The main thing Northwestern men’s soccer coach Tim Lenahan wants to give those attending his College Soccer Training Center is …. THE TRUTH.

“We run a reality camp, not a fantasy camp. We evaluate the kids and tell them where they will be best situated,” he said. “If it’s not going to work out for them to be at Northwestern we want to let them know, but we can also help them find the right place.”

Lenahan, who has a number of college coaches from various levels of program helping with the camp July 9-13, said campers can expect an authentic college soccer experience at the Chicago-area university.

“We really want to show the people who attend what college soccer is going to be like,” he said. “We want to give them an accurate picture of that and give them tips of dos and don’ts when they get to college. When freshmen get to college they can be unprepared for what to expect, but we can help them with that. There are also 15 other colleges represented, so it’s an awesome recruiting opportunity, not just for looking at Northwestern but for other colleges.”

The daily schedule includes a healthy combination of on and off the field activity, including heart-monitor training, lessons on nutrition, regeneration and recovery, finding proper roles, in college soccer and even just the basics on how a player can make his way onto a team.

“Maybe you are not the all-world guy, but you need to know how to make an impact with the things you do well,” Lenahan said. “We focus a lot on that kind of thing. My assistants and the other head coaches at the camp understand what we are trying to do for the student-athletes.”

Coaches are given a group of players to work with on the field in training sessions and matches through the week. The coaches meet at night to brainstorm about the players and discuss their potential.

“All eight of the kids we signed this year were at our camp,” Lenahan said. “We do a good job of helping players get opportunities with other programs. It’s important for coaches to get a feel for the player’s personality and to see how they respond to intense training over four days.”
 
Please click here for more information on the Northwestern College Soccer Training Center and other Men’s Soccer Camps.