Coaching Staff
Alec Real
Head Coach
Alec grew up playing club soccer for Ajax East Bay and high school soccer for Freedom High School. He began his coaching career at his childhood club, Ajax East Bay, working with various teams and ages. He began working with Eclipse in 2024 and quickly showed his passion and love for the game, becoming a head coach for 2015 Boys Solar Red and co-coach of 2016 Girls Black. This is his second year with Eclipse.
Alejandro Garcia
Staff Assistant
Alejandro grew up playing soccer in the Bay Area, participating in NorCal Premier leagues and State Cup. He attended Skyline High School and Merritt College. He got his start coaching for a club in Oakland and is joining Eclipse for the first time this year. In addition to coaching, he is currently a security officer and a trainee for the Oakland Police Department.
Alex Avelar
Head Coach
Alex played forward during his youth playing career and followed that by playing on the Sacramento State University club soccer team. He graduated with a degree in Kinesiology - Exercise Science and Therapeutic Rehab. He works as an exercise specialist for cardiac rehab at John Muir. He began his coaching career with Alhambra High School and joined Eclipse in 2019 as an assistant coach. In 2020, he coached the Acalanes JV Girls to an undefeated season and was an assistant with the NCS champion varsity team. In Spring 2024, he was named as the head coach of the Acalanes Varsity Girls. He holds the La Liga Level 2 and 3, United Soccer Coaches 11v11 diploma, and several USSF licenses. He is currently pursuing a USSF D license. This is his seventh year with Eclipse.
Alexi Anderson
Head Coach
Alexi joined the coaching staff in the winter of 2023 after many years of following the club through his friends, coaches Tarek and Riad. He was a standout player at Acalanes High School, including earning All-League and Team MVP honors. He continued playing during his time at UCSD through a mix of intramural leagues and adult leagues. He has also played with Bladium Rosal, played a year in Kreisliga B with BSC Eintracht Suedring in Berlin, Germany, and played five years in the SFSFL. He began his coaching career at Acalanes. His passion for soccer has also crossed over into his career, having spent 12 years working in soccer data and analytics for various organizations, including MLS, Liga MX, the Bundesliga, various college programs, and the USA and Germany national teams. He was the head coach of our 2009 Boys last season. He holds a La Liga license. This is his second year with Eclipse.
Amir Aliakbari
Head Coach
Amir grew up locally and spent his high school years playing in the early years of Eclipse. In addition, he played for Eclipse Executive Director Shane Carney for four years at Campolindo High School, winning multiple titles and earning All-League honors his junior and senior seasons. After high school, he pursued his playing career in Germany playing for FC Emmendingen. He has coached for Eclipse as an assistant for four seasons in the past and returned to the staff as a head coach in 2024 having moved back into the area after completing his degree at UCSD. He holds four USSF coaching licenses.
Ben Sagi
Staff Assistant
Ben grew up playing soccer and various other sports in Orinda. Playing with his younger cousins inspired him to look into coaching. Eclipse is his first coaching job and he has been enjoying working with our young players this spring. He credits the Eclipse coaching staff with providing him an opportunity to learn and grow. He also loves watching soccer, particularly the legends Messi and Ronaldo. This is his first year with Eclipse.
Bennett Barnes
Head Coach
Bennett grew up in the Bay Area, playing club and school soccer in Piedmont. He continues to play recreationally through local futsal leagues and pick-up soccer games. He is a diehard fan of the sport and wants to share that passion through coaching. He is a true believer in our culture of promoting multi-sport athletes, as he also competes in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Prior to joining Eclipse, he has coached a variety of sports, including basketball, football, and baseball and has worked as a camp counselor. This is his second year with Eclipse after having coached 2014 Girls Solar in 2024. He holds two USSF coaching licenses.
Brandon Thompson
Boys Director / Head Coach
Brandon grew up in Oakland where he was a star player for Bay Oaks Soccer Club (now East Bay United) and Montclair Clippers. He played recreationally during his time in college and has continued to do so to this day. He found his passion for youth soccer when he earned his first coaching license in 2014. He has nine total coaching licenses and certifications, including all four USSF Grassroots licenses, the USSF D license, and Ajax's education program for Youth Academies. He plans on earning his USSF C license this year to continue his development as a coach. This is his ninth year as a coach with Eclipse and second year as a director. He also previously worked as a Coach Mentor for Eclipse.
