Recent Posts

Steve Tashjian and Darcy Norman on Building a High-Performance Team at the International Level

The World Cup is the pinnacle of the soccer world. You have the best athletes in the world, representing their countries, and doing everything they can to perform at the highest levels in the biggest moments of sport. And while I love nothing more than watching these incredible athletes play, I also love talking to […]

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Matt Hauck on Sports Science and Load Management in Professional Soccer

Matt Hauck was once a high school athlete who was curious about how he can improve his performance. This thirst for knowledge drove him to become a collegiate athlete and began his career in sports science while he was studying. Later, Matt graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science, Cum Laude at Western Oregon […]

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Brett Uttley on Tactical Periodization and Performance in Soccer

Brett Uttley is the founder of TOG Soccer and the Assistant Coach for the Rio Grande Valley Toros of the United Soccer League, the Houston Dynamo’s second team in Major League Soccer. Prior to serving as the first assistant coach for the Rio Grande Valley, he worked as the fitness coach for the Seattle Sounders’ […]

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Weight Training in the World of Soccer

Weight training practitioners were shocked by recent comments from English Premiere League coach Maurizio Sarri, where he claimed to ban his players from lifting weights. Those controversial statements emphasized the apparent disconnect between the prevailing “old-school” mindset in soccer training and current perspectives on strength and resistance training. What approach can be taken in reconciling […]

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Training Young Athletes at Game Time Sports and Training with Drew Massey

Drew Massey is the Executive Director of Game Time Sports and Training, a premier sports and performance training facility based in Columbia, TN. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology in 2003 from Bethel College and in 2008, he obtained his master’s degree in Performance Enhancement and Injury Prevention from California University in Pennsylvania. Following […]

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Stacey Hardin on Purposeful Collaboration in Pro Sports

A native of Fairfield, California, Stacey Hardin joined Minnesota United as part of the medical staff for their inaugural season in Major League Soccer in 2017. She is responsible for coordinating and overseeing the delivery of medical care for all teams in the Minnesota United Organization. Additionally, she serves as the Director of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Head […]

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Darren Burgess on Training and Life in the English Premiere League

Darren Burgess is the head of high performance for Arsenal Football Club. Prior to this, he’s held similar roles for Liverpool , Port Adelaide of the AFL, and the Australian national soccer team. This is Darren’s second time on the show, and one thing I love about chatting with him is how it feels like […]

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Insights from Pro Soccer

Note from MR: You guys know I’m a big fan of Adam Loiacono, and for good reason. He’s not only bright beyond his years, but his real-world experience with the New England Revolution (and now with the Atlanta Hawks) gives us some unique insights into professional sports. In this guest article, Adam discusses what might […]

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What is “Sports Science”?

Note from MR: I don’t normally run a ton of guest content, but I’ve gotten a ton of good stuff submitted lately – and I guarantee this one is going to make you think! I’m actually reading “Unplugged” right now, and I think a lot of Adam’s thoughts in this article will follow suit. Plus, […]

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Darcy Norman Reflects on His First Two Years with AS Roma Soccer Club

Darcy Norman is the Director of Performance for Serie A club AS Roma. Prior to his stint with the club, he’s also spent time at Bayern Munich, and won a world cup as the fitness coach for the German National team. So yeah – in the soccer world, Darcy is a pretty big deal! In […]

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Physical Preparation with Dave Tenney

Dave Tenney is currently the High Performance Manager for the Seattle Sounders, and he’s always one of my favorite guys to chat with. Whether it’s his knowledge of soccer, coaching, or sports science, he just has a ton of insight into our world. In this show, Dave and I talk about how he’s making the […]

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Physical Preparation with Jordan Webb

(Lead photo courtesy of David Stanton Photography) For a young guy, Jordan Webb has been damn near everywhere. From EXOS, to USA Soccer, to the Cleveland Browns, to Oklahoma City Thunder, and most recently the Chicago Fire of the MLS, he’s an incredibly well-traveled and knowledgeable guy In this show, Jordan and I talk about […]

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Physical Preparation with Garrison Draper

Garrison Draper is the performance director for the Philadelphia Union in the MLS. Beyond his time with Philly, he’s also worked with or interned with the Chicago Fire, Seattle Sounders, and Columbus Crew. In this show, Garrison and I discuss a ton of topics related to soccer. Whether it’s incentivizing your athletes, how to train […]

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Physical Preparation with Adam Loiacono

Adam Loiacono has been with the New England Revolution of the MLS since 2009. His role has evolved from a youth soccer coach to now in his 4th season as a fitness coach for both the professional and youth academy players. Previously, Adam held coaching roles in soccer and fitness at NCAA Division III schools […]

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5 Updates to My In-Season Training

I’ve been doing this physical preparation thing for 16 years now, and it’s safe to say I’ve learned a thing or two along the way. While I’ve always spent more time coaching athletes in their off-season, the past three years have provided a new challenge: Keeping athletes fit, healthy and strong over the course of […]

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