Jonothon Marquez

Jonothon Marquez first touched a soccer ball on the streets of Caracas, Venezuela, when he was 4 years old.  He grew up playing soccer with friends and was greatly influenced to excel in the game by his father, his biggest supporter.  By the age of 12 he had relocated to San Diego, California, where he began to play for the La Jolla Nomads, helping them win major tournaments around the state.
Living in San Diego he met Milton Neto, one of the many coaches who built his knowledge of and enthusiasm for the game. Milton Neto is the brother of Vava Neto, who won the World Cup with Brazil and was Pele’s teammate.
In 1989 Jonothon and his father moved back to Venezuela where he began to play for the U-16 team with the Galicia Soccer Club.  At that time, the Galicia Soccer Club had a professional team. Jonothon continued developing his soccer skills within the club and was called to play on the professional team in 1993, traveling all over the country to play soccer.  His coach at that time was Lino Alonso, the current assistant coach for the Venezuelan National team.

Jonothon’s years with the Galicia club ended when he was offered a scholarship to play soccer for the University of Santa Maria.  During this time, Jonothon pursued his education and attained his undergraduate degree in Business.  During his later years at the University Jonothon played for a Brazilian coach who offered him the opportunity to play for a traveling team, which he did for several years.
In 2002 Jonothon moved to Springfield, MO, to get his Masters Degree at MSU.  While studying, he played amateur soccer, assisting his team in winning many championships.