Lower league soccer is always #SupportLocalSoccer. What are the Desert Communities and how does that culture translate to soccer?
Hesperia, Victorville, Apple Valley, Adelanto, Barstow, and Helendale are all these small towns in the high desert...for reference, we are the blur you see on the side of the I-15 when going to Vegas. High desert was just an isolated pit stop, an abyss of military and federal sites providing sustainment and blue collar employment to the folks who could endure the weather extremes. For many military veterans, like myself, the High Desert became our home after our final tours. And as the weeds do, once you settle here for any bit of time, your roots tend to dig deep looking for water - making it difficult to pick up and move families elsewhere. I am now a teacher, and can say that approximately 70% to 80% of students of the high desert qualify for free and reduced lunch. So community wise, this all paints the picture of a place difficult to live in.

As we stated in our philosophy, we know that the game belongs to the people, that it is the great equalizer placing players of different walks of life on a level playing field....that the best players in the world all have humble beginnings. Our kids of the area still play the game in the streets. I've had to corral kids in trailer parks playing the game endlessly just to get them to practice. Something about the hardship they live in lets them gravitate to this game that costs nothing to play; they enjoy it and they are passionate about it. When kids and parents alike are passionate about the game, it's truly easy to enjoy

It is the club's mission “to revolutionize grassroots soccer in the US.” How have you begun to do that in the youth game and how do you plan on doing that in the adult game?
On a youth level, we do several things that are very different from other clubs. First and foremost, we are a true non profit. All board members are completely volunteers, as are all of our coaches. We have zero club overhead fees, and we highly discourage our coaches from charging training fees. Currently 100% of our teams do not collect training fees. By removing a results driven culture where parents are paying for a product and expect wins, we remove the pressure of results from the coaches, in turn promoting development, passion, and memories. Coaches develop more than just resolute soccer players, we are developing good citizens, scholars, and friends. An added benefit is that by reducing costs, we keep the game accessible to all that can and desire to play, not just those that can afford it. Additionally, although we have a home field for games, all teams train their players in their own communities. This eliminates barriers such as travel and time, and creates a real communal approach to the game. We have 9 teams from Hesperia, 5 teams from Barstow, 5 teams from Victorville, 2 teams from Apple Valley, and 2 teams from Adelanto.

On the adult side, we are again taking the local approach. First, average age of lower professional divisions across the world is about 20.5 years old. My experience as a youth in Chile gave me insight to the semi-professional realm where my friends and schoolmates were offered contracts at 15 and 16 years of age. I played in adult leagues in Vegas by the age of 14 and the more I ask older soccer heads of our area the more I realize how many were exposed to the adult game at a very early age. I think the maturity that comes with playing at an adult level from a young age is something that we are not taking advantage of here in the states, for whatever reason. The coaches in our club understood this mindset shift away from a results centered game, focused instead on development, and we agreed to challenge our most senior youth teams in an official amateur circuit. Aside from the memories these youth will create from facing quality opponents, they are going to gain an invaluable experience that can help them translate their game to college or the professional arena if they desire and if they are good enough. But as a club, we don't want to clip their wings before they get a chance to play at this level; the platform is there and the onus will be on the player to become a professional in every sense of the word if they so desire it. In short, our best teenagers and coaches within the club will be facing men and women on the field. Every year, the next youngest team will promote to DCSC Pathfinders, as will that team's coaching staff, creating a pipeline of development. Each team will be composed of 23 players, with 5 players hand selected from the previous year to support and mentor the younger 18 players. In order to develop coaches, up and coming coaches will have the opportunity to be an assistant coach for the Amateur team to gain sideline experience, becoming the senior head coach when their team promotes. You can imagine our younger players in DCSC sitting on the sideline seeing their brothers/sisters, cousins, and friends playing against adults; knowing that within a few years they will have to represent the club as well...raising the stakes and creating a love for our community...passion for the team, and older players returning to give back and lend a hand, wearing their old jerseys nonetheless. :).

