How long have you been a part of St. Croix Soccer Club? Tell us about your journey.

This season is currently my third being a part of St. Croix in the ECNL program. I joined the beginning of my sophomore year, the U17 age group, and now I'm a senior, with the U18-U19 team.

What has been a favorite experience at St. Croix Soccer Club?

think my favorite experience within St. Croix is being able to play at a lot of different levels. Being a part of the ECNL program has given me opportunities to play in front of different college coaches at all the showcases across the country and at different levels. The club also provides USL2 and UPSL teams. Gives younger kids the opportunity to see what the college level is like playing against different players at the DI, DII and DIII level, as well as allowing players that used to be former St. Croix and went through the club going up to be able to come back from their college teams and get good experience in the summer.

How has St. Croix impacted you as a player?

The club has impacted me a lot as a player over these last 3 years. I've improved so much and learned a lot as a player and a person. Being able to work with a lot of different coaches in different fields has taught me little things one by one about my game, and has helped me improve a lot. Being able to work with coaches from different levels that have played DI, played DII, coached DI, DII, and DIII, and being able to apply their knowledge to my own game, so that I can improve so much has been a big thing from the club, and I could look forward to continuing to do so throughout the rest of the season.

How has St. Croix shaped you off the field?

The club has also helped me shape myself as a person a lot, being able to learn a lot of different qualities like how to deal with wins and losses, how to deal with trials and tribulations, and being able to come in with a clear and sound minded different opportunities, whether that's within soccer or in school or in the next stages of life, I'm learning and taking in these factors so I can apply it to myself.

It's also helped me shape myself for the future and to be able to achieve my goals. One of my main goals was to play Division I soccer, and I've been able to achieve that and commit myself to the University of Saint Thomas, which I'm looking forward to attending next fall. But I wouldn't be able to do that without the club and the coaches that have supported me along the way, teaching me these things as both a player and a person to know how to approach different coaches and approach different players, so I'm able to present myself in the best opportunity to create chances for myself like I did here and now I'm able to put that into the next level. I hope to continue to do so within college in the next stages of my life.

Would you recommend St. Croix Soccer Club to a family considering joining the club?

I would absolutely recommend this club for anyone that's considering to join. Being a part of St. Croix these last 3 years has been a great experience. I've grown so much as a player and a person. I don't think I'd be who I am today without the coaches and the teammates and the whole community that I've had behind me these last 3 years. I'm very much looking forward to being a part of the future, playing with Legends and other opportunities. I don't think I could recommend it enough. I've had so many positive things to say. I've learned so much. The coaches have been excellent. I've made a lot of my lifelong friends from this. I'm looking forward to keeping in touch with them throughout the next 5, 10, 15 years, and I would absolutely recommend this club to anyone that's considering joining.

How long have you been a part of St. Croix Soccer Club?

I've been part of the St. Croix Soccer Club nearly my entire life. I played as a youth player in the club all through high school until moving on to play Division 1 soccer. And now I'm able to come back and coach. I've got two of my own kids in the club. I've been able to coach both of their teams, which has been great. What I really appreciate about St. Croix is the fact that it draws from so many different cities from the East Metro, and that it truly is, I'd say, revered and looked at as one of the most respected clubs in the state of Minnesota.

What has been a favorite experience at St. Croix Soccer Club?

I think my favorite experience at the club has really been seeing the growth of the club as a whole. St. Croix has [grown] from the developmental leagues all the way up to our pre-pro options. The club really provides something for everybody, all skill levels, all interests, all abilities. It's really great to see that and how large we've gotten, yet still how the kind of family-centered feel [exists]. Really still feels like a small community. And also having had the chance to coach my son and my daughter has been something that I'll never forget. So I'll cherish that forever.

What kind of impact can the club have on a player’s development?

The impact of player development at St. Croix is enormous. Each coach has access to numerous resources to help cultivate proper training sessions. We have access to specific Directors that are always available to discuss problems, solutions, game plans, and training ideas. And development is the key. That's what makes St. Croix so special is that the goal of the club is, yes, to develop every player, but not only as a soccer player, but as a person. The club, through its mission, we wanna make every player improve as a human as well as a player, and that's rare and great to see.

