There’s no one like mom. For developing athletes, especially, a mother’s love and support can mean all the difference in success on and off the field.  So in honor of Mother’s Day, we caught up with a few MLS moms—current players, and one legend—to hear about their early days together in soccer. Here’s what they had to say.

Landon Donovan, retired from LA Galaxy and USMNT

Photo courtesy of the LA Galaxy

“As I look back over Landon's soccer career, it all seems like a dream. At the age of two, he was kicking a soccer ball around our backyard with his big brother, Josh. I remember a precocious youngster, who, at the age of five, played on an AYSO team of six-, seven-, and eight-year-olds and scored seven goals in their first game!  

Fast-forward a few years to a middle- and high-school student who carried a soccer ball to school every day and dribbled it between classes. He played on club teams, and on the high-school team every year. And then the astonishing phone call from the Olympic Development Program: He had made the U17 national team!  

I remember watching awe-inspiring tournaments in New Zealand, Jamaica, and the wonderful Australian Olympics in 2000, where the USA team attained fourth place. My family and I sat and cheered for him at three World Cup performances with the USMNT.  

We traveled to San Jose to watch the Earthquakes win the MLS Cup twice, and to Los Angeles, where the Galaxy would be the first MLS team ever to win five championships. Friends and family watched proudly and tearfully during Landon's retirement game.  

However, with all his accomplishments, I have never been more proud of my son than when he signed autographs for hours on end for fans; helped sick children see their wishes come true; and coached soccer at a camp for the children with disabilities. And my proudest moment ever was when he announced that being cut from his fourth World Cup team turned out to be his best learning experience ever.

My heart is so full this Mother's Day! I am the blessed mother of three fantastic, empathetic, caring, and honest human beings who are all great parents, siblings, friends, spouses, sons, and daughters!  I am an extremely lucky and very thankful mom.” – Donna Kenney-Cash

Servando Carrasco, Orlando City SC

Photo courtesy of Servando Carrasco

Gloria Carrasco almost literally moved heaven and earth to make sure her son was able to follow his sporting dream, making the almost daily drive from Tijuana, Mexico, to school in north San Diego to ensure young Servando had a chance to thrive in the SoCal soccer scene.

When it became clear Carrasco was a real prospect, Gloria moved the family to North Park, San Diego. It all worked out beautifully, as Carrasco graduated from St. Augustine High School to earn a scholarship at University of California, Berkeley, and become a standout for the Golden Bears before being drafted in the second round in 2011 by Seattle.

“Servando had a passion for soccer, so I just said, ‘You know, let’s go for it.’ I was ready to do whatever I could to help, and that’s what we did. You have to sacrifice something to follow your dreams, and it was our way of life.

He would do his homework in the car each day, and he was always very wise for his age. He was a good student and knew it could take him a long way.

My favorite moment with him was in college when they won the Pac 10 title [against Stanford] in 2010. That was an unbelievable day, very emotional. They had a beautiful team and I cared a lot about them. The coach was our friend and he has stayed that way ever since.” – Gloria Carrasco

Read more about Servando and Gloria’s special bond here.

Maurice Edu, Philadelphia Union

Photo courtesy of Maurice Edu

Maurice Edu has played in the World Cup (representing the US), the English Premier League, and the Scottish Premier League. He won MLS Rookie of the Year with Toronto FC in 2007, and now is the captain of the Philadelphia Union in his second MLS stint.

But long before all his professional success, he was just a little kid, playing soccer in an oversized jersey against kids well older than him, trying his best to hold back tears after any loss.

“Since he was little, Maurice has always loved soccer, and always taken it very seriously. I remember how upset and hurt he would be when he lost games and would take it personally. I tried to console him once, reminding him, ‘Mo, it's okay, it's just a game.’ Those words definitely fell on deaf ears. He would always find ways to turn losses or setbacks into success. That was him – very competitive and very driven.

l remember his first years of club soccer, he was playing two years up and was the smallest on his team. His jersey was always too big for him, and when he ran it was like a balloon with the air filling it. All of the boys were way bigger than him but trying to convince Maurice to play his age was a struggle to say the least. He loved the challenge.  

Maurice always wanted to be the best at everything and would turn any game or activity into a competition. If someone beat him, he wanted a rematch to prove he was better.

I remember when he was 10 or so and his team, Cal-Heat, lost in the finals of State Cup to the Nomads. It meant so much to him and he couldn't help but cry. Of course he wanted a rematch and fortunately for him, both teams that year were invited to the Regional Championship tournament. Mo's team would go on to win regionals and beat the Nomads along the way. The smile on his face after the final whistle said it all.” – Molly Edu

Khiry Shelton, NYCFC

Image courtesy of Khiry Shelton

“In 2004 the decision to move Khiry and his younger brother Kyler to Colorado Storm Club in Denver was a big one.  We felt it was what he needed to grow as a player, but the sacrifices would be big.

