Tri-City United

I've been part of Tri-City for probably 8 years now. Initially I was a parent volunteer coach in our recreational program. And I've been coaching on the competitive side for 3 years now, really enjoy that. And then last summer I took over leadership for our fundamentals program as well. And so that serves children 18 months up to 6 years old, just introducing them to, again, the fundamentals of soccer, making it fun. Teaching them very basic skills, but making sure it's all game-like and creating a positive learning environment for those kids. The thing that really was attractive for me to come on staff was the emphasis on the experience of the players. We want the players to, especially at the younger ages, to really to have fun, to learn the basics, but creating a positive experience where it's not about winning, but it's about them developing, learning the game, learning the skills required. And so that is what initially attracted me into joining the staff here.

I have so many favorite experiences at the club, since I coach a wide variety of ages, 18 months up to 12 years old, there's a lot of different experiences. With the younger kids, usually I coach the kind of 3 to 4 year olds. We have kind of a camp style program in the summer, and then on the last day, we do a kind of a treasure hunt, combining all of our soccer skills, and then we get to do a water fight at the end. And we started that last summer, and that has quickly become one of my favorite things to do. The kids love it, they get to be silly, and I get to share my love of soccer with them and get to watch them grow and learn over those couple of days. So for the younger kids, I would say that's probably my favorite. With my older kids, my older boys, I just finished a season for our U12 boys team. We won a championship game in a penalty shootout about a year and a half ago, and I had never coached a penalty shootout before. At the time, that wasn't my primary team either, so I knew the kids. I was familiar with them, had coached them, but had not practiced penalties. I didn't know who was the most consistent, and so kind of just flying blind into that was, at the time, a very stressful experience but, we had a fantastic goalkeeper at the time. He made some just phenomenal saves during that game, and then during the shootout as well. And then my boys came out on top, and we still talk about it. But almost two years later now, so that again at the time was rather stressful, but has really kind of shaped and informed like how I do some of my coaching, making sure that now we're prepared for those things. I was head coach for one more penalty shootout, and then have been assistant coach on a couple as well, and so now we're much more prepared. We kind of know the order, but at the time just kind of jumping into it head first and then winning was a really crazy experience.

One of the things that really keeps me coming back to Tri-City as a coach is their emphasis and their support of coaching education and coaching development. When I was first approached to be a competitive coach with Tri-City, I told them I'm not the kind of person you're looking for. I did not play in college, and I hadn't played for almost 20 years at that point when they asked me to come on. And they said, you fit the culture that we're trying to build here, and we can teach you the technical and the tactical things; we can fill in the gaps there. But what we're looking for is building this culture of supporting the kids, creating a positive learning environment. And so throughout my three years on the coaching staff, I've completed my grassroots course, and then I received my D license, my coaching license, and we have future plans for hopefully doing the C license in another year or two. And in between all those, we have informal coaching sessions where we'll have, our Technical Director lead a session and then have some guided questions. We'll have discussion so coaches can learn from him and his experience, but also from each other. And that's really formed me as a coach and helped me grow and learn. It's a safe place to ask questions. There are lots of opportunities for mentorship as well. If there's something that I feel like I'm lacking or really need to improve on, I know I can get that support where I need it.

At Tri-City United, the Tri-City stands for the three main cities in this area: Fargo, Moorhead, and West Fargo. And each of those cities has its own outdoor soccer facility. And so, part of being Tri-City is really trying to be ingrained in all of those communities. So, when we're scheduling our recreational programs or when we're hosting our tournaments, we use all of those facilities. And that helps us be more connected to the community and bring soccer to all areas. We're not just one location. We also have our own indoor facility. It's a 9v9 field. So that's fantastic in the winter or if it's just raining, raining, raining all the time. We do have a smaller facility that we can use. And then in the winter, it's also fantastic. And we have a brand new Fargo Sports Center that actually has a full 11 vs 11 field, but also ability to split that into smaller sections, and a brand new state-of-the-art facility. So when we host our indoor tournament, we have access to that facility, another one in West Fargo, and then our own as well. So for us living in a cold climate where there's a lot of snow, it's fantastic to be able to have access to soccer year-round. When I was a kid growing up in this area, that wasn't the case. We had very limited options in the winter, and so this helps support their development and the desire to play all year long.

