Tales From the Trail by MatchPlay

In this episode, Justin Chezem, head coach of Christopher Newport University men’s soccer and I welcome back sports psychologist and founder of Soccer Resilience, Brad Miller. In honor of Mental Health Month we discuss mental health in college sports and the challenges faced by coaches in addressing the mental well-being of their athletes. Our discussion highlights the importance of creating a safe and open environment for athletes to talk about their feelings and emotions. Overall, the conversation provides valuable insights and guidance for coaches and parents in supporting the mental well-being of young athletes. Thank you Dr. Miller!

Eric Manuel, MS, discusses the importance of a growth mindset while developing skills. Visit expertmindsetcoaching.com for more.

In this episode, Justin Chezem, head coach of men’s soccer at Christopher Newport University and I welcome Andy Fleming of Andy Fleming Recruiting. Coach Fleming was the head coach of Xavier University men’s soccer for 12 years and worked as an assistant coach at prominent programs prior to arriving in Cincinnati. His coaching and recruiting experiences bring a truly unique perspective to assisting student-athletes become college athletes. Make sure to check him out on Instagram @andyflemingsoccer for more information. Thank you Coach Fleming for being a great guest!

In this episode, Roshan Patel discusses the launch of the new soccer-centric card game - Give&Go https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/give-and-go/giveandgo-the-footy-drinking-game/comments

The latest episode of Mindset Monday with Eric Manuel, MS of expertmindsetcoaching.com discusses the importance of having specific goals during training and being present to achieve.

In this episode, Justin Chezem, head coach of men’s soccer at Christopher Newport University and I welcome 3 men’s soccer head coaches: Chris Norris of William & Mary, Emmett Rutkowski of Stetson University, and Tommy DiNuzzo of Hampden-Sydney College. The discussion revolves around different approaches to recruiting, including the use of the transfer portal, international players, and domestic high school players. We also touch on the importance of culture and finding the right fit for each player. Among many other topics, we shift into the offseason and the advice given to incoming freshmen and rising seniors on how to prepare for the upcoming season. The coaches emphasize the importance of staying fit, playing with older and more experienced players, and attending ID camps to showcase your skills.

Hear Eric Manuel, MS discuss the mindset necessary for developing skill through intentional training

In this episode, I welcome Jason Simms. Jason is currently the Associate Athletics Director for Student Engagement, Alumni Relations, & Recruitment at the College of William and Mary. Additionally, he is the Athletics Department DEI initiatives liaison. Simms is the sport administrator for Men’s & Women’s Swimming, Men’s Soccer, and Women’s Lacrosse. Jason does a great job describing the college student-athlete experience and what it takes to be successful as an athlete and excelling as a student as well. We should all be so lucky to have a Jason Simms in our lives.

In this episode Justin Chezem, head coach of Christopher Newport University men’s soccer and I welcome Matt Bevins, the Chief of Staff of Auburn University Football. Matt was originally a youth soccer player before becoming a standout kicker and eventually place kicking in college at Liberty University where he put his name in the record books. He stayed connected to athletics at Liberty and when the head coach, Hugh Freeze took the head coaching position at Auburn, he took Matt with him. We’re grateful to Matt for his time and insights into college football and the ever changing landscape of college athletics.

Mindset coach, Eric Manuel, discusses achieving flow state through your mindfulness practice. Visit expertmindsetcoaching.com to learn more about Eric and his mindset coaching practice.

In this episode, I welcome Kelly Conheeney assistant coach of the Manhattan College Jaspers women’s soccer team. Prior to starting her coaching career, Kelly played at Virginia Tech, the NWSL for Sky Blue FC, the Houston Dash, and Hammarby in Sweden. She also trained with the U20 and U23 USWNT programs. Additionally, she worked with Coaches Across Continents to coach and mentor young athletes in Southeast Asia and Africa. All of this experience in bringing a unique perspective to her role as coach and leader for the student-athletes at Manhattan College. Thank you Kelly!

