Long Beach FC announces Art Caballero as newest head coach

Long Beach FC is proud to announce Art Caballero as its new head coach to begin the spring 2025 UPSL season.

LBFC is dedicated to competing at the highest level in UPSL Premier. Caballero’s experience will steer the club in the right direction.

“With the team having great success in its first year, I am looking forward to enjoying the experience, continuing to help the club grow and having a competitive team,” Caballero said. “Bringing my experience and knowledge to a growing program is something I am familiar with and I’m looking forward to what the team can accomplish in the Spring season.”

Caballero has coached for over 20 years from Club, high school, college, and semi-pro and is a former D1 soccer athlete. Currently coaches with Beach FC, is a U.S. Soccer coach educator, and working on his U.S. Soccer A license. He has over 15 years of experience as an assistant and head coach at the Collegiate level and is a Kinesiology Professor at LA Harbor College and CSU Dominguez Hills. He has worked at the Barcelona Academy and SoCal Soccer League with the PDP coaching staff. 

Art has developed programs to have success on and off the field where he has developed and implemented a game model, player development plans, and tactical periodization and continues to refine his soccer methodology and style of play, all things that will be valuable to the squad at LBFC. 

His resume is filled with numerous coaching licenses, a master's degree, and many awards including the 2013 and 2014 CIF-SS championships and Coach of the Year, the 2018 and 2022 Ethics and Sportsmanship Award per the United Soccer Coaches Association, and the 2020 and 2021 Team Academic Award per the United Soccer Coaches Association. 

He has developed systems to help guide over 120 student-athletes to earn their degrees and pursue higher education degrees. Numerous of his former players have earned soccer scholarships, academic and athletics achievements such as 53 scholar-athletes, 53 Deans Honors list, and 8 distinguished presidents awards, along with coaching numerous players that have played professionally. 

LBFC is founded on the “four palms” of growth, the beautiful game, excellence and community. Caballero said the excellence palm resonates with him the most.

“I aim to always be professional and do quality work,” Caballero said. “When you consistently work to be the best version of yourself, doing excellent work is a reflection of one’s character and integrity and habits. Success is a peace of mind knowing you did your best.”

After a promising 2024 where LBFC earned promotion from Division 1 in the spring and missed out on the Premier Division playoffs in the fall by way of goal differential, Caballero looks to take LBFC to the next step. 

“One of my favorite quotes comes from Aristotle,” he said “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.”