The Reed boys soccer team has a new coach.
After Athletic Director Ryan Sims and now former coach Joel Martinez parted ways last month, Henry Menchaca agreed to become the new coach last Wednesday.
Menchaca, 39, has an impressive soccer resume that goes back to his playing days at the University of Texas from 1995-99.
“We’re excited about him,” Sims said. “He has a lot of experience.”
“I’m very fortunate and excited to have the opportunity to coach the Reed varsity boys,” Menchaca said over text last Saturday. “I know a dozen of the upper classmen and they are eager to have a playoff season.”
A Texas native, Menchaca moved to Northern Nevada two years ago to officiate prep soccer and assist a pair of Legacy Football Club girls teams. Legacy FC is a soccer club based in Sparks that aims to train and develop players ages 4-18.
Last year, he became the head coach and trainer of the 1999 Legacy FC boys as well as the Reno High squad. The Huskies went 3-11-4 in his lone season at the helm.
Menchaca is also a professional official. He owns a United States Soccer Federation ‘D’ License and plans to take the ‘C’ class in December.
“I feel that my playing and officiating experiences are complementing skills to coaching,” Menchaca said. “Both helped me to become a well-rounded coach and to see the game from multiple points of view.”
The Raiders went 3-10-3 last fall and have not advanced to the postseason in a better half of the last decade. That doesn’t mean Reed’s new coach is entering with a low bar.
“Expectations are set high for the entire program and we understand that in order to achieve our goals, a lot of hard work comes first,” he said.
“Our journey starts this week with summer conditioning and I look forward to getting to know them all. I’m here to help them not only become better players on the field, but also better people off the field.”
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