Jeremy Fishbein is, and always has been, a knowledgeable soccer coach.
His .666 career winning percentage is an indication of that.
Fishbein has 87 wins in 125 games coached during his seven years at UNM, including one national championship appearance in 2005.
Still, all those achievements take a backseat to what Fishbein truly wants to accomplish at UNM, said assistant head coach Chris Cartlidge.
“He wants his players to be good husbands and businessmen,” Cartlidge said. “He loves the game of soccer — to win and for the UNM program to be successful — but everything is directed toward his players becoming better people.”
Since taking over as the head soccer coach in 2002, Fishbein’s focus has been on collecting core talent, but also improving the program’s image of selflessness.
“It seems like we have a real cohesive group and guys are playing for each other,” Fishbein said. “Now we feel fortunate here at UNM to put together a collection of players that are very talented.”
Yet, rarely will you hear Fishbein take credit for that.
In a way, he doesn’t mind if his players take over and represent UNM soccer, something that’s less common among mainstream college athletics like football and basketball, where coaches, not players, are usually the face of the program.
“This is the players’ program. It’s the players’ team,” Fishbein said. “Wins and losses are going to be dictated by players’ performances.”
Fishbein learned how to run a Division I soccer program from his mentor, former UNM head soccer coach Klaus Weber. Fishbein was Weber’s understudy and served as associate head coach during the 2001 season after leaving the Division II coaching ring.
Fishbein said teaching is just as rewarding to him as drawing up the X’s and O’s of soccer. He said he disagrees with the common perception that coaching and teaching are separate professions.
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And he takes his role as an educator seriously, Cartlidge said.
“Jeremy is all about helping his players become young men, leaders and good soccer players,” Cartlidge said. “Everything he does is geared toward that.”
It’s not only about soccer. It’s about life.
“Everything is always about mental discipline,” Fishbein said. “You have to learn how to deal with the ups and downs of the seasons and how to deal with things when they aren’t going your way.”
