Testimonials

2015

Our daughter, Vanesa, has played for TRSC for almost 5 years and has enjoyed every minute.  Her coaches Frazer and Jeff have helped develop her into a confident, strong player leading her to a spot on her high school varsity soccer team as a freshman.  Our son, Hector, who is also part of TRSC, decided to try another club recently, but ended up returning.  His TRSC teammates and coaches welcomed him back warmly and made him to feel like he was an integral part of the team.

After hearing about our positive experiences with TRSC, our niece and two nephews also joined TRSC.  We are truly grateful for the committed coaching staff, the reasonable costs, and all the wonderful, down-to-earth families we’ve met over the years.

If you love soccer and appreciate teamwork, respect, integrity, and great sportsmanship, this is your club!

Ramos Family

2015

If you have a child in club soccer or recreation soccer and are considering a club, please consider Three Rivers Soccer Club.  TRSC is partnered with the Wolverhampton Academy and Global Image Sports.  What this means is that your child will have the opportunity to not only train with some of the best trained trainers but have the opportunity to attend camps in the US and globally.   Once your child reaches a certain level within the club and the camps they can be chose to attend a specialized training at Wolverhampton Academy in Manchester England.

My son Frank Thompson was recently one of the few chosen (along with other TRSC members) and we just returned from our England experience.  The training facility was top notch and the academy players were fun to scrimmage against.  We had a 7 day training and touring of some of the world’s greatest fields and monuments.  The experience was wonderful and Frank said he learned so much and was excited to return to his home teams to share what he learned.

As a parent I will add that the trip was very nice, I took away an extreme amount of knowledge about the history of “football” in England and the rich history of the country itself.  The Academy staff provided so much information on proper nutrition for players and training style and tactics.  We toured the Academy which is newly built 7 million pound facility.  We also toured Wolverhampton stadium and museum called the Molineux as well as Premier League- Manchester United’s Stadium and museum.  We had a wonderful walking tour of London and went on the London Eye and Riverboat cruise.  And my favorite part was the  state of the art historical St, Georges Park – where the world’s greatest players have played.  All in all the experience was great and I thank TRSC for the opportunity for my son and myself.

Cheryl Thompson

Soccer Mom to Frank Thompson #22

TRSC- U14 and U15 – team member

My oldest son played travel soccer for another club. Three years ago he decided to try-out for other area teams, “just to see what was out there”. After weighing all factors, we chose TRSC. To this this day we feel it was a terrific decision, not just for my son, but for our family. His skill level has greatly improved, his knowledge of soccer and understanding of the strategies involved in the game has grown, and his overall love for the sport has blossomed. We attribute this to the TRSC, and the wonderful coaching staff. TRSC does an exceptional job at promoting team unity, and the other parents encourage all the players on the team- not just their own. This club is a rare find in such a competitive sport. After witnessing the experiences of his older brother, my younger son decided to try-out and join TRSC. Both boys look forward to the practices as much as they do the games. They have bonded with their teammates and are making friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.

– Stacey Olson

Parent of U15 and U14 players

Introducing my two boys to 3 Rivers Soccer last year was a perfect fit for our family.  The coaches are beyond amazing and know how to challenge and help each child grow individually and as a team!  This soccer club teaches more than soccer skills it connects children with great leaders and stresses good sportsmanship to help encourage respect for others.  I would recommend this club to any family who is looking for a club that truly cares about their child.  Both my boys have learned so much already and have a blast at practice and games.  I also enjoy the wonderful families that we have met and became really close friends with, on and off the soccer field.  Thank you 3 Rivers Soccer Club for being a huge part of our families lives!

Warmest regards,

—

Kimberly McGraw

Chicago 1st Service Platoon Leader

The Mission Continues  

2014

Coach Humam, I just wanted to say thank you for all you’ve done with teaching me and helping me hone on my soccer skills these past seasons of soccer. I feel that I have made most of my accomplishments in soccer in the seasons you have coached me.

I wanted to inform you that I, along with the other Cheetah girls that go to JCA, have made the Varsity soccer team. Our new coach Oscar was very impressed with our skills and is happy to add us to the team, as freshman! We have practice everyday and our fitness level has also surprised him. We keep up with the seniors and feel pretty good. There are about 20 girls on Varsity, so we do not know how much playing time we will get, but we seem to be doing pretty well. Tomorrow is our first official game at 6:30 at the Stadium. It will be a little odd not playing in our Cheetahs uniform and without you and the other girls there.

So I, along with all the other girls thank you very much for all you have done. I also want to thank you for teaching us different positions and introducing me to playing defense. Coach Oscar told me today that he sees a lot of potential in me being a very good defender if I would like to play defense. He also said he likes my speed and I will be a very good defender along with another Cheetah player. And we might get a lot of playing time! So again I want to say thank you very much, all you have done to prepare me and the others has helped us a ton. You have been the best coach I have ever had and we all miss you very much.

