Despite being a senior, Nicolas Atkinson (12) is in his first year of high school. For the past three years, he has been playing professional soccer at Major League Soccer (MLS) academies: Austin FC and San Jose Earthquakes. Atkinson has been playing the sport since he was 4 years old, and since then, he has played at both recreational and club levels before being recruited for MLS academies.
“[Soccer] was something my parents put in,” Atkinson said. “I played [recreational] here in San Diego, and then I just fell in love with the game. I started in rec, then at 8 years old, I joined [club]. I [went] from Attack to Albion to San Diego Soccer Club, and that’s where I [played] for two or three years. When I was 13, I got recruited to go play at Austin.”
Atkinson played as a fullback for three and a half years at Austin FC Academy before leaving to play for the San Jose Earthquakes Academy for another year. The youth academies, as part of MLS, the highest professional soccer league in the US, recruit and train young players to prepare them for professional careers. Atkinson said that playing at the academies offered a more professional soccer environment than playing for club teams here in San Diego.
“[In club teams] here, it’s more of a game than anything else,” Atkinson said. “The practices are lighthearted, you see the kids goofing off, and the games can be intense, but there’s no real repercussions on anything. In the MLS academies, it’s extremely professional. You have to show up with the exact same gear every single day, and if one teammate didn’t show up with the right gear, everyone runs. The practices, games, and days in general [felt] like it’s more of a job than a game. It is definitely still very fun, but you are there to pursue your dream, not to just kick a ball. Having such a professional environment at such a young age definitely impacts the level of maturity and the way you think about everything.”
When Atkinson moved to Austin for the academy, his mom moved along with him, and his dad traveled back and forth between San Diego and Austin. Atkinson said that having his family along on his soccer journey provided him with a sense of security.
“I lived with my mom, who moved with me from San Diego, and my dad traveled back and forth between the two places,” he said. “I always had the support of my family, which was a nice comfort in an otherwise high-pressure environment.”
While playing at both of these academies, Atkinson had a rigorous schedule, with multiple daily practices during weekdays. Atkinson would have one practice, going from morning to afternoon, followed by another practice later in the evening. Traditional public school was difficult to attend due to his schedule, so he enrolled in online school instead for his first three years of high school. Outside of the long hours of training and tournaments, what stuck out to Atkinson was the unbreakable bond he was able to build with his teammates. He said his practices and games formed something greater than just a team.
“I was with my teammates every single day, so the bond and the relationship [we] built [is] basically like a brotherhood,” Atkinson said. “In soccer, and even outside activities, we obviously had chemistry, and I would say they’re all my brothers. You need to have that relationship with your teammates in order to play well. That’s a key part of performing well on the field: knowing who you’re playing with, what their strengths are, and what their weaknesses are.”
Atkinson said that soccer has been more than a competitive sport; it has been the ticket to new experiences. Competing at the academy level provided him with the opportunity to travel beyond his hometown for tournaments. During his trips, he discovered new cultures and gained insightful perspectives. Some of his most valuable memories were not simply from playing, but from the places and people he encountered.
“There was always so much travel, and you always got to see the different parts of the country and the world,” Atkinson said. “We went to the Netherlands, and over there it’s completely different from the US. We also went to different cities and we got to meet the local people. We met some of the local clubs, and we trained with some of the kids there. Going to all these different countries and seeing not just the tourist part, but also the local part was really interesting and kind of mind-opening.”
After years of competing at the academy level, Atkinson said he faced significant decisions about his future. Ultimately, he chose to steer away from the academy system and focus on friends, school, and preparing for life beyond the sport.
“I left Austin at the end of 10th grade, and then in 11th grade, I was at San Jose,” Atkinson said. “I left Austin because I didn’t like their system and management. At San Jose, I got recruited by one coach, and then he got fired midway through the season. A new coach came, and he [disliked me], and at the end of the year, I was let go. Now, being so close to college and 12th grade, I didn’t feel the pressure or need to return to an academy. It was a great place to start my career and get scouts to notice me, but I had already done 4 years of that, and so I wasn’t in a huge rush to go back to [an academy]. [I wanted] to have one last year of public high school, work on my social skills, and work on my education.”
Atkinson is considering attending a four-year college, not looking to play soccer at the collegiate level, but rather focusing on his education. If he doesn’t pursue further education after high school, Atkinson will accept an offer to play professional soccer in Croatia. For now, he has not decided which of the two paths he will pursue.
Looking back, Atkinson said he believes that his time at both academies taught him many important lessons. He gained knowledge on the value of surrounding himself with supportive people and keeping a strong mindset.
“The biggest way I’ve learned to deal with challenges is to [have] perseverance and resilience,” Atkinson said. “Maybe not caring as much about what people think and surrounding yourself with people who do like you and do care and are trying to achieve something. I think that’s a big value that I have, which is surrounding myself with people that I think are trying to have some sort of impact on other people, and I think in life, that’s how I want to be. I want to persevere. I want people to know that I’m here to make an impact on something that’s bigger than myself.”
