To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, EDP Soccer is proud to honor nineteen of the best Club Directors participating in EDP Soccer programs. Each Club Director selected has done tremendous work on and off the field for their club and helped elevate the sport of soccer in their communities. Congratulations to each of these outstanding Directors!
Roberto Aguas FC COPA ACADEMY
Aguas is President, Founder, and Executive Director of Coaching of FC Copa Academy, one of the top clubs in New Jersey. He has developed and mentored hundreds of players who have played collegiately or professionally throughout the world. Under Aguas' guidance, FC Copa Academy has had 7 National Champions or Finalists, 19 Regional Champions or Finalists and 26 State Champions or Finalists. The club now has branches in NJ and NY, and continues to expand its footprint.
Xavier Baladas
BARCA ACADEMY PRO NY
Baladas was recently promoted to director of Barca Academy PRO NY, one of the top programs on Long Island. As part of the staff, Baladas has helped the club reach the top levels of youth soccer, with two teams participating in National League PRO in 2021-2022, and the 2007s and 2006s both won the ENY State Cup championship in 2021. Prior to Barca Academy PRO NY, Baladas spent 2 years with the clubs Toronto branch, and 5 years as a Head Coach at Barcelona Academy in Spain.
Jose Benitez
TOTAL FUTBOL CLUB
Benitez has been a leader in the Maryland youth soccer community for over 15 years. Named MSYSA Coach of the Year in 2008, he has worked with both SAC, Freestate and ASA before Total Futbol Academy. In 2013, he was the Site Coordinator for MSYSA’s 1st Spanish Language “E” License Course. In 2021, Total Futbol had multiple teams reach the MSYSA State Cup Semi-Final round. The 2006 Boys will represent the club in National League PRO during the 2021-2022 season.
Antonio Boada
MIAMI BREAKERS FC
Boada was named the Director of Coaching for Miami Breakers FC in May of 2021. In his first season with the club, he will lead 8 teams into the EDP Florida Competitive Leagues. Shortly after joining the club, the 2006 Boys won the USYS Southern Regional Championships. In the 2021-2022 season, the clubs 2006 Boys and 2004 Girls will participate in National League P.R.O. As a player, Boada played for Deportivo La Guaira in the first division of Venezuela.
William Bustamante
B'ELITE PLAYER DEVELOPMENT SC
The founder and DOC of B'Elite Player Development SC, Bustamante has over 25 years of coaching experience and completed internships with clubs like Real Madrid and Boca Juniors. With B'Elite, he has created a true family-oriented club, focused on internal team-to-team mentoring including player support and development with a highly successful record of placing student-athletes with collegiate programs.
Prior to forming B'Elite, he was a NJ ODP Staff Coach and PDA Coach with two State Championship teams during his tenure. He also spent two years with Rutgers - New Brunswick from 2008-2010 as an assistant and five years as Head Coach for Rutgers - Newark where in 2014 he was named New Jersey Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Coach of the Year.
A freshman All-American at Montclair State, Bustamante transferred to NCAA Division I Monmouth University where he was a two-time All-Northeast Conference selection. He played scholastic soccer at nearby St. Benedict’s Prep, making the all-state squad twice for the nationally recognized program. After college, he began a six-year professional playing career, first with the New Jersey Dragons of the USISL Professional League and then with Olmedo in the first division of the Ecuadorian Professional League.
Fabian Cano
REVOLUTION UNITED FC
Cano has been the owner and Director of Coaching at Revolution United since 2016. A premier club based in Fairfield, CT, whose philosophy is Develop, Compete, Succeed. The club has grown to over 20 teams and has a partnership with Spanish Club Alcorcon. Cano also coaches with Greens Farms Academy in Westport, CT.
David Castellanos
PHILADELPHIA UKRAINIAN NATIONALS
Castellanos is the Senior Boys CDP Director at Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals, one of the most successful clubs in the nation. He has helped place players at top collegiate programs all over the country and has also played a major role in the club winning several State, Regional and National titles. In addition to his role at the club, Castellanos is also a college head coach at Penn State Abington. As a player, he won the 2000 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship with UConn. He then played professionally with C.D. Motagua in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional de Honduras, the Colorado Rapids in MLS and also played for the Minnesota Thunder and Virginia Beach Mariners of USL before beginning a successful indoor career with Philadelphia Kixx.
Ronald Cerritos
CALVERTON CERRITOS
Cerritos began his coaching career after finishing his playing career, starting Cerritos Soccer Academy. The club is a member of the EDP League and the USYS National League South Atlantic Conference, and has won several EDP Cups. As a player, he is the all-time leader in assists for the San Jose Earthquakes and was named to the MLS Best XI in his first season with the club. He earned 70 caps with the El Salvador National Team. His son Alexis, who came through the Cerritos Soccer Academy earned his first Cap for the El Salvador National team at just 17 years old.
Raul Escoin
PSG ACADEMY FLORIDA
Escoin is a UEFA Pro License coach, who is currently the Technical Director with the Fort Lauderdale branch of the club. He has over 20 years of coaching experience, and has worked with both FC Barcelona and Villareal CF in Spain. As a player, he played for six seasons in the Spanish 3rd division. Escoin joined PSG Academy Florida in June 2020, and implements the PSG training methods and philosophy of play for the club in Florida and across the US.