2013

The Three Rivers Cheetah’s Travel Soccer Club has had a huge influence in the successes my son has had as a youth soccer player.  He has had the opportunity to be taught by dedicated and passionate coaches and trainers.  Being a player in this club not only improved my child’s foot skills, but also influenced the positive way he is able to work as a team player on and off the field to this very day.  The trainers were always looking for opportunities to strengthen my child’s skills by collaborating with other travel teams, coaches, and trainers in Illinois to increase his practice and playing time.  As a parent, I appreciated that the club focused on positive attitudes from the players.  Our family has made many friendships with other Cheetah’s families.  We were able to do this by volunteering and encouraging each other’s children to strive to be the best players they could possibly be.   We have watched this club grow over the years and continue to see the opportunities for the club’s players expand.  Thank you Three Rivers and wishing you much success in the future!

My son has been playing for TRSC for over two years, and his love for the game of soccer has only grown as the seasons go on.  The fact that he can remain enthusiastic throughout the year with going to practice, playing games to the best of his ability and most importantly continue to learn soccer skills is a credit to TRSC, his teammates and mostly his coach.

Eleven years ago, my daughter began playing soccer.  Over the following 8 or 9 years she made great progress from the days of picking flowers and holding onto her dad’s leg, who was coaching at the time.  As we progressed from park district to club soccer, the progress continued, but it wasn’t until we joined Three Rivers that we saw real progress.  Humam has been coaching my daughter for less than a year and I cannot express my gratitude to him enough.  My daughter has always aspired to not only play high school soccer, but to play for college as well.  With Coach Humam’s teaching over the past 11 months, I have no doubt that she will be playing on the varsity team this year as a freshman and is heading in the right direction for college play. The best part about watching my daughter prosper under Humam’s guidance is not just her newly acquired skills and knowledge of the game, but he is encouraging and assisting her as she is developing into a wonderful leader.

Humam’s U15 team didn’t know each other just 11 months ago.  He has developed them into a cohesive team that is able to anticipate each others’ moves and not only connect the ball for amazing soccer, but are connected through friendship as well.

Coach Jeff has brought a new sense of confidence to my daughter and the entire team. He encourages all his players to try their hardest and the results have been remarkable from last year. Great Job Coach Jeff!

I met coach last year when my daughter was put on his U10 Girls team.  Not only did my daughter greatly improve with him as her coach but I have also gotten to know him very well when I became his team manager. I have never met a coach with more passion for the sport they teach.

He is constantly reading, reviewing and searching for more ways to improve his coaching techniques and ability. The Club would not be what it is today without his enthusiasm, loyalty, and diligence. He goes above and beyond in every way to make sure he is training his players to be great at soccer and also be respectable sportsman.

This year he brought a community service theme to TRSC. He thought it would be a great way to build the players character and also give back to our local community. I only wish there were more coaches as caring and committed as him.

Frazer, I just wanted to let you know how proud we are to be a part of Three Rivers Soccer Club.  You did an outstanding job coaching the U14 game.  I am so glad my son has you for his coach.

The game was a difficult one, and I heard from a couple kids that the opposing team’s coach used the “f” word at least once, and it was directed at a player.  I know things can get heated, and I have no issues with coaches getting frustrated with players, but using extremely derogatory words like that has gone beyond what a coach of a 13 year old should do.  I am grateful that I have never heard mine say a negative word about you.  I appreciate the way you coach the kids.  In fact, my son said that your speech to the team yesterday after the 5-0 loss was inspiring.  He actually said he felt like he was in the movie “Hoosiers”.

I am also impressed with the life lessons you are teaching the kids.  Instead of putting a player in after talking back to a referee and throwing a sideline tantrum, you taught him a lesson by making him sit the bench and apologize to the team for letting them down.  That speaks volumes to me about what kind of club Three Rivers is.  I am grateful that we are nothing like the club we played on Saturday.  Their “win at all cost” attitude will teach nothing to those kids as they enter the “real world”.  You are preparing our kids for bigger things, and in my opinion, you are doing it the best way possible.  Three Rivers has a reputation of clean playing, and winning while doing it.  I wouldn’t want my son to belong to a club that has any other reputation.

What a positive influence you are on our kids.  My son has learned from you that if you work hard, and be respectful, you will be rewarded.  Thank you!

Please also tell your family thank you.  You dedicate a lot of time to our kids, which means that you don’t see you wife and children much during the long soccer seasons.

Our coach has been my 10 year old and 12 year old sons’ soccer trainer for the past three years.  During that time, I have seen their physical skills, their offensive and defensive tactical skills, and their knowledge of the game continue to grow.  Most importantly, their passion for the game of soccer has only gotten greater during that time.  He is a true student of the game constantly reading about the most current trends in soccer and sets a great example for the boys, as they should be students of the game as well.  I would strongly recommend him as a trainer, and I consider my boys very fortunate to train with him.

I wanted to share with you about the healthy, productive experience we had with our coach and Three Rivers Soccer Club U12-13 Boys.  Coach has taken our son from an above average player to an Elite Player with knowledge and passion for soccer.

