Hall of Fame
Meet the Kiko's Dribbling Soccer School alumni
Amanda Cinalli
"I started going to Kiko for foot skills and training when I was about 6 years old and I continued to work with him all the way through high school and in preparation for college. I cannot begin to tell you how invaluable Kiko has been in my life. After every training session I had with him, I'd leave exhausted but a better player and person. Whether it was one on one training or group training, we focused on footwork and agility, shooting, and always finished with a scrimmage and working on taking players on 1v1 with the new skills we had just learned and practiced. I found myself excelling on the field for my age group both on boys teams and girls teams. I was able to play on boys teams as a girl until U13 because of the years of competitive training with Kiko. I even found myself excelling when I played up 2 to even 3 years ahead of my age once I started playing on girls teams.
The foot skills and "soccer brain" that I learned from years of training with Kiko set me apart from my fellow teammates, which afforded me opportunities to play with the US Youth National Team from U16 through U23s, to play in college for the University of Notre Dame, and to play professionally and semi-professionally for a combined 4 years. I usually hate speaking of my accomplishments because I was always taught to show humility and kindness throughout my life on and off of the field. Values Kiko instilled in me from our very first session. I'm only making an exception here to let others know what an incredible trainer, coach, and person Kiko is, and how he positively impacted my soccer career and helped sculpt me into the person I am today!"
Highlights
-
Played Forward for Atlanta Beat of Women's Professional Soccer
-
Chicago Red Stars in Women's Premier Soccer League Elite
-
USA U-23 Women's National Soccer Team
-
The University of Notre Dame Women's Soccer Team
-
*Earned Soccer America First Team Freshman All-America honors while becoming the eighth Notre Dame freshman ever named First Team All-BIG EAST
.png)
.png)
Ashley Bowyer
"Kiko’s training is what brought me to another level in soccer. He spent countless hours with me tailoring programs based on what he knew I needed and parts of the game I knew required a little extra work. My foot skills and ball control were unmatched and what set me apart thanks to his training. His passion for the game and for his players is evident in every session you compete in with him. I owe a huge part of my success in soccer at the youth, collegiate, professional, and international level to the training that started when I was with Kiko"
Highlights
-
Midfielder for Women's Professional Soccer Club FC Gold Pride
-
United States U-23 Women's National Soccer Team
-
The Ohio State University Women's Soccer Team
Saad Abdul-Salaam
"Well for me personally I was lucky enough to have found Kiko at such a young age. I was around 5 maybe 6 years old and I remember starting out struggling with basics but Kiko was always patient with me and made sure I didn’t move on to any new skills until I was good enough at them. Looking back now, that is probably the most valuable thing anyone could have done for me. Doing the extra work with Kiko outside of my normal soccer practices was huge in my development as a player.
As I got older I started to participate with my older brothers or maybe some other students and we would begin to play small sided games of 3 vs 3. Playing small sided games in a tight area makes you really have to think as a player and use your foot skills to be successful at it.
I owe a lot of my success to KDSS for teaching me what I still use today and for helping me reach my goal of becoming a professional soccer player"
Highlights
-
Currently plays Defender for The Columbus Crew
-
Previously: Seattle Sounders FC, New York City Football Club, Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer, The University of Akron Men's Soccer Team, San Antonio Scorpions
.png)
.png)
Nora Gaul
"At the age of 8, I began attending Kiko’s Dribbling School multiple times a week. It was there that I developed the foundational skills needed for soccer: foot skills and soccer intelligence. Kiko taught me how to handle the ball in high pressure situations, and thus be able to see the field clearly and make smart decisions.
Training with Kiko at such a young age was crucial to my development as both a player and a person. From a young age, Kiko helped instill a passion and love for the game in me. He made every practice the perfect balance of fun and educational.
In high school, Kiko helped me take the next step into a more competitive soccer world. Starting freshman year, he began coaching me and my teammates at Cleveland United Soccer Club. It was here that we made it to Ohio State Cup Finals, with Kiko leading us every step of the way.
After high school, I decided to attend Georgetown University. The first week of school, I tried out for the Georgetown Women’s Club Soccer Team. I was one of 12 players picked for the team, out of 85 trying out. Later, I was told by the captain that my ball handling skills and calmness under pressure helped me stand out amongst all the players. These skills are a direct result of working with Kiko for over ten years of my life.
My experiences working with Kiko have been nothing but positive. He has been a coach, friend, advisor, and leader. Both his knowledge and love for the game of soccer are inspiring and contagious. I would advise all children with a passion for soccer to put their trust in Kiko to teach them the basics of the game that are so crucial to success later in life."