Charlotte Fabo
Staff Assistant
Charlotte has played soccer since she was 5 years old and started playing at Eclipse when she was 10. She continues to play for Eclipse and was also the JV captain of Campolindo girls soccer. Charlotte began as a Coach in Training in 2021 and gained three years of coach experience as a result. Her strong work there resulted in her being promoted to the assistant staff in 2023. She will be in her third year as a staff assistant this season.
Chris Jones
Head Coach
Chris grew up in England where he played throughout high school, collegiately at Salford University, and in various adult leagues. He began his coaching career in the United States as an assistant coach for the Washington and Lee University men's soccer team. He moved to the area when he began working as a math professor at Saint Mary's College. While at SMC, he founded both the men's and women's club soccer teams. He coached the women's team from 2009 to 2015 with their most memorable season coming in 2013 when they went undefeated with wins over Stanford and USC. He was an assistant coach with the club for the three seasons before moving into a head coaching role with 2012 Lunar Boys in 2024. He is also SMC's Faculty Athletics Representative and a member of the West Coast Conference Executive Council.
Daniel Rios
Staff Assistant
Daniel played club soccer year for seven years growing up in Hayward for a team called Real Madrid Premier before also playing for North Stars and Dublin. He got involved with coaching by volunteering with some of the clubs he played for. He started as an assistant coach for Eclipse in 2024, helping various boys and girls teams. This is his second year with Eclipse.
Fabian Vasquez
Staff Assistant
Fabian grew up in Oakland, playing club soccer for Barcelona FC, Oakland Rockstars, and Pumas FC. He also has played for Arise High School and in the UPSL for Club Deportivo Oakland. He got his start in coaching for three years with Urban Promise Academy. He also has worked with kids as a paraeducator for Ascend. This is his first year with Eclipse.
Fernando Salazar
Head Coach
Fernando grew up playing soccer and futsal in his childhood in Guadalajara, Mexico. In an effort to improve his life, he moved to the United States at the age of 19 and is forever grateful for the opportunities he has found. For the past ten years, he has volunteered as a coach for many soccer clubs throughout the Berkeley, Albany, and Richmond areas. In addition to coaching soccer, he has experience and knowledge in various physical training methods, including agility, coordination, CrossFit, boot camps, yoga, stretching, and weight training. He is also very passionate about nutrition and passing that knowledge on to his players. This is his first year with Eclipse.
Fernando Vargas
Head Coach
Fernando joined Eclipse for the 2021 season, although he already knew several of the coaches from his playing career. Fernando has been playing soccer since he was 5 years old and played youth club soccer for Heritage and Liga Latina. He was also a standout player at Alhambra High School. He has previously coached youth club soccer for three years at MPHFC. In addition to Eclipse, he is also a coach of the JV Boys team at Campolindo. He holds nine coaching licenses, including the La Liga Level 2 and 3 and several USSF licenses. He is currently pursuing the USSF D license. This is his fifth year coaching with Eclipse.
Hannah Walden
Staff Assistant
Hannah has played soccer for over 15 years, playing her youth soccer primarily for Walnut Creek SC and Northgate High School. She has most recently played two seasons in the Women's Premier Soccer League. Prior to Eclipse, she spent the past few years coaching for Mt. Diablo Soccer Association. She has a BS in Kinesiology and is currently pursuing her master's in the same subject area. She is also a coach for the Northgate High School Girls Soccer Program. She holds two USSF coaching licenses. This is her second year coaching with Eclipse.
Hayes Nguyen
Head Coach
Hayes grew up in Virginia where he was a three-sport star in high school. He was a varsity captain in all three sports - soccer, basketball, and field hockey. He played over 10 years of club soccer at a high level and was named All-Conference in high school. Hayes moved to the area to attend UC Berkeley and graduated last year with a BS in Industrial Engineering & Operations Research, as well as a Minor in Data Science. While at Cal, he played on and was Co-President/CFO of the UC Berkeley Club Soccer Team. He holds more than ten coaching licenses and is currently pursuing the USSF D license. This is his second year coaching with Eclipse.
