Mert grew up in Germany and Turkey, playing youth soccer in both countries. He settled in the Bay Area in 2001 for a brief time to play collegiately at Foothill College and several amateur leagues until turning his passion for the game into full-time coaching in 2010.

Mert’s most memorable experience was working with his favorite mentor, Albert Puig, for 2 years at De Anza Force. It was here that he learned the beauty of positional play/rondo style and applying his concepts to the youth soccer players in the US.

Mert holds a US Soccer C license and NSCAA Premier Diploma, as well as many other certifications from multiple international coaching clinics. He has worked for several youth clubs in the area including Peninsula SC, Red Star, De Anza Force, and coached high school girls soccer at Crystal Springs, Aragon and currently at Menlo School.

Mert’s favorite teams are FC Bayern Munich and Fenerbahce. His favorite players are Johan Cruyff, Zinedine Zidane, Wesley Sneijder and Robert Lewandowski.