Soccer by 3four3

Personal training has exploded across American youth soccer. But does your kid actually need it? In Part Three of our series on what it takes to develop a soccer player, we examine the fifth component of player development: personal training. We break down what parents should look for in a trainer, why credentials and social […]

Mauricio Pochettino continues to say the things American soccer needs to hear. His latest comments go beyond talent and performance. Pochettino addresses mentality, professionalism, humility, and the danger of hyping young players before they’ve actually proven themselves at the highest levels. That brings us to Cavan Sullivan. He’s talented and playing well, but American soccer […]

Lionel Messi has retired from the Argentina national team, closing an extraordinary chapter in the history of the sport. We start by looking back at what Messi has meant to Argentina and to football more broadly before getting into the debates that inevitably follow a moment like this: Messi or Maradona? Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? […]

For generations of players, pickup soccer wasn’t a development program. Nobody had to manufacture it. You found a park, put two shoes down for goals, picked teams, and played. And you figured things out. There was no coach stopping the game. No parent protecting you. No age bracket ensuring everyone was at the same stage […]

U.S. Soccer is taking over U.S. Youth Soccer, the largest youth soccer organization in the country. The move is being framed as an effort to unify a fragmented youth soccer landscape—but what does it actually mean for the American soccer ecosystem? We examine the potential consequences of consolidating more power under U.S. Soccer, particularly given […]

Debates sound like a good way to get closer to the truth. In practice, they often do the opposite. They reward quick talking points, encourage people to defend positions they already hold, and leave almost no room for the kind of depth required to understand a complicated ecosystem like American soccer. That problem becomes especially […]

When people talk about player development, the conversation usually centers around four areas: technical, tactical, physical, and psychological. But what actually develops those qualities? That question leads us to five major components of player development: the structured club training environment, the household and family, playing on your own, pickup soccer, and personal training. In Part […]

Mexico suspended promotion and relegation in 2020 under the justification of financial instability. It was supposed to be temporary. Now, Liga MX is staying closed. The consequences go far beyond which clubs play in the first division. Remove promotion and relegation and you change the incentives throughout the entire ecosystem. Second-division clubs have less reason […]

How does a player go from American high school soccer to Real Madrid? In this episode, we break down the remarkable rise of Yan Diomande and ask the bigger question: how does a player reportedly valued around $144 million fall through the canyons of American soccer? His story exposes deeper problems within the American soccer […]

Mauricio Pochettino has committed to the USMNT through the 2030 World Cup, but the media is already framing his second cycle around trophies, tournament results, and an unrealistic definition of success. We explain why that framing misses the larger purpose of having a manager with Pochettino’s pedigree. The United States is not suddenly becoming a […]

Reports indicate Mauricio Pochettino and U.S. Soccer are moving closer to a new agreement, but what would his return actually mean for American soccer? Gary and Benny discuss why Pochettino’s biggest impact could come through changing the conversation around the game rather than simply coaching the national team. They also examine FIFA’s proposed commercial investment […]

Every great team starts with a vision. In this episode, we discuss why the biggest mistake coaches make isn’t poor tactics or bad training sessions—it’s coaching without first defining how they want their team to play. We break down how 3four3’s philosophy was formed by studying Argentina, Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona, Real Madrid’s counterattacks, and Marcelo […]

World Cup finals don’t just crown champions. They create narratives. Spain lifted the trophy, but the conversation that followed quickly shifted away from football. Argentina suddenly became the villain. The same team that much of the world celebrated just a few years ago was now being accused of playing dirty, relying on the “dark arts,” […]

Spain’s win over France wasn’t simply the result of better tactics on the day. It was the product of a development philosophy that has been teaching players how to understand football from childhood. In this episode, we explain why possession should be viewed as much more than a playing style. Proper possession training develops technique, […]

Why Steve Cherundolo’s U23 Hire Signals MLS Control and Pochettino’s Exit In episode 435, we illustrate that MLS, as a monopolistic single-entity league without promotion and relegation, effectively controls US Soccer through concentrated power, board influence, and media-aligned narratives that pressure federation leaders, coaches, and journalists to comply. We show the appointment of Steve Cherundolo […]

The World Cup always gives us plenty to talk about, but the real value isn’t found in the headlines themselves. It’s found in the lessons hiding underneath them. This live episode begins with the quarterfinals and a preview of the semifinals as we examine Argentina’s run, Messi’s evolving role at 39 years old, England’s progress […]

The USMNT’s World Cup ended with a humbling defeat to Belgium. Predictably, the mainstream American soccer media immediately went to work. Some blamed Mauricio Pochettino. Others blamed tactics, substitutions, Pulisic, Matt Freese, mentality, youth development or pay-to-play. They’re all missing the point. In this episode, Gary explains why Belgium didn’t expose a tactical problem. They […]