Henry Vanhouten
Staff Assistant
Henry has played soccer since he was four years old, beginning in New York. In 2018, his family moved to California and he began playing for Eclipse. In addition to Eclipse, he also played for Campolindo High School and still enjoys playing pick-up on the weekends. Watching his dad, Eclipse head coach Matt, coach for many years grew an interest and passion for getting into coaching. This is Henry's second year coaching for Eclipse.
Jacob Waldo
Head Coach
Jacob played club soccer growing up in Iowa and was a top player for Boone High School. He went on to play club soccer for four years during his time at New Hope Christian College in Oregon. Giving back to where he played, he spent three years each as a coach at his former high school and college. Since moving to the area, he has coached at Contra Costa Christian School and Kings Valley Christian School. In addition to coaching, he has worked with kids for over ten years as a youth pastor and is currently the Junior High Ministry Director at Creekside Church in Martinez. This is his first year with Eclipse.
Jenna Lindenau
Head Coach
Jenna grew up in the East Bay and played soccer throughout her youth. She played club soccer for MPHFC where she was actually coached by Eclipse Coach Casey. She also competed at the high school level for College Park High School. She began coaching for Eclipse in 2024 as an assistant coach with various teams throughout the club. Through her commitment to development, she has grown tremendously as a coach and will serve as a head coach this season.
Jesse Jobert
Head Coach
Jesse began playing soccer at age 5 and spent time playing youth club soccer at Montclair Soccer Club and Bay Oaks. He also played in the Olympic Development Program, California’s state team, and four years of varsity soccer. His interest in coaching began through conversations with his longtime friend, Eclipse coach Brandon Thompson. He holds seven total coaching licenses, including the USSF National D license. He is currently pursuing the USSF C license. He returns for his fourth year with Eclipse after three successful seasons coaching our 2011, 2012, and 2013 Boys.
Jesus Perez
Head Coach
Jesus grew up in the East Bay and played soccer his entire life. He was a varsity soccer player at Mt. Diablo High School. A long recovery from an injury got him interested in coaching as a way to give back to other players pursuing their passion, as he heads back to the goal of playing professionally himself. He is currently working on earning his US Soccer grassroots coaching licenses. This is his first year with Eclipse.
Joel Drescher
Staff Assistant
Joel grew up in Oregon where he played club soccer for South Valley Forza. In high school, he was the conference scoring champion, a 1st Team All-Conference player, and was named to the 1st Team All-State. He continued his playing experience for Stanford University. He's also had a 16-year playing career in rugby at Stanford, Berkeley, Olympic Club, and USA select. His passion for soccer got him involved in coaching locally with LMYA since 2019. He started coaching with Eclipse in Spring 2023 and spent two seasons head coaching our 2014 Girls. He holds the USSF 9v9 diploma. This is his third season with Eclipse.
Johnny Molina
Head Coach
Johnny enters his 11th year with Eclipse and 36th year of coaching. Prior to Eclipse, Johnny coached at MDSA, DVSC, DFC, and Heritage Soccer Club. He also coached the varsity girls at Clayton Valley High School where he led them to a BVAL title. He played at the Private University of Nicaragua. Johnny’s coaching diplomas include several from United Soccer Coaches, the USSF National D license, the La Liga Level 2 and 3 diplomas, and four from Fiorentina. He also spent three years as our U11-U14 Boys Director.
Jose Diaz Mercado
Head Coach
Jose has been a club director since 2021. Jose was a three-year varsity soccer captain for Alhambra High School. During his time there, he was named to the All-DVAL First Team in 2015-16. He also played club soccer locally for 12 years. He began his coaching career running soccer camps and clinics for his church. He ran the Campolindo High School Boys Soccer Program for a season and spent two additional seasons coaching their JV team and assistant coaching varsity. He is currently the head JV coach and varsity assistant and program goalkeeper coach for the Acalanes Girls. He holds the USSF D License and is currently pursuing his C license. In addition, he has more than 10 licenses from organizations including USSF, United Soccer Coaches, La Liga and TOVO. Outside of the soccer world, he worked for Las Lomas High School as a Campus Supervisor. This is his seventh year with Eclipse.
