1. Never be outworked. Always put in 100% of your effort and you won’t be outworked. Soccer legend, Diego Maradona, said, “When people succeed, it is because of hard work. Luck has nothing to do with success.”

2. Don’t focus on your statistics. Sometimes an off-day can throw off your statistics. So just focus on making the next day a better day.

3. Remember that being the biggest or fastest player on the field doesn’t make you a better athlete The smarter, aggressive, prepared player will be better! Try to be that better competitor instead!

4. Have a purpose in every practice. This will help you not go on “auto-pilot” during practices. Use your practices as a way to prepare you for competitions.

5. Stop comparing yourself to other people. Instead, compare yourself to yourself! Am I better than I was yesterday? Am I more aggressive than I was last season? This way you can track your progress in a healthy way.

6. Be thankful for the opportunity to compete in soccer. Competing is something you GET to do, not something you HAVE to do. It’s a big commitment but it’s worth it if you really appreciate the sport.

7. Be patient. “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” So just remember big changes or a lot of progress takes time – just hold on for the long haul!

8. Compete for yourself. Don’t play for your friends or your parents. You should compete because you love it.

9. Never quit or give up. Even if you don’t win, make it really hard for the other people to win. Always put up the best fight you can.
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10. Keep things in perspective. Academics come before soccer. At the end of the day, academics might send you to college if sports can’t.