September 6, 2025 • 28 mins
For this week's Friday Free Kick, Michael Parkhurst joins SDH AM to look at the issues of the day (see: Leagues Cup) as teachable moments for mentors and mentees alike...
Plus, we look at the growth of Beyond Goals and what other issues the mentors are tackling these days...
Plus, we look at the growth of Beyond Goals and what other issues the mentors are tackling these days...
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Time to go check in with their buddy Parky and
find out what the latest is. Arie is the mitry
to see it's like and literally, with the monitor here
in front of me, I literally have to squint and
I'm going in parking. It looks like halftime, good morning morning.
I'm seven hundred years old, and I'm not. I don't
(00:20):
have my glasses on, so I just sit there and go,
h Parky HT. But no, it's the Mogul in training,
all right? So all right, Mogul and training. So what's
the latest? Well, what's going on with the Rhode Island FC.
We have to catch you up and catch us up
with what's going on there in USL Championship. I know
it's a street fight in the Eastern Conference, trying to
stay above the playoff bar. What's going on with your
(00:41):
friends at our AFC.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeah, I paid them a visit last weekend. I went
up there, had you had to show face and give
a little motivational speech. I said, guys, we have to
win this game so that I can go on with
John and make sure that Dell understands, even though they're
having a really good season, can't beat us. It was
(01:06):
a good trip though, it was good to be up
there and see the team. It's been a tough season
for us, underperformed for sure, fighting for the playoff spot,
and we're right there, I think tied maybe for eighth,
or maybe somebody jumped us last night. I can't remember,
but we're right there. But we played Charleston last week,
(01:30):
we played Louisville this weekend, so it's back to back, tough,
tough games, but you know, we did it. Against Charleston,
we won one zero to Dell's point, we had thirty
two percent possession and honestly, we are a team that
the statistics say the less we have the ball, the
more points we get. And I don't think we've ever
(01:53):
lost a game and we've had like less than forty
five possession or something like that. It's yeah, really strange.
So yeah, we'll see hopefully louis will have the ball
a lot.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Well, I mean literally, with a group like that, you
sit there and it's like, you know what, Danny, Danny,
all you've got to do is just you know, you know,
I'm just not feeling it.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
You just Danny, it's yours today.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
You just it just sit there, just kind of kick
it long because I mean there's a there's a game
that I'm reminded of in a particular part of New
Jersey where uh, Atlanta and Ied just didn't want the ball.
Just it's like, you know what, tell you what, you
don't like having the ball, tell you what, We're gonna
give it to you anyway.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
It's just like, you got to do all the work.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
And so I mean that makes a lot of sense,
just like, look, you got to do all the work.
You try to tire the guy out, try to force
them to be clinical, and then the more that things
don't happen, the more that you're looking at them, pressing
and trying to figure out, Okay, we've really got to
do something, and pressure amplifies, and pressure amplifies, and you're
just kind of sitting there going, okay, keep it going,
you're doing great, you're doing great, not scoring.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
And we can see things kind of tightening up. So no,
I get where you're coming from it.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Yeah, it's tough to break down a low block. And
you know that there's a quality difference obviously between MLS
and USL, so you know it's even tougher probably for
USL teams to break down a lower block and yeah,
obviously you can play on the counter attack, so we'll see. Yeah, Dell,
(03:20):
thank you, please do us a favor and beat Indy
this weekend, have a nice bounce back game at home.
But no, it was important. I was up there. We
had a lot of decisions to make, looking at next
year and contracts and players, and we got the deadline,
the roster freeze coming up on Monday, I believe, so
figuring out if we're doing anything between now and then,
(03:42):
and so a lot of good stuff was was done.
I got to see the team, take a w and
see some family while I was up there, so it
was a It was a great trip, and hopefully we
can make a nice run like we did at the
end of last season and head into the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Yep, two matches play and right now you're two points out.
You blow the playoff part twenty four points.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
So there's some more past us on Wednesday night.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Yeah, so there's some work that's got to be done.
When when you're talking when you when you're talking to
as a mogul in training and as an ex player
and as a part of an ownership group, Iman, you're
coming at it from a couple of different levels when
you're having conversations with those players. I mean, obviously you
want your advice to be taken to heart, and you
(04:27):
don't want to put any they don't. You don't want
to add any pressure to those individuals that you're talking
to in a situation like this, it's like, look, just
you know, trust in yourself, do your thing. But I
would also imagine that with those players that are under
contract to your organization, they're probably yes, they're taking all
that info to heart, but at the same time they
(04:47):
understand the gravity of it and they're trying not to press,
but I think they're pressing at the same time. It's
a delicate balance for these guys in this situation right now.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Yeah, absolutely, And I had that kind of int in
a battle and I We've got a player who was
very good for us last year was struggling a bit
this year, and I was debating about whether I have
a conversation with him because I want to come to
him as a as a former player and as a
mentor and you know, give him a little bit of
help and guidance and stuff. But it's tough to see
(05:18):
to know if they see, if they are able to
see me like that, or if they just see me
as you know, co founder, co owner or whatever type thing.
But I ended up having a conversation with him and
he's a fantastic human being. But yeah, it's it's difficult
probably to you know, wear the different hats, and you know,
sometimes view things one way and view things the other way.
(05:41):
But I think in general, we just want to view
things like good human beings. Like for example, we decided
to pick up the options on a couple of guys early,
right there's no incentive for us to really pick up
an option for somebody for next year right now, because
you know, gush forbid, somebody gets injured and you know
(06:03):
that they're going to miss most of next season. You know,
that can affect decisions. But we said, you know what,
these guys have been good. We want them to be
here next year. Let's just do it now and give
them the peace of mind. And so, you know, you
just try and make decisions being good human beings and
knowing how it can be perceived on the other side
(06:23):
of things. So yeah, that's how we're trying.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
To do things.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
And I mean, there's nothing wrong with being a good person,
and that rubs off on an individual, and then word
gets around because you're in a situation where hey, you know, yeah,
you don't have to do it, but you do do it.