What do you like about the facilities used by St. Croix?

I love the field that we get out at Lucy Wind Bell Fields. It has that kind of charming farm community feel when you're out there. It's easy to focus just on soccer, not a lot of other distractions. Beautiful venue, in my opinion, especially this time of year in the fall with all the changing colors. Plus then we have the benefit of the St. Croix Rec Center for our winter training, top of the line indoor facility, vital to the growth of the club during those long Minnesota winter months.

Would you recommend St. Croix Soccer Club to a friend or colleague?

I would certainly recommend the club to a friend or a colleague. In fact, I've done that many times over already. My niece, actually, who has played for another local club for years, has just made the switch over to St. Croix. We're happy to have her. And it's definitely not uncommon to see players making that transition to St. Croix when they see the level of coaching, the facilities, the success the club has year in and year out. It's very attractive.

How long have you been a part of St. Croix Soccer Club?

I am currently 29. Joined the club when I was 15 years old, and had a proven track record as being one of the best and most successful clubs in the state as far as winning state cups, sending teams to USYS regionals, and providing a platform for people to go and play at the next level, whether it was division one, division two, or division three. Some people are going on and playing professionally. So our club's done a great job with player development and helping people become kind of the best soccer-playing versions of themselves.

It's a big thing that I think our club prides itself on, and I think we do a great job with it. So, besides that, I think we have great leagues that we get to play in, great coaches that will nurture and care for their players, and again, provide that exposure for people who are looking to push on and do more at the soccer level.

What has been a favorite experience at St. Croix Soccer Club?

My favorite experience at the club has just been the relationships that I've made with the players and the coaches. Even going back to when I was 15, I still have friends, and they'll be my friends for a lifetime, that I got to play club soccer with. The coaches that I've been working with, anywhere from the last fourteen years are people that I'm still very close to and, again, will be great friends for a long period of time.

And then I also just value the relationships that I make with the players that I get to coach and, you know, hopefully, I get to have a strong impact on helping shape who they are in formative years, helping push them to become a better soccer player, a better person. Hopefully, they also get to go play at the next level collegiately. I think that's another thing that I take pride in as a college coach, just making sure that when I interact and coach with 15 to 19-year-olds, I'm putting them in a spot that can, you know, look to be successful at the next level as well.

What kind of impact can the club have on a player’s development?

A big reason our club is so special, I think, is because of, again, the platform that we get to use to compete in when it's ECNL, ECRL, USYS. We're sending teams to ECNL playoffs and USYS national championships in Florida. Our club does a great job of preparing our teams to go to the national level, showcase themselves, and get to compete against some of the other best teams in the country. And everybody's there trying to, you know, showcase themselves in front of college coaches and show why they are deserving of and belonging of playing at that next level.

So that's something that I think our club does a very good job at is we do a great job of taking them from when they're youth level players and helping them transition to being college ready players that can go in and hopefully, you know, have an immediate impact and help a college team, win some good games and then get a world class education at the school that they choose to go to that's the right fit for themselves. So I think Saint Croix does a great job of helping people, you know, go find that next home at the college level.

What do you like about the facilities used by St. Croix?

Our club has phenomenal training facilities. They do a great job of using the two domes that our teams are in. We're training three times a week, on half a field. Again, it's not something that I think a lot of clubs in our area do get to go out and do. So, it's a very big thing that we have the Conway Dome, and we have the Saint Croix, Valley Rec Center Dome where our teams can go in and, you know, get their touches in three times a week for an hour and a half and still really develop, you know, from November, December, January, February, March, April until we're able to go get back outside.

And, also, our club does a very good job of providing strength, agility, and quickness training at one of the local gyms. So, again, it's a big thing that we're working on and just making sure, yes, they're better soccer players, but are we also making them better athletes as well? Because as we do know, it's important to be a good soccer player, but you also have to be able to compete at the required level athletically. So I think our club does a great job with facilities, training, and, again, just providing that platform.

