In his third year as Burlingame boys’ soccer head coach, David Siracusa was terminated earlier this season, the Daily Journal has learned.
Burlingame’s junior-varsity coach Jakob Kirschenbaum was named interim head coach two games into the season. Kirschenbaum is now pulling double-duty, serving as both the varsity and junior-varsity coach.
“Through the season that’s kind of the plan we’re going to carry out,” Burlingame athletic director John Philipopoulos said. “It would be tough to bring somebody in now that the season’s started and get them cleared on time.”
Philipopoulos refused to comment on Siracusa’s firing, citing it as a personnel matter he can’t discuss.
In two full seasons as Burlingame’s coach, Siracusa twice led the Panthers to the Central Coast Section Division III playoffs. In his first season of 2014, he took them to the CCS finals, where they fell to Half Moon Bay. Last season, they advanced to the quarterfinals.
Burlingame lost its first two games this season under Siracusa. Following his dismissal, Kirschenbaum won his first game as the varsity head coach against Leland. The Panthers have since lost three straight, most recently in Wednesday’s Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division opener at Carlmont.
According to Burlingame sophomore Marcus Lau, the team was informed of Siracusa’s dismissal at the start of a weekday practice. The news came as a shock to the entire team, he said.
“We were devastated when we lost our coach,” Lau said. “One day we just came out to practice and he was no longer our coach.”
Lau said Siracusa has applied for reinstatement. Siracusa could not be reached for comment.
“He was great,” Lau said. “He was always very helpful. He’s a great coach.”
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Dirk van Ulden said:
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