And then you add confidence to the individual on a
(06:50):
couple of different fronts. You're adding confidence to that individual's like, Okay,
they trust in me, and if they're having a slow year,
what they believe in me that I can do. They're
investing in the future of me, and they're investing in
the person of me, and so all of that rubs off.
And so you never know who that particular player can
talk to. You never know who the friend those are
friends for that player. So that kind of attitude that
(07:12):
is exhibited to them rubs off. And you don't know
the I'm not gonna I'll say knock on effect, but
I mean that am positive. You don't know how they
tell two friends and so on and so on and
so on. So there's nothing wrong with being nice and
investing in someone's future at the same time.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
For sure, Right, yeah, absolutely, good things come back to you.
So till we want to do things, and you know,
you do most things the right way, right, you get
that good karma back to you and to your point, right,
everybody speaks. The soccer world is such a small world,
(07:49):
and I see it time and time again, and so yeah,
you hope that by cheating players the right way. You know,
other players tell players, agents, tell other people. Right, there's
just a a lot of good will out there by
doing things the right way, and there's it seems so easy,
and yet there's so many clubs that don't do it.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
So why why do you think?
Speaker 2 (08:15):
I think part of it is maybe they have people
that were never in the player's shoes. They don't understand,
and they just view it as commodities. Basically, you know,
there's a business to run, and there's games to win
(08:37):
and butts to put in seats, and you know, this
is just a data point, and the data point can
move on if we want them to, because we control things.
And so you know, I think some of some of
it is in there, and they lose the human aspect
of it and the benefit that we just spoke about
of what can transpire if you do things the right way.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Do you see the same in mentoring? I mean, I
know that you and Greg and your your new charge
who was part of the Purple women's team down down
in Central Florida. Do you see that in mentoring where
mentors may see mentees's data points or is there a
genuine effort across the board to try in advance to
(09:20):
make things better for those individuals that they touched. Do
you see any menty mentors working with mentees's data points?
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Not firsthand?
Speaker 1 (09:30):
Good because I wanted to ask that question, and I
was kind of I was hoping the answer was going
to go a certain way, but go ahead.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Yeah, not that I've ever seen, and I don't know
exactly how all the companies are run, and there's some
big ones out there, so you just you hope not
for sure, but no, for us, it's about relationships.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
That has the word of mouth about how you and
Greg handle things. BGM has that rubbed off and given
you mentees that you would not have anticipated getting otherwise.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Absolutely absolutely are our best. I mean, we don't do
much marketing, so our best marketing is our current client
base and them telling a teammate or a parent and
words spreading and new clients coming in. So yeah, absolutely,
(10:28):
so again just being a good human And back to
your earlier question of why don't some teams do it?
Because they don't have to because they've got the power.
MLS has always had power and they haven't had to.
It was such a classic example of like the American veteran,
(10:49):
especially back in the day when I was a young
player getting into the league, and guys like Steve Rowlson,
Jay Heaps, Matt Reeves, guys towards the end of their careers,
sort of MLS would just lowball them, knowing, Okay, these
guy's got a family, he's not making a lot of money.
He's probably not going to want to move to make
(11:09):
just a little bit more money. So you know, we
can get away with things. And that's the way it's
been for a long time, like, Okay, let's do the
bare minimum because that's what we have to do versus Hey,
what's right?
Speaker 3 (11:24):
That suck?
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Yeah? Does suck it? Things have changed and free agency
has helped, and now there's a regard for the American
player and you know, even veterans and what they can
bring to a team and things. So the league's in
a much different place right now. Players have more power
and so yeah, a lot of that has gone away,
(11:46):
but some clubs have learned a little slower than others.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
I want to there are a couple of modern day
news events that have happened in the sport that I
want to kind of go over with you. I'm going
to talk about them like later in the show, because
we've had some advancement in them, and I want to
ask it within the framework of mentoring and you know,
looking at examples and you know, good examples, bad examples
(12:12):
of athletes and things like that. Have you had any
mentoring sessions since the end of Leagues.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Cup, so basically this week up.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Until now, Yeah, I have.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
And the reason that I ask is, and this is
probably going to be something of a perpetual question, is
have there been any conversations about what happened at the
end of the match and what happened after the whistle blew?
Speaker 2 (12:48):
Yeah? I put something out on social media about it,
and you know, about being able to control our emotions
and why it's so important and respect and you know,
being a good human being and how those things are important.
And you know, he's probably going to get away with it,
but you know, if you, as a younger player, do
something like that, it could ruin your career and uh,
(13:09):
you know, it could vanish quickly. And so I put
something on social media about it, and yeah, I don't
know how many people watch American football, but did you
see it last night?
