If you’re looking for a top youth soccer coach in Irvine, CA, look for three things: a U.S. Soccer license the coach can name, a team they’re coaching right now, and a first session that ends with one named fault, a few cues, and a date to check them again. A famous playing career, a polished website, or a kid who comes home exhausted tells you very little. You want your child to keep improving and keep loving the game, and a good diagnosis protects both.
- Ask for the license by name, plus the number and issue date.
- Ask what team the coach is working with this season, and at what level.
- Judge session one by whether it named a fault, not by how tired your child was.
- What the coach should focus on changes across Youngers (8-11), Olders (12-16), and High School/Elite.
- No honest coach promises a roster spot.
The belief to drop first
Most parents assume the best coach is the one who was the best player. Plenty of former players can demonstrate a skill beautifully. Far fewer can break it down into three cues a 12-year-old can still use under pressure.
The second assumption is that a hard session is a good session. Sweat is easy to produce. Diagnosis is harder. Our parent’s checklist for what makes a good youth soccer coach shows what to watch for in the first month.
What “top” looks like in each age group
A good coach teaches a 9-year-old differently from a 16-year-old. Our pillar guide on youth soccer development by age at 8-11, 12-16, and High School/Elite goes deeper. Here is the short version.
| Age group | What the coach should build | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Youngers (8-11) | Touch, both feet, confidence, love of the game | Heavy tactics, or conditioning that crowds out time on the ball |
| Olders (12-16) | First touch under pressure, scanning, body shape, decisions | One drill plan for every player |
| High School/Elite | Speed of play, what the next level demands, the mental side of competing | A coach who hasn’t coached competitively in years |
For a 10-year-old, a current D or C license holder who can diagnose problems is plenty. For a club or high school player aiming higher, a coach who is working at the competitive level now knows what the next rung actually asks of players.
The four-question phone screen
Ask these before you pay for anything, and notice how quickly the answers come:
- Which U.S. Soccer license do you hold, by name? The ladder runs Grassroots, D, C, B, A Youth or A Senior, then Pro.
- What team are you coaching right now, and at what level?
- What happens in the first ten minutes of session one?
- How will we know in three weeks if it’s working?
You can verify a license through the US Soccer Learning Center. The full script is in our guide to how parents should judge soccer coaching in Irvine and Orange County.
What a real first-session write-up looks like
Here is an example of the format, not a real player’s file. After session one, you should get something this specific:
Cue 1: Check your shoulder before the ball arrives.
Cue 2: Open your hips toward space.
Cue 3: Take the first touch away from pressure, into the space you just saw.
Three-week checkpoint: Retest the same pressure drill and compare. Homework between sessions: wall passes using the open-hip touch.
If your child can repeat those cues to you in plain words on the drive home, they’ve landed. If the answer is “we did drills,” they haven’t.
Who coaches at Top Notch Training
Coach Elmer Chacon holds the USSF B License, which sits above C and below the A licenses. Since 2022 he has coached U17 and U19 in the MLS Next 2 Academy Division at Strikers FC Irvine. As Head Coach at Fairmont Preparatory Academy, he led the boys’ team to the 2025-26 Western Athletic Conference (Express League) title and the school’s first CIF quarterfinal, and he was named the league’s 2025-26 Coach of the Year.
More than 800 youth, club, and high school players have trained with Coach Elmer Chacon over nearly 20 years of coaching on the West Coast.
Nick Joca trained with him for about three years in private sessions, small groups, and camps. Over that time he went from Flight 2 to leading MLS NEXT nationally in scoring in 2025-26, then moved to an MLS academy. His parents credit that work for his development and “his continued love and passion for soccer.” That is one player’s path, not a promise. The things a coach can actually work on are effort and coachability.
Formats, location, and how we charge
All training is in Irvine. Weekly group sessions meet at Oak Creek Park and are split into a Youngers group and a Club/Elite/High School group. We also run seasonal camps during summer, winter, and school breaks. Private 1-on-1 sessions and small groups of 2-6 players you put together yourself run 1 to 2 hours, weekly or every other week.
Private sessions are billed by the hour. Small groups are billed per player per hour, and the per-player rate goes down as the group gets bigger. Weekly groups are billed per session, by age group. Travel to your field and any field or permit fees can change the total. Current rates are on our Irvine youth soccer development formats page.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find a top youth soccer coach near me in Irvine?
Get names from club Directors of Coaching, high school coaching staff, and AYSO Extra coaches. Then screen each one for a named license and a current coaching role before you think about drive time.
Does my 9-year-old need a private soccer coach?
Usually only if you can finish the sentence “the thing that goes wrong is ___.” If you can’t, weekly group training gives a younger player more touches and habit-building for the money.
Can a soccer coach guarantee my child makes a club team?
No. Be wary of any program that promises a roster spot. What a coach can promise is an honest diagnosis and practice that matches it.
What should I send when booking a session?
Your player’s age and birth year, current team and level, the one skill you most want fixed, and the days and times that really work for you.
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 October 31, 2026.
Sources for this article
- Site author profile: license, roles, 800+ players, Nick Joca
- Joca testimonial quote
- Pricing doc: billing mechanics, 1-2 hour sessions, Oak Creek Park
- Soccer coaching post: license ladder and screening questions
Facts drawn from this site's own documented knowledge and first-hand experience.
