✅Background Check

✅US Club Soccer Safe Sport Certification Meet Coach TJ, a longtime member of the Gala FC family whose journey with the club comes full circle. Having spent nine years with Gala, Coach TJ grew up through the club’s youth program, went on to play for and captain the Gala men’s semi-pro team, and now continues to lead both on and off the field. This year, while still captaining the semi-pro team, Coach TJ is also coaching our younger High School Academy boys teams, guiding the U15 and U16 (2010–2012) players through an important stage of their development.

A passionate supporter of Everton FC, Coach TJ looks up to former Sounders legend Osvaldo Alonso and proudly favors the jersey number 24.

For Coach TJ, one of his greatest coaching accomplishments is seeing how many of the players he has coached go on to become coaches themselves—continuing the cycle of leadership and giving back to the game.

Having dedicated much of his life to soccer, Coach TJ believes the sport is both incredibly complex and beautifully simple at the same time. As he describes it, soccer is the most fluid and complex sport, making it difficult to isolate scenarios—but that same fluidity is what makes it the most beautiful game, a language of its own.

His cleats of choice are the Nike Tiempo, reflecting his appreciation for classic feel and reliability on the ball.

When challenging weather arrives, Coach TJ embraces it with a competitive mindset. “This is where, when, and how I’ll get ahead of the competition,” he tells himself—believing that the toughest training days often produce the strongest players.

According to Coach TJ, the most successful soccer players share one defining trait: consistency. The players who grow the most are the ones who are consistently at training, consistently at games, and consistently striving to improve. They are never satisfied and always believe they can become better.

At Gala FC, Coach TJ brings experience, leadership, and a deep connection to the club—continuing to inspire the next generation of players while representing the spirit and tradition of Gala on and off the field.