Speaker 1 (13:20):
John, Yeah, I saw Jalen Carter basically, you know, bust
out a loogie on Dak first play before the first
snap even happensable. And then Jalen is walking off the
field with a smirk on his face that apparently he
doesn't at the moment, didn't quite understand the repercussion of
(13:41):
what was going on because there will be knock on effects,
and apparently there is now word out that Dak may
have started it.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
I listened to the interview and it sold and then
like Dak spit on the ground or something, and then
he Jalen took it as if he was getting spit out,
So he spit, you know, But just in general, like
being able to even if you felt that someone spit
towards you, right, being able to control yourself in this
(14:10):
moment and realize this game and being a part of
the team is so much bigger than me feeling disrespected
in this little moment right now, right, I can get
my revenge later in the game within the rules. Yeah,
you know, And same thing with Suarez. I mean, he
obviously hasn't learned. It's not the first time. And you know,
(14:34):
he can apologize all he wants, but which is which
is great? I'm glad that he did. But yeah, I
really really hope, but I have zero expectations that MLS
will come down on him. And that's a shame because
you know, so many people watch him and Miami, and
(14:57):
you know, and you see MESSI during the whole thing, right,
what's he doing off to the side, off to the side,
couldn't care less about what's going on over there, knows
that it's childish, doesn't want a part of it, right,
And and you wonder why some people you know are the best.
And Suarez is so so good, and he's unbelievably talented
(15:21):
and has been for a really long time. But it's
crazy that you can lose your mind in situations like
that and not be able to control yourself. And it's
such a skill, and it's an important skill for all
realms of.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Life when you have conversations with men Tea's obviously not
to the extent of a Luis Suarez moment like we
had in Seattle, but do you watch tape on men Tea's,
Do parents sit there and send you like videos like, Okay,
I have a concern I need to kind of bring
(15:56):
my I need to bring my athlete kind of back
to the back to square when it comes to being
a good person out there and being out there and
competing and not being a honk about it. I'm, for
lack of a better term, I mean, do you have
conversations where you kind of have to bring mentees back
to reality a little bit?
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Sometimes? Not too often, honestly, there's there's not too many
mentees that send us a video for us to look at.
Some do, and we have had some conversations about attitudes
out on the field and how to control emotions, and
some players have been honest about, hey, I can't control myself, right,
I'll just yell at a ref. And you know, we
(16:37):
try and talk about different ways to do it and
how to handle it and ways to work on it.
But not too too often. But it is something that
I see constantly John, even at the MLS level, for example,
There's there's different levels to it, right. Sores is obviously
a huge, high, high level, right, but I was even
watching highlights from Portland versus Cincinnati. It was a Vanders
(16:59):
game back at Portland and there's a turnover by a
defensive midfielder for Portland. He's trying to play the striker
center back. Miaska steps in front of the pass and
the center midfielder stands there like, hey, striker, what are
you doing. Miaska passes the ball to a Vander who's
standing right next to the guy who's going like this.
(17:21):
If Vander kind of turns, doesn't even touch the ball,
first touch, bang side netting goal. And it's like reactions, right,
just so important. They're so so important, And reactions on
the field, off the field, controlling our ability to react
(17:44):
and get on with things. It's just so important. And
I see it all the time at the highest level,
so I know for sure it's happening at the lower
levels for.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Sure, because you have the athletes at the lower levels
who look at the athletes at the higher level and
they see that in a match, and I guess from
there it is viewed as an accepted behavior, like, well,
if they're doing it, then I should be able to
do it.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
That that kind of a thing.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
And when you're you know, when you have that kind
of of behavior, what do you what do you tell
those mentees who might look at this and this, and
you know it's like, you know, instead of this, when
they're doing all of the negative stuff, how do you
try to turn those negatives around or at least kind
(18:32):
of shake them on the lapels a little bit and go,
that's not how you're going to get things done.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
That's not how you're going to be productive here.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
Yeah, we're trying and tell them to, Hey, put yourself
in the other person's shoes, right, Say you're the person
who shot the ball instead of crossed it or tried
to cross it, and you didn't make a good cross
and your striker turns around and is like giving you
one of these are yelling at you. How is that
going to make you feel? Is that going to help
you play better? Is that going to help the team
play better?
Speaker 3 (19:00):
No?
Speaker 2 (19:01):
And I get the frustration from that Portland player that
the striker was lazy in the center back just right,
But have a go at them later, right, There's there's
a time and a place to sort things out and
the game doesn't stop for you and your emotions. And
so yeah, that's that's one way we kind of talk
about things. And but also I say, hey, go watch
(19:23):
a women's game, Go watch an NWSL game, their reactions
are so much better than the men, so so much better.
I rarely, rarely, rarely see a player in the NWSL
mf a teammate or throw their throw their hands up,
(19:47):
have bad body language towards a teammate. Rarely. The difference
is unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
And now that I'm processing that in my head, yeah,
I mean I can, I legitimately cannot think. And I
mean I'm even thinking quickly at the international level where
you're chasing after a world trophy and proper hydration, yes,
we like that, especially on a Friday. And but yeah,
(20:17):
I can't think of any level where I have seen
I mean, short of people getting mad at how say
South American clubs might time waste and then they get
you frustrated in that kind of a thing. But I
can't think of, say, offensively in transition, or any kind
of moment like that where it's rare where if you
(20:37):
are doing something like that where you're mfing and teammate,
you're doing this, you're doing this, You're directing traffic to
no one in particular.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
I can't think of.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
A moment short of coming from frustration, where you're doing
something like that.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Yeah, and so it's just a good example of you
can still play at the highest level without the antics,
without the bad body language, and still have good results
and still play at the top level.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
Do you show women's soccer to male mentees.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
When we well, yes, I'll show it doesn't matter soccer
or soccer. So I'll show NWSL to men, I'll show
MLS to women. When we do our big group things,
it's NWSL and MLS clips. It doesn't matter who's in attendance.
So yeah, we can learn from anything.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
Yeah, I was just because if it made sense to
watch a women's match. I didn't know if part of
the individual study was to sit there and say, Okay,
here's what I've seen from you, you know, take a
look at this and see how it's managed this way.
