Earthquakes Staff/Front Office

John Doyle

General Manager

After a successful first year with the team, John Doyle enters his second season with the club as General Manager of Soccer Operations. In his role, Doyle is responsible for all aspects of the club's soccer operations, including the coaching staff, the first team and the club's player development programs.

In his first season with the club, Doyle put together one of the top coaching staffs in the league by hiring head coach Frank Yallop, assistant coach Ian Russell, goalkeeper coach Jason Batty and technical advisor Ronnie Ekelund. Along with Yallop, Doyle put together the team's roster from scratch starting with the 2007 MLS Expansion Draft. He also acquired long-time MLS standouts, Joe Cannon and Nick Garcia in trades prior to the season.

After a slow start, Doyle showed his resourcefulness by overhauling the team's attack during the international transfer window in July, signing English midfielder Darren Huckerby and former AS Roma midfielder Francisco Lima and trading for midfielder Arturo Alvarez and forward Scott Sealy. Those moves jumpstarted the Quakes attack and helped them put together a nine-game unbeaten streak from July 12-Sept. 27, the longest unbeaten streak in the league in 2008 and the second longest ever by an expansion team. The team finished the year with more wins (8), points (32) and goals scored than any expansion team this decade. Defensively, the team allowed only 38 goals, the fourth lowest total in the league.

Doyle has been a part of the San Jose MLS team every season since its inception, working in a number of capacities. He and Michael Emenalo were signed as the first players in club history on Dec. 7, 1995 when the team was known as the San Jose Clash. The Fremont, Calif. native played five illustrious seasons as the captain of the Clash/Earthquakes and until 2003 held the team records for games played (132) and minutes played (11,385). A two-time MLS All-Star (1996, 1997), Doyle scored 11 goals and dished out 15 assists in his career. He was the 1996 MLS Defender of the Year and named to the League's Best XI that year.

Following his retirement at the end of the 2000 season, Doyle served as the television analyst from 2001-03, alongside current play-by-play voice John Shrader. He was then hired on Jan. 22, 2004 as the assistant coach for Dominic Kinnear. With Doyle as the assistant coach, the Quakes made two consecutive playoff appearances and in 2005 won the Supporter's Shield. The 2005 team became just the second team in league history to record over 60 points. In 2005, he was the inaugural member of the San Jose Earthquakes Hall of Fame.

Doyle has also spent the past 10 years as the Director of Coaching for Mustang Soccer, where he is responsible for the training and development of coaches who oversee over 5,000 children from the Danville, Alamo, Walnut Creek and San Ramon areas. Last year, Doyle helped develop the Under 15 and Under 16 Red Bull National League, which gives elite youth soccer players the opportunity to compete against the best clubs in their region and across the country.

In 2003, Doyle was appointed the Technical Director of U.S. Super Y League where his duties included the implementation of the ODP program and all Youth National team selections for boys and girls Under 14 to Under 19. He was elected to the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors in 2001 and was named to the U.S. Soccer Technical Committee the following year. He holds an "A" coaching license from the U.S. Soccer Federation.

The former University of San Francisco All-American enjoyed one of the most decorated playing careers in United States soccer history. Doyle first began training with U.S. national team in 1987 and was a member of the squad until 1994. He played in the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 1990 World Cup in Italy, as well as the 1991 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Doyle made 53 appearances for the U.S., scoring three goals and registering two assists.

At the club level, Doyle helped the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks win the 1991 APSL Championship. After playing in Sweden and Germany, Doyle returned to the U.S. to play and was named the 1995 APSL Defender of the Year while with the Atlanta Ruckus.

Doyle grew up in nearby Fremont, Calif. and starred at Washington High School. Doyle currently resides in Pleasanton with his wife Kaarin and their two children Jay and Kate.