Our guest for today, LAFC Midfielder, Danny Crisostomo. Danny’s career has led him through a roller coaster of emotions. From being told that having 100% passing accuracy in a game was ‘not what the coaching staff was looking for’ — to working a second job all while balancing his professional responsibilities, to getting called in to train with LAFC, only to be offered a contract just a few days later. Danny has seen and experienced it all. Nonetheless he, along with the support of his wife and family, has been able to capitalize on his opportunities. You’ll hear him tell his story — a story about betting on yourself, trusting the process, and taking criticism in stride. Danny Crisostomo 0:00 What did you off-season priorities look like? 2:10 Early Years 4:34 Danny’s Dads passion 5:38 Reflecting on those early years, when did you say, “Oh, I could do something with this.” 7:25 1st Year at UC Irvine 10:15 College: Working with 2 different Head Coaches 12:40 “One saw me as a 6 and the other an 8 – so learning how to fit into each coaches philosophy” 13:20 Soundbite “Yossi let me be me” 13:45 College Adversity – “I gave myself 2 options: either back out or grind through it. I chose to grind through it.” 15:25 Soundbite 17:10 UCI JR & SR Year – Becoming the leader 17:55 “You can’t take days off as the leader” 18:50 SR Year – Are there aspirations to go pro? 20:30 “It pissed me off – ‘so you’re telling me that you’re banking on him making it over me?’ 21:00 Invited to the SJ Earthquakes combine 21:40 Going to the Orange County Trial 23:10 Orange County – Breakdown of the 1st Season 24:05 Danny’s 1st start vs Reno 25:00 “Do you know how many passes you missed? 0. We don’t want that.” 27:40 What adjustments did you have to make? 28:40 “if the team is winning, there’s an easier buy-in” 30:00 “we were in 1st place and I was benched” 31:15 “They said they wanted to resign me but, the contract never came” 31:30 End of the year meeting w/ Orange County 33:30 “We want you back for next year … we’ll be sending out a contract.” 37:30 Signing with Las Vegas Lights 40:40 “It killed me because I didn’t think that this was how it was going to end.” 43:10 LV Lights + Training with LAFC + Signing with LAFC 46:55 “Telling my parents I signed with LAFC” 48:34 Did you have any imposter syndrome with LAFC? 49:20 Reflecting on debut vs Atlanta United 51:30 Option was denied by LAFC 53:45 Being the captain of the 2nd team but never training with them 55:30 Training w/ LAFC but not being under contract w/ them

#shorts “I kid you not, I was working maybe 8hr days…looking up videos, trying to find out how to breakdown specific sequences for the assistant coach; getting paid nothing. . . By the end of the season, I think the last few games, I got to sit on the bench with the team.” - Stephen Campos 🎙️ Excerpt from Ep. 12 with LAFC 2 Assistant Coach, Stephen Campos — Available everywhere! 📱 https://linktr.ee/progkacademy_ –––––– #soccer #futbol #soccercoach #gk #goalkeeper #goalkeepers #goalkeeping

#shorts 🗣️ “You didn’t play professionally. You didn’t have this crazy career. So, you need to work. When Enrique, Steve or Bob Bradley, or any ex-pro are in the building and they’re working 1 hour, you need to work 2. Everything that someone else does, you need to do it twice as good.” - Stephen Campos 📝 Excerpt from Ep.12 w/ LAFC 2 Assistant Coach, Stephen Campos! A great episode for young coaches out there struggling to find their footing in the coaching world! 📱 https://linktr.ee/progkacademy_ –––––– #soccer #futbol #soccercoach #gk #goalkeeper #goalkeepers #goalkeeping

