Coaches

Rudy Argueta

Rudy Argueta returns to the Mount in 2022-23 for his 14th season as head coach for the Lions’ Men’s soccer team and 16th season overall. Argueta was an assistant men’s coach for the Lions two years before taking over as the head coach in 2009. He also served as the women’s assistant soccer coach at our University for seven years. In his first season at the helm, he managed to change the outlook of the program and build a strong foundation for the future. Argueta has taken the program to two HCAC tournaments and has continues making history with the men’s program.


In 2011, Argueta led the Lions to the first ever HCAC Tournament appearance, as they placed third in the conference regular season standings. He repeated this in 2016, placing fourth in the regular season standings and finishing with the MSJ men’s soccer team’s first winning season in the history of the program.


Coach Argueta is a graduate of NAIA Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky, where he was a four year starter. While at Union, he was the first player in school history to score 40 goals and have 40 assists. Argueta led Union to being ranked as high as 3rd in the nation his senior year. He was a First Team All- Conference selection from 1999-2001, a two-time team captain, team MVP in 2000, and honored with All-Region and All-American Awards in 1999. In addition, he was the 1998 Rookie of the Year, 2001 Homecoming King and the 2001 Mid-South Conference Player of the Year. Coach Argueta is in his Alma Matter’s history books as well as he is listed 2nd in assists, 3rd in points and 4th in goals in school’s history as he holds the school record in assists with 5 in a single game.


Coach Argueta graduated with a triple major: Business Administration, Sports Management and Physical Education with a minor in Economics.


Argueta, a central midfielder, also has professional soccer experience with the Columbus Crew in 2002 and played for the Info Sport at the Professional Soccer Combine, being selected to the All-Star Team at the combine. In addition, he played for two Professional Development League Teams, Indiana Invaders and West Michigan Edge. Coach Argueta was also the Captain and Most Valuable Player for the U-12 Guatemala National Youth Team from 1989 to 1991, leading them to Concacaf youth tournaments from South America to the United States. He also led the Guatemalan Youth National Team to the Dallas Cup, which is one of the biggest tournaments in the world.


As he did in college, Coach Argueta has also put his name in his High School Boys’ Soccer records. Born in Guatemala City, Guatemala and having been raised in Alexandria, Virginia, he attended and graduated from T.C. Williams High School (“Remember the Titans”) then, now renamed Alexandria City High School. Coach Argueta was a member of the T.C. Williams Boys’ Soccer team for all four years, where he was a starter all four years. He holds the school record in goals in a single game (6), which was mentioned in The Washington Post Newspaper as a big accomplishment. Argueta was named to the 1st Team All-District, 1st Team All-Metropolitan (VA, MD and Washington D.C.) and was also named Alexandria’s City Schools Player of the Year in 1997. He was named team Captain and Team MVP for 4 years. Coach Argueta’s recognitions continue to grow as his latest achievement has taken place this year, 2022, as he has been notified of his nomination to joining T.C. William’s Hall of Fame.


In 2016, Coach Argueta led The School of Ginga’s U15 boys’ futsal team to the United States Youth Futsal National Championship in Kansas City, Kansas, while he was also part of the coaching staff at The School of Ginga’s U15 girls who were runners up in the National Championship. Having served as the Director of Coaching for The School of Ginga for the U15 to U19 age groups from 2013-2018 as well as one of the trainers for the younger ages, at this time, Coach Argueta serves as the head Coach and trainer for Cincy SC’s U13 Girls Premier team as well as the head coach and trainer for the U18 Cincinnati Quetzal soccer team (tournament team).


The Lions’ head coach has a lot of experience in coaching as he has coached at Turpin high school for four years, before joining our institution, as well as has coached many prestigious camps around the country. Some of these prestigious soccer camps are FC Barcelona Escola USA, Connecticut Soccer School, Ohio Youth Soccer Camp, The Ginga Touch, etc. He has also coached club soccer since 2003 with Cardinals Soccer Club, King Soccer Academy, Kings Hammer Academy and The School of Ginga.


Coach Argueta has changed the program by bringing his knowledge, passion and love for the game. The men’s soccer program has become better throughout each year and has gained the respect of other institutions. Argueta continues the growth of the program by coaching his players to become better students, players and even better individuals. His commitment continues by growing the program and giving his players different experiences and opportunities each year. He has taken his teams to Spain two times in the past six years, where they have played Real Madrid and Barcelona 3rd and 4th division teams as well as Atletico Madrid’s and Espanol’s 2nd and 3rd division teams. They have toured the Bernabeu (Real Madrid’s Stadium) and the Camp Nou (Barcelona’s Stadium) as well as watched lived Real Madrid games and Barcelona and Atletico Madrid’s Champions League Games. Coach Argueta has had the fortune of seeing Real Madrid’s coach Zinedine Zidane in action at a training session as well as meeting and talking to famous soccer legends as Roberto Carlos, member of Real Madrid and the Brazilian National Soccer team in 2000s and Hristo Stoichkov, member of FC Barcelona and the Captain of the Bulgarian Soccer Team in late 90s.


Coach Argueta’s is not only a soccer coach at MSJ, he also serves as an Athletic and Academic advisor for his student-athletes as well as a part of the Coordinating Representative of Staff Assembly (CRSA). He has been a member of the Athletic Department Hiring Coaching Committee, the Athletic Hall of Fame Committee, Retention Committee, Inclusion and Diversity Committee and Honors and Awards Committee.


Argueta’s future plans are to continue growing the program and his players as well as continue giving them the experience inside and outside the soccer field.


Coach Rudy Argueta resides in Amelia, Ohio with his wife Michelle, daughters, Bella Rose and Lucy Marie and son, Rudy Noe.