1. What were some of the key steps in your journey to becoming a coach for the Washington Spirit?
The first steps in my career were when I was 20 years old and moved to Barcelona. There, I was studying sport science and became a coach. After working with RCD Espanyol and the Catalonia Federation, I had the opportunity to join to Barca as assistant coach. After two and a half years, I had a big opportunity to become Barcelona’s head coach and after three wonderful years in that role, Washington Spirit called to offer me the chance to be the coach for this team.
2. What tips or advice do you have to help coaches as they start their careers in soccer?
Try to do what you feel, try to do what you believe, try to try to do what you like. Most of the time you have to do what is important for your family, but I have always tried to do what I like. Soccer has always been a passion of mine so I always try to be the best I can be at my job. If you enjoy something, try to prepare as best as possible in terms of knowledge, in terms of experience, I think this is very important. If you want to be a coach, be prepared. Study science, study coaching, learn about injuries, about leadership. Being prepared will help you achieve success as a coach.
3. When scouting athletes, what key qualities or skills do you look for that you think indicate potential for professional play and what advice do you have for young players hoping to play professionally one day?
I think one of the most important things for the players is the type of mindset that they have to make sure that they want to be the best. They want to go out and improve at every training session, they don’t waste time. I think that is very very very important. In terms of qualities or skills, what I always look for in players is that they want to be a better athlete better professional, better footballer. I don’t like when players come to the facility and are just thinking about the game, you have to think about the training sessions. It’s also very important to be the best on the pitch and off the pitch. What are you doing in terms of recovery, in terms of nutrition, hydration, supplementation, how do you manage your emotions? You have to pay attention to a lot of factors, especially those that can help you be more prepared for the training session. So it’s not just about having good qualities playing soccer, it’s also having the proper mentality to be the best off the pitch.
4. What specific aspects of training, mindset, or habits do you think separate professional athletes from the rest?
Very similar: on the pitch and off the pitch, try to be the best. When we speak about athletes, we only see what happened in the game, what skills they can show. But in the end, to be an athlete, you need to be a pro 24 hours a day and have your focus be on soccer, how you can prepare as best as possible on the pitch and off the pitch to improve your level of play. So, it’s very important. In terms of training mindset and habits, try to be the best. I learned a lot in my experience in Barca with young players especially, they had the desire to become the best footballers in the in the world. Now they are. That’s because they are the best on the pitch and they are also the best off the pitch.
5. Who were your athletic role models growing up, and how did they influence your approach to the game?
As a coach, it would be a great opportunity to have the chance to see Pep Guardiola training. He’s the best coach in the world. In the way that he played soccer, the way that he changed the culture in different countries in Spain, Germany, England, playing his same style with different teams. For me, he’s the best coach. I always try to understand what he’s doing on the pitch to train different ways to help me get our team to play our own way.
6. In your opinion, what role does a positive team environment play in player development and success, and how do you go about building a strong team culture and fostering good relationships among players?
To have a good environment, all players need to compete. I love the competition. I love when players go 100% to compete and try to be the best in the training session. Every training session there is a winner and a loser. Why? Because we need to manage the emotions when we are playing games. I like to have a competitive environment to make sure that all players are managing their emotions depending on if they are winning or losing. That is very important to me. In soccer, you can start the game winning or losing in the first minute. How are you managing your emotions to keep playing? Keep playing as a team, not as individuals. The competitive environment also makes sure that all players are speaking the same language and playing for the team, not the individual. Along with being competitive, to develop a strong and successful team culture, we need to be honest with players and make sure there are clear expectations. The players and staff know the standards from the beginning. If we can connect all the competitive energy of the players and the staff in this way, we are going to have more chances to win and be successful.
7. How has soccer transformed your life?
Completely. My family and I are living in DC now and we are from Galicia, a small region in northwest Spain. Soccer gave me the opportunity to study and coach at Barca, I was traveling around the world a lot and now I have this big opportunity to keep developing myself as a person, as a professional with my family here in DC with the Spirit. My wife and I have a little boy who is living here with us and we’re also going to have another little boy in in June. My life has changed completely due to soccer, and I am very happy about that. I’ve always had the intention in my life to live in different countries and learn about different cultures. I am enjoying being here in in America because I am growing a lot, not just professionally but personally and socially as well.