I do, and I have recommended Tri-City to friends and family. The size and strength of our club offers a variety of options for players at any level of development. So we have a recreational program for kids who are maybe either just getting into soccer, wanna try it out a little bit, or maybe don't want to have more traveling commitments. And then we also have our competitive program, which is fantastic. Gives us opportunities to play all over the region. And then just the investment in the player development and the coaching development. I see it as a very positive growth mindset. We're always looking for ways we can do better, we can reach our members better, and how can we better serve the kids and the families that we're working with.

We first started with Tri-City United around 6 years ago now, after we saw a social media post, and it brought us to their website. We were looking for something in addition to the gymnastics that my girls were in. Looking for something to challenge them athletically in addition to what we were doing. And through their website, we were able to navigate very easily and see they had many different levels of opportunities for varying levels of commitment, varying scheduling opportunities, which would work out great for us with our busy schedule. It was really easy to see that they were a well established program, well organized operation. So it was a no-brainer initially to just see what the soccer program would bring my girls with Tri-City.

It has been incredible to watch my kids set and then reach personal goals, learn how to work as a team and have an absolute blast doing it. My greatest experience with Tri-City United would probably be coaching for a recreational team. Playing a role in children gaining self-confidence and self-esteem through personal and team development on the pitch, it's an experience unlike any other. The best Saturday afternoons come when our team is down by a goal with 15-20 minutes left, it's an absolutely inspiring sight to see how these kids battle it out with everything they have until the final whistle.

Tri-City United's day to day operations are fairly consistent, I've found the personnel are trained and ready to accommodate challenges, whether you're at the indoor or the outdoor facilities. The kids play in a safe environment, well supported by competent staff, every field and every facility that we find ourselves at. Personal interactions with the coaches and the other staff are generally positive and supportive and all aspects of Tri-Cities program.

Our family has had just a fantastic experience in the 6 years with TCU. I would invite anyone to give Tri-City United a try and see how much fun it is for both the kids and the parents. We have made friends and built long-lasting relationships, not just our kids, but us as parents, through our soccer teams through the years. It's really great watching our girls being challenged and setting goals, and seeing them develop and reach those goals is even better. It's really fun watching them beam with confidence when they have the opportunity to demonstrate their incredible athletic abilities to friends and family on the pitch. I would definitely recommend anyone give it a shot and see where Tri-City takes your young children.

I've been playing Tri-City since kindergarten. I played recreational and then going into middle school, I played competitively. I tried out and at first we had two teams, white team, which was the bottom team and then the black team. And at first I was on the white team, but I feel like I was always challenged to keep coming to practice and keep getting better, keep finding out just how to be the best player I can be. And now I'm on the black team, the better team. And I've got to know a lot of cool teammates and some coaches that really are good at pushing me to just become the best I can be.

My favorite experience is the President's Cup tournament, and what that is it's a regional tournament where each state is represented by one club, which is Tri-City. We represent North Dakota. And if you make the final, then you get your spot at national, so you go represent North Dakota, but also your club. The competition is always pretty good, and we're always really close. My age group is close to making it to nationals and we play well, competitions well, and it's just a lot of fun really.

As a player, Tri-City has just fully developed me into a striker because when I first joined competitively, I didn't really have a position. So I really did try them all. I tried goalkeeper. I tried center back, midfield, and I found my spot because coaches were patient with me and just wanted to see what position I was the best in. And with training and tournaments, I'm always being pushed to improve my ability on the ball, technically on the ball, and to be able to analyze space off the ball, make runs, receive, receive passes, play passes, finish. And yeah, it's a lot of training and stuff like that has made me the player I am today. And then my coaches always say after we lose. "Good tournament, right, but there's work to be done." So even when we win, it's exciting, but for me it's more exciting to lose because then there's a motivation. There's something that you really want to go after and go get, which is just becoming better, so you can win next time.

