At the age of 19, Frias joined Revolver FC in Orlando and tried out for a showcase tournament in Italy with Soccer Scouting Pros and Coach Mario.  This trip proved to be life-changing for Frias, reigniting his passion for the sport and giving him newfound confidence in his game.  “When I went to Italy, I felt like it was the first real professional experience I’d had in soccer.  And when I was accepted after that trip for the residential program in Germany, I felt wanted, like I was better than I thought I was.”

Currently, the club operates a Women’s 1st Division Professional Team and a Men’s 3rd Division Professional Team in Ecuador.

In a country like Argentina, with more than 100 years of soccer history, there are more players than opportunities. It was in response to this shortage of opportunity that Emiliano Grimberg founded Cross Border, an organization whose mission is to connect players in their academy to the opportunities that will support them in realizing their dreams of becoming professional players.

Mario Erazo is the founder and director of scouting at Soccer Scouting Pros, a soccer scouting agency that began 4 years ago in 2016. With connections in Germany, Italy, England, and Ecuador, he strives to connect talented players with unique opportunities that help them achieve their dreams.

Soccer in many ways is about connections - and not just connecting passes.  In Stewart Vigh’s case, it has been a common thread throughout his life that has given him direction and a “foot in” to great opportunities.  

A contributing factor toward IDV’s continued advancement is its dedication to the recruitment of talent throughout the country.  Jorge Cartagena, who has been IDV’s Coordinator of Recruitment for the past three years, recently took some time to speak with us about his work scouting players to support the club’s continued development.  Cartagena brought years of experience as a coach to the position and has been fundamental in bringing a steady stream of talented players to IDV’s academy, which is located in Sangolquí, a suburb of the capital city of Quito.  

Written prominently in the main stairwell of the facilities of the rising Ecuadorian football club, Independiente del Valle, is the following quote: “My greatest enemy is pride & my greatest virtue is humility.” In the highly competitive environment of professional soccer, this philosophy of humility sets Independiente apart, and may very well be a large contributing factor to the club’s continued success.

Pedro Carlosama has spent the better part of his life developing the soccer culture in Imbabura, a province in the highlands of Ecuador. He is soft-spoken and thoughtful with his words, and as a veteran physical education teacher, has a gentle way with children and adults alike.

Massi is a UEFA A Licensed Coach with over a decade of experience as a Professional Soccer Coach in countries such as Germany, Italy, Argentina & Croatia.

A short conversation with Geordy Chavez makes it very clear that for him, soccer is life. Chavez recently traveled with Soccer Scouting Pros’ Fan Select Team to train and play in Rome, Italy, and will be traveling again to Munich, Germany in November for scouting opportunities.