Mark Franek had the law degree, the firm, and the long hours that come with all of it.
What he didn’t have was the work that mattered most, so he went back to the classroom, writes Matt Breen for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Today Franek teaches at YSC Academy, the Chester-based high school built for elite boys’ soccer players and closely tied to the Philadelphia Union’s development pipeline.
A former Penn Charter teacher and soccer coach, he had traded education for law years earlier, only to find the profession pulling him from his calling.
A chance visit to YSC in 2022 changed everything.
There he reconnected with Nooha Ahmed-Lee, a former Penn Charter administrator now serving as YSC’s Head of School, and found his way back to teaching.
His students may well be the future of American soccer.
Among them is Cavan Sullivan, the 16-year-old Union standout who already has a deal to join Manchester City when he turns 18.
Sullivan turned out to be a tough critic.
He objected to the bleak readings Franek had assigned on U.S. soccer history, including books questioning whether America could ever win a World Cup.
The pushback made Franek rethink the material, and Ahmed-Lee challenged him to build a more engaging course.
When Franek came up empty looking for the right book, he decided to write one himself.
His nearly 300-page American Soccer Nation, published this year with a foreword by Sullivan, is now part of the YSC curriculum.
“I have the best job in the world,” said Franek. “I get to teach young men in small classes who are living the dream.”
The academy has produced World Cup talent including Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty, and Brenden Aaronson.
Read the full story in The Philadelphia Inquirer to discover how a chance visit to YSC Academy turned into a book, a curriculum, and a second act in teaching.
_______