We have played for another club and we’re unhappy.  It is an unorganized, under coached program.  The coaches were late to every game and said that it was the player’s job to know what to do without them there.  After every game we would be filled with their accolades and get cut down as players/parents for how they played.  There were several tournaments that popped up last minute that we were required to be at and pay for on top of hidden registration fees.

At Three Rivers Coach constructively plans his practices, is always on time, always keeps parents up to speed with what our objectives are as a team.  He puts his heart into building up each and every player to play at the top of their game, we get assignments and videos to watch on techniques.  He sets goals for us that we are consistently trying to achieve.  Then raises the bar higher to progress some more.   We are constantly plugging into more, and the players love the game and share the same passion he does because of it.

It is with Elite Coaching, not smoke that we stay with Three Rivers, and why we are a successful program.  I have “Pride” in Three Rivers SC, unlike the other.  This program IS well run/organized with no hidden fees, the Best choice for any player that wants to grow and continue to fall in love with the game.

My son’s coach and trainer has been the same for three years now.  From the moment he stepped onto our practice fields, he won the hearts of the kids.  He became a full-time trainer because of the departure of one of the TRSC trainers, and has done a very good job in his role with the club.  He has turned our program at TRSC into one that grows the individual soccer player, as well as promoting team work.  He is always researching new trends and evaluating programs, so as to give our children room to grow as soccer players.  He adjusts his “style” of coaching and is innovative enough to be able to adjust his training routine to fit the team that he coaches, but still keep it fun for the children.  He took over the iSoccer program that was set up by the club, and has scheduled and conducted skills training sessions during our regular practice week, giving the children additional practices to enhance their skills.  The children have created their own 3v3 teams, played futsal and beach soccer with his help.  He has also started filming practice sessions to show the children where they excel and where improvement is needed, and uses these films to help himself improve, too. That desire to improve his teams and move the club forward makes him a valuable asset to TRSC.

He’s a hell of a coach.  My daughter has progressed leaps and bounds with his mentorship and guidance.  He is a very patient coach and gets the best out of his players.  My daughter has always had difficulties in being confident out on the field, but over the years with the help of him she has grown in her confidence and now has trust in her abilities.  Thank you Coach.

I just wanted to drop a line to thank you personally for all of the time that you’ve put in helping my daughter to grow to love soccer more and more.  A year ago, we had targeted TRSC as the place we wanted to be, but we were scared to death that something was somehow going to goof it up.  We did not have plan B.  Well, thanks to you and all of the people at the club, we feel like we’ve found a home for a good long while.

She adores her team and her club and has really started to take steps forward as a player.  She headed a ball in a game Sunday for the first time.  She actually got a leg on a ball punted by the goalie before it hit the ground, too, playing it back into CFJ’s end.  It’s taken her a good long while, but she feels like she’s learned her position and has a good sense of the kind of soccer you want Three Rivers to play.

We drive quite a ways to get to Minooka, but the car rides are never boring.  On the way down, she talks about the last time she played, and on the way back she talks about the soccer she just finished.  It’s really amazing to see my daughter develop a love for the game and gain self-esteem, leadership, and confidence simply by interacting with the girls and kicking a round ball up and down the pitch.

That confidence, positivity, and desire to improve is due to you as the DOC.  As a teacher, one thing I’ve learned is that if you put kids in a position to succeed, they can overcome darn near any obstacle.  The TRSC way does that with our girls.  A positive learning environment exists where kids aren’t just trying to survive, looking over their shoulders waiting to be corrected.  Instead, they process the game themselves and play an elegant brand of soccer that is simply a joy to watch every weekend.  It didn’t look pretty trying to get that process started, but somewhere around Valentine’s Day, a switch went off and our girls have never looked back.

I love watching our girls show other teams that we can play it however they want: elegant, flashy, tough, whatever they want.  (I personally look forward to the elegant games, but the tough ones are more satisfying when we come out on the winning end) I love watching you coach the pants off the other guy every week, switching girls to gain positive matchups: putting girls against others to negate their speed which won the game for us.  Switching players from striker to right mid to gain a mismatch against CFJ’s slow defender turned that game.  Some struggled early Sunday, came back in later up front and contributed, getting her confidence back so she could help lock things down on the back line at the end of the game.  Once again, putting girls in a position to succeed paid off.

I’m so excited this team will be back the way it is for next season.  I know you probably took some heat for moving those other girls up in the fall, but asking girls to take a leadership role on this team created core players where they didn’t exist before.  Lots of coaches talk about development; you put your money where your mouth was.  Down the road, this group will be much stronger for it.

Hopefully, my daughter fulfilled your expectations this season.  She loves playing the game and playing for TRSC.  I think she’ll be even better next year with a year of learning under her belt.  Don’t hesitate to let me know about things you’d like to see me work on with her.  We’ll give her a little break here, but soccer’s never too far away from her.

Thanks again for taking a chance on our family.  We couldn’t be happier.