In this episode, Justin Chezem, head coach of men’s soccer at Christopher Newport University and I welcome Kevin Wardlaw of MidAmerica Nazarene University men’s soccer. Last fall, Coach Wardlaw’s side won the NAIA national championship. This is an important discussion to hear in order to understand what the NAIA is and how recruiting and competing works in that association. Coach Wardlaw does a great job of illustrating how competitive the NAIA is and what it took to win the last match of the season. I think you’ll agree after listening that Kevin is part of what’s great about college soccer. Thank you Coach Wardlaw!

Eric Manuel of expertmindsetcoaching.com discusses Flow State

In this episode Justin Chezem, the Christopher Newport University head men’s soccer coach, and I welcome his former coach and boss, Steve Shaw. Coach Shaw brought the CNU men’s soccer program to the national scene when he took over in 1996. His team was the first in school history to reach a number one national ranking; he continued winning until he retired in 2018. More importantly, Coach Shaw has impacted lives globally through youth coaching and charity work around the world. This episode is filled with great anecdotes from a great man. Thanks Coach Shaw!

In this episode I welcome a living legend, Al Albert. Al’s accomplishments in soccer over a 33 year career at the College of William and Mary are too numerous to list. To provide a glimpse into his success as a head men’s soccer coach, he had 29 consecutive winning seasons, 5 CAA tournament championships, 5 regular season CAA titles and several great runs in the NCAA tournament. The 4-time CAA coach of the year is in multiple halls of fame, coached several future pros, and published a book about the history of men’s soccer at William & Mary, with the forward written by Jon Stewart of the Daily Show, perhaps his most famous alum. In further service to the game and his community, Al started the Community Partnership to provide elementary school students a place to play soccer no matter what their socio-economic status is. He rallied the Williamsburg, VA community to make donations, found funds through grants and encouraged people to volunteer. The program is now over 20 years old. Finally, as a testament to his impact on American soccer as a whole over his career he was elected the 60th president of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, which is the largest single sport coaching organization on Earth. Many owe thanks to Coach Albert, my regret with this podcast is that I didn’t bring on a few of his former players to enrich the discussion. Next time.

Mindset Coach Eric Manuel discusses how to start a mindfulness practice.

In this episode I welcome human nutrition professor, Amy Rains. In addition to teaching several courses at the College of William and Mary, Amy is a published cookbook author and healthy recipe guru. We delve into the damage sugar does in our diet, the importance of protein and nutrition as it relates to sports performance. Amy also discusses timing of nutrition and supplementation. This is a great primer on nutrition and a great start to understanding how it impacts how we perform athletically. For more information, visit wholesomelicious.com and check out Amy’s website.

Mindset Monday #20 - Mindset Coach discusses the benefits of a mindfulness practice when facing exhaustion. expertmindsetcoaching.com

In this episode, Justin Chezem of Christopher Newport University Men’s Soccer and I welcome Mark Plotkin. Mark is the head coach of DePaul University men’s soccer in Chicago. Mark does a great job of describing his recruiting process, what it’s like to be a student athlete at DePaul and be a member of the men’s soccer team. He also reflects on growing up in Chicago with a group of kids who loved the game including his brother Brian who is the head coach at the US Military Academy. Listen to episode #96 for more on Brian. Thank you to Mark for a great chat and we look forward to bringing on the Plotkin brothers in the near future.

In this episode I welcome back UFC athlete Carlos Vera and his mindset coach and co-host of our Mindset Mondays, Eric Manuel of Expert Mindset Coaching. In his UFC debut in February, Carlos sustained a shoulder dislocation, torn labrum and grade 5 separation with a broken collarbone in the first minute of the bout. Despite the injury, Carlos persevered and continued to fight until the end. He describes where his mind went in the moment so that he could deal with the immediate adversity he faced. Along with his experience and innate grit and resilience, Carlos discusses with Eric the work they have done together to develop his mindfulness which played a big role in him overcoming such a gruesome injury. Thank you to Carlos and Eric for sharing so much of their work together.