Germany. Austria. Spain. The stamps in sophomore Coleton Ecker’s passport represent more than international getaways; they’re mementos from soccer tours with the Olympic Development Program (ODP), a highly competitive U.S. youth soccer program.
And he’s not alone. He and his sister, eighth grader Kylie Ecker, who is also on the ODP team, are making their names known in the soccer world.
“One thing I keep in mind is that if I’m not getting better, there’s always someone trying to get better to take my spot,” Coleton Ecker said. “That’s something I keep in mind all the time that pushes me harder every day.”
Inspiration
Both Coleton and Kylie Ecker grew up playing soccer together. When they’re not practicing with their teams four times a week, or playing against other teams on the weekend, they train together in their backyard or on the field.
“[Coleton is] honestly the reason that I really pushed into soccer, and he’s pushed me to where I am today,” Kylie Ecker said. “Because I watched him do [ODP], I wanted to do it, so I asked my mom to sign me up. Just seeing the level at regionals [last year] made me feel like, ‘Oh, I need to get much better,’ so I pushed myself through all out the summer and the rest of the year to make it this year.”
Meanwhile, Coleton Ecker said his mother, Kalli Ecker, is his “biggest inspiration.”
“When I was younger, [my mom] was my coach for a long time before I moved to a new club,” Coleton Ecker said. “She’s taught
me everything I know.”
For Kalli Ecker, soccer has been a lifelong passion. She grew up in Brevard County, playing soccer at Satellite High School. She played for Vanderbilt University, then transferred to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she won two national championships. In addition to going pro, she played on the youth national teams and won an Under-21 World Cup with the 1999 U.S. Youth National Team.
“I’m obviously incredibly proud of them, but the biggest thing is [that] I want them to love the game and know that I’ll always support them,” Kalli Ecker said. “I’ve always wanted them to play a sport because it brings a level of discipline, and you learn to be a good teammate and communicate. With college soccer being their goal, we’ll just keep building towards that.”
Coleton Ecker said playing soccer as a profession is an option.
“It’s a possibility, but if not, I see it as a great opportunity to play in college and then just set myself up from there: getting scholarships, going to the school of my choosing and getting a great degree,” Coleton Ecker said. “I think it’s setting me up for a profession, even if it’s not directly through soccer.”
Up until last year, Kalli Ecker had coached both her children since they were four years old.
“When they were little, we did basketball and soccer, but [my husband and I] used to take them to see Orlando City and Orlando Pride,” Kalli Ecker said. “I think that had a big impact on them, watching soccer instead of going to the movies. I
think that drove their love for the game.”
Sacrifice
After coaching her kids in the Indialantic Youth Soccer Association and winning the Florida State Cup last year, Kalli Ecker said their family had “expired all of [their] options staying locally.”
They looked to the Florida Kraze Krush (FKK) Soccer Club in Orlando as the next step.
“We held off as long as we could, because it’s an hour and 20 minutes each way, but that’s the level that they’re both playing at,” Kalli Ecker said. “We really didn’t have a choice.”
According to Kalli Ecker, the move was necessary for Coleton because he “needed a larger challenge” after being on the ODP region team for four years. Meanwhile, the switch to FKK was different for Kylie Ecker: after about a decade of playing soccer, this year is her first time playing on a girls team.
“It’s something she’s done since she was four years old, so she saw her brother’s friends and teammates as her teammates,” Kalli Ecker said. “She can compete as one of the best on the team. I wish I could have kept her with the boys longer, but that’s just how it worked out.”
During the car rides to Orlando and back Monday through Thursday, in addition to driving to games on the weekends, the Ecker siblings catch up on schoolwork.
“I do my homework in the car all the time,” Kylie Ecker said. “My graphs are a little sloppy. Sleep is a bit hard, but I love my schedule. My life is soccer and school, and I don’t know what it would be without either of those two.”
While the training to reach their level requires “a lot of sacrifice,” Coleton Ecker said he focuses on his goal of playing Division I soccer.
“It’s a lot of not sleeping and staying up late doing homework,” Coleton Ecker said. “I miss a lot of time to hang out with friends. But for me, it’s all worth it. Soccer is what I enjoy. It’s what I like to do, and it’s what I look forward to every day.”
