By Ethan Ndachi (@EthanNdachi) – Content Editor | Assistant coach David Sweeney with head coach Simon Tobin at SJSU men’s soccer practice (Photo by Max Garcia – Content Editor)
With fans lined up along the fence at the Spartan Soccer Complex, the final whistle blew and senior goalkeeper David Sweeney celebrated San Jose State’s 2-1 win against No. 25-ranked Grand Canyon University.
It was back on Oct. 16, 2021, and he remembers it as one of the biggest moments of his soccer career.
Almost five years later, he returns as an SJSU men’s soccer assistant coach, alongside Simon Tobin, his former coach and mentor.
“It feels like I’m back at home,” Sweeney said. “It’s something that Simon and I have talked about a little bit for a while now.”
Tobin has had high praise for him since he was a freshman, calling Sweeney one of SJSU’s biggest shot-stoppers. He remains the leader in saves (281) and clean sheets (20) in the school’s record book.
Following the end of the Spartans’ season in December of 2025, Sweeney received a call from associate head coach Jesus “Chuy” Sanchez, telling him that if his playing career stalled in the winter, he should consider coming back to South Campus as a coach.
Sweeney’s history and proximity to San Jose made him a no-brainer to bring back after the recent departures of former assistants Jamie Reid and Marcos Oliveira. It had always been in both Sweeney’s and Tobin’s minds that he may eventually coach.
“I kept telling him for the top level, you may be a bit undersized. Play as long as you can, but I still feel ultimately coaching is gonna be your thing,” Tobin said. “I would say more than a lightbulb moment, it was something that happened over time that he was gonna emerge into a good ’keeper coach.”
Tobin believes this is just the beginning of a successful coaching role for Sweeney, noting that those who start out as an assistant can grow into a head coach, which should be Sweeney’s overall goal.
Since joining forces on the coaching staff, their relationship has become a close and professional one compared to when he was an athlete.
Sweeney now frequently sits and listens when Tobin and Sanchez have conversations in the office, absorbing as much information as he can. His duties range from running drills with goalkeepers, the backline and forwards, to working on video review and fundraisers for the program.
Sweeney’s role has also seen him take up recruitment, becoming a chip off the old block to his mentor.
“Getting his inside knowledge of how he sees players and how he scouts players is incredible, with all the knowledge he has and experience that he has,” Sweeney said. “The way he sees the game is similar to how I see the game.”
He wasn’t starting his coaching from scratch, however. Sweneey had his own private business developing goalkeepers for clubs such as Los Gatos United, All-Stars United and Central Valley San Jose.
From 2023-25, Sweeney also served on the varsity coaching staff at St. Francis High in Mountain View. During the 2023–24 campaign, the team went 22-2-2, advancing to both the California Interscholastic Federation NorCal and Central Coast Selection finals while boasting 13 clean sheets.
Sweeney’s knack for coaching also traces to his experience in MLS Next Pro, where he played for the San Jose Earthquakes development team, The Town FC. Having played at a high level, Sweeney is ready to pass on that insight to the SJSU soccer team as a coach.
“When you go to that environment, you see things that you don’t see here,” Sweeney said. “Being able to see those things and coach those things to not only the goalkeepers but the field players is really important for their development.”
Sweeney wants to teach the lessons he learned at the next level to the players before they make that jump, citing former Spartans’ Beau Leroux, Angel Iniguez and Gilberto Rivera as examples.
One of the players Sweeney has mentored since his playing days is senior Ronin Axelson, who has known Sweeney since before his freshman days at SJSU, when they both went to the same athletic trainer.
“I think what my teammates and I like so much about him is that he’s still a player at heart,” Axelson said. “He just loves to play.”
Sweeney is a refreshing presence in the locker room for the squad, often taking a hands-on approach in training and getting in goal alongside Spartan goalkeepers Axelson and freshman Colin Farley.
Sweeney believes that his age provides a good bridge for the young players, allowing them to feel comfortable speaking with him on matters even unrelated to soccer.
His appointment also reinforces the culture that SJSU has built at the Spartan Soccer Complex over the years, one of strong bonds. Sweeney wants to uphold SJSU’s tradition of being a gritty, intense, blue-collar team that does not put other schools with vast resources on pedestals when facing them.
“When kids come on campus … the brilliant thing is he played here,” Tobin said. “So when a kid comes in and sees it, he can really give an insight better than any, ‘cause none of us played here, and he did.”
He takes pride in Tobin and Sanchez’s philosophy of developing Northern California talents, rather than recruiting from the transfer portal.
Ahead of a new challenge in a brand-new conference for SJSU, Sweeney is ecstatic to hit the ground running with his alma mater, now on the sidelines rather than on the pitch.
His goal for this upcoming season remains unchanged from when he was a player: Win a title.
“This program is probably one of the best in the school and I have a lot of pride for this team,” Sweeney said. “Everyone has the mindset of ‘We’re going to win the first Mountain West championship’, and I think just as a coach, I’m doing my best each day to serve these guys and do whatever I can to help them.”