Highlights
-
Plays Midfield for Georgetown University
-
Played Midfield for Cleveland United Soccer Club and Magnificat High School
Alexz Schasfoort
"I started training with Coach Kiko at age 5 and at first wasn't used to most of the sessions involving foot skills and little scrimmages. As a kid, I just wanted to play soccer the entire time and shoot the ball.
Little did I know, Kiko was training and developing me to become a skilled, focused, and technical team player. Other coaches taught me how to play as a team, so that we could win more games. But what Coach Kiko taught me, was how to be stronger as an athlete with excellent foot skills and ball management, which ultimately allowed me to excel much faster in the sport I loved.
Having Kiko as my coach, was one of the best decisions my parents ever made when I was little. Kiko gave me a strong basis of foot skills, which over the years, he built on that base, allowing me to become a very skilled player both on the international team and in high school.
I cannot thank Coach Kiko enough for helping me over the years and for giving me the knowledge that he did. Even today, as I attend Engineering University in Europe, I utilize the strength and focus he instilled in me as a person and in my scholastic studies."
Highlights
-
Played Forward for Avon Lake High School and Cleveland United Soccer Club
.png)
.png)
Samantha Potoczak
"I started training with Kiko from a very young age, and it wasn’t until I started really getting competitive within the sport that I realized how important this was to my success. I was always very tiny, and Kiko used to tell me it wasn’t about my size. Some of the best players in the world were smaller than everyone else on the field. It was about your foot skills and technical ability with the ball. I can’t remember his exact words, but it was something along the lines of “size doesn’t matter when they can’t get near the ball.”
Without Kiko’s training growing up I don’t think I would’ve ever been good enough to play at a Division I level. Outside of being a wonderful person, he is a wonderful coach. As I began to progress through the sport there was always one thing I noticed. While I was never the fastest or the strongest, my foot skills and ball control were one of the best on every team I have been a part of throughout my career. "
Highlights
-
Played Defender for Lafayette College Women's Soccer Team
Dominic Gibbons
"I first met and worked with Kiko when I was about 6 years old through Avon Lake soccer. My first clear memory of him is a Friday night footskills practice. In a torrential downpour of rain, my dad and I were the only people to show up apart from Kiko. Rather than cancel the session (scheduled for a much larger group), he spent an hour training me one-on-one in the rainy weather, also involving my Scottish dad who, like Kiko, had grown up with a great passion for the game.
From that point onward, Kiko was the best coach I would ever have and became a great family friend. He would oversee my rapid development from a timid, undersized player to one who was technically sound and truly loved the game. Throughout my playing career, many of my strengths on the field as a two-footed player with a skillful touch I would attribute to Kiko's method of coaching and emphasis on such technical abilities. However, Kiko's greatest gift to me as a player was not what he taught me in a one-hour session on a humid Avon Lake field or in a small squash court, but instead the fact that one session with Kiko would result in hours and days spent by myself in my backyard practicing what he had taught me. This all stems from the love of the game itself that he instills in young players - an ability and a gift that very few coaches anywhere can replicate.
Simply put, Kiko is a brilliant soccer mind and a fantastic coach. But more importantly, he is a phenomenal human being and an inspirational person. Admittedly, Kiko has coached many players much better than myself. But beyond my competitive playing days, the lessons Kiko taught me about determination, tenacity, and having true joy in what you do have continued to be valuable in all walks of my life. Thank you, Kiko."
Highlights
-
Played Midfield for Ohio Premier
-
Cleveland Select Soccer Clubs
-
St. Ignatius High School
-
2x State Championship winner | 1x National Championship winner
.png)
.png)
Tani López
"Soccer molded me into the person I am today. But it couldn’t have been done without being coached by my father, Kiko López. I’d be lying if I told you I loved playing soccer from the day I started because there was a period where I didn’t want anything to do with the sport because I wanted more free time and also didn’t feel as if I was on the same level of skill as my teammates. But as I kept pushing and being motivated by Kiko to attend his foot skills trainings, join competitive soccer clubs, and play with older athletes or boys to challenge me,
I noticed the progress and hard work paying off.
From that moment I was invited to join other teams in tournaments and selected to play in highly competitive matches hosted by well-known premier clubs in the Cleveland area. Soon after, I saw myself being scouted by colleges and considered playing at the collegiate level.
