Coach Bios
Bob Montgomery - Director of Youth Programs
Bob Montgomery begins his second year as Director of Youth Programs after joining the Red Bulls on Sept. 1, 2007. In this role, Montgomery oversees the Red Bulls Player Development System, including Red Bull New York's Academy and Grassroots Training Program.
Prior to joining the Red Bulls, Montgomery was the head men's soccer coach at Adelphi University, where he led the Panthers for 29 seasons. Posting a 258-224-39 record, Montgomery guided a program that had consistently been in the top 25 in the country. He had taken seven of his teams to the NCAA tournament and his 1987 squad made it all the way to the quarterfinals. Montgomery also led the Panthers to their first Atlantic Soccer Conference regular season and tournament titles, and has won Coach of the Year honors. Montgomery also served as an Associate Athletic Director at Adelphi, beginning in 1989, where he was responsible for compliance and eligibility for over 250 athletes. In addition to his duties at Adelphi, Montgomery has been an assistant coach for the Under-14 U.S. Men's National Team since 2000.
The 1990 New York State Coach of the Year and Adelphi University Athletic Hall of Fame member became involved with the U.S. Youth Soccer Association in 1985 and coached top players from ages ranging from 12 to 19 in Region I. He has also traveled to International events all around the world.
Montgomery attended Nassau Community College before transferring to Adelphi. He was a defender for the Panthers from 1972-73 and went on to receive his Bachelor's degree (1975) and Master's degree (1984) from Adelphi. Montgomery is married to wife Jennifer and has three daughters, Jessica, Danielle and Stephanie.
Paul O'Donnell - U-18 Head Coach
O'Donnell has been a Red Bulls Academy coach for the past six years. Last season, O'Donnell led the U-20s to the finals of the Super-Y League and his U-18 squad was named Region 1 Premier League and NJ State Cup Champions. In 2006, as U-17 coach, his team was the first Red Bulls Academy Team to win a New Jersey State Championship. In 2005, he led the U-16s to a Super-Y League North American Championship which was the first National or North American Championship for the organization. Aside from his duties with the Red Bulls, O'Donnell was an assistant coach at Iona College from 2003-05. He joined Iona after spending eight years as the head soccer coach at Kinnelon High School in New Jersey. O'Donnell is a 1995 graduate of Columbia University, where he was a four-year varsity letterman and three-time All Ivy selection for the Lions. After college, O'Donnell spent a brief stint in his native Scotland with Greenock Morton FC of the Scottish First Division and also played for the North Jersey Imperials of the United Soccer League for five seasons.
Rob Elliott - U-16 Head Coach
A native of Middletown, N.J., Elliott was the assistant coach at Virginia Commonwealth University for the past four years. During his time at VCU, Elliott helped the Rams reach the NCAA Quarterfinal and a final NSCAA National Ranking of #7. Five VCU Players became All-Americans during Elliott’s tenure.
A native of Middletown, N.J., Elliott was an assistant coach at Virginia Commonwealth University four years before joining the Red Bulls in 2008. During his time at VCU, Elliott helped the Rams reach the NCAA Quarterfinal and a final NSCAA National Ranking of #7. Five VCU Players became All-Americans during Elliott's tenure.
Prior to VCU, Elliott was the assistant for six seasons at his alma mater, Cornell University. He was also the head coach of the U-14 Region I Olympic Development Program for the past five years and is the founder and former director of coaching of TC United Premier Soccer Club in Ithaca, N.Y.
A 1997 graduate of Cornell with a Bachelor of Science degree in natural resources, Elliott was named to the 1996 National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Umbro Division I Men's All-America Second Team. He was First-Team All-New York State as a junior and as a senior and set a school record with 18 career assists. The Big Red was 27-6-3 during his final two seasons, the best two-year span in school history. Cornell appeared in the NCAA Tournament in each of those two seasons, going 15-2-1 in 1995 with an Ivy League championship, and 12-4-2 in 1996.
Elliott was with the North Jersey Imperials of the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues from 1997-98.
