Coach Cameron Soccer Podcast · David Cameron

Youth Soccer and the Never Ending Ponzi Scheme | E734

·1 hr 17 min·5 clips

Youth soccer is called "a Ponzi scheme" that keeps taking money from new parents.

Episode 734 opens with Dan Salas back in studio and Anthony Hildago next to him. Coach Corona Del Sol comes in with a long resume, and the conversation goes straight there: 19 seasons, more than 200 wins, Central Region champions in 2009-2010, and state champions in 2010 with a 24-2-1 record. Dan says he had a rough weekend but still showed up, and that commitment sets the tone for the hang. Anthony is introduced as captain of the Phoenix College Bears, part of three national championship runs, an All-American, and a two-time Brophy state champion. Gonzaga comes up early because that is where he is headed next. The show leans into the joke about Gonzaga’s basketball team being out, then keeps rolling. Coach Kelly from Gonzaga gets floated as a future guest, and Greg Johnson from Gateway plus David Belfort get mentioned as upcoming conversations. The middle of the episode shifts into the multi-sport argument. Football is used as one example of tight-space competitiveness. Basketball gets pulled in for footwork, angles, and the repetitive work behind a jumper. Tennis comes up as a source of sharp feet for soccer players, and UFC fighters get folded into the same general point. The point is not just athletic crossover. It is that other sports help build a different competitive mentality, and that mentality matters when the pressure gets real. The conversation keeps pressing on that idea without getting stiff. Soccer and pro football are compared. Europe gets brought in as the benchmark where even the worst players are still absurdly good. Brazil gets brought in for the same reason. The talk turns into a compliment for Anthony’s game. Gonzaga is said to be in heaven and not know it yet. His throwing ability gets a long run. He is credited with a throw that can travel about 60 yards. That throw is not treated as a party trick. It is described as tactical: he can hit a diagonal ball from a throw, break lines, and start a counter. One throw at the national championships led directly to an assist, and player of the game gets mentioned around that sequence. The back half keeps returning to the same core idea: the small technical details matter because they create real advantages. The end of the show lands in a warm, slightly chaotic place. Pure joy gets named outright. The hosts thank Anthony for being there and thank the listeners. They remind everyone the show goes live on Sundays at 8 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, with iHeartRadio, Spotify, and YouTube in the outro. Likes, subscriptions, comments, and notification bells get the usual shoutout, and the episode finishes with the loose studio banter that makes the whole thing feel like a real soccer room instead of a polished promo reel.

As heard by us

Loose soccer talk with a lived-in feel and a clear eye on player development.

This episode settles into an easy soccer hangout, anchored by Coach Corona Del Sol's long run and Anthony Hildago's national championship background.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Want coaching talk that connects soccer to the rest of competitive life?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Coach Cameron Soccer Podcast