NASA/Tophat

Even in an era where soccer clubs are merging left and right, NASA-Tophat’s family tree can be a little hard to follow. One of the Atlanta-areas most dominant clubs, NASA-Tophat’s origins dates back to 1993 with a club called United Quest. Seriously, it just about takes a trail of breadcrumbs to keep it all straight. Founded by Dave Smith, United Quest merged with the youth club Metro North in 2004, adopting the new club name North Atlanta Soccer Club, or NASA as it’s most commonly known. Then in 2015, NASA merged with the successful girl’s program based in Buckhead called Tophat. “That is a quite a challenge especially with this last go-round because both clubs have such tremendous history with winning at a high level and developing national team players,” says Smith. “It’s been kind of a challenge because we want to blend everybody together as one without losing the identity that made those clubs what they were prior to the merger.” The club places a premium on quality coaching, skill development, and individual advancement, taking into account each player’s technical ability and where soccer falls on their personal list of priorities. With more than 5,000 young men and women currently playing in the club, NASA-Tophat has as many of six teams playing in some age groups. Smith says the club is challenged to ensure each child has a positive soccer experience developing their self-confidence, learning how to be a teammate, and “falling in love with the beautiful game.” At the same time, however, Smith believes being competitive and winning are indications of a successful club. Over the years NASA-Tophat has competed for and won championships at the state, regional, and even national levels. Smith believes individual development and winning aren’t mutually exclusive. “I don’t want that misunderstood. We compete and we put teams on the field, and we are there to win when we go compete in these leagues, but the overall philosophy of the club is a clear understanding that we’re involved in youth soccer,” Smith says. “We get the big picture that we’re a stepping stone in these kids’ lives.