How Mario Erazo Helps Soccer Players Get Scouting Opportunities
Can you tell us about yourself and your agency, Soccer Scouting Pros?
Sure, my name is Mario Erazo. I am a professional soccer scout, member of the Professional Football Scout Association and director of scouting at Soccer Scouting Pros. I started Soccer Scouting Pros in 2016.
What motivated you to create Soccer Scouting Pros?
My main focus was to connect talent to unique opportunities at national and international levels. In my experience as a player, coach, and scout, I have discovered some of the reasons why there are so many talented players not achieving their full potential in the sport.
The first reason I discovered is that 9 out of 10 players who believe they have the talent to play at a professional level do not seek out and receive a proper evaluation.
The second reason is that players don’t have a mentor, manager, or agent that truly believes in them and has the right connections to open doors to opportunities.
And last not but least is that players often don’t have a clear plan to achieve their goal. Every player that is serious about pursuing a career in soccer must have a written plan that extends to at least three years.
This is why I created our agency in order to evaluate, mentor, and promote those talented players who are willing to take the right path to achieve their dream.
CENTER IS MARIO ERAZO WITH HIS COACHING STAFF IN MUNICH, GERMANY,
What support do you provide players who are signed to Soccer Scouting Pros?
Let’s put it this way: imagine that you want to get your dream job. First, you need to have the education, experience, and a strong reference to be considered. If you lack any of these important elements, the probability of you getting the job is decreased. That’s what we do here; that’s how we assist our players. Some of them have talent, but they might not have experience. Others might have talent and experience but they don’t have an agent or reference to open doors for them. During the first evaluation - be it national or international - we will be able to assess which areas require attention and work with that player to create a plan to develop a career path.
What advice can you offer to players aspiring to become professionals?
Do not be afraid of rejection. It is part of the game to not be accepted the first time. You’ve got to truly believe in yourself and take opportunities to show your talent.
Find a mentor who believes in you and wants you to be successful.
And lastly, put a plan together. Get more training sessions in; find teams to play with. Make a list of tryouts that you would like to attend. Write down your dream and put it somewhere you can see it every day.
