Select Generation SG

For over a decade the people around Brazilian players have not been honest with them

Agents, coaches, the entire environment telling them they are right, they are the best, they are doing enough

And it is destroying an entire generation of players

Gabriel Reis is the Director of Soccer Operations at Miami Athletic Club and he has seen this from the inside

In EP. 102 he delivers the brutal truth about why most players never make it

It is not always about ability

Sometimes it is about the lies you start to believe and the people who keep telling them to you

The mind is a powerful tool and if you start believing things that are not real you will suffer for it

Honest feedback is not about putting players down

It is the only thing that actually builds them up

What we get into:

Why Brazil has lost its edge in youth development and what went wrong
How the people around a player can make or break their entire career
The difference between delusion and healthy ambition
Why honest feedback is the most important thing a young player can receive
What it actually takes to make it when everyone around you is telling you what you want to hear

Comment “Podcast” and we’ll send you the full episode

When coaches or scouts watch a match, they aren’t looking at the highlights that make it to social media. They are tracking a player’s off the ball habits and tactical maturity.

True maturity at the pre-professional level shows up in these three structural adjustments:

1️⃣ Spatial Awareness & Body Profile: You are no longer flat footed when receiving. You actively check your shoulders 3–4 times before the ball arrives, and your body shape is open to the field, allowing you to play forward in one touch rather than turning into pressure.

2️⃣ Rest Defending & Transition Management: As an attacking player, you don’t switch off when your team is in the final third. You actively position yourself to cut off the opponent’s counter-attack passing lanes before the turnover even happens.

3️⃣ Communication Under Fatigue: In the 80th minute, when oxygen is low, your communication doesn’t drop. Mature players don’t just shout empty phrases like “let’s go”; they give clear, tactical instructions (“step left,” “drop off,” “watch the overlap”).

If you are aiming for a top-tier collegiate program or a professional environment, these are the baselines not the extras.

🔗 Ready to evaluate your current pathway? Tap the link in our bio to learn how we connect North American talent to global opportunities.

Tavo spent a year working in the shadows

No recognition, no money, no fancy lifestyle

Just courses, hard work and a belief that the opportunity would eventually come And that is exactly what he tells every young person trying to break into football analysis

The early years are not glamorous But they are necessary

Because when the opportunity finally arrives you need to already be ready for it You cannot prepare when the moment comes

You prepare long before it does

Keep doing things right, keep working at the same pace and everything will fall into place What we spoke about in this clip:

Why the early years of a career in football are supposed to be uncomfortable

How preparing before the opportunity arrives is what separates those who make it

Why staying consistent when nobody is watching is the most important thing you can do If you are trying to break int football and feel like nothing is happening yet this clip is for you

Matteo asks a question every player needs to sit with

When you are going through a tough run of form do you still do the things that make you feel like yourself

Because the elite players do not change when things get hard

Same sleep, same focus, same routine every single day

When Matteo steps on the field for training he is 100 percent locked in

Not because he feels like it every day but because his routine puts him there

Most players only show up mentally when things are going well

The ones who make it show up the same way regardless

Find your routine and protect it

Because when you step on that field in a game you should already be in the zone before a ball is even kicked

What we spoke about in this clip:

Why having a daily routine is one of the most underrated tools in a player’s development How consistency in your habits creates consistency in your performance

Why the best players do not let form dictate their preparation

If you do not have a routine yet this clip will make you want to build one

He committed to a D1 school. Then didn’t go.

At 19 he opened a soccer training facility with zero experience, zero revenue, and kept getting kicked out of parks. Almost lost everything.

Now Jaydon Rodriguez runs Modern Elite Training in South Florida, working with players from MLS Next all the way to La Liga.

And he’ll tell you something most trainers won’t say out loud: most players are nowhere near as ready as they think they are. And they don’t work nearly as hard as they believe they do.

EP. 101 he breaks down exactly what separates players at every level — and what you actually need to do to get there.

What we get into:
The biggest problem in US youth soccer right now
How to actually know what level you’re at
Why the nonchalant trend is killing players’ chances
The real difference between a youth, D1 & pro player
Why your identity should never be only soccer

Comment “Podcast” and we’ll send you the full episode.