Luis de la Fuente

When we talk about athletic and academic opportunities in the United States, we often think about the moment a player earns a scholarship and crosses the Atlantic. But that moment is only the beginning.

The story of Luis de la Fuente Castro, born in Arriondas, is a great example of what can happen when a student-athlete takes advantage of every opportunity that appears along the way. Today Luis is Director of Soccer at Briar Cliff University, in Iowa, where he leads both the men's and women's soccer programs. But to get there, he had to travel a path that began in Asturias.

The first step: Asturias

Luis began his academic career in Spain, balancing his studies with soccer. In May 2022 he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Oviedo, while competing in Spain at a semi-professional level, in Tercera División.

That profile — a business education combined with athletic experience — would turn out to be especially important in the years that followed. Because his project wasn't going to be limited to just playing soccer: the United States offered him the chance to keep growing both as a student and as an athlete.

The jump to Tusculum University

Luis joined our process with that clear goal, and at Eleven Up Sports we worked to find a university that fit his dual profile: academic and athletic. The result was his move to Tusculum University, in Tennessee, an NCAA Division II school, where he continued his athletic career while advancing his education.

During his time as a player, he also had standout performances. In October 2022 he was named NCAA Division II Men's Player of the Week by United Soccer Coaches after scoring four goals in two matches: a hat-trick in Tusculum's 8-0 win over Emory & Henry and the team's only goal in a 1-1 draw with Newberry. He was also named SAC Offensive Player of the Week by the South Atlantic Conference.

But his experience at Tusculum didn't end on the field: Luis completed an MBA there, earning it in spring 2024. Soccer was still a fundamental part of his path, but his education was also building the next step of his career.

From player to coach

In 2023 a new opportunity arrived. Luis joined Briar Cliff University as a Graduate Assistant and Assistant Coach for the men's team. He wasn't yet in charge of the program: it was the start of a new stage, and it was precisely from that position that he began developing a different side of college soccer — that of coach and program manager.

In his first season on staff, Briar Cliff won the conference title and reached the NAIA national tournament, advancing to the second round. Luis wasn't just gaining coaching experience: he kept studying too. In May 2025 he completed graduate studies in Leadership and Sports Management at Briar Cliff.

His education became directly tied to the next step in his career: Business Administration → MBA → Leadership & Sports Management. And, in parallel: player → Graduate Assistant → coach.

The jump to the sideline

In March 2025 came another important change: Briar Cliff announced Luis's promotion to Head Men's Soccer Coach. He had spent two seasons as a Graduate Assistant and now took on responsibility for the first men's team.

In his first season leading the team, Briar Cliff finished with an 8-8-3 record, 4-4-2 in the GPAC conference, and qualified for the conference tournament, where it also earned a win over Midland University.

In just a few years, Luis's role had changed completely: he had arrived in the United States as a student-athlete, and now he was making decisions as a coach. But there was still one more step.

Director of Soccer

In December 2025, Briar Cliff expanded his responsibilities even further and promoted him to Director of Soccer. Luis took on oversight of both the men's and women's programs, with responsibilities including:

• Recruiting
• Fundraising
• Planning and scheduling
• Administrative needs
• Technical and developmental aspects
• Program management
• Oversight of on- and off-field work

In other words, his role was no longer centered solely on running a team, but on taking part in the overall direction of soccer at the university. Today, Briar Cliff officially lists him as Director of Soccer and Head Coach of the men's program, in addition to overseeing both the men's and women's programs.

A path that began long before he arrived in the United States

Luis's story is interesting precisely because it didn't begin at a major American university. It began in Arriondas, continued with his studies at the University of Oviedo, and from there came the opportunity to keep developing academically and athletically at Tusculum University. From that point on, a second transformation began — player, Graduate Assistant, Head Coach, Director of Soccer — matched by an equally clear academic progression: Business Administration, MBA, Leadership and Sports Management.

One of the things we find most interesting about cases like Luis's is that a college experience in the United States doesn't have to end when the athletic career does. The system allows a student-athlete to build different paths within the same industry: first an opportunity to keep competing and studying, then a way to train as a coach, and finally a professional career within the management of a college program.

Luis's story in one sentence

The distance between Arriondas and Sioux City can seem enormous, and it is. But Luis's journey shows that an experience in the United States can be much more than four years of college: it can be the beginning of an entirely different professional path.

The goal shouldn't just be finding where to play. It should also be discovering how far the path can take you.