St. Mary’s boys soccer program has found its next head coach in Dan Garcia, who grew up in Winthrop and attended Malden Catholic High School.
The Lancer-turned-Spartan found out about the position in early July. Once he sent in his application, he said it was a smooth process.
“I met with the athletic directors, and then, they brought me back in and told me I got the job,” Garcia said.
Garcia brings a unique perspective to Lynn. He recently retired from playing in the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) in Utah.
“I was playing in the UPSL in Utah in the second division. I just moved back from Utah about two months ago, so this job opening up was perfect timing,” said Garcia, who played for Ohio State. “I’m switching from being a player to now being a coach.”
You could say Garcia knows the area, too.
“I coached a couple of spring teams like the U14 and U12 teams five or six years ago. I was also the assistant coach at Winthrop (High School) a couple of years back,” he said.
As for his goals with the program – and, first things first – Garcia wants his players to love the sport.
Players perform better when they enjoy themselves, he believes.
“I never played my best when I was mad or angry, so my goal is to make sure everyone loves the game. When the game is free-flowing, when it’s fun to play, that’s when I know I played my best,” Garcia said. “I want to create an environment for the kids to fall in love with soccer and let them blossom.”
Tactically, he wants his team to push upfield and press the opposition to force turnovers.
“I’m a huge believer, especially at the high-school level, in the high press and winning the ball higher up the field. In high school, kids are more prone to make mistakes, so I want to force other teams into making mistakes and then capitalize on it,” Garcia said.
Although there are only a few weeks remaining in the offseason, he hopes his team will be in shape when it reports.
How might they do that? Just play the game, according to Garcia.
“For me, preseason is about being on the ball and getting in shape through playing,” he said. “We’ll still have running drills, but I’m a big believer that the best way to get in shape to play soccer is by playing soccer. I want them to be playing high-intensity soccer with the ball at their feet, getting as many touches in as they can. That’s going to be the best way to get them up to speed and ready for the season.”
The Spartans finished last fall with 13 wins and a trip to the Round of 16 (Division 3) before falling to Norwell, which went on to win the state championship.
