AN aspiring football coach from Innerleithen is heading Stateside to work in the highly-rated MLS.

Ryan Bissett, who is currently coaching youngsters at Leithen Vale Sports Club in his hometown, was snapped by an academy in Chicago after impressing at a session in Manchester.

And, as he awaits his Visa interview in London, Ryan is putting in the hours with drills for the next generation of Borders players.

The 22-year-old told us: "I’m coaching locally in Innerleithen with Leithen Vale while I wait for confirmation on my interview date at the US embassy in London.

"I'm a strong believer that you can do anything you want as long as you work hard for it and are willing to make sacrifices - that’s my advice to anybody who has a dream, get out your comfort zone and go do whatever it is you want to do."

The former St Ronan's and Peebles High pupil studied football at Borders College.

And over the past four summers took coaching holidays in America to pass on tips of the game.

After spending a year in Australia with family he returned to Innerleithen in a bid to get more coaching qualifications and to start planning his future.

Ryan added: "When I came back to Innerleithen I got in touch with a few companies here in the UK and with some help from friends working in football I applied for a company who is affiliated with the MLS club Chicago Fire .

"I flew to Manchester in February to attend a ID event at Manchester City’s former academy training complex for an assessment.

"It was a bit of a shock for me on the day as there were academy coaches there from Arsenal, Manchester United Brentford, Southampton, Newcastle and some even came from abroad.

"It was a great experience meeting them and observing the way they work."

Ryan has been taken on to work as a youth coach with MLS team Chicago Fire.