Noah Gins: "I have been coaching for over 15 years."

SN: When did you first start playing soccer?

Noah Gins: "I first started playing soccer at 4 years old."

SN: During your soccer career, did you have any game-day rituals or superstitions?

Noah Gins: "I always had to tie my shoes a certain way, eat certain things, and wear certain clothes under my game day uniform."

SN: What makes a great team?

Noah Gins: "A great team must have team chemistry and be willing to sacrifice for each other. Great teams also have great discipline and fight for the objectives set by the coach."

SN: What are some of the differences you encounter coaching girls vs. coaching boys?

Noah Gins: "The biggest difference is just the way you speak to the girls, and tactics you use to motivate and ignite them to want to perform at their best."

SN: How do you inspire your players?

Noah Gins: "I inspire my players by giving them the confidence to be great. I show them how to get what they want out of this game and slowly they begin to see that what I am talking about can become a reality. This usually will inspire the player to go well beyond what they imagined was possible."

SN: Do you remember where you were when you got the news that you'd been awarded the 2011 Coach of the Year by CalSouth? 

Noah Gins: "I was in front of my computer working away as I always am during the day when I received an email letting me know of the award and recognition. I was thrilled."

SN: What is your coaching philosophy?

Noah Gins: "I believe in taking each player and finding their strengths.  Then I look to maximize that player and get more from them than anyone else could have gotten. I find that if successful, I am bringing the best out of the players, and ultimately the team."

SN: How do you think your coaching philosophy differs from other coaches?

Noah Gins: "I can't really say, I tend to focus on my coaching philosophy and helping my staff coaches with their own. I will say that there is a lot to learn from other great coaches. If you can take the good differences from other coaches and make them yours, you will improve as a coach."

SN: What did you learn from your experiences as a coach?  

Noah Gins: "You see the game more clearly the more you coach, and you know what is going to happen before it happens. This allows you to position your players better or prepare your players for the play ahead."

SN: How different is soccer in the U.S. than in Europe? 

Noah Gins: "In Europe, there are higher standards when it comes to commitment to training."

SN: You recently took your boys' team to England to train with Tottenham. Is the English coaching philosophy quite different the American approach?

Noah Gins: "The philosophy does not differ much. I would say the English program is more about development players than winning at the youth levels.  This is mostly due to the fact that they are truly trying to develop that one player that can make the first team vs having to win in order to retain the players; which is the American System we are all currently stuck in."

SN: You also take an elite group of players to Brazil every summer.  Do you see a big difference in training philosophies between Europe and South America?

Noah Gins: "I take the best U14 and U15 boy and girl players from California and around the U.S. to Brazil to train and play every summer."

"I see a big difference in training philosophy between Europe and South America. I see things much more robotic and structured in Europe as compared to more creativity and freedom within the training of South American players."

"These differences in soccer training is partly attributed to the cultures and way of life in these countries.  At the end of the day, when I travel to both South America and Europe, I do see a common training approach which reminds me that it is a very simple game, and we, as coaches, need to keep it that way."

SN: What aspects of the Brazilian soccer philosophy do you try to implement into your own coaching style?

Noah Gins: "Freedom to attack in numbers, movement off the ball to create space and disrupt opposing team, and interchange of positions."

SN: What do you look for in a player?

Noah Gins: "First touch, vision, speed of play, movement of the player.

SN: As Technical Director for Albion SC, you are required to recruit new coaches.  When you're expanding the club's coaching staff, what do you look for in a coach?

Noah GIns: "Before anything, I want a good human being. I want someone that has good character. Someone that I would want my own kids around on a daily basis. Looking past that, I want a good communicator and someone that will put the organization first and want to be part of a winning team."

SN: What teams are you coaching?

Noah Gins: "I currently coach the BU16 White and GU16, both of which play in the Coast Premier League."

SN: Some of our readers may not know what the "Coast League" is.  Can you explain what the Coast League is?

Noah Gins: "Coast Premier League is considered the best league in the U.S.. This league is the Orange County/ LA host league for all of those clubs. Over the years, many top San Diego teams have traveled north to seeking greater competition and to increase college exposure. The Coast League has a lot of prestige and does offer a great venue for top teams."

SN: With tryout season in full-swing, what advice do you have for parents and players who are nervous about trying out for a new club?

Noah Gins: "Get to know the leadership of the clubs. If you find that the leadership of a club is accommodating, educational, and available to you, I would say you are off to a good start. Do your homework on the clubs from top to bottom; not just the age group you are trying out."

SN: As a top coach yourself, whom do you look up to in the soccer world?  

Noah Gins: "I look up to many great coaches.  I love what John Wooden represents. I enjoy Phil Jackson's approach to sport as well.  I respect many great players in the game today, one coach that comes to mind who I recently met is Harry Redknapp."

SN: If the U.S. is ever going to compete successfully on the world stage, what do we need to do to win? 

Noah GIns: "I believe it comes down to our system of development. The players lose ground on the rest of the world when they go to the college game. I don’t think we can win a World Cup until we see a group of National Team Players that somehow go through a different system between 18-22 years of age instead of playing college."