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Derek L., Naperville, IL Soccer Coach

Derek L.

SILVER

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Energetic and personable trainer with Men's National Team, MLS performance coaching experience merging speed, agility, flexibility & strength with the technical aspects of soccer. View all coaching experience

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Fast Response Rate:
The percentage of time Derek L. responded to client inquiries within 48 hours in the last 3 months.
100%
Training Locations
Training Locations
  1. DuPage River Sports Complex, 2807 S Washington St, Naperville, IL
  2. Nike Sports Complex, 288 West Diehl Road, Naperville, IL
  3. Knoch Park, 724 S West St, Naperville, IL

Coach is willing to travel up to 10 miles

Packages

Intro Package
In-Person Training for up to 2 athletes

Single Session Package

Session Length: 75 minutes

$300 1 session + applicable fees

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Standard Package
In-Person Training for up to 2 athletes

4-Session Package (1x/week)

Session Length: 75 minutes

$1000 4 sessions ($250/ea) + applicable fees

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  • University of North Carolina--Charlotte (NC)

  • 10 years

  • Qualified Private Coach
    Passed Coach Course

  • Adults, Kids, Teenagers

  • Forward, Midfield, Defense

  • Corner Kicks, Crossing, First Touch, Free Kicks, Heading, Penalty Kicks, Shooting, Dribbling, Passing, Throw-Ins, One-Touch, One-on-Ones, Agility

Credentials

  • University of North Carolina--Charlotte (NC)

  • 10 years

  • Qualified Private Coach
    Passed Coach Course

Services

  • Adults, Kids, Teenagers

  • Forward, Midfield, Defense

  • Corner Kicks, Crossing, First Touch, Free Kicks, Heading, Penalty Kicks, Shooting, Dribbling, Passing, Throw-Ins, One-Touch, One-on-Ones, Agility

More About Coach Derek

I’m a Performance Coach and Return-to-Play Specialist with Chicago Fire FC, with experience across IMG Academy, D.C. United, Colorado Rapids, United States Men's National Team, and Carolina Core FC.

I offer a high-level, individualized training experience for players who are serious about their development.

This is not group training, and it’s not generic sessions built around cones and lines. Every session is designed around the specific movement demands of soccer—helping players improve acceleration, change of direction, and overall movement efficiency so it actually shows up in games.

For younger athletes, the focus is on building a strong foundation of movement, coordination, and confidence. For high school and college players, sessions are more advanced—targeting speed, reactivity, and the ability to execute under game-like conditions.

What separates this from typical training is the level of detail, progression, and intent behind each session. Players receive direct coaching, immediate feedback, and a clear understanding of what they need to improve and why.

I keep my client list intentionally small to ensure each athlete gets the level of attention and progression required to make real gains.

This is best suited for players aiming for high-level club, college, or professional pathways, and for families who value quality, consistency, and long-term development.

Serious inquiries only—limited availability.

Soccer player since four years of age.
Played semi-professional soccer for F.C. Carolina United where I also served as a fitness coach.

Every session is designed to directly improve how the athlete moves and performs in game situations.

Each session is individualized and built around what the athlete needs most to improve.

We begin with a quick conversation to identify key focus areas for the day. This allows each session to stay targeted, relevant, and aligned with the athlete’s current needs and goals.

1. Movement Preparation (8–10 min)
A dynamic warm-up focused on mobility, coordination, and movement quality to prepare the athlete for the specific demands of the session.

2. Speed, Agility & Power Development
The athlete is guided through a progression of acceleration, deceleration, and change of direction work designed to improve soccer-specific movement patterns. Emphasis is placed on efficient mechanics, control, and the ability to produce and absorb force.

3. Skill Integration
Physical qualities developed are immediately applied within a technical framework, helping the athlete connect improved movement with on-ball actions and decision-making.

4. Game Transfer
We progress into game-like scenarios that introduce competition, reaction, and context. This is where athletes begin to apply new skills under realistic conditions and build confidence in their ability to perform.

5. Strength Development (10–15 min)
Each session finishes with a targeted strength circuit aimed at improving force production, resilience, and long-term athletic development.

6. Debrief (2–3 min)
We close with clear, actionable feedback so the athlete understands what improved, what still needs work, and how to continue progressing.

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Client Reviews

Coach Derek is knowledgeable and patient. My child learned something that she said has never been explained by other coaches. We really appreciate his dedication and positive attitude. Highly recommended!

Derek worked with my son on using his weak foot and striking. He had everything all ready when we got there and made great use of the time. My son really enjoyed his session and I think it will assist him as he starts ECNL this fall. Derek was very patient but also very firm. He is a great coach.

