We've got a new writer on the books!! Please give a warm DKCU welcome to our very own U23s keeper Daniel Hill!! In his debut post, Dan gives us the lowdown on how he ended up with DKCU, what training is like, and his hopes for this season. If you like what he has to say, let us know, cos we are hoping for more of this stuff!!
It was the summer of 2017, and I was kicking around with some friends when I first heard there was a semi-pro soccer club coming to Dekalb. The rush of excitement that I could possibly play for a local semi-professional club quickly shrank when I realized I had missed tryouts.
I was a seventeen-year-old happy-go-lucky goalkeeper at the time, playing soccer for a small home-school organization in the fall and for my club during pretty much the rest of the year.
My high school Senior year came and went as DKCU took shape from the molten talent of the greater Kishwaukee area. I went to a few games, yearning to be part of not only this club, but this culture that laid before me.
In 2018 I finished up my freshman season at college where I rode the bench as a fifth string goalkeeper at a small NAIA D1 soccer team.
Fresh out of collegiate training, I was ready to shred it up in the Sycamore Sunday League when I heard the DKCU U23 team needed players.
This was it.
I instantly sent an email I got from the Facebook post, hoping they could use a keeper. Luckily, they had a spot. A few practices later, I had a jersey in my hand and a club I was part of.
At DKCU, I got game experience which I hadn’t had since high school and great training from experienced coaching staff. Even though I was a U23, I had the opportunity to train along the first team goalkeepers and their coach. They happily welcomed us by showing us the ropes, pushing us in the drills and sometimes blasting shots at us.
The 2019 summer season came and went. We didn’t have a ton of success in our first season, but that is what first seasons are for. We had a diverse group of guys from different places and in different stages of life. Ranging from a sixteen-year-old to twenty-three-year-olds, its gonna take time to get the chemistry right. Before I knew it, it was time for the 2020 tryouts.
Tons of guys from all over came to prove what they can do on the field. We were all given numbers and split into different groups determined by the coaches.
After warming up with a few drills, we scrimmaged. Each team was given a coach from the staff to direct our play and make substitutions. You get a chance to get to know their names (if you don’t already) and let them know yours. At the end of the session, the staff explained that there was going to be a few more tryouts. One is an invite-only and another is open to everyone, which gives you a chance to show off if you had a bad day or just didn’t get seen.
I got accepted to play with the U23s for another season. I hope we can build success and I look forward to the quality training with a great program led by a great coaching staff.
If you like the cut of Daniel's jib, follow him on Instagram @platypuslloyd13