Soccer players have been going through the paces this week as part of the Yukon Strikers junior development program.

Head coach John MacPhail of the Yukon Soccer Association said this week the association brought in two coaches to assist with the skill development, and to assure young players they’re being taught the same thing as players training Outside.

Having the Edmonton coaches also allows local coaches to see and learn different coaching techniques, he said.

The Strikers program, MacPhail explained, works on the same principal as the advanced hockey program here that guides players through the younger age groups up to the midget level of the Whitehorse Mustangs and beyond.

The 139 players enrolled in the different age groups of soccer program are expected to travel if their team goes on the road, MacPhail said.

He said there were between 50 and 60 participating in this week’s camp.

Having the coaches from Outside also provides a different perspective and valuable input on what they see in terms of the development and potential of individual players, MacPhail said.

And Edmonton coach Eric Munoz knows talent when he sees it, and he sees it here and elsewhere at tournaments attended by Yukon teams.

“I am seeing more players who are excelling to a higher level,” said the 37-year-old Munoz, who works for the FC Edmonton professional soccer team, and is the district soccer coach for Sherwood Park.

As part of his job with FC Edmonton, he works with the up-and-coming 14-, 15- and 16-year-olds, and with those in the older, elite group looking to sign a professional contract.

He also played on Canada’s Under-20 and Under-23 national teams, and was a member of the country’s national beach soccer club for two years.

Munoz points out every country in the world who wants to compete for a spot in the FIFA World Cup must maintain an active beach soccer team.

In the last three to four years, the veteran coach has visited Whitehorse eight to 10 times.

Munoz said developing physical literacy, body movement, is a key component of the training program.

“One of the cool things about the Yukon is that many athletes are diverse in many sports, they’re able to transfer movement from one sport to another,” he said.

“That is positive.”

Munoz said not only is he seeing solid athleticism, but he’s also seeing a corresponding higher IQ for the game of soccer, which he said really is a credit to the soccer Association and MacPhail.

“These players could come in at any time to Edmonton or Vancouver and hold their own as a group, and not just because of one player, but as a group.”

MacPhail said having the coaches from out of town is also an opportunity to shoot the breeze and share observations about what’s happening with soccer in the different communities.

For instance, he said, the Yukon is currently seeing an increasing number of younger players with fewer players in the older age categories.

“But that is the case right across Canada, from what I understand talking to other people.”

He estimates that if you counted all the young soccer players in the Yukon, the number would be somewhere around 1,000.

MacPhail said several teams in the Yukon Striker program are scheduled to travel to national championships in the next couple of months, beginning with the

Under-14 boys and Under-14 girls going to Pit Meadows outside Vancouver for the Labour Day weekend.