Mitch Osmond - NAIA To The MLS, & Leading Forward Madison To USL Glory - E25

This week on The Back Stick Podcast, Dom and Jamil welcome Forward Madison FC captain Mitch Osmond to the studio for a truly inspiring episode.

We delve into Mitch's footballing journey—from growing up in Australia and playing for historic club Sydney United, to his transition into the U.S. college system, fatherhood, and his incredible path from NAIA soccer to getting drafted by Minnesota United in the MLS SuperDraft.

Mitch opens up about the grind of USL Championship football at Indy Eleven and OKC Energy, how he battled through major injuries, and what it means to now wear the armband for Forward Madison. He also reflects on the passionate fanbase in Madison, his goals for the club in 2025, and how Head Coach Matt Glaeser has helped change the club’s culture.

Whether you're a USL League One supporter, a Forward Madison fan, or just love a great underdog football story, this episode is packed with honesty, laughs, and football insight.

00:00 Tribute To Gadi Kinda

01:02 Welcome Mitch Osmond!

03:42 Early Season Injury Troubles At Forward Madison

06:44 A Word For Madison's Incredible Fans

12:15 Experiences in Australian Football & USA Transition

19:47 NAIA Soccer, Raising A Child & Battling Injuries In College

27:58 Getting Drafted To Minnesota United From NAIA

35:00 USL Championship: Signing For Indy & OKC Energy

39:02 Do Foreigners Ever Get Used To Playing In The US Heat?

43:03 A Word For Chaney!

44:45 The Future of Forward Madison

48:01 Matt Glaeser's Impact On Forward Madison

52:52 Extra Time: Rapid Fire Questions

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Transcript

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (00:00)
Hello everyone and welcome to the Backstic podcast. I'm Jamil Roberts. And before we get into the show, ⁓ I feel it's important myself ⁓ and the Kansas City sporting Kansas City community right now, we send our love, thoughts and condolences to the family and everyone that knew Gaddy Kinder who unfortunately passed away this week. Gaddy was a top firstly.

top top person, one of the nicest fellas that I ever met around the training ground, always putting a smile on people's faces and never ruffled any feathers, I don't know anyone that could say a bad word about him. And then as every sporting Kansas City fan knows, water player. mean, some of the memories that he gave the fans, you know, during his time at the club, just a top top guy and like I said, to his family and to anyone that knows him and has had the pleasure of playing with him across his career.

you know, 11 thoughts go out to him. But to bring it back in, ⁓ welcome to the show. I'm Jamil Roberts and I'm joined here as usual by Dom Ocas. Dom, how are you, pal?

Dom Okus (01:11)
Yeah, good mate. Good, good, good. We're just getting ready for Memorial Day weekend here in Austin. It's going to be absolutely roasting this weekend. It's going to be about 35 degrees Celsius for those of you who use temperature in Celsius, about 100 Fahrenheit for American folks. forward to it though, got a few DJ events. So looking forward to that.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (01:29)
too much.

Yeah, well you play into

a couple of rooftops and that.

Dom Okus (01:36)
rooftops, taking over like a whole venue that's got a rooftop and a downstairs like renting out the whole gaff. Also got like a block party going on going on on Monday with one of the best restaurants here in Austin so yeah man looking forward to it looking forward to it and of course looking forward to the episode. I remember last episode though I just moved on and introduced a guest, a rude of me. How are you doing Jeb? You good?

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (01:57)
Yeah, I'm good man, I'm good. Funny time of my life man, I mean I feel like I've moved every six months for the last six years but finally looking like I found a home, I've recently just moved to Manchester. So yeah, it's obviously coming at a bad time to be a Manchester United fan. It's funny man, I went on one of me runs the other day and I stopped off yesterday so...

the time of this recording is the day after the Europa League final and I stopped off at Old Trafford to say a couple of prayers for the final and obviously it didn't go our way so... but not much has gone our way but anyway you can give me Banner for that later on it's time to introduce the guests so it's someone who's been requested by a couple of ⁓ listeners

Dom Okus (02:38)
Mwahahahaha

Yeah.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (02:55)
who've messaged us on socials and a couple of recommendations from former guests as well so it's a pleasure for me to introduce forward madison's mitch osmond mitch how are you mate

Mitch Osmond (03:06)
What is going on? Thanks for having me. Happy to be here.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (03:08)
Yeah

Mate, you're a big name, apparently. ⁓ Just wear it with pride. ⁓ Like I was saying there, he seems to be a popular guy. I yourself and I have played against each other a few times. I remember the first time I actually chatted to you was when you guys beat us, obviously, last season for like probably the fourth time. ⁓

Mitch Osmond (03:16)
Don't know why, mate.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (03:40)
I know you were sound there, but obviously we were just chatting off air there about this season and how it's begun and just struggling with a few injuries. just sum up how you're feeling about the beginning of season and obviously looking forward to, it's still early doors and still another 20, 25 games to go to really get you where forward Madison should be, up the other end of the league, right?

Mitch Osmond (04:06)
Yeah, for sure. Like I was saying, I come in and second week into preseason, I ruptured my hamstring tendon. So that was a long one. ⁓ Came back from it, was back for about a month and then tore my calf and fascia around it. So there's another month gone. So I think it's like 17 or 18 weeks of the year so far and I've been available for four. ⁓

not not ideal

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (04:38)
That's

probably eight games in the USL calendar.

Mitch Osmond (04:41)
Yeah,

no kidding. If it was if it happened in August with our schedule, I would have missed half the season. ⁓ But by now it's it's been a tough start for us with with injuries. ⁓ You know, we've we've drawn a lot of games as well. ⁓ But. I think, you know, with with the team that we have ⁓ and the luck we've had with other results once.

Dom Okus (04:42)
Hehehe!

No.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (04:49)
Honestly, honestly.

Mm.

Mitch Osmond (05:10)
Once we get bodies out on the pitch and healthy again, I don't see why we won't be up the top end by the end of the season when it matters.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (05:18)
Yeah,

yeah, and do you think that points to, mean, if you can draw any sort of positives from it, right? Do you think, you know, having injuries and setbacks, not just yourself, like you said, throughout the whole squad, if anything, does that point to at least some resilience that the squad's got?

Mitch Osmond (05:31)
Yeah.

Yeah, for sure. think playing for Madison pre-season and the start of the year is tough, man. The gaffer and the club, they preach it. We've got to be resilient, adversity, this and that. And it was like, all right, we got through that part and then boom, just one thing after another. I don't think there's any more adversity for us to have. We're about two injuries away from a goalkeeper playing striker.

Dom Okus (06:04)
Yeah

Mitch Osmond (06:07)
But,

but now it's, it is, it's like the feeling this week is that, man, it's, it's felt like everything has gone against us and the group is still really strong, you know, and we're still, even though results are, I mean, we lost the first game, we haven't lost since, but like we're playing better and better every week. We're starting to look more and more like Ford Madison, what you would expect from us. And I think that, yeah, within

Probably the next month the narrative around this group is going to change.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (06:42)
Yeah, for sure. I mean, it wouldn't be us talking about Madison as a club and whatever without sort of mentioning the support and everything that you guys have around the city and the attendances there every game. mean, if that's not motivation to get back on the pitch, I don't know what is. know, Dom, I don't know if you've ever seen it down there. Like it was always my favorite away trip just because, you know, you're playing in front of like...

