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Real standards.Real investment.

A small coaching team with a shared belief: every player deserves to be known, challenged, and supported.

Zane Taha

Founder & Head Coach

Zane Taha

Coach Zane did not start Gioca because it seemed like a good business idea. He started it because he saw a gap: too many talented young players being lost to programs that prioritized numbers over development, results over growth, and winning over the process of actually getting better. He built Gioca around a single belief: every player and person can be exceptional. They just need the right support.

Experience & qualifications

  • Bachelor's Degree in Sports Management (Minor in Psychology)
  • US Soccer C License
  • 8 years of coaching experience
  • Played at multiple academies across New Jersey
Coaching philosophy

Coach Zane works at the intersection of technical development and mental performance. He coaches players to understand the game, not just react to it: to think under pressure, make confident decisions, and develop the resilience that separates good players from great ones. His sessions are not about grinding through drills. They are about purposeful repetition, individual feedback, and building the kind of close ball control and game intelligence that shows up on match day.

“Every player and person can be exceptional. They just need the right support.”
Julian Taha

Academy Coach

Julian Taha

Coach Julian brings a direct, player-centered approach to every session. He believes that coachability, the willingness to listen, adjust, and keep trying, is the single most important quality a young player can develop. Technical ability follows from there.

Experience & qualifications

  • Bachelor's Degree in Sports Management
  • National US Soccer License
  • 4 years of coaching experience
  • Played at multiple academies across New Jersey
Coaching philosophy

Coach Julian's sessions emphasize close control, confident decision-making, and the kind of technical foundation that gives players options in tight spaces.

“Teach players how to love the game. Coachability is the most important quality. Technical ability is more important than physical ability.”

The coaching standard

Attention is our advantage.

From the first conversation to the last touch of a session, our approach stays personal. This is what your player can expect.

  1. Individualized feedback

    Coaches know each player's strengths and development areas.

  2. Game-realistic training

    Drills replicate real match scenarios, not just isolated movements.

  3. Mental performance coaching

    Confidence, focus, resilience, and decision-making are trained alongside technical skills.

  4. Honest progress conversations

    Players and parents always know where they stand and what they are working toward.

Keep exploring

See how this philosophy becomes practice in our training programs, read about Gioca and our story, or register for tryouts to train with us this season.

From the blog: a closer look at our training approach and what makes it work.

A first step worth taking

Their next chapter starts with one session.

Meet the coaches. Feel the environment. See what a more personal approach to soccer can do for your player.

Book a Free Session