CMS Coach Biographies

Eric Adams

Eric Adams

Eric Adams is a USSF D Licensed coach and has been coaching at various levels for nearly a decade. He played through high school where he won 2 State Championships as well as 1 year at the semi-pro level. He currently coaches two 2013 Boys teams as well as is a coach for the Copper Hills High School Varsity Girls team. He is currently the Technical Director for Copper Mountain Soccer Club. 

As a lifelong learner, he is a student of the game and dedicated to relentlessly honing his coaching craft and endeavors to continuously develop along with all of his players.

He is passionate about providing a safe but challenging environment where players can learn and grow, fail and succeed, all while developing their own joy, passion and understanding of the game. He is dedicated to developing intelligent, self-reliant players that exemplify character (resilience, ambition, respect, accountability), cognition (vision, decision, precision), and competence technically and tactically, as individuals within the context of a team. His teams are recognized by playing a dynamic associative-style soccer using positional superiority which prioritizes possession over progression by intelligently creating and exploiting space. 

Chris Barnes

Chris Barnes

Chris is a E licensed coach through the USSF. Chris has played competitive soccer his whole life and has been coaching on and off since 1997 and as been with the club since its inception in 2016. Chris has coached competitive teams U8 through U15 teams with Avalanche, Utah Soccer Alliance and Copper Mountain. His previous teams are Presidents Cup and Glory Cup winners, Adidas Cup runners up and numerous Metro divisional champs. He currently coaches the Boys 2008 Metro A team. His coaching philosophy and desire is that the athletes set goals, increase their skills, develop mental toughness, learn good sportsmanship, and grow their love for the game.

Robbie Beckstead

I have coached soccer at many levels including high school, recreation, academy and competition. I have been a US Soccer "D" licensed coach since 2011.

Most recently I have coached all three of my boys' teams and enjoy being with them and their friends. I currently coach my middle son's competitive team. And my youngest son's rec team.

I get the most coaching enjoyment out of seeing my teams improve, individually and collectively, and enjoy their experience of learning the game. My players learn to understand options in various situations to exercise their decision-making and control of the game. I appreciate soccer as a component of life-skill building and encourage dedication for my players in the aspects that will benefit them. I see the interaction they have with soccer as being only a part of their development, but one I hope they build on positively, take seriously as a fun activity and learning experience, and cherish long-term.

Andrew Blau

Most people call me Drew, I have been coaching with Copper Mountain for 6 years as an assistant with one of our boys 2007 teams.  I also am an assistant with the Copper Hills HS Freshman/Sophmore team.  2023 will be my first year as a HC and I am excited to start with a 2015 boys team.  I am definitely interested in boys making the jump from Rec to competitive. 
I value development, commitment, discipline and effort and believe these lead to enjoyment and fulfillment on a team and as player.  Please feel free to contact me at +18012310727 through text or call.

Scott Bloomfield

Scott Bloomfield has an USSF “D” license, Goalkeeper L1 and Goalkeeper L2 Diplomas from United Soccer Coaches. He has been involved with coaching at the youth rec and competition levels since 2013. Scott wants players to enjoy training sessions, learn grit and resilience in competition, and develop habits that will build the foundation of an active lifestyle. He strives to develop complete players by focusing on tactical understanding of the game (decision making), technical mastery of the ball (skills), physical endurance (fitness), and psychological/social awareness (teamwork and mental toughness). Scott’s coaching mantra can be attributed to a quote from the legendary USWNT coach Tony DiCicco – “If it isn’t fun, it’s not soccer.”

Braden Burrup

Braden Burrup has a USSF "D" license and has been coaching soccer for 9 years: 7 years with Utah Soccer Alliance and 2 years with Copper Mountain. His passion for the sport is what drives him to be a coach. He loves to see the kids he coaches be successful both on and off the field. Braden played soccer growing up in Utah all the way through high school and continues to play as an adult.  He believes in teaching his teams the methodologies and techniques that are used more commonly in Europe.

TJ Carlson

TJ has been involved in competitive soccer pretty much his entire life.  Growing up he played for Sparta Premier where he learned to play at a very high level.  He also enjoyed playing high school soccer for Hillcrest High School.  TJ has his E License for coaching.  He has been coaching for 11 years competitively.  For 5 years he coached with USA (Utah Soccer Alliance) and then decided to join Copper Mountain.  He coached 3 years as an assistant coach before taking over the head coaching position for the past 2 years. He believes soccer should be fun but also believes in developing the technical skills to be successful.  He believe it’s important for his players to understand the game and develop a love for soccer on and off the field. 

