Aspire in the World Fellows Book - 2025

76 77 11TH ASPIRE ACADEMY GLOBAL SUMMIT ASPIRE IN THE WORLD FELLOWS That’swhy I love coaches. I love people who give their lives to coaching. I don’t know the exact hours coaches put in preparing for the World Cup or a full professional season, but I know if you want to be at the top of your game and be a world champion in football, soccer, or any sport, you must put the time in and commit fully. Coaches commit unbelievable times. I have enormous appreciation for that effort, especially for those striving not just to be mediocre but to be great. Good is the enemy of great. I don’t want to be good; I want to be great. You should approach every day with that mindset. You must instill it in your players and your staff as well. It has improved things enormously. Technology is amazing. When you watch games on TV now, a guy is running down the field and you see, “He’s going 18.6 miles per hour.” The technology is incredible. It’s not only great for theviewer, butalso invaluable for coaches and players. When we used to do film study, we had to wait a few hours after practice for the film to be developed. Now you see players on the sideline holding tablets, iPads, Dells, whatever their team uses and making instant adjustments. Teams that leverage technology effectively can adjust immediately. The analysis we now get is extraordinary. If you’re not doing it, someone else is passing you by. You must invest in technology, invest in the personnel to run it, and ensure the information flows from the booth to the coach on the field who is calling the plays. Technology has become a major player in sports. I think it has improved the game immensely, but I also believe the biggest improvement is in player skill. Players today are bigger, stronger, faster, better conditioned, smarter, and better coached. In the soccer world, I go to Philadelphia Union games and see 16 and 17-year-olds who are going to be superstars. But when I see the way kids train now, I just say, “Wow.” The training is so much better. Can coaches help athletes get into a mindset where they consistently make correct decisions under pressure? InAmerican football, analysis andvideo technology have been ahead of the curve. Soccer is catching up. You’ve seen that development as a broadcaster. Howmuch has technology improved coaching and results? Howmuch has the game improved compared to the 1970s and 1980s? It’s not just a possibility, it’s a certainty. I’m a board member of the Philadelphia Sports Congress, which brings sports events to Philadelphia: soccer, baseball, basketball, NCAA events, and more. We work to bring games to Philadelphia to promote our great city. When these big events come, you see a different caliber of player and a different level of excitement. To improve the game, you need those marquee events. When we got the news a few years ago that we were hosting World Cup matches, this town exploded. Philadelphia went crazy. On that subject, kids in the U.S. grow up with American football, baseball, basketball. We are about eight months away from the FIFAWorld Cup 2026, coming to the USA, Canada and Mexico. Do you think there is a possibility to capture more young talent in the U.S. and pull them into soccer? STAR CHAT