jonny Shore -    • Your Kid Gets a Pro Soccer Offer at 15. Do...   → U.S. Soccer Admits It: The Youth System Is "Not Acceptable" | Dan Helfrich -    • U.S. Soccer Admits It: The Youth System Is...   Chasing the Game: Youth Soccer in America is a weekly podcast for soccer parents navigating the U.S. youth soccer pathway. Hosted by Liron Unreich and Matt Tartaglia. chasingthegame.us #YouthSoccer #CollegeSoccer #ChrisMueller