Ten year-old Kaelen Dougan is making a name for himself in the Quakes Academy, playing up with the U-12 squad despite being age-eligible for U-10 squads at other clubs. Dougan joined the Academy in Sept. 2017 and has already scored eight goals in seven appearances as a winger.
SJEarthquakes.com: Tell us a little about your heritage and where your family comes from. Did they have an influence on your love of soccer?
Kaelen Dougan: My parents are both from Sierra Leone, where football (soccer) is the most popular sport, so I have been playing soccer since I was very young. I first started playing in my preschool league when I was 4 and I really enjoyed playing because I scored a lot of goals for my team. Even then, people would tell my parents how well I understood the game. As I played more, I would sometimes come back after matches and draw out the positions on paper and think about what I could have done differently. My parents studied a lot in school so they encouraged me to become a student of the game like I’m a student in school.
SJEQ: When you were playing with your own age group, what about your performance stood out to your coaches to encourage you to move up to the older teams?
Kaelen Dougan: Coaches from other teams and sometimes even referees would tell me that they enjoyed watching me play. My coaches spoke about how comfortable I am with both feet and they would also comment on my speed, creativity, finishing skills and my soccer IQ. I had a few opportunities to play on older teams in the past, but when I joined the Quakes Academy last September, my coaches encouraged me to play with an older team.
SJEQ: What is it like to play a couple years up with the U-12s? How does playing with older teams help you get better as a player?
Kaelen Dougan: I like playing with the older boys because it challenges me to work harder. When I played with my age group, I could not play the way I wanted to. For example, when I was playing on the wing, I would get past a defender and I would have no one to pass the ball to because I was too fast. Playing with the older Academy teams is much harder but it helps me develop as a player more quickly. I enjoy playing for the Quakes Academy because the coaches are very good and they push us to work harder in all aspects of life including school, fitness, dieting and responsibility. I also like my team because all the players support each other, work hard and give good advice.
SJEQ: When you're not playing soccer, what other hobbies/sports do you like to participate in?
Kaelen Dougan: I love futsal. I helped my team win the United States regional and national futsal championships. Last December, I was invited to guest-play on the Brazilian team Santos FC and it was a great experience. We ended up winning the world championships and I learned a lot about how futsal is really played. I also enjoy playing tennis and basketball. I'm currently in fourth grade at Hillbrook Elementary, where I enjoy reading, art, Spanish, music and math. I also just started taking voice lessons at school. I look forward to playing music with my brother who plays guitar.
