Cerritos Soccer Academy is a Maryland youth soccer club, based around Silver Spring and College Park – not Cerritos, California, and not affiliated with Top Notch Training. If you typed that name from Orange County expecting somewhere off the 605, the listing you found is roughly 2,700 miles away. Below is what that page cannot give you: what the Maryland club actually is, why “academy” tells you almost nothing about level, and the Irvine formats, ages, fields, and current rates you can act on this week.
- Cerritos Soccer Academy operates in the Maryland/DC suburbs. Cerritos, CA is a separate city in Los Angeles County.
- “Academy” is not a regulated level. League, coach, and license tell you more than the word does.
- Top Notch Training is Irvine-based, with weekly group trainings in a fixed slot at Oak Creek Park.
- Rates run from $45 per session for weekly group up to $95 per hour for 1-on-1, current as of August 2026.
- Coach Elmer Chacon has trained 800+ youth, club, and high school players.
What Cerritos Soccer Academy actually is
It is a competitive youth club in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC, training and playing on fields in the Silver Spring and College Park area. Teams are organized by birth year in the usual U-something age groups, boys and girls, and compete in regional Maryland and mid-Atlantic league play rather than in any California league.
Fees follow the standard club structure back east: an annual or seasonal club fee plus uniform kit, tournament entries, and referee costs, published by the club itself and changing year to year. Check the club’s own site for current age groups, tryout dates, and figures before you assume anything from a third-party listing.
Before comparing any two “academies,” read the address on the contact page and the city on the field listing. Program names repeat across the country far more often than parents expect, and a Maryland schedule tells you nothing about a Tuesday in Irvine.
The belief worth correcting: “academy” is not a level
Most parents read “academy” as a rung above rec and just under club. It is not a regulated term. A two-coach operation renting a park and a full club with league teams can both use it legally.
What tells you the level is which league the teams play in, who coaches the specific group your child would join, and what license that coach holds. Our guide to Orange County leagues, clubs, AYSO and supplemental training walks the three tracks and shows where each one stops.
Second correction: a training program is not a team. Your child belongs to a league or club, and supplemental training is the only track built around one player’s specific gaps. What each age needs from it differs, which is why we keep a full breakdown of youth soccer development by age for 8-11, 12-16, and High School/Elite players.
The Irvine alternative: formats, ages, fields, price
Here is everything a local parent needs to compare against any academy listing.
| Format | Ages | Price | Length and cadence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-on-1 private training | Any age, young or adult | $95 per hour | 1 to 2 hours, weekly or bi-weekly |
| Small group, 2 players | Any age | $70 per player/hour | You bring your own players |
| Small group, 3 players | Any age | $60 per player/hour | 1 to 2 hours |
| Small group, 4 to 6 players | Any age | $50 per player/hour | 6 players maximum |
| Weekly group, Youngers (All Levels) | 9-12 | $45 per session | Fixed weekly slot, Oak Creek Park, Irvine |
| Weekly group, Club / Elite / High School | 12-17 | $55 per session | Fixed weekly slot, Oak Creek Park, Irvine |
Two variables move the total: travel to your own field, and any field or permit fee at that location. Ask about both before booking. All formats sit side by side on the Top Notch Training programs page, or request a session directly. Phone is (714) 248-2592.
Monthly membership versus per-session pricing
These are two different products, and comparing their headline numbers is the most common mistake parents make.
A monthly academy fee buys a calendar slot. You pay whether the week went well or not, and group size is whatever shows up that night. Per-session pricing works the other way: you pay for training taken, and the rate falls as more players share the coach.
That second mechanic is underused. Bringing three teammates from your own team drops the small-group rate by $20 per player/hour versus a pair, while keeping coaching close to individual attention. See the table above for the exact tiers.
What a first Oak Creek Park session looks like
Parents ask what they are buying before they have seen it, so here is the shape of a first hour. Arrival and ball work start immediately, no standing around waiting for numbers. The first block is unopposed touches on both feet, which is where a coach learns more in ten minutes than a highlight video shows in ten games.
From there the session moves to pressure: receiving with a defender arriving, turning, and playing forward. The last block is competitive, small-sided, because a skill that only works unopposed is not a skill yet.
You will get a read at the end – one thing that is already good, and one thing we are going to attack next. That single named problem is what turns a session into a plan.
The players I remember are rarely the most gifted ones. They are the 12-year-old who could not turn away from pressure in the fall and by spring was checking her shoulder before the ball arrived, because we drilled it every week until it stopped being a decision. That is what consistency buys. – Coach Elmer Chacon
Which format does your player need? A decision tool
Do you need private sessions or group training?