And so that was that's why I was asking that
kind of thing. So, I mean, it's just you hope
(21:47):
that it's not a prevailing issue where you have the
younger athletes looking at older athletes and thinking it's a
un accepted behavior, And that to me is one of
the things that uh, it's like really and it just
it comes across sometimes like you want to go down
that path you you really wanna you really like this
(22:10):
person for what they're doing on the field, and it's
just I'm hoping it's not something that is increasing in
number that you want to draw folks back.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
And it's like, look, focus on what got you here.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Don't focus on all the history, onics and everything else
that that you see. Focus on being the great athlete
and the great person. This individual is so far over
at the end of the bell curve that they're they're
not worth your time in certain aspects of it. It's
just it's I'm hoping that it's an issue that you
know that you sit there and it's just like put
them off to the side. It's it is a bad example.
(22:42):
It's an example of how to be bad about things.
But it was just it drove me crazy, how what
we saw in Seattle. I was hoping it's not an
accepted an accepted behavior across across the board, and I
was wondering about mentees when it came to doing stuff
like this.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Yeah, and I cannot believe it's been almost a week
and we've yet to hear from.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
MLS and or the League's Cup Disciplinary Committee.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Yeah, I mean League's Cup is one thing I get it.
Who knows even Sores plays next year.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
I mean, look, MLS needs to come in with their
own suspension effective immediately and x amount of games.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
And I mean we've seen it before with pet Key
with his outburst, with Clinton Dempsey and his outburst where
he ripped up the ref's notebook. Yeah, exactly so, and
uh wuaateamak Blanco in Open Cup when he went berserk.
So if hquateamak Blanco wants to come back, if Dempsey
(23:49):
wants to come back and play in an Open Cup scenario,
they still have to sit out of suspension. It would
not surprise me if that was like it for Luis
Suarez because it's he's in the last year of his deal.
All the Big four in their last years of their deals,
there's no options to be picked up, and then they
got to figure it out. So Suarez is just like, yeah,
I know what I'm doing. I'm out, So I'm just
(24:11):
gonna go ahead and you know, not really care what
are they gonna do, What are they gonna do?
Speaker 3 (24:15):
Fire me, you know, one of those kind of things.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
Yeah, wait till his last MLS game that doesn't end.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
Well, yeah, no, I mean that would be Yeah, whether
it's a playoff game or what have you, when of
those when those situations, it's just I'm anticipating, and this
is the negative person in me. I'm thinking that this
is it for Luis Suarez and he's just like, yeah, whatever,
and I'm gonna go ahead and I'm gonna do my thing.
And you know, it's like, you know, come after me
(24:41):
and chase me and do whatever, send me the envelope
and I'm gonna file a change of address kit and
you're not gonna know where I am, and so it's
not gonna matter.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Yeah. I just really hope that MLS understands that younger
people are watching, right, the younger generation is watching mm hmm.
And so if this goes unpunished, I don't and unpunished
by me. I'm talking about MLS. I don't care about
League Cup, right, Lee's Cups could suspend it for a
year and I'd be like, Okay, yeah, that's fine. What's
(25:08):
MLS there.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Yeah, So, I mean I really hope.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
That MLS does something because you know, I think it's
a lesson that kids need to learn.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
And I mean, Sergei Busietz does a short right to
obed Vargas.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
He should be suspended as well.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
And you had Maxi Falcone with a it wasn't quite
a rear naked choke, but it was a rear choke
in the pile. And we were walking through the incident
earlier this week, and we came up with like six
players for Miami and two for Seattle that are probably
going to get envelopes from the that should get envelopes from.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
The league office. Was put it that way?
Speaker 1 (25:45):
Yeah, I mean, because it was out of control and
you had dudes with bibbs who were taking swings and
like choking folks and that that's just no, no that.
I don't know how else to say it, but just no.
You know, that's not what you want to do. That's
not the kind of image that you want to have
when you have a team of superstars who are supposed
to act a certain way and then and now you
(26:06):
got me on my soapbox, uh, acting a certain way
and then acting like that when you have this expectation
of Okay, look, you're a superstar, do your thing.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
Mess.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
He's off to the side, Busquets is doing short rights
and Luis Suarez is stomping on a security guy. So
he doesn't move so he can wind up and go
and go magic loogie on the guy. I mean it's
just like, what, how would you process that is an
idea to do.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
That's the other thing to me.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
I mean, legitimately, I'm gonna step on this guy's foot
so he can't move, and then I'm gonna then I'm
gonna I'm gonna hock at him. I mean, where does
that even come from? I'm starting now, I'm fired up.
I mean, if you got me all fired up again.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Dude, yep. But to Aby's point, I mean, if a
reserve player for Seattle or even Miami spit on a
high profile player, mm hm done for the.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
Season, Donzo, Absolutely, Okay, I've borrowed you long enough. What's
the latest would be on Gold?
Speaker 2 (27:05):
What's the latest and greatest? We are sorting out our
Thanksgiving camp and what we're doing there. We are hopefully,
hopefully later today, having further conversations about a partnership with
our first club team. So that would be awesome. Oh yes,
(27:27):
okay in the Atlanta region, that would be tremendous. So yeah,
big picture stuff. So yeah, it's going on.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
Well, may the picture continue to get bigger sir, thank
you for hanging out with us. You're going to go
out and play golf or are you working out?
Speaker 2 (27:44):
I wish I could. I've got meetings from now until
one and then working the grill tonight for Friday night
football to help out the softball team.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
Oh okay, all right, Well, let us know about the grill,
and next time we catch up, we'll find out about
Rhode Island, will find out about the grill, find out
about mentoring, and hopefully maybe if you want to break
some news, you could do that with this club thing
that you're working on. Just just thinking as always, my friend,
great to see, Thanks for hanging out with us and
(28:14):
answering all of my questions and wandering down the road
of the mentor's mentees and all the things. Be safe,
my friend, Be well, and we'll catch up with you
so
Time to go check in with their buddy Parky and
find out what the latest is. Arie is the mitry
to see it's like and literally, with the monitor here
in front of me, I literally have to squint and
I'm going in parking. It looks like halftime, good morning morning.