Mitch Osmond (07:01)
Yeah, for sure.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (07:11)
Not just a crowd in terms of volume, like you're playing in front of a crowd that are giving you stick for 90 minutes, like they're on your back, if you like any bad touch and it's like, it's real, it's real and like, but then on the flip side of that, like they adore them lads. Like that must be some motivation to, know, you know, make sure that you guys kick on now and then start to really put a run together.

Mitch Osmond (07:36)
Yeah, 100%. And I think, you know, you probably know actually from previous years to maybe comparing to last year, it's the crowd has developed along with the team. know, like when I first came, this is my fourth year here. When I first came, I felt like it was just too nice. You know what I mean? It was like, it was fun for away teams to come because...

that everyone was so kind and welcoming and I was like, it has to change. And I think last year, we only lost one game at home and a big part of that I think was the crowd. mean, they're a bit more rowdy, a bit more involved in tune with what's happening in the game. Like Johnny said, they'll pick people out and if you make a mistake, they'll be on you and you need it.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (08:26)
Yeah,

mate I was getting it because I was the wide players always get it the worst mate Honestly ⁓ May I'll never forget you know not on the So first and foremost I never normally bite like ever But it just I can't remember which game it was but it wasn't the the side of the stadium where you've got like the main stand There it's where like the boxes are on the other side

Mitch Osmond (08:30)
Yeah, Yeah, what place 100 % 100 %

Dom Okus (08:35)
But tell me, tell me, Jim, what kind of partner were they giving you?

Mitch Osmond (08:53)
The sweet tire.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (08:55)
Yeah, so I was playing there in the first half and I'm having a stinker. I'm having one, right? And obviously like, you know, I've still got the mullet but like it's a lot tamer than what it was last year and it would look like fucking Simba's mane at back there and like and basically like imagine like I've got probably one of the most sticky out bastard barnets in the league and then and then like coupled with the fact that I'm having a stinker I can't pass five yards and this geezer's just giving me pelters like

Mitch Osmond (09:15)
You

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (09:24)
Over and over and every time I took a throw in every time I took a touch this and that blah blah blah And then basically I've smashed one of your lads, and it's a foul I've done it like to sort of lock myself in a little bit and he's give me one and it was just the first time I turn around Fuck off

Mitch Osmond (09:41)
Hahaha

Dom Okus (09:41)
EAT

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (09:44)
You

Dom Okus (09:46)
⁓ mate, that's so funny. Would you say that's some of the worst brand that you've got? Or had worst times, like maybe in college or other times?

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (09:56)
To honest with you, the worst one I ever had was in college and that was just because it was away at Florida Atlantic and they just knew all of my family's names and it was just this group of lads. Yeah, just, yeah, I mean, I was top goalscorer at the time so they'd probably gone in to purposefully target me and it was hardly anyone in the stands. It was this group of 20 lads that had just shouted, like, 11, like,

Mitch Osmond (10:10)
Research, research.

Dom Okus (10:10)
wow.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (10:26)
About my mum, about my brothers, about this, about that. And it was the first time where I was like, you fuckers. Like, that's evil that.

Dom Okus (10:34)
⁓

Mitch Osmond (10:36)
you ⁓

Dom Okus (10:37)
What about

bringing it back to you Mitch, what about you? Obviously you're recognisable, your voice is recognisable on the pitch, so you must be a target for the other teams. What sort of banner have you got and is there anything that sticks out to you? You know what, fair play. You lot have got me.

Mitch Osmond (10:51)
Yeah, was gonna

say that I always love going to Chattanooga. Like I feel like in terms of like they'll get, I don't know if they're college or probably a bit older than college to be fair, but they'll come and they'll follow you around the pitch a little bit, know, and chat shit. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Dom Okus (10:59)
Okay.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (10:59)
Aw yeah.

Yeah, mate, they're they're hostile. Yeah, they're hostile.

It's real fans down in in Chattanooga real fans

Mitch Osmond (11:15)
But it's, yeah,

it's not ⁓ like you'll go places, know, Richmond, whatever, and it's, there's maybe more people, but the band's a shit, you know what I mean? That is like, yeah, you're really bad at soccer, you know, like just rubbish, absolute rubbish. But Chattanooga, it's like, yeah, they'll go for you. They'll find out about your family, and you know what I mean?

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (11:26)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, they've just got that little pod in the corner, haven't they?

Dom Okus (11:27)
me

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (11:33)
You

Dom Okus (11:34)
my god.

Alright.

Mitch Osmond (11:44)
No shit talk, I love it, I love it.

Dom Okus (11:46)
and you.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (11:47)
Yeah,

it's good. It's good fan base down there in chat. And yeah, the numbers have dropped a little bit this year, but hopefully with the club sort of at least stabilizing a little bit in the playoffs this year, hopefully ⁓ they can keep the attendance is where they have been.

Mitch Osmond (12:01)
Yeah, yeah, I hope so, man, because like,

you want those games, you know, like you want those games where the crowds involved and yeah, 100 % 100 %

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (12:07)
Mm-hmm. Good for the league.

Yeah,

nah. Well, just bringing it back to you, mate, obviously, you know, I just want to touch on bringing it sort of back to when, back when you were in Aus and, you know, I'm not sure if you're actually familiar with this, but I actually spent 2023 playing the NPL. I was at Penn Power in Queensland.

Mitch Osmond (12:31)
Yeah, I did see that. Where were you again?

Beautiful, beautiful, good part of the world.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (12:39)
⁓

And yeah, I absolutely loved it like but for me like I knew I couldn't do I signed a two-year contract and I knew I had to leave after a year because it wasn't good for my career like I felt like as an Englishman going to Australia I was on holiday every day so like you know you go from like this high professional environment and may like I was on the beer I was on the beach drinking beers like five times a week like

Dom Okus (12:53)
Thanks.

Mitch Osmond (12:56)
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Hahaha.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (13:06)
I was the heaviest I've ever been like I wasn't playing well like and I knew like if I do another year of this I'm gone like I would not play football at a decent level ever again so but but I mean how I Mate I mean it's hard not to you're always on holiday

Mitch Osmond (13:09)
Yeah.

Dom Okus (13:14)
Peace.

Mitch Osmond (13:16)
Nah, that's fair, that's fair. I think that happens to all the internationals when they go to Oz. Because like, in terms of,

yeah, in terms of like the balance between football and life, like in Australia, you're gonna enjoy, you know? So there's a lot of discipline involved. Yeah, 100%, 100%. I think, no, go ahead.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (13:32)
If you don't, think you've wasted it.

⁓ It's like

Yeah, no, and I was literally just talking to my boy Sammy today. It's his birthday and I was saying to him I'm gonna go back to to Brisbane next May and I can't wait because like I'm just going purely for the holiday like I ain't got worry about training or nothing like that So that's three weeks for me to pork up a little bit

Mitch Osmond (13:49)
Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Dom Okus (13:55)
Thanks.

