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How Competitive Youth Soccer in Chicago Builds Game

Chicago parents know the drill: practice, tournaments, car rides, repeat. Competitive youth soccer in Chicago is about more than drills and game days — it’s about developing focus, resilience and a love for learning the game. But what separates a good youth soccer player from one who truly stands out?  According to Thomas Cahue, Director […]

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How Competitive Youth Soccer in Chicago Builds Game

Chicago parents know the drill: practice, tournaments, car rides, repeat. Competitive youth soccer in Chicago is about more than drills and game days — it’s about developing focus, resilience and a love for learning the game.

But what separates a good youth soccer player from one who truly stands out? 

According to Thomas Cahue, Director of Coaching at Paris Saint-Germain Academy Chicago, it’s not just about talent — it’s about mindset, structure and the right environment.

PSG Academy Chicago is part of the global Paris Saint-Germain Academy network, known for developing youth talent through a proven European training methodology. The Chicago program combines elite-level instruction with a strong focus on player growth, both on and off the field.

“There are a few things that can make a good player a great player,” says Cahue. “Definitely being in the right environment.”

Skills grow where players feel supported

Cahue says parents often feel pressure to move their child to a bigger or more prestigious club — especially when their child shows talent. But he cautions against chasing names or facilities at the expense of a player’s comfort and development.

“If a child is in an environment where they feel good, they will develop into the best they can be,” he explains. “That emotional comfort leads to growth.”

At PSG, coaches create structure while also prioritizing a healthy, fun atmosphere. Mistakes are expected — and even encouraged — because they’re opportunities to learn and get better.

PSG Academy Chicago coach speaking with a young player during a competitive youth soccer training session at night.
Photo credit: Paris Saint-Germain Academy Chicago

Concentration is a game-changer

Physical ability will only get players so far. What sets the best apart is how well they stay focused in the moment and think ahead.

“Concentration and awareness are two key words for us,” Cahue says. “You need to be aware of where your teammates and opponents are. If I get the ball, what am I going to do with it? Where can I drive it? Where can I pass it?”

To build this focus, PSG coaches start each session with an emotional check-in, asking players to rate their day from 1 to 5. This helps players leave stress behind and become mentally ready to play — a subtle but powerful tool in keeping kids engaged and present.

Structured training that builds real-world skills

At PSG Academy Chicago, training sessions follow a carefully designed format:

  • A quick “activation” game to help players shake off their day and get focused
  • Technical skills work with high repetition and lots of ball contact
  • Tactical small- and medium-group play based on a specific game scenario
  • A larger scrimmage to evaluate how well players understood and applied the day’s topic

This full-spectrum approach gives players the foundation they need to succeed in competitive youth soccer — both technically and mentally.  Players are expected to reflect on their own progress and development each session.

“A good coach always asks, ‘What did you learn today?’” says Cahue. “That keeps players on their toes.”

Young PSG Academy Chicago soccer player kicking the ball toward goal during a competitive youth soccer practice.
Photo credit: Paris Saint-Germain Academy Chicago

Exposure to different coaching styles prepares players for the next level

In elite training, players don’t just learn from one coach — they experience a range of coaching styles, feedback and expectations. This is no accident. PSG builds this into its program to help players build adaptability.

“We want players to be able to perform even when they’re with a different coach or new teammates,” Cahue explains. “That’s what it’s like at the college level, the national team level — and we want them ready.”

Real success stories, real opportunities

PSG Academy Chicago’s results speak for themselves. 

In just their second year competing in the PSG Cup, teams from the Chicago program won two out of five divisions, placed second in one and took two third-place finishes — a major leap forward from their first-year performance.

Beyond tournament wins, individual players are taking their skills to the next level. Some have gone on to play at the collegiate level, while others have pursued professional opportunities — both in the U.S. and internationally.

“It’s players that grew up at PSG and now they’re performing at a professional level,” Cahue says proudly.

What parents should know

Not every child will go pro — and that’s not the point. But if your child is passionate, coachable and ready for a challenge, the right competitive youth soccer program can help your child grow as a player, build confidence and love the game for life.

“The best thing you can do is find a program that’s structured, supportive and focused on long-term development,” Cahue says. “That’s where the real transformation happens.”