I'm seven hundred years old, and I'm not. I don't
(00:20):
have my glasses on, so I just sit there and go,
h Parky HT. But no, it's the Mogul in training,
all right? So all right, Mogul and training. So what's
the latest? Well, what's going on with the Rhode Island FC.
We have to catch you up and catch us up
with what's going on there in USL Championship. I know
it's a street fight in the Eastern Conference, trying to
stay above the playoff bar. What's going on with your
(00:41):
friends at our AFC.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeah, I paid them a visit last weekend. I went
up there, had you had to show face and give
a little motivational speech. I said, guys, we have to
win this game so that I can go on with
John and make sure that Dell understands, even though they're
having a really good season, can't beat us. It was
(01:06):
a good trip though, it was good to be up
there and see the team. It's been a tough season
for us, underperformed for sure, fighting for the playoff spot,
and we're right there, I think tied maybe for eighth,
or maybe somebody jumped us last night. I can't remember,
but we're right there. But we played Charleston last week,
(01:30):
we played Louisville this weekend, so it's back to back, tough,
tough games, but you know, we did it. Against Charleston,
we won one zero to Dell's point, we had thirty
two percent possession and honestly, we are a team that
the statistics say the less we have the ball, the
more points we get. And I don't think we've ever
(01:53):
lost a game and we've had like less than forty
five possession or something like that. It's yeah, really strange.
So yeah, we'll see hopefully louis will have the ball
a lot.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Well, I mean literally, with a group like that, you
sit there and it's like, you know what, Danny, Danny,
all you've got to do is just you know, you know,
I'm just not feeling it.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
You just Danny, it's yours today.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
You just it just sit there, just kind of kick
it long because I mean there's a there's a game
that I'm reminded of in a particular part of New
Jersey where uh, Atlanta and Ied just didn't want the ball.
Just it's like, you know what, tell you what, you
don't like having the ball, tell you what, We're gonna
give it to you anyway.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
It's just like, you got to do all the work.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
And so I mean that makes a lot of sense,
just like, look, you got to do all the work.
You try to tire the guy out, try to force
them to be clinical, and then the more that things
don't happen, the more that you're looking at them, pressing
and trying to figure out, Okay, we've really got to
do something, and pressure amplifies, and pressure amplifies, and you're
just kind of sitting there going, okay, keep it going,
you're doing great, you're doing great, not scoring.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
And we can see things kind of tightening up. So no,
I get where you're coming from it.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Yeah, it's tough to break down a low block. And
you know that there's a quality difference obviously between MLS
and USL, so you know it's even tougher probably for
USL teams to break down a lower block and yeah,
obviously you can play on the counter attack, so we'll see. Yeah, Dell,
(03:20):
thank you, please do us a favor and beat Indy
this weekend, have a nice bounce back game at home.
But no, it was important. I was up there. We
had a lot of decisions to make, looking at next
year and contracts and players, and we got the deadline,
the roster freeze coming up on Monday, I believe, so
figuring out if we're doing anything between now and then,
(03:42):
and so a lot of good stuff was was done.
I got to see the team, take a w and
see some family while I was up there, so it
was a It was a great trip, and hopefully we
can make a nice run like we did at the
end of last season and head into the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Yep, two matches play and right now you're two points out.
You blow the playoff part twenty four points.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
So there's some more past us on Wednesday night.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Yeah, so there's some work that's got to be done.
When when you're talking when you when you're talking to
as a mogul in training and as an ex player
and as a part of an ownership group, Iman, you're
coming at it from a couple of different levels when
you're having conversations with those players. I mean, obviously you
want your advice to be taken to heart, and you
(04:27):
don't want to put any they don't. You don't want
to add any pressure to those individuals that you're talking
to in a situation like this, it's like, look, just
you know, trust in yourself, do your thing. But I
would also imagine that with those players that are under
contract to your organization, they're probably yes, they're taking all
that info to heart, but at the same time they
(04:47):
understand the gravity of it and they're trying not to press,
but I think they're pressing at the same time. It's
a delicate balance for these guys in this situation right now.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Yeah, absolutely, And I had that kind of int in
a battle and I We've got a player who was
very good for us last year was struggling a bit
this year, and I was debating about whether I have
a conversation with him because I want to come to
him as a as a former player and as a
mentor and you know, give him a little bit of
help and guidance and stuff. But it's tough to see
(05:18):
to know if they see, if they are able to
see me like that, or if they just see me
as you know, co founder, co owner or whatever type thing.
But I ended up having a conversation with him and
he's a fantastic human being. But yeah, it's it's difficult
probably to you know, wear the different hats, and you know,
sometimes view things one way and view things the other way.
(05:41):
But I think in general, we just want to view
things like good human beings. Like for example, we decided
to pick up the options on a couple of guys early,
right there's no incentive for us to really pick up
an option for somebody for next year right now, because
you know, gush forbid, somebody gets injured and you know
(06:03):
that they're going to miss most of next season. You know,
that can affect decisions. But we said, you know what,
these guys have been good. We want them to be
here next year. Let's just do it now and give
them the peace of mind. And so, you know, you
just try and make decisions being good human beings and
knowing how it can be perceived on the other side
(06:23):
of things. So yeah, that's how we're trying.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
To do things.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
And I mean, there's nothing wrong with being a good person,
and that rubs off on an individual, and then word
gets around because you're in a situation where hey, you know, yeah,
you don't have to do it, but you do do it.
