Terry Michler, the winningest soccer coach in US history, sat down with the Skillmasters staff on the Raise the Ceiling podcast to discuss his success and the state of US youth soccer

In this episode, Jacob Henderson interviews Gonzalo Carrasco, a former Atlético Madrid player who transitioned to soccer in the US. They discuss Gonzalo's early development, the challenges he faced in college soccer, and his experiences in the USL2. Gonzalo shares insights on the importance of mentorship, the differences between D1 and D2 soccer, and how to overcome setbacks. He also talks about his role in recruiting players for the Louisiana Crew and reflects on his journey in the sport.

Soccer coach, soccer parent and Skillmasters staffer Chris Hauerwas shares his take on how to pick the right soccer club for your children. Is it better to pick a soccer club/academy that emphasize training more or one that maximizes tournament play?

It is time to breakaway from the traditional youth soccer tournament mold that does not do enough to help the very players these tournaments were designed to help. We took our first step in offering new services to at least help the outstanding players get recognized easier by scouts at the tournament.

We continue our discussion with Mark Baldovinescu’s mom Alina as she describes how much of a presence they have in Mark’s soccer life and her proud moments as his mother.

In the second episode of the Raising the Ceiling podcast, host Can Gokcen listens to sports scientist titan Yiannis Kotsis of the Greek National Team describe what a youth soccer player and their club needs to do to keep up their development for modern soccer.

Raising the Ceiling is a new podcast by Skillmasters that does a deep dive into the intricacies of player development in soccer. In the first episode, we explore how to evaluate players according to age, how to support late bloomers, and how to communicate well with youth players with Director of Coaching at San Diego Surf Josh Henderson.

Mother of Watford Academy star Mark Baldovinescu, Alina Baldovinescu gets personal as she describes the ups and downs of raising a star athlete and dedicating the whole family’s free time to making sure everything in Mark’s life is run smoothly.

Here’s a guide to how parents and players can effectively promote their athlete on social media to showcase talent.

Former soccer coach and current Skillmasters operations manager, Chris Hauerwas, takes a deep dive into how organizations serious about player development differentiate themselves by including data in their assessment of players.

Joan Oliva walks us through his expansive coaching career in soccer that includes 5 continents and a period at FC Barcelona

Mark Baldovinescu is determined to prove that perseverance will take him to the heights of European soccer