EL PASO, Texas – When one first meets Colin Herlinger, it’s effortless to fall into a conversation with him. He walks around with a smile on his face and looks to make others laugh, mostly at him and his own experiences. Yet, as conversations deepen, it becomes clear that Herlinger is a compassionate and honest man intent on making lasting impact in the local youth soccer landscape.  

It’s been a little over a year since Herlinger arrived in El Paso to take over as the Director of Youth Soccer for El Paso Locomotive FC and what he’s managed to accomplish since arriving is impressive. He helped establish a Technical Academy in the Westside (with intentions to grow into the Eastside), provided a hand in the expansion of the Lil’ Locos program and has continued the growth of Locomotive Youth Club teams and programs, with over 500 youth players participating.

“I brought in my experience and knowledge from different clubs to expand our foundation,” Herlinger said. “El Paso has a large pool of hidden talent and passion, so I’ve focused on growing our club to tap into that pool and expand it via the programs we run.”

How does he do so? Herlinger clarifies that his approach is all about creating autonomy within his coaching staff, programs and teams. This allows him to have his hand in all things while simultaneously providing each with a sense of freedom from external control, allowing Herlinger to observe the way his staff and players interact with each other and providing insight afterwards on how things can be improved.

This goes a long way on the pitch when kids begin to transition from playing soccer for fun to playing competitively. At Locomotive, it is encouraged that coaches and staff adopt a “player-centric” mindset, in which they create environments where players are challenged to find solutions on their own without heavy reliance on their coach.

As Herlinger states, he and his coaches aim to avoid “joy sticking,” a term used to reference someone who directly controls the actions of players on the field. The Locomotive approach is different than what most are familiar with in coaching, which is usually that of a coach screaming at their players what they need to be doing and moving them around constantly.

“Typically, the coach thinks they are positively influencing a player because they know more, yet it becomes so detrimental that the kid can no longer decide on their own without the coach telling them what to do,” he said about the negative effects of a traditional coaching style. “Our younger generation is changing in what it needs. Training sessions, in my opinion, are the time to coach the child, change things tactically and physically. The game is the place for the kids to show what they’ve learned. To observe and see the perspective of a player on their own can be extremely helpful in their development.”