CoachUp Spotlight Interview: Soccer Coach Dillon Powers

Say hello to Dillon P! Coach Dillon is an MLS professional soccer player for the Colorado Rapids. He’s been involved with youth soccer coaching in the Dallas area and works with players of all ages. He specializes in technical soccer skills an loves passing along his experience to young players. Tell us about your soccer career. I was selected by the Colorado Rapids with the 11th overall pick of the 2013 MLS SuperDraft. I started in 64 out of 78 games while playing for the Notre Dame soccer team and was team captain my senior year. Why did you decide to become a private coach? It really benefits kids. Private coaching was really beneficial to me as a kid. You can really develop your skills by working one on one with a coach. What do you enjoy most about coaching? I enjoy seeing kids make progress and reach their goals. I like challenging them. What can a client expect from private lessons with you? I don’t have any set session. But every time we’ll start with a warmup. We’ll also place some emphasis on technical skills like passing and shooting. We’ll start with the fundamentals and move from there. Who is your favorite coach and why? My college coach Bobby Clark at Notre Dame. His style was aggressive. He had high expectations, and he always challenged me to meet his expectations. What is your favorite moment in your athletic career? One of my favorite moments was when I won the national championship with my club team 2008. Another is when we won the Big East Championship at Notre Dame. Do you have any success stories from coaching an athlete? It’s hard to quantify. I get enjoyment from seeing players do something after we’ve worked on it. It’s inspiring to me when they take pride in their accomplishments. Did you participate in your sport in high school and college (if so, where)? I played soccer for Plano Senior High School. I played college soccer for Notre Dame. What other sports or activities do you enjoy playing or practicing? Pretty much every sport but football. I like to play basketball and throw the baseball around. What is your favorite sports related movie? Remember the Titans What’s your mantra or favorite saying (in the context of sport and/ or life)? Stay hungry. Stay foolish. What team do you root for most enthusiastically? (any sport) I love all the Dallas sports teams. I’m also a big fan of Barcelona. Interesting talent or something that someone might not know about you? I like producing music on my computer in my spare time.