Would you recommend St. Croix Soccer Club to a friend or colleague?

I would absolutely recommend this club to a colleague or a friend. My fiancé is now a coach at our club, and I think if I'm willing to say, hey, the most important person in my life, you should come and work for the club that I work for. I think it's a pretty strong indictment that I believe our club has a very good family environment. It's a place that cultivates and captures young minds. It helps them, again, become the best soccer-playing version of themselves and helps them become better young people.

I think the coaches are a very big part of that. Some of my best friends are coaches at the club, whether it's my twin brother, who also works there,or one of my best friends, Andrew Shirley, who also works there. The club does a very good job of getting high-level soccer minds that are also just genuinely good people involved in it, and that is something that the players feel, and they can experience it firsthand when they know that their coach has a genuine care and love for them, and they wanna help them become kind of that best version of themselves.

How long have you been a part of St. Croix Soccer Club?

We’ve been a part of St. Croix for seven years. We were attracted to St. Croix because it was our local community club - it was close to home, and it was recommended by coaches from the local community rec program. 

What has been a favorite experience at St. Croix Soccer Club?

Meeting parents, traveling with the different teams, and the coaches who have encouraged and nurtured the love that our three daughters have for the love of soccer.

How have the St. Croix Soccer Club coaches made an impact?

We have three daughters, our oldest joined when she was 13. The club encouraged her to take the referee course for soccer and she has been a soccer referee for the last couple of years. She found it a great learning experience to learn the game from the referee side and then now, our middle child who turned 13 about a year ago did the same thing, and she’s been referring. It’s been a good way for them to give back and to learn more about the game by being a referee. 

What are your thoughts on the facilities used at St. Croix Soccer Club?

The fields used by St. Croix are close to our home and that is huge for us. To be able to make it to practices and games with three daughters in the club. During the winter, they practice out of the Stillwater Dome and that has been recently upgraded and it is a great facility to practice at during the winter. 

Would you recommend St. Croix Soccer Club to a friend or colleague?

I would highly recommend St. Croix Soccer Club if you’re looking for a club for your son or daughter. The knowledge and enthusiasm that the St. Croix soccer coaches have been instrumental in the development of soccer for our daughters. St. Croix Soccer Club also creates a positive team culture where it’s been easy for our kids to make friends and be excited to go to practices and games. But the biggest reason that I would recommend St. Croix Soccer Club is because it has become a second home for our family.

How long have you been a part of St. Croix Soccer Club?

So, we joined St. Croix Soccer back in 2018 my daughter at the time was seven and she was in second grade and my son was five and he was in kindergarten. My daughter started in U9 and my son started in the development league. 

How did you hear about St. Croix Soccer Club?

At the time we had just moved to Hudson which is in the St. Croix Valley. My husband, who grew up in the area, was talking to some of his friends who he knew were involved in the soccer community and they wholeheartedly recommended St. Croix Soccer because they felt it was a club where our kids would really learn the game, they would learn strong technical skills, have great coaching and just overall competitive opportunities. So we chose St. Croix Soccer and have been nothing but happy with our experience.

What has been a favorite experience at St. Croix Soccer Club?

When my daughter was in U14, there were six St. Croix Girls Academy teams that represented Minnesota at the 2024 USYS Midwest Regionals in Kansas City. Most of the teams all stayed at the same hotel and it was just really fun to interact with all of the different families and players from the different age groups.

How have the St. Croix Soccer Club coaches made an impact?

For both my son and daughter who are at the club, they have both had the opportunity to take part in multiple player-coach developmental meetings and this has allowed them to work on their interpersonal skills and communication skills. As they talk about things they are doing well and things that they can improve on. It really has been a great confidence builder for them in other aspects of their life as well.

What are your thoughts on the facilities used at St. Croix Soccer Club?

Well having been involved in club soccer now going on seven years and having visited many local domes in the area, we have really come to appreciate the fact that St. Croix is able to utilize multiple facilities that are all of great quality. Having a facility specifically like the St. Croix Valley Rec Center, The dome in Stillwater, that they can consistently use during the cold snowy winter months is honestly such a gift. We might be biased but my husband and I were just just talking about how we feel like our Dome is the best winter facility in the Twin Cities. 

