{"id":668,"date":"2026-06-19T10:41:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T10:41:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=668"},"modified":"2026-06-19T10:41:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T10:41:25","slug":"bi-athletes-corner-konas-koa-kreps-is-living-the-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=668","title":{"rendered":"BI athlete\u2019s corner: Kona\u2019s Koa Kreps is living the dream"},"content":{"rendered":"
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KAILUA-KONA \u2014 Right now, millions of people around the world are glued to their screens watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup unfold across the United States, Mexico and Canada. The electricity around soccer is about as high as it gets.<\/p>\n

Read more Commission approves permit for renovation of Kona Seaside Shops<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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KAILUA-KONA \u2014 Right now, millions of people around the world are glued to their screens watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup unfold across the United States, Mexico and Canada. The electricity around soccer is about as high as it gets.<\/p>\n

For most kids, watching these matches are pure fantasy fuel and a chance to imagine what it might feel like to one day play at that level. But for one West Hawaii soccer athlete, the dream isn\u2019t just a fantasy anymore.<\/p>\n

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Koa Kreps, a 14-year-old from Kailua-Kona, signed a multi-year contract in 2025 with the San Diego FC (Football Club) Right to Dream Academy, one of the most respected youth development programs connected to Major League Soccer (MLS). For those of us who\u2019ve watched Koa grow up around the pitch, know his family, seen him put in the work year after year, the news felt a little surreal.<\/p>\n

Koa\u2019s journey started where a lot of local kids start, right on the soccer fields at Pualani Park and the Old Airport. He began at a young age with the Kona Crush Academy until two years ago, when Kona Crush became part of the City SC (Soccer Club) network and rebranded as City SC Hawaii. That affiliation turned out to be a game changer as it opened doors that simply didn\u2019t exist before for players coming up through a West Hawaii soccer club.<\/p>\n

Through City SC\u2019s MLS NEXT program, Koa got the opportunity to travel to Carlsbad and train with City SC San Diego. By all accounts it was a humbling, eye-opening experience with the speed of play, the competition level, and the daily grind of training in a professional environment. But Koa held his own, got noticed by the right people, and eventually found his way into conversations with the San Diego FC Right to Dream Academy. He officially signed with the program in 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m feeling super excited,\u201d Koa said in a prior interview. \u201cWhen I first found out, I thought it was a dream. I worked so hard for this opportunity that I couldn\u2019t believe it finally came true.\u201d<\/p>\n

Koa couldn\u2019t remember how old he was when he first began playing soccer but instinctively knew it was the sport for him. He immediately fell in love with it.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI like the fast pace of the game and how quick it is,\u201d Koa said of playing soccer. \u201cBut the aspect of the game I enjoy most is finding space in the mid-field and playing through the thirds. This means playing through the defense, the mid-field and the forward. When I\u2019m playing, I have to see everything. I\u2019m always checking my shoulder to see what space I\u2019m in so that I can see all of the field, know where the defenders are, and see if there are opportunities to score.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thomas Croke, the director of coaching of City SC Hawaii, has watched Koa\u2019s journey unfold and understands what it means for a local kid living on the Big Island with limited opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been a part of the City SC group for the past two years, and it\u2019s been fantastic for us,\u201d Croke said in an interview with City SC San Diego. \u201cWe\u2019re a club that\u2019s isolated in the middle of the Pacific, and being part of the City SC Network has given our players a great opportunity to compete at a higher level. They\u2019ve experienced MLS NEXT, ECNL (Elite Club National League), and Girls Academy environments, and we\u2019ve had some tremendous success within our own club. He\u2019s really put City SC Hawaii on the map and shown what\u2019s possible for an academy system developing players from our island.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, while the whole world is watching Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo light up stadiums this summer, there\u2019s a Big Island kid who is quietly building toward something real of his own. The World Cup has a way of reminding us why soccer matters: the passion, the possibility, the idea that greatness can come from anywhere.<\/p>\n

Koa Kreps is proof that \u201canywhere\u201d includes Kona, Hawaii. The Kreps family, including his dad Ryan, mom Rose, and sisters Hana and Makale\u2018a, have put in the early mornings and the long drives to and from practices, training sessions, and games for years, and now the road ahead leads somewhere a whole lot further.<\/p>\n

When asked what he feels thankful for and advice he would give to other kids with similar dreams, Koa didn\u2019t hesitate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thank my family who helped to make my dream possible. And advice I would give to others is, keep dreaming and keep pushing.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Read more Ocean View man pleads not guilty in death of pedestrian<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BI athlete\u2019s corner: Kona\u2019s Koa Kreps is living the dream – Sports | Hawaii Tribune-Herald<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":667,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nBI athlete\u2019s corner: Kona\u2019s Koa Kreps is living the dream - Moving to Hawaii Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=668\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BI athlete\u2019s corner: Kona\u2019s Koa Kreps is living the dream - Moving to Hawaii Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"BI athlete\u2019s corner: Kona\u2019s Koa Kreps is living the dream - 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