About MLR FC
Develop. Compete. Inspire. A youth soccer club founded in Las Cruces in 2024, with four teams this season, all coached the same way.
Our mission
Our mission is to create a competitive development environment where young players are coached with purpose, challenged with high standards, and supported in their long-term growth. We focus on building confident, disciplined, and resilient players who understand the value of teamwork, accountability, and consistent effort. Through quality coaching and strong competition, we aim to help each player improve now while preparing for what comes next in the game and beyond.
The club today
- Founded
- 2024, Las Cruces, New Mexico
- Practices
- Las Cruces
- Games
- Las Cruces and El Paso
- Teams
- Boys U14, Girls U12, Girls U14, and U5
- Also offered
- Private training, camps, and tryouts
What we promise
- Development
- We invest in every player’s technical and tactical growth, with structured training that builds lifelong skills.
- Community
- Soccer connects families and neighborhoods. We build a club culture rooted in belonging and mutual support.
- Competition
- We prepare players to compete at the right level for their age, building resilience and drive.
How MLR started
MLR FC started with three friends who came together through soccer and wanted to create opportunities for kids in our community to play, compete, and grow.
As time went on, life, responsibilities, and different paths naturally changed how each person was involved. But the roots of the club still matter. MLR was built from relationships, from people helping one another, and from being part of a soccer community that is bigger than any one person.
As the club grows into something more organized and established, we want to carry that history forward while giving MLR a meaning that every player, coach, and family can be part of.
What MLR means
Three words every player, coach, and family can be part of.
- M
Mindset
How we approach challenges matters. We want players who are willing to learn, work, compete, respond to adversity, and keep improving.
- L
Leadership
Leadership is not just being the loudest player or wearing a captain’s armband. It means taking responsibility, setting an example, communicating, helping teammates, and doing the right thing when nobody has to remind you.
- R
Respect
Respect for the people on the field and around it, and for the game itself: teammates and coaches, opponents and referees, families and the fields we play on. On and off the field, we hold our players and coaches to high standards of sportsmanship and integrity. You can compete hard and still treat everyone well. We expect both.
Who coaches your player
Ricardo Zacarias, head coach
Ricardo Zacarias is a Las Cruces native with playing experience in both Mexico and the United States. His playing career began through Sueño Alianza and led to opportunities in Club América’s system, followed by time with clubs in Mexico including Club América Premier, Irapuato, Coras de Nayarit, and La Piedad. He later continued his career in the U.S. with Chattanooga Red Wolves SC and El Paso Locomotive FC. Ricardo now brings that experience into coaching, helping young players develop their technical ability, confidence, discipline, and understanding of the game.
Be part of it
Tell us about your player, or get in touch if you’d rather talk first.
Or call 575.567.9800 or email info@mlrsoccer.com.