Will the club field only academy players or will there also be an open tryout to look at more talent?
**We won't necessarily have a try out, but we will welcome any player that would want to accept the challenge so long as the coach has space on the roster and the player fills a void. Our focus is to highlight the best within our own communities. The average time each of our coaches have spent with their teams is 6 years within our club currently, so one can imagine the relationship, the trust, and the camaraderie that has been built within these teams before they promote to DCSC Pathfinders.

There are two other clubs in the High Desert: High Desert Elite FC and High Desert FC. Have there been any discussions with them about friendly competition in the near future?
I have to recognize that High Desert FC was ahead of the game. They have participated in the UPSL for several years now, and I have to give them credit for being committed to their players over all these years.

HD Elite is our sister club, older sister at that. Fidel Gonzalez, owner of HD Elite, is a coach within DCSC as well, and this leadership with HD Elite in the NPSL really united high desert soccer behind a cause. I was the Club Manager for the team, and it was beautiful to see the best coaches of the desert desiring to work collectively for one team. That NPSL experience made me realize that we needed to give an opportunity to our younger players to have a similar type of playing experience. Discussing this with Fidel, I envisioned creating a pathway whereas our club would have the ability to showcase our best players on a yearly basis. Fidel, a man of similar vision, agreed. He too will be fielding a younger HD Elite team in the UPSL. As a matter of fact, DCSC will be supporting HD Elite with it's personnel and infrastructure, so although we may have teams in slightly different areas, we are united behind a purpose. Naturally, there will be a healthy local rivalry developing

Can you talk about the branding of the adult team “Pathfinders” and why the club chose to change it from the DCSC youth academy?
As I stated, our club services an area that has a high population of active and retired veterans of the Armed Forces, with former George Air Force Base as one of our training grounds and home to our youth games. We have Edwards Air Force Base, Fort Irwin Army Base, and Marine Corps Logistics Base Yermo all within an hours drive from Victorville. Five of our coaches, and three of our board members are veterans and combat veterans, countless parents are as well; selfless service being the underlying theme. The army has an elite group of airborne (parachutist) troopers called Pathfinders, developed during WWII to help guide our Airborne divisions during their combat jumps. I've included a link to a brief history of their video, but essentially these Pathfinders literally "Lit the way," parachuting and infiltrating behind enemy lines to mark the safe landing zones for airborne divisions to successfully jump in. These soldiers were fearlessly going into unknown territories for missions to succeed, despite the risk.

History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBHHIC6gVXU&t=183s

Current: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTKEIHJCud4

I love coaching, but I fail to understand how the United States, with over 300 million people and unlimited resources, fails to perform on an international level on the men's side. I've expressed to my coaches that my goal is to be the club that develops players that changes that American soccer story, even if it's one player, by giving the game back to the players. By playing good teenagers in an Adult circuit, we are trying something that hasn't been done. If successful, these teams will show others how we can improve our players; they will "Light The Way." Although we are linked to our youth teams through elements of our name and logo, we wanted to raise the stakes by marking a difference as well as pay homage to our military heritage and veterans; the torch and light from our logo represents this as it is drawn from the Army Pathfinder logo. Psychologically, we want our players to understand that they are not playing as youths on Pathfinders, they are representing us as the best players we have, regardless of age. Each year, we will have a promotion ceremony where players will remove their youth jerseys, and promote to the Pathfinders jersey. Instead of displaying DCSC on their backs above their numbers, they will now showcase their last name. It is their time to shine.

What else would you like to add about Desert Communities Soccer Club Pathfinders?
I appreciate any efforts from our local soccer communities to keep improving the game. I think we Americans have to accept that what we are doing here is good enough, instead of looking abroad for our soccer identity. Lets have faith in our own players and our own system...our own philosophies. Lets trust our own very good coaches, whether or not they are ultra credentialed and/or played pro. Let's believe in our own history...we have been playing the game in this country for over 100 years, we have our own history. Lets invest TIME not MONEY in our youth. Finally, let's let our kids play, let them have fun, let them create memories. We are super stoked to see this succeed, defined by how much our players will improve and not the final result.

Thanks for the opportunity to let us share our story!