Jon Pearlman, a Tucson soccer fixture who rose from the high school and club ranks to become a founding member, general manager and coach of FC Tucson, is leaving the club — and the city.
Pearlman was named general manager and assistant coach for the United Soccer League's Oklahoma City Energy, the club announced Friday. Pearlman will also serve as head coach of the club's U23 team. Pearlman said in a news release that he was "extremely honored" to join coach Steve Cooke's staff. The USL is considered American soccer's top minor league.
"I feel my soccer experience will serve our already successful club well in many areas," he said. "My goal is to help Energy FC continue its success at all levels on and off the field and lay the foundation for the club's future success."
Pearlman later tweeted that the decision to leave FC Tucson was "the most difficult professional decision I have made in my career," and that he had "put everything I had" into his club team, FC Tucson and Tucson's ongoing Major League Soccer spring training efforts.
"I am proud of our success," he wrote.
Pealrman and three partners founded FC Tucson in 2010. Pearlman, formerly the head boys coach at Sabino High School, served as general manager and managing partner until last season, when he replaced Rick Schantz as head coach of FC Tucson. The club was bought this fall by USL's Phoenix Rising FC, where Schantz is now an assistant coach. Pearlman was expected to stay on as FC Tucson's general manager, though his future as coach remained murky. Under Pearlman and Schantz, FC Tucson was a regular participant in the Premier Development League playoffs; in 2014, FC Tucson was named the league's franchise of the year. As general manager, Pearlman helped recruit more than 30 players who went on to play professionally.
Since its inception, FC Tucson has gone a combined 82-28-19 overall — 87-50-27, if you count exhibitions against Major League Soccer teams. The club has won its division within the PDL four consecutive years.