And then you add confidence to the individual on a
(06:50):
couple of different fronts. You're adding confidence to that individual's like, Okay,
they trust in me, and if they're having a slow year,
what they believe in me that I can do. They're
investing in the future of me, and they're investing in
the person of me, and so all of that rubs off.
And so you never know who that particular player can
talk to. You never know who the friend those are
friends for that player. So that kind of attitude that
(07:12):
is exhibited to them rubs off. And you don't know
the I'm not gonna I'll say knock on effect, but
I mean that am positive. You don't know how they
tell two friends and so on and so on and
so on. So there's nothing wrong with being nice and
investing in someone's future at the same time.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
For sure, Right, yeah, absolutely, good things come back to you.
So till we want to do things, and you know,
you do most things the right way, right, you get
that good karma back to you and to your point, right,
everybody speaks. The soccer world is such a small world,
(07:49):
and I see it time and time again, and so yeah,
you hope that by cheating players the right way. You know,
other players tell players, agents, tell other people. Right, there's
just a a lot of good will out there by
doing things the right way, and there's it seems so easy,
and yet there's so many clubs that don't do it.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
So why why do you think?
Speaker 2 (08:15):
I think part of it is maybe they have people
that were never in the player's shoes. They don't understand,
and they just view it as commodities. Basically, you know,
there's a business to run, and there's games to win
(08:37):
and butts to put in seats, and you know, this
is just a data point, and the data point can
move on if we want them to, because we control things.
And so you know, I think some of some of
it is in there, and they lose the human aspect
of it and the benefit that we just spoke about
of what can transpire if you do things the right way.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Do you see the same in mentoring? I mean, I
know that you and Greg and your your new charge
who was part of the Purple women's team down down
in Central Florida. Do you see that in mentoring where
mentors may see mentees's data points or is there a
genuine effort across the board to try in advance to
(09:20):
make things better for those individuals that they touched. Do
you see any menty mentors working with mentees's data points?
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Not firsthand?
Speaker 1 (09:30):
Good because I wanted to ask that question, and I
was kind of I was hoping the answer was going
to go a certain way, but go ahead.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Yeah, not that I've ever seen, and I don't know
exactly how all the companies are run, and there's some
big ones out there, so you just you hope not
for sure, but no, for us, it's about relationships.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
That has the word of mouth about how you and
Greg handle things. BGM has that rubbed off and given
you mentees that you would not have anticipated getting otherwise.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Absolutely absolutely are our best. I mean, we don't do
much marketing, so our best marketing is our current client
base and them telling a teammate or a parent and
words spreading and new clients coming in. So yeah, absolutely,
(10:28):
so again just being a good human And back to
your earlier question of why don't some teams do it?
Because they don't have to because they've got the power.
MLS has always had power and they haven't had to.
It was such a classic example of like the American veteran,
(10:49):
especially back in the day when I was a young
player getting into the league, and guys like Steve Rowlson,
Jay Heaps, Matt Reeves, guys towards the end of their careers,
sort of MLS would just lowball them, knowing, Okay, these
guy's got a family, he's not making a lot of money.
He's probably not going to want to move to make
(11:09):
just a little bit more money. So you know, we
can get away with things. And that's the way it's
been for a long time, like, Okay, let's do the
bare minimum because that's what we have to do versus Hey,
what's right?
Speaker 3 (11:24):
That suck?
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Yeah? Does suck it? Things have changed and free agency
has helped, and now there's a regard for the American
player and you know, even veterans and what they can
bring to a team and things. So the league's in
a much different place right now. Players have more power
and so yeah, a lot of that has gone away,
(11:46):
but some clubs have learned a little slower than others.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
I want to there are a couple of modern day
news events that have happened in the sport that I
want to kind of go over with you. I'm going
to talk about them like later in the show, because
we've had some advancement in them, and I want to
ask it within the framework of mentoring and you know,
looking at examples and you know, good examples, bad examples
(12:12):
of athletes and things like that. Have you had any
mentoring sessions since the end of Leagues.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Cup, so basically this week up.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Until now, Yeah, I have.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
And the reason that I ask is, and this is
probably going to be something of a perpetual question, is
have there been any conversations about what happened at the
end of the match and what happened after the whistle blew?
Speaker 2 (12:48):
Yeah? I put something out on social media about it,
and you know, about being able to control our emotions
and why it's so important and respect and you know,
being a good human being and how those things are important.
And you know, he's probably going to get away with it,
but you know, if you, as a younger player, do
something like that, it could ruin your career and uh,
(13:09):
you know, it could vanish quickly. And so I put
something on social media about it, and yeah, I don't
know how many people watch American football, but did you
see it last night?
Speaker 1 (13:20):
John, Yeah, I saw Jalen Carter basically, you know, bust
out a loogie on Dak first play before the first
snap even happensable. And then Jalen is walking off the
field with a smirk on his face that apparently he
doesn't at the moment, didn't quite understand the repercussion of
(13:41):
what was going on because there will be knock on effects,
and apparently there is now word out that Dak may
have started it.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
I listened to the interview and it sold and then
like Dak spit on the ground or something, and then
he Jalen took it as if he was getting spit out,
So he spit, you know, But just in general, like
being able to even if you felt that someone spit
towards you, right, being able to control yourself in this
(14:10):
moment and realize this game and being a part of
the team is so much bigger than me feeling disrespected
in this little moment right now, right, I can get
my revenge later in the game within the rules. Yeah,
you know, And same thing with Suarez. I mean, he
obviously hasn't learned. It's not the first time. And you know,
(14:34):
he can apologize all he wants, but which is which
is great? I'm glad that he did. But yeah, I
really really hope, but I have zero expectations that MLS
will come down on him. And that's a shame because
you know, so many people watch him and Miami, and
(14:57):
you know, and you see MESSI during the whole thing, right,
what's he doing off to the side, off to the side,
couldn't care less about what's going on over there, knows
that it's childish, doesn't want a part of it, right,
And and you wonder why some people you know are the best.