Our guest for today is LAFC 2 Assistant Coach, Stephen Campos. As you heard in the intro, Stephen is someone that was aware of the realities that came with working for an MLS club like LAFC… A reality where, his role within the club would be a desirable one for any ex player. Now, instead of adhering to this narrative and accepting his fate … he decided to do what he’s always done; put his head down, go to work, and find a way to become an asset. There’s no better example of that than his start with the Las Vegas Lights organization. Turning a marketing and partnerships role, where he captured video for the team, into a video analyst position, where he would impress and later become an assistant coach on the staff. Stephens journey is full of stories like these… where he plants’ seeds, goes to work, and ends up getting a ten-fold return on his investment. His story is an inspiring one for young coaches struggling to find their footing in the coaching world. There’s so many gems in this one and I’m excited for you to hear it! Once again, you’re listening to the Life through Sport podcast, my name is Omar Zeenni, enjoy the show. Timeline 0:00 Intro :40 Stephens upbringing 1:30 Did your identity as a player transition into coaching? 2:30 Have your emotions ever gotten the best of you? 4:20 Process of getting into coaching 5:10 “I started in performance before coaching” - “The insecurity of not playing professionally” - “Be of use” 6:55 “I work so that I prove to myself that I’m good enough” 7:20 “Don’t ever be in a situation where you can’t even contribute a little bit to a conversation” 8:05 How has your voice changed as a coach? 8:50 “If I believe in what I’m saying then, I feel comfortable in any conversation” - “Failing forward” - OZ 10:15 “I started at Monster Energy” Stephen 12:20 Chicago NAIA School – 1st Coaching Job - Was it what you expected? 12:50 “I was able to observe how other coaches operated” - good OZ and SC soundbites 14:40 Knowing when to coach vs observe - "Do I want to react to my emotion right now or..." 15:25 “Giving the players the responsibility to make their own decisions” 15:40 What was your role in at the NAIA School? 16:20 Advice for young coaches? - Balancing the ego and being humble 17:00 “Absorb Absorb Absorb – it’s so much more than just tactics” 17:35 “Don’t judge yourself off wins and losses – more-so on how you’re impacting the group” 18:00 “Be a sponge” - Arvin story on how Chris managed him 20:04 “As the GK coach, you can easily mail it in” — OZ 20:35 Planted a seed with a big ROI - “Addressing player 20-24 because they’re apart of the group” 21:50 2018 – Start at Las Vegas Lights –– - Started in marketing & partnerships and became the video guy 25:10 “Being afforded the opportunity to make mistakes as a volunteer” 25:40 “As a player they called me lazy – as a coach they believed I had so much potential” (good soundbite) 26:17 What insecurities held you back? 27:00 “I wish I would have asked more questions” good soundbite 28:06 “Ask tons of questions when you’re in a role that isn’t expecting much of you” 28:50 Hiatus from Pro Coaching – “the coaching staff I worked with was fired” 30:50 Early Assistant Coach responsibilities - Under Frank Yallop 31:15 Being the Head Coach between Wynalda and Yallop (during covid) 32:30 “Tommy Olsen backed me in front of the whole team” 32:56 What did those 3 weeks of being the HC do for you? 34:30 “I like to refer back to those hard / ‘landmark’ moments to say that I can get through this” 34:50 “There’s always a solution; find it” – Learning from Steve Cherundolo 36:05 Transition from LV Lights to LAFC 37:00 dealing with Imposter Syndrome (intro soundbite) 39:25 “not playing professionally is always in the back of my mind” 41:05 How has Steve Cherundolo impacted Omar and Stephen? 46:25 Working with Enrique Duran 49:00 Any qualms about leaving performance to be a full time coach? (Leaving my comfort zone) 50:45 “I understood that I was a supplemental piece to the staff” 52:00 How do you define your role as an assistant coach? (Soundbite) 53:05 Any moments that stood out from your development as a coach? 54:00 What advice would you give to your current self that would help you create the life you want in 10 years?

