We dive deep into his early days with the LA Angels, his pivotal role with Chivas USA during MLS's experimental years, and how he became instrumental in bringing international soccer to American audiences nationwide. Romero offers insider perspectives on the challenges and triumphs of growing soccer in a country dominated by other sports, plus exclusive insights into what it takes to prepare SoFi Stadium for the world's biggest sporting event.

Whether you're a soccer purist or casual fan, Romero's story showcases the dedication and vision required to elevate the "beautiful game" in America—culminating in his current role helping deliver an unforgettable 2026 World Cup experience.

The conversation shifts to coaching education, where Michael breaks down Cal South's comprehensive approach to developing the next generation of coaches who can properly teach the technical and tactical elements of the modern game.

The pair round out their discussion with a detailed look at Cal South's innovative summer camps, exploring how these programs balance skill development with creating enjoyable experiences that keep young players engaged. A must-listen episode for parents, coaches, and anyone passionate about the future of American soccer.

Claire shares insights on using soccer to foster self-confidence and physical literacy in children. Tune in for an inspiring discussion about the impact of sports on youth development!

On this episode of "The Bear & the Ball," Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Jason Krutzsch explains how LASEC will support FIFA and gives us a sneak peak of what we can expect when the World Cup lands in Southern California.

Andrew talks about his journey through soccer, the origins of his 5v5 company, and how they can help you easily start hosting your very own 5v5 tournaments.

After we first put out a survey to the full membership to gather feedback, we then held a special online town hall meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 10th to hear directly what our members had to say about this topic.

In this episode of "The Bear & the Ball," you'll hear the voices of the membership (along with Cal South staffers) from that very meeting, as they discuss the pros and cons of both sides of the debate, as well as their concerns and hopes for how this very important subject will potentially play out.

On this episode of "The Bear & the Ball," Sam talks about his journey from Venezuela to America, and what was the inspiration behind creating the Unozero brand.

On this episode of "The Bear & the Ball," Gianni describes the secrets of how to climb the FPL ladder along with his work in creating World Cups for homeless children. With the next edition landing on American shores in 2026, Los Angeles could be a prime host city for an event that truly changes lives.

Embedded with the Red Devils for over two decades, Gemma witnessed firsthand the winning of European trophies, Premier Leagues, and so much more.

She developed close relationships with the players and the legendary manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. In this episode of "The Bear & the Ball," Gemma speaks about her incredible journey with one of the biggest clubs in the world.

On this episode of "The Bear & the Ball," host Nick Webster discusses Bradley's soccer journey, and the four pillars of creating players that represent the best versions of themselves, namely, technical, tactical, physical, and most importantly, mentally strong individuals.

In his first of four seasons playing with the Galaxy, Sarvas won the MLS Cup and got a close-up understanding of what it takes to play at the most elite levels through his conversations with Beckham.

In this episode of “The Bear & the Ball,” Sarvas, who just signed a two-year contract to play indoor soccer with the Empyre Strikers of the MASL, takes us through his journey from playing to coaching, with some truly invaluable insights along the way.

Tim Ryerson is the creator and executive director of one of the truly great programs that enable kids to play "The Beautiful Game". In today's episode of "The Bear & the Ball," Tim talks about the program, how it all began, and takes us into his own personal history with soccer.

In this episode of "The Bear & the Ball," Maurice talks about the steps, the adversity, and ultimately the triumph of realizing his dream of becoming an international and playing on the world's biggest stages.

Now he embarks on his most ambitious project ever: sending young Latinas to England and Watford FC to further their coaching careers. For many of these young, brave women, it is their first trip to Europe, and what they bring back to their club is nothing short of life changing.

In this episode, we talk about how and why to become a referee, and we also delve into the new Cal South program designed around RESPECT for officials as incidents of referee abuse continue to grow. (We can't forget VAR either!)

In this episode, Michael Chin, the new Technical Director of Cal South, talks about his predecessor, the legendary Steve Hoffman, and how Hoffy helped develop Chin into the coach he is today. We also talk about the Olympic Development Program and Cal South's Coaching Education efforts.

Henry Winter is one of the most esteemed soccer writers in the world and his insights into the game are second-to-none. Our host Nick Webster sat down with Henry outside the media hub in Gelsenkirchen prior to England taking on Serbia.

The journey he and his son went on was fascinating and involved many lessons, good and bad, that he now shares on his monthly magazine, "The Soccer Parent Lifestyle".

On this episode of "The Bear & the Ball," learn from Buford as he highlights some of the mistakes that parents often make without even realizing it.

On this episode of "The Bear & the Ball," Yuri talks to host Nick Webster about the dramatic growth of the game and how the next decade may look.

