SoccerNation Sitdown's guest appearances

SoccerNation Sitdown

SoccerNation

Megan Rapinoe

Linda Hamilton

Matt Hall

Landon Donovan

Josh Katz

Cobi Jones

Robbie Keane

Brian McBride

Alexi Lalas

Carrie Taylor

Peter Wilt

Todd Beane

Tony DiCicco

Keith Miller

Angela Hucles

OwlTail

Jimmy Obleda

The Boca Juniors OC boys 2002 team coached by Boca DOC and Santiago Canyon Men’s Soccer Coach, Jimmy Obleda, wrote their own “Hollywood ending” recently by winning the last three games in the National League season this March and punched their ticket to the USYS National Championship.  A new team, from a new club that is less than 8 months old will be representing Cal South this July under the guidance of Coach Obleda.Jimmy cites the growth of the team over the past few months as a key thing in getting them through the challenge of having to win three games in a row. “They grew as men, and showed a level of professionalism that I had not seen in them before.”“Right now, we are looking to adapt our training cycle so that we will peak again in July for the National Championships in Frisco, TX. Each player is going to have to improve individually as well as a unit for us to be successful at nationals.”Coach Obleda is no stranger to success, as a player he signed his first professional contract at the age of 17 for Danubio Futbol Club of the Uruguayan First Division.  He continued his professional career for eight years playing in South America, Europe and the United States.Past success include his time as the Director of Coaching and Player Development for the Fullerton Rangers for 13 years. While there, he helped produce some of the top players in the country for the US youth national teams, professional teams and universities. He has managed to send over 200 student-athletes to play at the university or college level.Jimmy, who holds an A coaching License, has won numerous league, state and regional titles but no title is more triumphant than the 2011, 2012 back to back USYSA National and Dallas Cup titles. To this day, he is the only coach to lead a team to this feat.In 2011, Jimmy garnered the honors of the Regional Youth Coach of the Year, as well as the National Youth Coach of the Year presented by the NSCAA. In 2012, he was named the Cal-South Nike Coach of the Year.His newest challenge includes working as the Head Men’s Coach at Santiago Canyon College. This season he guided the Hawks to a respectable 5-8-7, with some very close games and is looking forward to his first recruiting class coming in.Jimmy, in addition to being a father to three kids, and a husband, also serves as a Cal South licensing clinician and in his “spare time” is working on his second masters’ degree.Recently, SoccerNations’ Carrie Taylor sat down with Coach Obleda over lunch and discussed the state of the youth game in the US to chat about what helps makes players and coaches successful. When you sit with Coach Obleda, his energy rubs off, one can see why he is able to motivate young players and make them better.Have a listen:

The Boca Juniors OC boys 2002 team coached by Boca DOC and Santiago Canyon Men’s Soccer Coach, Jimmy Obleda, wrote their own “Hollywood ending” recently by winning the last three games in the National League season this March and punched their ticket to the USYS National Championship. A new team, from a new club that is less than 8 months old will be representing Cal South this July under the guidance of Coach Obleda. Jimmy cites the growth of the team over the past few months as a key thing in getting them through the challenge of having to win three games in a row. “They grew as men, and showed a level of professionalism that I had not seen in them before.” “Right now, we are looking to adapt our training cycle so that we will peak again in July for the National Championships in Frisco, TX. Each player is going to have to improve individually as well as a unit for us to be successful at nationals.” Coach Obleda is no stranger to success, as a player he signed his first professional contract at the age of 17 for Danubio Futbol Club of the Uruguayan First Division. He continued his professional career for eight years playing in South America, Europe and the United States. Past success include his time as the Director of Coaching and Player Development for the Fullerton Rangers for 13 years. While there, he helped produce some of the top players in the country for the US youth national teams, professional teams and universities. He has managed to send over 200 student-athletes to play at the university or college level. Jimmy, who holds an A coaching License, has won numerous league, state and regional titles but no title is more triumphant than the 2011, 2012 back to back USYSA National and Dallas Cup titles. To this day, he is the only coach to lead a team to this feat. In 2011, Jimmy garnered the honors of the Regional Youth Coach of the Year, as well as the National Youth Coach of the Year presented by the NSCAA. In 2012, he was named the Cal-South Nike Coach of the Year. His newest challenge includes working as the Head Men’s Coach at Santiago Canyon College. This season he guided the Hawks to a respectable 5-8-7, with some very close games and is looking forward to his first recruiting class coming in. Jimmy, in addition to being a father to three kids, and a husband, also serves as a Cal South licensing clinician and in his “spare time” is working on his second masters’ degree. Recently, SoccerNations’ Carrie Taylor sat down with Coach Obleda over lunch and discussed the state of the youth game in the US to chat about what helps makes players and coaches successful. When you sit with Coach Obleda, his energy rubs off, one can see why he is able to motivate young players and make them better. Have a listen:

