At just 5 years old, Nick Diede discovered his passion: soccer.
Diede, an Encinitas resident, said he fell in love with the game of soccer while growing up in Broomfield, Colo. Calling the sport a “beautiful game,” he remembers working hard on the field while training with older athletes.
While he grew up in The Centennial State, Diede won four state championships with his team and was named an all-state player three times.
But, his favorite part about the sport wasn’t the trophy.
“The camaraderie of that team became my favorite part of the sport and still is to this day,” Diede said.
Now, at 35 years old, Diede is the proud owner of the San Marcos-based Momentum Training Center, where more than 250 athletes from throughout San Diego County gather to develop their skills in soccer. He takes pride in his facility for bringing positivity and innovation to the game in order to help develop soccer players, some as young as 2.
“Soccer can be such a political sport with aggressive coaching styles, intense parents, and mental setbacks,” said Diede, who co-owns the facility with wife, Lynnie. “In creating Momentum I hope to reverse the effects of that. I opened Momentum Training Center in January of 2018, because I wanted to create a positive soccer training environment that would be able to appeal to all ages and skill levels.”
Diede, who began coaching at just 13 years old, has been praised for his ability to effectively explain the sport and its techniques to his athletes.
“The feedback I received from my athletes and their parents was that the training I was providing was very different from anything they had experienced before,” said Diede, who has coached in California for 10 years. “My ability to connect with athletes on a mentorship level and physically break down all the techniques and skills created the optimal training session for these young athletes.”
Diede’s coaching has proven to be effective, especially for those he has worked with over the years. In fact, many athletes are now playing in top leagues in the country or have gone on to play college-level soccer.
Looking ahead, the father of two boys said he hopes all athletes who come to him for guidance will succeed in life.
“My hope is that the athletes I train will gain the confidence needed to achieve the goals that they have set for themselves on and off the field,” Diede said.
For more information about Momentum Training Center, go to momentumtrainingcenter.com.