Elite athletes see, understand, and react to the game in a way that sets them apart. Evolve1 trains athletes to develop these "invisible skills" using an intuitive, personalized E1 mental training delivered on a daily basis.

On this episode of "The Bear & the Ball," Toni and host Nick Webster look at the science and business of mental health in the soccer environment.

On this episode of "The Bear & the Ball," Danny and host Nick Webster talk about how challenging it is for parents and scholars to find the right college at the right time.

About CaptainU:

CaptainU is the new Official College Recruiting Software to Cal South and its youth soccer community. CaptainU, a self-managed recruiting software tool within the Stack Sports ecosystem, provides athletes with the best way to contact college coaches and find high-quality college camps. 

CaptainU empowers athletes to take their game to the next level through recruiting and discovery tools to connect with clubs, events, and colleges. More than 3.5 million high school athletes, college coaches, club coaches, and tournament directors have used CaptainU tools to network, build relationships, and build championship teams. CaptainU was founded in 2008 and continues to power the recruiting journey for all levels – including National Champion college programs, national governing bodies, and state-level partners –across all college sports. To learn more about CaptainU, visit CaptainU.com.  

His journey to becoming a Head Coach at the collegiate level is a fascinating story and showcases the commitment and patience needed to reach the elite levels. Michael joins host Nick Webster on this episode of "The Bear & the Ball" to discuss his journey and what it takes to succeed in coaching college soccer.

On this episode of Cal South's "The Bear & the Ball" podcast, Dave talks with host Nick Webster about game models, data, and how the game of football continues to evolve.

On this episode of "The Bear & the Ball," Tom and host Nick Webster discuss the foundations of playing the sport, and... it all starts at home!

On this episode of "The Bear & the Ball," Yan and host Nick Webster talk about the history of the league and how it has grown from a small Southern Californian league to become the preeminent amateur destination for adult players.

Founder Courtney Carroll Levinsohn talks with "The Bear & the Ball" about this mission and how it is changing the game throughout the United States and beyond.

Married to former MLS star, Kelly Gray, Kassie has a unique perspective on life as a soccer wife, mom, and trendsetter within the game of soccer.

On this episode of "The Bear & the Ball," Liam O'Connell and Carrie Taylor, Technical Directors of the USL Academy pathway, discuss the growth and future plans of their Academy program.

ABOUT USL ACADEMY:

With the launch of USL Academy, United Soccer League now has an elite youth platform to offer to its clubs in the Championship, League One, and League Two. As such, these clubs can now develop a more clearly defined path for top youth prospects in their area to reach the professional level and sign directly with their senior team while improving local quality and community.

The USL Academy brand is composed of four key components: Standards, USL Academy Contracts, USL Academy Cup, and USL Academy League.

For more about USL Academy, visit here.

A graduate from Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, she learned valuable skills in leadership, management, strategy, and innovation. She represented Wake Forest University, where she was a varsity soccer player, and captain. On this episode of "The Bear & the Ball," Sarah describes her journey.

DarkHorse.AI provides a professional, edit-free reel in one click. As he has written on his website, “When we learned we could help parents and players create a professional reel that’s shareable to multiple college coaches with the push of a button everything clicked. As Steve Jobs' said, 'It’s a tool for the athlete’s heart. And when you can touch someone’s heart, that’s limitless.'"

Laura Youngson is a social impact entrepreneur whose experience includes founding two companies, IDA Sports and Brunswick Aces. Laura has also worked as a senior policy advisor for the UK Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, and further worked in sports event management for the London Olympics, the Street Child World Cup (Brazil), and the European Games in Baku. Laura is a STEM advocate, TED speaker, and four-time Guinness World Record Holder. She’s always been drawn to the power sport had in bringing people together and in 2017, she set out to make a lasting mark in the game she loves.

Equal Playing Field (EPF) is a grassroots, non-profit initiative to challenge gender inequality in sport and to promote sports development for girls and women globally, especially in marginalised country contexts.

https://www.idasports.com/

https://equalplayingfield.com/home

In this episode of "The Bear & the Ball" podcast, our own host Nick Webster chats with Craig about the collegiate and professional game.

Join Nick Webster and Mike Clark on this episode of "The Bear & the Ball" as they embark on a voyage of mental performance discovery.

Founder and Executive Director Kaig Lightner is simply remarkable and has created a club that changes lives while advocating for "the beautiful game". In this episode of "The Bear and the Ball," Nick and Kaig discuss the real issues that truly matter to players and parents.

In this episode of "The Bear & the Ball," Nick and John discuss the fear that surrounds youth soccer, from missing out on THAT college scholarship to not making the JV soccer team.

On this episode of Cal South's "The Bear and the Ball," Nick and Linda go deep into how we can make youth sports fun, and take out the all-consuming pressure of trying to get to the next level.

