Nike Soccer Camp at Glendale Sports Complex

I have had the absolute pleasure of meeting some of the greatest people throughout my career, and most of them couldn’t even tie their shoelaces. It gives me an enormous feeling of joy watching the kids transform from being shy on Day 1, too scared to leave mom’s side, to falling in love with the sport and begging to come to class to play each week. A joy shared by every coach and parent, I am sure!

Soccer has been my sport since the age of 3 and not a day goes by where a ball isn’t kicked, a game isn’t watched, or the majority of my day isn’t consumed by thinking about soccer. I was very fortunate to grow up in an area where soccer was ingrained into the everyday lives of the community with 4 of the most traditional and historic soccer clubs residing in Birmingham, my home city. Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion, Birmingham City, and Wolverhampton Wanderers are some of the oldest clubs in the world and were right at my doorstep. From cheering on Aston Villa each week, to playing at Red House Park near my childhood home and the fields of Blaendolau at Aberystwyth University, soccer helped me grow as a person, creating fantastic memories with some magnificent people along the way.

After 13 years of playing soccer with my childhood club, I was offered an opportunity to inspire a new generation of children to play with my first real coaching job. Fast-forward 15 years, after working for 2 Premier League Clubs, learning from a former Manchester United Academy Director, and coaching both grassroots and competitive soccer to children in the United States, I decided to give back to the game, that I love so much, by starting my own company, Southern California Youth Sports Solutions.

My ambition for SoCal Youth Sports is to offer the children within the community opportunities to get involved in sports and grow a love for it that will last a lifetime. I want to ensure every child has the chance to access high quality coaching and remain an affordable option so that sports continue to be a constant option in their lives. Sports can offer a wonderful platform for children to develop in a safe and nurturing environment and it will be my life’s work to ensure every child has the chance to enter the sporting world in the best way possible!

I became a coach for Hubbard High School boys' soccer in Hubbard, Ohio. During my 10 years coaching Hubbard, I helped to develop our kids to become college-ready players with our program. This program was extremely rewarding and became a catalyst for my next adventure in creating our Eagle Academy program.

This was a soccer program for all children ages 5-12 in the community. I enjoyed watching the Eagle Academy grow over the course of 8 years. It was fulfilling watching kids grow and helping them with their skills year after year. Over the years coaching has become a passion. Being able to support children advance their game and improving their skills, knowledge, and confidence in the game became the driving force behind my coaching method.

Since I began playing at a young age myself, I know the importance of having a coach that cares. When I moved to Los Angeles, I decided I needed to continue coaching. Finding this position with SoCal Youth Sports Solutions has been a very rewarding experience so far. Every week I get to see your children grow as a person and advance their skills. I believe in fostering a team culture so that kids really learn to care about their peers.

I have a Colombian father as well as a Brazilian mother. Both immigrated to the United States during their late adolescence to pursue a better life in America. For my parents, soccer is more than just a sport; it is a cultural component of their lives. In other words, it isn’t just a sport you can pick up as a kid, but rather an art form you are taught as soon as you can walk. It was soccer that brought communities together in my parents’ day because it was an activity that transcended daily life and allowed people to share a common interest and passion.

As a child, my dad made many attempts to get me more involved in sports, but I often refused, choosing my Barbies over soccer balls. It wasn’t until my dad took my little brother to a soccer camp that I changed my mind. From there, I had a natural affinity and aptitude for sports. My Latin American background perhaps offered a natural athletic ability that enabled me to get new things quickly. Although still devoted to my Barbies, I enjoyed racing the boys at school; I was eager to prove my competitiveness. So, as I watched my brother play soccer, I felt that I had to prove I was better than him; my competitive nature was sparked. For the next ten years, soccer became the center of my life; it became my identity.

Initially, I chose to participate in the sport. However, as I grew older, it became less my decision and more my father’s. My early years in soccer were a BLAST! I loved every minute of it, especially when on the All-Star team. As I became a member of that team, I felt like I had a second family, a sense of community that I needed more than I realized.

I continued to play soccer as long as possible, and although not every experience was as fun as my first one with my teammates, I learned a lot through those experiences. Sports can offer a lot to a younger person growing up; traits like perseverance, resilience, and humility are all significant parts of being in sports. A major lesson for me was learning to decide what I wanted to do and take ownership of those decisions.

Each of us has the right to learn from our own experiences, yes, be guided by our parents, coaches, or teachers. Guidance can point us in the right direction, but it is up to each individual to choose which path to follow and at what pace to go. Whether or not kids participate in a particular activity is up to them, and I believe adult role models should encourage them to do their best, even if it is not what we would do ourselves. I aim to make every child who chooses to play soccer feel comfortable and enjoy the experience. Soccer should be a positive and exciting activity for all kids, and I am committed to making it so. I hope to see you on the field!