Leadership is a skill that Tri-Cities helped me fully develop in my life off the field and on the field because when I'm being challenged as a leader on my team, it transfers over in my life. Just how to be a good teammate, a good friend, a good person to other people, and give them constructive feedback versus making them feel bad about a mistake, which doesn't really help them grow and and fix the problem. And yeah, I built community around Tri-City. I hang out with my teammates. We play each other in school ball, and it's always super fun to catch up with them and see how they're doing and stuff like that. And yeah, my coaches support me and in off the field stuff. And stuff that isn't with the club because they just care for all the players, it's not just me, including me, and I really appreciate the support that I received from the club.

I would 100% recommend any family to join Tri-City to sign your kid up for this program because it is truly wonderful. The environment is super good. It's great to develop as a player. It's also just a nice community for your family. There are a lot of friendly people. Like at practice, if you just wanna walk around the fields while your child is playing, you can do that. It's a good environment there's a ton of opportunity for growth as a player. We play great teams; we play teams that may be out of our league, but that just really teaches us going forward how we can take our game to the next step as a whole from a team standpoint. And yeah, I just experienced great things at Tri City as a player and just as a human being . Yeah, I'll just highly recommend it. It's a lot of fun.

Our family's been a part of Tri-City United for the past 5 years. My husband and I have always tried to align our kids' activities with programs that align with our values and that help him grow as a person and not just as an athlete. We found soccer kind of by accident. My husband and I have no background in the sport. My son started taekwondo at the age of 3. When he was in 1st grade, some of the 5th graders at recess had invited him to play soccer, and he did a jump roundhouse kick score against the 5th graders, which gave him some cool points with them. And it started his excitement about soccer. COVID, unfortunately happened shortly thereafter, which delayed our ability to sign him up. But once everything opened back up in about August, September, the following year, we signed up with Tri-City and we found the organization to be very welcoming to our family. The coaches have encouraged his curiosity and developed his skills, and just have helped grow his love of the game. Over the past 5 years, we've realized that Tri-City is so much more than soccer, and it has become a community for our family. Watching our son gain confidence, learn how to work through challenges and build genuine friendships, and watching him and his teammates grow over the years has been incredibly meaningful and special. And the bond that they share is just really something special. What stands out to us is that Tri-City matches their values exactly with what we were looking for as parents. They don't just develop soccer players, they develop young people who learn how to work through. Resilience, teamwork, leadership, and how to support one another. And they also do volunteer work, at various times throughout the year, which is not something we expected at all, and something that we really loved that they do. That's why we've stayed, and that's why we're so grateful to be a part of this club and look forward to being a part of it for many years to come.

Without a doubt, my favorite experience at TC was watching the boys bring home the trophy this summer at the NPL National Championships. Winning the championship was unforgettable, but what I'll remember the most is what it represented: a group of boys who trusted each other, families who supported one another, and a club that helped create an environment where everybody felt like they were a part of something bigger than themselves. The tournament was not easy. The boys played in 100 degree weather every day. They faced adversity throughout the week and had moments where they had to truly dig deep. They never gave up, and they left absolutely everything on the field. Seeing their hard work pay off was an incredibly emotional moment for all of us parents. All of the parents rallied behind every single boy on that team. We were celebrating every goal, every tackle, every save, and every success together. As a parent, there's something incredibly special about having another family cheer on your child with the same excitement and pride that you do, knowing you'd do the exact same thing for their child. That sense of community is something that Tri-City United has created.

One of the things we've appreciated the most about Tri-City is the day to day environment. From the coaches to the families, there's a culture that's positive, supportive, and focused on helping every player grow. The coaches do a great job of balancing high expectations with encouragement. They challenge the boys to work hard and hold them accountable, but they also take the time to build relationships with them as individuals. Our son has become a more confident player because he's been given the opportunity to make mistakes, learn from them, and keep improving. Communication has also been excellent. As parents, we've always felt informed about schedules, expectations, and opportunities, which makes it easier to support our kids and focus on enjoying the experience. The facilities and training environment have continued to improve over the years. And it's clear that the club is committed to giving the players the best experience possible. The coaches, staff, and families have created an environment where players feel supported, challenged, and excited to come back every week. As parents, that's exactly what we were hoping to find when we joined TC. It's a place where our son has grown not only as a soccer player, as a teammate, a leader, and a young man.

