ST. PAUL, Min. — Minnesota United FC is building the future of their program through an academy-affiliated team of young, promising players – many of them teenagers.
The MNUFC Academy is one of the first in MLS to ensure players are both physically and mentally ready for the professional league through a partnership with Allina Health, the “Change to Chill” program.
Ramon Lujano-Salto is one of the U18 Academy players benefiting from this program. He says he needs the help as goalkeeper, one of the highest pressure positions on the pitch.
“I can be a bit of a hothead when I play,” Lujano-Salto said. “After conceding a goal, which is obviously inevitable in football, I sometimes find it difficult to calm down and move on to the next action.”
The “Change to Chill” program is an online tool Lujano-Salto uses to help him manage his emotions on the field. He says he learned breathing techniques to calm down.
“This is, I would say, life-changing for me and all the kids younger than me,” Lujano-Salto said.
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Sydney Hobart, health improvement consultant at Allina Health, says these student-athletes learn to recognize when they need help, which is half the battle.
“What are the things that cause me stress? Knowing that helps me understand, ‘Okay, here’s how to deal with something when it happens,'” Hobart said.
Learning these skills now could change the landscape of future professional teams.
“This is unprecedented territory,” said MNUFC defender Zarek Valentin. “I don’t know of any clubs in the entire country that have these types of programs.”
As Valentin prepares to retire, he says strong mental skills are just as important as physical skills, which will improve the overall well-being of players in the league in the future.
“As a young player I didn’t have access to this because there was such a stigma around mental health, but now it’s really important to be able to have these conversations and recognize that it’s okay to not be okay sometimes,” said Valentin.