Jose Luis Diaz
Head Coach
After years of coaching local teams against Eclipse, Jose joined our sideline for the first time in 2019. Jose has been coaching for eleven total years with experience with Deportivo Oakland, Real Oakland, and the BullDogs Brazil Soccer Club. At BullDogs, he served as club vice president in addition to his head coaching responsibilities. In addition to club coaching, he has worked as a teacher and academic mentor and ran the soccer program for ASCEND Sunset Warriors. He holds the United Soccer Coaches National Diploma, USSF National D license, all USSF Grassroots licenses, and several additional United Soccer Coaches diplomas. He is currently pursuing the USSF C license. This is his seventh year with Eclipse.
Jossy Grilli Smith
Staff Assistant
Jossy began playing for Eclipse in our second year of existence working her way up from Future Eclipse into our club teams. Her interest in coaching led her into our Coaches in Training Program where she was extremely successful. She was named our Coach in Training of the month multiple times for her work with our Future Eclipse group and was promoted to a staff position of Assistant Coach in 2021. This will be her fifth year as a club assistant.
Juan Perri
Head Coach
Juan joined Eclipse for his first year as a head coach in 2021. He grew up playing soccer in Venezuela before moving to Italy for soccer and academics. He moved to California to attend UC Berkeley. During his time there, he played on Cal’s club soccer team for four years and helped lead them to a title at the national championships. He spent four years coaching youth soccer at a club in Berkeley, spending three years coaching a girls team from U9 to U11 and an additional year with a new U9 Girls group. He holds several USSF coaching licenses, including the D license, and is currently pursuing the C license. This is his fifth year with Eclipse.
Juan Vargas
Head Coach
Juan is a soccer fanatic who enjoys the sport any chance he gets. He started playing as a child and has played his entire life - still competing in adult leagues around the Bay Area. He got into coaching with a team in Martinez, but after hearing about Eclipse from his cousin, Coach Fernando, he wanted to join the Eclipse Family. At Eclipse, he has spent time coaching our 2014 Boys, 2016 Boys, and Future Eclipse Program. He holds a license from La Liga. This is his fourth year with Eclipse.
Kaci Trujillo
Head Coach
Kaci began playing soccer at the age of 4 and competed at high levels of club soccer for DFC and Mustang ECNL. While a student at Clayton Valley Charter High School, she was a varsity captain for 3 years, was named to the DVAL Second Team, DVAL First Team, and was the league's Offensive MVP. After graduating high school in 2017, she continued her playing career at Solano Community College and Diablo Valley College, including being a captain for DVC. She began her coaching career with the organization Kidz Love Soccer. She graduated from Stan State with a degree in Exercise Science. In her first year with Eclipse, she was a regular assistant coach and eventually joined our 2015 Girls as a co-coach, followed in her second season by coaching our 2011 Girls in 2024. In addition to coaching for Eclipse, Kaci is also the JV Girls head coach at Campolindo and an assistant coach for the DVC Women's Soccer team. She holds three USSF licenses and is currently pursuing her USSF D license. This is her third year with Eclipse.
Kaj Simonsen
Head Coach
Kaj joined our Eclipse coaching staff for the 2022-23 Winter Program and worked with various groups. During the past two seasons he was the head coach for our 2014 Girls and then 2014 Boys. He grew up in Lafayette and played club soccer for Lamorinda, Walnut Creek, and DFC. While playing varsity soccer for Acalanes, he was a key contributor to their undefeated league champion team his junior year and was named the league’s Offensive MVP his senior year. Prior to Eclipse, he worked as an assistant coach at Lamorinda and spent several summers working camps and clinics for America Scores and Gino’s Soccer Camps. He is also a certified referee. He graduated with a degree in Sport Management from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and is excited to pursue his passion of developing youth through sport. He holds three USSF licenses and is currently pursuing his USSF D license. This is his third year with Eclipse.
Kevin McClure
Head Coach
We’re thrilled to welcome Kevin back for his fifth season with Eclipse. A Pennsylvania native, Kevin played soccer at the highest youth levels—an 8-year standout in the state and Region 1 ODP, an All-State and Regional All-American in high school, and a 4-year D1 player at Bucknell. His approach to coaching is deeply rooted in the team-first culture he experienced with two of Pennsylvania’s most decorated club teams: the ’75 Pittsburgh Hotspurs and ’76 Pittsburgh Strikers—both multi-time state champions and national contenders. At Eclipse, Kevin focuses on player development and building a lasting love for the game. His proudest stat? Every player he’s coached over the past four years has continued playing soccer. He holds multiple USSF licenses and La Liga Level 3 certification.
