ABOUT THE FOUNDER

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 I grew up in San Jose, CA and started playing soccer when I was 4. Star Wars was big at the time and my first team was the Jawas. Soccer provided something for me that was critical for a shy kid; it allowed me to be confident and express myself in a way that didn’t require social interaction and it felt very natural. I was building a relationship with my teammates and my value to them was determined by my effort and contribution to the team. I was all in from the beginning and I was pretty much the smallest kid on the field until the later portions of high school. I was an addict from day one and started playing pickup with adults when I was 10. They were fine with me as long as I passed the ball and didn’t disrupt the flow of the game. I learned the physical tricks much needed for a kid my size. At home, I was beating up the garage, balcony, and the occasional neighbor’s sprinkler system, oops. I’ve never stopped playing since, apart from some very brief respites driven by professional relocation. For me, soccer has always been a community, where there is no judgment and nobody cares what you do outside of that community. I was playing at the highest level available to me, from club to the Olympic Development Program, which was extremely competitive and political in California. Even then, my favorite was always pickup soccer, where enthusiasts came together to express themselves and get their fix for the week before taking on the challenges of life. From San Jose, to college in San Luis Obispo, to early professional life in Santa Clara, to Portland, OR, back to Alameda, CA, and now Boise, ID, I’ve always been embraced by the soccer community and brotherhood that holds a very special place in my heart. During that time, I coached professionally for kids of all ages, got invited to play with a sponsored team for friendship matches in Vietnam, started a family, coached my own kids, refereed voluntarily and now as a side gig, and continued playing pickup and league soccer wherever I go.