For the Love of Soccer — Introducing QCM's New Directors

A former La Liga player and a professional ballroom dancer walk onto the fields at Elon… It sounds like the start of one of those “walk into a bar” jokes, but we’re actually describing two of the newest additions to Queen City Mutiny. This blog will introduce you to the new technical director Felix Sarriugarte and academy director Keith Beaty.

Felix is quick on his feet, but it’s Keith who was the former professional dancer. In fact Latin ballroom dancing was his first love. He was playing soccer as a youth, but at age 12, when he was already thinking about teaching others as a profession, he figured it would be dancing.

Meanwhile, Felix, was planning for his professional soccer career at age 12. He began playing on Athletic Bilbao’s reserve team at age 16. He scored 29 goals in 99 appearances before being promoted to La Liga. In the top flight, he amassed totals of 159 matches and 28 goals before retiring from play in 1996.

Following his pro playing career, he began coaching for Athletic Bilbao’s youth side. He climbed the club’s ranks to manage the historic La Liga club in 2006. Following his time with Athletic, he managed Sestao River Club and Real Oviedo in the Spanish Segunda Division. He joins Mutiny from a stint as assistant manager of Charlotte Independence.

“I’ve been involved in soccer all my life,” Felix said. “It’s been my lifelong ambition and motivation.”

Joining Mutiny as technical director this season appealed because of the small size of the club, coupled with its big heart, he said. 

Felix says he’s committed to making everyone better, even himself. “I can always improve, and I want to contribute to make players better,” he said.

To begin with he’s working on settling in and understanding the team and what’s working. But he says we’ll soon see how passionate he is about the game. “I love the game. I love the practicing,” he said. He wants to use both to get the most out of every player.

“Our club is highly technical,” he said. He wants to develop game awareness, facility with both feet, and the ability to take the ball side on. For him, success is a Mutiny development academy player at the end of the season someone saying he feels he has improved. 

At the same time, Felix said, it’s important to remember "we need to develop good people as well.”

Building the Best for QC Mutiny

Keith also endorses taking a holistic approach to player improvement. He wants to encourage an “extreme ownership” perspective. 

“The sky is the limit if we focus the next few months on evolving and developing that as our core mentality,” he said. It will see players, coaches, directors, parents — everybody — focusing on strengths and internal development first. It’s about taking care of yourself and doing the best you can. “Until you find that point that isn’t in your control, you look at yourself and work to the best you can.”

Keith was also drawn to Mutiny because of its size, but he loves that we’re a growing club. "Although we’re not a massive club, we’re strong with our beliefs and our family feeling,” he says. “And we bring something unique to the market that not every club can replicate.”

As academy director, Keith says his job is to know where players limits are, and when they can be pushed beyond them. His aim to help Mutiny upgrade and grow to the next level. “As long as we’re on an upward trajectory I will be satisfied.”

After years traveling the country dancing and teaching dance, Keith felt tugged back to the soccer pitch. Most recently he was coaching in Boston where he helped grow soccer and futsal programs. Working with young athletes he saw a lot of overlap with his dancing background. “The physical preparation, strength development, and nutrition are some of the key topics which I know have helped me tremendously as a soccer coach,” he said.

What Kind of Coaching to Expect

Felix warns he’ll “never be satisfied.” He says his wrinkles are because he’s always wanting more. He’s happy doing what he loves — soccer — but says ultimately it comes down to the mentality of wanting to improve. “You have to want to be better.”

Keith says he wants to see people learning from their mistakes. “As a coach I’m always going to give you a chance,” he says. “I am going to give you multiple chances as long as you are learning from those chances.

"I coach soccer because I enjoy seeing players grow, both in the short and long-term, as men and women,’ he said. If players take the extreme ownership he’s talking about, they’ll “be able to achieve whatever they want both on and off the pitch and in school, personally and as athletes.”

Knowing that Mutiny’s development academy players have ambitious dreams, we asked the coaches about the attributes needed for success.

Being a successful professional player isn’t just about talent, Felix said. “In my experience there are key factors that make a man or a kid more successful,” he said.

Discipline is critical, so too is commitment, motivation, and tolerance. Athletes need to be able to overcome hurdles and deal with frustration. Support from family will help, too, he says. Which is a little ironic, really, as when asked to share one thing about himself not about soccer he mentioned his wife doesn’t like soccer. Still, they’ve been dating since he was 15, and she understands soccer shares his heart.

Keith’s in the same boat. His wife isn’t a huge soccer fan, but can rest assured that she’s the “other side of his heart.” 

Oh well, while the families make peace with the move to Mutiny, we’re sure our players will benefit from the new push and passion Keith and Felix are bringing to the pitch.