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Nick Taitague’s soccer career seemed so promising.
The Virginia native – a U.S. youth national team member at the U-15 through 20 levels, and who scored 12 goals in 15 matches with the U-18 side – was one of the top young American players in Germany. Playing alongside Weston McKennie and Haji Wright, he turned heads with his performances on Schalke 04’s U-19 squad.
But after promotion to the first team before the 2020-21 Bundesliga season, he suffered a back injury. That led to other issues, including a torn hamstring and plantar fasciitis.
In May of 2021, Taitague announced his retirement from pro soccer. He was 22 years old. After chasing the professional dream since he was a child, he had no idea what to do next.
But he did know about sports agents. He signed with Centre Circle as a 15-year-old. They’d managed his career since then, through good times and tough ones. He liked the impact agents could have on players, and realized that he already had relationships with many athletes, in the U.S. and abroad.
His good friend Tyler Adams connected him with Lyle Yorks. The former University of Virginia national champion is global executive chair for YMU Group. Taitague was a great fit.
His job involves far more than signing players to contracts. He navigates their careers, helping them make “the right moves” at each step.
It starts young. American soccer players now sign with an agent as young as 14 years old. They get on his radar by reaching out via social media, text or email. Other times, he finds them by watching academy, youth national team and MLS matches.
But there are many talented players. Taitague spends a ton of time evaluating who — in a vast sea of talented teenagers — has what it takes to be a professional soccer player.
Taitague looks for “difference-makers.” He searches for technical ability (“do they play with their head up?”), consistency and work ethic.
He speaks with them (and their parents), trying to gauge if they have what it takes to weather setbacks they may never have known, like sitting on the bench.
“Fourteen is so young,” Taitague admits. “So much can happen even before they go off to college. You never want to write someone off.”
The process is slow. He encourages young players to focus on their training sessions and matches, not think about what they think an agent might want.
Working with the family — who, like their athlete, is probably in “uncharted waters” —Taitague helps set and organize short-, medium- and long-range goals.
He can prepare young players for trials, and youth national team experience. “I’ve been there,” he notes. He also offers two things often in short supply in sports: “empathy and patience.”
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The question of college comes up often. Taitague — who signed with Schalke soon after his 18th birthday — is a proponent of that option. MLS players like Jordan Morris and Cristian Roldan had successful college soccer careers. Georgetown University is down the street from YMU’s Washington office. Taitague watches many games, and knows that each year, they send players to the pros.
In fact, he says, some select college programs can actually prepare players for MLS just as well as MLS Next Pro, especially when it comes to maturity and overall growth: “The structure, the environment, and even the academics play a big role. Choosing the right pathway depends on the players’ stage of development and their current club situation. It’s always case by case. It’s something we speak about a lot with players and their families.”
Determining which players to represent is an art, not a science. Taitague does not rely on high-tech tools. “I trust my eyes,” he says. He watches a player in a variety of matches: against a top opponent, one in the middle of the standings, and “especially” a weak one. He wants to know: Can a player maintain a professional attitude even when not challenged?
He also spends time studying leagues and markets. It’s important to understand not just a player’s perceived value, but what they’re being paid and traded for. If an MLS team needs a center back, Taitague must understand the club’s playing style, what they can pay with a salary cap, and what the playing and contract expectations are of a player he represents.
It helps to have a good network, and strong communication skills. Integrity is important too. Relationships with players and clubs take a long time to develop. But they can be broken easily.
How has Taitague learned his craft? The same way a soccer player improves: “By making mistakes!” Among them: pitching players to clubs who don’t match the profile needed.
“I study. I look at the transactions and the data closely. I educate myself,” the agent explains. A professional soccer player’s career is short. It can end at 22, as Nick Taitague brutally learned. “They deserve the best representation,” he says.
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