When Rick Schantz departed FC Tucson for Phoenix Rising FC before the season, it was a natural fit for Jon Pearlman to take the reins as the club’s new head coach.
After all, Pearlman had been with the Men in Black in a general manager capacity since the club’s inception and already had extensive coaching experience, dating back to when he coached at Sabino High and guided the Sabercats to the 2005 state championship.
Still, FC Tucson has had massive league success since it started in 2012, and Pearlman felt the pressure.
As it turns out, the Men in Black are in good hands and in great shape.
Earlier this week, FC Tucson won twice on the road to clinch the Premier Development League Mountain Division title yet again. It’s the fourth consecutive division title for FC Tucson, and third Mountain Division crown. Last season, Tucson played in the Southwest Division and earned the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
FC Tucson (9-2-2) is unbeaten in its last eight games heading into Saturday’s 7 p.m. regular-season finale against Colorado Rapids U23 at Kino North Stadium.
“The pressure was there after a slow start but we put the pieces together and hopefully we can finish strong on Saturday,” Pearlman said.
It’s certainly helped to have one of the most talented rosters the club has ever seen, starting with Moshe Perez. After scoring two goals against BYU on Wednesday, the midfielder broke the club’s single-season league scoring record of nine. Perez is now up to 11, surpassing the 2016 record of teammate Afonso Pinheiro.
Pinhiero broke a club record of his own this week, becoming Tucson’s all-time assist leader with eight in his career, seven coming this season. The record was previously held by Real Salt Lake forward Ricardo Velazco.
Tate Schmitt, a team captain, currently sits in third-place all-time on the assist list with six. The PDL recently listed Schmitt, a midfielder, as the No. 7 prospect in the league.
“We’ve got a great core of 20 players and we really think this group could be the group that breaks us through,” Pearlman said. “We’re just going to work hard to get that.”
The Star spoke with Pearlman this week about his first season as FC Tucson’s coach.
On heading into the final regular season game: “For us, it’s a big celebration for us this weekend. We have a bunch of work to get in obviously to prepare for the playoffs and we really hope this is the year we can get over the top and put ourselves in the national semifinals and hopefully go all the way.”
On the success of FC Tucson: “It’s been great. For me on the technical side, I’ve been the general manager since the inception and it’s been very rewarding. Coach Schantz did an amazing job for all the years he was handling first team duties. For us to have the consistency we’ve had on both the men’s and women’s side — men’s side’s never had a losing season, we’ve made the playoffs in five of six years we’ve been in existence and that’s really what you want, that consistency.”
On becoming the coach: “It’s been exciting for me. I’ve been a coach well before I was a general manager. Rick was such a good fit and we had such a good chemistry that I was very happy to observe and advise. I love being on the bench, I’m very passionate. I’ve coached at all levels in Arizona … for me it was natural. To have these kind of players and try to put your vision out there with the kind of quality guys we have, it’s just been wonderful.”
On team chemistry: “The young guys and the old guys on the team have a great chemistry. For me it’s a joy. Even the van rides to BYU for 12 hours, the cards, the laughter … but at the end of the day when the whistle blows, for 90 minutes this team is all business and that’s how I am. … For me, the bench has been an absolute joy and I’m grateful that Rick and Greg (Foster) gave me the opportunity to step in and do that, and I’m so glad I didn’t let them down and I was able to get us into the postseason.”
