Meet Our Coaching Staff

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Meet Our Coaching Staff

Joe Babbitt

After a celebrated career at Manchester United, followed by a farewell season with his boyhood club- the Hartford Hellions of the MISL- Joe returned to reality and medical practice in Maine.  Blessed with blistering pace and unmatched field awareness Joe continues to dominate at the Senior level while sharing his vast soccer knowledge with area youth players.  Joe has his USSF “D” license.  His coaching philosophy with young players can best be summed up as “Suck it up, buttercup.”

MJ Ball

MJ Ball is the Director of Coaching for River City Athletics, the Assistant Director of Coaching for SoccerMaine, Executive Director and founder of Fields4kids, and the Girls Varsity soccer coach for Hermon High School.  He has a USSF “A” License and teaches the “E” and “D” National license courses. He recently became the second coach in Maine to receive the Grassroots National Instructors License through US Soccer.  He has the rare distinction of being named Coach of the Year at the Club, High School and College level.

He has coached many teams during the past 25 years including; Head Coach for ODP teams in Maine and PA West; Founder and Director of Coaching/Head Coach for Blackbear United FC/ Seacoast United Blackbear, Pittsburgh Strikers, Penns Forest FC, Coldbrook Travel Soccer Club (formerly Bronco Travel)  and Hermon Middle School.  His teams have won 16 state titles to date.
 
Previously, he was the assistant men’s soccer coach for two years at University of Maine and coached the men’s and women’s soccer teams at the University of Maine at Machias for four years (2000 – 2004).   Prior to his arrival in Maine he coached and taught at Seton La Salle High School in western Pennsylvania.  He was a four year starter and two year captain at Westminster College in Pennsylvania and received his Masters degree in education from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA.
 
He resides in Hampden with his wife Heather and their two children Aidyn and Kelsey.

Alex Caballero

Mark Dieuveuil

Mark has coached at many levels beginning with rec and youth leagues and is currently the Boys Varsity Soccer Coach at Hermon High School.  He holds the USSF Class “E” license, and is taking the next Class “D” course.  Mark graduated in 2017 with a Kinesiology Physiology and Education specializing in Exercise Science degree from the University of Maine.  

 “Mark uses practices and games to help each athlete strive to reach their highest potential, he holds every athlete to a high standard and expects full effort in every practice and game.”
 
Taylor Fortin

Prior to joining the River City coaching staff, Taylor played for 4 years at Husson University and started all 67 games.  She netted 19 career goals and 13 assists for 51 career points.   Fortin played 4 years as a starter for the Varsity Women’s soccer team at Bishop Brady High School in Concord, NH.  Made All-State Honorable mention Junior year, and All-State First Team Senior year.  Represented New Hampshire in the 2014 Women’s Lion’s Cup game. Named Most Valuable Player in her Senior Year.  Lead the varsity team in goals both Junior and Senior year.  Also played Basketball for Bishop Brady for four years.  Played premier soccer for GPS New Hampshire during the Winter and Spring seasons.

Personal: Taylor Fortin, born in Manchester, NH… Daughter of Robert and Kim Fortin, sister of Michael Fortin… Majoring in Physical Therapy at Husson.

 
Matt Goodman
Matt joins River City after 10 years of living in New Hampshire and Georgia.  In 2013 while serving on active duty with the US Army, Matt was deployed to Afghanistan.  His truck was struck by an IED leaving him hospitalized for a year, to relearn how to walk.  After surgeries on his mouth and legs he is up and running.  He left active duty and is now in the Military Police Unit for the Maine National Guard.
Matt was recruited to play at Husson University in 2001.  He earned two conference accolades and is 2nd in the schools single season shutout record book.  Matt has previously coached for All Pro Soccer (ME), Seacoast United (ME), Granite State Soccer School (NH), Nashua World Cup (NH), Memorial High School (NH), Husson University Clinic Coach (ME), John Bapst High School (ME) and is currently the Asst. Coach/Goalkeeper Coach for Brewer High School (ME) girls soccer program.  Matt will coach the River City Goalkeepers and be the assistant coach for the 13 Girls team.
 
Damion Gordon
 
Troy Gravel
Coach Gravel joins us from North Carolina will coach one of our two U17 Boys teams.  He is currently the B Team Head Coach at Brewer Middle School.  In North Carolina he was the Head Coach at Ayden Grifton High School Varsity Boys & Head Coach at AG Cox Middle CoEd.  He has been coaching for about 15+ years and coached recreational soccer for 12 years before taking over at the High School & Middle School.
He holds the NFHS Certified InterScholastic Coaching Certificate and is a member of United Soccer Coaches (formerly NSCAA).Coach Gravel is a semi-Retired IT Consultant, moved to Maine in August 2016.  His family is originally from Houlton & his daughter attended UMO.
 