Our son has participated both in the summer and winter technical skills camps, and they have been a great experience for him. They gave him extra opportunities to develop his skills, but have also reminded him that learning can be fun. His favorite part was getting to spend extra time with his teammates and friends. The boys genuinely love spending time together, and that makes him excited to come back every single week. They push each other to work hard, celebrate each other's successes, and make every training session enjoyable. The biggest change we've noticed is the confidence that he's gained with the ball at his feet. His technical skills have improved, but just as importantly, he's becoming willing to try new things, challenge himself, and trust the work that he puts in.

It's a club that genuinely invests in its players as people. The coaches challenge them to be their best, but they also teach resilience, accountability, teamwork, and leadership, qualities and transferable skills that extend well beyond the field. One thing that has really impressed us is the club's commitment to continually raising the level of the program. This past spring, they even brought in a coach from England, whom our family had the privilege of hosting. Spending time with him gave us a unique perspective on the club's vision and its commitment to bringing different ideas, experiences, and coaching philosophies to the players. It reinforced how dedicated Tri-City United is to providing opportunities that many communities simply don't have. But beyond the coaching and training, it's the people that make the club special. We've built lasting friendships with other families, watched our son form incredible bonds with his teammates. And become part of a community that celebrates each player's success as if it were their own. If you're looking for a club that develops great athletes, while also building confident, respectful, and resilient young people, I would absolutely recommend Tri-City United. We're grateful for everything it has given our son and our family over the past 5 years.

I've been a part of this club for 7 years. I did a couple years in rec, and the past 5 years been a part of the competitive team.

My favorite experiences have been the practices and bonding with my teammates, as well as the tournaments, specifically the Tonka splash in Minnetonka.

I've learned how to be a leader on and off the pitch and grown in coachability.

TCS helped me make so many good friends that I am still playing with now and made it so much more fun.

I would recommend this club to another player or teammate, it is such a fun experience and has helped me grow.

I've been with the club for over 10 years now. In establishing the club and who we wanted to be, key element was people committed to making decisions in the best interests of the kids, and setting up environments where kids would have good soccer experiences.

Favorite experiences through the journey with Tri-City United come in all different shapes and sizes, they're littered throughout time, but central to all of them are kids just really having fun. Just really enjoying their soccer, having that passion, having those great moments, maybe a goal line, clearance, a tackle, a goal, a victory. Again, different aspects but all sharing that common theme of where they've been set up with a good environment to go out and be themselves as a kid, enjoy themselves and enjoy playing the beautiful game.

For my journey as a coach within Tri-City United, I wind back to I played soccer at a decent level in England. I've got a detailed knowledge of the game but realized early on in my coach journey that coaching is completely different and it's tough coaching youth soccer, so we're extremely fortunate to have Shay Durham as our technical director. He's an incredible coach educator, so he's part of the US soccer system that educates coaches. And that process, isn't quick or easy, but for people that are willing to learn new things, willing to experience new things, willing to accept that maybe the way they did it in the past isn't the best way of doing it, then this club is fantastic for helping people uncover their potential, learn new things, and day by day become a better coach and keep moving that forward.

With regard to facilities, Tri City United has the only indoor facility in North Dakota dedicated to soccer. It's a fantastic facility which we're proud to have. We also have priority access to the Fargo Parks Sports Center as a established non-profit. And then there are facilities at Kelsey Soccer Complex, West Fargo and Moorhead Soccer Complex. That again is the longest running non-profit club that help invest in those facilities. That we have those priority access to provide really great training locations for our players. On the scheduling side of things, we're a member of the Twin Cities Soccer League down in Minneapolis, so we're the only North Dakota club that that regularly participates in that league, so that gives us, our players access to things like the N1 league, also the ECNL RL League, and just consistent league games against high quality opposition or even if it's not the high quality opposition that's still finding appropriate competition on a regular basis where we can go and play those league games, so that scheduling aspect is a huge step forward for a team in this area.

I'd 100% recommend the club to friends, colleagues, anybody. Key factors with that are the culture that the club aims to build. Where kids can enjoy themselves, have fun, but also develop and reach their maximum potentials.