Lisel Welden
Head Coach
Lisel joined Eclipse’s coaching staff during our 2021-22 Winter Program, working with the 2012 Girls. She played at Ransom Everglades High School in Miami where she was a 4-year varsity player, team captain, and earned All-City honors twice. She went on to play for two years at Williams College. Growing up without much opportunity for organized soccer (her mom often signed her up for ballet), she often found her way to fields to play with and against local boys. Eventually she began playing on her first team with girls in middle school. Being a soccer player was one of the most formative experiences of her life, so she wants to support young girls on their journeys. Lisel holds 12 coaching licenses, including the National C license, and five from United Soccer Coaches. This is her fourth year coaching with Eclipse.
Mario Ramirez
Head Coach
Mario has played soccer for most of his life, including for several club teams growing up in NorCal Premier. He also played soccer in college and loves to play at Bladium. He began his coaching career as an assistant at the high school level. He has also worked with kids through various camps, after school programs, and other volunteer opportunities. He is currently working on earning his US Soccer grassroots coaching licenses. This is his first year with Eclipse.
Maya Carrasco
Staff Assistant
Maya began playing soccer at age 5 and has played for Eclipse for 11 seasons. In addition to Eclipse, she is also a varsity player at Campolindo High School. During her sophomore year at Campolindo, she was a JV team captain and earned the leadership award. She began her coaching career in our Coaches in Training Program where she excelled working with our Future Eclipse Boys. After two years in the CIT Program, she was promoted to our assistant coaching staff last winter. She was recently named a winner of the club's 2024 Coach CoCo Spirit Award and Scholarship. This will be her second year as a staff assistant.
Moises Pineda
Staff Assistant
Moises grew up in Southern California where he played soccer for various organizations. He started his coaching career with Super Soccer Stars in the Los Angeles area. After relocating to Norther California, he connected with us and began coaching for Eclipse this spring.
Nauder Maghsoodnia
Staff Assistant
Nauder grew up in Moraga and was a top club player for Eclipse and Lamorinda. He also played for Campolindo High School for four years where he was a captain and one of the top players in the league. After graduating out of Eclipse and Campolindo, he went on to play for Contra Costa College. In addition to coaching for Eclipse, he has coached for Soccer Days.
Newt Lloyd
Staff Assistant
Newt is one of our longest-tenured Eclipse players of all-time, having started in the Future Eclipse Program in 2012 and still playing on our 2006/07 Girls team this past season! Newt started in the Coaches in Training Program during Winter 2022 and served in the program throughout the spring, summer, and fall of 2023, including earning a Coach in Training of the Month honor. At the conclusion of fall 2023, Newt was promoted to club staff and has continued in that role since.
Peter Bonfanti
Staff Assistant
Despite not having played soccer in high school or college, Peter Bonfanti was asked to be the assistant coach of a girls' team at his first full-time teaching job, back in 1993. He soon discovered that he loved coaching just as much as teaching math, and has been doing both continuously since. He's currently the head coach of both the Athenian JV boys' team and the Acalanes freshman/sophomore girls' team, and is thrilled to continue his coaching journey in his fourth year with Eclipse.
Peter Yu
Head Coach, Future Eclipse
Peter is in his ninth season with Eclipse. In addition to coaching at Eclipse, Peter has been a coach with the Hayward High School girls program for four years and Futbol Base (U8-U12 Program) for three years. He has 24 total coaching licenses (yes, 24!), including all USSF Grassroots licenses, La Liga Level 2 and 3, and United Soccer Coaches Pre-National. He is also a player/coach for an adult team at Bladium.
