Paladin Soccer Club
2023-24 Coaching Staff
Head Coach
Jason Best
Jason founded Paladin Sports Outreach in 2008. He has over 20 years of coaching experience at all levels of play, from recreation to college. He is currently the Head Coach for Girls Soccer at Eastmark High School in Mesa, AZ. Jason was a collegiate two-sport athlete at Moorpark College and Chapman University and is a certified personal trainer with certifications in Performance Enhancement as well as sport-specific Strength & Conditioning for Soccer Players. Jason holds Level 1 and 2 Coaching certifications from FC Barcelona and is currently working on his USSF ‘D’ License. Jason received his MBA, Marketing in 2009 and has worked in professional sports since 2004. He and his wife, Cindy, have four children, Aaron, Hannah, Sarah and Carson.
Asst Coach
Aaron Best
Head Coach
Melia Nunez
Melia has been in soccer as a player from youth to college soccer at Goshen College. She transitioned to coaching in Austin, Texas as a club soccer coach and eventually a Recreational Director. Melia is certified with a USSF D license. She moved to Arizona starting as a club coach then finding out she loved coaching at Eastmark High School where she has been coaching since 2021.
Asst Coach
Chad Metz
Chad and his wife Katie have five kids ranging from seven year-old twins to a thirteen year old. They are an active family and are very involved with their kids church activities, sports, music, and academics. Chad is a psychotherapist and specializes in trauma and addiction. He graduated from ASU in 2008 with a master’s degree in social work with an emphasis in child welfare. He served a proselytizing mission declaring the word of God and helping people come unto Christ in Switzerland from ages 20-22 years old. Chad is grateful for Paladin’s platform to promote and develop faith in kids and in coaches through sport. He was drawn to Paladin for those reasons and has been coaching soccer for five years at the rec level and played one year is HS and played competitive soccer as a left fullback for four years as a teen and young adult. Chad is excited to help coach and be a part of Paladin.
Head Coach
Samy Castaneda
Coach Samy Castaneda has been coaching for 12 years and has coached all ages ranging from 3 years old to 18 years old. He has experience coaching basketball, soccer and flag football. Coach Samy played all sports growing up, most notably basketball and soccer but he decided he wanted to coach right out of high school because he loved teaching the game. Coach Samy is currently working on getting coaching licenses through US Soccer. He and his wife Krystal have 2 boys, Aaron (plays on U8) who is 6 and Austin who is 3. They also have 2 dogs named Butter and Honey. Coach Samy’s hobbies include coaching, playing sports, going to the gym and playing video games. He has been coaching with Paladin for about 3 years now and loves being open about his faith and spreading his faith with the players. He having grown up in a family of faith allows him to freely spread his own testimonies and encourage the players to do the same.Asst Coach
Colleen Zinn
Coach Colleen grew up playing club soccer her entire childhood into to high school. She went to college on basketball scholarship where she played for 2 years. For the last 4 years her and her husband have been coaching youth sports, strength and conditioning. Together they have 2 sons who are involved in various sports in the Queen Creek area.
Asst Coach
Charlie Jones
Bio coming soon.