And Suarez is so so good, and he's unbelievably talented
(15:21):
and has been for a really long time. But it's
crazy that you can lose your mind in situations like
that and not be able to control yourself. And it's
such a skill, and it's an important skill for all
realms of.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Life when you have conversations with men Tea's obviously not
to the extent of a Luis Suarez moment like we
had in Seattle, but do you watch tape on men Tea's,
Do parents sit there and send you like videos like, Okay,
I have a concern I need to kind of bring
(15:56):
my I need to bring my athlete kind of back
to the back to square when it comes to being
a good person out there and being out there and
competing and not being a honk about it. I'm, for
lack of a better term, I mean, do you have
conversations where you kind of have to bring mentees back
to reality a little bit?
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Sometimes? Not too often, honestly, there's there's not too many
mentees that send us a video for us to look at.
Some do, and we have had some conversations about attitudes
out on the field and how to control emotions, and
some players have been honest about, hey, I can't control myself, right,
I'll just yell at a ref. And you know, we
(16:37):
try and talk about different ways to do it and
how to handle it and ways to work on it.
But not too too often. But it is something that
I see constantly John, even at the MLS level, for example,
There's there's different levels to it, right. Sores is obviously
a huge, high, high level, right, but I was even
watching highlights from Portland versus Cincinnati. It was a Vanders
(16:59):
game back at Portland and there's a turnover by a
defensive midfielder for Portland. He's trying to play the striker
center back. Miaska steps in front of the pass and
the center midfielder stands there like, hey, striker, what are
you doing. Miaska passes the ball to a Vander who's
standing right next to the guy who's going like this.
(17:21):
If Vander kind of turns, doesn't even touch the ball,
first touch, bang side netting goal. And it's like reactions, right,
just so important. They're so so important, And reactions on
the field, off the field, controlling our ability to react
(17:44):
and get on with things. It's just so important. And
I see it all the time at the highest level,
so I know for sure it's happening at the lower
levels for.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Sure, because you have the athletes at the lower levels
who look at the athletes at the higher level and
they see that in a match, and I guess from
there it is viewed as an accepted behavior, like, well,
if they're doing it, then I should be able to
do it.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
That that kind of a thing.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
And when you're you know, when you have that kind
of of behavior, what do you what do you tell
those mentees who might look at this and this, and
you know it's like, you know, instead of this, when
they're doing all of the negative stuff, how do you
try to turn those negatives around or at least kind
(18:32):
of shake them on the lapels a little bit and go,
that's not how you're going to get things done.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
That's not how you're going to be productive here.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
Yeah, we're trying and tell them to, Hey, put yourself
in the other person's shoes, right, Say you're the person
who shot the ball instead of crossed it or tried
to cross it, and you didn't make a good cross
and your striker turns around and is like giving you
one of these are yelling at you. How is that
going to make you feel? Is that going to help
you play better? Is that going to help the team
play better?
Speaker 3 (19:00):
No?
Speaker 2 (19:01):
And I get the frustration from that Portland player that
the striker was lazy in the center back just right,
But have a go at them later, right, There's there's
a time and a place to sort things out and
the game doesn't stop for you and your emotions. And
so yeah, that's that's one way we kind of talk
about things. And but also I say, hey, go watch
(19:23):
a women's game, Go watch an NWSL game, their reactions
are so much better than the men, so so much better.
I rarely, rarely, rarely see a player in the NWSL
mf a teammate or throw their throw their hands up,
(19:47):
have bad body language towards a teammate. Rarely. The difference
is unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
And now that I'm processing that in my head, yeah,
I mean I can, I legitimately cannot think. And I
mean I'm even thinking quickly at the international level where
you're chasing after a world trophy and proper hydration, yes,
we like that, especially on a Friday. And but yeah,
(20:17):
I can't think of any level where I have seen
I mean, short of people getting mad at how say
South American clubs might time waste and then they get
you frustrated in that kind of a thing. But I
can't think of, say, offensively in transition, or any kind
of moment like that where it's rare where if you
(20:37):
are doing something like that where you're mfing and teammate,
you're doing this, you're doing this, You're directing traffic to
no one in particular.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
I can't think of.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
A moment short of coming from frustration, where you're doing
something like that.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Yeah, and so it's just a good example of you
can still play at the highest level without the antics,
without the bad body language, and still have good results
and still play at the top level.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
Do you show women's soccer to male mentees.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
When we well, yes, I'll show it doesn't matter soccer
or soccer. So I'll show NWSL to men, I'll show
MLS to women. When we do our big group things,
it's NWSL and MLS clips. It doesn't matter who's in attendance.
So yeah, we can learn from anything.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
Yeah, I was just because if it made sense to
watch a women's match. I didn't know if part of
the individual study was to sit there and say, Okay,
here's what I've seen from you, you know, take a
look at this and see how it's managed this way.
