The coach
Coach Daniel
I was born and raised in Eritrea, where soccer was always at the heart of my life.
I learned the game in the streets of my neighborhood. Those early years gave me creativity, grit, and a lasting love for soccer. At Sawa Secondary School, I played defensive midfield as the number 6, serving as the link between our defense and attack.
During my senior year, I helped lead our team into the National High School League. We fought our way to the final and finished as national finalists. That experience shaped the way I see leadership, teamwork, and the responsibility a coach has to every player.
Credentials
Always learning
I moved to the United States in 2009 with a clear goal: become a coach and keep learning the game. I hold USSF E, D, and C licenses, and I am currently a candidate for the USSF B License. I also hold Futsal Level 1 and Level 2 licenses.
- USSF E · Held
- USSF D · Held
- USSF C · Held
- USSF B · Candidate
- Futsal Level 1 · Held
- Futsal Level 2 · Held
My coaching journey
-
2013 to 2023
Alexandria Soccer Association
After earning my E License, I joined Alexandria Soccer Association. I coached players from U9 through U16 and progressed through every level of competitive youth soccer, eventually serving as an MLS NEXT head coach.
-
2018
Veteran Coach of the Year
Alexandria Soccer Association recognized me as its Veteran Coach of the Year.
-
2019
Regional champions
I helped the 2007 Red boys win a regional championship as an assistant coach.
-
State Cup
Two finalist teams
As a head coach, I led both the 2008 Red boys and the 2007 Red boys to State Cup finals.
-
2016 to today
Private player development
I have spent the past ten years training recreational, academy, ECNL, and MLS NEXT players. I love helping each player improve every part of their game and grow in confidence.
Philosophy
Build the player through the details
No matter what position you play, the most repeated and fundamental aspects of the game that a player has to keep improving on the ball are passing, first touch and dribbling. My drills are designed to make sure that players keep improving and nurturing these 3 important aspects their game. From this foundation, I help my players build other aspects of their game such as shooting, spatial awareness/scanning and tactical understand of their position.
With every drill I’ll focus on not just the “how?” but also the “why?” In order to help my players translate what we do training to their specific positions they play in.
- Passing, first touch, and dribbling
- Scanning, shooting, and spatial awareness
- Position specific tactical understanding