SANTA CRUZ — Dozens of friends, colleagues, and pupils of are set to gather this weekend and celebrate iconic soccer player and coach Khalid Al-Rasheed, 65, who died March 6 while in Boston to receive medical treatment for ongoing health issues.
They’ll gather at Woodstock’s Pizza in Santa Cruz at 6 p.m. to share stories, laughter and tears to honor an affable and knowledgeable man who enjoyed a steady diet of raisin bread, calamari, chocolate, coffee, and, above all, sharing his passion for soccer.
“He was an ambassador of the game, even when he was playing,” said Sergio Sierra, 60, a teammate of Al-Rasheed’s at Santa Cruz High in 1977. “Even though he was soft-spoken, he’d help out the younger kids and showed a lot of patience.”
Al-Rasheed — a Saudi Arabian prince who missed his chance to compete in the Summer Games in Moscow after his homeland and more than 60 other countries boycotted the 1980 Olympics — made a massive impact on the soccer community in the greater Bay Area as a player and coach.
Former Soquel star Bri Rudolph (née Wiles), 40, who played club soccer for Al-Rasheed, said her coach had a unique and infectious sense of humor. She fondly remembers his nonsensical phrases and slogans that left his players both perplexed and giggling. They were phrases that his players still recite while reflecting on their charismatic coach.
“After a great play, you may have heard an exuberant ‘Friendoooo!’ and you knew that you just received highly coveted praise from the coach,” Rudolph said. “Those moments left you feeling both invincible and on the verge of cracking up, a truly beautiful combination for a competitive youth soccer player surrounded by seriousness and stress. That was Khalid. That’s what Khalid did. He wasn’t just an amazing soccer player and knowledgeable coach, it was how he made you feel. If you were lucky enough to play for Khalid, you felt worthy, you felt supported, you felt loved.”
Another of his memorable phrases: “When a chicken is good, you invite the neighborhood.”
He had nicknames for each of his players, and he used them instead of his players’ birth names. Among them, “Avocado,” “Flakey,” and “Hacker.”
“We all loved them so much,” Rudolph said.
Al-Rasheed moved from Saudi Arabia to Santa Cruz in 1977 and played his one season at Santa Cruz High in ’77-78. He led the Cardinals in scoring and helped them win the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League championship as a senior. He played two seasons at Hartnell College in Salinas, and later competed in several men’s leagues.
He had thighs as thick as the redwoods in the surrounding mountains, and a shot to match.
“He shot left-footed,” said longtime area coach Hillel Rom, who played in an adult men’s league with Al-Rasheed. “He had a rocket of a shot. When he ran by me, you could fill the wind.”
As legend has it, Rom said Al-Rasheed took a shot from the corner of the pitch in one match, and it was so powerful and quick that the keeper didn’t have enough time to get his hands up. The ball ricocheted off the keeper’s head and eventually landed near midfield, some 50 yards away.
“That doesn’t surprise me,” said Sierra, after hearing the anecdote. “It was lethal and quick. … He was very dangerous. He was dynamic, quick and fast. He was from Saudi Arabia. We didn’t have experience seeing players like that.”
Al-Rasheed spent several decades sharing his soccer expertise with female youth players throughout the Monterey Bay Area and beyond. After serving as coach at Aptos High, he became the head coach at Los Gatos and guided the Wildcats to four Central Coast Section D-I titles (1990, ’94-86). He also served as an assistant for Gerald Pleasant at Harbor, which won CCS crowns in ’98, ‘2002, and ’05, and was head coach at Stevenson in Pebble Beach for two successful seasons in ’05 and ’06.
One the touchlines, the mentor was often wearing his trademark fanny pack and leather sandals.
Whenever or wherever Al-Rasheed was seen, he always had a smile on his face.
“Everything was ‘perfect,’ said with his accent,” Sierra said. “It was always perfect. It was so fun to be around him.”
Al-Rasheed also coached several club teams in the region, including the Santa Cruz County Woodrows and semi-pro Monterey Blues. He helped dozens of high school girls receive scholarships to compete at the NCAA Division-I level.
“He was so cutting edge,” Rudolph said. “He was doing things 30 years ago that people are doing now. He had us running with parachutes, for wind resistance, and pulling sleds. He’d have me meet him at the Harvey West pool at 5 a.m., whether it was for rehab or training, and I’d put on a weight belt and run in the deep end of the pool. He was so good. … I played D-I at Cal ad was part of the youth national pool. I’ve had some of the best trainers; he’s my favorite coach hands down. That’s tough to say, because I’ve had some amazing coaches.”
Moreover, Al-Rasheed refused to take a dime for compensation.
“He gave everything with nothing in return,” Sierra said.
IF YOU GO
Celebration of Life for Khalid Al-Rasheed
When: Sunday, 6 p.m.
Where: Woodstock’s Pizza, Santa Cruz