Stan Matlak - U-15 Head Coach
Matlak is now in his seventh year with the club (2002-04, 2006-07). Most recently, Matlak was a coach for the Red Bulls U-20 squad. In addition, he has been an assistant coach at various youth levels for New York. With the Red Bulls, Matlak has helped the U-14 and U-16 squads to the USL Super-Y League Finals and was part of the U-20 team that lost the championship game in penalty kicks in 2006. Matlak has also coached at a variety of other clubs, including the U-12 Bridgewater Lightning, Parsippany Hawks, Morris County Select squads, and Clifton High School. In his first stint with New York (2002-04), Matlak, who holds a USSF "D" License, was a player development school trainer. As a player, he competed in the Polish third division from 1986 to 1993 before being a member of Vistula Garfield New Jersey from 1993 to 2004. With Vistula Garfield, Matlak won two NJ State Cups and earned first place in the NJ Champions League four-times, earning MVP honors in the 2002-03 season. Last season Matlaks U-15 Red Bulls were New Jersey State Champions.
Andrew Sparkes - Academy Goalkeeper Coach
Sparkes enters his first season as the Red Bulls Academy Full Time Goalkeeper coach. Last season Sparkes coached the Academy Goalkeepers part time while heading up the Red Bulls pre-academy goalkeeper program (RDS). He has the top two goalkeeping licenses in the United States; the USSF National Goalkeeper License and the NSCAA Advanced National Goalkeeping Diploma, as well as his UEFA 'B' Goalkeeper License. Sparkes has also served as the Super Y National ODP Goalkeeper coach for the last two years.
As a player, the Wales native played for his hometown club, Swansea City, at the youth and reserve team level and also represented his country as various youth levels before moving into the coaching ranks at the Swans, overseeing the goalkeepers in the youth academy.
Sparkes has also trained with Red Bulls First Team for the last two seasons.
Stan Lembryk - U-14 Head Coach
Lembryk has been a coach in the Red Bulls development system since 2001. Most recently the head coach of the Red Bulls U-16 squad in 2007, Lembryk led the young Red Bulls to the championship match of the USL Super-Y League Finals in Florida and a successful showing in the Mundialito De Futebol Sub 17 in Spain. He has a USSF "A" License, and has served on the State Staff for both New Jersey and Florida ODP. The Clifton, N.J. native was captain and a four year letterman at Loyola College. He played in the American Professional Soccer League with the Maryland Bays, and later under former MLS and current U.S. U-20 coach Thomas Rongen for the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers. While playing in the USISL, he earned a call up to the 1996 MetroStars under Carlos Queiroz. Lembryk returned to Clifton H.S. as the girls' varsity team's head coach and led the program to its first league, county, and state championships, earning the Newark Star-Ledger 2001 State Coach of the Year.
Cris Da Silva - U-14 Head Coach
Da Silva, an original member of the New York MetroStars, played defensive midfielder for the club from 1996-98, appearing in 37 matches, making 21 starts and recording one assist. An accomplished coach at every amateur level, da Silva serves as the head coach at New Jersey City University, and has guided Saint Joseph Regional High School as well as numerous youth teams to highly successful seasons during his coaching tenure. Da Silva, who possesses a United States Soccer Federation National "A" License, has worked with the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) as the head coach of the Region 1 Olympic Development Program (ODP) 1992 Boys team since 2004, has served as head coach of the New Jersey Minority Program for the USSF since 1997, and has held the title of Director of Youth Coaching for the American Soccer Club since 2000.
Antonio Meza - U-14/15 Coach
Meza joined the Red Bulls Player Development team with over 20 years of professional soccer coaching experience as the head coach of the U-19's and assistant for the U-16's. He helped lead them to the Super-Y National Championship Finals and a national championship title the following year. Meza was a former Academy coach of Universidad's Catolica, Co-Director and Technical Coordinator of Colo-Colo, conditioning coach of professional teams in Chile and Director of Player Development at Nichidai Yagamata Academy in Japan. Meza holds a FIFA "A" license from the Chilean National Soccer Federation and a "B" License of the United States Soccer Federation. He also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education with mention in methodology of training, conditioning and strength certification from the Chilean National Conditioning Association.
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