We have been doing Coach Ken afterschool for over 5 years now. I have noticed a big improvement in…read morethe program regarding making it easy and convenient for parents. If it rains, instead of cancelling practice and leaving parents scrambling to pickup their children early, Coach Ken's staff will watch the kids and do soccer if there is an indoor space available so normal pickup time is not disrupted. If school has a minimum day, Coach Ken's program will hold practice earlier right after school gets out. Coach Ken also has soccer 1-day clinics on school holidays (half day or full day) which can be signed up for just a day or two in advance. This makes it very easy to have the kids get exercise and get off their screens on those school holidays. Coach Izzy is especially dedicated and good with the kids.

This is our first season with Coach Ken and Coach Dorothy and we're big fans. We have tried Soccer…read moreShots and a few other options here in the Peninsula but Coach Ken & Coach Dorothy are by far the best! Big thanks to his coaching staff and especially to Coach Jay! Coaching involves more than designing plays for free kicks or creating team formations. Coaching, especially at the youth level, involves accepting a huge responsibility as you are basically in a position of trust as parents put their kids in your care. The youth soccer coach wears many hats. Jay, in particular: 1) communicates positively 2) teaches soccer fundamentals 3) reviews soccer rules 4) directs kids in games 5) provides a safe environment 6) helps kids develop character (learning, caring, being honest and respectful, and taking responsibility) I hope Coach Ken and the management team can promote Coach Jay for going so far above and beyond a parent's expectations of service quality! Lastly, thank you to Ken and Dorothy for all that you do for our Community! We are grateful!

We have had only positive experiences participating in AYSO Region 45 with our daughter and son…read moreover the past four years. Our daughter has grown in confidence, athleticism, stamina, and friends. Our son absolutely loves the sport. The coaches we have had are dedicated and skilled. They are sensitive to the children's needs and give them positive feedback. Overall, my impression of this organization is that it is a positive addition to any family's life. To me they seem organized, although determining schedule and practice location is always last minute. But I think that is out of their control and more a matter of all teams negotiating with the city for Mountain View field space.

My daughter has played with AYSO for two seasons. We have been incredibly lucky that both…read moreexperiences have been under the supervision of a coach interested in fostering a love of soccer and out to instill a feeling of empowerment in little girls. My 6-year-old spitfire took an interest in soccer at 3 years-old. Thanks to AYSO not only is she hooked, she's a force to be reckoned with on the field. The organization also offers a lot of bang for the buck. The fees are incredibly reasonable! They also include practices, games, a uniform and an official AYSO ball. Should you decide to get involved in this organization, keep in mind that it is run entirely by volunteers. This is a fact I have found amazing and at times confounding. You will need to practice a large measure of patience at the beginning of each season while team assignments are made and details ironed out. You may not immediately know where your child will practice or play. Hang in there and don't let what I'm saying deter you. Once everything is ironed out, the experience is so worth it! Volunteer organizations are beautiful things and this one does run well after it really gets humming! Check out AYSO Region 45 at: http://www.ayso45.org

This place is like a literal mom and pop. Located in a little strip mall in Menlo Park. It's not…read morefancy but it's a great neighborhood location, easy access from 101. The little wall was chock full of cleats from Nike, Addidas, and Puma. Maybe more but those are the ones we tried out. The selection was good, and all the latest. The service was great, especially when compared to soccer pro or dicks. They talk to you about synthetic leather, toe box size differences, and all that good stuff. Very knowledgeable on the technology and the latest product lines.

There aren't many soccer stores in the area. I went to one on Saratoga Ave and they were horrible…read more They didn't know anything about different cleats which is important as my daughter had ACL surgery. At Willow soccer a very pleasant lady was able to help us choose the best cleats for her. She was pleasant and very knowledgable. I highly recommend this place for your soccer needs