Mitch Osmond (14:01)
No,

it's a good balance, life and football, if you can get the balance right. But especially as an international coming over, if you're not used to it, it'll grab you and pull you in.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (14:16)
Yeah, yeah, and I mean, like, just on that, mean, where did you, where did you grow up, where did you play and what, you know, the clubs that sort of, I mean, developed you before you went to the States?

Mitch Osmond (14:24)
Yeah.

Yeah, so got a my development was Sydney United. I came through at Sydney United. I debuted at Sydney United in the first team. And it's a bit different nowadays, like since the A-League's come in. ⁓ But Sydney United is traditionally one of the powerhouses of Australian football in terms of developing, you know, ⁓ you know, Mile Jedenak

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (14:49)
Yeah, yeah, for sure.

Mitch Osmond (14:55)
He played and came through there. know, won the Europa League as the assistant yesterday. ⁓ Graham Arnold, Robbie Slater, yeah. I had to slip that one in. I had to slip that one in.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (15:03)
Chase him.

Dom Okus (15:07)
Nasty.

Mitch Osmond (15:11)
later as well, won the Premier League with Blackburn. Graham Arnold managed the national team in the World Cup. It's a great setup, a lot of history, good coaches. I was very fortunate to have come through there. then I wanted to try and get a bit more first team minutes, so I moved around a little bit before coming to the States. But it just wasn't happening for me.

Dom Okus (15:11)
Dagger.

Mitch Osmond (15:41)
I think I fell a little bit into the not managing the balance like we were just talking about in those like kind of crucial years. Do you know what I mean? I was going out too much and enjoying myself a little bit more than I should have when I should have been focusing on my football. So I just felt like.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (15:47)
Okay.

Mm-hmm.

It's not easy man though, I mean I can attest to it. It's really not and I think you know people they have this sort of I don't want to call it a false opinion but this like this illusion that like footballers they go to training and then they lock the door and they get home and they're not allowed out. Do you know what I mean? Like it's just not how it is and when you're a young kid surrounded like with those surroundings like Sydney, like Queensland, like paradise.

Mitch Osmond (16:06)
Nah, it's not man, it's not.

Yeah, nah, no chance.

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

Exactly.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (16:35)
You know,

the temptation's there and like, even the top athletes in the world will break at some point, you know, even if it's just for a split second, you know, so for someone who's like, maybe just trying to figure it out, I get it, mate, I do.

Mitch Osmond (16:43)
for sure.

Yeah, yeah. And I think as well, like, so when I started training with the first team when I was 16, I debuted at 17 in a cup game. And then I went over on trial to Dinamo Zagreb, because Sydney United's background is Croatian. So there's an affiliation there. Yeah, huge, huge in general. Yeah. And then, yeah, I went over there and

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (17:07)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's a big Croatian presence, isn't there, around like ⁓ Australian football, yeah.

Mitch Osmond (17:20)
I had some issues with the visa and it didn't work out for me to stay and I ended up going back to Australia and we have like this, maybe you remember and noticed it, but I'm not sure so much how it is in Queensland, but we have this like mentality that if you don't go to Europe or you're not playing first team football in A league at 18 years old, like you're done, you know, so.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (17:45)
Yeah,

yeah, yeah, it's the same.

Mitch Osmond (17:46)
I was turning 18

and I came back from Europe and I was like, ⁓ you know, it's over for me. It didn't have really good guidance. So, ⁓ just made some bad decisions and, coming, coming over to America was like my way of one last shot at it. You know what I mean? Change my environment, see if I can knuckle down a bit better and see what happens, you know.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (18:10)
Yeah, I think that's true man. And I mean Dom you're I'm sure you agree with me like I knew and I still now I Know that if I was to move back to my hometown I think like my productivity like in life in football would just do that because there's just all the influences of your mates of The home comforts of this of that, you know, I don't think I could ever do it like

Mitch Osmond (18:24)
Yeah.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (18:38)
Dom, if you were to move back to London, would you think you'd live in the same area as London?

Dom Okus (18:42)
Yeah, it's funny that you say that right you talk use the word comfort and I think that's exactly it like being comfortable Can kill you that's what I think right and I think I always say that movement America 18 They're moving to DC then I moved back to London for a bit I was home for maybe a year and then I ended up getting a flat me and my brother got a flat and I moved out and I was that one of the best things ever just to like not be under my roof and be comfortable that if I don't

It sounds stupid, know? But little things like, if I don't wash my plate, my mum will do it. Or if I don't do my laundry, my mum will do it. And then you move out, and it's like, oh yeah, that cup that you left two days ago is still gonna be there when you get home, yeah. Do you know what I mean? It's just a little thing. So no, I completely agree. I think everyone, at minimum, should move away from home for some period of time, right? Whether it's for university, or for work, or to go traveling, or something, but just...

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (19:15)
Yeah?

Mitch Osmond (19:21)
Let's do it there.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (19:21)
You

Dom Okus (19:39)
get away from your comfort zone for a little bit and there's a lot of growth in them, a lot. And I think we can all attest to that having moved to the US.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (19:47)
Yeah, mate, 100%. And it's funny, like, I mean, you've kind of just, I guess, segued us on perfectly there. obviously, like, you make the move over and you bounce around in college, play for a couple of college teams there. But what was your initial sort of reaction to the level and everything else that comes with being a college soccer player in America, as opposed to...

you know, being 18 and on trial with Zagreb and Sydney United and those environments, you know, what was your initial, you know, straight off the plane, straight into training, you know, your initial reactions to all of that.

Mitch Osmond (20:26)
Yeah, I think it's interesting because my whole college experience in general is so different to anyone or majority of people, I would say. ⁓ First and foremost, I didn't pick the school until like right before I came over and ⁓ like the MPO runs off the calendar year, right? It's not on the European calendar. So we ended the season. I didn't resign because I

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (20:50)
Yeah, yeah.

Mitch Osmond (20:57)
sort of coming over to America. And then when I'd done the NCAA clearing house, I didn't get any eligibility because of where I'd played and had been paid, right? So the NAIA back then though was like the wild west. They didn't ask nothing. You know what I mean? Like you fill out a couple of, yeah. mean, Jamma you know, like the guys, average age, Ryo, who is 25 years old, like.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (21:12)
Anyone and everyone yeah, Messi could go play four years

Dom Okus (21:17)
Yeah

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (21:23)
Mate,

it's ridiculous. The Wild West is a perfect way to describe it.

Mitch Osmond (21:26)
So, I

said, I hadn't resigned at my club and ⁓ I fully committed to going over and then the rug got pulled with the NCAA. ⁓ And then the guy that was helping me go over, he told me about the NAIA and he said he had a mate that was a head coach and ⁓ they would, you know,

give me full scholarship and they'd let me leave after a year. They said like, play one year and you can go. I was like, all right, this is pre-portal days. So that's a big deal, you know? And the school was in Northwest Indiana. It was like 25 minutes from downtown Chicago. So I was coming from Sydney. I was like, all right, I want to be in a big city. So, yeah, yeah, yeah, I will do it. I didn't really look into the...

