“We have a great opportunity here to take the greatest franchise in the history of indoor soccer to a new level,” says the San Diego Sockers new general manager John "The Coach" Kentera.

Kentera’s vision as general manager is for the Sockers to be a vehicle that brings the community of San Diego together like did in the 1980s. “We want everyone involved,” he says.

John "The Coach" Kentera.

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A large part of that community connection will come from the continued efforts to build the team with home-grown talent. The Sockers will hold an open tryout camp on October 2 at the Tobby Wells YMCA in Kearny Mesa.

“We’re very excited about the tremendous pool of talent in San Diego County and our surrounding communities,” says Kentera. “We’re looking forward to people trying out for our North American Champion San Diego Sockers, and there will also be an opportunity to earn a roster spot on our San Diego Fusion team.” The Fusion is the Sockers top farm team.

However, Kentera does admit that his soccer resume is a little thin for the job and that he is not an expert at evaluating talent. Those duties will still remain with Head Coach Phil Salvagio.

“[I am] a guy with no soccer background,” says Kentera. “Except for being a big-time fan, I coached a little recreational soccer and watched my daughters play soccer. My one daughter played at the University of Pacific for four years and was a two-time all-conference player. That is my background in soccer.”

What Kentera does bring to the table is his connections to our sports community. For more than 20 years Kentera has been a broadcaster covering San Diego sports. In that role he has developed a very positive relationship with San Diego’s sports fans and has earned the respect of his colleagues.

Currently Kentera broadcasts for XX 1090, where he is frequently heard on Padres pre- and post-game shows. Additionally he co-hosts the World Baseball Network Show and on Friday nights in the fall he hosts the High School Scoreboard Show.

Kentera had one stipulation with taking the job as the Sockers general manager. “I would continue my broadcasting on XX 1090,” says Kentera. “I love my involvement with the San Diego Padres.”

Kentera also loves his involvement in youth athletics. He earned the title of “The Coach” as a coach for various sports at his alma mater Torrey Pines High School. Kentera both played as student and then coached the basketball, baseball, and football teams. He also coached softball.

Kentera has been a mentor to hundreds of student athletes. More than 100 of hisplayers went on to earn college scholarships, and 37 of his former baseball players were drafted or signed professional baseball contracts.

It is these relationships that Kentera has with the San Diego sports community that makes him ideally qualified to be the Sockers GM. By tapping into those resources Kentera should be able to quickly grow the Sockers fan base and fill up the Del Mar Arena. If Kentera can accomplish that he will obtain long-term financial stability for the Sockers franchise.

Kentera brought his family to several games last season and found it puzzling that the Del Mar Arena was often only half full. “The more I researched it . . . [I discovered] a lot of people didn’t know that they had a team again,” says Kentera. “I think we can change that.”

“We need to do a lot more meet and greets,” says Kentera. “We need to get our players out in the community. Last year they came back and put a championship product on the field. Now hopefully we can put a championship product in the community.”

One significant change this year will be a much more family-friendly schedule. Nearly every game will be at 6:15 p.m. on Saturday nights, with the home opener on November 20.

“More than anything we want to get people out,” says Kentera. “We have one of the cheapest tickets in the league and we have the best venue.”

(For tickets or to schedule your tryout call: 866-799-4625. Tryouts begin at 3 p.m. There is a $25 registration fee.)