Courtesy of Ryan Fan

After transferring from North Vancouver FC, Fan joined the De Anza Force MLS Next team as a future player, which allows him to play for both SHS and De Anza Force.

Last year, junior Ryan Fan, an elite-level youth soccer player, learned he would be moving from Vancouver, Canada, to Saratoga due to his dad’s work. 

Fan had been playing with North Vancouver FC, and he wanted to continue at a high level. In December, he tried out for — and eventually made — the De Anza Force 2009 MLS Next team.

MLS Next, the highest division of youth club soccer in the country, typically bars students from playing concurrently on their high school team to avoid conflicts with school commitments and injury risks and to maintain a “singular development pathway.” 

Fan, however, signed a contract to be a “future player,” which allows him to participate in outside soccer leagues, including high school teams, while simultaneously playing for MLS Next, at the cost of missing three games during the regular MLS Next season.

Although soccer has been a key part of his life, recurring ankle issues forced Fan to stop playing for the first half of 2024, one of his biggest obstacles throughout his experience. Still, he continued to work through his injuries and discovered new aspects of himself.

“My proudest moment was playing through injuries, persevering through pain. [After not playing] for around half a year, I had to find my identity outside of soccer,” Fan said.

While the move to Saratoga has been mostly smooth, he has noticed an increased emphasis on academics, especially due to entering junior year. He attributes an easy transition to the school to junior Landon Pham, one of his teammates on De Anza Force.

“Having Ryan join our team was really helpful for me because it was the first time that someone from the school was on the same team as me,” Pham said. “It gave me someone that had a lot in common with me. We can support each other since we’re going through similar difficulties with balancing school and soccer at the same time.”

A club team can often place high pressure on players between hours of practice and recruiting. After a strong 2024-25 season, winning against multiple academy teams such as FC Dallas and Seattle Sounders, the De Anza Force 2009 team is projected to place high this year in league and other competitions, expectations that can cause pressure. 

However, Fan remains excited to play for both teams, especially in the lower-stakes SHS team, where he will play as a winger this winter and is expected to be one of the team’s star players.

“I’m looking forward to adding an attacking threat, and I’m looking forward to the memories we’re going to make,” Fan said.