Good Sports: Valley 559 Football Club

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Valley 559 Football Club provides an opportunity for local players who want to continue pursuing their soccer careers at a high level.

Myric McGhee had aspirations of playing professionally. Injuries hindered his dreams after tearing his meniscus his senior year at Clovis West, and breaking his leg after colliding with a goalie at Fresno City College.

"Huge battle with coming back, physical therapy, the mental part of it, losing family members, a lot of things coming together at once," he said. "Especially while you're growing up, it's hard to focus on your dreams when you're going through real life. Everything happens in time. Sometimes, it's not the right time. When it is, it will show. "

Alex Gutierrez is the team's head coach and is no stranger to the Valley soccer scene, leading Sanger High School to back-to-back Valley championships.

He says for many players like Myric, Valley 559 FC is a second chance for them to gain exposure on and off the pitch.

"Has a big personality on the field, extremely talented, very strong, but also very strong-minded," Gutierrez said. "I think that's what he's doing in his programs as well with the youth that he works with. Not just training them in the game but walking them through the mindset that you need to reach the highest levels."

That youth program is Sports Mindset Training - a company Myric started.

"Teaching them to hone in their own skills while also boosting their mental, boosting their self-support," he said. "Building their foundation from the ground up. "

Those are tools that Myric has applied in his life to get back to the player he once was. He has high expectations for the season as the team sits in first place in their division.

"We just know what we have in this Valley, it's up to us to show our capabilities and what we can become," he said.

"This past Saturday was a celebration of the game being back in Fresno," Gutierrez said.

Valley 559 FC will play its third game of the season at Keith Tice Park this Saturday night at 7 PM.