Sarah & Ike Christensen

Sarah and Ike both played soccer growing up in Utah and played through their high school years. They have played in indoor and outdoor adult leagues and have a passion for the game. They have been coaching for 11 years collectively. Sarah enjoys working with her husband to bring each team to develop a love for soccer. She likes to see players learn to play their best game every game by applying the techniques and tactical vision they practice at training. She works hard to help every player have fun and develop on and off the field. Ike has a similar vision. It is very important to him that all players have fun while playing soccer. This is why he uses a variety of games in his training sessions. He also tries to help players develop humility, an ability to work together, and a good understanding of soccer basics. Sarah and Ike were recognized as Copper Mountain Recreation Soccer Coach of the Year Nominees in 2019. The players and parents they have impacted appreciate their positive approach in working with their players, their knowledge of the game, and their ability to help their children improve as players.

Brent Cook

Brent Cook has a USSF “D” license and has been coaching for over thirty years, which includes coaching girls’ teams for over 20 years. He has coached both Rec and Comp teams for USA and for Copper Mountain Soccer Clubs. His coaching philosophy is team possession based on sound ball mastery skills and team defending. He believes in good sportsmanship, holding players accountable, cultivating an enjoyable team experience, working hard to develop personal skills and having fun.

Jeff Gaisford

Jeff Gaisford has a USSF “D” License. He played briefly as a youth but developed a love for the game watching his sons begin playing at young ages. He was able to step into coaching at the U6 level and as his love and understanding of the game and coaching and mentoring youth grew, he chose to take the step towards licensing and coaching education seriously and have learned from some great mentors at various levels. Have coached U6-U15 and has taken new competitive teams from bottom level and earned multiple promotions in the last 4 years. His teams have both won and been a finalist in President’s Cup, and multiple club sanctioned Tournaments (Adidas Cup, Glory Cup, and Dixie Invitational). Jeff promotes a positive, constructive, and driven environment to allow players to advance in the sport of Soccer, individually and as a team. Emphasizing that advancing skill level, knowledge of the game, and creative and strategic tactics and technical proficiency, improvement will abound, and a winning culture will follow. The game is for the players and is the best teacher. Fostering the technical, tactical, mental, and physical development within the game leads to a lifelong love of the game, a quality environment for growth, and ability to take skills and principles into the lives of the players for a lifetime.

Justin Hendrix

Justin Hendrix

Justin Hendrix has a USSF D License and has been coaching competitive boys and girls soccer for many years.  Justin grew up playing club soccer in the Salt Lake City area, including playing for an independent club Puma and Sparta Premier.

His coaching philosophy is to create a positive team culture with players focused on common goals, accountable for consistently giving their best effort and playing with high energy.  His trainings focus on developing the fundamental skills critical to success.  He also strongly believes if it's not fun, it's not soccer. 

Justin is the head coach for both a Copper Mountain girls premier team and boys premier team.  

His girls team was formed in 2017 and initially consisted of 14 of 17 girls playing competitive soccer for the first time.  The team started in Metro B, the lowest division for their age group at the time, but set a goal to reach the premier division.  Through hard work and sacrifice the team finished in the top 2 every season earning 5 promotions, culminating in their promotion to the UYSA Premier division last spring.

His team has produced 23 (and counting) 6A Region 3 All-Region athletes, the 6A Region 3 Defensive MVP and four 6A All-State selections.  Four players have signed to play college soccer with several others currently being recruited. 

His boys team was formed in 2020, comprised of mostly Copper Mountain Recreation and Academy players. They have successfully competed at the highest level for their age group, winning 1st place in the highest division of 8 tournaments in only 3 years.      

In addition to coaching a Copper Mountain 04-06 girls team and Copper Mountain 2012 boys team, Justin is a coach with the Copper Hills High School Girls soccer program.  

Parker Howell

Parker Howell

Born and raised in the SLC area, Parker has played soccer his entire life, including Premier Division soccer through his youth and at the college level at Westminster College. He still plays in the “wash-up” leagues around the valley and will never stop loving the game. Also, importantly, he will forever be an avid fan of RSL and Liverpool.

Parker holds a D License through USSF and has coached at the Recreation and Competition levels for 6 years. His coaching philosophy revolves entirely around player development, encouraging and pushing the players to learn and grow according to their individual abilities and strengths, all while developing a deep love and passion for the game of soccer.

Rick Hyatt

Rick Hyatt

Rick Hyatt has been coaching youth soccer for the last 11 years, coaching both recreation teams and competition level teams in NUCS, USA, and now Copper Mountain Soccer Clubs. He received his Grassroots license (USSF E), and has coached teams from U4-U18. He played soccer recreationally as a youth, and has enjoyed watching his teams have much success.

