Meet Alex Hess, NCAA Division II striker for Bloomsburg University's men's soccer team in Pennsylvania, and the first striker to join The Players Chat for Episode 5.Born and raised in Connecticut, Alex takes us through his football journey, from dominating youth soccer at Valencia Academy in New York to competing in MLS NEXT with Met Oval, going on trials with professional clubs in Spain and Portugal, and now playing at Bloomsburg.His journey wasn't all goals and victories. Alex opens up about the opportunities that didn't work out, why being the most talented player doesn't always mean you're the right fit, the reality of competing against players in European academies, and why he initially put all his focus on going professional instead of pursuing college soccer.He also shares the story of a painful injury that followed him for years, the surgery that kept him off the pitch, and what it took to return to the game without pain.

In this episode, Alex and host Demetri Xidias reconnect over their shared football experiences and get into the realities of chasing a professional career, adapting to different coaching styles, the competitiveness of college soccer, and what American soccer needs to do to develop more professional players.In the Chat:00:00 Intro: Meet Alex Hess06:20 Growing up in Connecticut & Discovering Football13:04 Learning in Albertson & Valencia Academy20:44 Why Being the BEST Player Doesn't Always Mean You're The RIGHT FIT21:35 The influence of Coach Luis Hormigo & 26:09 Building an almost unbeatable youth team43:02 A 14-year-old chasing Messi's 91-goal record47:29 The missed opportunity with New York Red Bulls52:08 Moving to Met Oval & competing in MLS NEXT55:00 Learning to become a complete striker1:04:52 Why Alex received ZERO college recruiting emails1:06:44 Taking a gap year to play soccer in Spain1:19:53 The college recruitment process & choosing Bloomsburg1:22:52 The reality of NCAA Division II soccer1:28:13 Trials with Rayo Vallecano and SC Braga1:29:46 The difference between American and European academies1:35:04 Playing through years of neck pain1:41:36 Surgery, recovery & returning to football1:46:32 The future of college soccer in America1:52:11 How American colleges could develop more professional players2:00:38 The Fun Front ThreeAnd much more!The Players Chat brings you real, unfiltered conversations from every level of football, sharing personal stories, experiences, lessons, and unforgettable moments along the way.If you're a youth player, college athlete, professional player, coach, or simply love football, there's plenty to take away from Alex's journey.⚽ Subscribe, turn on notifications, and share this episode with your teammates!🎙️ New episodes every other Tuesday.Join the TPC Club:http://eepurl.com/kJpNG8DROWFollow The Players Chat:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThePlayersChatClips: https://www.youtube.com/@ThePlayersChatClipsFollow Alex Hess:Instagram: alexander_hess2026Follow Demetri Xidias:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/demetrixidias/For sponsorship inquiries:contact@theplayerschat.comhttps://tr.ee/XbSzPJzU9M

From professional footballer to coach and co-founder of New York Dash FC, Christian Turizo has experienced the game from many angles. In Episode 04 of The Players Chat, he sits down with host Demetri Xidias for an unfiltered conversation about the journey that took him from his youth to professional career to helping build a club of his own.

Christian opens up about the rejection, setbacks, and opportunities that shaped him as a player, his transition into coaching, and the lessons he’s learned from experiencing the game on both sides of the pitch.

He shares what it takes to keep going when you’re told you’re not good enough, while diving into player development, coaching, team culture, the path to professional football, and why being a great teammate matters just as much as talent. Christian also gets real about pay-to-play youth soccer and how the high cost of the U.S. system may be causing talented players, especially in New York City, to be overlooked.

There’s a lot to take away from this conversation.

The Players Chat brings you real, unfiltered conversations from every level of football, sharing the personal stories, setbacks, lessons, and unforgettable moments that happen both on and off the pitch.

Episode 04 | Christian Turizo | Former Professional Footballer, Coach & Co-Founder of New York Dash FC

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For the first time, The Players Chat brings a coach into the conversation, giving us a completely different perspective on the game with plenty of lessons. If you’re a player trying to get better, a coach developing the next generation, or a parent navigating this game, don’t skip this one!

Luis Hormigo, Director of Akinji Soccer, takes us inside his journey from growing up with the game in Spain to building his career in the U.S. and shares a coach’s perspective on the parts of player development that don’t always get talked about: U.S. vs. European soccer culture, decision-making, uncomfortable truths, winning and losing, learning from failure, and why sometimes you have to be bad before you can become great.

The Players Chat brings you real, unfiltered conversations from every level of football, sharing personal stories, experiences, lessons, and unforgettable moments along the way.

U.S. SOCCER vs. EUROPEAN FOOTBALL: WHAT'S REALLY DIFFERENT? There is so much to learn from this conversation.

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