Derek is a great coach -- highly engaging session with my son, with palpable improvement within the first session.

Coach Derek is an amazing Coach! I learned so much in one session! His soccer training techniques, technical knowledge, and feedback are top notch, better than any coach I’ve had before. I would recommend Coach Derek to anyone!

Coach Derek was excellent. He was very knowledgeable and thorough. He worked great with my son. Very patient and honest. I would recommend his coaching to anyone looking to excel in any sport.

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In a word I would describe coach Derek as dynamic. He pays very close attention to details. Things like form and technique and balance. Things I feel can really elevate anyone's game. The most important part is my son enjoyed the session and immediately was looking forward to the next.

Coach Derek has just started working with my daughter but he has done a great job at tailoring a training program to match her needs. She is a more accomplished player and coach Derek recognized this immediately and bypassed a lot of the initial fact gathering to get right into hard-core training. We look forward to having Coach Derek take Favour to the next level!

Coach Derek is a great fit. My daughter is just starting out and he was very patient and worked with her on fundamental skills. He is encouraging and relates well. We look forward to continuing our training with him.

After the very first session with Derek - I knew we had made the right choice for our daughter . She was very nervous going in -he quickly set her mind at ease and got her very focused on the training. His follow up was very informative. We are very much looking forward to training with Derek!

We have used Coach Derrick for four sessions and have really been impressed with the quality of the sessions and his ability to push our daughter to her maximum level. He did a thorough evaluation during her first session and then tailored the additional sessions to improve her areas of weakness. He has done a great job improving her explosiveness and first touch ability. He is encouraging and makes sure she has a good time. Derrick connects with her and she asked for additional sessions because she knows she is getting great training that will improve her play on the field. Thank you Derrick for working with her and making each session fun!

Great first assessment session with Coach Derek. He was able to quickly dial into what our daughter needs to work on. He kept the training session instructive and kept her motivated the entire hour. Looking forward to more sessions with Coach Derek.

Coach Derek has been great thus far. My daughter has had two sessions with him and has found him to be an excellent instructor. He seems to be very knowledgeable and his instructions have been clear and easy to follow. Some people can excel at a sport but not teach but Derek seems to be able to do both. His analysis of my daughter has been straightforward and honest - he has already identified areas we know she needs to work on. We will continue with him!

Coach Derek did a great job with my 11 year old son. He was patient, encouraging, but pushed him to get the most out of the training session. He gave us things to work on after session. I picked Derek since he had a lot of experience in the speed and agility training. So, we get the best of both worlds. Touches on the soccer ball and technic of running. Looking forward to more training. Andy

Derek did a great job challenging and evaluating my daughter and gave great feedback for improvement.

Coach Derek is definitely very skilled in his field. His ability to teach and connect with my ten year old daughter was amazing!!! We are beyond thrilled to have him as our coach and I would strongly recommend him to anyone looking for a coach.

Derek is an amazing coach! He really connected with my daughter and was able to evaluate her in many aspects of the game. He gave her pointers on how to improve her game and even helped me understand what she needs work on. I will definitely book more sessions with him!

(no details provided)

Coach Derrek has done an incredible job coaching our daughter. He was able to quickly identify her strengths and weaknesses and develop a individual development plan just for her. After 5-6 sessions, I noticed improved technical skills and accuracy. I also noticed increased agility and speed. He makes the sessions fun while also pushing her to improve. He is great with kids! We love Derrick and will continue using him as her coach.

(no details provided)

This was our firstin the first session. He listened to the kinds and us on expectations and then did a good analysis of where they were. The work outs during the session were definitely designed to be fun for the kids and beneficial.

the kids really loved the session too and wants to be back to improve their game. will post more as we progress

(no details provided)

Derek is a great coach, my son came out of an ankle injury and Derek made him work to get back in shape. He listened to what I thought Kaeden needed to work on and geared the practice towards those goals. I will use him again. Alex T.

Derek is fantastic. Organized, committed and focused on the unique needs of the athlete. We've been really pleased and have seen marked improvement in my son's game. I would highly recommend Derek.

I wanted to get my daughter a little extra help in soccer so I researched Coach Up and spoke with another coach that was not available during the times/days I needed however he recommended Coach Derek. We gave him a try and was very pleased with the instruction my daughter received. Even though it was our first go at “private lessons” I was very impressed with how he interacted along with his organization and how much time he gave to her. My daughter was very comfortable with him and she is excited to return. We will definitely continue with Derek and I would highly recommend him.
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