I knew this wouldn’t have been possible without the discipline, knowledge, and footskills Kiko instilled in me over the years. He didn’t let me give up and always treated me equally with my teammates which is something you don’t always find.
Thank you Dad and first-generation entrepreneur in our family for not only turning your passion for soccer into a career to put the bread at our table and give us a better life than you had but also molding myself and many other individuals who went through Kiko’s Dribbling Soccer School to become a better human being. Although I don't play soccer anymore, I thank my dad for inspiring me to follow my dream of being a second generation entrepreneur in my own business and keep the tradition alive in our family."
Highlights
-
Played Center Midfielder for The Ohio State University Club Women's Soccer Team, Ashland University and Avon Lake High School
Rachael Melendez
"I started training with Kiko at the age of 6 and continued throughout my college career at Butler University. During these training sessions, I was able to get hundreds, if not, thousands of touches on the ball. Everyone who knows the game of soccer, the center midfielder sets the tempo of the game and is often more times than not the distributor on the field.
I knew for me to be successful as a center midfielder, given my size, I needed to be comfortable with the ball at my feet. I can honestly say that I wasn’t afraid to handle the ball on the ground or in the air even with pressure coming from behind. This was second nature to me because this is how I trained my whole life. I knew exactly where that ball was going to be every time at my feet – ready for the next pass.
I’m 100% confident that no one else can replicate the knowledge and training that Kiko provides day in and day out. Kiko’s approach to the technical game of soccer is unmatched.
On my senior day at Butler University, my coach wrote a letter to the seniors and this is what she said about me…
”Mel, I will miss watching you dance with the ball. You have a technical and creative ability that most players can’t even dream of. At times, it is like the ball is attached to your foot with a string as you move around helpless defenders. It is truly mesmerizing.” – Tari St. John
And I owe it all to Kiko Lopez."
Highlights
-
Played Center Midfielder/Forward for Firelands High School and
-
the NCAA Division I Butler University Women's Soccer Team
.png)
.png)
Haylee Duffy
“I began Kiko’s training at a young age and that really helped set me apart early on. Kiko’s style of coaching is different than most around here, he focuses on fundamentals and foot skills. Adapting this style of play allowed me to strive as a player heading into high school. Kiko has both the knowledge of the game along with passion, having both sets him apart from other coaches. Kiko has taught me how to slow the game down and play smartly which gave me the confidence to play the game I know how to play. I owe a large part of my success through youth, high school, and collegiate soccer to Kiko for teaching me at a young age.”
Highlights
-
Played outside defender for Bay High School
-
Played center midfield for Bluefield University
-
Earned Most Valuable Player for the 2020 season at Bluefield University
Sarah Ozinga
"I started taking lessons with Kiko when I was in grade school. I’ll never forget the foot skills he would show me and my peers—sometimes we would just laugh because we never thought we’d ever be able to learn them. He was so patient in our development, and before you knew it, we were using those moves to beat him!
His love for the game was contagious, and I believe this is why I never dreaded the countless soccer practices and early morning trainings. He taught me to push myself while loving the game at the same time. I was a 3-sport athlete at Avon Lake High School, playing soccer, basketball, and softball, but starting soccer at such a young age with Kiko gave me the confidence and passion to want to pursue travel soccer in high school, which led to playing at the collegiate level. I am so thankful that my 12-year-old nephew, Aiden, started training at Kiko’s Dribbling Soccer School last year, and I have no doubt that Kiko will give him the skills to play to his full potential."
Highlights
-
Avon Lake High School, 2006 Cleveland Plain Dealer Best of the Best High School Fall All-Star
-
First-Team All-Southwestern Conference
-
MVP and most valuable defensive player as a senior Westside Stars and Internationals Club Teams
-
The University of Akron Women’s Soccer Team
.png)
.png)
Merrik Mihalek
"Kiko's training, at a young age, was a major part of my development as a player. His familiarity of the game helped me become more skilled physically and mentally. I was a smaller player growing up, so I was looked over by some of my coaches. Kiko's skills taught me more control and how to excel at essential parts of the game that were not being focused on by other coaches. This set me apart from other players my age and resulted in me going to play at the next level. His training helped me build confidence and take command of the field. He has replicated his knowledge and passion of the game into my play. His training environment instills discipline and creativity while enjoying the art of the game. I must credit Kiko with my development and believe that any player who is looking to improve their skills and confidence should train with Kiko."
Highlights
-
Midfielder for Ashland University
Get in touch
Contact us today to learn more about our services.