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (22:06)
Yeah, yeah.

Mitch Osmond (22:24)
the level of the program or nothing like that. I kind of just got on a plane and went and I showed up and ⁓ man, can't, I don't want to speak too badly about it because they served a good purpose in my life, you know, but I can't even describe how bad that level was like. ⁓ honestly, and after a couple of weeks, I was like, I think I should just get on a plane, home.

Like this is, I don't even think I can do the year, you know? And ⁓ I ended up sticking it out, meeting my missus and then I'll preface, unplanned. ⁓ We found out she was pregnant. ⁓ So I had my son in my sophomore year. And so that year I was meant to go to Rio. So that's when I went out to Rio and...

went on a visit, trained with the boys, played in a spring game. It was like the Jeremy, the who Ben Martinez team. And, and yeah, so I committed to go there. And then obviously I found out about my son and I called the gaffer and I was like, listen, I'm going to stay. ⁓ I want to be here. And it was like completely respected. And then I stayed and I didn't really know.

what was going to happen. ⁓ And we had the baby and they so fast forward a year later or whatever it was and. Raya had just lost the national championship final. And on their way back from Florida, the gaffer called me and he was like, what? What do I have to do for you to come? He's like, we'll do everything and so he was like, we'll get your.

your wife a job, we'll have daycare for the baby, you will find your place, obviously full ride scholarship and yeah. ⁓

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (24:28)
Wow.

Dom Okus (24:31)
plus.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (24:31)
Amazing

Mitch Osmond (24:37)
father-in-law and he was like, just go, if it doesn't work, it's a short period of time, know, and so far we'll do it. And then it didn't work out, like make sense for my wife to come with my son. So they stayed in the Chicago area and I went to Ohio. ⁓ So I was away from them and purely financial reasons.

and the job she had, was making more money. yeah, I transferred to Rio and I blew out my ankle like completely after I think it was seven games. So I like chipped the cartilage out of my ankle. I broke two of the bones. I tore three of the ligaments and I had to have a full reconstruction.

Dom Okus (25:30)
No.

Mitch Osmond (25:36)
I didn't walk for five months. So, ⁓ and I was like, I was bricking it like, ⁓ thinking of he's going to the gaffer is going to take my scholarship or whatever. And was, was the opposite. was like, anytime you need to go and see family, like, don't worry, go, you know, with everything with your rehab, like no, no questions asked, you know, because at the time the

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (25:39)
Wow.

Mitch Osmond (26:04)
I actually got the surgery done at your school. I had the surgery done at Marshall. Yeah. Yeah.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (26:07)
really? suppose, I mean it's just down the road isn't it? I think, I forget how

close they are, GV, Rio Grande and... Huntington. Yeah, yeah. Wow, yeah, no, I didn't even think about that. so you've been in my neck of the woods then? Yeah, nice. You've probably had a few nights in my neck of the woods as well, haven't you?

Mitch Osmond (26:17)
Yeah, yeah, it's like 45, 50 minutes. And yeah, so yeah, yeah, ⁓ yeah.

No, but

So then like while I was on, I didn't walk for five months and I was on one of those scooters, you know, and I was just struggling, man. So I had my son at the time, he was eight months old and I had him come out and stay with me on campus for like a month before my surgery. So I was like running around with like in the hangover.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (26:50)
Alright.

Mitch Osmond (27:11)
you know, the baby in the harness. So I was rolling around on the scooter with him with harness in the front. ⁓ But everyone, like all the boys would pitch in, like I had to work at night ⁓ to send money back and like my teammates would help me put him to bed and stay with him while I would work until midnight.

Dom Okus (27:13)
Yeah

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (27:18)
You

That's brilliant.

Dom Okus (27:23)
as hilarious.

Mitch Osmond (27:40)
you know, like class class guys, know, ⁓ managed to, to get better after a year and, and play, play my senior year. ⁓ and then yeah, got drafted and been kicking on since.

Dom Okus (27:58)
Wait, of course, you can't just say, well, I had a baby, I broke my ankle, all the trials and tribulations. I played my senior. Yeah, I couldn't walk, I was on a scooter, my teammate's were having to tuck in my son. Then I just played my senior, then I just played my senior and got drafted. Let's dive into that. So how does a player, right? And for those who are not that familiar with the US.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (28:09)
couldn't work, sorry, couldn't walk.

Mitch Osmond (28:17)
Yeah.

Uh-huh.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (28:21)
Literally.

Dom Okus (28:29)
collegiate system, most players who get drafted will be playing for a top 25 team in the NCAA, right? So like Jamil, you're playing for a Marshall that maybe just won the national championship. How does a player who's not played their junior year, only played their senior year at an NAIA school, Rio Grande are a good school to be fair, NAIA, but how does a player like that end up getting drafted? Is it to what you're doing in the PDO at the time or something else? Right.

Mitch Osmond (28:55)
Yeah, yeah, definitely

definitely PDL like going into that junior year when I got hurt. ⁓ We had made we made the final and I was team of the year defensive player of the year in League 2 and then when I when I got to Rio. ⁓ Like we were flying. I think we won our first seven games in a row. I'd scored like three goals from center back and was doing really well and.

Dom Okus (29:09)
Wow.

Mitch Osmond (29:25)
To be honest, the...

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (29:25)
Anything

that wasn't a header

Mitch Osmond (29:29)
No, there were three headers. ⁓

Dom Okus (29:31)
hahahaha ⁓

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (29:32)
You

You

Mitch Osmond (29:38)
⁓ But no, then the plan for me was to enter that year and ⁓ to enter the draft that year. Like that's when a bunch of MLS clubs were coming in for me and like calling my coach and trying to see what my situation was. And I don't know, when I look back on it, it might've helped the NAIA thing because like I was

able to like stand out like this guy had no business being there kind of thing. You know what mean? because I got, got a bit of attention on me from playing in the summer and then they were like, what's he doing in the NEI? So started looking into me a little bit more. and yeah, I think probably look in hindsight, would I have potentially had a better MLS career? ⁓ Maybe, I don't know. ⁓ you never know what can happen, but

Dom Okus (30:12)
Right.

Hmm.

Mitch Osmond (30:37)
⁓ It definitely hurt me going into the draft after my senior year, like a lot of teams who are is he worth the risk, you know, after the injury and like how good is the ankle, this and that. ⁓ But that's football, man. It happens to players every single day, you know. But ⁓ yeah, think summer definitely boosted my stock.

And then I think just standing out in the NAIA helped as well.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (31:12)
Yeah, I was going to kind of dig into that a little deeper, You know, another friend of the pod, Matt Bentley, went down to Minnesota as well. So what was the experience like? you you hate, was it, you weren't, you shouldn't surely want a virtual draft. you, did you go up in person or was this?

