Book Private Soccer Lessons with Coach Sydney

I was a NCAA Division 1 varsity team member on Loyola Marymount University's women's soccer team for 4 years, and a captain/leadership group member for 2 years.

I was also a part of the WPSL semi-professional soccer team in Sacramento called California Storm. During this time I was the Pac-North Conference Offensive Player of the Year (2019), Pac-North Conference leading goal scorer with 17 goals (2019), Pac-North All-Conference team (2019), led the team to 2 Pac-North Conference titles (2017 and 2019), and I competed in the divisional (2017) and regional (2019) playoff finals.

I was a varsity team member for 4 years and a captain for 2 years at River City High School. Here, I led the team to playoffs 4 years in a row, including the program's first ever playoff match in program history as a freshman. I also led the team to 3 TCC league titles, including the first in program history as a freshman. In my senior year we became CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Champions for the first time in program history in a Cinderella story, and I ultimately set the school record for points (340), goals (144), and assists (52) in a career.

I also had many years of experience in the Olympic and Player Development Programs in Northern California, where I attended the National Training Camp in Sanford, FL. I was also named the ODP Region IV Camp and Team Alternate two years back-to-back, and was a part of the PDP State and Regional Team two years back-to-back.

There are five key foundations an athlete must focus on to achieve optimal results:

1. Technical;

2. Tactical;

3. Physical;

4. Mental;

5. Recovery ...

Most trainers focus only on technical and/or physical. But this is an incomplete training regimen as training the body and mind in all aspects is key to achieving maximum potential. This is why I always provide a general plan to my athletes so they can know how to improve their game at every level required of them. I want to train the WHOLE athlete - not just a part of what they can do.

I also believe in making every training as game-like as possible. Having as much exposure to game scenarios not only will help athletes easily adapt physically, but also prepare themselves mentally.

A typical training session is always dependent on each individual athlete's needs and goals (as well as duration of the session). I will generally follow this skeleton:

1. Proper warmup both physically and mentally;

2. Technical drills to get body ready for ballwork;

3. Next-level technical drills to challenge the athlete on their ballwork;

4. Introduction into tactical settings of the drills;

5. Game-like application of the technical skills tied into the tactical principles;

6. Proper cool-down and mental debrief of the training ...

This is a basic skeleton of how I like to progress through trainings, but there are times when varying outside of this is necessary and crucial.

The best coach I ever had was Jamie Howard at California Storm. She was the classic player's coach that gave her players the freedom to speak their mind, change tactics as they saw the game fit, and provide us with the right motivation and inspiration to play at our best.

Too many coaches focus on "joysticking" athletes to play exactly by the X's and O's. But this is not what soccer is about. It's about coming together as a team and solving the problem with creativity, grit, and smarts. Providing players with the proper toolset to accomplish this is our job as a coach - and this is achieved off of the field in trainings; trainings are meant to be the hardest part, so it ends up making the game feel like a piece of cake.

This was something that Jamie always understood, and she let me flourish as an individual and with my teammates.

I am currently residing in the San Fernando Valley/Greater Los Angeles area, and have been here now for over 3 years.

I graduated with my Bachelor's in Psychology from LMU and plan on returning for my PhD in Sports Psychology.

Soccer has always been a part of my life, and I look forward to giving back to the game every chance I can through our younger generations. I used to work at LAUSD, and I love working with children and helping them achieve their maximum potential!

I have mostly played as a forward/striker in my career, but I also have experience with midfield positions (both attacking and holding), along with outside backs. I also have an extensive knowledge/background in sports performance, strength/conditioning, and nutrition.

Outside of soccer, I love studying about mindset/psychology, hiking, fishing, watching movies with my family, and spending the day with my 7 animals!