Piotr Zarzycki
Head Coach
Piotr grew up playing soccer in Poland throughout his childhood. He was a member of the Polish National Olympic Team in Taekwondo, finishing fifth at the World Junior Taekwondo Championship in Barcelona, Spain. He also compiled two gold, two silver, and four bronze medals in Polish National Championships and Poland Cups. He began his coaching journey in Taekwondo, but his love for soccer and his soccer-playing son have brought him back to the sport. He holds 15 coaching licenses, including all USSF Grassroots licenses, La Liga Level 3, USSF National C license, and a diploma from the Barça Coach Academy. He is currently working on his USSF B license. He is also a certified US Soccer referee. This is his fourth year with Eclipse.
Ronit Garg
Head Coach
Ronit has been playing soccer for over 10 years. He played for a professional youth academy in India, his school teams, and most recently played on the club team at the University of San Francisco. He began his coaching career at Super Soccer Stars before moving into a head coach role at JCCSF. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Psychology from USF and interned under a pediatrician, gaining experience working closely with children in a medical setting to expand the diversity of learning how to work with children in a positive way. He is currently working on earning his US Soccer grassroots coaching licenses. This is his first year with Eclipse.
Saúl Fernando Vesga Villalba
Head Coach
Fernando played for Millonarios FC in Colombia before moving to the United States. Growing up in the Bay Area, he played for DFC, was a captain for Clayton Valley High School, played in the National Olympic Development Program Camp, and played collegiately at Humboldt State. He began his coaching career running youth soccer classes for the City of Eureka. He was an assistant coach at College of The Redwoods and Diablo Valley College and a head coach at Monte Vista High School. He was a head coach of various teams at Eclipse from 2017-2020 and also served as our club's Assistant Director in 2020. While coaching with Eclipse, he was named as the Coach of the Year in District IV by Cal North in 2019. He moved to Washington at the end of 2020 and coached for PAC NW while there and also developed a youth futsal program. He has also done private soccer training for over 10 years. He holds the United Soccer Coaches National Diploma, several US Soccer licenses, and the TOVO Academy Introduction Methodology diploma. He is returning to the Bay Area this summer for his Eclipse homecoming and his fifth year overall with us.
Steve Aitkins
Head Coach
Steve grew up playing soccer in elementary school, junior high, and high school, and on club teams while in college in Seattle. He has been coaching for 16 years for high school and club teams. He began his coaching career at Sacred Heart Academy in Honolulu when he was in the US Coast Guard; then he coached club teams in Hawaii, at Lick Wilmerding High School in San Francisco, and most recently at The College Preparatory High School in Oakland. He coached U8 - U16 players at Albany-Berkeley Soccer Club for 12 seasons; at Eastshore Alliance for three seasons, and finally at Rayados FC in Richmond for four seasons. He has six total coaching licenses and certifications, including all four USSF Grassroots licenses. He's earned the national 'D' License and the 'C' License. He also earned his national referee license. As a student of the game, he takes every opportunity to attend additional classes and courses to learn, grow, and be a better coach, such as NorCal Coaching symposiums and the LaLiga Methodology courses.
Tarek Alameddine
Coaching Coordinator
Tarek enters his 14th season with Eclipse. In addition to Eclipse, he has also served as an assistant coach with the boys soccer program at Acalanes. As a player, Tarek earned DFAL Offensive MVP honors with Acalanes and later played at the University of Santa Cruz. In addition to coaching, Tarek works as a certified fitness trainer and brings this experience and knowledge to Eclipse. He holds the National Diploma from United Soccer Coaches and all USSF Grassroots licenses. He also spent three years as our U15-U18 Boys Director.
Taylor Abbott
Head Coach
Taylor played high school soccer under Eclipse Director Shane Carney at Campolindo from 2009-2012. He coached for Eclipse for five years (including its inaugural year) and even played a year with the U19 Eclipse Men's team. He left the club to study Architecture at the University of Southern California for 5 years and returned to the Bay Area after getting a new job in Pleasanton. While in Los Angeles, Taylor stayed active playing in adult and intramural college divisions. He returned to the sidelines with Eclipse in 2021. In addition to coaching for Eclipse, he is the head varsity coach for the Miramonte Girls Soccer Program and has coached the team to a league title and an NCS title. He holds four USSF coaching licenses and a La Liga license. He is in his fifth year in a row with the club and tenth year overall.
Interested in Coaching for Eclipse? If you are an experienced coach who believes in the Eclipse philosophy, send your resume and statement of interest to eclipse@eastbayeclipse.com.