Mitch Osmond (31:29)
No, no,

was, ⁓ I was, I was the last year of like the proper combine and draft. So my year was when like, you probably remember you go down to Florida, ⁓ you know, they put you up at the Ritz Carlton and

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (31:37)
Yeah.

jealous of you mate. I watched it on, mate,

yeah, I watched it in my fucking, in my flat at my desk playing Call of Duty with my laptop next to me just seeing it come through. ⁓

Mitch Osmond (32:00)
Yeah.

Dom Okus (32:01)
⁓ Not better at all, like you know.

Mitch Osmond (32:02)
⁓

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (32:05)
I'm happy

for you, mate.

Dom Okus (32:07)
Hehehehehe

Mitch Osmond (32:08)
No,

and like it was was a cool, weird experience. I think like you would agree with me as a a foreigner that's not used to like US sports in the system. It's just like a seven day gauntlet. You know what I mean? You go down there and you train and they divide you up and but like you're all in the same hotel. You got your own like wing of the hotel that's just for the players and. Clubs will come in.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (32:21)
yeah.

Yeah,

the combine's so weird.

Mitch Osmond (32:37)
hand you, they'll come and

they'll come and hand you like a little slip with a room number at a time and you go meet with different clubs and it's just strange man honestly.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (32:46)
Yeah,

very so weird. Like for us, for us, it was during COVID as well. So like it was it was even more like our combine was funny enough, it was in Kansas City. And they I remember they like, they wanted us all to stay in one site. But me and Milo Yosef just said, you know what, like, it'd be better for us if we just stay somewhere else. So we just we just got our own place. It was like 15 minutes across Kansas City. It was a lot better because we

Mitch Osmond (32:49)
⁓

No, yeah, that's right.

Mmm.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (33:15)
escaped all the fucking nonsense to be honest.

Mitch Osmond (33:18)
Yeah, 100%. 100%. It is nonsense. That's the best way to put it, is nonsense. Especially like when you get back to the hotel, you're just there amongst each other, everyone talking. And yeah, it was a unique experience for sure.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (33:21)
Yeah

Obviously, your name gets called and you go down to Minnesota. So what was it like? Obviously stepping through the doors, the level's gone up. Probably where you felt you belonged a bit more as opposed to the NAI level as a whole. So what was that like making that jump back to the level that you felt like you should be at?

Mitch Osmond (33:45)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah,

yeah, I think like it being Minnesota. So when I like was finishing up my ⁓ my rehab for my ankle, ⁓ I went to Minnesota United and I trained with them and I finished my rehab there. So I had already been there, trained with them like I knew the team, the staff, ⁓ like backroom staff, everything. And like you would know when you go in like those little bits of comfort, they make a difference. And

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (34:23)
Good. Yeah, that's good.

Mitch Osmond (34:30)
Like when I went back, was so comfortable already and ⁓ knew everybody and was really, really happy to be there. And yeah, and then like you say, like with luck, mean, halfway through preseason, the club end up buying Ike Opara for like a million dollars and kind of from Kansas. yeah. They bought him from Kansas City coming on, you know, MLS defensive player of the year.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (34:51)
Was that from Kansas City? Did they buy Ike? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Mitch Osmond (35:00)
They already had quite a few centre-halves on the roster. I was like, there's no shot, I'm going to get game time. So I ended up going to India for the next couple of years, India 11.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (35:01)
Thanks for coming.

Dom Okus (35:03)
Chin up. ⁓

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (35:10)
Curl wild.

Did you get signed? Or sorry, I missed that bit. Did you get signed? So you went straight from Minnesota pre-season and then to Indy.

Mitch Osmond (35:22)
No.

Yeah, because my agent

was saying ⁓ if you sign anything, if they give you a contract and you sign it, they're going to send you on load. ⁓

You know, I thought better. have a better chance at opening up myself. like at the time I thought. I'll go to Indy is a big USL club, you know, and if I do well there, then it won't just be Minnesota looking at me like I'd open myself to more of the MLS and. ⁓ Way harder than than it seems in theory, that's for sure. ⁓ I definitely I definitely underestimated the level of.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (36:05)
tell me about it.

Mitch Osmond (36:09)
of USL. I kind of thought I'd go in there and stroll it, know, and I had some good players running around in the USL and it was not easy.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (36:19)
⁓ mate,

and it's only getting better as well. Mate, I remember when I played my first season in the champ as well, but it was for Kansas City too. the exact same thing. thought I'm gonna walk in. think...

Mitch Osmond (36:22)
100 %

Yeah.

Yeah, we

would have played against each other. Yeah. Was that okay, Yeah.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (36:37)
Were you at OKC? In 21?

Yeah, I think I made my first start against you boys.

Mitch Osmond (36:45)
Because you're with Roger, right? Yeah, yeah, so we would have played against him. He played here with me. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (36:48)
Yeah, yeah. How'd you know Rojo?

Right, ⁓ of he did, yeah, yeah,

I remember. Okay, yeah, yeah. So, mate, our team was a joke as well. Like, if you actually look at where the players on that team have gone, they've done really well for themselves. And we were shit.

Mitch Osmond (37:04)
Yay. Yeah, honestly. Yeah.

Dom Okus (37:10)
Thanks. ⁓

Mitch Osmond (37:12)
You know what? wasn't

that you were shit players. It was just like as a team, you know what I mean? But like a lot of talent though. A lot of talent.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (37:18)
Yeah, we were just young. I so young as well. Yes,

so young, so young and like, I mean, yeah, that's funny. I didn't even make up and didn't even put that connection together and I had a good game that day as well. I thought I'm gonna piss this league and then it turned out to be really odd.

Mitch Osmond (37:30)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Dom Okus (37:36)
Hahaha!

Mitch Osmond (37:37)
You caught

us. You caught us at a good time. I actually remember it because you beat us. And we were on we were on a little run like we hadn't lost in in like six weeks or something like that. And but we had three games in a week, all of them away. And then we went to we went and played you guys in Kansas. And it was like a million degrees. Honestly, like.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (37:43)
Yeah

Dom Okus (37:57)
Or both.

Mitch Osmond (38:04)
I never knew Kansas City could get that hot, like sweltering and so humid.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (38:08)
It's ridiculous. It's like

it's the coldest place ever in the winter and is the hottest place ever any other time of the year It's ridiculous. ⁓ Mate, then then you got Dom over here is moaning about fucking 30 degrees in like January. I mean like Weekly weather update. yeah, so hot

Mitch Osmond (38:13)
Yeah! Doesn't make sense. Doesn't make sense.

Dom Okus (38:24)
⁓

Mitch Osmond (38:24)
You

Dom Okus (38:33)
Now honestly though, there's not even to direct the conversation but Austin in August and July is actually unbearable. Like Texas in the summer, like think last summer it was a hundred for a hundred days straight. Like the high.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (38:41)
How hot are we talking?

Mitch Osmond (38:48)
BWAH!

Dom Okus (38:50)
The high was 100 for 100 days or something like that, 90 days. was a joke. And the thing about Texas is it doesn't cool down in the evening. So you're not like if it gets hot somewhere else in Florida, in the evening it will drop 20 degrees. It doesn't do that here.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (38:53)
Listen.

Mitch Osmond (39:02)
So, Aussie weather.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (39:02)
Yeah, it's disgusting.

