There is no single “best” youth soccer coach in Orange County. There is the best coach for one player, at one age, with one fault to fix. You find them by asking three questions: which U.S. Soccer license do you hold, by name; what team are you currently coaching, and at what level; and what ages have you worked with beyond my child’s. Drive time is the tie-breaker, not the filter. Judge the first session by whether the coach named a fault, not by how tired your kid was.
- “Licensed” covers a very wide range – ask which U.S. Soccer license, by name.
- The USSF B License is the fourth-highest certification in U.S. Soccer, two levels below what is required to coach in MLS.
- Range across age bands matters more than a specialty in one.
- Irvine rates: $95 per hour 1-on-1; $50 to $70 per player/hour small group; $45 or $55 per session weekly group. Current as of August 2026.
- Top Notch Training has worked with 800 or more youth, club, and high school players as of August 2026.
What you are booking, before the philosophy
| Format | Rate | Ages | Where and how long |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-on-1 private | $95 per hour | Any age, young or adult | 1 to 2 hours, weekly or bi-weekly, Orange County |
| Small group, 2 players | $70 per player/hour | Any age | You bring your own players, 6 maximum |
| Small group, 3 players | $60 per player/hour | Any age | You bring your own players, 6 maximum |
| Small group, 4 to 6 players | $50 per player/hour | Any age | You bring your own players, 6 maximum |
| Weekly group, Youngers | $45 per session | Ages 9-12, all levels | Fixed weekly slot, Oak Creek Park, Irvine |
| Weekly group, Club / Elite / HS | $55 per session | Ages 12-17 | Fixed weekly slot, Oak Creek Park, Irvine |
Travel to your field and any field or permit fees can affect the total. Questions are welcome at (714) 248-2592.
How to read one price against another
Most Orange County listings you will find, including the large national coach directories, quote a flat price per session regardless of how many players show up. We quote per player, per hour. Those two numbers are not comparable until you do the division.
A flat session price is one line item no matter how many players train; a per-player price falls as the group grows, which is why our 4-to-6 player rate of $50 per player/hour sits below our 2-player rate of $70 per player/hour. Before you compare, ask any coach two things: how long is the session, and does the price change if a teammate joins. Then convert everything to dollars per player per hour. The market ranges you see on directory sites are not verified session-by-session, so treat them as a rough band rather than a quote.
The belief worth putting down first
Most parents assume the best coach is the one who was the best player. Plenty of good former players can demonstrate a skill beautifully. Far fewer can break that skill into three cues a 12-year-old holds under pressure.
The second assumption is that a hard session is a good session. A player can sweat for an hour and learn nothing. Sweat is easy to produce. Diagnosis is not.
The third is the one this page exists to correct: that “best in Orange County” is a fixed ranking you can look up. What an 8-year-old needs is not what a high school junior chasing minutes needs, which is why it helps to read what players actually need at 8-11, 12-16, and High School/Elite before you shortlist anyone.
Match the coach to the age band, not to the review count
Directory rankings pool every age together. A coach who is superb with 6-year-olds and a coach who prepares 16-year-olds for a higher level are doing two different jobs, and both can hold five stars.
Youngers (8-11)
Technical volume and enjoyment. You want short cues and sessions your child can describe at dinner. Weekly group training fits this band well.
Olders (12-16)
Speed of play and decisions under pressure. Ask what the coach watches for, not what drills they run. Two or three teammates in a small group often beats a solo hour here.
High School / Elite
Position-specific detail and competitive standards. Ask what team the coach is currently coaching and at what level – a coach still working competitively knows what the next rung demands.
How to screen: license, current role, range
Screening a coach, in order
Ask for a U.S. Soccer license and ask which one. The license matters less as a wall decoration than as evidence of what the coach was tested on: player development pathways, tactics, and teaching methodology. That is the how of instruction, not just the what.
Then ask what team they coach right now, and what ages they have worked with beyond your child’s. For the long version of this screen, including what a weak answer sounds like, use the parent’s checklist for judging a youth soccer coach.
- Which U.S. Soccer license do you hold, specifically?
- What team are you currently coaching, and at what level?
- What age ranges have you worked with beyond my child’s?
- What will you be watching for in the first ten minutes?
- How will you tell me what you found, and what should we do between sessions?
- How do you measure whether the fix held four weeks later?
Be skeptical of any coach who promises team placement, a starting spot, or a roster outcome. Nobody controls a selection decision. What a coach can control is what your player is taught, how clearly, and whether it holds up under pressure.
Where to source names, and why distance comes last
Club Directors of Coaching, high school staff, and AYSO Extra coaches are all good places to source names. A review list is a starting point, not a ranking – it sorts by who collected reviews, not by who diagnoses well.
A coach fifteen minutes farther away who can find the fault in ten minutes will do more for your child than a closer one running a generic session. Sort by license and current coaching role first, then let drive time break the tie, the same order of operations we use for sorting “soccer coaches near me” results in Orange County.
