Garzon's incredible story has taken him from the Colombian armed forces to developing the USA's goalkeeping talent.
Juan Carlos “JC” Garzon has an unconventional footballing background. He spent eight years in the Colombian Armed Forces during the 1990s, where the Medellin and Cali drug cartels were prominent. As a lieutenant, Garzon led special operations groups, while also playing for the Colombian Armed Forces soccer and futsal teams.
His military experience has influenced his coaching philosophy. Speaking exclusively to Goalkeeper.com, Garzon explains how he “played in the dark moments in Colombia. What it taught me was the importance of discipline, organisation, resilience and work ethic on a daily basis. I want my goalkeepers to be relentless and training is where I can get these messages across.”
The 49-year-old played as a goalkeeper for the Colombian Armed Forces before spending over a decade in the Central Florida Soccer League. Throughout his playing days he idolised Rene Higuita, the shot-stopper who performed the infamous scorpion kick at Wembley Stadium in September 1995.
There are several areas in which Garzon takes lessons from his elite forces military career into his goalkeeper training.
“My experience as a Special Operations Commander in Colombia's National Armed Forces deeply influences my approach to goalkeeper development”, he explains.
“The principles of leadership, decision-making under pressure, and mental resilience that I learned in special operations directly translate to developing modern goalkeepers”
Garzon whittles these down to four key categories, beginning with empowering goalkeepers to make optimal decisions under pressure.
“The military taught me that excellence comes from attention to detail and consistent preparation.
“In special operations, split-second decisions could impact entire missions. Similarly, goalkeepers must make instant decisions that affect match outcomes. I try to create sessions where I train goalkeepers to develop quick decision-making through progressive pressure scenarios. This teaches them to stay calm and analyse situations at a rapid pace.”
Perhaps the key part of dealing with pressure is a focused and ‘tough’ mindset, he continues: “Special operations required maintaining focus during extended high-stress periods. I use these experiences to develop mental toughness in my goalkeepers, building confidence through structured challenges, similar to military training progression.
“Mlitary operations also require comprehensive situational awareness. This translates to teaching goalkeepers to read the game beyond their immediate area”, he says, highlighting a third key transference.
“The goalkeepers’ ability to anticipate plays and organize their defence, using tactical scenarios to enhance decision-making, just as we did in mission planning, plays a big part in the way I develop a programme.
But, ultimately, “special operations taught me that leadership starts with personal accountability. I teach goalkeepers to be vocal leaders while maintaining their own high standards, developing their ability to communicate effectively under pressure. Implementing communication drills based on military clarity protocols is something I have put into my sessions.
“I think, most importantly, my military experience taught me the value of building trust and maintaining calm under pressure - crucial qualities for both special operations and goalkeeper development. I feel this is a background which has helped me create training environments that challenge goalkeepers while building their confidence and decision-making abilities.”
Since 2015, Garzon has undertaken various coaching projects at the likes of Orlando City SC, New Mexico Youth Soccer Association, El Paso Locomotive FC and, most recently, MLS Next Pro’s Chattanooga FC as the director of goalkeeping from January to October 2024.
Garzon’s authentic leadership style, coupled with his life experience outside of football, has helped him develop talented goalkeepers like Jean Antoine. He was one of four goalkeepers in the MLS Next Pro to be selected for the Goalie Wars competition in July 2024. Chattanooga’s other goalkeeper, Jonathan Burke, also impressed, with both players ranking in the top 10 for the league’s goalkeepers-added metric this year.
Garzon believes that the key to developing goalkeepers is game-related practice and healthy competition. “Healthy competition between the two was important, as well as consistent game-related practice in training. Realistic scenarios are the fastest way to learn, and I think that has been beneficial to their development. Ultimately, we need to be in the real world to learn things.”
The charismatic Colombian uses a variety of training methods to help his goalkeepers learn skills quickly. Garzon cites “video assessment” as his most useful tool to ensure Antoine and Burke got instant feedback at Chattanooga.
For each session, Garzon set up a Go Pro behind the goal, along with aerial cameras and drones to ensure that no stone was left unturned in terms of analysis. “Video has been the most helpful tool for me to analyse goalkeepers in the squad. Not only can we look at their tendencies, but we can also watch clips of opposition attackers to see their shooting patterns and which corners they prefer when they’re in dangerous positions.”
As already mentioned, Garzon played futsal in the 1990s, winning the Colombian Armed Forces tournament and Golden Glove award. His experience as a goalkeeper in futsal helped deepen his understanding of the position, with smaller-sided games often incorporated into some of his sessions between the keepers he works with.
“Futsal was very beneficial for me, especially the technical aspects. It gave me a greater understanding of creating angles for teammates in tight spaces and showed me the difficulties of being the last defender.”
It wasn’t just futsal that Garzon played for Colombia’s national police academy. He also played as part of the basketball, volleyball, swimming, pentathlon and triathlon teams. Transferable skills from different sports are something that Garzon still bears in mind today when planning his training sessions, especially the sports that require using your hands.
“I believe that there is always something to take away from a different sport that can be used in your own, whether that be in training or in a match. For example, basketball teaches goalkeepers jumping and timing, while volleyball gives you an idea of how to use your legs to jump effectively.”
Garzon’s varied experience as a coach has meant that he has worked with different types of players. He particularly likes working with and improving young goalkeepers. His experience includes working as head soccer coach for Orlando City SC’s academy and youth soccer coach at the New Mexico Youth Soccer Association. Garzon first looks at a goalkeeper’s technique and mentality simultaneously as a starting point for an improvement plan.
“I’ve worked with a lot of young goalkeepers so far in my coaching journey. At first, I look for how he stands, how he handles the ball and how he receives information. From there, I believe in an honest relationship because that is where learning and improvement happens.”
Improving young goalkeepers requires commitment and passion according to Garzon. Realising the position’s uniqueness in the game can only be a positive for players wanting to stand in between the posts. When talking to aspiring goalkeepers and players in the early part of their career, the Colombian has a simple message: “We are special. We are crazy. But it is a gift, and we must embrace that. I’m always telling goalkeepers to be who you are because you’re special.”
Since November 2018, Garzon has worked with professional teams at El Paso Locomotive FC and Chattanooga FC. As the assistant coach and lead team goalkeeper at El Paso Locomotive, the Colombian helped inspire the club to Western Conference finals in 2019 and 2020 and an undefeated home record in the 2021 USL Championship. At Chattanooga, he narrowly missed out on the play-offs, finishing ninth in the Eastern Conference in the 2024 MLS Next Pro season.
Garzon is keen to expand on his experience in the professional game and feels that his history of developing young players and contributing to the team’s overall success stands him in good stead.
Asked about his ambitions for the future, he said: “I want to dream big and share my intel to help clubs be better. If one day I could work for the Colombian national team, that would be incredible, but I understand that I need to keep learning and working more.”
Garzon’s next move will be interesting as the Colombian is undoubtedly someone with a burning desire and passion to fulfil his full coaching potential.
