Stoppage Time Special: John Harkes' Journey from the UK to the U.S. Soccer Scene

What if the journey of American soccer mirrors a thrilling western adventure, complete with risks, leaps of faith, and a relentless pursuit of growth? Join us in this Stoppage Time edition of Pitch to Pro as we unpack the riveting tale of John Harkes, who navigated the soccer landscapes from the UK to the U.S. Amidst the vibrant, chaotic, and rapidly evolving soccer scene in America, John shares his firsthand experiences and insights. From the early days of Major League Soccer to the burgeoning rise of the USL, his story captures the resilience and vision that fuel the sport's development against a backdrop of uncertainty and challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

John also sheds light on the indispensable role of community engagement in nurturing successful soccer clubs. Drawing on his vast experience as a player, coach, and executive, he illustrates the transformative power of grassroots involvement reminiscent of the UK, and how it's crucial for U.S. clubs to thrive. His narrative is a testament to the dedication of those who strive to elevate American soccer, underscoring the importance of building community-centered clubs that serve their fans and stakeholders. Whether you're a soccer enthusiast or someone fascinated by the dynamics of sports growth, this episode offers a compelling look into the heart and soul of soccer in the United States.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to the Stoppage Time edition of the
Pitch to Pro podcast.
This is a highlight reel ofsome of the best moments from
the show so far, and every otherweek we will be bringing you a
special five to seven minutesegment featuring the best
stories, tales and moments ofthe podcast.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
People are like, oh, a league comes up and then it
fails and it comes back up andthen this one starts over here
and there's too many leagues inthis country, and that may be
true, but we're still the wildwild west and we're trying to
find ourselves, and that's okay.
I think part of it.
You know that structure.
When you think back to the hey,I'm leaving West Ham United in

(00:40):
London, just had our first child, cindy and I.
Our son, ian, was born in Derbyand then I moved to West Ham to
be on loan with them and thenall of a sudden we talked about
coming back home.
And I'm having conversationswith Ty Bravos and he's like
Archie, I'm thinking about goingback to Major League Soccer.
I said I didn't even think theleague was starting yet and he's

(01:03):
like, yeah, I know.
And then here we are.
We just played in 94 World Cupin our own country and now I'm
competing in the Cocoa, americaand Ottawa in 95.
And there was a league supposedto start in 95.
And then it got postponed andthen it might start in 96.
And so these are all leaps offaith, and who would have known

(01:25):
that we'd come back and DCUnited would be the club that it
was and you know and competeand win, you know, five trophies
in the first three years, likeboth domestic and international,
and it's.
You don't know these things, butyou have to take some risks
sometimes to make things happen.
And that's the same with theUSL.
The USL is look, I mean,there's challenges.

(01:49):
Without a doubt, we need moreclubs and certainly USL League
One, the third division, isgrowing and growing, and who
would have thought to thisleague would start in 2019 and
then 2020 would be COVID?
Would you restrict to?
This league would start in 2019and then 2020 would be COVID,
would restrict, shut downeverything, and clubs would be

(02:10):
like, oh, I don't need, I can'tafford this anymore.
You know, but they survived anda lot of clubs are still
continuing on and pushing thegame and you're seeing the
growth in the championship aswell, and clubs like Ozark
United starting up in differentareas of the country, which are
phenomenal, so you know, and theSanta Barbers of the world and
everything else.
So you're like, let's go, keepdoing it.

(02:32):
These are the things that weneed in our country.
We need to work towardssomething, a goal, and that
mission statement is more aboutlet's serve the community with a
great club, and it doesn'tmatter if you're an MLS or not.
You're doing something that,even from an investor standpoint
, sure, is it making you tons ofmoney?

(02:54):
Probably not.
Is the valuation of your clubgoing up?
Absolutely, without a doubt.
And so you're preparing for thefuture, right?
You're managing that and you'rebuilding that, and it truly has
to be a community club.
If you're not doing it for thatreason, then you're doing it
for the wrong reason.
So you know you're going tostruggle a lot, you know.

Speaker 3 (03:14):
Yeah, well, I'm glad you brought that up because you
know we talk about it andeverything that we do.
The community is at the centerof it and, with them in mind and
this is their club, we're justthe stewards, um, but you you've
lived it, you you've been there, done it both as a player, a
coach, um, you know, executivein the media.

