Coach in Focus: Pedro Arteaga

Pedro Arteaga is a Staff Coach for the CJ Brown Foundation. His passions for soccer, coaching, and connecting with players allow him to be a strong leader who cultivates a welcoming learning environment at the Foundation’s training sessions in Chatham. 

Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Arteaga grew up watching Mexico’s national football team with his father and eventually began his own soccer career in middle school, playing as a goalkeeper nearly his entire career. 

Through soccer, Arteaga has found his passion and discovered what he wants to do in the future. After originally planning to conclude his soccer career in high school and focus on his studies in college, Arteaga decided he wanted to play at the next level. “I felt like if I didn't take the opportunity now, it would be too late if I took it later,” he said. “I wanted to do it now and see where it would take me. And I feel like it was a risky move, but it was worth it in the end.” Now, Arteaga hopes to be a professional goalkeeper, a soccer coach, or a physical education teacher, keeping his love for the game at the core of his career.

To prepare for his future, Arteaga currently attends Malcolm X College, where he plays as a goalkeeper on the Men’s Soccer team. His coach, Jesse Rosen, connected him with the CJ Brown Foundation, where he’s been able to step into a coaching role. “It's an honor to work with CJ Brown and to have the position to literally lead his Foundation sometimes. It just makes me feel happy how far soccer has come in my life, where I've worked, and who I'm working with now,” Arteaga said.

“They [Coach CJ and Coach Jesse] have mainly inspired me to continue to work hard – whether it's with the Foundation or with the college soccer team – they are the main influences and idols that I have in my life right now. They really influence me to keep working hard and have the same mentality they had when they were once in my shoes.”

~Pedro Arteaga

Arteaga feels that his connection with Brown and Rosen and his position within the CJ Brown Foundation have been instrumental to his personal and professional development. “They have mainly inspired me to continue to work hard – whether it's with the Foundation or with the college soccer team – they are the main influences and idols that I have in my life right now,” he said. “They really influence me to keep working hard and have the same mentality they had when they were once in my shoes.”

Of his coaching, Arteaga feels proud of his continuous growth. Primarily working within the Chatham neighborhood, he has been able to connect with players and guide them as both a soccer coach and a role model. “Ever since I've been working in Chatham, I've loved the community. I feel like they're very heartwarming, very humble, open-minded, willing to work with one another, and I felt at home,” he said.

As he looks ahead to the future, Arteaga is excited to incorporate his love for soccer and coaching into his endeavors. “At first, I wanted to see where coaching with the CJ Brown Foundation would take me,” he said. Now, Arteaga is confident that the skills he has learned will greatly benefit his future. “Having a coaching background, I feel better for the professional level because I have a better understanding of the game and how a player might react to a certain move, pass, or sprint,” Arteaga said.

“I'm just very grateful and very blessed to work with somebody like CJ,” Arteaga said. Overall, he is eager to continue his coaching career and watch the Foundation grow. Arteaga is confident that the organization will expand and develop in many exciting ways, and he looks forward to contributing his skills to that growth.