Young soccer stars (and their moms!) get a surprise from Toronto FC players

Calling all soccer fans (including soccer moms and dads)! We recently teamed up with our friends at Ontario Soccer and Toronto FC to surprise some soccer protégés from the Oakville Soccer Club with a visit from the pros. Watch as Liam Fraser, Alex Bono, Justin Morrow and Drew Moor help young players sharpen their soccer skills.

Young soccer stars get a surprise from Toronto FC players | Sonnet Insurance

Seeing the moms just as excited as the kids reminded us how big of a role parents play in their kid’s success as athletes. We felt it was only right to ask Drew, Alex, Liam and Justin how their parents kept them motivated from youth soccer to playing with the pros.

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How did your parents play a role in your success?

Alex: They’ve been a huge part of my success. From driving me to practices and games, to supporting me and just being real role models to me growing up.

Drew: They missed a bunch of holidays to take me to soccer tournaments; every Thanksgiving or Easter – whatever it was – they were always travelling and supporting me in my soccer career. They still do today as a 35-year-old.

Justin: I definitely would not be here if it weren’t for my parents. They were the driving force for my success. Especially at a young age, they’d drive me across the city early in the morning so I could get to my games. I couldn’t have done it without them!

Liam: They were massive. I think them sacrificing their time to drive me and come watch me play, was huge.

Do you have kids of your own? Do they play soccer?

Drew: I do, yeah. I have two little boys. They’re in Little Kickers, and I take them to practice together. Their practices are usually on Sunday mornings, so as long as we don’t have a game that day, I’m able to take them.

Justin: I do, I have two daughters. And of course! I will definitely be putting them in soccer when they’re old enough.

What kind of soccer dad will you be?

Justin: I’m so excited to be a soccer dad! I’m going to have the big car and drive all of their friends to practice.

What’s something memorable your parents have said to you before, during or after a game?

Alex: Too many things, honestly. But one big thing that I remember was when I was playing in college. They’d come to all my games – every single one. Right before the game started, I would look over at where they were sitting and give them a little hand motion. Kind of like a “thank you for being here”, and I see you in the crowd.

Justin: My parents still come to games and it’s nice still having them there. I always come by and share a moment with them in the stands. They’ve seen the whole progression, from youth soccer all the way up to professional.

Liam: Just seeing them after the game, knowing they were in the stands. Regardless if I play or not, it’s nice knowing they were there.

What advice would you give young kids who are getting into soccer? What advice would you give their parents?

Alex: Find a love for the game. Become a fan of it. To the parents, I would say just have patience. Soccer is a lot of travel and a lot of dedication. Try and stick with it for as long as they decide to play and be as supportive as possible.

Drew: I would say to just enjoy it and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Go out and have fun with your friends. Work as hard as you can but have fun. We still have fun every day in soccer. For parents, I’d say let your kid do what they want to do. If your kid loves soccer, you’ll know it. My parents always let me play other sports and do other things that I was interested in. Allowing kids do what they love is the most important thing.

Justin: Work hard, practice a lot and watch a lot of professional soccer. They can learn a lot from just watching the game.

Liam: Just enjoy it, have fun with it. At that age, you can’t take it too seriously. Find a love for it more than anything. For the parents I’d say just let them play. You don’t want to be too involved at a young age. If it gets more serious as they get older, then you can get more involved.

With all this scheduling talk, we thought it’d be a good reminder to schedule in some family time with a family trip to BMO Field! Sports bring people and families together, so here’s the 2019 schedule for Toronto FC. Get your tickets today!

Saturday, July 27th – 8pm
FC Cincinnati @ BMO Field

Saturday, August 3rd – 6pm
New York Red Bulls @ Red Bull Arena

Saturday, August 10th – 7:30pm
Orlando City SC @ BMO Field

Saturday, August 17th – 7:30pm
Columbus Crew SC @ MAPFRE Stadium

Saturday, August 24th – 7:30pm
Montreal Impact @ BMO Field

Saturday, August 31st – 7:30pm
New England Revolution @ Gillette Stadium

Saturday, September 7th – 7:30pm
FC Cincinnati @ Nippert Stadium

Wednesday, September 11th – 7pm
New York City FC @ Yankee Stadium

Sunday, September 15th – 5pm
Colorado Rapids @ BMO Field

Saturday, September 21st – 10:30pm
Los Angeles FC @ Banc of California Stadium

Sunday, September 29th – 5pm
Chicago Fire @ Seatgeek Stadium

Sunday, October 6th – 4pm
Columbus Crew SC @ BMO Field

"Toronto FC”, and associated word marks and logos are trademarks, designs and other forms of intellectual property of Major League Soccer, L.L.C., Used by permission © TFC 2019. MLS All rights reserved.

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