Year-round youth soccer development for players U7–U18 at The Lab in East Pasadena. Small-sided, technical training that builds the player first — then the team.
Most programs are a conveyor belt from rec to club, club to the next club. FTBL isn’t that. We develop the player: touch, technique, reading the game, the will to compete. Built over seasons, not sold as a shortcut. Your player keeps their AYSO or club team. We coach; you decide where they play on Saturday.
Train with us and keep your current team. No conflict, no pressure to leave, create your training schedule
Foundation is open enrollment. Every player who wants to learn the game has a place in it.
One team per age group. Standards and playing time are earned on the field, not bought.
Three places players come to us from. Find the one that sounds like yours — it points to the right program. Most players start and stay in Foundation.
Your player is young or new to soccer. They need touches, coordination, and confidence on the ball before anything else. Great for families just starting out.
Your player is on an AYSO, rec, or club team but team practice skips the individual technique and confidence that actually moves them forward.
Your player has the foundation and is ready for league play on a team built around competitive and developing players, not the other way around.
Foundation is open-enrollment group training — the technical base every FTBL player is built on. It’s where a young player takes their first real touches, and where a player already on a team closes the gaps a weekly practice skips. Same standard every session: first touch, weak foot, ball mastery, 1v1, and reading the game.
For the youngest and newest players — first touches, coordination, and confidence on the ball. This is where the game becomes something a player can do on purpose, not by accident.
For the more developed player — the same core skills, now trained faster, tighter, and against real resistance. The bridge between knowing a move and using it in a game.
A strong younger player can train up; a player still building confidence stays where they’ll grow. Where your player learns most is a coaching decision — and one we make with you, not from a roster sheet.
Most programs build teams and hope players develop inside them. We do it the other way around: years of individual development — touches, technique, reading the game — and Academy Teams is where players who are ready step into competition.
Every player carries an Individual Development Plan and moves through the belts as their understanding of the game grows.
Academy Teams is by invitation: league play for players who’ve built the foundation to compete and keep developing.
We’re not a stepping stone from AYSO to club. We’re a place to keep learning the game, season after season.
Both teach the same game the same way. The difference is how often your player trains, and whether there’s league play attached.
Technical, small-sided training for any player who wants to keep developing. Choose the frequency — the coaching standard doesn’t change.
Foundation One or Two
Recommended — real progress
For the all-in player
New Foundation rates take effect September 1, 2026. Families enrolled before then keep their current rate through January 2027.
For players ready for league play. Earned by Foundation players ready to compete — twice-weekly training and a full competitive season, fees included.
2× / week + league
Three steps. Start by coming for a free trial — no commitment until you’ve seen how we train.
Participate in training, bring your player, and meet the coaches. No cost, no commitment.
Choose your Foundation frequency — or, by invitation, join an Academy Team.
Reserve your player’s spot and set up your monthly membership.
Monthly membership. Foundation is month-to-month; Academy Teams is a season commitment. Questions about fit or cost? Ask at your first session.
I started FTBL in 2020 because most clubs weren’t doing what they said they were doing. They said development. They ran scrimmages. So I built a curriculum — individual first, team last. A brilliant team isn’t built from average players in a good shape. It’s the byproduct of brilliant individuals in every position. Build the player. The team takes care of itself.
So I built what I wish had existed when I was coming up. I call it The FTBL Way — individual first, team last, thousands of touches, both feet, every session. Technique. Intelligence. Intensity. No shortcuts. No theater.
Every session we coach is built on the same blueprint. Thousands of touches. Both feet. Every session. Every minute is touches on the ball. That’s the promise.
Vision for the game.
Mastery of the ball.
Grit and growth.
Boys and girls ages 6 to 18. We have specific programs for every stage: Foundation One (Ages 4–10), Foundation Two (Ages 8–13), and Academy Teams (U6 – U13).
No tryout needed for Foundation One — registration is open to all! For Academy Teams and Foundation Two, we conduct a brief evaluation to place players in the right group for their development.
Absolutely. Foundation One and Two are supplementary training — we’re club-neutral. Many of our players train here AND play on other teams. Our Academy Teams are the only program that functions as a team commitment.
Our training location is at 3100 E Del Mar Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107. We’re centrally located for families in East Pasadena, Hastings Ranch, Sierra Madre, Altadena, Arcadia, and San Marino.
Club teams focus on winning games. We focus on building players. Most club practices are tactical (formations, set pieces) with little time for individual technical development. Every minute at FTBL is spent making your child a better individual player — the skills that actually determine their ceiling.
Book a free trial class and watch your player light up. No commitment, no pressure — just great coaching.
