Tom grew up in New Jersey and played club soccer for Jersey United. Tom played collegiate soccer at Bowdoin College. Tom’s favorite soccer memory was scoring a penalty in a shootout to win the conference tournament for the first time in school history. He continued his involvement with the team after graduation as the Volunteer Assistant Coach at Bowdoin College for two seasons. 

Tom was most inspired to go into coaching by his coaches at Jersey United. He played at a number of high level clubs with coaches who put a lot of pressure on players. At Jersey United, the feeling was different. Coaches talked to players not just about their performance on the field, but about what they were doing off of it and how they were doing. He looked forward to going to practice every day, rather than having to feel like he was always proving himself and justifying his place on the team. That’s been an inspiration for how Tom tries to coach and interact with his teams.

Tom’s favorite part about coaching is being able to watch players grow in confidence as their skills improve. Tom’s favorite player is Robin van Persie. He enjoys reading and is always looking for book recommendations!