Would you recommend St. Croix Soccer Club to a friend or colleague?

Yes, we would absolutely recommend St. Croix Soccer to anyone and everyone. And really, for the same reasons that it was recommended to us seven years ago. It is a club where the kids really learn the game, they learn strong technical skills, have great coaches, and a lot of competitive opportunities from NPL to USYS regional leagues to ECNL. Most importantly, for us, our kids have had nothing but a really fun experience playing for St. Croix Soccer Club.

How long have you been a part of St. Croix Soccer Club?

We joined St. Croix Soccer Club in 2019 when my daughter did fall tryouts. She had made the team, did some winter training, and then COVID hit. How the club responded during COVID is one of the main reasons of what attracted us to St. Croix  and one of the main reasons we have stayed. The level of coaches and their dedication.

Our coaches are dedicated to developing our kids regardless of what is going on in the world. The coaches care about their development on and off the field and you don't get that at other clubs. The coaches teach them about being a good team member, mindfulness, hard work, and time management. 

What is unique about St. Croix Soccer Club?

Another thing is that St. Croix is about family. Going back to when we first started during COVID, the teams were doing virtual trainings for skills but the club also hosted virtual workouts for strength and speed. What was great is that the club encouraged our families to join the workouts making it a family activity. We spend a lot of time with our soccer family, and quite honestly, we wouldn't have it any other way.

What has been a favorite experience at St. Croix Soccer Club?

Hands down my favorite experiences at the club has been all of the travel. We've been all over. From Colorado to Chicago to Kansas City to Florida. Each trip has created so many memories. Either finding a new favorite restaurant or exploring and sightseeing wherever we are. Team bonding [activities] in hotel lobbies or playing football on a beach after a tough game, playing in the rain, snow, and sun - all in one game! Game road trips with so many Starbucks stops in each mile marker shared in a group chat. Historic Left-Right Center games and so much ice cream but so many smiles and laughter.

How have the St. Croix Soccer Club coaches made an impact?

The mindset of earn not given. This is how the club has impacted my daughter. 

I remember an example early on in her St. Croix career, she came home from practice and something was off. So we sat down and chatted. I found out that she was really frustrated because she was struggling with her juggling. I told her she could continue to be frustrated or do something about it. She said, “I want to do something about it.” So we started to work on setting some goals and steps to take to accomplish those goals. She wrote everything on this whiteboard in her room and then she went to work. She put the time in, and proud to say, she accomplished her goal of getting to 100 juggles. She has kept up the hard work and dedication and is now close to 400. 

There are so many other examples of things on and off the field where she knows that things are not handed to you in life and you've got to put in work.

What are your thoughts on the facilities used at St. Croix Soccer Club?

What I like about the facilities used by St. Croix Soccer is the convenience. Whether it's practicing indoors at the St. Croix Dome or games outdoors at Lucy Bell or the Washington fairgrounds. It's convenient. It’s super helpful when you have multiple kids running at different times, different practices, sometimes different locations. But it makes it that they are all kind of centralized so you don't feel like you're in your car for a really, really long period of time.

Would you recommend St. Croix Soccer Club to a friend or colleague?

Yes, I would highly recommend St. Croix Soccer to friends and colleagues. And I

have. It's because of the exceptional coaching staff and their dedication to player development. The coaches go above and beyond, investing countless hours into planning purposeful training sessions, analyzing game film to provide technical insights, and incorporating strength and speed training to enhance their overall athletic performance. The coach's commitment extends far beyond the field.

They have individualized one-on-one meetings that focus on personal growth, skill refinement, and strategic development. This holistic approach ensures that players not only improve technically and physically but also grow in their understanding of the game. This is what St. Croix Soccer an outstanding environment for any athlete looking to reach their full potential.

How long have you been a part of St. Croix Soccer Club? What attracted you to the club?

