Soccer Star ‘Cacho’ Coaches in Milwaukee

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Photo by Juan Miguel Martinez

Carlos Cordoba

Carlos Cordoba

It has been said that the first game of soccer occurred in an unspecified time of war, when a soldier kicked an enemy’s decapitated head between two trees, causing everyone watching to cheer, giving the kicker great joy. As time went on, the game became less savage and heads were replaced with inflatable rubber and cloth spheres and the game took on a complete life of its own.

Carlos Cordoba, referred to affectionately as “Cacho”, remembers what the game meant to him, and how the game still holds the same truth now as it did when he was selected to play for BOCA juniors in his home of Buenos Aires, Argentina at the age of 17. His involvement in the game is less about a hobby, and more about his purpose in life.

How did you first get involved in soccer? Was it an afterschool activity? 

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Carlos Cordoba

Carlos Cordoba

(Chuckles) Soccer had no schedule at that time in my life. I didn’t dedicate any specific amount of time to it. Whenever I had a spare moment, I would snatch up a ball and practice. My father worked in an automobile plant and my mother was a homemaker. There were usually two professions that people had mapped out for their kids and their future in Buenos Aires at that time, and that was either to be an engineer or to be a soccer player. I knew early on I didn’t want to go to school and all I wanted in my life was to play soccer. I graduated school when I was 16 and immediately started training to play for the biggest soccer club in Argentina, which was the BOCA juniors. I had the speed, I had the conditioning and I knew I could make it. I was part of the national selection in 1975 and that’s where my professional life with soccer started.

That was a big time for Argentine soccer. What was life like?

I didn’t get involved with any partying, although a lot of the other players did. It’s something of a slippery slope when you start partying too much and then are unable to run drills and meet the physical requirements of the sport. It was important to me that I dedicate every ounce of energy I had to playing and not to anything that would distract me. 

Did you get to play with Diego Maradona?

I had the pleasure of playing alongside him, the luck of being able to coach him, and the misfortune of playing against him. (laughs)

What was your relationship like with him?

We were friends, but mostly our relationship stayed on the field. I didn’t want to pry too much into his life, and there were a lot of stories about him. I felt those were distractions from being the best players we could be. Whatever people say about Diego doesn’t matter. He was the best player to ever play the game.

What about Pele? I am sure some Brazilian soccer fans might disagree with that statement…

Diego was the best. No matter what anyone says. (smiles)

How long did you play with BOCA? What were the regiments like?

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Carlos Cordoba

Carlos Cordoba

I was selected when I was 17 and played with them until I was 26. We had a coach that was very caring and didn’t really place too many restrictions. It was through him where we learned portion control with our diets as well as the importance of breathing exercises.

There were players that gained weight after a weekend of binging, and in soccer, gaining a couple pounds is noticeable in how it affects the game. It throws you off. I can honestly say that soccer in Argentina is the most honed, in terms of the actual sport. No disrespect to European or Mexican soccer, but it is in Argentina where soccer was life and we truly made the sport what it was.

Where did the game lead you after the age of 26?

We were selected to play in the world cup when we played against Mexico in 1986, and I unfortunately had an injury and was unable to play in the game. I was told about an opportunity to coach a minor league soccer team franchise that had just started in Los Angeles, owned by the same person that owned the Lakers. The team was called the LA Lasers, naturally. I played on that team for about a year or so and then moved on to San Diego where I coached another team, as well as played for them. From 1987 to 1990 I stayed there but was then told about a new team starting in Milwaukee that played indoor soccer. It was a team called the Wave.  

Did you coach them? 

Not at first, I still had too much desire to keep playing. I played with them for many years but was then given the opportunity to coach a team in Mexico in 2001. It was the Chivas of Guadalajara, and I was assistant coach for their 2001-2002 season.

Is there a difference between Mexican, Argentine and U.S. Soccer?

The United States doesn’t have anywhere near the same enthusiasm for the sport as other countries do. Here there is football, basketball and baseball. People care about those sports way more than they do soccer and as a coach and lifetime player it can be a little frustrating, but it doesn’t matter because I love it so much. Even if no one else has the same love for it, mine hasn’t waned in the slightest. Mexico is different because you can see the economy relies on the sport, and there is almost a sense of duty and responsibility to your country when being a fan of soccer in Mexico. It really is amazing in that sense. Argentina, well … let’s just say that playing soccer is almost like breathing here.  

What happened after the Chivas?

I was asked to come back to Milwaukee to coach a new team that had just started called the Rampage. I was very excited because this was outdoor soccer this time and it imbued me with a new sense of energy. I was also asked to help work with the Torrent, so I worked with them at the same time that I was working with the Rampage. My longest tenure with any soccer team has definitely been with Milwaukee. I only recently retired from working with Milwaukee teams so I can come to Florida to teach a youth soccer club. 

Do you just go wherever the sport takes you?

I have never wanted to do anything else with my life. Soccer has allowed me to create a life where I have raised children, traveled, felt the full glory of winning, the lessons of losing and still felt truly happy.