This content is sponsored by Paris Saint-Germain Academy Chicago. Learn more at psgacademychicago.com

College Sports

Class of 2025 SoccerWire Featured Players

(Pictured Above: Northern Virginia Alliance standout Taylor Wilson has signed with Louisville’s highly-ranked recruiting class.) SoccerWire would like to congratulate all members of our Featured Player program who have made their college commitment decisions for the Class of 2025! As of May 2025, a total of 75 Featured Players have announced their commitments as they conclude […]

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Class of 2025 SoccerWire Featured Players

(Pictured Above: Northern Virginia Alliance standout Taylor Wilson has signed with Louisville’s highly-ranked recruiting class.)

SoccerWire would like to congratulate all members of our Featured Player program who have made their college commitment decisions for the Class of 2025!

As of May 2025, a total of 75 Featured Players have announced their commitments as they conclude their high school careers.

See below for a look at the SoccerWire Featured Players in the Class of 2025 who have committed to college soccer programs. For more Featured Player content, visit our blog and browse our Player Directory.

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Seymour bound for Geneva

Times Observer photo Flanked by his parents, Chris and Charity, Casey Seymour signs his letter of intent to continue his academic and soccer careers at Geneva College. The sky appears to be the limit for Eisenhower senior Casey Seymour. Seymour, who is easy going but who has a serious side to his personality, recently signed […]

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Seymour bound for Geneva

Times Observer photo
Flanked by his parents, Chris and Charity, Casey Seymour signs his letter of intent to continue his academic and soccer careers at Geneva College.

The sky appears to be the limit for Eisenhower senior Casey Seymour.

Seymour, who is easy going but who has a serious side to his personality, recently signed his national letter of intent to continue his academic and athletic career at Division III Geneva College.

Seymour, the son of Chris and Charity Seymour and brother to Conlan, hails from Russell and will be a busy young man this fall. Not only will he be a student at Geneva, but he will also be attending flight school at Beaver Community College, with the ultimate goal of becoming an airline transport pilot.

Oh yes, and he’ll be playing soccer, too.

All of this would make most parents nervous, but Casey’s parents are excited for the opportunities in front of their son.

Times Observer file photo
CASEY SEYMOUR

“We are excited for him to have this opportunity to continue to play the sport he loves,” Chris Seymour said. “It will definitely be an adjustment being a college student and a member of the soccer team, but he’s ready and excited for the challenge.”

When asked why Geneva, Casey was quick to answer.

“The pieces all fell together perfectly,” he said. “Geneva has an aviation business major and a program with Beaver Community College for flight school. It’s just a good fit. It certainly didn’t hurt being recruited by Geneva, which has an excellent soccer program. It just couldn’t have come together any better for me.”

Geneva head soccer coach Gary Dunda is happy to add Casey to the team.

“Case is an athletic goalkeeper with a bright future at the college level,” Dunda said. “He fits in perfectly with our team culture and is a great addition to Geneva College. We are looking forward to the next four years with Case.”

Casey’s parents are also pleased with their son’s choice of Geneva, a Christian college with an excellent academic reputation.

Eisenhower head coach Mike Taylor is pleased with Casey’s decision.

“Casey is probably the most talented goalkeeper I’ve ever coached,” Taylor said. “If he rises to the challenge of higher level football, he certainly has the potential to develop into one of the finest players this area has ever produced.

“He’s leaving a huge hole on our squad. It will be fun to follow him as he competes at the next level. I wish him every success for the future.”

Casey, an accomplished multi-sport athlete at Eisenhower, played four years of soccer and was the team MVP as a freshman and Co-MVP as a senior. He was voted first team all-region. He also excelled on the basketball court where he was voted to the all-region second team as a senior. He also was selected to the NY/PA Corporate Coccer Showcase, an all-star team made up of soccer players from both states that will play July 27 at Pitt-Bradford University. Casey was voted a co-captain for each team.

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College Sports

Stoots Names Assistant Coaches for First Soccer Staff

The Ball State soccer program and head coach Andy Stoots have announced the additions of Lewis Tomlinson and Chyanne Dennis as assistant coaches and Maya Millis as a graduate assistant. Tomlinson comes to Muncie after two seasons as an assistant coach with the University of Indianapolis women’s soccer team. The Gainsborough, England native was a […]

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Stoots Names Assistant Coaches for First Soccer Staff

The Ball State soccer program and head coach Andy Stoots have announced the additions of Lewis Tomlinson and Chyanne Dennis as assistant coaches and Maya Millis as a graduate assistant.

