Don’t just hope and wish, go hard and work for what you want

By Team CoachList

Early in my career, it was intimidating having lofty goals yet seeing the size and strength of other athletes not just in soccer but also football and basketball. In the past, I had my mother and father to help me navigate transitioning to different schools, levels and leagues. However, at Cardinal Hayes high school in the Bronx, I was going to have to do it all on my own. In time, thanks to my teammates and coaches, I eventually learned who to follow and learn from to be the best possible athlete I could be.

During my time at Cardinal Hayes, and playing on multiple travel teams I was fortunate to be able to learn from different coaches with different voices at each level from my freshman to my senior year.

In each case, they all listened, acknowledged, and supported who I was as a young man. They didn’t try to change me. And, every step of the way, they encouraged me to stay focused on my goals. It’s easy to get distracted by the attention and become lost in the hype around success. However, as long as you have people around you to help keep your mind straight and thinking about and working toward your long-term goals, it will increase your chances of getting where you want to be in life.

The new reality and transitions in life do not stop, though. For instance, when entering my first experience in college at Notre Dame in Ohio, though my skills were strong, I lacked confidence. I loved my limited time there, it was an amazing experience where I met great people. But, I struggled to put my complete game together. I knew what I was capable of as a young man, but I questioned whether I could do it at the college level.

Like any elite high school athlete, I walked through the door thinking I would kill it on the field. You feel you’re going to instantly become the best player ever, but that is rarely the case. Instead, I very quickly realized I was going from being a big deal in high school, all team and breaking records, to struggling to compete for spots on the roster alongside amazing talent.

The college coaches are there for you, but in the end they need you to take the next step on your own. They needed me to believe I was capable of putting in the work. They can’t do it for you. They need to know you want it for yourself and prove why you should be playing. It wasn’t easy, but I didn’t let it get me down. I refused to believe I wasn’t good enough. Instead, it became motivation.

This doesn’t happen overnight, though.

I always knew I was good enough to be among the best on my team. However, I very quickly learned that I needed to work extra hard now that I was playing alongside unbelievable talent from Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Norway, France, all of whom would do things on field that I’d only ever seen done on TV.

The harder I worked, and the more time I put in the gym and on the field alone, focusing on my own skills and my own stamina and not comparing myself to others, the more I began to believe I could compete with anyone at any level and my confidence began to build and build.

The hard work not only put me in position to be a striker, it helped me also prove I could play winger and serve both ends of the ball.

Instead of just hoping and wishing for things to happen, I put in the work and made it happen.

With confidence at my back, I transferred to North Greenville University in South Carolina, where I knew my role and settled into a position on the team. I understood why and when I would be a starter or come off the bench. I knew how to be the best I could be in whatever situation I was called upon to help the team. I took pride in being at peak physical condition and my coaches noticed how I changed not just physically but also mentally and they rewarded my effort.

In the end, thanks to a passion that always lived within me and grew from hard work and dedication, I was able to improve my skills, mental and physical strength, win championships, travel the world, make lifelong friends, learn from amazing athletes and coaches, and find compassion, confidence and courage on and off the field.

Today, it’s important to me that I give back to young people and families in the same situations.

CoachList allows me to help them understand what they want from soccer and how to get there by working on not just handling the ball but also improving burst, stamina and endurance, speed and knowing how to give 100 percent yet be smart with your energy and the business side of the game.