“I’d be safe and warm if I was in LA… California dreamin’ on such a winter’s day…”

The sounds of the Beach Boys’ 1986 cover of the classic Mamas and Papas tune filled my earbuds I looked out of the plane window on the Los Angeles area as we descended into LAX. The last time we were there, we witnessed the greatest MLS Cup Final, albeit on the losing side. As Union fans, it was gut-wrenching to see our boys in blue come so close to winning it all- and lose in PKs- after a record breaking season. (And as many know, the Phillies then lost the World Series later that night)

This time, however, we were headed to LA, more specifically Anaheim, for the 2024 United Soccer Coaches Convention. Our friend Todd Lewis of “The Free Kick” podcast invited us to join him after he had attended in Philly last year as part of “Media Row.” It was a week before my birthday, so a sort of birthday trip, and a chance to escape the cold weather of the Northeast for a few days, but more importantly, a chance to experience a huge gathering of people involved with soccer in so many ways. We’d been doing our podcast for a year, and were excited to network and record some episodes with people from different facets of soccer and sports. And yes, going to Disneyland was a perk.

It was a super early Wednesday flight out of BWI and a long day of traveling by way of Atlanta on Spirit flights, but we finally made it into sunny LA. As soon as we got in our ride from the airport, the news dropped on Twitter that Kai Wagner had re-signed with the Union after being in limbo for what felt like an eternity. We then spent the rest of the day at Disneyland and eventually met up with Todd and his sister, Shelby. I’ve been to Disney World in Florida a bunch of times, but being at Disneyland in Anaheim was cool to experience. A lot of the same rides, but more compact, in a residential area basically, and you’re not sweating from the humidity or dealing with a sudden storm.

On Thursday morning, we went in early to the Anaheim Convention Center to pick up our credentials and get the lay of the land. After enjoying some breakfast from the huge selection of food trucks they had on site, we were able to explore Anaheim a bit and enjoy some local breweries near the Angels’ stadium. The last time I had a “Spicy Mango Cart” from Golden Road was their bar at the LA Grand Central Market after the Cup, where we watched the final game of the 2022 World Series… that’s a whole other story for another day. If you go to Golden Road, definitely get the Spicy Mango Cart, and at the main location, they did a tajin rim which made it next level.

Thursday evening was the opening of the Convention and you bet I made sure I got that limited edition jersey they had for the event as soon as it went on sale. Media Row was located in the back of the exhibit hall, so we made the rounds checking out the vendors. Lo and behold, but who do we see at a booth for Baden/UHL but Phil Wheddon, the Union’s head goalkeeper coach. After a great conversation with him, we got settled in at our booth in Media Row and had a great interview with Laura Youngson, co-founder of IDA Sports. It was fascinating to hear how Laura developed her women’s soccer cleat. We also found some time to record with Todd.

Friday was busy as we interviewed several people. We were very excited to talk to Dan Abrahams, sport psychologist. Dan gave us great insight to the psychological side of sports. Thomas Gronnemark, throw in coach, discussed his journey as a specialist and how he was worked with many teams, including the Union. Rick Eddy, head of referee development with the US Soccer Federation, gave us a look into the world of referees. André Swanston, owner of the newest MLS Next Pro team, Connecticut United FC, chatted with us about the unveiling of that new club and what is coming up. Finally, Skye Eddy shared the mission of Soccer Parenting and how it can be a valuable resource for parents navigating all that comes with raising soccer players.

After a wonderful time at the convention, it was time to head back east on another cramped Spirit flight- this time a direct, but red-eye flight back to BWI. I barely slept and was suffering a bit after going straight to our all-day swim meet at University of Maryland, but it was all so worth it to have the wonderful experience we did in Anaheim. I remarked to Kyle that never in a million years would I have seen myself doing something like this two years ago. Now we look forward to possibly going next year in Chicago.

Be sure to check out our podcast episodes from our trip for more details! You can find them on Youtube, Spotify, Apple, and Google Podcasts. Also, please check out Todd’s “The Free Kick” podcast for content from the convention!