Carlos Garcia Badias: A Story of Passion, Man-Management and Glory

After finding success at Espanyol, Garcia made a name for himself as a skilled centre-half with Almeria, showcasing his talents in both the Primera and Segunda Divisions. Seeking new challenges, he ventured abroad to join Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he achieved great success by clinching three Israeli league titles in just four years.

Now entering his seventh year in coaching, Garcia has found himself coveted across the world. Currently assistant coach at Chicago Fire, the Spaniard has also worked with Udinese, the Ecuador national team, along with stints in China and Israel.

Tribalfootball.com spoke with Garcia, between training sessions in Chicago, about his playing and coaching career, his influences and the personalities he's come in contact with over the years.

Carlos, you're now well into your first season in MLS - how have you found it?

"From the places I have been, I can compare the level here in the USA and say it is higher than the Chinese league. Because in the Chinese league, we had the 3 foreigners spot in that time and here we have the 2 spots. The rest is very organised with a budget similar to all the teams and this makes the league unpredictable. But with that, I should say that you need to sign a player in that available spot that can make a difference. The teams who take advantage of it and do it take a real step forward to fight for the best positions in the league because the levels of the DP are higher than the level of the rest of the players here. 

"Regarding the league I think it’s growing a lot, they have big possibilities to continue growing and we can see that the clubs here are closing the gap with the Mexican teams."

You took the call from Chicago after leaving Udinese...

“It was an amazing experience for me. I arrived in one of the 3-4 top leagues in the world with top players in the team and having the chance to play against top players every week. I was really happy with everything, about how I improved my knowledge, the new language that I tried to learn and having the possibility to share ideas with the players there made me a better coach. 

"I am the type of coach who likes to listen to the players and what they say, what they think and not always being the one speaking and telling them the solutions."

What was the motivation to take the assistant coaching post at Udinese?

"I decided to join Udinese in Serie A, it is a different mentality and it was nice for me to learn different methodologies of training and different tactics that differ in Spain. Having contact with players of a high level like Roberto Pereyra, who played for Juventus and played in different finals during his career... To be able to train these kinds of players, to see them up close helps you a lot as a coach."

How important has your friendship been with Jordi Cruyff in your coaching career? Your first job was as his No2 back at Maccabi Tel Aviv...

"Firstly I want to say that I have known Jordi for a long time now. When I started to play in the first team at Espanyol he was already there playing. When he became a sporting director in Israel he called me as a player and we started to have a good relationship. When he started to coach he called me to join his staff. For me, it was really good to work with him because he has great ideas, and he is clever in moments with lots of pressure. 

"At the same time, he gives a lot of freedom to his staff and when you work with him, he gives you the guidelines and you can move freely in these guidelines. When you are with Jordi he makes you feel important, he cares a lot about the people who are working with him. Jordi loves working on the game plan."

You enjoyed incredible success with Maccabi Tel Aviv, it must be a special club for you...

“I had a really good time there and they have a passionate fanbase. I live football with a great passion and due to this I created a really strong connection with the fans from the first day due to the huge winning mentality that the club has. 

"The fans don't care if you are winning 3-0 - they want more and more. This mentality pushed us players to give more and to our limits and we created a strong team there and won 3 championships in a row. 

"I had really good coaches there with Peter Bosz, Paulo Sousa, Oscar Garcia, Slavisa Jokanovic and I learned a lot from them.

"In Israel I enjoyed and liked my experience there, I went there to try the European competitions. I was 28 and knew that it would be really difficult for me to arrive and play in European competitions at one of the Spanish clubs so I decided to go abroad. We had the chance there to play in the group stage of the Europa League and also I had the opportunity to play in the group stage of the Champions League."

You worked with another famous name in your time with Almeria - a certain Unai Emery...

“Yes at that time he was very young, we got promoted with him from the Segunda to the Primer Division and we finished in  8th position. He had really good ideas but for me, the most important aspects of him are the passion he has for the game, and how he shares the messages with the players. He is a very positive and a very demanding coach.

"Unai creates a strong mentality in the team and he understands the game very well. He's always ready to find the solution for any problem that may appear during the game. Unai is different from the other coaches because he wants to get better and better every day and he often adds someone to his staff to help him in different situations who he thinks may have better ideas than him."

Of course, now we've seen Emery lead Aston Villa into the Champions League for the new season...

"Of course, the team has good players but I don't think they have the levels of individuality as the other teams in England. Still despite this, they are competing against them and managed to qualify for the Champions League. Also if you consider the budget of Aston Villa and the other teams like United, City, Arsenal, and Tottenham they are not on the same level. 

"Emery took the team on when they were close to the relegation zone last season and he managed to qualify for Europe and this season he qualified for the Champions League. 

"I am sure for him that he can coach one of the big teams again and achieve great success with them. But I don't know if he wants to do that as I think he is really happy at Aston Villa."

You had seven years with Almeria, what did you make of last season? It really didn't work out for them, did it?

"Almeria had a really difficult season in LaLiga, they sold important players in the summer and they bought young talented players. Some of the players that they brought got injured and the other ones couldn't show the level that everyone expected so they got relegated and I hope as soon as possible they will return to La Liga."

But your first club is now back in the Primera... 

"I grew up at Espanyol and they gave me the chance to debut in the first team. I remember my first game with Espanyol I was in the first XI and I made my debut against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu, so it was a great experience for me and I will always be grateful to the club for the chance they gave me."

Israel, China, Ecuador... the game has taken you around the world, Carlos. Now you're in the US. Are there any thoughts beyond Chicago Fire? 

“My idea is to be a head coach and for that, I finished with Udinese and waiting for a nice opportunity to be a head coach but during that time I got this great offer from Chicago to join the staff and to be part of the MLS.

"I thought it was going to be a good experience for me and it would help me a lot for my future. My idea now is to try and help Chicago to get better every day and to achieve the results we want and in the future to become a head coach."