SAUGUS — Joshua Crespo, former Medford High soccer standout and college player, has been named head coach of Saugus High’s varsity boys soccer team.
Crespo, previously the junior varsity coach at Everett High, will now lead the Sachems from the sideline of the Christie Serino Jr. Athletic Sports Complex. He replaces Guillermo Sepulveda, whose team finished 6-8-4 last fall.
“I’m really excited and counting down the days until the preseason starts,” said Crespo, who began his college career at Nazareth College in New York before transferring to UMass Boston. “There’s a lot of anticipation, and ever since I got this job, I’ve been imagining and envisioning how it’s going to be on a day-to-day basis.”
Crespo said his first priority is establishing a strong culture.
“Hopefully, it can happen sooner rather than later, but I feel the front end of my time at Saugus is going to be focused on building a culture – I think that’s the most important thing,” he said. “I think having a firm foundation needs to be set on what the expectations are because I have no idea what was done at Saugus before. Once the culture is in place, it’ll be easier to build on top of that.”
Earning his players’ trust is key to laying that foundation.
“I want my players to give 200 percent effort. I’m big on intentionality and intensity,” he said. “If we’re going to half-do something, there’s no point in doing it. I want my players to give me their all. I want to let them know I care about them and want a relationship with them. I want to care about their goals and what they’re trying to achieve. Once they know I care and want to see them succeed, it’ll be easier for them to give me that effort.”
Working in Everett under Coach Rodney Landaverde, a former soccer teammate, was a “great experience” for Crespo.
“I was called in by Rodney, who I grew up playing with. We weren’t that close, but we stayed in touch,” Crespo said. “Once he got the Everett job, he asked me to join his staff. It was a great experience. Rodney was in a pretty similar situation when he took over. I got to see firsthand what it was like. He’s doing an amazing job over there, and I learned a lot from him and the other assistant coaches.”
