Real Salt Lake Manager Freddy Juarez Hires Goalkeeper Coach Ahead Of 2021 Season

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Real Salt Lake has hired Ignacio Hernandez as its goalkeeper coach for the upcoming 2021 season.

Hernandez joins RSL following a number of coaching stints. Most recently, Hernandez was the goalkeeping coach at Cal Poly University where he has spent the previous five years.

“I love Nacho’s experience.  He’s worked at every level – he’s worked with our Academy, he’s worked in MLS, he’s worked on the national team level.  For me that was very important in having someone who can develop players, but also the experience of dealing with veteran international players,” RSL Manager Freddy Juarez said.  “He’s an amazing person that is going to come to work with a smile on his face every day and that’s important for the club culture.  I’ve had experience working with him and it clicked.  When you have that as a staff, it trickles down to the team.”

However, before joining Cal Poly, Hernandez was the U-16 and U-18 goalkeeper coach for the Real Salt Lake Academy based in Arizona. It was here that Hernandez and Juarez worked alongside each other.

Hernandez has coached at the highest level of soccer in North America. He was the Goalkeeper Coach for the U.S. Men’s National Team under Jürgen Klinsmann in 2013 helping the first team to a fifth CONCACAF Gold Cup Championship.

The Homegrown Factory ™️ keeps churning them out

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) January 12, 2021

During his stint with the National Team, Hernandez worked alongside U.S. soccer legend Tim Howard and former Real Salt Lake great Nick Rimando.

Other national team coaching jobs include El Salvador and Costa Rica.

Hernandez has a rich history of coaching goalkeepers, he has been doing it for many years and has been able to coach at a number of different levels. The recent announcement marks the second MLS coaching stint for Hernandez. His last job in MLS came when he helped coach the LA Galaxy from 2003 to 2005.

Prior to his coaching career, Hernandez stood in between the sticks for 15 years as a player and included stints with Liga MX giants Atlante F.C and Deportivo Toluca F.C.