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Most coaches and parents around NTX know of Coach Pedro. He's built his small independent club, Allegiance FC (based in Euless, TX) , into a well-respected youth soccer organization. Pedro's own star has been on the rise for a few years now, as we view him as one of the nation's best 30 under 30. Nothing is more evident of his star rising, than the multiple offers he's had from local clubs seeking a merger or just to hire his talent to lead their own programs. An NFL draft-like circus played out this past week, where we saw multiple partnership deals announced for Pedro and Allegiance to join other clubs. On 5/6 we announced that they were joining Texans United, and on 5/7 we announced that DKSC had hired Pedro as their ECNL Boys Director. Part of the latter announcement came with more clarity, as Pedro would also be coaching the U13 (2009) and U15 (2007) boys ECNL teams.
So what's the big deal and fuss really about?
Well, for starters, during the time negotiations between DKSC and Pedro were being finalized, DKSC posted a tryout schedules with other coaches names listed for their ECNL Boys program. This insinuated to most that the leadership of the program was set, as many parents and players (both internal and external) attended these listed sessions in hopes of securing a coveted ECNL roster spot. The flyer is here:
However, following the announcement, several parents felt dupped. While for many the news was receptive, as the respect for Pedro's skillset as a coach is recognized, so many parents felt like they'd been lied to and toyed with. Generally, this news made it very apparent the tryouts that took place 4/4 and 4/6 were irrelevant, as the coaches who attended these trials weren't actually going to be making any decisions about the team's rosters. People generally just felt like they'd wasted their time attending the earlier sessions. A few disgruntled DKSC parents reached out to communicate their displeasure with this move:
As you can see, much of this outrage or displeasure is about Club loyalty. Very few actually have any issues with Coach Pedro hire directly, most expressed issues with DKSC's club leadership and how this was both handled and communicated internally to their current players and parents. Both coaches and parents feel as if the leadership didn't have faith or belief enough in their own players and coaches, so they essentially view Coach Pedro as a "hired gun" to field top teams in DKSC's ECNL program.
We will leave it to DKSC's leadership to explain themselves, but the climate there is boiling. What do you think? Share your thoughts on our FB page or Group.