Tuan Elstrom Executive Lead Consultant

Tuan brings a lifelong connection to the game of soccer and a multidisciplinary background spanning elite athlete development, education, engineering, and strategic consulting.

Tuan’s soccer journey began in the American Youth Soccer Organization, where he was coached by Mike Kunert, a former professional player for Hertha BSC of Berlin and longtime NCAA Division I head coach. Under this early influence, Tuan developed a deep appreciation for European player development models emphasizing tactical intelligence, discipline, and long-term growth.

He is a graduate of the Vogelsinger Soccer Academy and was selected to represent Illinois Gold, touring and competing in three of the world’s most prestigious international youth tournaments, including the Gothia Cup in Sweden and the Dana Cup in Denmark. During this period, he trained under coaches connected to the Dutch National Team program, gaining early exposure to the Oranje philosophy centered on technical mastery, spatial awareness, and intelligent decision-making.

Tuan played varsity soccer at Lake Forest High School as a sophomore before continuing his academic and athletic career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was a member of the MIT Men’s Varsity Soccer program. He graduated with a degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering with a focus on avionics, an education that shaped his analytical mindset, systems thinking, and disciplined approach to problem solving.

Beyond athletics, Tuan is an active member of the Education Council for the MIT Admissions Office, where he interviews prospective applicants and prepares evaluative recommendations for students seeking admission. This role provides him with firsthand insight into what selective institutions value in student-athletes, including intellectual curiosity, leadership, resilience, and sustained commitment over time.

Professionally, Tuan has spent more than three decades as a consultant to venture-backed, early-stage life sciences companies, serving as an intellectual property strategist and advisor. His work has supported founders, investors, and executive teams in building defensible innovation strategies, aligning technical development with long-term value creation, and navigating complex commercialization pathways. This experience informs his ability to think strategically across systems, organizations, and long-term outcomes.

Following his collegiate playing career, Tuan dedicated over ten years to coaching youth soccer with AYSO in Chicago’s northern suburbs. His coaching philosophy emphasized long-term athlete development, coach education, and creating structured, positive environments that support both performance and personal growth.

As Executive Lead Consultant at USFT Sports, Tuan integrates global playing experience, elite academic insight, engineering discipline, and decades of strategic consulting to help athletes, coaches, and organizations navigate the modern youth, scholastic, and developmental sports landscape. His approach centers on education-first decision making, sustainable development models, and building systems that prepare athletes not only for the next level of competition, but for long-term success on and off the field.