North Texas Soccer Club will score a major coup this afternoon when it announces the signing of John Gall as its new head coach.
Gall, 47, joined North Texas SC for the 2023 season as an assistant coach under Javier Cano.
The former Flower Mound Marcus High School boys’ soccer coach, who guided the Marauders to back-to-back state championships in 2007 and 2008, took over as interim head coach following the departure of Cano in July and guided the club to a 4-3-2 record in its final nine matches, halting a seven-game winless streak in the process.
Gall said he is honored and humbled by the new position.
“It’s a privilege,” Gall said. “It’s been a long time coming for me. I’ve worked my way through the whole coaching pyramid. I’m certainly privileged to be in this spot and I’m excited about what the future holds. It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and we’ll be pushing forward as hard as possible to bring success and player development to the club.”
North Texas SC is a professional team that competes in MLS Next Pro, a third division league of American soccer.
The club serves as the reserve team of FC Dallas, and Gall said when the position of head coach opened up at the end of the season, he took the initiative himself.
“I told the club that this was something I wanted to continue doing,” Gall said. “They put me in the candidate pool and went through the process with the league. I got an interview with the club and kind of reiterated all of the things I did during the season and what I will do moving forward.
“They were obviously happy with what I did in nine games as interim coach, and shortly after the interview process they offered me the position. So I’m really excited for myself and my family, and there are so many people at this club to thank.”
Gall coached at Marcus High School from 2001-2016 where he led the Marauders to playoff appearances ever season.
“A lot of people ask me why I stayed and coached high school soccer for so long,” Gall said. “The answer is that I loved the place. I loved the players and the program that we built. I loved the environment that we created, and it was difficult to leave in 2016. But I knew there was more out there for me. I knew there was a great opportunity for me when the club offered me the Director of Coaching position with the youth club and pretty quickly, I was able to move into the academy and moved up the ranks from the U12’s all the way to the U19’s. And now I’ve put myself in a position to be a head coach at the professional level, and I certainly have aspirations to keep moving forward.”
As the coach of North Texas SC, Gall said his team will play a pivotal role within the FC Dallas organization.
“We have a great relationship with the first team and a great relationship with the academy, so first and foremost, we are a bridge between the two,” Gall said. “We want players at this level to understand what the expectations and standards are to move to the next level, so the most important thing is player development– getting players ready for the next level, which is a key component to the position that I’m in.
But not only that, I’m also very competitive, and I want us to be winners. I want us to be winners in our players, staff, media department, in our marking department, in all of these things I want to be around people who strive to be the best that they can be.”
Gall joined the organization as the FC Dallas Youth Boys Director of Coaching in 2015.
For the 2016 season, Gall transitioned to head coach of the U-12s Academy.
During his first year in charge of the U-13s, Gall won the Dallas Cup in 2019. In 2020, Gall was promoted to head coach of the U-19s Academy team.
He also led the U-19s to the semifinals of the 2022 MLS NEXT Cup.
The Wales native has brought success to every program he’s headed, and said his coaching philosophy is the key.
“Two things are fundamental to my approach—player development and a winning mentality,” Gall said. “I want there to be a real drive to be the best that you can be and that has been my approach from day one.”
Gall, a great proponent and advocate for American soccer, said throughout his time as head coach at MHS that he sees good things in the sport, and he said that feeling has only intensified as he continues to ascend the ranks of the FC Dallas system.
“When you’re involved in it– when you are actually in the environment, it makes me more optimistic than ever,” Gall said. “You see the progression and professionalism. You see the players coming from other countries. You only have to look as far as Miami to see (Lionel) Messi joining the league. That’s an incredible statement to everyone around the world. There are now rumors of Luis Suarez coming to Miami and all of these big-time players coming to the league. That just raises the bar for everybody, because at the end of the day expectations are higher and that will make it better for everybody.”
And the former Marcus coach said there is plenty of talent to go around.
“There are so many good-quality, high-level elite young players in not only the Dallas/Fort Worth area, but in Texas, in the region and the country,” Gall said. “It’s brimming with talent…with World Cup right around the corner, it’s a great time to be a part of professional soccer in this country.”
In a statement, North Texas SC General Manager Matt Denny said he is confident that Gall has the team headed in the right direction and is looking forward to what next season holds in store.
“We are thrilled to announce the appointment of John Gall as our first ‘homegrown’ head coach,” Denny said. “John’s exceptional performance as the interim coach at the close of last season brought not only great results, but showcased the team’s remarkable competitive spirit and what it means to represent this club.
“We are confident that with John leading the talented staff and players in place, we are going to both maximize the development of our players and be one of the top teams in the league.”
Gall will become the fourth head coach in North Texas SC’s five-year history.
The specifics of his contract have not been disclosed.
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