Our Story

Vincent Alvarez was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California, with a clear vision from a young age: to become a high-level athlete. Whether on soccer fields, basketball courts, or football fields across Southern California, Vince immersed himself in every sport he could play. By his early teens, soccer had emerged as his strongest pursuit. He played for a local club FCSB, then SBSC—but soon outgrew it. After discussions with his family, he took a leap and reached out to the top youth soccer team in the country: So Cal United.

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Following a trial week that involved long commutes to Westlake, California, Vince earned a spot on the team. Shortly after, he was selected for the Olympic Development Program (ODP), which took him to elite international tournaments in Italy and Argentina, where he competed against some of the best young talent in the world. It was at this point that Vince fully committed to pursuing a future in soccer.

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His dedication paid off with a scholarship to UC Santa Barbara, home to a top-10 nationally ranked soccer program that had recently won an NCAA Championship. As a freshman, he saw meaningful playing time, including in a nationally televised match against Indiana. Unfortunately, a series of injuries eventually derailed his professional aspirations. But when he graduated in 2013, Vince wasn’t finished with athletics—he was just getting started. His next mission was clear: to pass on what he had learned about injury prevention, biomechanics, and elite performance to the next generation.

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After college, Vince relocated to Salt Lake City, where his former UCSB teammate and close friend Luis Silva was playing professionally for Real Salt Lake. In 2020, the two co-founded LS Soccer School, a soccer-specific training and rehab facility focused on helping young athletes prepare for the physical demands of high-level competition. They incorporated professional-caliber methodologies—rooted in biomechanics and sports science—into youth development. Their commitment to high standards and community accessibility quickly set them apart.

As first-generation Hispanic athletes who had once lacked access to elite training themselves, Vince and Luis were driven to build a facility where all young athletes could access top-tier performance resources, regardless of background.

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By 2021, Vince’s expertise was increasingly in demand beyond what LS Soccer School could accommodate. With Luis shifting his focus to family life after a 12-year professional career, Vince decided to pursue his own vision. Later that year, he launched A2Z Training—now widely known simply as A2Z.

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Vince’s mission remained unchanged: to deliver elite-level performance training grounded in biomechanics. He often says, “Once the body is aligned and the biomechanics are programmed, then we can strengthen it. You wouldn’t buy new tires and skip the alignment—it would cause uneven wear and performance issues. The same applies to the human body.”

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Fast forward to 2025, A2Z has grown into one of the region’s most respected sports performance centers. Vince now works with over 75 Division I and professional athletes, offering customized performance sessions, injury prevention protocols, and rehabilitation programs. The West Valley City facility is a place where a 12-year-old might be training alongside a pro—each pushing their limits in a shared space built on hard work and mutual respect.

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The culture at A2Z is clear: no egos, no shortcuts. Just a commitment to doing the work and training with intention. The gym’s ethos mirrors Vince’s own journey—rooted in grit, resilience, and the belief that greatness is built from the ground up.

 

Although Luis has since moved to Boston to partner in a much larger model, he and Vince remain close. Luis’s Real Salt Lake jersey still hangs on the wall at A2Z—alongside those of other local pros—as a tribute to where they’ve been and as inspiration for the young athletes striving to one day hang their own jersey on that same wall.