I've been with St. Croix Soccer Club off and on for [about] 25 years from being a player at U8-U9 to coaching with the club a few summers throughout college, moving away for a number of years. And now that I've moved back to the Twin Cities a few years ago, being able to coach with the club again. And what really attracted me to St. Croix was the coaches, the community, and just the people in general that are involved with the club. 

It's been a very, very good experience for me both as a player and now on the other side as a coach, being able to work with the players still in our community, but it attracts players from all over. We've got some players on the team that I coach from North Dakota, from Duluth, which goes just to show how great this club really is.

What has been a favorite experience at St. Croix Soccer Club?

This is a really tough question for me just given the amount of experiences that I've had both as a player and now as a coach. So it's really hard to pick a favorite experience just because there's been so many. Last year, winning NPL finals with my U15 girls team to this year, the amount of success that we had last year, opening up experiences for the group going into this year, watching them succeed, being able to learn from coaches throughout the years, when I was first getting started taking U12 boys teams to tournaments and winning those and watching them succeed and watching their growth has all been an incredible experience for me. 

It's almost impossible to pick a favorite experience just given the amount of amazing times that I've been able to have with this club, with these players, and coaches in general. Right? I honestly can't choose a favorite, but there have been many, many amazing experiences that I've had with the club.

What kind of impact can St. Croix Soccer Club have on a player’s development?

Knowing how much the club impacted me as a kid, seeing how much the club impacts players that I've gotten to know throughout the years, players that I currently coach, players that I've coached in the past that I'm still in contact with their families. They're playing college soccer now. And hearing them talk about how much the club has impacted them, I can only imagine how much the club will impact my infant son as soon as he can start walking, get some cleats on, and start moving the ball around. But, yeah, I'm excited to watch him grow within the club and see how much the club can impact him as well.

What do you like about the facilities used by St. Croix Soccer Club?

What I like most about the facilities that we have access to is being able to train year-round and develop players year-round. Being a Minnesota club, we aren't able to train in nice weather outdoors year-round. So being able to access the dome at the St. Croix Rec Center is key to our success as a team. Being able to develop the team, being able to develop players year-round, throughout the winter months, throughout the cold months, in adverse weather, whatever it is, has been incredible, and we're really lucky to have that, as well as community facilities throughout the year, in the warmer months. It's great to have as a club.

Would you recommend St. Croix Soccer Club to a friend or colleague?

Yeah. I recommend the club to colleagues and friends and will continue to do so. Mostly because of the community, the coaches, the folks on the admin side, the players, the parent groups are all second to none really, as well as the success of the club. If it's a player that you know, whether they're just starting out, and they want to grow their interest for the game, our programs at the rec level and at the younger ages, those coaches work really, really well with players in getting their interest in the game to players that are competitive and want to play at the next level. This club really, really helps kids get there from a competitive standpoint to a development standpoint to now helping them through the college recruiting process. We offer a lot of resources. 

And from [my] experience, both as a player and now as a coach to helping kids achieve their goals, it is a great club to be a part of. And I will continue to recommend it to colleagues, friends, anyone who's looking to, whether it's to start soccer, whether it's to continue their soccer career, I will continue to recommend it to anyone and everyone.

How long have you been a part of St. Croix Soccer Club? What attracted you to the club?

I've been a part of this club for sixteen years now, through playing and coaching. What drew me to it was just the people here. It's a special group of coaches, a special group of administrators, and then the tracker grid for success at St. Croix, second to none, at pretty much every single level of youth soccer on the men and women's side.

What has been a favorite experience at St. Croix Soccer Club?

My favorite experience at the club has probably been the coaches that started coaching me when I was 14 years old, who I now get the privilege of working alongside, four or five times a week. Getting to learn from them as players and learn from them again as coaches and just build the relationships over an extended period of time, I think, bleeds into the love that our players feel from staff.

What kind of impact can St. Croix Soccer Club have on a player’s development?

I do not have a son or daughter yet, but I can definitively say that if I did have a child right now and they were playing youth soccer, the first place I would put them is St. Croix Soccer Club. The development that they get from eight, nine years old and on is second to none in Minnesota. And I know they'd be in great hands to find a great college home that's the right fit for them.

