Kohtaro trains with two U.S. pro clubs, chases pro dream

A boy from a small island has big dreams of playing professional soccer in the U.S. and he is now one step closer as Saipan’s Kohtaro Goto, captain of the 2025 U23 NMI National Team, recently had the opportunity to train with not one, but two professional soccer clubs in California.

Currently a 21-year-old senior at Soka University of America in California, where he has studied since graduating high school in 2022, Goto has dreamed of playing professional soccer since he was a child.

“Being able to play at the collegiate level coming from NMI was big and a huge step for me to grow not just athletically but academically as well,” the Marianas High School alumni said.

After honing his skills at home in Saipan—playing for local clubs and national teams—Goto built years of experience competing in AFC and EAFF matches. With graduation this May, he has stepped up his pursuit of a professional contract.

In January, he participated in trials with Orange County SC, which competes in the USL Championship. Just last week, he was invited to train and try out for Ventura County FC—formerly LA Galaxy II—at the MLS Next Pro level for a full week.

His head coach at Soka University, Shawn Beyer, who works with Orange County, helped connect him with the club for his first trial. “For my first trial experience, I was very nervous because you just see a whole bunch of players warming up—different ages, different levels—so it was nerve-wracking,” he said. “But once I got to really play my first game and get into it, it was just more fun.”

For the one-week trial with Ventura County FC, his assistant coach Alex Zotinca helped him secure the opportunity. That environment, he said, was completely different from anything he had experienced before. “The coaches were high level. They were always trying to get us to be sharp and really just be the best we can be,” he said. “I enjoyed it a lot.”

Training with both teams, he said, was a great experience. “Especially coming from Saipan, there’s no one that really talks about going to play professionally in the U.S.,” he said. “So for myself, that was already an accomplishment—just to go on trial with these clubs. For them to have me was a great opportunity to showcase what Saipan is made of and the athletes from there. To be able to represent Saipan in front of LA Galaxy was a great experience.”

As for his plans after graduation, he hopes to land a professional contract and said he is open to playing professionally anywhere. He has been emailing clubs in the U.S. and working with NMI head coach Atsushi Hanita to market himself to teams in countries such as Japan and the Philippines. The next few months, he said, will focus on securing a contract—potentially training in Japan this summer.

If a playing contract doesn’t come right away, he said he would like to get into coaching. He already has experience coaching the NMI Junior National Academy and the U17 National Team.

For the youth back home, his message is simple: “Work hard, believe in yourself, work on your craft. Don’t rely on just training with your team—put in the extra work by yourself or get some touches in with your friends. If anything, I’m always happy to help players who want to get to the next level. They can always reach out to me.”