Rattlers soccer coach leads sons as team begins championship pursuit

“It’s definitely different than coaching them at the youth level,” Omerovic said.

“Watching them play the game that they loved, and they wanted to grow as players to get to this level, and now I have that opportunity, definitely gives you goosebumps.”

Omerovic says it is rewarding to see his sons continue to enjoy the sport while putting in the work to improve.

“It’s a privilege to have this opportunity at this level to still work with them and help them grow as players,” Omerovic said.

But coaching his sons also comes with challenges, as Omerovic said he tries to maintain a player-coach relationship with them on the field, treating them the same as every other player.

“From my end, it’s always treating them with the same status as everybody else as players,” Omerovic said.

Omerovic said having a parent as a coach can be difficult for both sides, particularly for Irman and Kenan, adding that his experience coaching his sons through their youth careers has helped them understand when they are interacting as family and when they are working together as coach and players.

The Rattlers Soccer teams are also still finding their footing early in the collegiate season, with Omerovic pointing to plenty of positives despite some tough results.

“We’re still, it’s a fresh start, and we’re trying to kind of pull all the strings together and just, yeah, come together as a team,” he said.

Omerovic says both rosters have strong numbers, including returning players and new additions, giving the teams plenty of room to improve.

“As long as we kind of put the work in and make kind of early corrections, or corrections as quick as possible with the season being so short,” Omerovic said.

He believes the potential on both rosters gives the Rattlers a chance to make a deep postseason run.

“With the potential we have, I can definitely see both of our teams progressing into the championship at the end of the season,” Omerovic said.

The men’s team is 0-3 to start the season, with losses to Concordia University of Edmonton in their opening two games before falling 2-1 to Lethbridge Polytechnic on Sunday, Aug. 30.

The women are 2-2 after opening the season with a 1-0 loss to Concordia, followed by a 2-1 win over Lakeland College and a 4-2 victory over the University of Alberta-Augustana.

The women then dropped a 1-0 decision to Lethbridge Polytechnic on Sunday, Aug. 30.

by Jett Schwaier

Rattlers soccer coach leads sons as team begins championship pursuit

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