Our guest for today is LAFC Goalkeeper and MLS Cup Champion, Maxime Crepèau… Early in the episode, you’ll hear all about how Max signed a Home-grown contract and played in a youth World Cup by the age of 16. Hearing that, you would think that that resumé would be enough to solidify a pathway for him to become Montreal Impacts future #1 . . . unfortunately, that wouldn’t be the case. Instead, Max would have to earn his stripes in the USL Championship. And as you heard in the intro, Max would relish that challenge. He recognized the opportunity it presented, the opportunity to confirm his belief in himself. Throughout the episode, you’ll see that each one of these triumphs just left him hungry for more, where his ambitions quickly grew from becoming a starter in the league, to now winning trophies. This would be the driving force in his decision to leave the Vancouver Whitecaps and join LAFC. These invaluable experiences have made Max into the man he is today. I’m excited for you guys to hear this one, there’s so many gems in it. Once again, you’re listening to the Life through Sport podcast, my name is Omar Zeenni, enjoy the show.

#shorts 🗣️ “I would take the #2 and #3 out and train them before home games…and then it came to us that the #3 couldn’t be out there. We could have said, ‘well, you’re not training’ but then that goalkeeper is missing another day.” - @philwheddon 🎙️ Excerpt from Ep. 6 with Philadelphia Union Gk Coach, Phil Wheddon. 📱 https://linktr.ee/progkacademy_ –––––– #soccer #futbol #soccercoach #gk #goalkeeper #goalkeepers #goalkeeping

#shorts 🗣️”I saved a pk against the team that wouldn’t sign me because I wasn’t over 6 feet. I shook the coaches hand after the game and said, ‘you should have signed me … you should have signed me.’” - @armando_samuel1 📝 A great reminder from Armando that, not every coach is going to want you; and it could be for many reasons. You’ve gotta brush it off, regroup, and go where you’re wanted! That’s where you’ll be able to make an impact! 🎙️ You can watch this episode on YouTube or listen to it on all podcasting platforms! - @omarzeenni ———————- #goalkeeping #podcast #goalkeeper #soccer #futbol

As you heard in the intro, Oka can be found regularly tapping into his 22 year career to help guide him in his daily life as the goalkeeper coach for LAFC. And from the outside looking in, you would think that Oka’s 400+ games with German giants Eintracht Frankfurt and legendary status at the club, meant that the stars always aligned and that the road was paved for him to succeed. But that couldn’t have been farther from the truth. From contract negotiations, to fighting relegation, to the club often looking for replacement options, you’ll hear all about how Oka had to reconcile with his ego and learn to be humble with every opportunity. Through these invaluable experiences, Oka became introspective about his misfortunate and not only found ways to thrive in spite of them, but has since seen those lessons pay dividends in his coaching career. Time Stamps 0:00 Oka's transition from playing to coaching 1:30 First season with LAFC 2:20 Working Maximé Crepeau 3:00 John McCarthy 5:15 Oka: What kind of a GK were you? 6:00 Eintracht Frankfurt: Making the move 7:20 Did you always want to be a goalkeeper? 8:15 Youth team to 2nd team at Frankfurt 9:42 Did they see a future with the 1st team? 10:15 Not Playing: becoming humble 11:45 1st Team: making the move 13:10 1st team debut – reminiscing 16:10 Becoming the starter 18:05 Finding your Identity as the starting Gk 19:30 Competition for the #1 – what set you apart? 19:55 Getting promoted to the Bundesliga 21:30 Being the #1 for a Bundesliga team 23:45 Being replaced 26:10 Did you ever think about leaving? (Ego) 28:50 Regaining the #1 job 29:40 "you're a team player but you come first" (Ego-Feeling less when not playing) 30:50 Markus Proll – Losing job again 32:35 How did you deal with losses? 34:10 Identity crisis 35:30 DFB Pokal Final run vs Bayern Munich 39:40 Frankfurt – towards the end of the road 42:55 Frankfurt – Farewell ceremony 45:10 Any regrets from your career? 46:40 Legacy – As a player and as a coach #bundesliga #soccer #soccerpodcast #podcast #futbol

🗣️ “I asked him, ‘do you need the pk sheet?’ He said, ‘No’.” - @oka1nikolov on @jmacdaddy77 pre-MLS Cup final shootout 🎙️ Episode 10 with LAFC Gk coach, Oka Nikolov drops Monday! 📱 https://linktr.ee/progkacademy_ –––––– #soccer #futbol #soccercoach #gk #goalkeeper #goalkeepers #goalkeeping