Growing up in Elgin Illinois, I lived at the Elgin Sports Complex. I would hop on my bike and ride as fast as I could so I could to play a pickup game, watch a game, or do some training soccer myself. Soccer was and is my addiction! Fast forward to today and I wonder to myself what made me love the game as much as I do now? Where did it come from? Simple answer, my parents for signing me up in the first place. But no, it was way deeper than that. It was the energy that surrounded me which started from my coach. Coach Kari had this unique way of getting us fired up whether it was for games or practices. She created the atmosphere to fall in love with this beautiful game.

Why do you do it? I am sure that every player looks at themselves and wants to be a professional player. You work hard and you put extra minutes (more like hours) at the pitch and keep working. You get to the end of a chapter in your soccer playing career and you already have that next chapter to start. But what about when you are done? You want to write another chapter, but it does not happen?

When that day came for me, I reflected and thought “I want to give players the same chance and opportunity that I had.” With this new path and drive to help players develop in the game, there are so many ways to do it. How can I maximize my efforts and be there for as many as I can? I have put my efforts into MOTI Sports for the teams that I coach from my U11 boys, to my high school girls, and even bring it to my NPSL Duluth FC group! The players that can master the basics of the game will maximize their efforts on the field!

In short, we do what we do because we want to try and give the players the best opportunities to be the best versions of themselves. We look back at our competitive careers and take little bits and pieces from all the coaches that we had in our past that made us. Keep evolving and growing in your craft to keep the love of the game strong.