By Maureen Fox
Daily Titan Staff Writer

Coach Diego Bocanegra’s life revolves around soccer.

Bocanegra, the new assistant coach for Cal State Fullerton’s women’s soccer program, has been working at CSUF since March. But while his career at CSUF is just beginning, he has been passionate about soccer his entire life.

“I had a soccer ball at my feet from the time I could walk,” Bocanegra said.

Bocanegra, 34, was born in Fontana, Calif., and grew up in Alta Loma with his younger brother and sister. His father and mother moved to California from Mexico, and while soccer is an important part of Mexican culture, Bocanegra’s father never played it himself, preferring baseball and basketball. However, he put Bocanegra in soccer when he was four years old.

Assistant coach Diego Bocanegra poses for a photo after a Titans soccer match. Photo by Chad Uemera/Daily Titan Staff Photographer.

“I loved it, and I was good at it,” Bocanegra said. “It became part of family life.”

Since then, he has been dedicated to the game.

Bocanegra played as a midfielder throughout his youth for a variety of teams, including the Alta Loma High School team. But his favorite experience was playing for the Arsenal Football Club, a successful club team based in Alta Loma that Bocanegra believes is one the best club teams around. While playing for Arsenal FC, his team won three state championships, a national title, six surf-cup titles and the Dallas cup, the oldest international youth soccer tournament in the United States.

“That was my first really big experience in soccer, just playing for that team,” Bocanegra said.

His siblings followed in his footsteps and have careers in soccer as well. His sister plays for the San Diego Sea Lions in the U.S. Women’s Premier Soccer League, and his brother is captain of the U.S Men’s National Team.

Bocanegra always wanted a career in soccer, but he didn’t plan on becoming a coach. After high school, he played at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz. But after two years there, he was ready to move up from GCU’s Division II league to a Division I team and transferred to University of California, Los Angeles. When he settled on studying physical therapy, he transferred again, this time to Cal State University, Fresno for their competitive physical therapy program.

“When I got to Fresno State, I started coaching youth kids while I was playing and realized I liked coaching and playing and being a part of soccer more than anything else,” Bocanegra said.

Bocanegra graduated from Fresno State and became a high school teacher, coaching at the high school and at club level. After about five years, he felt burnt out on soccer and took a position as a financial planner. He did well, but it only took a year for him to realize how much he missed the sport.

“I came back to soccer and realized that is what I want to do with my life,” Bocanegra said.

He returned to coaching, moving up to the university level. Bocanegra was an assistant coach for three seasons at University California, Riverside, and then an assistant coach for two years at California State University, San Bernardino, before eventually becoming their head coach.

When the assistant coach position became available at CSUF, Bocanegra was eager for the opportunity to coach at the Division I level and to move to Orange County.

Demian Brown, head coach for the women’s soccer team, has known Bocanegra for 20 years. The two men grew up playing soccer against each other, and when the previous assistant coach, Scott Alexander, resigned at the end of the 2008 season, Brown approached Bocanegra with the job.

“He’s proving to be tremendously valuable,” Brown said.  Since he is a defense-oriented coach and Bocanegra is an attack-oriented coach, Brown feels their styles complement each other well. “It’s helpful to have someone with head coaching experience, someone who I’m familiar and comfortable with,” Brown said.

On the field, Bocanegra works with the midfielders and forwards, focusing on running attacks. Off the field, his duty is recruiting and bringing in top-quality players. He appreciates the freedom Brown gives him and sees a lot of potential with this year’s team.

Bocanegra's brother Carlos, left, is co-captain of the U.S. National team. Photo Courtesy MCT.

“I think we keep getting better every day, and I think if we continue to do what we do, then we should contend for the Big West title,” Bocanegra said. “We have definitely gone through some challenges, and we have come out stronger on the other end of it. We just need to keep moving forward.”

Bocanegra’s wife, Kellie, said Diego is 150 percent passionate about soccer.

“Sometimes it disgusts me!” Kellie Bocanegra said with a laugh. But she supports her husband’s career and love of soccer. “I’ve never played soccer, but now I watch it all the time.”

Bocanegra is very grateful for his wife’s encouragement.

“I could not do it without a supportive wife because of the amount of time that I spend away from home, especially during the season,” Bocanegra said.

He appreciates his entire family’s support and enjoys encouraging them in return. His parents and sister attend his games when they can, and he watches his siblings’ games when possible.

“In my family, soccer is pretty much a way of life,” Bocanegra said. “It is what we do.”