Frankie Sanfilippo

A soccer veteran with a wealth of experience in the professional, collegiate and club game, Frankie Sanfilippo enters his third season with San Diego men’s soccer in 2023 as an assistant coach.

Sanfilippo helped orchestrated one of the best seasons in program history in 2023. After the Toreros were selected to finish seventh in the WCC Preseason Poll, USD went a perfect 6-0-1 in conference play to secure the WCC Championship and advance to its first NCAA appearance since 2014. San Diego lost just twice in its last 15 matches (8-2-5), and finished undefeated in WCC play for just the second time in program history (first since 2000). The Toreros outscored opponents 17-4 in WCC play. Sanfilippo helped guide the team to two All-Region selections, the WCC Defender of the Year, the WCC Co-Goalkeeper of the Year, the WCC Freshman of the Year, and 13 total All-WCC selections. Not surprisingly, USD earned United Soccer Coaches West Region Coaching Staff of the Year.

Sanfilippo joins the Toreros from Albion FC, where he coached from 2018 to early 2021. In his tenure with the club, he served as its General Manager/Director of Operations in addition to instructing the U-19 Developmental Academy teams. In 2019, he led the ’04 squad to the Fall NPSL 2019 Championship. While with Albion FC, Sanfilippo was the head coach for both the ’04 and ’06 MLS next teams.

Sanfilippo, a native of San Diego, California, attended San Jose State University, playing four seasons for the Spartans from 1999-2003 while earning a degree in Criminology. After his time at SJSU concluded, Sanfilippo put together a decorated professional career, playing for six different clubs from 2004-2016. A 2006 USL All-Star with the Rochester Rhinos, he won the 2012 NASL Championship with the Tampa Bay Rowdies, with whom he was named a team captain and made over 100 appearances.