First-Year Red Wolves Coach Obleda Focuses On Player Development, Team Approach

  • Wednesday, March 4, 2020
  • Joseph Dycus
A year after going with a veteran of the coaching circuit, the Chattanooga Red Wolves have entrusted their second season to a first-year coach with a knack for player development. As a former Director of Coaching for BOCA Orange County in Southern California and a Coaching Education Instructor for U.S. Soccer, Jimmy Obleda has worked with a multitude of talented players who have since gone on to carve out pro careers.

Even though the Red Wolves players are of a higher caliber than the youngsters Obleda was accustomed to guiding, he said that for a professional athlete, the quest to improve is unending. 

“I think development and improving never stops,” said coach Obleda.
“So even for seasoned professionals and young players at this level, there’s room for improvement. To improve their game and take it to another level.” 

Rather than having a unipolar approach to the game, where the entire team revolves around a singular talent, coach Obleda favors a team-oriented approach. He expects every player to contribute in some way over the course of the season, even if they aren’t initially starters on the depth chart. 

“I think we’re going to depend on everyone,” said coach Obleda. “I can’t tell you there’s going to be one guy who is going to be 'the guy.' The culture we’re trying to instill in the club is that everyone is important, and we’re only as good as our weakest player. So not any one player is going to make or break the team.”

However, Obleda did eventually spotlight a few players he expected to be stellar presences for the team. He said “But we do have some exciting players like Steven Beattie, Greg Hurst, and Conner Doyle. And now Ami is going to play a big role. Of the newer ones who are going to be impactful are Marky Hernandez or Ricardo Ruiz, two very fast and technically sound players that we’re hoping are going to have breakout seasons this year.”

One returning player who the Red Wolves are relying on is the talented-yet-inconsistent Ami Pineda. The attacking midfielder flashes great pace, passing vision, and an ability to spray the ball all over the pitch. However, last season, he was prone to bouts of ineffectiveness when in possession of the ball, and disinterest when he wasn’t. 

“I think that nobody can dispute what a talented soccer player Ami is,” said coach Obleda. “What we talked to him about is doing it on both sides of the ball. Not just playing one way on the attack, but also being able to get back and defend and win the ball back.”

To illustrate his point, Obleda compared Pineda to Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil. While Ozil was once (perhaps) the most gifted attacking midfielder and playmaker in the world, the passing savant has a legendary indifference when it comes to defense. However, even the one-dimensional Ozil has been forced to play defense after new coach Mikel Arteta took over. So if one of the game’s greats plays defense, then Pineda has no excuses. 

“In today’s game, there are no luxury players who only work when they’re on the ball. Even with Mesut Ozil at Arsenal, when Mikel Arteta came in he said “Hey man, you’re going to have to defend and do more,” and so he’s going to have to adapt his game.”

While Obleda does not have an Wenger-esque obsession with playing a particular formation or style, he did admit to preferring a possession based game on offense, rather than quick-hitting and direct style of play. 

“If there’s one generality of how we’re going to play, it’s that we’re going to be very intense when it comes to winning the ball,” said coach Obleda. “We’ll be high-tempo and controlling the pace of the game with our speed of play and our ball-movement. We have an idea of always going forward and always scoring. Our ideas are based out of that.” 

“I’d lie to you if I told you there weren’t times we wouldn’t tell our center backs to hit some balls behind their backs. But we’re very practical in how we want to play, and we have an idea that we want to break lines, we want to keep the ball, we want to find the weakest spots on the team and take advantage of it. So as for being consistently direct, I’d say not.” 

However, Obleda said the team would adjust to their opponents. So while he wants to play possession, it would not a surprise to see a completely different kind of play after a few games. 

“We have a starting point that we want our players to be at, but as the game plays out and we start having successes or failures in certain areas, then we’ll make adjustments,” said coach Obleda. “So that might mean playing two center-forwards or two attacking midfielders, and we’ll make those adjustments to win the game.” 

The Chattanooga Red Wolves kick off their season on March 27 against the Greenville Triumph. 

Sports
UTC Sofbtall Hosts ETSU In Friday Doubleheader
  • 3/28/2024

The Chattanooga softball team returns to Frost Stadium for a seven-game home stand that begins Friday afternoon against East Tennessee State in Southern Conference action. The Mocs are 21-8 ... more

Covenant Men's Tennis Loses 6-3
  • 3/28/2024

The Covenant Scots looked to boost their nonconference tennis resume with a win on the road at Oglethorpe. Covenant was unable to get the job done, as it fell 3-6. Final: Covenant 3, Oglethorpe ... more

7 Football Mocs Participate In Annual Pro Day
  • 3/28/2024

The Chattanooga Mocs had a 7-man contingent go through their paces in front of NFL scouts at the annual Pro Day. It started in the Wolford Family Strength & Conditioning Center before shifting ... more