This might not be goodbye for Fredy Sanguinetti. There is a chance he’ll be seeing everyone again later down the road.
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This might not be goodbye for Fredy Sanguinetti. There is a chance he’ll be seeing everyone again later down the road.
But for now, the highly-successful Cinco Ranch boys soccer coach is stepping down from his post. Sanguinetti will remain at the school as a Spanish teacher but is leaving coaching to enjoy the success of his son Roger, a former Cinco Ranch standout and now an incoming sophomore defender at NCAA Division I Grand Canyon University.
Sanguinetti told players of his decision during their seventh period class on Thursday, May 20. His realization that it was what was best came much sooner, when Roger started a game for Grand Canyon as a true freshman earlier this season and Sanguinetti missed it because he was coaching the Cougars.
“I kind of do everything all-in and I felt somebody was getting cheated,” Sanguinetti said. “I’m big on faith, family and fútbol, and Roger has that limited time to play in college and I want to be there for him. I tear up just watching him warm up or when he’s announced at games. When he comes into a game, I’m screaming in joy. I’m like a fanboy.
“So, I’m going to try not coaching for the first time in 30 years.”
Sanguinetti said he was grateful for the school letting him stay on to teach, specifically showing appreciation for the cooperation and support of principal James Cross and head athletic coordinator Chris Dudley. It was a decision that did not come easily.
“Rog was in the NCAA Tournament, so of course we went over there to see him, but I had to miss two days of school,” Sanguinetti said. “But the problem is, me being who I am, I want to be there. I’m all-in. And not everybody makes it to the NCAA Tournament. I told my son to enjoy it. And then I think, ‘Dude, your son’s in the NCAA Tournament. You need to enjoy it.’
“We prayed about it, talked about it and my last call was to my dad. He told me I have a very tight window with my son, and I’ve been taking care of lots of people’s sons and daughters, and this was a time to be a dad. I was like, ‘Yes, sir!’”
Sanguinetti has had a remarkable coaching career, mostly spent in Katy ISD. He started at Edinburg High in south Texas, where he was first a teacher, and then moved on to coach at Stratford and Elsik before coming to Katy.
He opened Morton Ranch High School in 2004, coaching the boys soccer team, and went to Cinco Ranch in 2009, coaching the Cougars’ girls up until 2019, when he moved to coach the boys and Roger.
Sanguinetti’s teams won 13 district championships, nine in Katy ISD. His teams won five regional championships, all in Katy ISD: 2007 Morton Ranch boys, 2014 Cinco Ranch girls, 2015 Cinco Ranch girls, 2016 Cinco Ranch girls and 2018 Cinco Ranch girls.
Sanguinetti was named the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches Region III Coach of the Year five times. Overall, he has a career record of 585-73-83 (353-46-53 coaching boys and 232-27-30 coaching girls).
This year’s Cinco Ranch boys team, while young, went 16-3-2 and finished as a regional quarterfinalist.
“Whoever inherits this team is going to inherit a great bunch of hard-working kiddos,” Sanguinetti said. “They turned around a lot of images that the program had before. I hope whoever comes in does an amazing job, because these kids work. They’re the real stars. I’m just the crazy guy out there yelling.”
Sanguinetti’s oldest son Trey is an assistant coach for the Cinco Ranch JV boys soccer team. His daughter Arielle recently left coaching after serving as an assistant coach for the Morton Ranch girls soccer team.
Sanguinetti said if the itch to coach remains after Roger finishes out his playing career, he’d be open to a return on the sidelines.
“That’s the plan, to see how much I like not coaching,” he said. “Will I miss it? Of course, yeah. But being out there in 20 degree weather on a Tuesday night when it’s raining? I may not miss that part of it.”