Wayne Harvey
Wayne is the President and one of the founders of River City and has been coaching youth soccer since 2009.  He has coached at the rec, travel and premier levels with Bangor Parks and Rec and Bangor Soccer Club.  He has coached a girls fall travel team with Bangor Soccer Club since 2011.  He has also coached teams in the SoccerMaine Pine Tree League and in the Maine State Premier League and State Cup.
 
Wayne has his USSF “E” license and is taking the next “D” level course.  Wayne graduated with a degree in Mass Communications from the University of Maine.  Wayne lives in Bangor with his wife Courtney and their three daughters and their Catahoula Leopard Dog, Riggins.
 
“Wayne’s coaching philosophy is defense comes first, offensively he places an emphasis on passing, possession and team work.”
 
Yates Murphy 
As a former player, Yates played for the UMaine and SCSU men’s soccer teams while competing collegiately. His elite playing experience continued as he trained with both The Maine Sting and GPS Portland Phoenix. In 2017 he returned to the field as a starter for the Seacoast United Mariners NPSL team.As a coach, he has worked closely with both MJ Ball and Cid Dyjak to assist in the development of both youth and high school athletes in the greater Bangor area. Working as the assistant girls soccer and goalie coach at Orono High School, Yates helped lead his team to back to back state championships.“I am very excited to be working with River City Athletics. I look forward to aiding in the progress of local athletes within the the state of Maine.”

Jaime Pangburn

Jaime was an All State soccer player for several years in high school and then joined the men’s team at Eastern Maine Community College.   She has enjoyed coaching boys and girls teams at the rec, and travel levels for both Bangor and Brewer Soccer clubs.   She has coached a girls fall travel team with Brewer Soccer Club since 2015.

Jaime has a bachelors of science in sonography from Thomas Jefferson University and currently works at Bangor OB/Gyn – Women’s Ultrasound of Maine.  Jaime holds a USSF Class “E” license.

Jaime lives in Eddington with her husband Jason and their three children, Jon, Jacki and Josh.

Jason Pangburn

Jason played soccer at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, then went on to coach at Katahdin, Cony and Bangor High Schools.  He holds a USSF Class “E” coaching license and coaches with the Brewer Soccer Club.  Jason teaches in the Bangor School Department and at Husson University.  He has a Master’s Degree in Kinesiology and Physical Education and is a Certified Adapted Physical Education teacher.

Jason lives in Eddington with his wife Jaime and their three children Jon, Jacki and Josh.

Steven Paquette

Prior to joining the River City coaching staff, Paquette was a four-year letterwinner as a member of the Husson men’s soccer team as a goalkeeper from 2013-16, helping the Eagles win a NAC Championship in 2014.

Paquette posted a 5-4-1 record and made 52 saves with 1.2 shutouts, a goals against average of 1.82, a save percentage of .732, while only allowing 19 goals in 940 career minutes played.  Paquette ranks among the career leaders in fewest goals allowed per game (1.35), goals against average, wins, and ties.

Paquette graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Sports Management from Husson in the fall of 2018.  A native of Ferrisburgh, Vt., Paquette attended Vergennes Union High School.

Ben Poland

Coach Ben Poland is entering his third year coaching for River City where he coaches the U12 boys.  This past fall he completed his sixth year as the Boys Varsity Soccer coach at Brewer High School. Coach Poland is entering his 17th overall season as a soccer coach.

Prior to being hired at Brewer High in the fall of 2012, Coach Poland was the boys JV coach at Orono High School for 2 seasons (2010-2011) and the girls varsity soccer coach at Hermon High School for 3 seasons (2007-2009). He was the boys JV coach at Hermon for 5 seasons before being named girls varsity coach at his alma-mater in Hermon. Coach Poland was also a track & field coach at Hermon High School for 9 seasons.

Coach Poland graduated from Hermon High School in 1998 and played two years of soccer at Husson University before sustaining two knee injuries and transferring to the University of Maine. At Husson, Poland was a member of the Maine Athletic Conference championship teams in 1998 and 1999, advancing both seasons to regional postseason playoff berths.

For a full-time occupation, Coach Poland serves with the Maine Air National Guard based out of Bangor. He has served in the Maine ANG since January 1999.

Coach Poland currently holds his USSF “E” soccer coaches license and also coaches for the Brewer Soccer Club.  In addition to coaching, Coach Poland serves as a board member for the Brewer Soccer Club and as the Vice President for River City Athletics.   

Poland resides in Levant with his wife Jessica and his children, Liam, Alexis, and Tenley

Ben Sidaway
Ben is originally from England where he played soccer for Loughborough University and representative soccer. He coached in England and holds an English Football Association Prelim coaching badge and USSF “E” license.
Ben’s undergraduate education was in Sport Science and Physical Education at Loughborough University he also has an MA and a PhD from UNC and Penn State. In addition Ben has a PT degree and is currently a Professor of Physical Therapy at Husson University where he is the Director of the Kenduskeag Institute’s Human Performance Research Lab and the Director of Dahl Anatomy Lab. Ben has coached in North Carolina, Louisiana and for Brewer travel teams.

Phil Turmelle