College Recruiting

ABOUT ME

I enjoy spending time with family, music, automobiles, leisure activities, travel, watching sport competitions (HUGE Broncos, Nuggets, and Arsenal fan), movies, and watching tv shows when I can find time. I am a high school counselor by trade and I also run a small car rental company on the side.

CONTACT INFO:

PHONE

303-588-7915

chris@coloradounitedsoccer.com

ORIGINALLY FROM

Denver, CO

FAMILY

Wife Kim, daughters Baileigh and Madalynn, both CO United players.

Two dogs, two cats, a bearded dragon, hamster, fish and two aquatic turtles.

FAV FOOD

Pizza, Mexican, Hot Wings, and

anything spicy or sour.

FAV TEAM:

Arsenal

WHY I COACH

My coaching career began when my playing career ended at a young age. At 17, I had a major injury to my back that basically ended my competitive playing days by the time I was in my early 20s. I ended up being offered an opportunity to coach my younger sister's team at age 17, and eventually brought a team of girls to Littleton United Soccer in 1999 who wanted a more competitive environment than their former club, Southwest Denver Soccer Association (which has since dissolved). I met Stuart Sinclair in 1999 and coached for a couple of years with Littleton Soccer and then took about two years off from coaching to finish my Master's Degree in School Counseling. I returned to the club in 2003 and met John Senkosky upon my return. I have always enjoyed working with young people and incorporating the game of soccer into the game of life. I thrive on building positive and influential relationships with others and I love that the game can help build upon that philosophy.

EXPERIENCE

I have coached mostly at the high school age level, including seven years as the head coach at ThunderRidge High School for both boys and girls soccer, with three 5A CHSAA State semi-final appearances and one 5A CHSAA State Championship. I have coached for Colorado United from 2003 through the present. I have had the fortunate pleasure to work with four girls teams that have won the Colorado President's Cup (birth years 1995, 1997, 2003, and 2005) and one boys team (birth year 1996) and another boys team who lost in the finals (birth year 2003). I am currently the Director of College Relations for the club, assisting student athletes in the recruiting process, as well as the STEP Coordinator and Coach, assisting 8th grade players as they prepare for high school soccer.

WHO I ADMIRE

There are many people I could turn to and consider the biggest influences upon my life. My parents shaped me into the person I would later become. My wife is my rock and without her, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. My high school theatre teacher influenced me to go after my dreams and eventually led me down the path of school counseling. And my most influential coach was my tennis coach in high school, who taught me perseverance, dedication, and having a strong work ethic to my craft, whatever that might be at the time. Each of these people have led me to the path I am on today. One of growth, life-long learning, leadership, mindfulness, and the betterment of all of humankind. It is one of main reasons I have loved and lived the Colorado United Soccer tagline for so long - Developing Players for Life.

Developing Players for Life

The Secondary League Program will provide players lessons of the game that can be attributed to lessons in the real world.
The Secondary League Program will Teach Honesty: Not every player is set up for or has the skills to play at any level in soccer. Learning and understanding your role as an individual and player is the key to success and finding your best fit.
The Secondary League Program will help student athletes learn personal/athletic/academic balance:
Should I go to a college for soccer first or should I go to a college for academics first?
What is my best route to go to college for both?

What is The Secondary League Program?

The Secondary League Program was originally developed in 2016 as United Resources for College and Postsecondary Planning (U'RCAP). The program has utilized two other recruiting platforms over those years and has evolved over the past decade to its present form. As with all things postsecondary, it is ever changing to meet the needs of all our student athletes.

Colorado United Soccer moved to the Sports Recruits platform in 2023.

The Secondary League Program is designed for all high school aged student athletes who play at Colorado United, focusing on the development and recruiting process for those student athletes who wish to pursue soccer at the collegiate level. However, Colorado United Soccer provides this service to all its high school athletes and for those who simply want to learn more about the college and recruiting process.

The Secondary League Program is a comprehensive program that provides players the opportunity to explore college options for both soccer and academics.

Coach Chris Smith will provide Sports Recruits onboarding meetings for all 8th/9th Grade teams each year (Girls in the Fall, Boys in the spring), teaching them how to build and update their profile.

The Sports Recruits online platform allows student athletes to create and update their personal recruiting profile, while searching for colleges, connecting with college coaches, providing film and video, and learning about the college process.

The Sports Recruits Athlete Profiles will be utilized by each EA/GA & Academy coaches. Coaches are required to assist their student athletes in their future endeavors through the recruiting process, as they will have the most in-depth information about each of their athletes on the team. Once team and individual profiles are updated, teams and players may request support meetings with Coach Chris as well.

Players and Coaches of Red Teams and beyond may also request support, however it will not be required.

Sports Recruits connects Colorado United players with college coaches and recruiters. College coaches also access the platform when looking to find future prospective players for their respective programs and can use Sports Recruits as a communication device with Colorado United Student Athletes.

After the completion of the Sports Recruits Profile, Colorado United athletes can request individualized meetings with Coach Chris that will allow players to explore colleges and soccer programs they wish to attend. The meeting will entail going over transcripts, GPA, course selections, and begin to identify and find the best college match & fit.

Coach Chris will work with player’s coaches to best identify appropriate schools based on talent and academic match. He may also attend team games to assist coaches in identifying player/college match (per request).