SoccerNation Sitdown: Jimmy Obleda

In the build up to the massive USA vs. Honduras World Cup Qualifier in San Jose, our own Nate Abaurrea was joined by the one and only Alexi Lalas for a very special podcast edition of the SoccerNation Sitdown. Abaurrea and Lalas did not hold back in the 25 minute conversation, recorded inside Avaya Stadium. The two cover a wide range of intriguing topics, starting with the changing of the guard in US Soccer, the Americans reverting to old leadership in the wake of Jurgen Klinsmann's sacking. Are things really any better today than they were in the latter days of 2016? Is the match against Honduras a "must win"? Abaurrea and Lalas discuss the city of San Jose's rocky history with MLS, and take a trip back to 1997, the last time the United States played a World Cup Qualifier in the Bay Area. Lalas gives his take on MLS expansion, saying that San Diego, in his opinion, currently has "the second best bid of the 12 cities in the running.Abaurrea and Lalas also discuss the recent national anthem ruling from US Soccer, touching on Megan Rapinoe's protest, and what Lalas meant with his comments regarding Rapinoe, as well as the Black Lives Matter movement. All this, plus some glorious trips down USMNT memory lane. You won't want to miss this special podcast edition of the SoccerNation Sitdown.Follow us on Twitter at @DikeNatsai, @NateAbaurrea, and  @soccer_nation. Email us at news@soccernation.comSpecial thanks to Patrick Erhard (ashwilliamstheband.bandcamp.com) and Alexandar Bang.

In the build up to the massive USA vs. Honduras World Cup Qualifier in San Jose, our own Nate Abaurrea was joined by the one and only Alexi Lalas for a very special podcast edition of the SoccerNation Sitdown. Abaurrea and Lalas did not hold back in the 25 minute conversation, recorded inside Avaya Stadium. The two cover a wide range of intriguing topics, starting with the changing of the guard in US Soccer, the Americans reverting to old leadership in the wake of Jurgen Klinsmann's sacking. Are things really any better today than they were in the latter days of 2016? Is the match against Honduras a "must win"? Abaurrea and Lalas discuss the city of San Jose's rocky history with MLS, and take a trip back to 1997, the last time the United States played a World Cup Qualifier in the Bay Area. Lalas gives his take on MLS expansion, saying that San Diego, in his opinion, currently has "the second best bid of the 12 cities in the running. Abaurrea and Lalas also discuss the recent national anthem ruling from US Soccer, touching on Megan Rapinoe's protest, and what Lalas meant with his comments regarding Rapinoe, as well as the Black Lives Matter movement. All this, plus some glorious trips down USMNT memory lane. You won't want to miss this special podcast edition of the SoccerNation Sitdown. Follow us on Twitter at @DikeNatsai, @NateAbaurrea, and @soccer_nation. Email us at news@soccernation.com Special thanks to Patrick Erhard (<a href="http://ashwilliamstheband.bandcamp.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ashwilliamstheband.bandcamp.com</a>) and Alexandar Bang.

SoccerNation Sitdown: Alexi Lalas from Avaya Stadium