
HOME OF STATE, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL CHAMPION
FC COPA ACADEMY
A HISTORIC TRADITION OF DEVELOPING PLAYERS OF CHARACTER


Roberto Aguas
Sporting Director
Coach Roberto Aguas is the President, Founder, and Executive Director of Coaching of FC Copa Academy. Coach Roberto has coached SIX FC Copa Academy teams to the #1 Ranking in the Country (via GotSoccer). He has developed and mentored a large number of 325 players who are now playing collegiate or professionally around the world from FC Copa Academy. Most recently Coach Roberto lead the FC Copa 00s to the NPL National Championship in 2017, his second National Championship having lead the FC Copa Academy Real U17G to the 2012 US Club National Championship in Chicago.
Fernando Barboto
Head Coach
Barboto joins New Jersey Copa FC with an extraordinary amount of experience, and he is the current men’s Head Coach of the NCAA Division I program at New Jersey Institute of Technology. Barboto is the fourth NJIT head men’s soccer coach in the program’s Division I era. He has produced many players who have moved to the next level including Mamadou Guirassy who led the nation in goals (16) and was selected ASUN Conference Player of the Year in 2017. Guirassy was drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 Major Soccer League (MLS) SuperDraft by the Portland Timbers. In his most recent season, he was named 2019 ASUN Conference Coach of the Year, and, along with his coaching staff, was named United Soccer Coaches Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year, having led the Highlanders to the first NCAA appearance at the Division I level (first round; at Providence on November 21, 2019).
Sam Roca
Assistant Coach
Roca joins the New Jersey Copa FC Staff as the first assistant to Head Coach Fernando Barboto. Roca has spent the past year as the Head Varsity Soccer Coach at Saint Joseph High School in Metuchen, NJ. Sam led the boys soccer team into the semi-finals of the state tournament in his first year as head coach. Prior to Saint Joseph, Roca was the head coach at Wayne Valley High School, and coached youth soccer at Parsippany Soccer Club and Wayne Boys and Club Girls Club. Roca's playing career saw him play professionally in Canada, Sweden, and the United States.
Samuel Adjei
Assistant Coach
Adjei joins the New Jersey Copa FC coaching staff for its inaugural season after leading the Bloomfield College Women's soccer team over the past year. Adjei and Head Coach Fernando reunite after spending time together at Iona College where Samuel was named an All-American, Senior year captain, and named to the All-Decade team. Adjei also spent time playing professionally in New Zealand and Denmark, as well as representing both Ghana and The United States youth national teams.