Back in 1973, when USSF Staff Coach and Ukrainian native Dr. Leonard Lucenko mesmerized 53 young players with his soccer wit and wisdom for a week-long soccer camp in Denton, Texas, little did he know that his dream camp would still be reality at the turn of the century. Back then, directors Randy Noll and JD Cochran were barely thinking of attending the camp as campers, much less, staff members.



30 years and one name change later, the Texas Soccer Academy camp program is celebrating its third decade as the most inclusive week-long soccer camp in the Southwest. In the early days, the camp went by the name of the Texas All-Star Soccer Camp and was the Southern version of its sister camp in New Jersey, the All-American Soccer Camp. Both Noll and Cochran attended the camp as campers and claim much of their success as both players and coaches to what they learned from Lucenko, his excellent staff, and his unique teaching system.



“Dr. Lucenko started this whole camp thing in the United States,” says Noll. “He was my mentor. When I came on as a staff member in 1978, I was amazed by how many of his disciples were among the top names in the game. Through him, I got to work with, meet and get coached by guys like Walt and Gene Chyzowich, Tommy Durkin, Ray Kliveca, Steve Parker, not to mention, half the New York Cosmos roster.”



The really neat thing, adds Noll, is that the staff is every bit as strong today as it was back in the 70s and the program itself has actually been enhanced.



“It’s like fine wine,” says Noll. “It just seems to keep getting better with time and JD (Cochran) has done a great job of keeping the level of expertise as well as the camp traditions alive.”



From 2010 to the current camps - current camp site Director Robert Lopez has done well to keep the camps up and running at the various locations and instill a sense of an "all inclusive" soccer camp that all players will benefit from no matter their skill level.