Hamza Haddadi’s soccer journey is one of passion, perseverance, and a deep love for the game. From his early days playing select soccer in Seattle to competing at the collegiate level and beyond, his path has been shaped by hard work and dedication. Now, as he steps into his role as the head coach of Snohomish United’s semi-pro team, Hamza is eager to give back to the sport that has given him so much. In this interview, he reflects on his playing career, his coaching philosophy, and the values he hopes to instill in his players as they embark on their inaugural season
SCSC: Tell me a bit about your soccer journey!
HAMZA: I started playing select soccer at age 9. I started with Emerald City, a club in Seattle. Once I was 15 years old, I went over to Crossfire, because they had the USDA Development Academy. I played for the DA for a couple of years, that was a big part of what got me into college. After that, I was recruited to Seattle University, and Anthony Sardon was actually one of the guys that recruited me. I used to play against his team all the time. I committed and Pete Fewing came in as the coach. After college I played a little for the Kitsap Pumas over in Bremerton. I left the soccer world for a while to start some businesses and ended up coming back to coach. I just want to give back to the game that has given so much to me.
SCSC: What about soccer do you love so much?
HAMZA: It’s a sport that I was naturally put into. My family loves soccer and we’re Algerian, and soccer is the number one sport there. When I would go there in the summers, that’s what we would play. I guess it just made sense for me to play it.
SCSC: What inspires you?
HAMZA: People doing things out of the ordinary, out of the norm, being brave, and not taking the easy path. Betting on yourself and seeing what your potential is inspires me and give me belief to do anything when I see others doing that.
SCSC: Tell me how you found your way back to coaching with Snohomish United?
HAMZA: The soccer community is super small. I used to play in the Bigfoot Tournament growing up, I would come out to Snohomish to play all the time. It’s kind of surreal thinking about how I’m now coming back here to coach a semi-pro team. I coached at Crossfire the past few years, and we would always play against Snohomish United, so I would see Anthony maybe 5-6 times a year. With my Crossfire team, we won 2 national championships in the past three years with our U19 teams. I think that was one of the reasons they wanted me to come in, because a lot of those kids are now being recruited to the USL2 team, and I already have a previous coaching relationship with them.
SCSC: When you got the job offer to coach, what was your initial reaction?
HAMZA: I was honored. I was excited, because I know this level and what it will take to win at this level. I think we can have something really successful here. I wasn’t expecting it, that’s for sure.
SCSC: As a coach, what values do you want to instill on your team?
HAMZA: Like all the teams I have been a part of basically my whole life, we will be the hardest working team. For me, that’s number 1. I’ve been on teams that were talented and some that were not, but the one thing that we had in common was that we were all hard working, which also made us exciting to watch. We pressed all over the field, we didn’t give up . That’s what I want to instill. You need to have a super high work ethic because that will translate in life as well. There are so many talented kids that don’t work hard and don’t go anywhere, so you’ve got to have the work ethic.
SCSC: What are your goals going into the inaugural season?
HAMZA: Obviously the end goal is to win National Championship, but you’ve got to start somewhere and work up to that goal. I want to make sure that we have a committed team, with the summer team, it’s easy for guys to not be committed at the same level. I also want them to be committed to the community and showing up for the fans. I think that will translate to the field, they will work harder when they feel some sort of connection to the community.
SCSC: How do you want your coaching legacy to be remembered?
HAMZA: Honestly, coaching is just a way for me to stay involved and give back to the game. I just want to help these guys that I coach as much as I can. I’ve gone through what they are going through and have been at this stage in their lives, so I know what they’re experiencing. I don’t really care about my legacy as a coach, but I feel like if I can help someone who’s been through the same experiences as me, I want to do that.
SCSC: What is one piece of advice
HAMZA: No matter what you’re doing, it’s probably not enough. If you really love something and you’re passionate about something, you’re not going to just do the bare minimum. If you want to play at a higher level, you have to have accountability and not wait for your parents or coach to tell you to do more. If you love something, you’re always going to find time to do more of it.
You can purchase your tickets for the first ever season at the link below: Snohomish United USL League Two | Pre-Professional Soccer | Snohomish, WA