Balogun Red Card Reversal, VAR Controversy, and US Soccer’s Closed-System Problem Sports are never just sports. Football reflects the society around it — the incentives, the politics, the corruption, the culture, and the values people choose to defend when the pressure is on. That’s where this episode begins: with the Balogun red card being rescinded. […]

Gary Kleiban joins Kirk Kinsey on the Playmaker Fútbol Academy Podcast for a conversation about one of the biggest obstacles facing American soccer — and it isn’t happening on the field. Using Mauricio Pochettino’s press conference as a starting point, Gary explains why the reaction from much of the American soccer media missed the bigger […]

The USMNT is through to the knockout stage after winning its group, but the conversation coming out of the loss to Turkey tells a much bigger story. Recorded live on YouTube the day after the match, Gary Kleiban and Benny Rogers react to the result while taking questions and comments from viewers throughout the show. […]

What does a world-class central midfielder actually look like? In this episode, we break down the three midfield roles in a 4-3-3: the 6, the 8, and the 10. Rather than relying on buzzwords or coaching clichés, we examine the specific technical, tactical, and mental qualities that separate elite midfielders from everyone else. Using players […]

Most youth coaches never get to see the full arc. They get a team for a season or two, maybe three, and then the team changes, the club changes, the coach changes, or the players scatter. That makes it difficult to truly understand what development looks like over time. In this episode, we speak with […]

What does it actually mean for a national team to have an identity? Brazil has samba. Germany has precision. Argentina has emotional fire. Spain transformed from La Furia Roja into a possession-based powerhouse. These identities didn’t come from a marketing department. They came from the people, the history, the streets, the clubs, and the culture […]

Everybody in American soccer loves to say we don’t have the right soccer culture. But what happens when someone like Mauricio Pochettino actually brings a higher-level soccer culture into the room? That’s where this episode begins. The backlash against Pochettino — over emails, roster decisions, media comments, job rumors, and even who he names captain […]

Tab Ramos joins the podcast for one of the most honest and layered conversations we’ve had on American soccer development. Most people know Tab as a U.S. national team legend, a World Cup veteran, and one of the most technically gifted American players of his era. But what makes this conversation especially valuable is what […]

Roster prediction shows are usually bubblegum content. Fun, clickable, and mostly speculative. But with Pochettino preparing his USMNT World Cup roster, Benny forces Gary into the exercise anyway. Who should go? Who should be left out? Who actually belongs on the field when the World Cup starts? We go position by position: goalkeepers, center backs, […]

Playing time is the issue. Not “one of” the issues. In youth soccer, it is often the issue that drives the most tension between coaches and parents. A player is not getting the minutes the family expected, and suddenly the coach-parent relationship starts to fracture. In this episode, we get into that dynamic directly. We […]

Coaching licenses are often treated as a necessary stamp of legitimacy in American soccer. But what actually happens inside one of these courses? And more importantly, do they make coaches better? In this episode, we sit down with Paul Spacey, a longtime coach who recently went through the U.S. Soccer C License, to unpack the […]

American soccer has a way of selling people the dream while hiding the machinery underneath. In this episode, we sit down with Kirk Kinsey to unpack what he calls “McSoccer” — the fake development pathways, the tournament-win marketing, the college-scholarship sales pitch, and the closed-system incentives that keep parents, players, and coaches trapped inside a […]

This one cuts deep. Gary Kleiban goes straight at Landon Donovan’s latest round of youth soccer criticism and explains exactly why it misses the mark by a mile. Donovan, like many former American pros, points the finger downward at youth coaches, parents, and clubs. Gary, drawing from decades of real experience across every level of […]

We just wrapped one of our favorite episodes with Rory O’Neill, a passionate 14-year veteran coaching youth soccer in central Pennsylvania. Rory came on fresh from the emotional grind of tryouts for his U13 MLS Next team — evaluating 150 kids and delivering tough news that no one enjoys. We explore why tryout season feels […]

We just dropped our first-ever live show, and the questions came flying in. Gary opened by addressing Landon Donovan’s recent comments about youth players building out from the back instead of getting thousands of touches. We explain exactly why that take misses the deeper structural problems in American soccer and why former pros who never […]

USMNT March FIFA Window: Belgium and Portugal Losses, Pochettino Criticism, and World Cup Roster Priorities Episode 421 focuses on the USMNT’s March FIFA window and the reaction to losses vs Belgium (5-2) and Portugal (2-0), arguing the fan base and mainstream media swing wildly based on scorelines and shallow stats. The discussion says the real […]

We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: a fancy license on a coach’s Instagram bio is rarely a sign of quality — often it’s the opposite. In this episode we dig deep into credentialism and why so many coaches lean on paper qualifications instead of proven results on the field. We also tackle one […]

