Two years ago, Coppell's Chad Rakestraw chatted about the Texas high school's rising place in national soccer via state titles, development and more. Now, on the heels of another state title and the first full year of Coppell's unprecedented high school-based soccer academy, Rakestraw touches on all those topics and more from deep in the heart of Texas.

Walk us through this last high school season with Coppell. When did an undefeated season become a realistic target for y’all? What’s something people on the outside might not have realized about the team or season?

This year was never about an undefeated season or a state championship although we are always hopeful our best efforts do the latter. Our goal this year was to become the best we could as individuals to be the best we could possibly be as a team. We preached the fact that good teams don’t become great teams without being a team.

That sounds simple but the process of becoming a team is much more complicated and something you really as a group have to fight for. It’s not easy. It’s the most difficult thing to do. But that’s the difference between the 2013, 2016 teams and all others. They were both teams that treated each other as brothers and loved every second of the journey with them.

The last time we talked, you were in the process of starting up the Coppell Developmental Academy. Catch us up to speed on the academy. Where is it now and how is it helping supplement the high school team?


Yeah, it has been a crazy last year. Last time we spoke we had not officially started CDA. Now we are one year into it and building something that I think will continue to grow and be around for a long long time. Warren van der Westhuizen was hired as our Executive Director from Atlanta. He has been a part of the club world for the last thirteen years, been a director at some of the biggest clubs in the Atlanta area and his wife is our main administrator. They have been the heart of the club and I am very thankful for all they have put into this first year.

We started in Coppell and have about 250 players on 15 teams, with two teams playing in the highest league in North Texas, the Classic League, in Fall 2016. In Trophy Club (a city twenty miles west of Coppell), there are 75 players on five teams with one girls teams playing Lake Highlands and one boys team playing Classic League in Fall 2016. We now have expanded into four other areas: Trophy Club, Eaton HS area in North Fort Worth, Flower Mound and Corinth.

Our goal as a club has always been to help develop players for the high schools. It has been great to see the growth of our Coppell players help the high school program. Their CDA coaches have done a great job in developing these players to be able to contribute to our high school program.

How has the CDA handled bringing in multiple coaches to handle the different age groups? How far down does the CDA follow a specific coaching platform? How much freedom are the coaches given to do something unique with their team?

We are very picky with our staff. We bring in people that are not only great coaches but great people that understand this is not just about soccer. This is about life. We have the opportunity to impact young lives and help develop character within our players that they will take with them the rest of their life. We want them to be great soccer players too, but fighting for the right character traits will drive their growth as a player. We have a system of play throughout the club that all coaches believe in and teach within. Principles like building out of the back, possession with a purpose to attack and pressing as a unit.

These are traits we would want others to see in all of our teams within our club. While we have a formation we typically play, that formation is not what all teams must play, but they must show the principles of play within our club. We will be a club that plays on the front foot, we want to put people under pressure, and play soccer the way it’s meant to be played. Most of the time on the ground, but always with a purpose.

How do you go about maintaining coaching standards? A lot of people speak like coaching education is easy to maintain but clearly that's not the case.

We have very high expectations for our coaches character. Who they are as people directly impacts who they are as coaches. This directly impacts our players and parents. We expect our coaches (no matter the license) to be lifelong learners of the game. They should be attending clinics, sessions and be a part of communities not just within CDA but outside that help to shape and mold them as a coach. We probably have the highest level of coaching licenses and experience in North Texas, with more A and B license and pro coaches-to-player ratio than any other club in Texas, and probably the entire USA this Fall 2016.

CDA Staff
3 USSF "A" license coaches

2 USSF "B" license coaches

1 UEFA "B" license coach

2 Professional goalkeeper coaches

3 Ex-professional players

1 Ex-professional indoor players

1 USMNT player

3 Video analysis directors


I would say the biggest difference is that our coaches are supported by the club. We have regular coaches meetings. At the beginning of every year we review our principles of play, style and the things each age group will be focusing on for the year. These are not just things we say to them, these are expectations we have for their training sessions and what we tell our parents they should see out of their teams. That way if they don’t see it, the parents can hold them accountable. But we don’t have that problem because we have great people on staff.

If CDA becomes good enough where players from outside the area are wanting to play there, how will the teams handle it, seeing as it is primary aimed at complementing the high school team? Would having a player from another school district undermine the process?

This is a good question and one we will be able walk through here pretty soon. I wouldn’t look at that as undermining the process. We would see that as not only an opportunity for this player from outside the district but also for our team to fill a missing piece if need be. Our goal will be to have a couple teams per age group in each area. Our goal is not just to only help Coppell High School but also to help other high school programs.

I read that CDA is aiming to be a free academy for players down the line. What are the steps that need to happen to accomplish this?

Yes, that is true. We would like to be free for everyone. In order for this to happen we would need some pretty large grants and possibly even big corporate sponsors. It’s a lofty goal but it’s something we will shoot to make happen.

Five years from now, what are you hoping to see out of the CDA?


Our hope is to be a well-established community-based club that has stayed true to their vision of developing and caring for the player as a person first and a player second. That has implemented a style of play that is aggressive, forward thinking and always adapting to the changing game. We want our parents and players to be different from the current system.