Street Dreams Soccer Academy inspires Milwaukee youth

Street Dreams Soccer Academy was founded by five childhood friends — Cesar Castillo, Favian Gonzalez, Azael Flores, Luis Flores and David Perez — in 2019, based on the idea that all children should have access to an affordable and competitive soccer environment.

The five grew up in Milwaukee, with family roots in Guadalajara, Mexico, and played in a variety of Milwaukee soccer teams growing up.

Gonzalez and Castillo were about 10 when they met through the Croatian Eagles soccer team on the south side of Milwaukee.

Their passion for the game — and working with youth — continued into adulthood.

“We all came together at a time where we had individually thought about something like this, all had a similar vision and ideas,” Castillo said. “And now we're like, ‘Wow, what a coincidence’ that we're all kind of lining up on the same page.”

Although not identical ideas, Castillo said they put their dreams together to make what Street Dreams is now.

Their goal: to make soccer a fun, competitive, affordable sport for families in Wisconsin.

The average family in Wisconsin spends from $1,000 to $4,000 per year for their children to play soccer at top academies; those costs include registration fees, uniforms and travel to tournaments.

Nationwide, the average family pays $1,472 per child that plays youth soccer. More competitive teams can cost over $10,000.

The cost for a child to play for Street Dreams: $300 to $500 per year.

“We all felt in our hearts that it was our opportunity to start something from scratch,” Gonzalez said.

“We felt like there was a big need in our community for something like this," he added.

Sweet Dreams typically practices at St. Augustine Prep or at Menomonee Valley Community Park. Teams play in Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association sanctioned leagues, so game sites vary.

Since 2019, the soccer academy has grown from about 30 to over 150 players ages 5-16, and from five co-founders to 20 coaches, all of whom are bilingual in Spanish and English.

Castillo said the organization has spread mostly by word of mouth, and they want community and family engagement to be a priority.

“Current players invite families, or their families invite others … that's been very humbling to see, that people are responding well, having good experiences and they want their friends to be a part of it,” Gonzalez said.

Jacob Corona, 12, has been playing soccer with Street Dreams for almost two years.

“They have (taught) me a lot through the years,” Jacob said. “They have a lot of sportsmanship for other teams so they don't want to be better than anyone else. They just want to train their players.”

A typical practice for Jacob and his teammates consists of warming up, running, stretching, doing drills and playing scrimmages.

Jacob said his favorite part about the sport is just touching the ball, communicating with his team and making sure everyone’s all right after the game.

"I'm looking forward to seeing if some of the people in the club get better, to see if they progress more, or they just stay a little above level, above what they are," Jacob said.

He is also excited for games to start for the new season in the next few weeks.

Castillo said their focus is on developing players from a young age and keeping them engaged with the sport as they get older. Once players hit 11 and 12 years old, he said many begin dropping out of the sport, whether it is due to the cost or competition.

Castillo hopes these players have the same transformative experiences he had growing up.

“I actually didn't think I'd be coaching at all. I always just wanted to be a player … just play and be competitive,” Castillo said. “Now I coach more than I play, and I still am able to enjoy the sport in a different way.”

Gonzalez said his biggest hope is that these children look back on their years with Street Dreams, and find it meaningful.

“Maybe a few of them will continue, and they will be the coaches and they will want to mentor younger people,” Gonzalez said. “To create a big ripple effect of leaders in the community who want to improve their city, who want to improve other people's lives … I think that's a big vision and goal.”

Contact Skyler Chun at schun@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @skylerchun_.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Street Dreams Soccer Academy inspires Milwaukee youth