About Soccer Guides
An honest, neutral partner for players and parents
Soccer Guides is different.
We don't own a club. We don't run a training program. We don't have a long term financial stake in your player's success. Our only product is honest guidance, and our only client is you.
Think of us less like a coach or a scout, and more like an independent advisor for your player's soccer path — someone whose job is to look at the whole board, tell you the truth about your options & abilities and help you make the call that's right for your family.
Sometimes that means a player assessment or a club switch, an ID camp locally or a trip to Spain. Sometimes it means staying put, focusing on an aspect of your game, and revisiting in a year.
Why Soccer Guides
We're for families asking these questions: Where is our player actually headed, where can they improve, and what does it take to get there? If you're ready for a real assessment of their ability and considering what's next, we'd love to connect.
A decade of direct relationships with clubs and academies in Spain, Germany, Italy, Mexico and more — not as agents, not as promoters, but as trusted partners. When your player is ready for an international opportunity, we're the guide.
Navigating challenging soccer decisions, in-depth assessments, ID camps, gap-year programs, or international experiences. If your player is considering the next opportunity, that's exactly who we're built to serve.
10+ years of domestic and international partnerships
Curious how the process could work for your player?
See How It Works →The team
Guides
Paul Dreisbach
Founder & Lead Guide
Paul has spent a decade building real relationships inside the global game. He founded Petrichor Football Association in Cameroon in 2017 and co-developed La Ligue D'Égalité with LaLiga in Spain.
His network spans clubs in Spain's LaLiga, the German Bundesliga, and Italian Serie A as well as numerous domestic clubs and academies.
A sought after speaker on the global impact of football, he holds a certificate from the Johan Cruyff Institute in Football Business.
In the news
LaLiga expands footprint into South Africa with new girls' football league — ESPN
Revamping Grassroots Soccer In Cameroon — Elixir Sports
Jorge Villafaña
Former pro · coach · Guide
Jorge spent fifteen years as a professional at Chivas USA, LA Galaxy, Santos Laguna (Liga MX title, 2018), Portland Timbers (MLS Cup, 2015) — and earned 21 caps for the U.S. Men's National Team, including the 2017 Gold Cup.
Since retiring from professional football, Jorge was a scout with US Soccer, led the youth academy at Portland's Westside Metros FC and now manages the Portland Bangers in the United Soccer League.
In the news
Portland Bangers introduced to USL soccer — Yahoo Sports
LA Galaxy in talks to acquire Jorge Villafaña from Portland Timbers — ESPN
Jorge Villafaña creates his own luck in a long career that now includes the Galaxy — LA Times
Mariah Fredricks
Former Pro · Coach · European Pathway Guide
Mariah Fredricks won a Division II college national title in 2016 and was named the NCAA Player of the Year and All-American. She then spent four seasons in the WPSL before making the move to Spain — where she played four more seasons at the club level. Four seasons coaching at the collegiate level followed, giving her a deep read on the recruitment landscape and what it takes to compete and develop at that level.
She's now based in Barcelona, where she works directly with 10–12 women playing across countries throughout Europe. She knows which clubs develop players, which leagues are genuine stepping stones, and what it actually takes to build — and sustain — a career abroad.
Lydia Rich
Soccer Parent · Guide
Lydia Rich spent a decade navigating the full architecture of U.S. youth soccer alongside her daughter — from club selection and league structure to recruiting timelines and international opportunities. She knows the NPL, DPL, GA, and ECNL systems not as an observer, but as someone who lived through the decisions.
Her daughter joined her first club team at 10 and signed with her first professional team at 17. The path included training with professional clubs in England and a Spanish academy through Soccer Guides in its early days.
After initially mapping the NCAA Division I route, her daughter chose to turn professional after high school. Lydia now brings that complete picture to Soccer Guides — a decade of real decisions and a hard-earned map of what the system actually looks like from the inside.
Our Advisors
Diego Valeri
Former Pro · Lanús · Portland Timbers
One of the most celebrated players in Portland Timbers history — MLS MVP (2017), league leader in goals and assists, and a decade of top-flight Argentine football before arriving in MLS.
Book a one-on-one consult and get real direction on your player's next step — no agenda, no pressure, just honest guidance.
Talk to a Guide