This episode cuts straight to the heart of the endless American youth soccer argument: winning versus development. The tired line that “it’s all about development, not winning” gets dissected here as what it so often is—a convenient shield for coaches who can’t deliver and clubs that have no real accountability in our closed, MLS-and-US-Soccer-controlled monopoly. […]

We dive deep into the gritty side of professional soccer transfers in this special extract from the 3four3 podcast. Focusing on Josh Sargent’s high-profile saga—from his refusal to play at Norwich City to force a move, to ultimately joining Toronto FC in MLS—we expose the power dynamics at play. Clubs and players often have opposing […]

We sat down for a very practical episode focused entirely on coaching knockout games — semifinals, finals, and any high-pressure elimination match. Whether you have a full week to prepare or you’re in the middle of a weekend tournament, we cover the mental side of the game first because that’s usually what decides big matches. […]

Jimmy Obleda on Keeping Your Coaching Values, Restoring Competitiveness, and Why U.S. Soccer Is Soft In episode 416, we talk with nationally renowned Uruguayan American coach Jimmy Obleda about staying true to your values, refusing to compromise standards, and not “selling your soul” to parents, players, clubs, or owners. Using Tab Ramos’s comparison of Uruguay […]

What a Great First Touch Really Is (and Why the U.S. Still Struggles) Episode 415 focuses on what “first touch” actually means, why it matters, and why it remains a major weakness in American soccer. A good first touch is defined as controlling the ball exactly as intended in any scenario, with biomechanics that look […]

We dive deep into the structure and incentives behind Major League Soccer in this episode. We explain why MLS academies exist primarily to maintain monopoly control over the elite youth pipeline rather than to develop first-team talent, how homegrown rules provide cheap labor while designated players serve as the real attraction for casual fans, and […]

We unpack three critical current events that mainstream media continues to misrepresent or ignore. First, we analyze Wilfred Nancy’s short and unsuccessful stint at Celtic, why Celtic fans saw the writing on the wall immediately, and what it teaches us about the massive gap between MLS coaching environments and genuine high-stakes European football. Next, we […]

In this episode, we tackle the heated debate around futsal in US soccer. We affirm that futsal is a fantastic tool for building technical skills and tight-space play, but we’ve seen it morph into a grift where it’s sold as the magic fix for America’s systemic issues. We address backlash from figures like Eddie Johnson, […]

American Youth Soccer and the Road to World-Class Players In this episode, we dive deeper into why the US hasn’t produced world-class soccer players, despite massive participation numbers. We address misguided views from Instagram comments, debunking myths like pay-to-play, athlete preferences for other sports, and cultural differences. We explain how the lack of an open […]

We off the new year with a variety show driven by listener questions from Instagram. Key discussions include the failure of the US to produce a world-class player despite its large population, issues with US soccer and MLS, and the importance of promotion and relegation. The episode explores how suburban soccer culture impacts player development, […]

Building a Youth Soccer Club from Scratch: Challenges and Triumphs In episode 409, we bring on Alec Lemmon, founder of Toca FC, a youth soccer club based in Kansas City. Alec shares his journey of starting the club from ground zero, the challenges faced, and the importance of values like faith, family, and football. We […]

In Episode 408, we react to the 2026 World Cup draw, highlighting the USMNT’s manageable group and debating home-field edges. Discussions turn to media missteps, like Jimmy Conrad’s flip on Pochettino, and how American soccer commentary often lacks nuance. The USL Players Union’s take on promotion/relegation gets called out for hurting player interests. Finally, insights […]

In this episode, we highlight an important interview with Mauricio Pochettino by Andres Cantor, which outlines critical insights often ignored by English-language media. We break down Pochettino’s key points on how the US can aspire to be a top-tier soccer nation, addressing issues of player entitlement, cultural differences, and systemic challenges. We also share our […]

In this episode, we dissect Mauricio Pochettino’s game-changing approach with the USMNT, from their pressing prowess in beating Paraguay and Uruguay to his bold press conference challenging media disrespect and player entitlement. We examine fan and media U-turns, the benefits of a foreign coach in reshaping US soccer culture, roster insights including surprises like Max […]

Mastering the Art of Pressing in Soccer In this packed episode we pull back the curtain on exactly how we teach teams to press with lethal organization instead of random effort. We share the cone/flag method Brian used from the youngest ages, live training footage breakdowns, pressing triggers we stole from Bielsa and Pep, how […]

In Episode 404 we went full savage on the dark arts of soccer. We explained why diving, time-wasting, shirt-pulling, ref manipulation, and mass confrontation aren’t cheating — they’re the actual game. We broke down how South American street culture creates winners while American soccer culture produces soft, naive players terrified of “unsportsmanlike” behavior. We showed […]