DCTC Alum Cachibala Domingos sets his sights on pro coaching career
Cachibala Domingos with daughter Tereza
“My goal is to coach pro soccer in the United States,” Cachibala said. “After DCTC, I plan to earn my bachelor’s in sport science and physical education. I am already visiting the campuses of private four-year schools. Eventually, I wish to get a master’s degree as a way to advance my coaching career.”
Cachibala was born in Angola, Africa, and grew up playing soccer, better known overseas as football or fútbol, on the streets of Luanda, the country’s capital and chief seaport. While still a youngster, he moved to Brazil and began gaining experience playing soccer in the world’s top all-time soccer nation. Future moves took him to the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, where he continued to excel at youth soccer. Along the way, he learned five languages: Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, French and English.
Click the map on the right to see the locations of professional soccer clubs in the United States and Canada as of 2013. Based in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota United FC is an American professional soccer team in the North American Soccer League, or NASL.
In 2005, Cachibala moved to the U.S., enrolled at DCTC and began playing soccer for the Blue Knights men’s soccer team. A redshirt during the 2005–2006 and 2007–2008 seasons, he played for the Knights his freshman (2006–2007) and sophomore (2010–2011) seasons. He covered the left outside midfielder and fullback positions.
Cam Stoltz, the head coach of both the men and women’s soccer teams at DCTC, remembers Cachibala Domingos as one of the most independent, self-sufficient athletes in the history of the college’s soccer program. “Cachibala was mature, obviously worldly and had a strong passion for soccer,” Cam said. “In his first season as a player, he was one of sixteen members on our team who grew up outside the USA. He quickly adapted to our ‘Minnesota nice’ culture and has found a way to translate his drive and playing experience into a coaching career in the greater Twin Cities area. Cachibala continues to educate himself regarding the science of soccer, both locally and internationally, and now serves as a mentor to young soccer players, including players in our program today.”
Sara Woodward, Cachibala’s Exercise and Sport Science instructor, admires how he continues to make the most of his collegiate experience. “Cachibala is the perfect example of the entrepreneurial spirit of technical education,” Sara said. “He’s using many of the skills he’s learned from his academic and athletic experiences to build a career. He’s passionate about helping people and contributing to the greater good of society.”
Cam Stoltz, Cachibala, Tereza and Sara Woodward
Cachibala’s vast knowledge of soccer as the game is played around the globe led him to launch Safari Soccer, a unique program that teaches young male soccer players in the U.S. to be the best of the best. Safari Soccer travels to the training complex of Brasilis FC, a professional soccer club near Sao Paulo, Brazil, and provides players ages 12–20 with a soccer immersion experience that includes four to six hours of training per day for a month—as compared to six to eight hours per week for the typical youth player in the U.S.
“My brother, Nelson, a pro soccer player in England, and I founded Safari Soccer because we believe American kids lack some of the basic skills and knowledge of the game,” Cachibala said. “Going to Brazil gives kids an opportunity to learn things about soccer they normally wouldn’t encounter in this country. I believe our program not only helps kids become higher level players, but also gives them the skills they need to compete with players from any country in the world.”
To learn more about Safari Soccer youth soccer summer training camps at the Brasilis Soccer Academy in Sao Paulo, Brazil, you can like Safari Soccer on Facebook or visit the Safari Soccer website.
Safari Soccer’s next training trip is scheduled for June 2013. Cachibala, Nelson and Antonio Francisco Correia, a Safari Soccer summer coach and pro player in South Africa, welcome the chance to introduce young U.S. players to the renowned training regimen at the Brasilis Soccer Academy, which features some of the best youth soccer coaches not only in Brazil, but on the planet.
Until then, Cachibala continues his college coursework at DCTC in preparation for graduation even as he coaches at two youth soccer clubs and works two morning jobs as a personal care attendant—all while he and his wife, Estelle, raise their 3-year-old daughter, Tereza.
“I am so glad I came to DCTC and earned my degrees,” he said. “I now have the foundation to follow my dreams.”
For more information about Exercise and Sport Science at DCTC, contact:
- Sara Woodward
Exercise and Sport Science Instructor
651-423-8430
For more information about Blue Knights soccer at DCTC, contact:
- Cam Stoltz
Men and Women’s Head Soccer Coach
651-423-8462
For more information about Management for Technical Professionals at DCTC, contact:
- Scott Gunderson
Business Management Instructor
651-423-8295
For more information about Entrepreneurship/Small Business at DCTC, contact:
- Bob Voss
Entrepreneurship/Small Business Instructor
651-423-8356 - Christine Mollenkopf-Pigsley
Entrepreneurship/Small Business Instructor
651-423-8231
