Our Team

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  Coach Junior

  Genaro Arana, who is popularly known as Coach Jr in the San Francisco soccer community, has been coaching soccer for over 10 years. He played high school soccer at Ceres High School where he received numerous individual awards and played 3rd Division College soccer at Modesto Junior College. During college, Coach Jr was called up to tryout for Chivas in Mexico and Chivas USA. He has great knowledge and background of soccer, but what makes Coach Jr so special, is his commitment to every team and player he coaches. He is an absolutely positive coach who is very attentive to his players and is always making sure that they are learning and having fun. He is very motivated and enthusiastic about coaching soccer. Coach Jr understands youth so well because he has been working in youth programs all of his professional life. He has charisma that players gravitate to and really admire him. Coach Jr speaks fluent Spanish and has the ability to communicate clearly with the Hispanic community. Coach Jr’s coaching style is in demand in the city of San Francisco so he has committed himself to creating SF RUSH with coaches who have the same philosophy and coaching style as his. Coach Jr guarantees a very safe, healthy, and fun learning experience for all of the players in his club.

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  Coach Edgar

  Edgar Alvarez was born and raised in San Francisco. He is extremely passionate about soccer. He has numerous individual and team achievements as he began his soccer career at the young age of three. Soccer quickly became his passion when he started following his dad during his soccer career in which they formed an unbreakable bond. He played soccer all day, every day because his dad once told him that “practice makes perfect”. At the age of twelve he tried out for ODP (Olympic Development Program) and became part of the State Team of California. At 15, Edgar made his adult debut at Balboa stadium with Club Mezcala in the Major Division in San Francisco, which is recognized as one of the top amateur leagues in the country. In high school, he played varsity all four years, leading his team to three championships and receiving individual awards such as First Team All City, and Defensive Player of the Year, two years in a row. At the age of 17 he was scouted playing for his club team and went to Mexico to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a professional soccer player with Chivas de Guadalajara. He later returned to finish school at Canada College in Redwood City. He played two years and made it to the final four of the state his first year. He received two individual awards, First Team Coast Conference, and First Team Northern California. Edgar continues to play and is still as passionate as when he first started to play. Edgar has been coaching and working with kids for the last ten years. After taking youth development courses and working in an after school program, he has gained a lot of knowledge to not only become a good coach but also a mentor. He is currently a program manager at America Scores where he continues to provide youth development. He is a firm believer in giving back to the kids, and what better way by sharing his knowledge and love he has for the game.

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  Coach Alex

  Alejandro Gonzalez a former soccer player and current head coach. He is a Riverside, California native (born and raised) whom originally started playing soccer with RAC Milan, where he won multiple individual awards as well as team awards .While with RAC Milan he won league 3 consecutive years in a row and won the Raincross (Riverside) Cup 3 years in a row, one in which he was named Tournament MVP as a team captain in 2012 and lead the league for 2 years in a row with the lowest goals against average, as well as for the most clean sheets. He is known for his aerial presence standing at 6'6" and is also known for his penalty saves. He also played soccer for Arlington High School (Riverside) where he spent 3 years on the varsity team playing extended minutes. At Arlington he was named team captain, team MVP, county all star, division all star, and was recognized in the 1st team all area team in the inland valley. Alejandro moved to the city by the bay in August of 2014 to attend San Francisco State University, where he became a part of various non-profit organizations such as Hermanos Unidos, Peer Health Exchange, EOP, Coaching Corp, and America SCORES. He currently works as a mentor for freshman at SFSU , as a volunteer health educator, and as a soccer coach for SFC. His love for coaching started with a tabling event at school where he met a representative from Coaching Corp. He then was linked to America SCORES where he started coaching for the Mission Education Center where he did a majority of his coaching in Spanish due to the fact that it was a transitional school for 1st year English learners. He then went on to coach at San Francisco Community in the Excelsior sector of the Mission District where he also works as a program leader and as a poetry teacher. Alejandro is known for his discipline attitude and for his love for soccer. Anybody that knows Alejandro can see that he is passionate for what he does. He is someone that is very generous, caring, and compassionate.

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  Coach Rene

  Rene' Luna was born in El Salvador in 1982. Began playing soccer at age of four. He moved to the United States when he was seven years old where he continued to play soccer through the AYSO, Mission Youth Soccer League and AAA high school soccer league. Later played in Division 1 Soccer league in San Francisco until the age of 22. In 2008 he was hired at San Francisco Community after school program. Due to his passion and drive to create a safe and fun learning environment, Rene later became Site Coordinator for the after school program. At this time Rene was also hired by America SCORES poetry and soccer program as a poetry and soccer coach. Four years later he received recognition for his community work in the Excelsior District receiving the Civic Unity Award from the San Francisco Foundation, Certificate of Honor from San Francisco Board of Supervisors and Congressional Recognition from U.S. Congress. Rene continued his community work with Urban children in many communities throughout San Francisco. Rene, or Coach Rene, as his students and players call him, continues to try to pass on his love and passion for the beautiful sport of soccer and inspiring kids to follow their dreams.

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  Coach Cynthia

  Cynthia was born and raised in the Peninsula. From a very young age she developed a passion for soccer and a personal interest working with kids. Cynthia played on several club teams growing up. She attended San Mateo High School and played on their varsity team all four years. She played for Skyline College and was also recruited to play division two at Notre Dame de Namur University. After college, Cynthia played for the Golden Gate Women’s League in San Francisco for several years and continues playing on other adult leagues on her spare time. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from NDNU she started her career working with kids. She was head coach of a few youth teams and worked for an after school program in San Francisco where she coached boys and girls ages 6-11. Cynthia is currently working as an elementary teacher and is still seeking to help youth make a difference on the field. Cynthia’s many years of experience working with children, as a coach and educator, have helped her develop many skills. She has been successful with helping children academically and socially. As a coach, she also provides children with opportunities to develop and strengthen physically, but most importantly she enjoys watching them enjoy the game, learn, and have fun.

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  Coach David

  David Peraza Rivera is a San Francisco native, born and raised in the Lower Height district. He has a deep love for sports, specifically soccer and track. He did track from middle school all the way through high school. During college (CCSF) he played recreational soccer and fell in love with the sport and everything it consists of including the teamwork, hard work, strategy, and the competitiveness. David has been working in after school programs for 8 years and has tons of experience with youth. He began coaching soccer with students from 2nd to 5th grader but has also coached middle school students. David is very passionate, motivated, and believes in making a positive change in our youth through soccer/sports.

Testimonials