Ibra Piracha currently plays professionally for Louisville City, while also playing for DuPont Manual high school. He’s been with Skillability for several years, and in this conversation, he tells us how SST helped him forge a successful soccer career, even at the age of 17.

“SST feels like a family every time. You can count on them to talk if you need something, and they help you power through with constant feedback and encouragement while you’re training. Whether it’s twice a month, once a month, or six times a month, I get value every time.”

Can you share your soccer journey?

I started off playing tennis and football because my dad was a big tennis player. He put me into soccer because he thought it would help with my footwork and coordination, so I played all three of those sports until I was 7 or 8. But I really loved soccer and it was my biggest passion…all I thought about, all I did, so I decided to take it more seriously.

I started my first club with Mockingbird Valley around age 7 or 8, then a coach from Kentucky Fire Juniors suggested I play club, so I played a year up. I played in an Ohio Elite team for two years…then one match, we played against Javanon, and I loved their play style, so I joined and stayed for 3-4 years and enjoyed every minute of it. I was coached by Coach Thuto, and we improved a lot…I think everyone on that team appreciates Thuto and what he did for us. Everyone wanted to reach the next level because of the situation he put us in — we were playing against teams at the highest level in America, and we had to prepare based on that. We weren’t the biggest club, and we made it work, and he always made sure to find a way that we continued to improve.

I went to Louisville City after 2020, and I’ve been in the club for three seasons, so I’m going into my fourth season. I joined the USL Academy team for about two years — so I’ve been consistent with that and we made it to the Final Four this year. Now it’s high school! We have USL training on top of high school, and I wanted to make USL my top priority. The first team coach asked for a player one day, and the coaches saw my commitment and basically said, “Let’s give Ibra a chance.” The next day I trained with the pro team, and then the coach told me to play in the next friendly. 

I was…stoked, so happy, so blessed. It built a fire in me to keep playing, keep going…the day of the game came and I was waiting on the bench, warming up, and eventually Coach called my name, and I made my debut. What a surreal experience. It was incredible to see the hard work pay off, and also gave me momentum to keep going.

How did you get started with SST?

Thuto had this car, and he didn’t talk much to us about Skillability, but this car had a bunch of training equipment in it, and it had a logo somewhere on it. I knew I wanted an extra edge over the competition. So, I asked him for more information, and I got started. I was probably 12 or 13, and went to my first Open Gym there, and it was the most intense training I’ve ever been a part of, but it was purposeful, and I saw it translate onto the field. I knew I wanted to be a part of this, and that it would help me on my path to going pro. I saw myself get quicker, more comfortable on the field, my soccer acumen improved…so I thought, how could I let this go? I really think it shaped me to be the player I am today, and it still does.

Why SST?

SST feels like a family every time you’re there. You can count on them to talk if you need something, they help you power through with constant feedback and encouragement while you’re training. Whether it’s twice a month, once a month, or six times a month, I get value every time.

I’m not a fan of running, but I do it, because I need to. Whenever I go to Skillability, I’m actually looking forward to it because I know they have a method, I know it works, and I know I’ll have fun when I’m there. 

I’ve done 1:1 training, with several different coaches, and I’m still doing it whenever I can. 

What makes the SST mission and training unique in your opinion?

I think it’s really great how they’re not doing it for themselves — they want to make the level of competition in America higher, and they want the players here to be as competitive. 

They work on things that some may say are not conventional, but they translate to the field so well, and it’s always all about the player. They look at your position, your height, your build, and what they see in you…so it’s all personalized and all about improvement for you, not about what they might get out of it. It’s also not just about soccer skills…it's about the mentality and the wisdom they build in you, so you know what to do on the field and why you’re doing it. 

What piece of SST training do you still think about most often?

What stands out in my mind is their symbol — the lion. It’s about working harder than the next person, and a constant striving to be better. SST builds players’ confidence, no matter what happens, believe in your own abilities, because if you have the talent and put in the work, if you don’t have the confidence to show it, then nothing matters and you won’t go further…I remember being taught to take risks, go for it, and be yourself on the pitch. 

What position do you play? Did you always play that? 

I currently play striker/attacking mid. I’ve played all over the place, but most of my soccer career has been in those roles. Because I’d played for Thuto, he knew my strengths and my weaknesses, he felt I had good vision and good passing, but also a high soccer IQ. But I wasn’t always very fast or athletic, so I had to play smart. As I grew into my body, I started to get more offensive and more into the striker position, but it wouldn’t have mattered, because SST trained me for both positions, and now I rotate mid and striker often, so it helped be able to successfully play both positions interchangeably.

Favorite snack before a match?

Whatever my mom makes! She cooks a lot, so I like to eat that. Maybe a banana right before, but definitely Mom’s food.

What’s your advice to young players at SST?

There are always going to be ups and downs in soccer, and setbacks you can’t control. It’s about how you deal with them, and use them to shape you into a better player, as motivation, and use it to get you where you want to be. You have control over your path and however good you want to be and how far you want to go. 

In a perfect world, what’s the role soccer plays in your life 20 years from now?

Hopefully I’ll still be playing if my body allows me to. A long career like Messi is a goal, so we’ll see!