From Lisbon to Logan: Manny Martins’ Life in Soccer

Emanuel “Manny” Martins still remembers the streets where he first fell in love with soccer.  

In his Lisbon neighborhood, the goals weren’t nets — they were garage doors on mechanic shops. The street sloped uphill, twisted into a curve and served as a playground for hours-long matches that ended only when his grandmother called him inside. If no one else was around, he would play alone, kicking the ball into doors and inventing imaginary opponents and crowds.  

“As far as I can remember myself, it was always there,” Martins said. “I can’t remember when I first fell in love with it because as long as I remember, it was already a part of me.” 

Soccer wasn’t just a sport to Martins. It was a throughline in a life that stretched across continents, from a childhood in Portugal to an unexpected new life in California, from coaching high school kids in an underserved community to leading Utah State University into national contention.  

Along the way, he’s become a believer in something bigger than tactics or talent: relationships.  

“Coaching is very little about the X’s and O’s,” he said. “It’s about human interactions.” 

Martins arrived in California in 1993, just before his 18th birthday. His mother, who often traveled to her home country of Angola, had been stranded there during civil war. Manny had been on his own since 15, working and drifting away from school. 

“As a teenager, I thought I was on top of the world, living on my own,” he said. “But really, I wasn’t.” 

Then, a missionary family with ties to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints baptized his mother and offered Martins a chance to finish high school in the U.S.  

At first, he resisted. But eventually, he agreed, thinking a diploma might change his prospects.  

“At the time, I thought an education was just finishing high school,” Martins said. “In my family, I was the first to get a college degree. The target was to finish high school, then go work.” 

He landed at the Los Angeles International Airport on a Sunday night. By the following morning, he was in a high school classroom in the San Fernando Valley, unable to speak English. He was older, more mature from years of living independently, and struggled to connect with classmates.  

What steadied him, once again, was soccer. His high school teammates, many from Latin American families, welcomed him. Their Spanish was close enough to Portuguese that he picked it up quickly. Soccer gave him community and confidence, and within a year, he was a team captain.  

“Being on the team allowed me to continue my passion,” Martins said. “It gave me people I could relate to.” 

California reshaped his life. He learned English, earned his diploma and met a fellow student named Lorena, who became his wife. The plan to return to Portugal faded. He enrolled at Cal Poly Pomona, studied kinesiology and became the first in his family to graduate from college. Coaching, however, wasn’t something he ever envisioned. 

That changed when he was asked to help with soccer at his alma mater high school. His first season ended 1-13, and Martins quickly reevaluated his decision. 

“I wanted to quit,” he said. “I told them, ‘This isn’t for me.’” 

But a mentor urged him to stay one more year. The second season finished at .500, and more importantly, Martins began to see the purpose. 

“I realized coaching is about finding qualities in people and helping them grow,” he said. “It’s about being a source of support and guidance.” 

The kids he coached were from disadvantaged communities, many the first in their families to graduate high school or college, some touched by gang violence or incarceration at home. The relationships mattered more than results. 

“Maybe I could be that person for them in ways I didn’t always have,” he said.  

By his third year, his team won the league. Over the next several seasons, they became a dominant program. 

That start launched a career that took him into college coaching at Los Angeles Mission College, then through the club and semi-pro ranks of Southern California and then in 2014, to the University of Oregon women’s soccer staff under Kat Mertz. There, Martins developed a reputation as a sharp tactical coach and recruiter. His work earned opportunities with U.S. Soccer, where he served as a scout and analyst for the U-17 and U-20 women’s national teams. He traveled to World Cups in Jordan, France and China. 

“You realize the game is universal but the contexts are different,” Martins said. “The common ground is the passion, but you also see different ways of living. It made me grow not just as a coach but as a person.” 

In May 2021, Utah State hired Martins as its women’s soccer coach. The Aggies hadn’t established themselves nationally, but Martins brought belief. Two months into his tenure, USU stunned No. 18 BYU in Provo, its first-ever win over a ranked opponent.  

“From day one, I told our players we can compete with anyone,” Martins said. 

Since then, USU has redefined itself. The Aggies have set program records for wins, goals, assists and shutouts. They’ve reached back-to-back NCAA tournaments and climbed into the national top 10, and Martins has earned consecutive Mountain West Coach of the Year honors.  

But for Martins, he prefers to talk more about stories than numbers. He remembers defender Addy Weichers, who tore her ACL before ever playing but returned to become a captain and lead USU to titles before signing professionally. He points to transfer Nicole Hadlock-Hardy, who came in unproven but left as a leader.  

“The biggest thing is belief,” he said. “That’s what has carried us.” 

Alongside Martins is a coach who has lived that philosophy himself. Associate head coach Erin Carrillo-Bautista grew up in Portland, Oregon and had a brief playing career before pivoting to coaching. He got his start as a manager with the Oregon women’s team, where his first meeting with Martins was less of an interview than a conversation.  

“He cared more about me as a person,” Carrillo-Bautista said. “That’s when I knew there was something different about him.” 

Carrillo-Bautista absorbed everything, coaching with Martins in USL League Two and following him to Utah State. This summer, he was promoted to associate head coach.  

“I feel like I’ve gotten my PhD in soccer just being around Manny,” he said. “He’s the hardest working person I’ve ever met. He coaches through relationships, and I try to model that.” 

Together, Martins and Carrillo-Bautista have helped make USU more than just a winning program. Attendance has surged, the Chuck & Gloria Bell Soccer Field has been renovated and the program has become a visible part of campus life. Former players still stop by the office years later. Coaches get invited to weddings. The culture, they both say, matters as much as the results.  

“It doesn’t happen without the players,” Carrillo-Bautista said. “They bought into Manny’s vision, and to me, that means more than titles.” 

Martins doesn’t hide his ambition. He believes the Aggies can compete for a national championship — not by dominating every year but by consistently reaching Sweet 16s and Elite Eights, positioning themselves just a couple games away from it all.  

“If you can consistently be in that mix, you’re a contender,” Martins said. 

Still, his legacy is measured in people, not accolades. 

“What I love about the game is affecting people’s lives in a positive way,” Martins said. “That’s what lasts.” 

From the garage doors of Lisbon to the sidelines in Logan, Martins has carried soccer with him as a constant: an escape, a career and now a platform to shape lives. The stories of the people he’s impacted — whether Carrillo-Bautista or the players he’s elevated — reflect the very approach that made it possible: care about people first, and everything else will follow.