By OkayGoal 
The Kansas City Athletics has emerged as a premier youth soccer club in the Texas region since its founding in 2013. Using a “local training model” that minimizes travel and strengthens community, the club offers competitive pathways, including ECNL and Academy teams for players through U12. With coaching excellence led by figures like former USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski, KC Athletics has achieved significant success. This includes a U15 ECNL National Championship and U.S. Youth National Team call-ups, while maintaining its vision as a “destination club” committed to developing every player and team.
About Them
KC Athletics is a club based in Kansas City, Texas, training players in the region through the U12 age group. They utilize a “local training model” designed to minimize the amount of travel required and foster a connected community of high-quality players and coaches.
Their program consists of two competitive pathways: the Academy Teams and the Championship Teams. This includes a range of teams from ECNL, Academy Premier, Academy Select, and more.
Club History
KC Athletics is a new and upcoming program. They got their start in 2013, founded by Brad Likens. Likens has a unique history of developing professional teams and athletes like FCKC. Within two years, the team was backed by notable coaches, one even being former USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski. By 2015, they had three teams in the Academy system. By 2018, they had a girls team playing in ECNL. The teams began growing fast and accumulating players in both girls’ and boys’ leagues.
Their vision was to establish a “destination club” that did not just focus on top players and teams, but had overarching attention to every aspect of their club and all their teams. This nurtures a strong community of passionate players and coaches dedicated to development.
Top Coaching Staff
Kansas City Athletics have accumulated fantastic coaches over the years who have impressive histories and devotion to forming strong teams and players. Their coaches hold degrees in Education, have collegiate soccer experience, and years of coaching experience.
Players
On both the girls’ and boys’ sides, a handful of players have been called to play in selection games. These ECNL players are standouts in the league and have received recognition to play in a combined top game. Additionally, some of these players are invited to the ECNL Conference Cup. This includes the 120 top rising players from across the country to play in a series of short-sided games. This year, KCFC sent two girls from its team to the ECNL Conference Cup. They have also won a girls’ U15 ECNL National Championship.
Recently, they have also had two players headed to the U.S. U-16 Girls Youth National Team.
Resources
Along with on-the-field soccer, KC Athletics has a great college placement program. Their system supports recruiting efforts in partnership with Simplified Team Management. Their college resource page helps their players stay on track with their recruitment goals and guides them through a process that can be very stressful. They have had successful recruitment strategies that have supported their players in committing to D1 schools. Some schools include Kansas State University,the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Houston.
Image via @athleticskc
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