This is a large club that plays competitive soccer. For kids…read more6 to 12, there are 5+ teams per year of birth, each team is a different level. Most coaches are well trained, the club offers an environment where kids can learn in a fun atmosphere. Where this club could improve a LOT is on the administrative side. They have excuses about the challenges they face with reserving fields, but they don't have very strong managers who would be able to find solutions to those challenges, and manage this more seamlessly in a way that doesn't put all the burden on parents. Right now, the administrators of MVLA either don't have the skills to find solutions to their challenges, or they don't want to make the effort. I guess as long as people keep signing their kids up, they have no incentive to improve. Parents have to transport their kids (or hire a driver) from school to the practice location after school. Practices are often at 4 or 4:30 for children 6 to 12, and parents have to pay and commit before they even know what the practice schedule and locations will be. The schedule and locations are communicated a few days before the first practice, and change during the season, those changes are not communicated at the beginning of the season, but rather a week or so before the change occurs. It doesn't have to be that way. With good managers, there are ways to do better. Imagine signing up for music lessons without knowing the days, times and locations where the lessons will take place, and not being able to get your money back if the schedule totally does not work for your family. This is what you have to deal with at MVLA. And they justify that lack of planning and organization with the fact that they've been doing it for years and that some other clubs do the same thing. The weekend games are not at the same time nor the same day each week, and you may have to drive over an hour to get to some games. So it is difficult for your child to take other classes, unless he/she misses soccer games or their other classes. The worst part is how this club penalizes kids who practice other sports competitively. If kids miss a few soccer practices, either due to participation in other sports, or to parents' professional responsibilities, kids are tagged as "not committed" and they are left playing in the lower levels. They treat 8-9 year old kids that way. This is plain stupid because athletic kids are typically good at multiple sports, and in order to become good at a sport, they will later on have to spend a lot of hours practicing that sport so they better pick the right one. So MVLA prefers to promote kids who are not talented athletes and therefore are not good at other sports, and let talented kids rot at lower levels. This is also very unethical because parents pay a good amount of money not only for the club fees but also in a huge time commitment to drive their kids to practices (which schedules that change on a dime) and to games which can be an hour and a half drive away. One would expect that an ethical organization would commit to helping kids reach their full potential, no matter how many practices they go to. A competent and ethical coach should help kids get the best out each practice and provide ways to workout on their own. If a kid who goes to 1 practice/wk plays at a higher level than a kid who goes to 2+ practices, then the kid with the better level should be promoted to the next level, regardless of the number of practices they attend. The number of practices a child attends per week can change based on their parents' availability, job situation, and the child's other activities (the child may add or drop activities/sports from one season to the next). But MVLA does not work that way. There are 2 practices/week, and the coaches can add optional practices at an additional cost payable directly to the coach, so you see the unethical situation here? A kid with less talent will need more practices to improve so may end up going to more optional practices, hence lining the coaches pockets. Talented kids who practice other sports are much less likely to attend the optional practices, so coaches invest less time on them and do not promote them to the higher level even if their level of play clearly justifies going to the higher level. This is very unethical. So my daughter was disgusted by that. There are other clubs that are supportive of multi-sport athletes because they know they generally are the better athletes. The management of this club doesn't seem very skilled or very smart. Probably good soccer players, but not good managers. If they were smart and wanted very good players on their club, they'd realize that there are very athletic and talented kids whose parents cannot jump through all the hoops that the club is imposing. So MVLA, your lack of management skills and lack of respect towards families' time and towards multi-sport athletes is depriving you of great talent.

From the owner: MVLA Soccer Club is not just a team; we're a movement dedicated to molding over 1,300 young talents…read moreacross more than 90 teams into exceptional athletes and influential leaders. Guided by a mission to unlock each player's full potential, MVLA sets the standard in youth soccer with a vision to lead nationally through unparalleled coaching that fosters highly skilled, tactically savvy players ready for the pinnacle of competition. Our ethos is built on the pillars of Excellence, Passion, Integrity, and Community. We believe in striving for greatness with every pass and play, igniting a fierce passion within our players that drives them towards their goals. Integrity shapes our actions, ensuring honesty, trust, and transparency are at the core of our club. Beyond the field, we're a cornerstone of the community, creating positive ripples that touch families, businesses, and local organizations. With a world-class coaching staff led by our Technical Directors, we commit to continuous improvement and development. Together with our parents and the visionary MVLA Board of Directors, we're not just playing soccer; we're building a legacy of excellence, unity, and impact that transcends the game.

Great organization and planning. My 7 years old joined the pre-comp program in the weekends. The…read moreschedule is friendly to working parents. The training and tournaments are well organized and my boy really enjoys the games. The coach has well planned routines and activities. I can see great improvement in skills and interest from him in soccer.

My daughter has been part of the club for two years (recreational and then pre competitive), and we…read moretruly loved the experience! The coaches not only teach skills but also emphasize teamwork and sportsmanship. The schedule is flexible and make-up is offered if game/training is cancelled due to bad weather. Further, having an all-girls team is a huge plus for us compared to neighboring clubs and they even have girl teams at many different age group. The pricing is reasonable as well. Highly recommended!