We drove from Colorado Springs to Denver three to four times (approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes one way) a week for practices, games or team meetings. The boys got good at doing homework in the car, and boy, did we eat our share of McDonalds.

The best memories are of jamming out to a song and all doing the same seat dance, making the car rock, and taking the back roads. If we were going fast enough, they were hilly enough that it felt like a roller coaster.

The laughs and the smiles…. The hours were many, but every minute was worth it.  I am blessed that Khiry and Kyler call me Mom!” – Jennifer Shelton

Chris Seitz, FC Dallas

For FC Dallas goalkeeper Chris Seitz, his mother sacrificed hours upon hours at a time in the car to make sure her son could pursue his talents and dreams.

When Seitz was growing up and playing on club teams, Sharon Seitz would leave work early and get Chris out of school a few minutes early so they could beat the California traffic and embark on a two-and-a-half-hour drive to and from training. On Fridays, they’d drive even further for his weekend games.

Sharon said the two would get home around 11:00 or 11:30 pm on Thursday nights then get up and go to school and work the next morning, but wouldn’t trade those memories of driving in the car with Chris for the anything.

For that matter, neither would Chris, who vividly remembers working on homework during the rides and stopping at Taco Bell every Thursday to order Mexican pizza.

“My mom probably made the biggest sacrifice for my career out of anyone,” Chris says. “She was there for everything. She dedicated that time to me.”

"We have a lot of good memories traveling together," Sharon says. "You have to talk to each other when in the car that much."

Ethan Finlay, Columbus Crew SC

Columbus Crew SC winger Ethan Finlay's mom Julie has known her son could be a special soccer player since an early age. She particularly remembers one afternoon when she was working while her husband, Brent, coached Ethan's older brother Jared. Brent didn't have enough players, so he used three-year-old Ethan as a sub.

"After the game, everyone came over to my restaurant to have lunch and all the other parents were like, 'Your son did so good,'" Julie said. "Of course I'm assuming they're talking about Jared. But they were going on and on about Ethan and how a three-year-old was competing with a bunch of seven-year-olds."

The Finlays have come a long way since then, and Julie can still barely believe her son is now a USMNT player and MLS All-Star.

"We were in LA when Ethan got in at the end of that game, and got the chance to have an assist with the national team," she says. "My husband and I just looked at each other like, 'Did that just happen?' And being at the Cup in December was just an unbelievable experience."

Mikey Lopez, NYCFC

When NYCFC midfielder Mikey Lopez thinks about his mother Martha, he remembers the support and especially the sacrifices she made to allow him to pursue his soccer dream.

There was the time when Mikey and his younger brother, Andy, were going to attend a boarding school in Austin, and Martha made sure the family stayed together despite the challenges. “They moved to Austin, still working back home in Mission, Texas, which is five hours away,” Lopez says. “My mom would stay and my dad would go back home and work, and whenever he’d be done with work, he’d come back and all of us would be together.”

Martha, though, would do it all again because watching Mikey play soccer, and live his dream, was well worth it. Here’s her message to him:

“It has been a wonderful thing watching you grow as a kid into a young man and seeing how you’re becoming a great player. I admire you so much because you have shown us that you hare a strong and very mature person. You playing soccer all these years have given us a lot of joy, happiness and laughter.

It has been a great journey all through your life, and we have learned together so many things and met so many nice people, too. That’s why we enjoy watching you play all the time. I thank God for giving you as my son. I love you so much!” – Martha Lopez

Matt Besler, Sporting KC

“I’m trained as a dietician, so I felt like one of my little ‘mom’ roles was just making sure – all three of my boys played sports – so just making sure they had an adequate pre- and postgame meal, making sure they were hydrated with the right stuff. So I was in charge of making sure we ate at a good restaurant, making sure Matt had the best choice on the menu for him.

“There was one tournament we went to where there were very few moms on the trip. It was kind of a ‘dads’ trip.’ So they were in charge, and they were going to decide where everybody was going to eat dinner. And so they put their heads together and decided we were going to go to Buffalo Wild Wings.

“I was like, ‘Oh, boy.’ I didn’t say a word, went along with it. And this group of boys on this club team of Matt’s were very competitive, so they got into this wing-eating contest. I can’t remember what the winning amount was. It was absurd. I was like, ‘Oh, my God, this is going to be a disaster,’ and it was. They were sick. The next day, they played terrible. I was like, ‘OK, from now on, no dads are in charge of deciding where we’re going to go eat. That’s kind of what the moms need to be doing, and this is why.’ We laugh about that now. One of the kids was sick on the way out of the restaurant.” – Diane Besler

Chris Wondolowski, San Jose Earthquakes

Reporting by Dylan Butler, Andrew King, Scott Sidway, Simon Veness, Phil West, Dave Zeitlinand Steve Brisendine.