Rob Taylor is a local soccer enthusiast that truly gives back to the players for the love of the game. He started coaching club and High School players in 1996 and believes soccer is a tool that teaches more than a game.

Rob’s playing history started in Oregon. The coaches knew little about soccer but knew a lot about fun. This is one of the keys to Rob’s teams. We play because it is fun.

Rob played at the highest level available in Idaho and was even asked to join the Idaho State team as a youth. This is where he learned the need to work harder. Playing up 3 age groups, he led the team as a 4’8”, 82lb striker with over 20 goals per year. By the time he reached High School, he had played every position, including goalie, and been awarded the best defender award.

As Rob pursued his undergraduate Engineering & Mathematics degrees, he managed to play at three colleges; Penn State, Messiah College, and University of Idaho. He was fortunate enough to be under the coaches at Messiah that built the winningest NCAA program in history. This glimpse of greatness fuels his passion today.

Here in Washington, Rob has been around long enough to both attend and coach at Northwest Soccer Camp (at Camp Casey), along with coaching other local camps. He’s coached at two middle schools and two high schools. He also coached and managed at TOCA Football in Redmond. He holds a USSF D license along with Level 5 NSCAA Certifications. He has served on the Board of Directors for Crossfire Select. He also worked at LWYSA as a Director of programs.

Rob spent over a decade coaching three of his four boys, including runs to their respective state soccer championships and league titles. He has also had the joy of watching his youngest, now a sophomore in college, play on the top club team at GCU. Now that his boys are grown, he is back to coaching the younger ages again, recently at Bellevue Rush, now Eastside FC.

His wife, Dawn, has joined him on this journey as a manager and photographer for many of the teams he has coached. Together, they love supporting the team and Sounders along with other Seattle sports.

All told, he’s built teams all around Oregon, Washington and Idaho. He coaches players to work hard and have fun!