Teddy Chronopoulos
V.P. Soccer Operations
Welcome to LAFC Chelsea, one of the premier youth soccer clubs in the United States. We are proud of our reputation for producing great players and teams in all age groups. We are part of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, a program that readies players in the U-16 and U-18 age groups for international competition. A recent agreement with Chelsea has given us added resources. Coaches from the English Premier Club have already begun working with our coaches and players and this year, LAFC teams traveled to England to play a series of games against a number of that country’s leading club teams, including Chelsea, Wimbledon, Crystal Palace and Charlton.
A number of LAFC players have gone on to play professionally. Others are competing at top universities. It is the result of our club’s highly regarded instruction.
LAFC employs six full-time coaches, perhaps the only club in the country that can make this claim. All of our staff hold distinguished coaching credentials, including A licenses, the highest offered in this country, and played competitively here and overseas. Our programs are comprehensive. They start with the First Touch program for children under 8 and include Friday night skills clinics focused on ball handling, passing and shooting, and multi-day camps that draw players from all over the Los Angeles area.
In the 2009/10 season, LAFC-Chelsea will field 51 boys and girls teams in the Coast Soccer League, the strongest club soccer league in the U.S. One of our boys’ under 13 team recently ranked number one in the country in a widely recognized youth soccer poll. Other teams also rank among the top 20 in their age groups. In addition, the two US Soccer Developmental Academy teams, which participate in the US Soccer Developmental Academy League of elite teams is off to a good start.
But excellent results are simply a byproduct of a sound philosophy. We believe in teaching soccer right: solid technique and understanding of tactics and strategy. We believe in showing young players how to practice correctly and compete hard at all times. We demand that they do their best in practice and in games. We believe in challenging them through competition and help them to advance their interest in the sport via regional and national, college and professional teams. But we believe equally in creating an environment where players have fun while they’re learning; we believe this spurs a long-lasting commitment to the game. Our growth from just a few teams in 2001 affirms our approach.
LAFC Chelsea is excited about the state of U.S. soccer and our growing role in helping American players reach their potential. But we see our position as only a starting point in solidifying our reputation as a widely respected developer of exceptional young soccer players. As the director of training and a former U.S. national player, I invite soccer families in the Southland to see for themselves why LAFC Chelsea is among the nation’s premier youth soccer clubs.
Sincerely,
Teddy Chronopoulos
V.P. Soccer Operations