What do you like about the facilities used by St. Croix Soccer Club?

The different field options that we have at St. Croix is a true blessing. Getting to use St. Croix Rec Center, getting to use Stillwater High School, getting to use Saint Croix Prep, getting to use Conway. We get access to some of the best turf fields in Minnesota, and then us being able to train year-round has made a huge difference, and that's something that a lot not a lot of teams in our region get to say they get to do.

Would you recommend St. Croix Soccer Club to a friend or colleague?

Yeah. I would recommend St. Croix to any coach who's looking for a club to work at, any parent who's looking to put their son or daughter into a team, or any youth player who's curious about what they think would be the best fit to prepare them for college. I know that St. Croix prepared me really well for college. It placed me in a great Division One home, helped me find a great Division Three home after that as well. Again, [St. Croix] helped me find two great fits for me for different stages and phases of my life. 

And I think that's one of the things that us as coaches now having gone through the club as players for a lot of us, make sure that we preach the right fit and make sure that when people are going somewhere that they're gonna be loved, heard, seen, cared about in their college career, and that the relationships that they built at St. Croix will help elevate them as well when they're in college.

How long have you been a part of St. Croix Soccer Club? What attracted you to the club?

I've been part of the club for eighteen years now. I was a player, and I'm still a coach. What attracted me to St. Croix was the teams that I was playing against, they had a mentality of, like, they wanted to be on the front foot. They attacked with pace. They were powerful. They were athletic. They were forward-thinking, and I really enjoyed that style. And I knew that they were a well-known club and reputable, and I knew that they would provide me a challenge. They would provide me with development and give me opportunities to compete against well-known clubs, and to push me and give me those opportunities to play beyond club. So that is what attracted me to St. Croix.

What has been your favorite experience at St. Croix Soccer Club?

The favorite experience that I've had with St. Croix has just been, the players and just the connections that were built with the players, and, like, really get to know the person, how to coach them, and how to develop them, how to how to push them, how to give them a challenge.

In addition to connecting with the coaches and learning from them and what techniques and activities they're incorporating into their training sessions and how I can learn from them, and just communicating, having that dialogue on and asking questions when, you know, I'm struggling or my team is struggling and what can I do better, both in training and in games? And just overall, like, just the logistics and the operations of St. Croix, I think it's very organized and smooth, and I think everyone does a good job of communicating. So I would say just the players, the coaches, and just the management, I really enjoy.

What kind of impact can St. Croix Soccer Club have on a player’s development?

I think just from my personal experience from when I was a player, I think St. Croix did a good job of teaching me how to play the game, teaching me the fundamentals, how to be a team, and how to work with the team. And then they, you know, promoted those values such as discipline, work ethic, support, attitude, and effort. Those values I still have today, and I still carry on with those values. I think it's it's important, and I think St. Croix did a nice job with that.

What do you like about the facilities used by St. Croix Soccer Club?

What I like about the facilities used by the club, first, just the variety. We have a lot of different grass complexes and fields used by coaches and teams. We also have turf used by coaches and teams on the girls' side and the boys' side. So just the variety and the options and just the ability to communicate and organize those pieces really helps. 

I think that's run really smoothly, and it's run good. And then also, I really like how St. Croix provides the athletic performance piece to our teams. So, you know, they get in contact with athletic performance programs and provide those opportunities for players to get stronger, faster, conditioned, fit, to work on their agility, balance, coordination, all those things.

Would you recommend St. Croix Soccer Club to a friend or colleague?

I would definitely recommend St. Croix to a friend or colleague. The reason why is I think St. Croix is reputable. It's well known. It's known for their identity and how they play. I think they're a hard team to play against, and I think St. Croix does a good job of providing players and coaches opportunities to develop and to enjoy the game. 

I also think it's how they run things, their communication, and their organization. It's far from none. And, you know, I think St. Croix does a good job of providing girls and boys a pathway to play collegiate soccer and beyond. So I would definitely recommend St. Croix soccer to a colleague or a friend.