There’s a photo from Oct. 23, 2019, of Seattle Sounders Head Coach Brian Schmetzer embracing interim Real Salt Lake manager Freddy Juarez prior to the Western Conference Semifinal at Lumen Field.
RSL Head Coach Mike Petke had been relieved of duties two months prior and Juarez had been appointed caretaker before later becoming the permanent boss. Juarez and RSL eventually fell 2-0 to the Sounders, who went on to win their second MLS Cup that year under Schmetzer.
And now as Juarez, 43, joins Schmetzer’s staff as an assistant coach, it’s those two facets of Schmetzer’s DNA — his quiet humility and dogged competitiveness — that has Juarez champing at the bit to get started in Seattle.
“Someone like Brian Schmetzer, being around a head coach like that, there’s a few MLS coaches in the league that I believe I can learn [from], and Brian is definitely one of them,” said Juarez. “He’s one of the top coaches in the league.
“When I reached out to him in the offseason — I reached out to him on a couple occasions just to talk to him a little bit about managing because from afar he seems to be someone that creates a great culture — he always picked up the phone and had time for me. As competitive and as good as he is in the league, he still has time for people.”
Juarez as a player spent 10 years in the lower levels of American soccer. After his retirement, he joined Real Salt Lake’s Academy for a few years before being named head coach of the Real Monarchs, RSL’s USL affiliate. From there, he was promoted to First Team assistant before taking the reins in 2019.
The vast experience Juarez brings at all three levels of the developmental pipeline made him an attractive figure for the Sounders, who lost the services of assistants Gonzalo Pineda and Djimi Traore this summer to Atlanta United and a European opportunity, respectively. Juarez also previously worked with Sounders Sporting Director Craig Waibel, who spent four years as RSL General Manager from 2015-19.
“Knowing Craig and him knowing the way I work and me knowing the way he works a lot of times makes the transition a lot easier,” said Juarez. “It’s good to see that he appreciated the work when we were at Salt Lake and that he still values that and thinks that I can offer something to Seattle. That’s always excited when you’re wanted.”
As for what attracted Juarez to Seattle the most was the opportunity to work with Schmetzer in what he considers to be the gold standard in Major League Soccer. Something he always admired about the Sounders from the outside looking in was their relentless pursuit of excellence and the winning mentality that Schmetzer himself helped establish.
“Sometimes you hit a point in your career where you’ve maybe been at a place for too long and you’re looking for a new challenge,” said Juarez. “It’s not just any challenge. When someone likes Seattle shows interest in your abilities and is coming and asking to see if there’s a possibility that you can join them, it’s hard to ignore.
“When you mix Brian Schmetzer and the Seattle Sounders together, it’s nothing but exciting. That’s something I need, to learn from the best and be at the best club.”
Juarez knows he has big shoes to fill and understands the immense pressure to win that the city and its fanbase demand. But for the son of a New Mexico field hand who spent his summers growing up picking onions with his father, there isn’t much that can faze him.
“My biggest experience that I take away from my father was going to work with him at the fields and him always saying, ‘Whatever you put into it, you’re going to get.’ I carry that on to everywhere I go,” said Juarez. “You have to work extra, you have to put everything into it. It doesn’t happen on its own. That’s the only thing I can promise, is that I’ll work.
“It’s just an honor to be able to go into Seattle and work for the fans…It’s just a different atmosphere that I’m so excited and happy to be a part of.”
