Josel Mateo wants to give back to the beautiful game.
A soccer player growing up in Lincoln Park, Mateo played at DePaul and TSF Academy. He coached at his alma mater, and then opened a Pompton Plains training facility, Krank Sports Performance in January 2021.
But running his own business took him away from on-field coaching.
Mateo, 27, got hired as the strength and conditioning coach for Rutgers-Newark women’s soccer in February, and “fell back in love with the game.” To “keep getting better,” Mateo applied for United Soccer Coaches’ 30 Under 30 program.
Launched in 2013, 30 Under 30 is a year-long education and mentorship program designed to support up and coming coaches. Each member of the class receives registration for the United Soccer Coaches convention and an advanced diploma course. They will also be matched with peer coaches and mentors to work on a year-long project to be presented at the 2024 convention in Anaheim.
Mateo was the only New Jersey coach selected this year.
“He’s my best hire at Rutgers-Newark because of his demeanor, his ability to connect with athletes, and his knowledge base,” said Ariana Ruela, who is currently an assistant at New Jersey Institute of Technology.
“He’s an up and coming coach, and he’ll be an asset to any program.”
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In an email, United Soccer Coaches membership services manager Sarah Wilbur highlighted Mateo’s “different background” among the more than 250 applicants, and how he returned to soccer after an injury. Mateo’s essay focused on how he can bridge the gap he sees in sport-specific training for soccer versus sports like football and basketball with “more eyes on them.”
“My goal having my own facility is to create a place I never had as a competitive soccer player,” Mateo said. “I want to show kids they can take control of their own path: what they can do and what they can achieve.”
