Coach Aaron's Story
After finishing his local club career with Schertz Lions, Coach Aaron was spotted at an ID camp at the University of San Francisco (USF) where his speed caught the eye of the head coach. He was invited to compete for a roster spot from the practice squad if he wanted to attend USF. Blessed with his disabled veteran father's GI BILL, Aaron decided to take the risk and attend USF in 2018.
Coach Aaron would find out he did not have the speed of play nor the tactical and technical awareness to dress out for the ranked San Francisco Dons. As it happens, he was noticed by the track coach and was invited to try out, eventually walking on to the Dons' track team in 2018.
Although Coach Aaron enjoyed and learned much from his experience as a runner, his true love was soccer, and his college experience confused him. How could Coach Aaron be the most athletic player on the field yet not make the official team? Coach Aaron learned that, with his late start and lack of a "soccer village," his fate as a soccer player had been determined long ago by things outside his own control.
Seeing the players at San Francisco who grew up in the LA Galaxy, SJ Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders, and DC United academy systems, who also had 1:1 technical mentors, Coach Aaron recognized these players grew up in a soccer village which established a foundation for them at an early age.
Acknowledging this, after COVID, Coach Aaron wanted to be the mentor, the coach, and the village that he never had, grounding the mission and formation of Apex United SC in Converse, Texas in 2024.