Dom Okus (39:04)
Yeah, it's nasty.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (39:04)
Yeah, see, I was gonna bring it up, Mitch. Like, obviously, you know, you're an Aussie you're born and raised, blah, blah, but you're quite fair skinned, so how'd you do in the sun? ⁓

Mitch Osmond (39:12)
You know,

I do better in the American sun than the Aussie sun. I'll tell you that for free. I used to get sunburned in the winter back home.

Dom Okus (39:22)
That's

Mitch Osmond (39:25)
Like, I mean, it's just different.

Dom Okus (39:27)
funny.

Mitch Osmond (39:28)
It's just different there, you know? It's like you just sizzle. It's brutal. I'm good with the heat. just burn, man.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (39:32)
It is it's ruthless like to ⁓

Yeah, ⁓ would you say, I mean growing up, because a lot of lads, at least from England, don't they, when they go over to the States and they start playing in the heat, they moan because we just never had it growing up. Do you feel like you're just accustomed to it?

Mitch Osmond (39:53)
Yeah, yeah, you don't get it. Yeah.

Yeah, 100%. 100%. I think...

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (40:01)
I know

Dom Okus (40:01)
You

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (40:02)
Dom is not ⁓

Dom Okus (40:03)
know what's funny? This will make you guys laugh. The first time I ever got a tan was pre-season 2015 when I was 12. ⁓ I'm a dark skinned black man and I got a tan. I couldn't believe it. I should have put the picture up, yeah? It's me in the mirror. I've taken a picture and turned it to my boy's group chat. I'm like, look lads, got a tan. Look at this. Like here.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (40:11)
This guy said a fucking tan!

Mitch Osmond (40:12)
Hahaha!

Dom Okus (40:30)
Like here is like the colour of my face and all down here is like dark. I am like what is this?

Mitch Osmond (40:34)
Yeah.

you

Unreal.

Dom Okus (40:43)
I'll get

the picture and put it up. It was, it was the man. It was like a revelation to me. I was like, can turn as well. Oh, that's mad.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (40:46)
⁓ my god mate,

I'm clipping that and I'm putting that picture in the fucking thumbnail.

Mitch Osmond (40:53)
You

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (40:56)
That is amazing. ⁓ my God, mate, I'm sweating. That's fucking, that sent me that. ⁓ fuck.

Dom Okus (40:57)
So good. So good. So good, bro. So good. So good.

Mitch Osmond (41:09)
It's

probably hard for you guys,

Dom Okus (41:12)
Yeah man, yeah! 100 %

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (41:13)
mate, ⁓ it's fucking ridiculous. Wait,

it's hard for Dom to get a tan or for us to play in.

Mitch Osmond (41:17)
Apparently not!

Dom Okus (41:19)
⁓ ha!

Mitch Osmond (41:23)
Just had to get away from the gray skies.

Dom Okus (41:23)
I think you were saying something.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (41:25)
Nah, it is, brutal man, it's

Dom Okus (41:27)
Yeah. Yeah.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (41:30)
poor. And the one thing is, is they always say to you, yeah, you'll get used to it after a bit, never get used to it, never.

Dom Okus (41:36)
No.

Mitch Osmond (41:39)
I think it's like the opposite for me, you with the cold. You get used to it, you get used to it. I've been here 10 years, man. It's still like, I don't mind the, I like the snow, but the cold though, no, you don't get used to it. It gets you every year.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (41:56)
Never.

Dom Okus (41:56)
Now do you

know what it is with the heat as well? Because a lot of pitches are turf, if you're in dark coloured boots, your feet are on fire. Like it's mad.

Mitch Osmond (42:01)
Yeah, Yeah, 100%. 100%. You're finished.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (42:06)
Game over. bottoms

of your feet are finished.

Mitch Osmond (42:08)
Hey, I did, I had to bring this up, Jamo. You had the Preds last year.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (42:18)
yeah, yeah, yeah The white the the white blue and green ones. Yeah. Well, yeah, I get him off a guy He's American actually ⁓ and he's cheap. I need yeah, maybe they were a joke that you remember Yeah, I'll send you the link to him. He's good as well like he's he's he's sorted quite I Sent him around a few of the boys in the lead. Do know what I swear to God? That's how me and Cheney became mates

Mitch Osmond (42:19)
Where did you get them? The white, blue and yellow.

They're the best boots, ⁓

You gotta do me a solid, you gotta link me that one.

Yeah.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (42:46)
I swear to God we were playing U-Lot at our place and he looked down and he was like commented on the boots and then after the game he waited for me and like got my insta and then says send me the fucking the link I'll find it and I'll send it to you after I can't remember off the top of my head

Mitch Osmond (42:53)
Yeah, of course he did.

Yeah.

Dom Okus (42:59)
Yeah ⁓

Mitch Osmond (43:03)
Chaney's

that guy that he is the biggest bastard to play against and you think he's the biggest prick in the world. But honestly, he's one of the best blokes I've ever met in my life.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (43:11)
What have I told you? What have I told you?

Dom Okus (43:14)
You

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (43:20)
Yeah, yeah, he was, he was class. He was class on here and, and he, yeah, he was always good. Oh, one of the biggest in the league, him, literally. Fuck. I'll tell you what, I'm gonna, I'm gonna put my phone away and I'm gonna look up that thing for you after, cause you know they only cost me like $150 as well.

Dom Okus (43:24)
Yeah, great guest.

Mitch Osmond (43:26)
Talk about personality, mate, honestly. He's... Yeah.

Dom Okus (43:29)
Exactly, exactly.

well.

Mitch Osmond (43:44)
They were real. Yeah.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (43:45)
Yeah, and they're real, legit.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. They, they, they, they, um, at Warham, they, they were fucked this year. So obviously like the English football calendar like ends in like early May, end of April. At Warham, uh, so I like finished up with Chattanooga and then went straight into the English season. Um, so at Warham, where all of, yeah, so my body's fucked. I've going 14, 15 months, mate. Um, yeah, I'm done, mate. Um.

Mitch Osmond (43:56)
Yeah.

wow.

Yeah, so yeah, so I'm gonna say.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (44:15)
So, and I wore him and like I've still got him because I super glued the soles just came off, like the studs just came off so I super glued the whole fucking sole of him because I love him so much because I know no one else has got him. Yeah, no, I'll get him. I'll get the guy to you. He's good. But I mean, bringing it back in, mate, and obviously, you know, we talked about the draft, we talked about OKC and Indy and, you know, kind of moving about a bit and...

Mitch Osmond (44:22)
Nah.

Yeah, I love those boots,

Dom Okus (44:28)
Yeah.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (44:45)
Obviously now we scratched the surface at the beginning of the show, but you know, we're going into you know a period I personally believe in forward Madison's sort of history as a club Where it's time to win something, you know I mean like you've been knocking on the door for a while You've had teams to win it and for whatever reason you just haven't got over the line So, you know, what does the future look like for not only yourself, but you think for the club as well?

Mitch Osmond (45:00)
100%.

100%.

