A Pro Soccer Offer at 15. A Family Decision.

A Pro Soccer Offer at 15. A Family Decision.

If your child received a professional soccer offer at 15, would your family say yes straight away? Jonny Shore's family took months. College was still on the table.

The NYCFC midfielder tells Liron and Matt how they made that decision, what changed after he signed, and how his parents supported him when playing well did not bring the next opportunity. For parents wondering how kids become professional soccer players, this is one family's answer, with the parts that do not make the announcement: online school from 10th grade, two seasons on the second team playing against adults, a season where he played well and got "pretty much no looks" from the first team, a debut at 17 that came faster than he expected, and a back injury that took most of the next preseason.

Jonny says he has no regrets, and he still tells every kid to have a plan B. He also understands why another player might choose college. Liron and Matt also ask him what coachability means and what coaches owe young players in return, and what he would tell a nine-year-old who is scared to make a mistake.

For parents, this is a player's account of when support helped and when pressure got in the way: parents who let him play, friendships that made the academy years special, the moments he needed clearer feedback from coaches, and why, even in the first team, he keeps coming back to enjoying the game.

In this episode:

Joining an MLS academy at 10 and adjusting to the competition, travel, and training scheduleWhy young players need room to make mistakes, and how his parents supported thatWhat coachability means, and why coaches also owe young players clear feedbackWeighing a pro contract against college, and why Jonny still recommends a plan BSwitching to online school and missing birthdays and weekends with friendsWhy playing against adults made the academy-to-second-team jump so difficultThe season with no first-team looks, and working back after injuryKeeping friendships and interests outside soccer, without measuring progress against social mediaChasing the Game is a weekly show for parents navigating youth soccer in America: the money, the leagues, the pressure, and what actually develops a player.

(00:00) - Opening

(01:55) - Upper West Side to Manhattan Kickers

(07:22) - The Academy Shock

(11:37) - Play Your Own Game

(13:52) - Coachability and What Coaches Owe Kids