On this episode of the Bear and the Ball, Nick talks with Peter about the origins of TeamSnap and where it may go in the future.

As the founder of Alpha Girl Confidence Academy, host of the Alpha Girl Confidence Podcast, and author of the best-selling book “She the Confident: The Mindset Advantage for Female Athletes,” Shay is widely regarded for her insights on confidence and mindset by soccer parents and coaches around the country.

If you want to go to college and play soccer, if you are a parent that thinks your child can play soccer, this is the episode for you.

Neil’s passion is helping other parents navigate the youth soccer landscape by providing actionable tips and insight gathered from over a decade of coaching and training. On this episode of the Bear & the Ball, Neil tells us his story.

Eddy's journey in soccer began with her own experiences as a player. She excelled in the sport and continued to develop her skills over the years. Her understanding of the game and her observations of the youth soccer landscape led her to recognize the crucial role parents play in a child's soccer experience.

Realizing the need for guidance and support for parents navigating the complexities of youth soccer, Skye Eddy founded SoccerParenting.com. Her vision was to create a platform that not only offers resources and guidance but also fosters a community where parents, coaches, and players can come together to enhance the youth soccer experience.

SoccerParenting.com provides a wealth of information, resources, and educational materials aimed at supporting parents in understanding the various aspects of youth soccer. It covers topics ranging from skill development and game strategy to navigating the emotional and psychological aspects of the sport for young athletes.

On this episode of the Bear and the Ball, your host Nick Webster digs deep to discover the secret of soccer parenting.

Over the next few months, Madrid will dig deep into the AST fundamentals and principles for helping you, and your teams reach goals that they never thought would be attainable.

This series is a MUST for players, coaches, and parents who are serious about changing their lives in a positive direction.

If you love this game, you must pay attention because the game needs to change and that only happens through you.

His professional soccer experience began in 2006 when he took an internship in the Performance department for Portugal’s National first team. He then moved on to Real Madrid FC as a youth fitness coach (for their B, C, and U19 teams), and remained with the club for three seasons, when he then leapt over to the fitness coach role for Getafe FC’s first team.

In 2011, Diogo moved to Qatar to work with top tier club Al Ahli SC as their first team fitness coach. He was then invited to the same position with Qatar’s Aspire Academy, where after four months he was made the head of their Football Skills Development Centers. He also served as the methodology coordinator for the youth program run in tandem by Aspire and the Qatar National Team. In these roles for eight years, he also handled multiple projects like implementing the methodology of Independiente del Valle and was responsible for building OFC coaching courses programs as part of the Qatar 2030 strategic vision.

In 2019, Diogo moved to Sporting Clube de Portugal to become their Director of Sport Projects. Of his current position, Diogo says, “I’m the link between Sporting and the exterior world, and the strategic projects I undertake directly affect the performance and sustainability of the club. One such strategic project that we began in 2021 was our development partnership with Cal South. I started out my career on the pitch, and this experience moved me to gain the knowledge to lead people and organizations where personal development towards excellence is a common goal.”

Now a new challenge awaits!

As Callado kept working hard and dedicating herself to her career as a referee, the doors to more opportunities continued to open, allowing her the opportunity to begin officiating with the Professional Referee Organization (PRO) at the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and United Soccer League One (USL), as well as a U.S. vs. Brazil game at the 2019 Nike U20 International Friendlies, a match close to her heart.

In this episode of "The Bear and the Ball," Callado talks about her journey and destinations along the way.

With courage and determination, a new dawn has risen. Cal South is back and ready to serve the youth and adult players of Southern California. You have spoken, and we have listened.

Who knows what's happening to our brains when we get our "bell rung?" Joe Flanagan, NCAA champion with CSUDH, joins Orange Coast College head coach Kevin Smith and certified athletic trainer Guido Sendowsky to explain the mysteries behind concussions in soccer. They've developed a platform that can give parents and coaches an inexpensive app that can possibly save lives and keep our athletes out of harm's way.

A few years ago I wrote a book called "Re-booting Youth Soccer 2.0: Everything You Really Need to Know But Were Afraid to Ask About Youth Soccer" (available on Amazon). Today on "The Bear and the Ball," I'll read from my chapter on "Winning and Losing" as it's highly relevant as we move into the sudden death of this year's State Cup and the highs and lows that come with knockout soccer.

The insights of these two highly successful coaches give a fascinating look into soccer at the JC level and you just might be surprised by what you hear. For any players looking to take advantage of an extra year or two before making the step towards the NCAA, this is the episode for you.

This episode of "The Bear and the Ball" was recorded recently on "Podcast Row" at the 2022 United Soccer Coaches Convention in Kansas City.