FC Tucson has parted ways with head coach John Galas, according to team president Amanda Powers.
Powers’ decision to relieve Galas from his coaching duties comes in the wake of the club’s 1-0 loss to Union Omaha on Saturday. FC Tucson is currently in 11th out of 12th place in the USL League One standings with a 2-4-3 record. The team went 0-2-2 during the month of June.
Jon Pearlman, FC Tucson’s Director of Soccer Operations, will serve as the team’s interim coach as the club prepares to host Fort Lauderdale CF on Saturday. Pearlman is one of the founders and original co-owners of FC Tucson, and he previously served as the club’s head coach in 2017.
Powers and Pearlman notified the players via a conference call Tuesday afternoon and held a press conference Tuesday evening to make the changes official.
“When we took a look at some of the pieces that are missing in the club, we felt it was best to just mutually part ways (with John) so that we can not only try to address those things this season but really start carving a path for the future,” Powers said.
FC Tucson coach Jon Pearlman talks with defender Kareem Banton during a 2017 game. Pearlman will once again lead the team, which next plays Saturday.
Galas was in his second year with the team after posting a 6-4-6 record in 2020 and a sixth-place finish in USL League One. In 2021, FC Tucson got off to a dismal 0-2-1 start, including a 5-1 loss to Fort Lauderdale CF on May 16.
The club’s goal differential (-6) through nine matches ranks last in the league.
Powers expressed disappointment FC Tucson’s results on the field through the first two months of the season and hopes that a coaching change can help spark a midseason turnaround for a team she still has faith in.
“We still believe in this team and this roster,” Powers said. “And we are committed to winning.”
Pearlman now takes over as interim coach. He has over 25 years of coaching experience, most recently with Oklahoma City Energy FC in 2018. Prior to that, he served as FC Tucson’s coach and general manager in 2017 when the club was in USL League Two.
Pearlman re-joined FC Tucson in December of 2018, this time in the front office as the director of soccer operations. Since coming back to the program, Pearlman has worked to build FC Tucson’s roster.
Powers, who was named FC Tucson’s president in January 2020, has worked alongside Pearlman in the front office the last two seasons. She said she believes Pearlman is the right person to lead FC Tucson in the interim capacity.
Powers and Pearlman said the search for a new head coach will begin immediately, but gave no timetable for when they expect to make a hire. However, Powers did express that an ideal candidate is someone with USL coaching experience.
As FC Tucson prepares to host Fort Lauderdale, Pearlman said he will meet with the players at practice Wednesday morning and put together a game plan for the week. Pearlman also said the club’s two assistants, Vito Higgins and Mark Biagi, will stay on staff during the coaching change.
“Right now, I’m just focused our players which is the most important thing,” Pearlman said. “And then the wonderful staff that we have in our front office that are tremendously hard working people so I’ll just approach this challenge with that kind of level of work and commitment.”
