Dave Cosgrove has spent the last 25 years coaching at the youth and junior college levels.
Wednesday, Cosgrove turned pro.
FC Tucson named Pima College’s Cosgrove as the third head coach in club history. Cosgrove, who replaces the departed Jon Pearlman, will still coach the Aztecs.
FC Tucson will play one final season in the Premier Development League before transitioning to the United Soccer League Division III in 2019. The move will allow FC Tucson to work closely with Phoenix Rising FC, which bought the club in October.
Cosgrove said Wednesday that his move to FC Tucson was “a natural progression.” He is 321-109-30 in 20 seasons at Pima.
“I’m part of the Tucson community. I’m born and raised in Tucson and I’ve been involved in youth soccer as a player and a coach since the early 1970s,” Cosgrove said. “For me … it provides a really unique challenge. Taking over such a successful program … is really one of the highlights of my career.”
Cosgrove has coached at Pima since 1998. During his time with the Aztecs, he has been named the ACCAC Coach of the Year six times and the West Region Coach of the Year four times. Cosgrove’s Aztecs have posted top-five national finishes five times, including last fall.
Cosgrove takes over for Pearlman, who served as the team’s general manager from 2010-17 and coached the team in his final season.
Pearlman resigned from both positions in December to take an assistant coaching job with OKC Energy FC of the USL.
The partnership will allow Cosgrove and the organization unprecedented access and resources to both youth and professional soccer players in Tucson.
Former FC Tucson head coach and current Phoenix Rising assistant Rick Schantz said joining the USL has tangible benefits for both Arizona-based organizations going forward.
Schantz said his familiarity with Cosgrove from years of coaching against him made him an easy choice to take over for Pearlman.
“I coached against (Cosgrove) for many years and I believe you learn more about a person by playing or coaching against them than you do with them,” Schantz said.
“You find out in those moments of adversity what they really are. Win, lose or draw, David was always very respectful.”
Cosgrove will get his first shot at the helm on May 12 during the team’s season opener at home against Albuquerque Sol FC.