His coaching philosophy is based around players having fun and developing to be the best player they can be both on and off the field. Players are taught good sportsmanship and good citizenship, and expected to work hard individually while the team focus is always on possession-based fundamentals. 

He and his wife have a wonderful family in Herriman with four kids, three of which play soccer. 

Kelly Johnson

Kelly Johnson

Kelly Johnson has a USSF D License and has been coaching soccer since 2013, and coaching at the competition level since 2017.  Kelly grew up playing soccer from age 6 and played competitively through high school and continued playing recreationally in college and beyond. Kelly currently coaches the Copper Mountain 09 Boys D1 team. The Copper Mountain 09 boys’ successes include several tournament championships gold (5) and silver (2) medals, indoor league championships, and multiple season championships in the UYSA State Competition leagues. Kelly is committed to developing competitive players with a solid Soccer IQ, technical ability, and a functional tactical understanding of the game of soccer while providing a fun and challenging developmental atmosphere for players to grow both on and off the field. 

Renata Lawson

Renata Lawson

Renata Lawson has a USSF "C" license and National Youth License. She has been coaching since 2000 with Copper Mountain, Utah Soccer Alliance and Sparta United including recreation, academy, and competition teams. She ran a successful off-track soccer camp at the South Jordan Rec Center for 5 years and co-directed the U-8 academy in 2015. Currently, she is the Director of Coaching for Copper Mountain Soccer Club, and coaches two teams. Renata played soccer through high school in southern California and then with Cypress College in Orange County, California. She also played several years with the Mayhem competitive women’s team here in Utah and countless indoor leagues. Renata would like to see players learn good technique and come to appreciate the tactics of this beautiful game. Players should have fun, work hard, and develop a confidence in themselves on and off the field.

Steve Monson

Steve Monson

Steve Monson is looking forward to getting his Grass Roots License this summer which has taken the place of the E License. He has coached recreation soccer for Copper Mountain for 3 years. He regularly plays on an indoor team at Sport City and surrounds himself with amazing soccer players. His secret weapon is his assistant coach! He believes in the importance of keeping it simple, working hard, constant improvement, and of course, having fun!

Zachary Newbold

Zachary Newbold

Zachary Newbold has a USSF "D" license.  He has been coaching girl’s competition level teams for 8 years and boys competition level for 4 years.  He has coached Recreation Academy teams for 2 years with a total of 12 years head coaching experience. He has served as a head coach or assistant coach with Copper Mountain Soccer, Utah Soccer Alliance, and Revolution FC.  He currently coaches 2 girls’ teams and a boys’ team. Zach played several years as a youth in the UYSA program along with 7 years of intramural soccer at Snow College and the University of Utah. He trained formally for two years with Coach Chris Agnello at the U of U. Zach has a passion for sports and especially for soccer.  He wants the players to first develop a love for the game and learn to trust their team by giving their best effort to support one another and bring team success.  Supporting a team begins with self-improvement in technique and learning tactics and then incorporating their skills into the full squad. Individual effort will be rewarded with team growth providing self-confidence and the ability to create a team environment where each player knows their teammate will also provide their best effort.

Mark Osborne

Mark Osborne has been part of the Utah Soccer Community for over 40 years as a Player, Coach, Referee as well as holding positions on State and Club Boards. Mark currently hold his USSF National D, USSF National Youth and NSCAA Goalkeeper Diplomas. Having coached teams at all levels he has seen teams advance to the State Cup final and players move on to play at the collegiate and professional level. Mark considers himself a coach that develops technical skills and asks player to be able to make on field decisions helping them learn the tactical part of the game in a natural setting. Mark lives in Riverton, Utah with his wife Tracie and has 4 children(Denver, Mackenzie, Dylan and Teagan).

Danny Payne

Danny Payne has a USSF “D” license. Danny has been coaching for over 10 years with Copper Mountain and Utah Soccer Alliance at competitive and recreational team levels. Danny started to play soccer at a young age In Northern Virginia and has continued to play in adult leagues in Utah. He has played on outdoor teams, futsal teams, and indoor teams at various skill levels and age groups. Danny focuses on developing players through personal ball skills and learning how to work together as a team. Players have fun while learning and growing in their skills and pushing themselves to become better athletes on and off the field.

Bryan Pepi

Bryan Pepi

Bryan has been coaching soccer teams at various levels for over a decade, including the past several years at the competitive level. He played soccer through the high school level as a center back. He has a deep understanding of the game and a coaching philosophy that emphasizes possession and creativity. He believes that players should be taught to value teamwork and use it effectively to create scoring opportunities.

As a coach, Bryan connects on a personal level with his players to make sure that they feel valued and that the team culture is always strong. His team is a place where players want to participate and excel. 

