Ewing, NJ - Princeton High School soccer All-American Carlos Figueroa was named Assistant Coach of the senior men’s program and Head Coach of the U17 boys program for temporarily branded, “Real Central New Jersey Soccer.” The club will begin play in May 2021 and recently announced it was joining USL League Two, the top pre-professional soccer league in the country. Figueroa is currently the head coach of The King’s College in New York.
“I have known Carlos since we were kids and I was playing for the German American Kickers (G.A.K.) and he was playing for Princeton Packet,” said men’s Head Coach Patrick Snyder. “Carlos’s attacking mentality as a player and a coach will be a great benefit to our club.”
Figueroa attended Princeton High School where, as a player, he made the high school All State team three times and was named an NSCAA/Umbro All American. He was called into a U14 US national team training camp. Carlos played professionally in Guatemala and with both the South Jersey Barons and the New Jersey Riptide of the USL. He trained briefly with the NY/NJ MetroStars.
“Soccer is basically in my blood,” Figueroa says. “A USL League Two club in the Trenton area will be a great addition to aid in the development of the high quality players in central New Jersey. The youth pathway, in partnership with local youth clubs, will be really exciting.”
The club is set on providing coaches with strong roots in the area a platform to develop their craft, develop local talent, and potentially move on to the next level.
“Having high quality, locally grown coaches is exciting for our community-centric club,” said owner and men’s general manager Ira Jersey. “Carlos brings an infectious love for the game and has already provided great ideas to build the franchise off the pitch as well. He’s an exciting addition to the club’s growing family.”
As a coach, Figueroa has been mentored by former US men’s national team coaches Bora Milutonovic, Bruce Arena and Bob Bradley. Figueroa has coached extensively at the club, high school and college level, including at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. He also coaches the Monmouth Generals, a men's team in the Garden State League. Carlos holds his USSF C license and has a degree in business administration from Mercer County Community College.
It is our mission to put a product on the field that will make all of the Greater Trenton soccer community proud.
“Carlos and I are extremely excited to be helping shape the next phase of high-level soccer in the region,” Snyder said. “It is our mission to put a product on the field that will make all of the Greater Trenton soccer community proud. Plus, I figured if he was sitting next to me it would be a lot easier to kick him than it would be chasing him around like when we were kids and in High School.”