Imagine being a kid in San Jose and watching a soccer player score a goal that makes an entire stadium erupt.

You are watching the San Jose Earthquakes play LAFC. The game is almost over. The Quakes are down 2-1, and there are only seconds left.

Then Reid Roberts steps up.

In the eighth minute of stoppage time, the Earthquakes defender takes a pass near the top of the box and sends a low shot into the corner. Goal.

The match ends 2-2, 40,518 people have watched it happen at Levi’s Stadium, and suddenly that kid watching at home has a new thought:

What if I could do that someday?

That is one of the best things about growing up around soccer in San Jose. The dream is not completely abstract. Young players can watch professional athletes compete in their own area and start imagining themselves in that same environment.

One Goal Can Change How a Kid Sees Soccer

Roberts’ goal was not just another highlight.

It was the kind of moment that makes a young player pay closer attention.

Maybe they watch the replay again.

Maybe they start wondering how a defender became confident enough to take that shot.

Maybe they grab a ball and head outside.

That is how inspiration can turn into motivation.

The goal came against LAFC, another MLS club with plenty of star power. Son Heung-min gave LAFC the lead, Denis Bouanga added another, and Preston Judd brought San Jose back into the game before Roberts completed the comeback. MLS later named Roberts’ goal its Energy Moment of the Matchday.

For a young athlete, the important part is not simply watching the highlight.

It is asking what happens before the highlight.

How did that player get there?

What skills did they develop?

How many practices, games and difficult moments came before that one shot?

That is where San Jose soccer coaching can become part of the story.

San Jose Has a Professional Team to Look Up To

The San Jose Earthquakes give local players a connection to the highest level of American soccer.

The club competes in Major League Soccer, and its home is PayPal Park. For a young player, going to a Quakes match can make professional soccer feel much more tangible than simply watching an international game on television.

You can hear the crowd.

You can watch the players warm up.

You can see how quickly the game moves.

And you can start thinking about your own game differently.

A young athlete following the San Jose Earthquakes might start paying attention to things they previously overlooked: how defenders position themselves, how midfielders create space, how attackers make runs or how quickly players make decisions.

Watching can become another form of learning.

Then There Is LAFC

The recent Earthquakes-LAFC matchup is a good example of why California soccer can be so exciting for young players.

LAFC brought major MLS talent to the Bay Area, including Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga. Son opened the scoring with a curling shot, while Bouanga later doubled LAFC’s lead. San Jose kept fighting and eventually found the equalizer through Roberts.

For a kid watching that game, there are lessons everywhere.

You can watch a professional forward and study their finishing.

You can watch a defender and study their positioning.

You can watch a player make a mistake and see how quickly they move on.

You can watch the final minutes and see why confidence matters when the game is still there to be won.

That is one reason watching MLS soccer can be more than entertainment for a young player.

It can help them picture what they want their own game to become.

The Dream Is Big. The Next Step Should Be Small.

A kid might say:

“I want to play in MLS.”

That is an exciting goal.

But you cannot practice “playing in MLS” for an hour after school.

You can practice your first touch.

You can work on passing with both feet.

You can improve your ability to change direction.

You can work on finishing.

You can become more comfortable receiving the ball under pressure.

You can learn how to make better decisions during a game.

Those smaller goals are what eventually build the bigger one.

Individual soccer training can give young players a place to focus on those details without the pressure of trying to improve everything at once.

What Does Your Player Want to Create?

Every player eventually has a moment when they start imagining something bigger.

Maybe it happens while watching the Earthquakes at PayPal Park.

Maybe it happens during a high school game.

Maybe it is watching an MLS highlight online.

Maybe it is seeing another kid their age get noticed and thinking, “I want to see what I can do, too.”

That feeling is worth taking seriously.

The goal does not have to be becoming a professional player. For one athlete, success might mean making a high school varsity team. For another, it could mean becoming a stronger club player or eventually competing in college.

Finding a soccer coach in San Jose can help turn that big idea into a more specific development plan.

San Jose Gives Young Players Plenty to Chase

The local soccer environment gives young athletes plenty of examples.

There is the Earthquakes and MLS.

There are competitive youth and high school environments throughout the South Bay.

There are players coming through the area with their own goals.

And there are moments like Reid Roberts’ late equalizer that remind young athletes what can happen when a player is ready for their moment.

The goal is not to copy someone else’s career.

It is to use those examples as inspiration to build your own.

That might mean improving soccer skills, becoming more confident in games, developing a stronger left foot, learning to defend better or simply becoming a more complete player.

Your Story Starts Before the Highlight

The kid watching Reid Roberts score that goal only sees the final few seconds.

They do not see everything that came before it.

The practices.

The mistakes.

The extra touches.

The games that did not go perfectly.

The coaches.

The time spent learning.

That is the part young athletes can control.

If your player has started watching professional soccer and thinking, “I want to create a moment like that,” now is the time to start building toward it.

Work with a soccer coach who can help identify what your athlete needs next, whether that is fundamentals, confidence, position-specific development or preparation for a higher level of competition.

Athletes Untapped connects athletes and families with coaches who can provide individualized training around those goals.

Explore soccer coaches through Athletes Untapped and help your San Jose player turn inspiration into their own story.