Jared Price

Jared Price has a USSF "E" Coaching License. He has been a head coach for 6 years including Gene Fullmer recreation and Copper Mountain. He is also an assistant wrestling coach for Victory Wrestling Club. Jared played competition soccer as a youth in the position of goalie. Coaching two sports that are so different gives him a unique understanding of the importance of team and individual development. The team is as strong as the individual players. Jared has an athlete-centered coaching approach. His coaching aims are: 1. Have fun! 2. Individual Player Development/ Individual Responsibility 3. Team Development/ Team Reliance and Accountability 4. Introduction of Soccer Strategy. Jared's overall goal is to build character, confidence, and a sense of accomplishment not just in soccer, but in life.

Seth Price

Seth Price

Seth Price has his USSF “E” license and has been coaching for 11 years with Copper Mountain and Utah Soccer Alliance. He is the head coach of the top ’04 and ’07 Copper Mountain Competition teams. Seth played soccer all through his teen years and has always had a love for the game. His focus is on developing players of any skill level while teaching them correct techniques, fundamentals, and tactics. Seth tries to uplift and encourage his players to instill confidence and help his players have the desire to improve on their own while teaching good sportsmanship, how to work hard, play harder, serve the community, and have fun.

Chris Radcliffe

Chris Radcliffe

Chris holds a USSF Grassroots Coaching License. He has been coaching for Copper Mountain Soccer for about five years and has been playing since he was five. He grew up playing competition soccer and played all 4 years in high school. Chris enjoys everything about soccer and the sport has consumed his life.


Chris loves to see players work hard and have a good attitude toward their teammates and the
opposition. He coaches due to his passion for the game and contributing to the growth of
players, not only in the game but also in life. He encourages players to learn from their
mistakes and brush them off quickly to keep them mentally engaged. He loves to have fun with his team and tries to vary up practices to ensure the players are enjoying the sport.

Scott Smith

Scott holds a USSF Grassroots license, has been coaching for over ten years and has played the game since age five. He has been coaching with Copper Mountain since 2021 and currently coaches 2012 and 2008 girls teams.

Standing in lines is for Disneyland and he avoids them at all costs in his training sessions. He believes the game is the best teacher and he designs his sessions to provide as many touches as possible in game-like scenarios. His main focus is on the players developing skills for success on and off the field. His coaching philosophy is focused on learning from mistakes, a positive and respectful attitude, putting forth our best effort, and working together as a team.

Matt Speckman

Matt Speckman has been playing soccer for over 40 years and coaching in various capacities for 25 years. Matt holds a C license and is always seeking to further his coaching education through seminars, observing other coaches and watching professional training and other educational avenues. Matt has coached teams at all ages and all levels of competition including recreation, academy, and all competition levels from Metro to Premier. Matt's team are dedicated to playing an attractive brand of soccer modeled after the possession-based approach and positional principles of the teams he admires. His teams’ successes include numerous tournament wins both in-state and out-of-state, consistent performance in Premier level competition and successive promotions for teams that start at lower tiers of the State gaming competition. Ultimately, Matt measures the success of his team on the training environment with these questions: 

Are kids consistently present?

Are players improving?

Do they like their teammates?

Is the environment competitive?

Do players respect their teammates and coaches?

Do the players ask questions?

Do players understand our game model?

Jeromy Walk

Jeromy Walk has a USSF National C license and holds the National Youth license.  He has been coaching soccer for 14 years and is the Copper Mountain U-8 Academy Director.  He also holds the NSCAA Level 1 and Level 2 Goalkeeping Diploma as well as the Coerver Youth Diploma.  His successes include numerous in-state and out of state tournament championships, a State Cup Championship, a Desert Premier League Championship and served as an UYSA Olympic Development Program assistant coach for 3 years.

John Wunderli

John Wunderli is originally from San Diego, California, John started playing soccer at age five.  He also competed in a number of other sports including basketball, football, baseball, and surfing.  He has been coaching high school and competitive soccer for the last 20 years. He graduated from BYU with a degree in Coaching and Physical Education, and then earned a Master’s degree in Physical Education from Virginia Tech, and has 18 years of experience teaching Physical Education.

Karen Wunderli

Karen Wunderli

Karen Wunderli grew up in Utah and was a four year starter on Brigham Young University's women's soccer team 1996-2000.  Her senior year she was voted captain and led the Mountain West Conference in assists.

In the summer of 1997 she played semi-professionally for the Fort Collins Force and helped the team win the National Championship title.

After having five kids, she decided to play semi-professionally again and played for the RSL women's team 2014-2016.

She has a passion and dedication for soccer and has been coaching competition soccer for the Copper Mountain and Utah Soccer Alliance soccer clubs for the past 17 years,

Karen has her USSF D license.