Built to Last: Keeping Young Athletes Healthy with Dr. Brian Gould

There’s a lot of noise in youth sports right now. Train more. Play through it. Don’t fall behind.

But what if the real edge isn’t doing more - it’s doing things the right way?

In this episode, Ian Fitzpatrick sits down with Dr. Brian Gould, sports medicine physician, parent, former youth coach, and trusted medical partner of Mendocino County Sports Academy, for a wide-ranging conversation about what it actually takes to keep young athletes healthy, resilient, and connected to the game for the long haul.

Dr. Gould has seen youth sports from every angle - the exam room, the sidelines, and the stands. He’s treated countless MCSA athletes coached in MCSA's Developmental Soccer League, and works daily with athletes navigating injury, recovery, and the pressure to keep going at all costs.

Together, they explore:

• Why sleep, recovery, and training load matter more than most people realize

• The warning signs parents and coaches should never ignore

• How overuse injuries really happen—and how many are preventable

• The mental and emotional toll injuries take on young athletes

• Why early sport specialization increases burnout and breakdown

• What “being tough” actually means when development is done right

• How listening to your body builds resilience instead of fear

• And how a player-first environment helps kids stay healthy and stay in love with sport

This isn’t a conversation about shortcuts, quick fixes, or chasing the next edge.

It’s about care, honesty, and playing the long game - so kids don’t just perform better now, but carry sport with them for life.

If you’re a parent, coach, athlete, or anyone who believes youth sports should build people, not break them, this episode is for you.

The line ends here.
But the work and the growth continue.

Fall winds down. Seasons shift. Fields go quiet. But inside MCSA, something else is happening - a different kind of growth.

In this episode, we look at what this moment really is: a transition, a turning, a season of becoming.

Select teams close their fall campaigns. DSL Select prepares for the California Cup, which is the next step for players exploring what’s possible. Our youngest Eagles wrap grassroots and DSL. Cross country completes another year of grit and discovery. High school players step into one of the strongest programs in Northern California. Winter futsal, Sunday turf sessions, and new offerings like Coach T’s FUNDamentl Fitness open the door to new paths.

Some teams thrived. Others struggled. Some players broke through. Others hit walls. All of it is part of the process.

Alignment over hustle. Development over shortcuts. The long arc over the quick win.

This episode threads it all together: the rhythm of the seasons, the way kids grow when the lights are bright and when no one is watching, and how a community builds something real when it honors every chapter… not just the victories.

Wherever your family lands this winter, whether it's high school, select, futsal, another sport, or well-deserved rest —this is your permission to breathe, recalibrate, and step into the next chapter with intention.

Because every season has a purpose.

And this one?

This is the season of becoming.

Where Belief Is Built, Community Is Formed, and the Future Takes Root

In this powerful episode, Ian Fitzpatrick takes listeners onto the small community fields of Mendocino County - and into the heart of what makes the Developmental Soccer League (DSL) far more than a game.

From the story of a U10 player discovering he “belongs” on the big stage, to the origin of DSL in 2019, to why so many of today’s top players in NorCal PDP, MLS Next, and Girls Academy began right here with volunteer coaches on local grass fields - this episode reveals the true purpose of DSL as the foundation of MCSA’s player-first pathway.

As we head into the final weekend of the season - where DSL players will step onto the championship turf at Ukiah High School for the first time - we reflect on what’s really being built:

• Where confidence is earned

• Where community is formed

• Where kids discover who they are becoming

• And why The Nest must be built to carry this future forward

This isn’t just a league. This is a movement.

This episode is a tribute to our players, our families, our volunteer coaches - and a vision for what comes next.