The coach you would be booking
Coach Elmer Chacon holds a USSF B License, the fourth-highest certification in U.S. Soccer and two levels below what is required to coach in MLS. He currently coaches at the MLSNext level with Strikers FC Irvine. Top Notch Training has worked with 800 or more youth, club, and high school players as of August 2026.
Programs are based in Irvine, with on-field training across Southern California. Parent guidance meetings happen in person if you are local, or by phone or Zoom from anywhere in the world.
Marco and Lisa Joca, whose son Nick trained with me for several years across private sessions, small groups, and camps, wrote that the work went past technical skills into confidence, discipline, and the mental side of competing. That is the part I am actually being hired for.
What the first month should look like
You do not need to understand technique to evaluate a coach. Watch three signals instead.
Can your player tell you in plain words what they are working on? If the answer is “drills,” the cues are not landing. Does the coach ask you about games and school load rather than just taking payment? And is there a retest, so someone checks whether last month’s fix survived?
Naming a fault, giving a small number of cues, and following up is the whole job. If a first session produces a tired kid and no named fault, you have bought exercise, not coaching. That is the difference worth paying for, and it is decided in the first ten minutes rather than after ten weeks.
- Led by Coach Elmer Chacon: USSF B Licensed, coach of the U17 and U19 MLS Next 2 (Academy Division) teams at Strikers FC Irvine since 2022, Head Coach at Fairmont Preparatory Academy
- 2025-26 Western Athletic Conference (Express League) Boys' Soccer Coach of the Year
- Led Fairmont Prep to the 2025-26 WAC Express League championship and the first CIF quarterfinal in school history, in his first season as head coach
- Coached the 2025-26 WAC Player of the Year (Tyler Chan) and two 2025-26 CIF-SS All-CIF Division 8 players
- Nearly two decades coaching winning teams and athletes at every level of West Coast soccer
- More than 800 youth, club, and high school players trained
- His son, Elmer Chacon, a Class of 2026 Godinez Fundamental High School defender and Strikers FC Irvine player whom he has trained since early childhood, played on a national championship team and committed to the University of Hawai'i at Hilo in April 2026 (announced by the club)
- Nick Joca trained privately with him for about three years, going from Flight 2 to MLS NEXT, where he led the league in scoring nationally in 2025-26 before moving to an MLS academy; Coach Chacon still trains the younger Joca brothers
- Other former students have gone on to academies and the professional level; contracts and league rules prevent naming them
Frequently asked questions
How much does a private soccer coach cost in Orange County?
Our 1-on-1 private training is $95 per hour, current as of August 2026. Small group, where you bring your own players up to a maximum of 6, is $70 per player/hour for 2 players, $60 per player/hour for 3, and $50 per player/hour for 4 to 6. Travel to your field and any field or permit fees can affect the total.
Where do the sessions actually happen?
Weekly group trainings run in a fixed weekly slot at Oak Creek Park in Irvine. Private and small-group sessions happen around Orange County, including at your own field. On-field training is based in Southern California.
What are the age groups and session lengths?
Weekly groups split into Youngers, ages 9-12, all levels, and Club / Elite / High School, ages 12-17. Private and small-group sessions are open to any age, young or adult, and run 1 to 2 hours, weekly or bi-weekly.
Can a coach guarantee my child makes a club team?
No, and treat any promise like that as a red flag. Nobody controls a selection decision. Focus on development, effort, and coachability, which are the things a coach and a player can actually control.
How do I book a session?
You can request a session online or call (714) 248-2592 first if you would rather describe the problem out loud and hear what a coach would look at.
Reviewed by Elmer Chacon, USSF B Licensed; MLS Next 2 Academy Division coach (U17 and U19) at Strikers FC Irvine since 2022; Head Coach at Fairmont Preparatory Academy; 2025-26 Western Athletic Conference Boys' Soccer Coach of the Year - last updated August 26, 2026.
Sources for this article
- Pricing doc: $95/hr private; $70/$60/$50 per player/hour small group; $45 and $55 weekly group; Oak Creek Park, Irvine; 1-2 hours weekly or bi-weekly; travel and field/permit fees;
- Checklist post: license by name, current team and level, age range, first-ten-minutes question, retest at four weeks, no team-placement promises
- Checklist post: USSF B License is fourth-highest certification, two levels below MLS requirement
- Private coach post: Elmer Chacon coaches MLSNext with Strikers FC Irvine; sessions 1-2 hours; phone (714) 248-2592
- Checklist post: 800 or more youth, club, and high school players as of August 2026
- Joca testimonial: Nicholas trained across private, small group, and camps; confidence, discipline, mental side
- Coaches near me post: source names from Club DOCs, high school staff, AYSO Extra; distance breaks the tie
Facts drawn from this site's own documented knowledge and first-hand experience.
