Messias dos Santos
Coach and Director
College Placement Adviser
“It’s up to each person to adjust his cultural background to the days that we are leaving on. The growth and betterment are up to each one of us, to be open-minded to learn, accept and embrace. I inherited from my ancestors the value of respect, to treat others the way you want to be treated, to do things with a heart, not only for doing it.”
Can you tell us about your coaching experience, who you are and what you do?
I am fortunate to have the opportunity to play and coach the beautiful game of soccer. I have been coaching for the past 25 years in (Brazil, Mexico, and the USA). The game allowed me to be part of and support thousands of young people to become better adults and be leaders in their communities. That is one of the reasons that I do coach the game of soccer, I am an energetic teacher specializing in working with children and am focused on implementing highly effective instructional practices to improve learning. As an enthusiastic teacher, I have a knack for making learning exciting and enjoyable and am motivated by the belief that all children can be successful learners.
Why is it important for you to be a coach?
Coaching is something that I learn at a young age, I think because I was raised playing as a goalkeeper and I learned to organize, to communicate with my defenders, and these leadership skills are very strong in my lifestyle. Because of that I always seek to teach life skills through the game of soccer on top of physical activity, a healthy mind and well-being, motor skills, and developing social relationships. My goal is to support young generations in their growth and to have a positive impact on our community. Creating a positive, inclusive, and equitable space where children can be themselves giving them on their sports development process and consequently train better people and better athletes.
Why do you think coaching education is important?
Coaching education is important because we are all learners and we do not know everything. Every time that I do research or take a new course, I do learn something. The world is changing quickly and I think we will only be able to reach all of our players if we have the most up-to-date set of tools to support their learning.
How important is it to give all players access to the best leagues in this country?
Our country is very big, and players do not have access to the top leagues for many reasons. We should find a way to create more opportunities for all top players to be seen and have a chance to achieve their goals through the game of soccer.
What advice would you give any young Latina or Latino coach?
My advice is to stick with their dreams, be resilient, never give up when facing hardships or and never stop working to achieve them, no matter how difficult anyone can make it for our people. There are a few of our club players who went to colleges and professional routes when all the odds were against them. Harvard University and or Cal Berkeley arent on young Latino players’ achievable dreams, but it’s possible.
What does heritage mean to you?
For me, heritage is attributes, values, and beliefs that you inherited from your ancestors. It’s up to each person to adjust his cultural background to the days that we are leaving. The growth and betterment are up to each one of us, to be open-minded to learn, accept and embrace. I inherited from my ancestors the value of respect, to treat others the way you want to be treated, to do things with a heart, not only for doing it.