MCDS Soccer: Q&A with Coach Benny Delgado
MCDS recently hired a new soccer coaching staff, led by Coach Benny Delgado and assisted by Coach Emmett Hendrickson. They made an immediate impact coaching the girls soccer team in the spring of 2021, leading the girls to a winning season and earning their first WIAA playoff victory. Onward student writer Stella Christenson had the chance to speak with Coach Benny about his beliefs and how he wants to impact the future of our programs.
Can you tell me a little about where you’re from and your experience coaching before coming to MCDS?
I was born in Chicago and raised in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Before MCDS, I was a girls soccer and volleyball coach at Evansville High School in Wisconsin, coached club soccer at Evansville Soccer Club, and I have done a ton of other things in collegiate and pro soccer including working with local teams like Forward Madison FC and UW–Madison men’s soccer.
What excites you about taking over our young programs at MCDS?
The potential is what attracted me to MCDS. I knew a little bit about MCDS and the soccer programs, but I knew it was the perfect fit for me. I’m looking to build up my reputation and coaching profile, and similarly MCDS wants to increase the competitiveness and numbers of their soccer programs. My ambition just fits in perfectly with the ambition MCDS has as well. I see this as a win-win scenario for everyone involved. I will grow as a coach, our players will grow as soccer players, and we grow the soccer programs here at MCDS.
"Success for me at MCDS is building an environment where players look forward to coming to practice every day, and the level of soccer we play increases every game regardless of who we play.” —Coach Delgado “
What do you think are the biggest challenges with your programs taking the next step?
One of the challenges we continue to face is player numbers. We want to make sure we can keep numbers consistent and be attractive for soccer players of all ability levels. We think this is a challenge, but we hope to build such a great reputation that players of all levels feel comfortable and excited to come out.
How do you define success? I think success varies team by team. Success for me at MCDS is building an environment where players look forward to coming to practice every day, and the level of soccer we play increases every game regardless of who we play.
What advice would you give our student-athletes who are looking to make a difference in our programs?
My advice to student athletes in our programs is to be open minded, to be okay with making mistakes in order to learn and improve, and to enjoy the good and bad moments of being a high school student-athlete while they can.
Author’s Note: Being a Teammate Throughout high school, I’ve been a member of the basketball, volleyball, and soccer programs. I believe that when you join a sport, you are part of a team. To make a difference in a program, it doesn’t matter how impressive a player you are, it matters how good you are at being a teammate. Being a good teammate involves two things: how hard you work and what your attitude is like. If you work hard to improve yourself, if you always go into practice and games wanting to be there and to improve, the team will improve. It may take time, but it will happen. Basketball Coach Larry Brown once said, “All the successful teams I’ve ever seen have three characteristics: they play unselfish, they play together, and they play hard.” I agree with this statement. I believe that to make a difference in our programs, you must be a good teammate who is willing to play hard.
