Natasha Kai
SkyBlue FC - Forward

Age started playing soccer: 7

Favorite coach and why: My dad. My parents had no idea about soccer but they let me play. My dad took the time to teach himself and then put his time into passing it on to me.

What did you love about AYSO? I could just play. I wasn't someone who played soccer year-round; I only played during soccer season. I knew if I kept playing all the time, I'd get sick of it. After high school I stopped playing and didn't go to college right away because I was sick of playing from being drilled and drilled.

Advice for the first-time coaches? Call my dad...just kidding. Seriously, I would tell them to just learn the game. If you truly love it and want to learn, do everything in your power to know the ropes in and out. My dad did it and I'm pretty sure anyone else can do it. He was determined to learn it because he knew I loved it. He did what he did to teach me the ins and outs of soccer and it paid off. I went to the Olympics, won a gold medal, achieved my dreams and I owe it all to my parents and the other coaches I've had along the way.

Brian Ching
Forward
Houston Dynamo, U.S. National Team
Member of 2006 World Cup squad, three-time MLS champion

Age started playing soccer: 7
Number of years in AYSO: 5 years
 
Favorite coach and why: My mom. She told my brothers and I that we had to play a sport and suggested soccer. I told her I would play if she coached me. So she did! I remember her reading the AYSO manuals on the way to work as well as practices. She fell in love with the game and started to play soccer herself in a women's league.
 
Memories of AYSO: The friendships I made. I still have friends who were on my first AYSO team back in Hawaii. The pure excitement and joy of running around and playing soccer with my friends is something I'll never forget. I was always a competitive kid and I remember crying after every loss. When my mom was coaching me, I remember her having to console me after every game we lost.
 
On playing for the U.S. National Team: Every kid dreams about becoming a professional soccer player and playing for your country. It's the ultimate goal and the World Cup is the ultimate tournament.
 

Landon Donovan
Forward
Los Angeles Galaxy, U.S. National Team
 
Age started playing soccer: 2
 
Favorite AYSO memory: I started playing AYSO when I was 5. Before that, my older brother, Josh, would take me out to the backyard and kick the ball around with me. My favorite AYSO memory is that I got to play on the same team as my best friend when I was 8 years old.
 
What he loved about AYSO: The beauty of AYSO was that you had kids from all walks of life who just wanted to be active and run around and play soccer. I started playing club soccer at the age of 10 but I wanted to continue playing AYSO because I enjoyed the camaraderie and the ability to just play for the love of playing. The games were still competitive but they never revolved around winning.
 
Advice for the first-time coach: One of my biggest pet peeves is youth team coaches who take winning too seriously. This has always bothered me, and I always tell coaches to forget about winning with young players. They need to create an environment where the kids enjoy playing and are developing their soccer skills. Winning should never be a priority.