On Monday, Feb. 14, the Oakland University women’s soccer head coach, Juan Pablo Favero, became the second head coach this month to part ways with Oakland.
“This is a bittersweet moment for me as a very important chapter of my professional life ends, and a new, exciting one begins,” Favero said in a press release. “I have loved being a soccer coach for almost three decades and am so grateful for the many blessings and opportunities this profession has given me.”
Along with losing Favero, men’s soccer head coach Eric Pogue will not be with Oakland ahead of the 2024 season.
“I want to thank Coach Pogue for his years of service to the men’s soccer program and to the university. I wish him the very best as he moves forward,” Director of Athletics Steve Waterfield said in a press release.
Notably, Pogue led the men’s soccer team to the best record in the Horizon League this previous season. Additionally, the team made an appearance in the Horizon League Championship.
Favero decided to depart from Oakland as he plans to pursue a career as a mental performance coach for the ACL Guardians, the rookie-level affiliate team of the Cleveland Guardians, who compete in the Arizona Complex League.
“I want to thank everyone who has been a part of my journey — administrators, coaches, athletic trainers, and all the support staff that make up the athletic departments,” Favero said in a press release. “There are too many to name, but each has helped me grow and prepare to take on this next challenge as a mental performance coach.”
In addition to thanking those in the athletic department, Favero expressed his appreciation for the student-athletes he coached.
“Most of all, I want to thank the student-athletes I have been privileged to coach over the years,” Favero said in a press release. “You are why I got into coaching, and you will be the ones I will miss the most in the day-to-day.”
Over the course of Favero’s seven-year tenure at Oakland, he led the women’s soccer team to 43 wins and three appearances in the Horizon League tournament.
The team’s most successful season under Favero’s leadership was in 2021, as the Grizzlies finished in second place in the Horizon League and made a Horizon League championship appearance for the first time since 2015.
Although Favero’s time leading the Grizzlies has come to an end, he remains optimistic that the future of the women’s soccer program is promising.
“Although we fell just short of meeting our goal of winning another championship for the black and gold, I am proud of what we have accomplished over the last seven seasons, and I am convinced we have put the program back on the map,” Favero said in a press release.
In addition to Favero’s optimism about the future, Waterfield shared the same optimism.
“I appreciate JuanPa’s many contributions to the women’s soccer program over the past seven years,” Waterfield said in a press release. “He leaves the program with a strong foundation that will help future Golden Grizzlies women’s soccer teams achieve success on and off the field.”
In the meantime, associate head coach Brian Diaz will lead the team as the interim head coach for the women’s soccer team. Additionally, associate head coach Paul Doroh will take over as interim head coach for the men’s team.
A national search for the next permanent head coach to fill the head coaching position for the men’s and women’s soccer teams has already begun.
