After playing competitive college, semi-professional and professional soccer, former St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ national soccer star Desmond ‘Des” Victor Morris says he “succumbed to the next best ‘substitute’”, coaching soccer, known also as football in the rest of the world.
“It was an easy segue due to the fact that it was easy for me to use the same life lessons learned in soccer, which I applied to coaching,” Morris, who represented the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Youth and National Soccer teams from 1977-81, told Caribbean Life exclusively. “I took the same approach to coaching as I did with soccer.
“First off, I wanted to be the best that I could be at coaching,” added Morris, a Connecticut resident, who also captained Team SVG (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) to three Caribbean Cup Championships in Brooklyn from 1993-1995.
“Subsequently, I went out to seek as much knowledge, theoretical and practical experience that I could get,” he continued. “As a result, I learned from the best – from coaches, such as Alf Galustian, Charlie Cooke/Coerver Coaches, Jan Pruijn and Prof. Julio Massei.”
Due to his “boundless passion” Morris – who represented St. Vincent and the Grenadines in World Cup Third Round qualifiers versus Mexico, Costa Rica and Honduras from 1993-1994 – said he spent hundreds of hours training, learning and actually being mentored.
“Basically, I coach due to the fact that I want to impact young lives and help them to use soccer to improve their lives,” he said. “I do this through the advanced knowledge that I have accrued.”
Based on his experience, Morris said he has developed a curriculum, “which is very unique,” called “Touchmasters Soccer Training System” (TSTS).
Over the years, Morris said this system has helped over 180 students to get National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 scholarships and several players into the Major League Soccer (MLS).
Most recently, Morris said he became a scout for New York City Football Club (NYCFC).
Additionally, he is a soccer consultant, counseling, mentoring, training and evaluating young players, 16-19 years.
“I help these players to navigate their careers,” Morris said. “If it is professional soccer, I can help them to go to Europe, where there are more opportunities. If it is college, then I help them to navigate which schools are appropriate, based on their soccer and academic level.”
He said he continues to coach because he impacts lives and helps young people to realize their dreams.
“It is exhilarating, refreshing, inspiring to see young players ‘get it’, meaning, they have a solid foundation of the 131 technical foundational skills they need to master, in addition to the physical, tactical and mental components where they need to excel,” he said.
In addition, Morris said he continues to coach because “it is healthy and has great physical rewards.”
He said his mission is to help Caribbean players by offering “pathways”, which include educational and soccer opportunities – professional or college.
Morris said he also continues to coach “to realize a dream of helping my country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to get to the next World Cup 2026 USA.”
Currently, he is a scout for the MLS team NYCFC.
He coaches at Kennedy Catholic High School in Somers, NY and conducts “high-end private coaching lessons all over the US.” He has also worked for the LA Galaxy.
Morris said he has “a relationship” with Arnstadt Academy in Germany, where he evaluates global soccer talent and provides a pipeline into this academy.
At this academy, he said players are trained, evaluated and have access to tryouts with professional German teams.
Among the players who Morris said he most recently impacted are: One player from Guatemalan National Team, three players to Arnstadt Academy, and an unidentified player “who just scored the goal in the MLS semi-final, plays Columbus Crew.”
Morris said some of the colleges his students have attended include: Renson Haynes, Central Connecticut State University, Brooke Knowlton, Boston College, Hannah Cerrone Boston College, Brown University, University of Santa Barbara California, Maryland University, Duke, Davidson and Wilmington,
He said one of his best students, identified only as “MD”, coaches at NYCFC. He coached MD for 10 years.
“All of this knowledge, wisdom, network of coaches, TD’s including FC Barcelona and personal contacts with over 10 MLS, 2 EPL coaches, is what I bring to any national team or football organization,” Morris said.
Morris – the founder of the Volley King and co-founder of Super Stars in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, with Eddie Robinson – holds a Bachelor of Science degree, with a major in physical education and Spanish, from Davis and Elkins College.
He has also obtained the National “A” License in coaching from the United States Soccer Federation.
Morris is multi-lingual, with native fluency in Spanish and English, as well as conversational skills in French.
His education has enabled him to create the Touchmaster System, a technique he uses in his coaching curriculum.
Morris said the majority of his career has been spent coaching both in the United States and the Caribbean.
He said his coaching success stems from a notable athletic career. As captain of Team St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Brooklyn-based Caribbean Soccer Cup, Morris said he obtained three championships, made the Lanzera All Star Team and competed in the Caribbean-American Cup Tournament.
He is one of three brothers who played for the St. Vincent and the Grenadines National Soccer Team of 1979; the others are Stanley “Luxie”, currently a St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sports Ambassador, and Alexander “Pete” Morris.
Morris said the brothers have coached, led camps and trained thousands of young men and women in soccer over the last 30 years.
He said he has led numerous teams to championships and mentored over 50 students to receive full scholarships to Division One schools.
During his time as an educator, Morris said he helped to formulate a physical education program at Stanwich School in Greenwich, CT.
While much of his time is spent coaching on the soccer field, Morris said he always leaves room to give back to his local community and overseas.
As a Good Will Ambassador, Morris said he conducts coaching clinics in places, such as St. Vincent and the Grenadines, to crowds of over 8,000 students. He also provides these children with computers, soccer gear, clothing, toys, among other things.
Morris said Touchmasters International has conducted 20 giveaways since 2003.
He said he has used his unique and successful coaching style, international experience, knowledge of soccer and teaching skills to create the Volley King, a product line aimed at improving an individual’s kicking technique, as well as enhancing their goal scoring.
As a poet, as well, one of his several pieces includes “Dear Dad,” written on Dec. 6, 2001. It reads, in part: “Dear Dad, I miss you so bad/ Sometimes it really makes me sad/Dear Dad, the things you taught me/I never had/Makes me glad/
“Dear Dad, the memories of you/Your spirit lives thru/Josyl, Denzie, Brianna, they love you/Dear Dad, Pete, Des and Luxy too/We love you/Syl, Stacy, Sonia, Sherry and Mommy/We do/Dear Dad, we will never forget you,” it adds.
Morris said among his short-term goals are to: Coordinate international football showcase; conduct another Football Giveaway in SVG; Develop Touchmasters International Academy; and identify young talented female and male footballers for “the next level” by helping players from the Caribbean to get soccer scholarships.
His long-term goals include: Starting a semi- pro soccer club in the Caribbean; coaching a Caribbean National Team for qualification in the next World Cup; coordinating the organization of an all-island Youth League in SVG; promote the Volley King line of products; help to improve SVG’s ranking by lifting the standard of excellence; introducing competition between US and Caribbean club teams; and emulating Jamaica and exposing SVG players to NCAA Division I and II colleges by “creating a better pathway and assimilation into college life through tutoring.”
Watch Touchmasters Football Clinics on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PxFDcQXcTl0?si=W_6EXl1JF3XSf9G0; and: https://youtu.be/UvzF3zNoPaQ?si=_2KH4KJekmefeAp5
Morris can be reached at (203) 496-9904.
