Stoppage Time Special: What Makes a Real Soccer Community?

Pressure reveals culture. When a match started sliding the wrong way, we broke down the split-second coaching choice that changes everything: speak and control, or listen and trust. What followed was a raw look at accountability on the field, no finger-pointing, just honest self-checks, sharper communication, and a team that chose ownership over excuses. We talk through what calm leadership actually looks like, the subtle cues that guide better decisions, and why restraint can be the most powerful move a coach makes.

From there, we zoom out to the bigger picture shaping the region’s game. With Ozark United FC entering the scene, recruiting gets a genuine lift: international prospects see a real soccer community, local players feel a tangible pathway, and the standards around training, recovery, and mentality rise. We dive into how a pro presence changes the calculus for athletes and coaches, creating more touchpoints with high-level play, opening doors for standout talents, and building a pipeline where college, academy, and pro connect instead of competing.

What excites us most is the community impact. A pro club becomes a weekly ritual, a place where families, alumni, and young players connect with the sport at a higher level. We share how collaboration across youth programs, colleges, and the new club can spark coaching exchanges, joint events, and elevated expectations that benefit everyone. If you care about team culture, player development, and building a real pathway to the pros, this highlight delivers practical insights and a hopeful roadmap for what’s ahead. Subscribe, share with a teammate or coach, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway: what moment shifted your view on culture?

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_01 (00:03):
Welcome to the Stoppage Time edition of the
Pitch to Pro Podcast.
This is a highlight reel of someof 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_00 (00:19):
You're right.
Culture is one of the mostimportant things, if not the
most important thing, especiallywithin athletics.
Yeah.
Um, and performance.
Uh there's, I mean, you've yourmaster's just in organizational
uh business and and everything.
So I don't need to tell you.
You could probably sit here andand and give a dissertation on
the important side.
Uh, but it's also just you hearabout it, uh, about like what's

(00:41):
important to you as an employeein the business world.
Almost always top three is goingto be culture or number one,
right?
So uh just kudos to you, and I Ithink it's great.
Um, and then also in the game,in the moment that you you uh
just mentioned how like how hardwas that?
Because I'm like I'm a coachtoo, but not at your level.

(01:02):
But how hard was it for you tojust shut your mouth and let
them figure it out?
Because I know you were dyinginside.

SPEAKER_02 (01:09):
Yeah, yeah.
Um it also comes to mypersonality, like very, very
calm down most of the time.
Um I it was it was hard.
Like I wanted to make subs rightaway.
I thought about I thought aboutI'm gonna make five subs, I'm
gonna make a statement.
Yeah, you know.
Um, but I saw them being veryupset, yeah, not with each

(01:33):
other, but at themselves.

SPEAKER_01 (01:34):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (01:35):
They were like, How is this happening?
Why is this happening?
Why am I playing so bad?
Yeah.
Right.
So I saw that reaction, kind oflike that fire.
That recognition.
And what I liked was they werenot blaming each other.
They were like, Why are weplaying so bad?
Like, you know, so again, thethat culture of unity, right?
Is it's not uh putting fingersor like blaming each other.

(01:59):
It's just like, man, we need tofigure it out.
Trying to pick each other up.
Yeah.
So I saw that and I'm like,okay, they'll be fine.
So I was I was upset, I wasfrustrated, but I was confident
that they were gonna dosomething.

SPEAKER_00 (02:12):
Well, and you also recognized those cues, yeah,
right?
You were smart enough torecognize the the reaction and
reading body language and thatthe fact that they're not
pointing fingers, right?
And so I think that that's alsojust really important to is
being able to pick up on thosecues, yeah, right, and and have

(02:34):
that, you know, help drivedecision making.
So yeah, uh that's a great,great example and awesome
result, right?
Like it could have gone adifferent way.
Oh, yeah, but for sure.
Um, no, that's awesome.
So, you know, we've got a littlebit of time left.
Talk a little bit about OZFC uhand our project and kind of what
does that mean uh for JBUsoccer, if anything, like what

(02:56):
does that mean to have you knowpro soccer coming into this
space, into the area?
I would say that's big forrecruiting.

SPEAKER_02 (03:03):
Yeah, uh that's big for recruiting, not just because
there is a funnel with um boyssoccer now with you know the
academy.
Um and but I think someinternational players that are
coming from professionalacademies, they're like, oh,
there's gonna be a pro team inthe area.

(03:23):
That's fun.
Like I wanna be part, like eventhough they don't see themselves
I'm gonna play for that team,they're like, oh, there's a
soccer community.
Yeah.
Um and that I think that'll bevery good and important for us
in the future.
Um, I think Osard United willhelp us not just creating that
final for local, good, talentedplayers, but at the same time

(03:45):
recruiting some biginternational uh impact players
for the program just becausethey see there's a pro club in
the area.
There is like, oh, people likesoccer there, you know.
I can go watch games,professional level games.
Um, so I think recruiting isgonna be huge.

SPEAKER_00 (04:03):
And then you see opportunity, right?
Like the opportunity.
There's Ryan Williams, formerJBU player, played in the USL,
near Mexico United, CharlotteEagles.
Like, yeah, you know, does everyplayer get an opportunity?
No, no, but you know, it atleast provides local
opportunity, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (04:19):
Right?
Yeah, and yeah, you never know,right?
Um, and we have I would say two,three incredible players that
could be playing on aprofessional level.
Yeah.
Um, so it's yeah, I think itencouraged it pushed them to,
you know, to work hard.
Yeah.
Um, and then just for thecommunity in general, I think
just similar is just so good forthe community, whether you love

(04:42):
the sport or not, it's just sogood.
It brings belonging and unity.

SPEAKER_00 (04:45):
I love that.
It brings everybody together.
It's my favorite thing about thesport.
Um, well, man, I I I love thatuh perspective.
And, you know, I think thatthere's also just all kinds of
collaboration collaborationopportunities like on the
coaching side, like all kinds ofthings that, you know, I'm
excited to work with the youthorganizations, but also the

(05:06):
collegiate organizations in thearea.
I mean, you know, NWAC'sdeveloping their soccer
programs.
I think there's greatopportunities there with you
guys, obviously U of A.
Uh, Colby may not need it, maynot need our help.
But uh, you know, I mean, we'rebringing pro women's soccer here
too, yeah.
So, I mean, that really strongprogram.
I mean, there's plenty of, youknow, former U of A players

(05:28):
playing in the USL Super Leagueand in the NWSL.

SPEAKER_01 (05:31):
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 next Thursdayfor a new episode of the Pitch
to Pro podcast, the officialpodcast of Ozark United FC.
Available on YouTube, Instagram,and everywhere you get your
podcasts.