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Soccer
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What if everything you thought was the point of youth soccer… isn't? In Episode 63, we sit down with C. Thi Nguyen — Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Utah and author of the new book The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else's Game — to explore one of the most important questions in youth sports: are you chasing what actually matters, or have you been captured by a system someone else designed? From the rec field to the elite club circuit, Thi breaks down why scoring systems that were meant to measure what we value end up replacing it — and what it looks like to help your kid play their own game. If you've ever found yourself stressed at a tournament, confused about tryouts, or wondering why none of it feels like enough, this episode is for you.

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Episode 69 - Ryan Blanck and Mitch Hildebrandt
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"Episode 63 - Author and Philosopher C. Thi Nguyen" is an episode of The Next Level Training Soccer Podcast with host Aaron Byrd and Jeff Suffolk. Runtime 1 hr 28 min. Published June 16, 2026. Hit play above to stream it here, or open the free Spot Sports app for background play and offline downloads.