THE 1 % CLUB PLAYERS

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Coach Thales was the key to start the engine to our team, his motivational speeches before the games would give you the chills but would ignite the fire inside of you. Taught me that key to success isn’t just to be good at it, but be passionate about it. The passion Coach Thales has in what he believes in is unmatchable

I had one of the most enjoyable seasons while having you as our coach. You knew how to make the training ground both fun and competitive, and gave an effort to build relationships with the players. I was a big fan of your style of play and you taught me to play with confidence. Thank you for all that you did for us!

Having Thales as a coach was truly life changing. I can say that hands down he has been my favorite coach I’ve ever had. From coaching me on my technical ability to mental toughness, he always knew how to keep myself and our team focused on the same goal: to get better every day. I remember we used to have days where we didn’t have a training facility, so he would have us do fitness in a parking lot with nothing but a few cones. Those were the times where he truly brought out the best, and worst, in all of us. When it came down to tough, important games, we were already mentally and physically prepared for anything that was thrown at us because it was nothing compared to what he had us go through. He helped shape my mentality to believe that I can truly do what I want to do in life if we focus on just improving day by day, little by little. Since learning this, I no longer have the need to look for life changing results from one day to another, but to focus on the small accomplishments and when the time was right, the end result would come. He also reminds me a lot of my parents, coming to a different country where you don’t know the language or have anything to their name is not something just anyone can do. I know things about his personal life that would completely deteriorate other people’s dreams, but he has found a way to prosper and change many people’s lives while doing so. To this day, all of his motivational posts help me whenever they come across my page, even when he isn’t technically my coach, he still helps with my mindset in life and I have no doubt he’ll be able to do so to hundreds of people to come.

Today I see that Thales was more than a coach for me. Back when we first met, I had just moved from Brazil to LA with no idea of what I was getting myself into. Thales more than a coach, was a friend and a mentor. To this day I am beyond thankful for the talks, advices, and knowledge that he shared with me. I can say he had a massive contribution to the person I am today. After playing 5 years of D1 soccer, a Bachelor’s degree, a Master’s degree, and a professional contract, all I have to say is Thank You!

Thales is an inspiration to me as an athlete and as an adult at the same time. I had the privilege to be coached by a such talented person with very ambitious goals, which as an athlete that’s something you should always have, ambition.   While playing for Los Angeles Force, I got to connected with him right away due his work ethic, intelligence and passion. I am a hard worker myself but when I saw that I had a coach who wanted the same thing as me, working as hard as me, it only gave me extra motivation/energy.   I remember every time I was struggling with something I knew that I could count on him. Always had my back and any other player on the field. The energy was something out of this world, the guy was always running at 120mph, motivating and pushing his players to be the best.   I have nothing but good things to say about this man, from an adult to another, I can confidently say that I had the privilege to be coached by Thales.

Hey Thales! Man, where do I start with you!   I remember showing up to my first training at golden state, I had never had a practice that hard in my life, I was sore for the next few days.  I’m so grateful for the knowledge you gave me, working specifically with me, teaching me diagonal runs. I make sure to always make that a priority when I coach my girls.  Without a doubt the best coach I had, I admire you and I’m lucky to have learned from you.  A vivid memory I have is a tournament we were playing in Pomona, golden state vs golden state, it was raining hard. You said I owed you two goals because we were playing the B team. I got them, a header and a volley! At half time I remember embracing you with a big hug telling you I got you!  I also remember a summer where it felt like we won every tournament we played. We had Juanito, Ricardo, Jesus, Sako, Tony, Jon and Danny but you called him bigote. We were 14-15 years old playing amazing football because of you.

Coach Thales’s passion for the game and for working hard what I remember most from my time working under him. Thales reminded me and the team that everything in life is earned and he kept us accountable by showing tough love.

Coach Thales coached me during parts of my youth and during my USSDA years with FC Golden State. Thales took on a lot of responsibility but always gave each player and team his all. Thales instilled in us a lions mentality that allowed for us to work each and everyday at 100%.

Having Thales as a coach helped me improve as a player and helped improve my mindset not just on the field but off of it as well. Early in season he spoke to us about just coming with the attitude of pushing ourselves so that we could get better everyday and if nothing else we should aim to be at least 1% better each day. I remember he used to always preach this to us everyday but it sometimes can get lost after hearing the same message each day. This message really found a new meaning once I saw Thales performing more than just the role of a coach and going above and beyond on one of our travel trips. On top of this throughout this trip and all of season I’d see our coach getting a workout in the gym or pushing himself on a treadmill run like he was training to come out of retirement and step back on the field. Seeing this consistently throughout season really made me ask myself if I was doing enough and made me push myself even more, not just for the remainder of season but beyond that team so that I’m constantly improving on and off the pitch.

During the two years I spent playing for Thales I learned a lot that helped push my teammates and I to become the best versions of ourselves on and off the field. Thales was an incredible motivator and really knew how to get the best out of us at the most crucial times. Before having him as a coach I always believed my football IQ on the field was off the charts but come to find out I had a lot to learn and that's where Thales made a huge impression on me. Really teaching me the key elements of being a solid central midfielder. Finally, the mindset this man has to become 1% better every single day is inspiring. He inspired every squad in the academy and helped every footballer realize that our potential as a team was untapped. We might not have been the most technical nor talented team in the DA but sure were we the most dedicated and hardworking team out there. Thales instilled a culture for us that I know a lot of people still follow in their daily lives even outside of the game.

Having you as a coach was phenomenal. Pushing our limits and inspiring us to reach new goals not only as a player, but as a person. You truly inspired me to get out of my comfort zone from time to time and grow character. Your mindset is what defines you in my opinion, the mindset of a champion that keeps going even when times are tough. Without you being part of soccer career , I would have never survived in Mexico playing soccer for 3 years. Truly a coach I will never forget.

In my time with coach Thales Peterson he taught me so much about finding a way to win. He kept faith in all of us and always motivated me more than anybody else I’ve ever had as a coach. He has this saying that we all lived by “1 percent better every single day” it was that motto that stuck with me the most in my career so far so I strive to be just 1 percent better on and off the field every single day . He always reminded me to be happy and to look for the brighter things in every situation and that is why we were so successful with him as our coach .

You left your mark on me Thales that was real not just words