Tomlinson comes to Muncie after two seasons as an assistant coach with the University of Indianapolis women’s soccer team.

The Gainsborough, England native was a graduate assistant for the UIndy men’s team for the 2021 and 2022 seasons after graduating from Holy Cross College where he was the starting goalkeeper. He made 43 starts in 51 matches played with 140 saves and an overall record of 19-18-3 from 2017-19.

Tomlinson has served as the director of goalkeeping for FC Pride since 2022 and also assisted with the Michiana Echo club when he played at Holy Cross.

Dennis joins the team after a season as an assistant coach at Saint Francis, where she coached a pair of NEC All-Conference players, and a decorated playing career as a defender at the University of South Florida from 2017-21.

The Sunrise, Fla., native was the head coach for the Plantation Eagles FC for two years before going to Saint Francis in February of 2024. She also had stints as the head coach at Florida Premier FC and an assistant coach for Tampa Bay United.

Dennis played professionally for Afturelding FC and was a part of the Jamaica Women’s National Team from 2017 to 2022. She was an AAC First Team All-Conference pick, AAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year and United Soccer Coaches All-Region First Team selection during her collegiate career.

“I am excited to welcome Chyanne and Lewis to Ball State! They both represent the type of character and passion I was looking for,” Stoots said. “I know our student-athletes will greatly benefit from their leadership, soccer knowledge and their commitment to growth and development.”

Millis stays in Muncie after a four-year playing career when she started in 60 out of 71 games played as a defender from 2017-21. She had eight assists and played in more than 5,000 minutes in her career at Ball State.

The Livonia, Mich., native was named to the Academic All-MAC Team and Academic All-District by the College Sports Communicators multiple times and is set to graduate Saturday with a degree in strategic communications (advertising).
 

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College Sports

Katie O'Neill to take soccer talents to Centre College

As one of the smallest high schools in western Kentucky, St. Mary High School isn’t known for churning out vast numbers of college athletes. So, for those student athletes who get the opportunity to play at the next level, the feeling is that much more special. That’s certainty the case for Lady Vikings senior Katie […]

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Katie O'Neill to take soccer talents to Centre College

As one of the smallest high schools in western Kentucky, St. Mary High School isn’t known for churning out vast numbers of college athletes. So, for those student athletes who get the opportunity to play at the next level, the feeling is that much more special.

That’s certainty the case for Lady Vikings senior Katie O’Neill, who signed her letter of intent on Thursday to play soccer at Centre College in Danville, KY. O’Neill, a multiple-sport athlete, has been a staple for the Lady Viking soccer program for the last four years and is excited to take her talents to Centre College.

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Six Swarthmore College students suspended over pro

Over the first two days of May, a total of six Swarthmore College students were interim suspended for the creation of a campus encampment earlier in the week. The students in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, were suspended without due process and were told to evacuate from campus, said Swarthmore’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) in a […]

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Six Swarthmore College students suspended over pro

Over the first two days of May, a total of six Swarthmore College students were interim suspended for the creation of a campus encampment earlier in the week. The students in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, were suspended without due process and were told to evacuate from campus, said Swarthmore’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) in a 2 May statement.

Of the six students who were temporarily suspended, four were people of color and three were first-generation, low-income students, the statement continued: “This is part of a disturbing trend of Swarthmore exploiting the vulnerabilities of student protesters on the basis of racialized discrimination.” The students on interim suspension are banned from attending college events or stepping foot on campus. Swarthmore SJP did not respond to a request for comment by the publication date.

In a 1 May statement to the campus community, Swarthmore College’s president, Valerie Smith, said that the protesters had vandalized campus property. “Should they continue to fail to disperse and violate the college’s policies and the law,” Smith said, “we will have no choice but to escalate our response as we consider all actions to bring the encampment to an end.”

SJP used social media to encourage activists outside of the college to join the encampment, Smith said, and they ignored repeated requests to vacate Trotter Lawn, where they erected the camp. “We informed students multiple times, both verbally and in writing, that they were violating several policies in the student code of conduct. Students were instructed to disband the encampment and leave Trotter Lawn, and repeatedly warned that failure to do so would lead to interim suspensions.”

