Raphael Nascimento

Raphael Nascimento got a taste of coaching the Marshalltown Community College men’s soccer team as an assistant in the Tigers’ best season on record.

He returns two years later as the head coach hoping to guide MCC back to that level.

Nascimento on Thursday was announced as the successor to his head coach after Rafael Martinez vacated the post a little more than a month ago to become an assistant at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Nascimento served as an assistant coach at MCC in 2018, when the Tigers advanced to the national tournament and went 1-0-1, finishing fifth. An enjoyable experience in his ideal career path helped drive his desire to become a collegiate coach, and the door opened a short time later when his alma mater lost Martinez to the next level.

“The main reason is because my wife is from Iowa, I grew up there for my whole college career, and I had the opportunity to come back to MCC as a head coach,” said Nascimento. “It would be something just phenomenal for me to actually start my career where I started my journey. I feel like MCC is a home and I’m very happy to be back.”

Nascimento was one of Martinez’s first recruits when he assumed head coaching duties in 2010 for a Marshalltown CC program that was rocked by sanctions for recruiting violations from the National Junior College Athletic Association, while Martinez was one of Nascimento’s first calls when the position opened up.

“He let me know a few weeks ago that he was interested in the position and he called me to gather my thoughts about what would be the right candidate,” said Martinez. “We spoke [Thursday] and he told me he had been offered the job, and I told him I was very excited for him.

“I care for him and his success and of course MCC’s success, so I’m extremely happy for him but I’m also extremely happy for the players. I feel like Raphael is a very good candidate to coach them and continue to develop them and take MCC to new heights.”

Nascimento was born in Boston but grew up in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, after his parents returned to their native country before was old enough to walk. His playing career began and blossomed in Brazil before he returned to the United States as a freshman defender for Martinez at MCC. Nascimento scored three goals in his freshman campaign before a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee required surgery and sidelined him for the remainder of his sophomore campaign.

And while he couldn’t play, Nascimento said his intent to someday become a soccer coach was solidified.

“I had Rafa[el] as a mentor since day one because of everything he did was always clear to me about every single thing,” Nascimento said. “I looked up to him and I definitely wanted to go on this path for what he taught me those couple of years playing at MCC.

“I was with him on the sidelines for every game [after surgery], watching him coach and helping as much as I could. I knew it was something, whenever I had the chance and finish my college and my desire to be on the field playing, that I’m definitely going to go on this path because of what he taught me.”

Nascimento went from MCC to AIB College of Business in Des Moines, then eventually Grand View University for two more seasons of soccer. The Vikings were nationally ranked and qualified for the NAIA national tournament both years.

He has played in semi-pro and professional leagues every year since, mostly indoor, before achieving his dream of playing for the Brazilian national team in a friendly against Canada in 2018.

Later that same year he got the chance to join up with Martinez and staff as an assistant coach, and the Tigers advanced to the NJCAA national tournament.

“That year was huge, learning from all three coaches: Rafa, Chris [Fuchsen] and Creighton [Jenness], it was an amazing experience and the desire to become a coach grew in me and made me look at MCC as the best option to apply and start my career, just like Rafa.”

Nascimento most recently was a member of the Orlando Seawolves of the Major Arena Soccer League, but the pandemic suspended sports internationally and it gave the 29-year-old an opportunity to hang up his cleats.

“I always wanted to work with soccer, playing or being a coach, and I always wanted to be on the sidelines,” Nascimento said. “Coaching was the main option just because you’re always involved and I can share my love and passion for the sport, and I could actually pass along to the athletes all my experiences from what I went through from playing youth club, college, professionally and overseas.

“It was the right timing because of all this pandemic I still had plans to play but most of the leagues are not going to come back, so I said ‘you know what, it’s time.’ Unfortunately it’s time. I had the opportunity to play but I’m also getting older to play, and I’m going to turn 30 this year so this was an opportunity to start my coaching career.”

His former head coach, both from his days as an MCC soccer player and assistant coach, liked the prospect of one of his prodigies picking up where he left off.

“I thought he made a great impact, built great rapport with players, he was involved in the game and able to work with all players of all positions,” Martinez said of Nascimento’s season as an assistant. “Based on the experience I had with him that year I told him this was something he could do in the future.

“He’s got a great personality, he’s a really positive guy, he has passion for the game and passion for coaching, and he fit into the dynamic of the 2018 team and it felt like he had been there all along. I told him I was there to support him all the way.”