8 | Chris Canetti on Leading from the Front Office

Written By Evan Burk
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Chris Canetti is professional soccer team executive who is currently serving as the President of the Houston 2026 World Cup Bid Committee. Canetti has previously served as a team executive in pro soccer and baseball for over 20 years, including 8 seasons as team president for the Houston Dynamo's, and 3 seasons as GM with the Rockies minor league team, New Haven Ravens.

In this conversation, Evan Burk talks to Chris about going from clubhouse manager to the GM role of a minor league baseball team in only 3 years, Learning to be a team executive at an uncommonly young age, and how he influenced team culture from the role of team president.

Find this episode for free on your favorite podcast player.

Tune into this episode to hear:

  • 2:00 | Starting out working in minor league baseball

  • 8:00 | Learning Team Management as an Executive at a young age

  • 11:30| Leaving baseball for Soccer

  • 18:30 | How do you influence the team culture from the role of team executive

  • 21:45 | Traits they looked for in the people

  • 25:00 | What does it take to compete for a championship in the MLS?

  • 28:00 | Experiences that stood out in Houston

  • 31:45| Leading the World Cup bid for Houston 2026

Learn more about Chris:

Learn more about Evan:

 
Evan Burk

Evan Burk is a speaker, former NFL coach, and podcast host who uses the sports world as his backdrop to engage audiences with thought-provoking lessons of leadership, team-building, and creating championship cultures.

Evan Burk is not your typical football coach. Despite not playing football beyond high school and no network in the coaching profession, Evan's unlikely football journey began as a 4th grade coach, where he quickly worked his way to the NFL in just 6 years, and included coaching for teams such as the Miami Dolphins, UCLA, and SMU.

After spending fifteen-plus years working with the highest-performing athletes, coaches, and teams on the planet, Coach Burk uses his unique football coaching background to teach people how to utilize the same strategies in business and life that elite players and teams use to perform at a world-class level.

Evan received his B.S. in business management from the University of Colorado, and his Master of Liberal Studies degree from Southern Methodist University. He also hosts his own weekly sports leadership podcast, The Highest Level, where he reveals how championship team cultures are built and the keys to leadership excellence at the highest level.

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