COACH | PRO ATHLETE | MOTIVATOR | MENTOR
Matt (Gaffa) is a professional football coach. He most recently served as Head Coach and Sporting Director of FC Naples in USL League One, where he lead the club, achieving historic milestones and unprecedented success. At the time of his appointment, he was among the youngest head coaches in professional soccer in the United States. Prior to FC Naples, he served as Head Coach and Technical Director of Chicago House AC, following a stint in Finland with Sporting Kristina, where he held the dual roles of Head Coach and Sporting Director. He remains active in player development, offering private training sessions during the offseason and bringing his professional coaching experience, tactical knowledge, and passion for developing players to the next generation of talent.
Before a knee injury he was a professional soccer player. It was his passion and drive that allowed him to reach the professional level. Upon his graduation from Taylor University ‘14 Matt entered the professional ranks and has spent his career playing in Scandinavia. He is the first player from his university to make it to professional football.
Matt has had the privilege of being named a Captain throughout his career. His work ethic and leadership have often led to his peers and coaches looking for his leadership on the field. He has led his teams to many successful seasons and has won both team and individual awards throughout his career.
Upon retiring from football, Matt has focused on enhancing the lives of others through the sport of soccer. He has wanted to focus on passing on the lessons he has learned both on and off the field. Matt has created a youtube channel focusing on all aspects of soccer and learning from professional players through interviews. He has also started speaking to many organizations on climbing out of the valley and learning to grow from life’s challenges.
““It’s the action, not the fruit of the action, that’s important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there’ll be any fruit. But that doesn’t mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.””