Yeah, I think, ⁓ you know, obviously, like we were saying, ⁓ I was in the championship and I didn't know, like the league was new, ⁓ League One. So I didn't know a whole lot about forward medicine. ⁓ But when I spoke to the gaffer here, he was like, man, I want to change the culture of the club and create something that's like a winning environment.

Um, so that was a big part of why I ended up here as well. Um, different challenge, like being at the beginning of a project and, um, it's definitely felt like that. Like the club that I came into does not exist anymore. Like the changes that have been made, um, I think the results have reflected like what's happened on the club side. Um, and, and like you said, like we feel the exact same way that

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (45:58)
Yeah, really.

Mitch Osmond (46:12)
Year after year, it's gotten better and better. ⁓ Results are going better. Like last year, we were semi-finalists in the league and then lost the cup final and both of them on penalties. ⁓ And so like coming in this year, listen, we have to win something, you know? And it's hard. It's hard when you're somewhere that winning hasn't been the culture to create it. It's almost...

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (46:20)
Yeah.

Mitch Osmond (46:39)
more difficult than the pressure of continuing to win if you're at a bigger club that has history of it. But I do think this is the year we have to get over the line. If you're into Omens, think we'll hang on to anything we can get. But Spurs have ended their drought, Newcastle have won a trophy this year, Palace have won a trophy.

So if we can do it as well, I'll be happy.

Dom Okus (47:10)
They're calling it the year of the underdog. That's what they're calling it. yeah, hopefully, I know Jam has brought some PTSD for you. It's okay, mate. It's okay.

Mitch Osmond (47:12)
Yeah, exactly. ⁓

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (47:22)
It's literally been 24 hours lads fuck off

Mitch Osmond (47:25)
Hahaha!

Dom Okus (47:28)
You're going on like I'm happy that they won. You gave Spurs a European trophy. I'm fuming with that. Eight Spurs.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (47:34)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Mitch Osmond (47:35)
Honestly,

I hate spurs as well. was fuming that spurs one, but team Aussie all day, know, Aussie Messiah got the job done. So big edge, you know.

Dom Okus (47:41)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I saw it up.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (47:43)
⁓ Yeah

Dom Okus (47:44)
Definitely, I saw it up.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (47:44)
Fair play yeah, he's got his day in the Sun. He'll get sacked next week. Yeah, yeah, it's pretty good about the Celtic or something I don't and But I mean the other one I mean you mentioned the gaffer there and to me like he always comes across as someone who's I think the word I would

Mitch Osmond (47:49)
Yeah.

Dom Okus (47:51)
Yeah.

Mitch Osmond (47:54)
You know what? He'll

probably resign. Here's your trophy, I'm out.

Dom Okus (47:57)
Yeah.

Mitch Osmond (48:01)
You

Dom Okus (48:02)
Yeah

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (48:12)
The phrase I would use is quite self-assured. He seems, at least from the outside looking in, he's got full control of that organization. He knows how things work. He's sort of, like you said, changed the culture from when he's come in. ⁓ not only that, I've never spoke to him outside of, like at the end of a game, but he always seems like someone who...

Mitch Osmond (48:16)
Hmm.

Yeah.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (48:33)
he's comfortable in his own skin and like he knows what he's you know he knows what he's doing so what's it like to obviously worked under him for a couple of years well more than a couple of years now you know ⁓ you know what's he like on the training ground and you just give us a little insight behind the curtain on that

Mitch Osmond (48:42)
Yeah.

Yeah,

I think first and foremost, like as a person, he's as good as they come. think maybe even to a detriment, ⁓ he cares so much about his players. You know what I mean? Like he'll never close the door on a player. Like doesn't matter what happens, like he'll do anything, give you the shirt off his back, you know? ⁓ And as a coach, I think he gets a lot of buy-in because of the way he plays.

⁓ Especially in USL League One, there's not too many teams that have an identity like we do and play the way that we play. So, yeah.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (49:30)
Yeah, that three back, you know, like you associated

with forward Madison, like...

Mitch Osmond (49:36)
Yeah,

possession based, you know what I mean? Like we know, especially at home, if you at least we think it's that way that if you come to play us here, you're to have to suffer and dig deep to win because like you're not going to see a lot of the ball and footballers want the ball, you know? And so I think with the way he wants to play, like the boys buy into to what he's selling and and he's a

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (49:56)
Yeah.

Mitch Osmond (50:05)
But I also like he's got to blow up in him too, He's definitely, and he's a big fella as well. So, I love it, man. He's quite emotional. So he just wears his heart on his sleeve and yeah, for sure, for sure. 100%. Yeah.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (50:09)
Yeah.

He's a big boy

Yeah, you want that in a manager though, don't you? Like, they can go both ways, but also like, it's authentic, do know what mean?

Dom Okus (50:29)
and then you

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (50:29)
There's nothing worse, we've all played for like coaches in the past that you just think like, shut up mate. Like, you know, it's like, a character sort of thing, like be the angry one or be the one who would be nice, you know, be my mate, like pick a character. So, if it's authentic, it works.

Dom Okus (50:31)
it.

Mitch Osmond (50:34)
Yeah, 100%. 100%.

Dom Okus (50:34)
Yep.

Mitch Osmond (50:41)
Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. And yeah, 100%. I agree. 100%. And I think just as a manager, he's gotten so much better as well over my time here, like balancing that kind of being who he is, but doing the best thing for the team as well. Like the big picture stuff. And yeah, I I feel

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (51:04)
Yeah.

Mitch Osmond (51:10)
We both came in at the same time and I've captained the club since I've been here. So it's like, it's one of those things where I kind of want to win it with him, you know what I mean? And get over the line this year and bring a trophy here. So we'll see, we'll see if it happens.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (51:20)
Yeah.

Yeah,

for sure man and listen like I wish yourself and the gaffer and everyone at the club you know all the best with that because you know from an outsider looking in like it is a club that deserves to win something with the backing from the fans from the city and you know it's a I mean I'll be completely honest it was always somewhere that I thought like I would fit in as in like just looking at the system or whatever I thought you know like I'd

Mitch Osmond (51:50)
Yeah, yeah.

for sure.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (51:54)
I wouldn't mind stepping in the left wing back for Madison and playing in front of 5,000 a week, do you know what mean? So, you know, so Mac Le... You know, I'm actually, as of May 31st, I'm actually a pre-agent, so...

Mitch Osmond (51:57)
Yeah, 100%. Yeah.

Dom Okus (51:57)
Thank you.

I'm trying to get scouted bro, what's going on here?

Mitch Osmond (52:09)
Hey,

if there's ever a time to put in the request to get over it, it's when we've got six players.

Dom Okus (52:12)
Yes.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (52:15)
Yeah, you need players!

Dom Okus (52:16)
Fucking ⁓

hell.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (52:23)
⁓ I love

it. No, I'm joking. I'm not, but I'm joking. ⁓ But anyway, it's come to that part of the show where I'm going to hand it over to Dom here, where Dom's going to... You can see him there. He's getting into his alter ego. So he's going to run you through our staple piece of the show. So ⁓ he's going to run you through extra time on the Backstik podcast.

