Johnny Marmelstein

Email:

jmarmelstein@pacificaoc.org
Year:

Third Year
Title:

Head Boys Soccer Coach
Phone:

(949) 887 2070
Previous College:

Hope College

Bio

Johnny Marmelstein begins his fourth year as Head Coach for the Boy's Varsity Soccer Program. Marmelstein joins the Pacifica Christian family following an incredibly successful coaching career in multiple sports spanning more than four decades. He began his high school soccer coaching career in 1987 as the coach of the inaugural Girl's Varsity Soccer Team at St. Bernard’s Catholic High School in Playa Del Rey. In 1988, Coach Marmelstein was named Boy's Varsity Soccer Coach at Chadwick School in Palos Verdes Peninsula where he led the Dolphins to back-to-back CIF-SS Championships (1996, 1997). He was inducted into the Chadwick School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2000, Coach Marmelstein was appointed the head coach of the Girl's Varsity Soccer Team at St. Margaret's Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano where, under his leadership, the Tartans won four CIF-SS Championships (2006, 2011, 2012, 2014) and a CIF State Championship in 2019. Over his long career, Coach Marmelstein has earned several distinguished honors including NSCAA Far West Region Coach of the Year, California Coaches Association State Coach of the Year, NFICA Distinguished Service Award, and CIF-SS Coach of the Year seven different times. In 2025, Coach Marmelstein led the Tritons to the first soccer league championship in Pacifica history. He was awarded the honor of Academy League Coach of the Year. His overall high school soccer coaching record is 538-226-71.

Coach Marmelstein played soccer at NCAA Division 3 Hope College in Holland, Michigan where he majored in Physical Education and Religion. He earned a Master’s in Education from Azusa Pacific University, a Specialized Certification in College Counseling from UC San Diego, and a National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Certification in Sports Management from the United States Sports Academy. Coach Marmelstein holds a USSF “A” License and an NSCAA Premier Diploma.

Coach Marmelstein lives in San Juan Capistrano with Lara, his wife of 36 years, a nurse at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, and an avid pickleball player. His son, Mitch, played professional basketball with Basquet Atlético Club San Martín in the Mendoza Province of Argentina where he also served as a missionary to the people of San Martín. Mitch is married to former beach volleyball Olympian, Sarah Sponcil, and he is currently pursuing a Master’s of Divinity from Indiana Wesleyan University. His daughter McKenna, earned the 2012 CIF Player of the Year where she led St. Margaret's to back-to-back CIF Soccer Championships with her Dad. She played college soccer at Biola University in La Mirada. McKenna earned a Master's of Science in Occupational Therapy, and she is currently working as an occupational therapist at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo.

Coach Marmelstein and his wife attend Harbor Point Church, he loves hanging out with his family, lifting weights, playing soccer and basketball, and he loves the reigning English Premier League Champions, Liverpool Football Club!