Marcelo Fracchia
NJ STALLIONS ACADEMY
Fracchia has one of the most decorated playing careers of any coach in New Jersey. Fracchia earned seven caps with the Uruguay National Team, and had a 17 year professional career. Beginning with Central Español in the late 80’s, he spent most of the 90’s playing for various top division clubs in Chile, including the nation's top club Colo-Colo. Fracchia finished his playing career with the New Jersey Stallions, where he is now the Director of Coaching. As Director, he has led several top teams to being some of the best in the nation, most recently NJ Stallions Juventus who participated in the USYS National League and had players go to top college programs up and down the East Coast. His son Matias played Division 1 soccer at North Carolina State University, and recently signed for Chilean top division club O'Higgins F.C.
Alejandro Galeano
WHITE PLAINS YOUTH SOCCER
Galeano is the Director of Coaching at White Plains Youth Soccer, one of the largest soccer clubs in Westchester County, NY. The club has a long history of success, producing many of the top players to come out of Westchester in the last 20 years. With Galeano’s guidance, he has brought many of those players back to coach with the club and develop the next generation of players. The club is a member of the USYS National League North Atlantic Club v Club division, and the 2007 Boys will be participating in National League P.R.O. in 2021-2022.
Kenan Gelfond
BONITA SPRINGS WILDCATS
Gelfond is the President of Bonita Springs Wildcats, and has recently taken the club to the next competitive stage of the clubs development entering the club into EDP Florida Competitive League. As a player, he played college soccer at Drew University. While at Drew, he was President of the Drew Honduras Project whose purpose was to provide aid to children’s homes and orphanages in Honduras, specifically in the form of funds, clothing, educational and medical supplies, and labor. From 2015-2017, Gelfond worked for Walk Beside Me For Knowledge as a Bilingual Teacher and Program Coordinator in Villanueva, Honduras and raised over $6,000 for student scholarships.
Art Hernandez
LOWER MERION SC
Hernandez joined Lower Merion SC as the Director of the club's Developmental Academy. He is also head coach for the LMSC Swarm girls team. Under his direction, the club has produced some of the top Zone 1 teams in the region. He has coached and trained teams that have won State Cups, along with National and Regional competitions and tournaments. A USSF ‘A’ license coach, he also has all his grassroots licenses through US Soccer. In addition to coaching, he currently volunteers his time to collaborate and network with various soccer coaching groups (locally and nationally) to produce and host different online content.
Diego Lopez
REAL BOSTON FC
Lopez is the director of Real Boston FC, a member of USYS National League New England Conference. Formerly a director with Valeo FC, he also played semi-professional with America de Cali in Colombia. Lopez pushes each of his players to grow and succeed in the four key components of the game: technically, tactically, physically, and psychologically. In addition to his role with Real Boston FC, he works with the Middlesex School Boys Varsity team.
Federico Molinari
WESTERN UNITED PIONEERS
Molinari has been the head coach of the Western Mass Pioneers Professional Soccer Team since 2012. A USSF ‘A’ license coach, he has won championships at top tournaments all around the country, and is now leading Western United Pioneers in the USYS National League New England Conference. He also has experience as a college coach working at American International College. As a player, Molinari played for Gimnasia La Plata in Argentina before joining Western United Pioneers as a player in 2003 for a year and then rejoining the club for another stint in 2006.
Jose Luis Rebay
DOWNTOWN UNITED SC
Rebay joined DUSC in 2016 as the club's director of coaching. Rebay was a youth and senior player with Independiente de Avellaneda in his native Argentina from 1979 to 1986 and a member of the Argentina U17 Youth National Team. He competed professionally in Bolivia with Universitario de Sucre before playing for the San Diego Sockers, Inka, Ragusaand the New Jersey Nationals during the 1990’s. As a coach, he worked withDix Hills, HBC and Massapequa during the past decade, winning three State Cup Championships, a Regional League Championship and National League Championship. Most recently, Rebay has worked as an East Region ODP coach, an Eastern New York ODP Coach and served as Eastern New York's ODP's Technical Director. Rebay has also coached college soccer as the Head Men’s Coach of the New York City College of Technology and Head Men's Coach of the College of Staten Island.
Hector Romero
PHILADELPHIA SC COPPA
Romero is the the Director of Coaching/Vice President with Philadelphia SC Coppa and has been a long-time assistant coach and goalie coach at LaSalle College High School. Under his direction, the PSC Coppa placed two teams in National League P.R.O. in 2021-2022, including the 2005 Girls Rage, who finished as USYS National Finalist in 2021. The club has also won numerous EPYSA State Cup championships during his tenure as director. Romero also coaches the club's highly successful 23U team that participates in the EDP 23U League, and is an assistant coach at NCAA Division 3 program Rutgers Camden. As a player, he was a two-time All-Catholic League selection at LaSalle College High School and went on to play at Chowan University.
Ricardo Sipaque Jr.
ELITE SOCCER CLUB PLAINFIELD
Sipaque founded Elite Soccer Club Plainfield with his father in 2009, and has built the program up to now include recreation, travel and premier teams. A former player at Plainfield HS and at Bloomfield College, he has over 15 years of coaching experience, and continues to grow his hometown's club. Under his direction, the club had its first team be a part of the EDP Leagues, the USYS National League Conferences, have a team travel overseas, and have a player play for a youth national team.
Julio Zarate
PACHUCA FC USA
Zarata is the Director of Coaching for Pachuca FC USA and is also the head coach at Rockville High School boys soccer teams. Zarate founded Pachuca USA in 2008, as an affiliate of Pachuca Club de Futbol in Mexico. Prior to Pachuca, he coached the MSC Dragons '90, who won four consecutive Maryland State Cups and two USYS East Region Championships. With the Pachuca Dragons '94, he led the team to the 2008 and 2009 Maryland State Cup finals, and also won the USYS Eastern Regional League Championship. Zarate had a successful playing career in Mexico and his coaching career began in Mexico City in 1972.
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