A great indoor facility. There were 4 different boys basketball teams practicing. During peak…read morehours, have to park a bit far away.

Good arena for organized sports. We play indoor soccer here. I have seen adult and middle school…read morebasketball Played here. Often too cold or too hot so dress accordingly, and bring a chair if you want to sit.

We tried for almost a year to get our lost money back without any results. Which is why I have to…read morenow write this review so people don't get into any traps. We were satisfied with the coaching but here is what we didn't like: (we dealt with coach Silva so I'm referring to him as he below). - he cancelled practices last minute - he changed location or time last minute - he gave a hard time to people who were trying to adjust to his spontaneous schedule - in the middle of the season he cancelled the entire program and still kept charging our credit card We wanted him to refund the last month that he charged our card after canceling his program and he has not yet returned a penny. He constantly didn't respond to my emails or my husband's calls or texts. I have emails as proof so if anyone is interested in verification I'll be happy to share them. Also to note it is required for you to have a credit card with him in the system in file to continue being in the program. It was not by our choice it was a requirement. We are still awaiting our payment to be refunded and if necessary will take further actions to prevent this kind of fraud.

Chris has done great work with our son (now 12 years old; 11 when he started in early 2014), and…read morehas really boosted his confidence. Our boy has been "recovering" from bad experiences with former teammates and coaches for the last several seasons. So, we really wanted soccer, still his favorite sport, to become a big positive in his life again. Chris is very positive with him, and quickly recognized his natural athletic ability, as well as his needs for better touch and improvement on other ball skills. We saw his attitude and confidence improve after just one session. Our son has grown more confident again, and has become more aggressive on the field -- more like his true self. He has a lot of fun, and has even strengthened his leadership skills (an unexpected bonus), when Chris calls on him to lead other athletes in warm-ups at the beginning of training sessions. :-) Workouts are hard and focused and fun -- great combination. Chris has voluntarily done extra work, staying late with our son, to help where more work was needed. Chris also has helped our son train to further maximize his speed and sprinting power in preparation for his big track meets during the spring. Overall, SSA has been a great experience for our son, and I would highly recommend Chris for any motivated young soccer player.

Short version: This club operates like a money making machine, not a place focused on developing…read morekids. I strongly recommend avoiding it. Long version: My son spent a year with this club. It was his first club experience, so we did not realize how subpar it was until we joined another program. Now the differences are obvious. The fees are almost double what other local clubs charge, and on top of that, they add extra charges for basic items, including renting equipment like a tent for $60, which we could have purchased for the same price. It felt excessive and unnecessary. Coaching was another major issue. It was inconsistent and disorganized. The coaches at practice were often different from the coaches at games, and sometimes a completely unfamiliar coach would show up on game day. One coach even ignored my son when he told him he was a defenfer and put him in as an attacker anyway, which was frustrating and confusing for everyone. The team also struggled to maintain a consistent roster. There often were not enough players, so practices were combined with groups of much younger or much older kids, which is not helpful for skill development. After seeing how a well run club operates, I genuinely regret spending a year here. I wish we had made the switch sooner.

Not recommend at all. This place advertised to have max 6 people pod and we signed up for 6 kids…read more We have two coaches at first. And they tried to add trial students to our pod twice. We felt uncomfortable and complained to the coach. (We understand they have more students on waiting list, but we chose this academy because we want our small pod to train together and we have a full class) They separated kids into two groups and had one coach for each group for the rest of our classes. The owner came at last session and asked parents to understand they are non profit. They pay low so their staff won't reply our complaint online timely.( we complained a month ago and didn't hear anything back yet.) The owner said their coaches don't like to teach little kids. So they are losing coaches because of kids born after 2017. ( So our fault to sign up for 4 year-old? Why did you take 4 year-old in the first place?) And owner said they never promised not to add students. (This class is 4-6 students. Each session $45 if 4 students and $35 if there are 6 students. Why do you add students to a full class without parents' permission?) The owner kept saying they didn't start this non profit organization to make money and asked parents to understand them. It's none of our business. We want a small, steady pod which is what they advertised. That's it. Nothing about the coaches. Coaches are nice. Very bad organization. Owner didn't apologize. Just kept asking parents to understand. We don't think they will make changes based on what owner said. Never come back.