Dom Okus (52:26)
Yes.

Yeah, know a few people have been waiting for this. When is it going to land? We've had a great conversation today. Mitch, I'm not sure if you're familiar with the pod, but we ask every single one of our guests the same four questions. Damn describe, you know, open it up that get into my alter ego on the social medias, the Instagrams, the YouTube. They call me Steve Harvey with a skin fade. Now I don't have a skin fade right now. I haven't got a trim, but that's what they call me. So.

Mitch Osmond (53:08)
Yeah.

you

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (53:17)
And dead, dead, dead, dead.

Dom Okus (53:21)
The first question is, who is the best player you've played with?

Mitch Osmond (53:26)
Jose Garcia, like on my team,

Dom Okus (53:30)
Best play you've played with.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (53:31)
All time mate.

Mitch Osmond (53:34)
All right, I got a two part answer then. I think Ayoze Garcia at Indy, You know he's got a hundred and something La Liga appearances. He's won at the Bernabeu. I think we used to joke like, just give the ball in his radius, he'll fix it, you know? Like, he'd tell me that, don't even look, just around the corner. He was ridiculous, Ridiculous.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (53:51)
One of them

Dom Okus (53:51)
Hahaha!

Mitch Osmond (54:03)
All left footed, refused to his right foot and it like, didn't matter, know, just a little wizard. ⁓ But I guess like been on the pitch with, I would say Mile Jedinak ⁓ when he was at Palace, he would in the off season come back to Sydney United and train a little bit. And we were both actually injured at the same time. So like one of the cool moments in my life is being able to train with him one-on-one on the...

Dom Okus (54:09)
us.

Mitch Osmond (54:33)
during rehab and ⁓ what a guy as well, you know what mean? Like top, top pro, yeah.

Dom Okus (54:37)
us.

Dom Okus (54:40)
Right, cool. All right, makes sense. Who is the best player you've played against?

Mitch Osmond (54:47)
best player I've played against? I trained against Mateja Kovacic, so I would say that's going to be up there. Young, in the young days, yeah, yeah. Right before he took off to the first team and went and won a bunch of Champions Leagues, you know?

Dom Okus (54:56)
wow.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (55:03)
Was this at Zagreb? Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah. Not a bad career.

Dom Okus (55:11)
Wow.

Mitch Osmond (55:12)
Nah, he done alright.

Dom Okus (55:13)
Wow. Okay. Okay. Okay. Right. This one is the one that trumps everyone. If you could pick three teammates, past or present, to go on a night out with, who would you kick and why? Yeah.

Mitch Osmond (55:27)
⁓ big chain dog front and center.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (55:28)
I'm

Mitch Osmond (55:32)
Big Christian Chaney number one

Dom Okus (55:33)
Yeah.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (55:34)
Fucking hell you've got to put him at the back mate. No one will be able to reach over the top of him

Mitch Osmond (55:34)
on the list. No doubt about it. We could do a whole other podcast on the stories of me and him when we were playing together. But yeah, definitely, definitely chain dog. I would say.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (55:48)
I love it. ⁓

Mitch Osmond (55:57)
Devin Boyce. Devin Boyce is a good one. ⁓ Not to kill him too much, up for anything though. ⁓ He's a good one. Yeah, 100%. And then I've got to give some college love. My boy Ben Mendoza. We played together at Rio and he's a trainer down in London now.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (56:00)
Aw yeah, yeah.

Nice. Yeah, he's a character mate, isn't he?

Yeah, like, it...

Mitch Osmond (56:27)
personal trainer. ⁓ He's just a different person when he gets a drink in him. So you need one of those as well, you Always need one of those as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly.

Dom Okus (56:33)
Always, always, always, always... Yeah.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (56:39)
You can see the journey. can see the journey.

Dom Okus (56:46)
Hilarious. All right, cool. And then just to wrap us up, what would you say is your biggest achievement on the pitch so far?

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (56:46)
I it.

Mitch Osmond (56:58)
I would say probably getting drafted after my injury, I'd say is my biggest achievement. There's a lot of time there, I didn't think it would be possible. So I'll go with that.

Dom Okus (57:13)
Yeah man,

especially after all the ups and downs that you described earlier with, know, unexpectedly, but the blessing of having your child and moving school and the injury and all of that. yeah, man, amazing. All right, cool. I've been your host of Extra Time. I'll kick it back to Jam to close this out.

Mitch Osmond (57:17)
Yeah

for sure.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (57:30)
I love it mate. Yeah, just to kind of go like extend off that as well like It's something that I feel like I say most weeks mate because it like in the daylight is the purpose of this this show right like it's just to kind of highlight for USL fans and MLS fans and US soccer fans in general, know NCAA fans and

There's so much more that goes into like just a kid getting drafted like how many people before we've just had this conversation will know that he like basically had to reconstruct this whole fucking ankle and raise a child and have a job to support his family and play well on the pitch just to get you know what I mean like it's ridiculous and like to

Dom Okus (58:20)
Crazy.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (58:23)
to have like, to people have that context now of like how much you had to go through to get to it, man, top, like honestly, top.

Dom Okus (58:29)
up.

Huge respect for me. Huge respect.

Mitch Osmond (58:31)
I appreciate it. Appreciate

it.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (58:34)
And yeah, but like Dom said I think it's a good time for us to wrap up there what we're coming on an hour on the dot actually by my account so ⁓ Yeah, if you've made it this far, you must have enjoyed the show so I need you to do a couple of things for me. need you first I need you to go like this one on the YouTube I need you to go follow on every social media

and once you've done that you go back to the YouTube and you subscribe to the YouTube. One other thing that I want you guys to start doing is when you're listening, whatever platform you're listening on, whether it be Apple, podcast, it be Spotify, Google Play, whatever, leave us a review. Tell us how we're doing. Give us a five stars. If you think we're shit, give us one stars. But just give us something, do you know what mean? Let us know that we're doing alright. But, nah, seriously though, we appreciate the love, we appreciate the support.

Dom Okus (59:05)
Thanks

I'm good.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (59:32)
keep sending us in the DMs, know, this show wouldn't have happened without, you know, a couple of recommendations, you know, and kind of accelerating, mix up the kind of the shortlist of guests that we had anyway. So we appreciate the love and support and ⁓ yeah, long may it continue. We're back and you know, we had a little blip where we got a bit busy. So yeah, we're back and we're back on it. So we're on it. It's summer, coming into summer and...

Dom Okus (59:57)
on it.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (1:00:02)
and on it in a few more ways. yeah. Right, now, as I said, it's a good time for us to wrap up. So, as I said, thank you ever so much for listening. From myself and from Dom, Mitch, thank you for coming on the show. We really appreciate it, mate.

Dom Okus (1:00:05)
Yes.

Mitch Osmond (1:00:18)
Thanks for having

me, boys. This was good. Listeners, get behind them, man. Good people, good people.

Dom Okus (1:00:26)
Peace out, bro.

Jamil Roberts & Dom Okus (1:00:27)
appreciate it brother and then yeah from the three of us we'll see you next time

Dom Okus (1:00:35)
Peace.