(03:35):
Talk about what, in particular.
I think it'd be great, uh, foryour from your experience within
the usL in particular, becauseI think that those clubs are
truly just almost like the oldschool UK grassroots, the way
that it still is over there in alot of ways, very grassroots,
just embedded in their communityevery day, beyond just the

(04:00):
games.
Talk about your experiencethere and what those clubs mean
to their communities and thecommunities to the team.

Speaker 2 (04:08):
You mean in the UK or here, or everywhere here in the
USL.

Speaker 3 (04:11):
Yeah, for sure.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
Because community engagement is critical to the
growth of your club and also foryou to be relevant.
You know, it's, it's uh, whenyou show you care.
I mean this is what I say toeach of my coaching staff every
single year.
Every time I have a coachingstaff, whether it be pro or even
the youth game or whatever it'sjust like do not be afraid to

(04:34):
show them that you care andthat's critical.
Um, you know, because everybodysays it different ways like oh,
the trust toin, all that stuff.
It is inclusivity.
You're letting them know thatthey are part of your journey
too.
They matter to you, and everyfan that asks for an autograph,
don't you dare shake them off orignore them, because the day

(04:57):
that they stop asking for it iswhen you're in trouble, and
that's critical, and so it's alifestyle, it's a.
You know, it's a cultural thingthat there's only a few people
that really get it.
They say it sometimes, but youhave to make sure that you're

(05:18):
taking care of the people thatare coming to your games.
Coming to your games, it's, it'sreally important, because then
you share the love and you alsoshare, you know, and the highs
that come in the game and thosesuccesses, but you also share
the, the losses, and you sharetogether, through the, the
growing pains and that adversity.
That's there too, um, and whenyou do that with more people,

(05:41):
that's when you get through.
That truly is growth.
So that becomes your foundation.
And when you're all in ittogether, wow, you can't fail.
You can't yeah, that's part ofit, and you give them value.
They are important.
Fans are important.
People that work on volunteergame day operations are

(06:05):
important.
Kids that are coming to you andthat want to be future coaches
or referees and they're askingyou if they can come to training
sessions and stand on thesideline.
Absolutely, yeah, that'simportant.
Those type of communityengagements are critical.
Being a mentor and giving backand growing, helping somebody
else grow.

(06:25):
If that's part of your journey,that's what you should be doing
on earth, you know.
And so if you do it, it's thebest thing in the world.

Speaker 3 (06:32):
It's like wow, thank you God.
Yeah, exactly, finding, findingthat avenue to make the world a
better place through soccer isone of the cool one of the
coolest um you know comingtogether of purpose and passion.
Purpose and passion that atleast I've been super fortunate
to be able to experience.

(06:52):
But I love that approach andthat take.
I think we'll end on this, forfor one of the cool things about
Northwest Arkansas and Arkansasas a state is and it's zero
disrespect to the uh, double Aball clubs that are here in in
in baseball, with all duerespect, we're going to be a

(07:14):
different product in in firstkind of real professional sports
team in Arkansas, um, and it'sgoing to be with with soccer on
men's and women's.
What, yes, that's exciting.
Why should?
If you're a Northwest Arkansasresident right now, from your
lens and your experiences, whatcan they expect?

(07:35):
Why should they be excitedabout this?
Wow?

Speaker 2 (07:42):
Well, the number one thing is because it's a positive
influence.
It's something that's beingdone for positive change within
your community, within yourlocal town, within your state.
It's a go-to experience and ifyou do it right and you build
the club the right way, thatgame day experience wow that

(08:05):
lasts forever.
And the families come togetherand you know it's about the
families.
You know it's about thatexperience that they find when
they go there and they're proudto put on your scarf and they're
proud to wear your jersey andyou know, through the losses and
through the wins, they supportyour club.

(08:26):
You know thick and thin,because you're transparent,
you're an honest club.

Speaker 1 (08:30):
Thank you for joining us for this stoppage time
special of the Pitch to Propodcast.
If you've enjoyed theconversation, you can click
watch the full episode here.
Be sure to tune in nextThursday for a new episode of
the Pitch to Pro podcast, theofficial podcast of Ozark United
FC, Available on YouTube,Instagram and everywhere you get
your podcasts.