Swarthmore College is one of 60 schools under investigation for what the Trump administration considers antisemitic harassment on campus.

A handful of higher-education institutions have started campus encampments this spring in a revival of last year’s pro-Palestinian movement in opposition to Israel’s war on Gaza, where at least 62,000 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October 2023, when roughly 1,100 Israelis were killed. But this year, pro-Palestinian campus protests have been dampened by crackdowns and punitive measures from the Trump administration.

On Yale University’s campus in late April, hundreds of student protesters set up an encampment that dispersed within a couple of days. On 22 April, 44 Yale students were arrested, with some of them facing disciplinary action from the university. And at Tulane University, seven students are facing punitive measures including suspension or expulsion for attending an off-campus protest in New Orleans demanding the release of the pro-Palestinian former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil.

On Swarthmore College’s campus, SJP members said that they plan to remain in their encampment: “These repudiations are inconsequential when we remember what we are here for: the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian people who have been martyred and displaced yet continue to resist in the face of genocidal violence.”

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Boise State Transfer Signs with Soccer

EUGENE, Ore. – Jasmine Young, a defender who helped Boise State win the 2024 Mountain West Conference title, is transferring to Oregon for her sixth year, head coach Tracy Joyner announced Friday. Joyner has now signed 12 new players who will compete for the Ducks this fall. Young will join transfers Cailin Bloom (California), Kate Cheldelin […]

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Boise State Transfer Signs with Soccer


EUGENE, Ore. – Jasmine Young, a defender who helped Boise State win the 2024 Mountain West Conference title, is transferring to Oregon for her sixth year, head coach Tracy Joyner announced Friday.
 
Joyner has now signed 12 new players who will compete for the Ducks this fall. Young will join transfers Cailin Bloom (California), Kate Cheldelin (Washington), Carys Hall (Alabama), Abella Hunter (UC Davis), Gia Kiesling (UC Davis), Elise Picard (UC Davis) and Bryana Pizarro (Washington State) and incoming freshmen Miya Alamares (Woodland, Calif.), Addisen Boyer (Oak Harbor, Wash.), Izzy Sawyers (San Clemente, Calif.) and Selah Simms (Brentwood, Calif.) in Joyner’s first recruiting class.

Jasmine Young
 
Jasmine Young, 5-5, 6th Yr., Defender, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Los Osos High School / Arizona / Boise State
 
BEFORE OREGON – BOISE STATE
Played three seasons at Arizona and one at Boise State … Was named to the 2024 Mountain West All-Newcomer Team for Boise State as she helped lead the Broncos to the MWC regular season title … College Sports Communicators Academic All-District … Appeared in all 22 matches, including 15 starts … Played seven full 90 minute matches … Registered lone shot of the season at San Jose State (Sept. 29) … Made appearances in the semifinal and title matches of the Mountain West Tournament against San Diego State (Nov. 6) and Utah State (Nov. 9) … Played the full 90 minutes in the title match.
 
BEFORE OREGON – ARIZONA
As a junior in 2023, appeared in five matches, with two starts … Played 283 minutes … Took two shots on the season, one against Colorado and the other against Arizona State … Redshirted the 2022 season … Registered 787 minutes in 18 matches, with 10 starts as a sophomore in 2021 … Took one shot against Texas Tech … As a freshman in 2020 (Covid season), appeared in 14 matches, starting four and totaling 706 minutes … Took two shots with one on goal.
 
HIGH SCHOOL
A graduate of Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. … Lettered all four years in soccer … Team co-captain her senior year … Named Most Valuable Player her senior year … Named All-Conference First Team Baseline League three years in a row … Named All-Conference Second Team Baseline League her freshman year … Named All-CIF Southern Sections First Team her senior year … Named All-SCA Southern Section First Team her sophomore year … Named Defender of the Year her junior and senior year … Played club ball for Strikers FC and Legends FC … Named Excalibur Tournament Champions in 2017.
 
PERSONAL
Born in Upland, Calif. … Father is Edward Young.
 
Coach Joyner on Jasmine Young
“Jasmine is a seasoned veteran. Her tactical awareness, toughness, and experience will add depth to our backline. We are very excited to add such a valuable player and person to our program, and look forward to her impacting our program in her final year.”
 
www.GoDucks.com
 

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