MARTIN ONTIVEROS JR
Owner/Soccer Trainer
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Born and raised in Pharr, TX until the age of 14 yrs old, I moved to Austin to continue pursuing my soccer career. I started playing for a local team in Mission, TX called Atlas Clash Lions, but then after a year of being there, a group of parents created a team called, Rattlers 92 (12yrs-14yrs old) that went on to win 5 club South Texas State Championships, and one Regional Championship final lost to CASL from North Carolina. Not a bad place to have ended up at for a team from a small area like the Rio Grande Valley.
After being 3 years together, a group of players, myself included, got scholarships to move up to Austin and play for Lonestar Soccer Club, which at the time time was and still is one of the biggest clubs in Texas. I played under Lonestar for the following 2 years (14yrs-16yrs old), and we were able to win another 4 state championships under them, 1 Regional Championship, and finishing 3rd place in US Club Soccer National Championship. Under Lonestar I had the opportunity to train at Estudiantes de la Plata in Argentina who is a professional 1st league team, also play in the prestigious Chelsea Football Club Youth Tournament and play against some of the best youth academies in the world, like Bayern Munich, River Plate, and Ajax. I also had the privilege of being called up the USA National Team Camp for the
U-15, which was a big accomplishment given my background and where I came from.
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After all my years at Lonestar I got offered a scholarship to play my last two years of club at the prestigious IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL. For sure, was a dream come true for me being in a professional environment like every athlete had the opportunity to experience while they were at IMG. I had the opportunity to play the first year of the DA Program Youth Competition, which was playing against the best teams around the nation throughout the whole year. Got to play in the National Championship of DA, but ended up falling short of the trophy. My last year at IMG, I got the honor of being named 2010 IMG Player of the Year, which put a big exclamation point to my overall youth career, being able to be around high quality players, competition to finish out.
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I was then offered a full scholarship to play NCAA D1 soccer at the the University of Akron, which is one of the elite programs in the Nation. We went on to win the 2010 NCCA D1 National Championship in Santa Barbara, California. Had the opportunity of being around top athletes who are still playing in the MLS, and under an amazing Head Coach, who is now coaching the Columbus Crew, but has also won an MLS title with Portland Timbers. I ended up transferring after my freshman year to another prestigious D1 program, Furman University, where I graduated from with a degree in Political Science. Also, got to be around high quality athletes while my time at Furman, enjoying every minute of collegiate career at Furman.
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After I graduated from Furman, I went overseas to play in Germany, but then ended up signing a contract in Luxembourg 1st league, where I would play for 3 seasons, also having the opportunity to qualify and compete in the prestigious UEFA Europa League qualification stages. I had the opportunity to travel the world, playing against top competition and being around professional environments. I was also coached while my time there by Dino Toppmoeller, who is currently now the assistant coach for Bayern Munich, who is one of the best professional clubs in the world. Hopefully one day I will get to work with him again but now as a coach.
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Thats just a bit of my history as a player and experiences that I had, while never forgetting where I came from and started playing. Being back and having the opportunity to open a business where I can train and prepare players off all ages, boys and girls, gives me great satisfaction because I have the chance to help them in their development, and help them reach similar opportunities I had and even better things than I experienced. Being from the RGV can be tough in regards to exposure on the field, but that is one of the reasons I decided to open my business back home. I want to help every athlete reach their highest potential on and off the field, and keep that dream alive within them of playing at the highest levels and achieving whatever they want within the sport. Prepare, Develop, and Expose is our main goal as a business for every athlete that comes though our training facility. We are equipped with some of the best coaches in the RGV that are willing to teach every player as best as we can and pass our knowledge on to them.
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