Format follows the problem, not the budget. Pick the row that matches your situation, commit to the block, then measure.
| If this is your situation | Start with | Reassess after, and measure |
|---|---|---|
| The team coach has named one specific issue (weak left foot, turning under pressure) and minutes are dropping | 4 private sessions, weekly | 4 weeks. Ask the team coach whether the named issue still appears in games. |
| Nothing is broken, the player just needs touches, confidence, and reps against peers | Weekly group training, 8 consecutive weeks | 8 weeks. Watch whether they now ask for the ball under pressure instead of hiding. |
| You want a concentrated block and a school break is coming | A camp across the break | End of camp. Several days of repetition compress what weeks would spread out. |
| Cost is the constraint but the player wants the work | Small group with 3 to 5 teammates you recruit | Same 8-week window as group training, at close to private attention. |
| The training is your idea and not theirs | A parent guidance conversation, not field time | Before spending on any sessions at all. |
Choosing for the first time? Our breakdown of how to pick the right youth soccer development format in Irvine goes deeper on each track.
Who is coaching, and how to screen any academy the same way
Coach Elmer Chacon holds a USSF B License, the fourth-highest certification in U.S. Soccer and two levels below the MLS requirement. He currently coaches at the MLSNext level with Strikers FC Irvine, has spent nearly 20 years developing West Coast players, served as Director of Coaching for California Rush, and in his first season as Head Coach at Fairmont Preparatory Academy took the boys’ program to the CIF quarterfinals for the first time in school history. More than 800 youth, club, and high school players have trained with Top Notch Training as of August 2026.
Use two questions on any program, in Irvine or in Maryland: which U.S. Soccer license does the coach hold, and what team are they coaching right now, at what level. Our guide on what Orange County parents should actually look for in a private coach explains why the second question eliminates more candidates than the first.
One thing no honest program offers: a promise of team placement. Selection belongs to club coaches and their roster needs that year. What training changes is what those coaches evaluate – first touch, both feet, decision speed, defensive work rate, and coachability. That is the part still in your family’s hands, and it is the part that compounds.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cerritos Soccer Academy in Cerritos, California?
No. It is a Maryland club operating around Silver Spring and College Park, in the Washington, DC suburbs. Cerritos, California is a separate city in Los Angeles County. Verify the address on any program’s contact page before planning a drive.
Is Top Notch Training connected to Cerritos Soccer Academy?
No. Top Notch Training is an independent youth soccer training program run by Coach Elmer Chacon, based in Irvine, California, with weekly group trainings at Oak Creek Park. There is no affiliation.
How much does soccer training cost in Irvine?
At Top Notch Training, weekly group training is $45 per session for Youngers ages 9-12 and $55 per session for Club / Elite / High School ages 12-17. Private 1-on-1 is $95 per hour, with small-group tiers between. Travel to your field and any field or permit fees can affect the total. Rates current as of August 2026.
Where do sessions take place?
Weekly group trainings run in a fixed weekly slot at Oak Creek Park in Irvine. Private and small-group sessions run in Irvine and Orange County, and travel to your own field is possible with the cost variables noted above. Parent guidance meetings happen in person if you are local, or by phone or Zoom from anywhere.
Can I bring my own group of players?
Yes. Small group training is semi-private, you bring your own players, and the maximum is 6. The per-player rate drops as the group grows, per the rate table above.
How do I book a session?
Use the session request page or call (714) 248-2592. If you are unsure which format fits, tell us what the player is struggling with and we will tell you where to start.
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 21, 2026.
Sources for this article
- Pricing doc: $95 per hour private; $70/$60/$50 per player/hour small group; $45 and $55 per session weekly group; rates current as of August 2026
- Pricing doc: sessions 1 to 2 hours, weekly or bi-weekly; travel and field/permit fees affect total; 6 player maximum
- Pricing doc: weekly group at Oak Creek Park, Irvine; Youngers ages 9-12, Club/Elite/HS ages 12-17
- Coach bio: USSF B License, MLSNext with Strikers FC Irvine, ~20 years, California Rush DOC, Fairmont Prep CIF quarterfinals
- Site-verified stat: 800+ players trained as of August 2026
- OC guide FAQ: no promise of team placement; training improves first touch, both feet, decision speed, work rate, coachability
- Development formats post: age band needs and the parent guidance standard
- Contact: (714) 248-2592
Facts drawn from this site's own documented knowledge and first-hand experience.
