A Happy and Successful Playing Career
I enjoyed a personally satisfying career as a youth and college player in the eighties and nineties. At that time, (like many other boys and girls across the nation) my ambition was to play soccer at the highest level possible, which meant top twenty division one soccer, (and also playing with the US National Team at some point in my career.) I wanted to play with the very best players and coaches involved with the game at the time. When I was about ten years old, the soccer gods blessed our family, moving us into a cul-de-sac across the street from the assistant coach of the US Women’s National Soccer team at the time. This coach began training me privately, one on one. Within two years of adopting this coach’s training methods (and consequently by association, the US Womens’ National Soccer Team’s method of training players at the time), I experienced success. From struggling to develop with a division two team, to becoming a Virginia State Cup club champion, a four year member of the Virginia State Team (ODP) and a member of top twenty NCAA Division 1 at the time George Mason University, where I finished my playing career.
Why I Coach Today
When I hung up my boots my plan was to walk away from the game for good – if I wasn’t going to be playing at the very highest level (in the burgeoning MLS or National team) then I didn’t want to play. And years went by where I was just a fan of the game. I think it was Ted Lasso though, that breathed new soccer passion into my soul. Today I am driven by an unmovable desire to give back to this great game that enriched my life, by educating, training, motivating and encouraging young players to reach their full potential. I leverage modern training methods, foundational certifications, as well as my own rich experience, playing at the highest levels I could. I can train boys and girls of any skill level. Sessions are purposeful, focused on individual development, and hopefully fun.
My Philosophy
I bring out the best in others by believing in them, in the tools I am giving them, knowing what we are capable of, and demanding that they give their very best effort 100% of the time. I was not the fastest or the strongest player. But I was willing to work. I was committed to work. And that really is the key word “committed.” The key component to your development is the time you spend with the ball alone, practicing shooting against a wall, passing against a wall, receiving and practicing turns with the balls coming off the wall. Making sure you touch the ball everyday is absolutely crucial. You are developing a relationship with the ball. The more you interact with it, the more harmonious your relationship will become. Until it is so strong, the ball just seems to stick to you.
