With ECU, you’ll learn to achieve your ulitmate playing potential through hard work, dedication, and respect. Our mission is to foster the development of youth travel soccer players for the local high school soccer programs in the Elkhart area.
Our Academy Program is designed to build strong technical foundations while fostering creativity and a genuine love for the game. During these formative years, we emphasize ball mastery, coordination, confidence, and enjoyment in a positive and challenging environment.
From U11–U14, our teams compete in both fall and spring seasons, continuing the progression of:
At this stage, players are introduced to higher levels of competition while maintaining a clear focus on long-term development.
To ensure meaningful development opportunities, ECU competes in two primary league platforms:
For our older age groups, ECU also competes at high levels within ISL leagues, ensuring players receive quality training and meaningful competition aligned with their developmental goals.
The focus of our travel program is individual player development within a competitive team environment. Our mission is to help each athlete reach their full potential—not only as a soccer player, but as a person. We emphasize:
Hard work
Discipline
Accountability
Respect
Fair play
Leadership
Through outstanding coaching and a structured development model, we prepare players for the next level — with the ultimate goal of college soccer and beyond. At ECU, we are not simply building teams. We are building competitors. We are building character. We are building futures.
Briant Estrella serves as the Director of Coaching for Elkhart County United (ECU) and Northern Indiana Express (NIE), where he leads the overall player development pathway and coaching methodology across all age groups—from 4v4, 7v7 to 11v11—within the club.
Originally from Mexico, Briant grew up playing soccer before moving to the United States, where he competed at Maine West High School. He later continued his playing career at Holy Cross College, where he was recruited to compete at the collegiate level for four years.
With over 15 years of coaching experience, Briant holds a USSF D License and multiple Coerver Coaching Diplomas. His continued professional development includes certifications in Level 1 Strength & Conditioning, Macronutrients and Fluids for Football, Professional Diploma Training for Team Sports – Sports Assessment, Tools and Variables for Monitoring Training Loads, and several pedagogical-based courses focused on player learning processes, including video feedback within motor practice and the coach’s role in athlete development.
Throughout his coaching career, Briant has served as Director of Coerver Coaching, Director of Coaching for a local club, Assistant Coach at Ancilla College, Head Coach at the high school level, and Head Coach for multiple competitive club teams.
He holds a Business Degree with minors in Spanish, Marketing, Communication, and Sport Management. Briant has also pursued international coaching education experiences in Spain, Brazil, Portugal, and Mexico, further strengthening his commitment to implementing a modern, player-centered development model within ECU and NIE.
Playing Career:
Mexico
United States (College)
Coaching Experience:
Education and Certifications:
You can contact Briant at Ecudoc1@gmail.com.
Steve is a native of Dublin, Ireland, and brings a strong background in player development, performance training, and collegiate coaching experience to ECU and NIE.
Playing Career:
Ireland
United States (College)
USL League Two
Coaching Experience:
Education and Certifications:
You can contact Steve at Ecudoc1@gmail.com.
Ryan is a graduate of Notre Dame Law School and a practicing criminal defense and personal injury attorney, but at his core, he’s always been a coach and a competitor. He played soccer for 13 years, primarily as a goalkeeper, and was a multi-sport athlete, competing in soccer, football, basketball, and baseball.
Ryan has coached U5–U13 teams across Louisiana and Florida and brings a strong focus on organization, structure, and long-term player development to ECU. His background in leadership, operations, and coaching allows him to help build an environment where players can grow, compete, and enjoy the game at every level.
Whether in the courtroom or on the sideline, Ryan’s focus has always been on leadership, development, and building pathways for success.
Nicole is an educator with 15 years of public education experience and is currently serving as an ELL teacher at Concord Intermediate. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Education with a focus on reading instruction. Beyond the classroom, Nicole has spent more than 20 years as a Colorguard Director for local high school programs, sharing her passion for the performing arts while mentoring young performers.
Professional Background:
Coach Andres brings a wealth of experience and passion to the program. He is Coerver-certified and began his playing career at the age of 7, developing through the youth ranks at Deportivo Cali, one of Colombia’s top professional clubs.
He later continued his career in Argentina, before earning a scholarship to play under Coach Thiago Pinto at Bethel University, where he also earned a degree in Business.
Playing & Coaching Background:
We are confident that Coach Andres will be a fantastic addition to our staff and a strong asset to your child’s development.
You can contact him directly at (574) 413-5991.
Coach Thayane is originally from Brazil, where soccer is part of everyday life. As she says, “You start kicking a ball before saying your first word!”
As a player, she competed for four years in the NAIA and one year in the WPSL. As a coach, she has served in several key roles, including:
She also serves as a Strength & Conditioning Coach for soccer and volleyball at Bethel University and is a Certified Personal Trainer.
Education & Certifications:
Coach Thayane is fluent in English and Portuguese, and she understands Spanish very well, making her an excellent bridge for communication with our diverse ECU families.
You can contact her directly at (870) 790-3124.
I’m incredibly proud of what we have accomplished over these last four years. When I first established our goals, one of the most important objectives was to place our players in a more competitive league environment—one that would provide the exposure necessary to pursue opportunities at the collegiate level. This was a milestone we aimed to reach by Year Three, and achieving it in just our second year has been truly transformative for our players and our community.
Each year, I challenge myself and our leadership team to continue enhancing the essential tools needed to support player development. From implementing a structured, periodized training methodology across all age groups—from 7v7 to 11v11—to ensuring consistency in our coaching standards, our focus remains on long-term development both on and off the field.
We are equally committed to investing in our coaching staff by providing ongoing in-house education opportunities, including professional development sessions and guest speakers. This ensures our coaches continue to grow, evolve, and deliver the highest quality training experience possible to every ECU player.
As we continue to build a player-first environment—with over 80% of our seniors advancing to play at the collegiate level—our club still relies on the support of our community. Your partnership and generosity help us raise the necessary funds to sustain and expand our programming, provide advanced training resources, and continue delivering a high-level developmental experience for the youth in our community.
Together, we can continue creating opportunities and building pathways for the next generation.