And so that was that's why I was asking that
kind of thing. So, I mean, it's just you hope
(21:47):
that it's not a prevailing issue where you have the
younger athletes looking at older athletes and thinking it's a
un accepted behavior, And that to me is one of
the things that uh, it's like really and it just
it comes across sometimes like you want to go down
that path you you really wanna you really like this
(22:10):
person for what they're doing on the field, and it's
just I'm hoping it's not something that is increasing in
number that you want to draw folks back.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
And it's like, look, focus on what got you here.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Don't focus on all the history, onics and everything else
that that you see. Focus on being the great athlete
and the great person. This individual is so far over
at the end of the bell curve that they're they're
not worth your time in certain aspects of it. It's
just it's I'm hoping that it's an issue that you
know that you sit there and it's just like put
them off to the side. It's it is a bad example.
(22:42):
It's an example of how to be bad about things.
But it was just it drove me crazy, how what
we saw in Seattle. I was hoping it's not an
accepted an accepted behavior across across the board, and I
was wondering about mentees when it came to doing stuff
like this.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Yeah, and I cannot believe it's been almost a week
and we've yet to hear from.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
MLS and or the League's Cup Disciplinary Committee.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Yeah, I mean League's Cup is one thing I get it.
Who knows even Sores plays next year.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
I mean, look, MLS needs to come in with their
own suspension effective immediately and x amount of games.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
And I mean we've seen it before with pet Key
with his outburst, with Clinton Dempsey and his outburst where
he ripped up the ref's notebook. Yeah, exactly so, and
uh wuaateamak Blanco in Open Cup when he went berserk.
So if hquateamak Blanco wants to come back, if Dempsey
(23:49):
wants to come back and play in an Open Cup scenario,
they still have to sit out of suspension. It would
not surprise me if that was like it for Luis
Suarez because it's he's in the last year of his deal.
All the Big four in their last years of their deals,
there's no options to be picked up, and then they
got to figure it out. So Suarez is just like, yeah,
I know what I'm doing. I'm out, So I'm just
(24:11):
gonna go ahead and you know, not really care what
are they gonna do, What are they gonna do?
Speaker 3 (24:15):
Fire me, you know, one of those kind of things.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
Yeah, wait till his last MLS game that doesn't end.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
Well, yeah, no, I mean that would be Yeah, whether
it's a playoff game or what have you, when of
those when those situations, it's just I'm anticipating, and this
is the negative person in me. I'm thinking that this
is it for Luis Suarez and he's just like, yeah, whatever,
and I'm gonna go ahead and I'm gonna do my thing.
And you know, it's like, you know, come after me
(24:41):
and chase me and do whatever, send me the envelope
and I'm gonna file a change of address kit and
you're not gonna know where I am, and so it's
not gonna matter.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Yeah. I just really hope that MLS understands that younger
people are watching, right, the younger generation is watching mm hmm.
And so if this goes unpunished, I don't and unpunished
by me. I'm talking about MLS. I don't care about
League Cup, right, Lee's Cups could suspend it for a
year and I'd be like, Okay, yeah, that's fine. What's
(25:08):
MLS there.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Yeah, So, I mean I really hope.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
That MLS does something because you know, I think it's
a lesson that kids need to learn.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
And I mean, Sergei Busietz does a short right to
obed Vargas.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
He should be suspended as well.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
And you had Maxi Falcone with a it wasn't quite
a rear naked choke, but it was a rear choke
in the pile. And we were walking through the incident
earlier this week, and we came up with like six
players for Miami and two for Seattle that are probably
going to get envelopes from the that should get envelopes from.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
The league office. Was put it that way?
Speaker 1 (25:45):
Yeah, I mean, because it was out of control and
you had dudes with bibbs who were taking swings and
like choking folks and that that's just no, no that.
I don't know how else to say it, but just no.
You know, that's not what you want to do. That's
not the kind of image that you want to have
when you have a team of superstars who are supposed
to act a certain way and then and now you
(26:06):
got me on my soapbox, uh, acting a certain way
and then acting like that when you have this expectation
of Okay, look, you're a superstar, do your thing.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
Mess.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
He's off to the side, Busquets is doing short rights
and Luis Suarez is stomping on a security guy. So
he doesn't move so he can wind up and go
and go magic loogie on the guy. I mean it's
just like, what, how would you process that is an
idea to do.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
That's the other thing to me.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
I mean, legitimately, I'm gonna step on this guy's foot
so he can't move, and then I'm gonna then I'm
gonna I'm gonna hock at him. I mean, where does
that even come from? I'm starting now, I'm fired up.
I mean, if you got me all fired up again.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Dude, yep. But to Aby's point, I mean, if a
reserve player for Seattle or even Miami spit on a
high profile player, mm hm done for the.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
Season, Donzo, Absolutely, Okay, I've borrowed you long enough. What's
the latest would be on Gold?
Speaker 2 (27:05):
What's the latest and greatest? We are sorting out our
Thanksgiving camp and what we're doing there. We are hopefully,
hopefully later today, having further conversations about a partnership with
our first club team. So that would be awesome. Oh yes,
(27:27):
okay in the Atlanta region, that would be tremendous. So yeah,
big picture stuff. So yeah, it's going on.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
Well, may the picture continue to get bigger sir, thank
you for hanging out with us. You're going to go
out and play golf or are you working out?
Speaker 2 (27:44):
I wish I could. I've got meetings from now until
one and then working the grill tonight for Friday night
football to help out the softball team.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
Oh okay, all right, Well, let us know about the grill,
and next time we catch up, we'll find out about
Rhode Island, will find out about the grill, find out
about mentoring, and hopefully maybe if you want to break
some news, you could do that with this club thing
that you're working on. Just just thinking as always, my friend,
great to see, Thanks for hanging out with us and
(28:14):
answering all of my questions and wandering down the road
of the mentor's mentees and all the things. Be safe,
my friend, Be well, and we'll catch up with you
so
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